O3b and FSM Telecom announce a long-term deal to provide high throughput capacity to Chuuk Deal gives O3b its 10th customer in the Pacific region extending its position as the #1 Market Leader in Satellite bandwidth in the Pacific Region
St. John, Jersey, Channel Islands – O3b Networks Ltd (O3b) announces that it has signed an agreement with FSM Telecommunications Corporation (FSMTC) to provide its O3bTrunk service to Chuuk. Chuuk is the most populous of the four states that constitute the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). This is the second deal O3b has signed with FSMTC, following a July 2013 agreement covering neighboring Yap.
O3b – which launched its first 4 satellites in 2013 – began trialing services with customers earlier this year, with Telecom Cook Islands successfully deploying 3G services enabled by O3b since March 2014. The company’s second group of satellites, 5-8 in the O3b constellation, are now at their launch site in Kourou, French Guiana, ahead of deployment.
John Sohl, FSMTC President and CEO said: “We are delighted to have signed our second deal with O3b. O3b’s low latency transit Internet bandwidth will enable the population of Chuuk to enjoy the same level of experience as the rest of the world.”
“This is a highly significant step forward in the development of Chuuk. It is expected that high quality internet access will boost tourism and enable citizens to enroll in interactive university courses, as well as bringing other benefits, both economic and social.”
John Finney, Chief Commercial Officer, O3b said: “We are pleased to work with FSMTC again to fully serve the connectivity requirements for Chuuk and some of the outer islands. In total, we have over 3.6 Gbps of IP transit bandwidth committed in the Pacific and the popularity of our unique service has established our position as the regional market leader. Business customers and consumers in Chuuk will see the same improved voice
quality for international calls that other customers in the region are experiencing and FSMTC will be able to accelerate 3G rollout.”
About O3b Networks Limited
O3b Networks Limited (www.o3bnetworks.com) is a global satellite service provider building a next-generation satellite network for telecommunications operators, Internet service providers, enterprise and government customers in emerging markets. The O3b network will deliver broadband connectivity everywhere on Earth within 45 degrees of latitude north and south of the equator. Our vast coverage area includes emerging and insufficiently connected markets in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, with a collective population of over 3 billion people. It will combine the global reach of satellite with the speed of a fiber optic network providing billions of consumers and businesses in nearly 180 countries with low cost, high speed, low latency Internet and mobile connectivity. O3b Networks’ investors include SES, Google, Liberty Global, HSBC Principal Investments, Northbridge Venture Partners, Allen & Company, Development Bank of Southern Africa, Sofina, Satya Capital and Luxempart.
