Leading central African ISP signs high-capacity deal with O3b Networks

On the verge of launching its next-generation satellite constellation, O3b Networks today announced a major long-term capacity deal providing highly resilient and affordable capacity to the leading ISP in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The agreement will provide for over 500 megabytes of ultra low-latency capacity to deliver high-speed broadband services throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country of more than 70 million people, including 10 million in the capital city of Kinshasa alone.

As part of the agreement, O3b's next-generation IP trunking solution will be deployed to provide international capacity in addition to offering mobile backhaul services to connect both urban hubs and rural villages with ultra high-speed broadband at ultra low latencies and cost. The innovative offering is a long-awaited technological leap in a region held back by its own remoteness in land-locked Africa and reliant on limited and expensive legacy satellite solutions. Under this agreement, O3b Networks will deliver a new level of connectivity, with fibre-like speed and quality featuring sub-150 millisecond latencies and breakthrough affordability and reliability.

"Kinshasa and neighbouring Brazzaville are home to more than 12 million people who until now have been without broadband connectivity," said Omar Trujillo, VP Africa, O3b Networks." By delivering highly affordable and ubiquitous bandwidth with the performance and speed of fibre, DRC will instantaneously move from one of the worst connected to one of the best connected places on the planet, spurring rapid economic and social development in the region."