Graphic by CFE

SES has connected 400 remote villages and communities across Mexico with voice and data services via mobile backhaul. SES announced Thursday the mobile backhaul service via the SES-17 satellite will transmit 2.2 Gbps to hundreds of thousands of residents across the sites, giving these communities 4G network services for the first time. 

SES-17 is a Ka-band satellite that covers the Americas, the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean at 67.1 degrees West. The satellite entered service in 2022. 

This work is part of an initiative by Mexican government agency Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) to bridge the digital divide called “Internet para Todos.” SES and CFE TEIT plan to deploy more than 1,100 broadband hotspots as part of the initiative, in a multi-year collaboration. A number of satellite operators and ground technology companies have participated, including Hughes Network Systems, Axess Networks, and Gilat Satellite Networks. 

“As technology continues to advance, the demand for increased connectivity via both broadband and mobile networks is growing exponentially,” said Omar Trujillo, vice president of Enterprise Americas at SES. “It is impressive to see the tremendous impact of the government’s innovative approach to digital inclusion where CFE TEIT directly brings 4G to rural areas in large scale and in a short timeframe.”