____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Intelsat
Connecting communities
Intelsat launched its first satellite , Early Bird 1 , in 1965 , just eight months after its foundation . “ The launch of our first satellite sparked a chain of events that led to a multitude of new technologies and game changing innovations ,” David explains . “ For many years , we ’ ve operated in the geostationary Earth orbit ( GEO ), which is approximately 36,000 kilometers from Earth , and we fly more commercial GEO satellites than any other operator in the world .
“ Today , we have roughly 60 satellites in GEO orbit at any given time in different orbital slots . In simple terms , these satellites beam bandwidth down to Earth to enable communications , bringing , for example , media to people ’ s homes through either direct-to-home capabilities or cable channels ; enabling people to use Wi-Fi on airplanes or access the internet from some of the most remote areas on the globe ; or even providing full-spectrum communication capabilities to private jets .
“ Intelsat operates in almost every vertical in the US and we ’ ve expanded our portfolio to support the world ’ s critical industries ,” he states . “ We provide bandwidth to more than 50 countries , and from a satellite perspective , we ’ re one of the largest providers to the US Government and in regions like the continent of Africa . With an emphasis on connecting the unconnected , we also focus on bringing bandwidth capabilities to communities in very rural areas of the world .
“ We fought through the rainy season in Madagascar , for example , to provide first-time broadband services to people in some of the most remote areas of the country . While we of course must protect our stakeholders ’ interests , we take our social responsibility very seriously . When it comes to setting up networks and communication capabilities in geographic areas that are under social , political , or environmental stress , we believe we do so more frequently and more effectively than any other company in the world .
Images from Intelsat ’ s recent project in
Madagascar ( courtesy AMN )
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