News from Angola – Grupo Paratus and Oneweb, a pan-African telecommunications company, today signed a partnership for the distribution of their services.
According to a statement that Notícias de Angola had access to, the agreement will enable Paratus to make OneWeb’s low earth orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity solutions available in Africa, as soon as this network is operational in 2023.
According to the document, this agreement aims to provide satellite communications services to Paratus customers in 37 countries in Africa, especially those located in rural and remote communities.
The release of this news follows the signing of the multi-year agreement between OneWeb and Paratus for the construction of a teleport in Luanda, Angola, expected to be operational in the second half of 2023.
This new infrastructure will facilitate OneWeb’s high-speed, low-latency connectivity to businesses, public institutions, as well as schools, clinics and hospitals in remote and underserved areas.
Today’s announcement stems from the significant strides both companies have made towards improving connectivity in Africa. OneWeb has been building its satellite ground stations in Angola, South Africa, Ghana, Senegal and Mauritius, continuously looking to develop strategic partnerships to implement its increasingly expanded solutions for the coverage of communications services. In turn, Paratus recently launched its fiber optic connection between Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), inaugurated two new Data Centers, in Zambia and Namibia, and completed network coverage in all provinces of Angola .
For Stephen Beynon, Commercial Director of OneWeb, “Today’s agreement brings us even closer to fulfilling our mission of reducing infoexclusion barriers.”. He added that “by combining the potential of our LEO network with the scale and expertise of Paratus, I am confident that we will be able to provide customers and African communities with all the benefits that our connectivity solutions can provide.”
“This OneWeb service distribution agreement is a great achievement for us and confirms our considerable capacity and expression in Africa”, said Schalk Erasmus, CEO of Grupo Paratus. “Entering into this agreement with OneWeb will further enable us to realize our vision of transforming Africa through exceptional digital infrastructure and customer service.”
In turn, Martin Cox, CCO of Grupo Paratus, added: “Being chosen as OneWeb’s distribution partner confirms our commitment to building successful and trusting relationships. LEO technology is an evolution in delivering high-speed, low-latency connectivity across Africa, including in remote and underserved areas.”