02 July 2021

Intelsat has partnered with local business HCI to deploy its Intelsat CellBackhaul service from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Out of the more than 49 million people that live in remote or rural regions of DRC, more than 32 million live in an area without a minimum of 3G.

“With an increasing number of businesses and people relying on internet access to operate, communicate or access education or health services, connectivity is not just an option anymore -- it’s a necessity,” Nathan Dahan, country manager, DRC, Intelsat told Southern African Wireless Communications. “At Intelsat, we’re continuously working on developing and implementing new ways to address the need for broadband and mobile connectivity. With Intelsat CellBackhaul, Mobile Network Operators in the DRC overcome the technical and economic challenges often associated with traditional, terrestrial backhaul deployments for rural coverage. They can quickly and efficiently expand their coverage - even in the most remote areas.”

In addition to expanding coverage, MNOs can use Intelsat CellBackhaul to ensure their subscribers stay connected anywhere they go by providing backup to existing coverage.