Satellite dishes on rooftops in Cairo, Egypt. Photo: Cliff Hellis (Flickr)

Egypt’s state-owned National Company for Telecommunications Services (NCTS) has contracted Hughes Network Systems to develop the ground systems that will support the operation of the government’s TIBA-1 Ka-band satellite.

TIBA-1’s mission is to bridge Egypt’s digital divide and provide connectivity to those in rural and unserved areas. Arianespace launched TIBA-1 to its geostationary orbit located at 35.5 East in 2019.

Under the terms of its new contract, Hughes will provide its JUPITER VSAT System to help NCTS accomplish this mission. NCTS will initially utilize two JUPITER System gateways, a network management system an initial delivery of remote terminals, and an OSS/BSS solution, all of which is scheduled for installation next year.

The NCTS contract includes an option to order additional end-user terminals as public adoption of broadband services expands. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed.

“Our mission is to provide reliable, affordable broadband connectivity for the whole of Egypt, including remote and rural areas – satellite is essential to achieve our goal,” said Dr. Abdelhamid Mostafa, chairman of the board of directors of NCTSm in a statement. “We will optimize performance of our TIBA-1 satellite with the superior ground system, both technically and commercially, for the job. The Hughes JUPITER System provides efficiency, reliability, flexibility and high performance to ensure the best service delivery.”