Intelsat CEO Steve Spengler details pilot program to connect remote areas – Bufundi in Rubanda & Kibuku in Ntoroko – in Uganda. Partnering with MTN & @GilatSatNet, the project will deploy IntelsatOne Mobile Reach Solar 3G services via #Intelsat37e #satellite. @UCC_Official pic.twitter.com/DEF8jbMgXE

— Intelsat (@INTELSAT) May 4, 2018

Intelsat has announced that Uganda’s Communications Commission (UCC) will use its satellite services and Gilat Satellite Network’s ground infrastructure to advance the deployment of 3G wireless communications infrastructure, and expand broadband access for businesses and communities in rural areas of Uganda.

Under a pilot program, the UCC will use IntelsatOne Mobile Reach Solar 3G satellite services delivered via the Intelsat 37e satellite and Gilat’s SkyEdge II-c multi-application platform to provide broadband connectivity to two communities: Bufundi in Rubanda and Kibuku in Ntoroko. For the pilot project, MTN Uganda will integrate the sites into the core network.

The objective of the remote connectivity project is to demonstrate the ease of deploying the satellite solution, and study its commercial viability and sustainability. This effort intends to be instrumental in helping to accelerate the Uganda government’s broadband strategy, particularly its goal of achieving minimum broadband speeds of 3 Mbps and coverage of 100 percent of Uganda’s rural areas by 2020.

Committed to working with member states to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) played a critical role in coordinating efforts and bringing the private and public entities together to benefit the two communities in Uganda.