Guatemalan service provider first to tap into high-throughput services delivered by SES’s new, fully-digital geostationary satellite, addressing network requirements for multiple enterprise segments

SES and COMNET announced that the two companies have extended their long-term partnership to jointly deliver high-performance, next-generation broadband services to enable applications supporting agriculture, trade, tourism, energy, financial, health and education sectors across Central America. The Guatemalan service provider will leverage SES-17 Ka-band satellite capacity and SES’s managed services to offer a new QUANTTUM Ka enterprise solution, an extension to COMNET’s QUANTTUM portfolio of broadband services.

In the last 15 years, COMNET has been leveraging SES’s extensive satellite fleet and managed services in C-, Ku- and now Ka-band to provide reliable connectivity services to underserved areas in the isthmus. Powered by SES’s first high-throughput geostationary (GEO) satellite operating in Ka-band, COMNET’s QUANTTUM Ka solution will provide high-quality, reliable and fast internet connectivity services to help accelerate digital access in the region, especially as countries continue to adapt and respond to the pandemic. The solution will enable telemedicine, remote education and Internet of Things applications, while supporting business continuity with redundancy services to help mitigate the impact of natural disasters in a region prone to climate and geological events.

“The long-standing partnership between COMNET and SES maintains a virtuous cycle of innovation in satellite technologies that improve access to broadband internet connectivity with high availability and enhanced coverage,” said Jorge Eskenasy, CEO at COMNET. “We are proud to be the first company in the region to provide Ka-band solutions via SES-17 in Central America.”

“SES-17 is a very-high-throughput GEO satellite that incorporates cutting-edge technologies to deliver the best connectivity experience for our customers across the Americas. We’re delighted to continue growing with COMNET as a strong partner, and to bring to market the unmatched capabilities of the most advanced and versatile satellite in SES’s fleet,” said Omar Trujillo, Vice President of Networks Sales for Americas at SES.

SES-17 was built by Thales Alenia Space and launched in October 2021 by Arianespace from the Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Equipped with an all-electric propulsion system, the satellite will reach orbit as of mid-2022. It is a state-of-the-art satellite that provides comprehensive coverage across the Americas, the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean from its orbital slot of 67.1 degrees West.