Nick Taft, left, procurement and supply chain director at Avanti and Emmanuel Andrade, chief business officer at Free in Senegal. Photo: Avanti/Business Wire

Senegalese telecommunications provider Free in Senegal will build and host a new satellite gateway for Avanti Communication’s Hylas 4 satellite under a new agreement announced Monday. 

The new gateway will extend the coverage of the Ka-band Hylas 4 satellite to Senegal and the neighboring West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, and Liberia. The companies said this will increase access to high-speed satellite internet for schools, hospitals, and communities. The gateway will also provide satellite backhaul services to Avanti’s carrier customers in rural areas outside the reach of terrestrial networks. 

Free in Senegal signed a five-year agreement to build and operate the new gateway from its Tier III data center facility in Diamniadio, outside the capital Dakar. The company will also add Avanti as a strategic customer for its enterprise business. 

“This strategic partnership with Free in Senegal demonstrates our commitment to working with local partners in Africa to increase the coverage of our satellite fleet — benefitting countries and territories that are often overlooked when it comes to high-speed broadband,” said Kyle Whitehill, Avanti CEO. 

The gateway is pending approval from the Senegalese authorities and set to go live in December 2022.