Gilat Satellite Networks has been awarded more than $10 million for a five-year service project to provide 4G backhaul services in Latin America. Gilat said in a Monday announcement that this contract calls for providing coverage to half a million people in hundreds of sites in rural areas, and comes with tens of millions of dollars of potential expansion. 

“This contract is an important milestone and a vote of confidence in Gilat’s abilities to both improve internet speeds and extend coverage to hundreds of rural villages,” said Adi Sfadia, Gilat’s interim CEO. “Gilat is proud to play a significant role in closing the digital divide that is aligned with our vision to better the lives of people in Latin America as well as worldwide.”

The Israeli ground systems company said it is working with the government and the private sector to provide connectivity to hundreds of villages over the 4G network this year. It expects four hundred additional villages to be connected next year.

Gilat, which is in a legal dispute with Comtech Telecommunications Corp. over a planned acquisition, has announced a number of backhaul deals lately. On Aug. 6, Gilat announced it received a multi-million-dollar cellular backhaul service contract from a Tier-1 Mobile Network Operator (MNO) in the U.S. Gilat also recently delivered a solution for Telefonica International Wholesale Services (TIWS) for a satellite communication project in Argentina, and rolled out a new satellite service in Africa in partnership with Spacecom.