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Belgium
Satellite
Services
and
Intersat
Announce
Strategic
Tie-in
to
Expand
into
the
Middle
East
and
Africa
Jan
10,
2012
Belgium
Satellite
Services
s.a.
(BSS),
and
Intersat
Africa
Limited,
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.
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