BSS said the lease contract is an effort to step up its activity in Africa and the Middle East, and follows its acquisition of African and Middle East satellite-based data solutions provider Intersat completed last month.

   The new capacity on Eutelsat 10A aims to allow BSS to expand VSAT services for a client base of more than 150 businesses, NGOs and government administrations and to develop new business. Networks will be managed by BSS using its teleport in Lessive, Belgium and iDirect technology-equipped ground station.

   “We are happy to take our strong 10-year relationship with Eutelsat to the next level,” Belgium Satellite Services CEO Nitin Dhawan said in a statement. “This is important for BSS as the acquisition of Intersat has significantly expanded the scope of our business. Thanks to the extensive C-band footprint on Eutelsat 10A satellite we can build a strong platform for service provision across the African continent and the Middle East. We are now positioned to strengthen our response to businesses and multinationals in demanding enterprise sectors, including the banking sector, that need secure and scalable networks. The new capacity enables us to consolidate our long-term positioning in this part of the world, boosting our international expansion.”