SES demonstration in Kazakhstan. Photo: SES

SES is bringing high-speed connectivity to remote villages in Kazakhstan via its O3b satellite constellation, the company announced Nov. 19. SES is part of major project which is being implemented in cooperation with the Republican Center for Space Communications (RCSC), a subsidiary of the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry (MDDIAI) and AsiaNetCom, a Kazakhstan-based connectivity provider. During the demonstration, the companies have achieved 380 Mbps downlink and 120 Mbps uplink via SES’s O3b satellite constellation, which SES claims is the highest speed ever recorded in Kazakhstan via satellite.

The demonstration was done in the framework of Kazakhstan’s national project called “Technological breakthrough via digitalization, science and innovation,” that aims to bridge the digital divide and bring the benefits of high-performance communication networks for healthcare, businesses, local administrations, education, and more.

“Kazakhstan has already made progress in providing internet connectivity to the population. However, there are still remote villages where it is impossible to deliver a network using radio relay communications or through cable connection. In those circumstances, we decided to use satellite constellations. This will allow us to expand our coverage and provide broadband Internet connection to the population of Kazakhstan,” Bagdat Mussin, Minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry (MDDIAI RK), said in a statement.