Paris, 12 January 2023 – In June 2022, Eutelsat joined International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Partner2Connect Digital Coalition. The coalition is a multistakeholder platform mobilising resources, partnerships, and commitments to foster meaningful connectivity and digital transformation in the hardest-to-connect communities. Within this framework, Eutelsat pledged to connect 1 million underserved people in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2027.
Half a year into the pledge, Eutelsat is proud to share that the 200,000-user mark for its Konnect Wi-Fi hotspots has already been reached, a significant milestone acknowledged by the 2022 Partner2Connect Annual Report.
Operating in Africa, Konnect is Eutelsat’s satellite broadband initiative, powered by the new-generation EUTELSAT KONNECT satellite. Delivering instant broadband internet access to rural areas beyond reach of terrestrial networks across the continent, the service provided is unrivalled in its reliability. With speeds and bandwidths on a par with those of fibre or 4G (from 5 to 100 megabits per second), and at ultra-competitive prices, individuals, businesses, schools, and medical centres can seize the power of innovative satellite technology. Konnect is changing the way people live, learn, work and do business, in the remotest areas, empowering entire communities on the continent.
Eva Berneke, Eutelsat chief executive officer, comments, “Konnect’s ambition is to boost social and economic development, providing easy, affordable, reliable and fast connectivity, anywhere. Eutelsat’s pledge to the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition demonstrates our dedication to increasing access to connectivity and reducing the digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa.
This major 200,000-user milestone shows that we are effectively deploying the means to honour our pledge by 2027. Above all, this commitment is an integral part of the corporate social responsibility missions Eutelsat undertakes globally”.
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