Vodafone, Intelsat expand satellite connectivity offer

Vodafone has extended its partnership with satellite and terrestrial network operator Intelsat to offer wider coverage of temporary and on-the-move satellite connectivity services to organisations operating in hard-to-reach areas or disaster zones.

The companies believe that their partnership will result in businesses, governments and charities being able to support multiple applications such as tracking valuable cargo, connecting new or temporary sites, providing additional resilience and responding to emergency situations.

In practice, the collaboration will see Vodafone adding Intelsat’s Flex portfolio to its satellite connectivity product range aimed at both private and public sectors globally. Using the Intelsat service based on a network of geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites, Vodafone will be providing two types of what it assures will be “secure, reliable and easy-to-use” satellite connectivity products: communications-on-the-move (COTM), which uses a vehicle-mounted antenna; and communications-on-the-pause (COTP) connectivity, which comprises a compact satellite terminal.

Intelsat’s service will also be used to support Vodafone’s charitable arm, the Vodafone Foundation, with its connected health and education initiatives across Europe and Africa. Vodafone Foundation is also on standby to offer help to NGOs, governments and relief agencies in their response to environmental and humanitarian disaster situations.

Vodafone’s agreement with Intelsat complements its work on direct-to-smartphone connectivity using low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology. The operator has already been working with Intelsat owner SES to provide 4G and 5G high-speed mobile broadband services in Papua New Guinea through a new mobile service provider.

It also sees further traction for Intelsat in delivering connectivity to hard-to-reach places. Earlier in 2024, it announced a partnership with equipment and services company CNH Industrial to offer farmers in rural Brazil ubiquitous access to the internet via a ruggedised satellite communications service and gain field-ready connectivity to support precision agriculture applications.

Commenting on the extension of the companies’ partnership, Vodafone Business CEO Marika Auramo said: “Vodafone’s agreement with Intelsat adds depth and breadth to our global network. With these new services, we can provide additional connectivity and resilience to customers in some of the hardest-to-reach places, whether they’re on the move, or need to quickly establish communications following an environmental or humanitarian disaster.”

Jean Philippe Gillet, senior vice-president of media, mobility and networks at Intelsat, added: “The welfare of communities and their citizens is increasingly linked to the ability to access reliable connectivity services.

“The goal of our Flex services is to make it easier for our customers to leverage the reach and reliability of Intelsat’s network to deliver connectivity wherever they may operate, be it charitable initiatives like the Vodafone Foundation or connectivity for global enterprises, industrial operations, or rapid-response organisations.”