e& and SES Join Forces to Offer One-Hop Connectivity to Microsoft Azure

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Carrier and Wholesale Services (C&WS) division of e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group) today announced its partnership with Microsoft and SES to host the co-located SES O3b mPOWER and Microsoft ground station at Ras Al Khaimah. The first O3b mPOWER ground station in the region will facilitate one-hop connectivity to the cloud from remote sites so that customers can optimize their global business operations smoothly. The partnership will also enable companies - regardless of their location - to accelerate their digitalization plans while unlocking more value for the businesses.

This trio partnership will mean that e& network services can be easily connected and extended via SES’s second-generation medium earth orbit (MEO) constellation – O3b mPOWER – which aims to deliver high-speed connectivity services from tens of megabits to multiple gigabits per second to one site. The one-hop connectivity to Azure Cloud and SES’s satellite network also enables simplicity, flexibility but also minimizes any network latency delays. The ground station at Ras Al Khaimah is one of the eight initial O3b mPOWER gateway sites which will support both customer data services and the TTC (Telemetry, Tracking and Control) control of the satellite system.

“SES’s O3b mPOWER satellite services will enhance cloud-enabled capability to meet critical industry connectivity needs with greater resiliency and enable users in e&’s customer base to benefit from enabling Cloud applications regardless of where they are located," said William Chappell, Vice President of Azure Global, Microsoft.

“This partnership is an important milestone in providing customers with the ability to optimize business operations in a flexible and agile manner while accessing connectivity to the cloud from remote sites via satellites and leveraging e&’s global network with space coverage. e& will capitalise on the success of O3b mPOWER satellites to deliver fibre-like connectivity to meet growing customer demands globally,” said Nabil Baccouche, Group Chief Carrier & Wholesale Officer, e&. “Through this partnership, our international customers will have access to cloud-based services and platforms regardless of their location.”

John-Paul Hemingway, Chief Strategy & Product Officer of SES, said, “These are exciting times as the extended relationship with e& will enable all three companies to take another step towards delivering high-performance, low-latency networks virtually anywhere. Regardless of their remote locations, customers worldwide will be able to access and experience cloud-based applications seamlessly. Our ground-breaking O3b mPOWER system will provide new levels of cloud-scale satellite connectivity, intelligent automation and managed services and support digitalization across a wide range of sectors.”

About SES’s constellation

O3b mPOWER is SES’s second-generation medium earth orbit (MEO) system and will operate in the medium earth orbit, around 8,000 km above the earth’s surface. When fully operational in Q1 2023, O3b mPOWER will deliver an unprecedented increase in flexibility, throughput speed and capacity, enabling the delivery of multiple gigabits-per-second of data services to customers in remote and underserved regions across the Middle East, Central Asia regions and beyond.

About e& Teleport Facility

e& operates four teleports facilities, Tier4 certified, 50 antennas. The teleports are fully diversified and connected to other teleports of e& and SmartHub which is one of main ICT Hub of MEA region, making the teleport accessible from all over the world and transforming it into a space extension to the telecom world. Etisalat Group has changed its brand identity to e&, effective from 23 February 2022. Its strategy aims to accelerate growth through the creation of a resilient business model representing the Group’s main business pillars. The Telecoms business currently continues to operate led by Etisalat UAE in e&’s home market and by existing subsidiaries for international operations, upholding the Group’s rich telecoms heritage, bolstering the strong telecoms network and maximizing value for the Group’s various customer segments. Ramping up the digital services for individual customers to elevate their digital-first lifestyle, e& life brings next-generation technologies through smart connectivity platforms in entertainment, retail and financial technology. To enable the digital transformation of governments, large-scale enterprises and corporates, e& enterprise focuses on maximizing value through its end-to-end solutions in cybersecurity, cloud, Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as deploying mega projects. e& capital allows the Group to focus its efforts on driving new mergers and acquisitions while maximizing shareholder value and strengthening global presence.

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About e&

e&, formerly known as Etisalat Group, is one of the world’s leading technology and investment conglomerates. With consolidated net revenue at AED 53.3 billion and consolidated net profit of AED 9.3 billion for 2021, its high credit ratings reflect the company’s strong balance sheet and proven long-term performance.

Founded in Abu Dhabi more than four decades ago as the UAE’s first telecommunications company, the Group now operates in 16 countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

e& provides innovative digital solutions, smart connectivity and next-generation technologies to a variety of customer segments through its four business pillars: Telecom, e& life, e& enterprise and e& capital.

About SES

SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the world’s only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the world’s leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SES’s video network carries ~8,000 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 366 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com.

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