Over 40 African and 15 European countries will receive a boost in their telecommunications experience with the successful launch today of the Eutelsat Connect satellite. The satellite which was successfully launched into Geostationary Transfer Orbit by Arianespace using an Ariane 5 rocket that lifted off from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana will lead to a tremendous transformation in the continent’s ICT industry.

The separation of the all-electric satellite occurred after a 27-minute flight and the spacecraft systems checkout was successfully completed over a period of 3 hours.

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Built by Thales Alenia Space, the Eutelsat Connect communications satellite features all-electric propulsion and operates in Ka-band. It is the first satellite to use Thales Alenia Space’s all-electric Spacebus NEO platform, developed under the Neosat Partnership Project conducted by the European and French space agencies (ESA and CNES).

Offering total capacity of 75 Gbps, by end of 2020 which is far faster than what available satellites offer, it will allow the operator to provide internet access services for both companies and individuals at up to 100 Mbps.

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Speaking on the development, Mr. Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of Eutelsat said that “our congratulations to Arianespace and the Guiana Space Center teams for successfully launching our EUTELSAT KONNECT satellite towards geostationary orbit. The collaboration between Eutelsat, Thales Alenia Space and Arianespace on this ambitious satellite programme has resulted in a world-first broadband satellite for the African and European continents that demonstrates the suitability of satellite infrastructure as a means to deliver high quality broadband services, contributing to bridging the digital divide within rural areas.”

Experts believe that this is coming at the right time as some African countries have started experimenting with the G5 internet capabilities while it will improve those already on G4.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry