French telco Orange has struck a multi-year partnership with satellite operator Telesat to offer non-terrestrial connectivity services via Telesat's fleet of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
As part of the agreement, a Telesat Lightspeed Landing Station will be hosted at Orange’s teleport in Bercenay-en-Othe, France.
Orange notes that the Landing Point will benefit from ground segment connectivity with their point of presence (PoP) located in Paris over Orange Wholesale International Private Line (IPL).
The carrier has also signed a capacity agreement for Telesat Lightspeed LEO service, which will be integrated into the company's global portfolio of services for businesses and telecom operators.
Orange's partnership with Telesat will provide a boost for remote connectivity, mobile backhaul, and crisis response, noted Emmanuel Rochas, CEO of Orange Wholesale International.
“I’m greatly honored that Telesat has chosen Orange’s Bercenay-en-Othe Teleport as the first European gateway for their Telesat Lightspeed network," said Rochas.
"More than that, I’m excited by the new partnership that we’re entering into, which says much about the expertise of Orange Wholesale as a space network operator and our capacity to offer world-class ground infrastructure for the most advanced satellite constellations."
Orange has ground stations across 26 countries and territories worldwide. The carrier said its Bercenay-en-Othe WTA Tier-4 certified Teleport "acts as a pivotal asset in providing the right connectivity solution."
Canada's Telesat completed CA$2.54 billion (US$1.87bn) in funding agreements for its planned Lightspeed satellite constellation last September.
The company plans to launch the first Telesat Lightspeed satellites in mid-2026.
Yanniv Betito, RVP sales and business development EMEA, Telesat, confirmed to DCD during Mobile World Congress (MWC) that Telesat expects to launch commercial services by the end of 2027.
First announced in 2018, Thales Alenia Space was chosen to be the prime manufacturer for the Lightspeed Constellation back in February 2021.
However, supply chain issues mean the fleet was pushed back from its original 2023 launch date and dropped the number of satellites from 298 to 198, having already previously pushed back the original launch date of 2020 after delays in choosing a contractor. The company then switched suppliers to MDA to save costs.
DCD took a deeper look at Telesat's LEO ambitions in a previous Edge supplement. Read it for free today.
Eutelsat tie-up for Africa and Middle East
Orange's announcement follows last week's, revealed during MWC, that it has signed a strategic agreement with French satellite operator Eutelsat to accelerate the deployment of satellite Internet in Africa and the Middle East.
That particular tie-up will see Orange use Eutelsat's Konnect satellite to provide Internet access.
The deployment will initially take place in Jordan, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Orange said it then aims to extend this service to all countries in the region.
Orange said the aim of the partnership is to connect isolated territories and will make it possible to offer services tailored to both private individuals (B2C) and businesses (B2B).
It's set to offer speeds of up to 100Mbps, notes the carrier.
“Our satellite technology including GEO capacity, combined with Orange's local footprint, brings connectivity where it's needed most. Together, we're creating a robust solution to accessibility challenges, providing reliable and affordable connectivity for consumers and businesses alike," said Cyril Dujardin, president of the connectivity business unit, Eutelsat Group.
