O3b’s satellite solar array. Photo: O3b Networks

[Via Satellite 11-20-13] Somtel, a telecommunications company based in headquartered in Hargeisa, Somaliland, has contracted a substantial amount of O3b Networks’ O3bTrunk capacity in Somalia as it seeks to serve growing consumer and corporate demand in its core markets. The O3b service is expected to formally launch in 2014 after the company’s new Thales Alenia Space-built satellite constellation is completely launched.

The O3bTrunk products promise to offer lower delay than long haul fiber with a round trip latency of less than 150 milliseconds. The company’s network is designed to deliver global broadband connectivity for emerging, unconnected markets in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific region, with a collective population of more than 3 billion people.