SES, MDDIAI RK, RCSC, and AsiaNetCom Launch Demo Project to Test High-Speed Connectivity via O3b Satellite Constellation in Remote Villages of Kazakhstan

The demo is done in the framework of the country’s national project called “Technological breakthrough via digitalisation, science and innovation”, that aims to bridge the digital divide and bring the benefits of high-performance communication networks for healthcare, businesses, local administrations, education and more.

As part of the collaboration agreement between SES and RCSC signed earlier this year, the test demonstrates the benefits of SES’s Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) networks and its upcoming second-generation O3b mPOWER communications system.

The current demo network is leveraging SES’s first-generation O3b satellites to connect an RCSC teleport located in Kokterek with the villages of Akterek and Beriktas for high-speed Internet access.

“Kazakhstan has already made progress in providing Internet connectivity to the population. However, there are still remote villages where it is impossible to deliver a network using radio relay communications or through cable connection. In those circumstances, we decided to use satellite constellations. This will allow us to expand our coverage and provide broadband Internet connection to the population of Kazakhstan”, said Bagdat Mussin, Minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry (MDDIAI RK).

“The premise of national project “Technological breakthrough via digitalisation, science and innovation” is to bring the same quality of life and opportunities afforded by Internet access to every citizen of the country, wherever they live – in Nur-Sultan or in a remote mountain village. In some cases, the use of terrestrial networks is economically impractical, and we are considering the opportunities to implement innovative satellite technology to provide high-speed connectivity in those remote villages. The demo gives us an opportunity to explore the possibilities of further scaling”, said Malik Zhuiriktayev, Chairman of the Board of JSC RCSC.

“We are very excited to participate in this project, which aims to digitalise and to improve all spheres of life and economy in the country. Today in collaboration with our partners RCSC and AsiaNetCom, we have demonstrated the unrivalled performance of our innovative and proven MEO network by connecting rural Kazakhstan”, said Sandeep Jalan, Chief Financial Officer of SES. “When operational next year, our second-generation MEO system, O3b mPOWER, will further multiply the capacity delivered and bandwidth. In addition, it will deliver significantly higher speeds flexibly, catering to the increasing needs from governments, enterprises and mobile operators.”

About RCSC

Joint Stock Company "Republican Center for Space Communication" was established by the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan in December 2003 on behalf of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

JSC "RCSC" is a subordinate enterprise of the Aerospace Committee of the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Operator of the Space Communication System of Kazakhstan.

The Republican Center for Space Communications provides services for the provision of the transponder capacity of spacecraft (SC) of the KazSat series, monitoring of fixed satellite communication channels in the Ku-band on a geostationary arc from 13 to 130 E, as well as using the capabilities of the Teleport based on the Reserve ground-based spacecraft control complex and communication monitoring systems.

The resources of the KazSat series spacecraft made it possible to implement efficient and reliable satellite communication channels in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Spacecraft of the KazSat series, operated by RCKS JSC, provide great opportunities for telecommunications operators in Kazakhstan, national companies and holdings, government agencies and private companies for organizing digital TV and radio broadcasting (HD, DTH, IPTV), broadband Internet access, data transmission and creation of corporate satellite communication networks of various topologies.

Currently, JSC "RCSC" is one of the leading enterprises in the implementation of activities on communications in the telecommunications market of Kazakhstan.