The Galapagos Islands. Archive photo from O3b Networks.

CNT, a telecom provider for the Galapagos Islands, is increasing its capacity agreement with SES from 1.5 gigabits per second to 2.5 gigabits on the O3b constellation, with plans to migrate to O3b mPOWER. 

CNT and SES have a long term partnership and the satellite operator has been serving the island chain off the coast of Ecuador since 2015. The island does not have an undersea fiber cable, but one is in the works and not expected to be operational until 2024. 

The telecom provider said this new Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) capacity will enable high-speed internet access and mobile and Pay TV services to homes and businesses. 

“With the current O3b satellite service and O3b mPOWER connectivity on the way, the people, businesses, communities of Galapagos and the thousands of tourists who visit each year will have access to some of the region’s best Internet and 4G/5G mobile services available,” commented Ralph Suástegui Brborich, CEO of CNT. 

The first batch of O3bmPOWER satellites launched in December, and Boeing has delivered the second batch. Telcos and MNOs are a target market for O3b mPOWER for use cases like fiber backup and backhaul, and Vodafone in the Cook Islands also recently signed an expansion deal with SES.