Orange signed a fresh deal with Eutelsat Group to ramp up its low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite offering, tapping into its OneWeb constellation to boost connectivity for enterprise and government customers.
The multi-year agreement gives Orange access to high-capacity, low-latency satellite services to complement its terrestrial infrastructure, allowing it to offer customers seamless service continuity and improved security.
The operator flagged the move as key to supporting mobile backhaul and delivering resilient coverage in remote and underserved areas.
Jean Louis Le Roux, EVP of Orange International Networks, said the partnership with Eutelsat was “of strategic importance” to support customers’ digital transformation, describing the LEO-based service as a “sovereign digital connectivity” solution fit for Orange’s global footprint.
Eutelsat’s Connectivity Business Unit president Cyril Dujardin also hailed the extension of the partnership, noting LEO services are becoming “an integral technology for global telco operators”.
The deal builds on earlier satellite collaborations between the pair. Orange is the exclusive reseller of capacity on Eutelsat’s Konnect VHTS broadband satellite in France under a deal struck in 2018, while its Middle East and Africa arm signed up for Eutelsat Konnect capacity earlier this year.
The latest move also comes shortly after Eutelsat reportedly conducted discussions with investors to raise €1.5 billion to fund the expansion of its LEO satellite infrastructure.