One recent example is Africa Mobile Network (AMN) and Intelsat working together to connect 500 sites in Madagascar to provide first-time phone broadband services to residents who live and work across the country.
The government is committed to increasing access to digital services, with the Digital and Energy Connectivity for Inclusion in Madagascar (DECIM) project launched in 2023, focusing on deploying infrastructure in under-served areas.
60% of the population live in rural areas, most of which are difficult to access and some are beyond the reach of the country’s power grid.
A combination of Intelsat’s satellite backhaul and AMN’s site design has been used to connect the rural communities to telephone services. The ubiquity of satellite and solar power has made it possible to provide connectivity in very remote locations. In addition, AMN specialises in rural deployments and has been successful in tackling logistical challenges in the locations where connectivity reached locals for the first time.
At present, 65 sites are up and running in 65 communities, providing first-time connectivity to about 100k people. The goal is to connect 120 sites by the end of March 2024. At that point, 200,000 people will have access to telecommunication services where no coverage previously had been available from any network operator. Find out more about the project here.
Intelsat will speak about The evolving use cases of NTN for towercos at TowerXchange Meetup Europe taking place on 23-24 April in London. Join the conference to learn about other use cases in Europe and to find out more about satellite connectivity as complementary technology.