Vodafone and Intelsat, the integrated satellite and terrestrial network operator, today extended their partnership to offer wider coverage of temporary and on-the-move satellite connectivity services to organizations operating in hard-to-reach areas or disaster zones.

The expanded agreement will complement Vodafone’s terrestrial networks by providing enterprises with broadband connectivity in remote and underserved areas. This means businesses, governments and charities can support multiple applications such as tracking valuable cargo, connecting new or temporary sites, providing additional resilience and responding to emergency situations.

Vodafone is adding Intelsat’s Flex portfolio to its comprehensive satellite connectivity product range aimed at both private and public sectors globally. Using the Intelsat service based on a network of GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) satellites, Vodafone is providing two types of secure, reliable, and easy-to-use satellite connectivity products – Communications-on-the-Move (COTM) uses a vehicle-mounted antenna, and Communications-on-the-Pause (COTP) connectivity comprises a compact satellite terminal.

Intelsat’s service will also be used to support Vodafone’s charitable arm, Vodafone Foundation, with its connected health and education initiatives across Europe and Africa. Vodafone Foundation is also on standby to offer help to NGOs, governments and relief agencies in their response to environmental and humanitarian disaster situations.

Marika Auramo, CEO of Vodafone Business, said: “Vodafone’s agreement with Intelsat adds depth and breadth to our global network. With these new services, we can provide additional connectivity and resilience to customers in some of the hardest to reach places, whether they’re on the move, or need to quickly establish communications following an environmental or humanitarian disaster.”

“The welfare of communities and their citizens is increasingly linked to the ability to access reliable connectivity services,” said Jean Philippe Gillet, SVP, Media, Mobility and Networks at Intelsat. “The goal of our Flex services is to make it easier for our customers to leverage the reach and reliability of Intelsat’s network to deliver connectivity wherever they may operate, be it charitable initiatives like the Vodafone Foundation or connectivity for global enterprises, industrial operations, or rapid-response organizations.”

Vodafone’s agreement with Intelsat complements its pioneering work on direct-to-smartphone connectivity using low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology.