Orange said that the new broadband offering is based on the Eutelsat Konnect VHTS satellite
French carrier Orange extended its range of broadband connectivity solutions in its home market with a new satellite offering.
In a release, Orange said that the new satellite service adds to its current range of connectivity offerings including fiber, ADSL, 4G and 5G. The telco noted that this new satellite offer from Orange is aimed at customers who are not eligible for fiber and those with ADSL speeds of less than 8 Mbps. The satellite service is operated by Nordnet, an Orange subsidiary company that specializes in satellite Internet.
The telco said that customers of this new satellite offer can have access to unlimited broadband with connection speeds of up to 200 Mbps downstream and 15 Mbps upstream.
Orange said that this new offer is part of the French government’s Digital Cohesion of Regions program and meets the government’s objective of guaranteeing access to superfast broadband at a national level by 2025. Homes without good wired broadband can benefit from a subsidy to access a better connection via wireless technology, Orange said.
This new broadband offering is based on the Eutelsat Konnect VHTS satellite, designed by Thalès Alenia Space in Cannes, France and launched by on the Ariane 5 spacecraft in September 2022.
The European carrier highlighted that the Eutelsat Konnect VHTS is the largest European satellite ever designed. It is part of the new generation of electric propulsion satellites launched from the all-electric platform built by Spacebus NEO, with the financial support of the European Space Agency and the French Space Agency.
Jean-François Fallacher, executive vice president and CEO at Orange France, said: “The launch of Orange Satellite with Nordnet is another step towards the deployment of superfast broadband for everyone, everywhere in mainland France. At Orange, we’re proud to be able to offer all our customers a superfast broadband access solution thanks to our technology mix. Our range of connectivity offers now includes satellite, in addition to 4G and 5G Home, fiber and ADSL. This new offer responds to the needs of the French population, whatever their connectivity requirements, even in the most remote areas.”
Earlier this year, French operator Orange has secured financing for a total of 500 million euro ($543 million) from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to partly finance the deployment of 5G and boost 4G networks in rural areas of France.
Orange had said that the financing is aligned with its new strategic plan, dubbed “Lead the future”, which aims, in part, to capitalize on the company’s current infrastructure.
Orange has already deployed 5G in thousands of municipalities across France, providing coverage to 60% of population in metropolitan areas. Orange had initially launched commercial 5G services in 15 municipalities at the beginning of December 2020.
