Photo courtesy of Gilat & SES

Satellite operator SES awarded a contract to Israel’s Gilat Satellite Networks to provide broadband connectivity via its SkyEdge II-c platform for a nationwide education program in Brazil.

The Gilat SkyEdge II-c platform will service hundreds of schools in Brazil over the SES-14 Ku-band High Throughput Satellite (HTS). SES and Gilat will work with an unnamed Tier-1 mobile network operator in Brazil to meet the needs of a government-sponsored program that extends broadband services to the country’s most remote schools.

“We’re proud to be part of this project that aims to positively impact the lives of thousands of Brazilian students even across the most remote rural areas of the country, who will have the opportunity to benefit from the high-speed connectivity provided by our SES-14 satellite,” said Omar Trujillo, Vice President of Sales for Fixed Data Americas at SES Networks. “Gilat’s local delivery capabilities, including site installation and field support, make Gilat the right partner in supporting SES Networks to meet the requirements of our Tier-1 MNO customer and contribute in narrowing the digital divide in Brazil.”

SES-14 services several government and commercial end-user networks in South America. In November, SES-14 completed the delivery of services to 300 broadband hotspots across Colombia for satellite internet provider INRED. This was in addition to 1,000 sites that SES-14 connected in 2019.

Gilat has also been busy in the region, and in particular, Brazil. The SES award is the company’s second large-scale contract with a satellite operator for services in Brazil this month. On March 10, Gilat signed a contract with Telespazio to deploy enterprise connectivity and thousands of VSAT terminals for Brazil’s energy sector.