Belgium Satellite Services and Intersat Announce Strategic Tie-in to Expand into the Middle East and Africa

BRUSSELS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Belgium Satellite Services s.a. (BSS), a leading player in teleport services and satellite communications, and Intersat Africa Limited, one of the major satellite communications providers in Africa, today announced the signing of a partnership agreement to expand their operations and service delivery in the Middle East and African markets.

Intersat currently offers Internet via Satellite connectivity to major organisations, government institutions and the private sector through the African continent and The Middle East. The company has invested in state-of-the-art technology and cutting edge solutions that make service delivery more efficient and reliable for its customers and has won numerous awards for affordable and reliable connectivity.

BSS, formed following the acquisition of Belgacom’s satellite services division in 2007, provides tailor-made, high-quality satellite networking solutions including hosting and hub services, IP over satellite, and TV and broadcasting solutions from its large technical and operational infrastructure in Europe.

The combination of these two established and well-respected industry players, will create a dynamic new force for the African and Middle East market. The partnership includes a joint sales, marketing and product development organisation that will expand the customer base and offer an enhanced range of reliable satellite services.

Ajoy Khandheria, Chairman of BSS said: “BSS has been looking to expand into Africa and the Middle East through a strategic partner for some time now and we are delighted to have found the right synergy and drive in Intersat Africa Limited, which has earned its reputation for providing reliable, stable and innovative solutions tailored to the African market. I am very impressed by the organizational capabilities Abdul Bakhrani and his team have built at Intersat and BSS will benefit immensely by adding the capacity to fully provide concept to complete solutions which has been the focus in our telecoms and IT convergence projects in Asia and the Satcom business at a global level”.

Nitin Dhawan, CEO of Belgium Satellite Services, said: “This partnership deepens our international footprint with a significant presence in Africa and The Middle East as well as increasing our range of data connectivity solutions. With the experience of BSS, Intersat will be able to provide end-to-end GSM Backhaul and DTH Broadcasting Solutions in the region. It will give our customers improved access to the dynamic satellite services markets in Africa and The Middle East and is an important strategic step for BSS.”

Abdul Bakhrani, CEO and co-founder of Intersat, added: “ We are delighted to have reached this agreement with Belgium Satellite Services as we both share a reputation for being highly customer focused and service based. Intersat was built by Africans based on a strong commitment to provide affordable and reliable Internet and communications services. The combination of our two companies will solidify our ability to provide fast, responsive and flexible solutions for our customers in Africa and The Middle East through an enhanced infrastructure, technical development and marketing coverage”.

The strengths of both organizations will bring new and more optimized services to all types of customers from SME’s to large corporations, telecom operators and ISPs. Although fibre has reached the African continent, it has not fully met expectations in terms of reliability, availability and ability to reach a significant portion of the population who live in rural areas. As in-land fibre is far from ubiquitous, Internet via Satellite is for many people the only solution for communications connectivity.