SES furthers Asian satellite broadband services reach with Telemor

Satellite operator SES has inked a deal with Timor-Leste mobile operator Viettel Timor Unipessoal Lda (Telemor) to deliver enhanced connectivity services, expanding an eight-year partnership in what is becoming a key region for data and broadcast solutions.

Established in 2012 with services being introduced the following year, Telemor is the biggest mobile operator in Timor-Leste, offering mobile, internet and fixed broadband services. It boasts more than 420,000 subscribers, accounting for approximately 45% market share. It is said to be the only telecom company in Timor-Leste owning a fibre-optic network throughout the country covering 96% of the population.

Formerly known as East Timor, Timor-Leste occupies 14,874 square kilometres of the eastern half of the island of Timor, the other half of which is part of Indonesia.

The new deal will see SES enable Telemor to deliver upgraded mobile connectivity to residents and businesses in Timor-Leste. With mobile phone subscriptions in Timor-Leste reported at 106.5 per 100 people in 2023, Telemor will continue matching users’ increasing needs for more bandwidth and level up the connectivity experience to serve up to 1.4 million consumers as well as businesses. SES is confident that subscribers will be able to experience video applications and voice communications “seamlessly” whether from ultra-connected urban areas or remote villages.

Under the new agreement, Telemor will increase its service uptake substantially on SES’s O3b constellation operating in medium-Earth orbit (MEO). Partners since 2015, Telemor has been using O3b’s combination of what SES says is reliable high throughput and low latency to deliver high-quality mobile data services to its subscribers in the country.

In particular, the service uptake will aim to enable uninterrupted access to data-hungry online services delivered through various content delivery networks (CDNs) to serve large volumes of daily online requests from subscribers.

“The expanded partnership marks a major milestone in our eight-year partnership with Telemor to deliver a game-changing internet experience to businesses and residents,” said SES vice president, enterprise & cloud in Asia, Harsh Verma.

“As Timor-Leste looks to accelerate digital inclusion and offer adequate speed and qualitative connectivity, we at SES are thrilled to see how much high-performance, low-latency, satellite-enabled connectivity will bring online services closer to the East Timorese population."

Brian Tran Van Bang, CEO at Viettel Timor Unipessoal Lda, added: “For the last couple of years, we have been cementing our position as the leading operator with the highest number of subscriptions in Timor-Leste and are committed to delivering the superior internet experience needed by our subscribers. We remain committed to our mission to bring the best services as well as the latest and most integrated technology to serve the Timorese.

“We are glad to continue partnering with SES to make reliable, high-speed connectivity a reality, especially for remote locations where connectivity opens up new digitally-enabled economic opportunities that would otherwise be inaccessible.