The accomplishment
January 2010 to January 2013 – while in charge of Latin America for the MEO satellite operator O3b Networks, Mr. Celso Merege has introduced the company into the Brazilian market by leverage signing of O3b´s first satellite capacity service contract in Latin America. A long-term multimillion contract for one entire Ka-band transponder, to be renewed every 5 years.
The customer, a Brazilian company based in Manaus AM, a regional satellite multimedia service company named OZÔNIO Telecom , is part of the IIN Israeli Group and has its focus on serving the Amazonas (AM) Brazilian State.
The service is based on O3b’s Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) constellation of Ka-band High Throughput Satellites (HTS)
Satellite operator O3b has partnered with OZÔNIO Telecom, to deliver 3G/4G connectivity to Tefé (AM), Brazil.
Via Satellite 06-30-2016: O3b Networks, in partnership with regional distributor OZÔNIO Telecom, is providing satellite connectivity to the Brazilian city of Tefé (AM), an interior Amazon-based city with more than 60,000 inhabitants located 500km from the regional capital of Manaus. The satellite solution has been active in the city of Tefé (AM), since early June, and officially launched June 29. The O3b model proposed is based on the “pay as you grow” concept, allowing operators or Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to purchase the amount of megabits per second needed, then increasing that capacity over time as needed, paying a monthly fee. The service is available for residential, corporate and government customers who provide connectivity in the city.
O3b said that it is also considering providing connectivity in other remote Brazilian cities with “significant population density, but with poor internet connectivity and mobile service no better than 2G”. The company also plans to add eight more satellites to its existing 12 satellites fleet, by 2018.
The unprecedented proposal
O3b networks proposed to dramatically reduce the roundtrip latency for all satellite supported applications – mostly internet based applications-, by placing its satellite constelation much closer to the planet. Something never tried before.
In parallel, also proposed that its service would provide high quality broadband availability when reaching the entire zone in between the tropics (Cancer and Capricorn) around the world, plus reasonable service up and down the tropics.
The key advantage
The steerable beams technology, that would allow O3b to point each independant transponder to a particular target in the surface of the Earth and to track it along, while moving in the Sky.
The Risk
O3b´s risk at that time was a pioneering atempt to build a new equatorial satellite belt at a NGSO (Non-Geo Stationary Satellite Orbit) much closer to the Earth – the so called Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) -, where the satellites would need to orbit our planet 5 times faster than the Earth movement in order to be stable. Something never tried before.
The challenge
The fact that O3b´s satellites would be non-geo stationary brought along other tough challenges, such as the need to develop totally new tracking antenna systems for their earth stations. But it also brought interesting advantages, such as the extra flexibility for the configuration change from the satellite steerable beams and extra robustness for the reliability of satellite failure, as per the fleet hand-over system.
It was necessary to build from the scratch a reliable ground equipment system capable of handing over the satellites, in order to keep up the communication during each of the satellite changes.
© copywright. Picture credit: SES S.A. / O3b
The benefit
As O3b was intending to do MEO (Medium Earth Orbit) – around 20,000 km above earth surface – instead of Geostationary orbit, a significant latency reduction would be reached, approaching it to a fiber optic class service latency. The so called ” Fiber in The Sky” effect.
Should it be a success, O3b´s new satellite fleet would be able to provide satellite service at ¼ of the typical latency roundtrip time, if compared to the latency provided by the geo-stationary satellites, at a fiber class throughput and at much lower prices.
O3b succedded on it, being the first to operate MEO for video, broadband internet and other applications. The video below illustrates how does the steerable beams actually works:As it was actually a successful launch, OZÔNIO and O3b then engaged in partnership to serve the Amazonas region and keep ramping up.
PRESS RELEASE VIASAT, June 2016.
August 1st, 2016 – SES Acquired 100% of O3b – SES S.A. (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) announces the completion of the acquisition of the remaining shares in O3b Networks. Consequently, SES now owns 100% of O3b and will fully consolidate the company in SES’s financial accounts from this date forward.
In 2017, SES/O3b announced its next-generation MEO system – O3b mPOWER. The O3b mPOWER communications system comprises an initial constellation of 11 high-performance satellites, intelligent software and extensive ground infrastructure, and will launch in 2022.
SES/O3b work with various technology partners ranging from satellite manufacturer and launcher to software companies and modem partners to deliver cloud-scale connectivity services for market segments such as telecommunications, maritime, aeronautical, energy, as well as governments and institutions around the world.
The high-level confidence on the executive relationship established along the process was crucial for such agreement to happen, given the fact that it was signed by July 2011, almost 2 years before the launch of the satellites themselves, on June 2013 (http://www.o3bnetworks.com/o3b-launch). That kind of deal usually known as a pre-launch agreement.
If your company is interested in participating in business opportunity such as these, we would be more than glad to act as your bridge into Brazil.
Always count on the widely respected experience and networking of MEREGE Consulting Partners to reach out to the right people at the right time.
The high-level confidence on the executive relationship established all the process was crucial for such agreement to happen and was a great success example that has already reverberated all over South America.
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If your company is interested in to participating on this business opportunity, we would be more than glad to bridge you in.
Also, get the safest and strongest legal advisory through MEREGE Legal & Regulatory team.
Always count on the widely respected experience and networking of MEREGE Consulting Partners to reach out to the right people at the right time.
