Eutelsat has officially launched its Eutelsat OneWeb earth station in Angolato expand satellite broadband services across Central and West Africa.
The new ground station, located in the Luanda-Bengo Special Economic Zone, will act as a crucial satellite network portal, linking OneWeb’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation to terrestrial infrastructure in the region.
The gateway enables OneWeb’s high-speed, low-latency connectivity services for enterprise, public sector, and telecoms customers across Angola and Central Africa
Eutelsat has been working to roll out satellite-enabled broadband across underserved and hard-to-reach regions on the continent.
Development of the Luanda earth station has been underway for four years, with the project facing logistical hurdles including challenges around securing stable power supply and establishing fibre backhaul.
In November 2022, OneWeb entered into a multi-year agreement with pan-African infrastructure provider Paratus Group to deliver and manage the construction of the gateway facility.
In 2023, Angola’s Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication, alongside the national telecoms regulator INACOM, issued a provisional licence for the facility. The licence permitted operational use of the gateway, on the condition that it does not interfere with terrestrial networks.
The total investment in the Luanda project amounted to $15 million in capital expenditure, with ongoing operating costs expected to reach $5 million over the next decade.
The new site in Angola joins an expanding network of OneWeb earth stations already in place across the continent, including installations in Ghana, Mauritius, Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania. Additional stations are planned as Eutelsat and OneWeb accelerate their drive to close the digital divide in Africa.
The station improves network reach and resilience across Central and West Africa regions where terrestrial infrastructure remains limited or cost-prohibitive.
RELATED STORIES
Orange partners with Eutelsat to boost LEO satellite services
Korea approves Eutelsat OneWeb LEO satellite rollout in landmark regulatory move
