The world’s leading satellite services provider, Intelsat, has announced a new multi-year capacity agreement with South African-based Vodacom on the Intelsat satellite fleet. Vodacom will utilize capacity to support its deployment of cellular backhaul services in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where it is currently implementing its 3G network.

With vast countries like DRC, it proves that satellite still has a place, even with the growth of fiber optic cable networks.

This agreement expands the Intelsat-based cellular backhaul infrastructure supporting wireless services in Tanzania, Mozambique and other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Vodacom utilizes multiple satellites on the Intelsat fleet for international trunking, corporate networking, and in-flight broadband and disaster recovery services across the continent.

Intelsat Managing Director of Africa Sales Jon Osler said that the agreement continues a decade-long support of Vodacom in Africa, and comes at a time of unprecedented demand for reliable communications access. “Intelsat’s breadth of services in the region, and expertise in supporting wireless operators, allows providers such as Vodacom to reach its business goals as it expands its presence across Africa,”  Osler said.