A further deal with Space Norway shows that while Telesat is behind competitors, it has a big advantage in that it isn’t from the US
Orange and Telesat have signed a multi-year partnership for Telesat Lightspeed LEO satellite connectivity and terrestrial infrastructure. Under the agreement, a Telesat Lightspeed Landing Station will be hosted at Orange’s teleport in Bercenay-en-Othe, France, and benefit from ground segment connectivity with its point of presence (PoP) located in Paris over Orange Wholesale International Private Line (IPL).
Additionally, Orange signed a capacity commitment for Telesat Lightspeed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) service, which will be integrated into its global portfolio of services for businesses and telecom operators. The choice of Canadian-based Telesat is interesting given that constellation is behind its competitors but recent geopolitical events has now brought into question everything European companies have previously assumed about the wider space/defence sector.
Telesat chief executive Daniel Goldberg reckons the company is ready for big time telling audiences at a Washington satellite conference this week that: “The technology is ready, the customers are ready and my colleagues and I just couldn’t be more excited about moving forward,” he said, referring to Telesat’s anticipated Lightspeed Satellite Constellation project, which seeks to launch 198 low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites at some point in 2026.”
For its part, Orange is taking a multi-constellation approach, already backing Europe’s Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²) which is intended to offer an alternative to Elon Musk’s low-Earth orbit (LEO) Starlink. The Commission intends the constellation to start offering services by 2030 to cover Europe and the whole of Africa. Orange also recently signed a deal with Eutelsat to offer satellite internet in Africa and the Middle East.
Speaking during a roundtable event at Mobile World Congress (MWC) Orange Wholesale CEO Michael Trabbia confirmed as much, remarking on the current “political context” as a reason operators should not be relying on non-European satellite constellations for services.
First European gateway
“I’m greatly honoured that Telesat has chosen Orange’s Bercenay-en-Othe Teleport as the first European gateway for their Telesat Lightspeed network. More than that, I’m excited by the new partnership that we’re entering into, which says much about the expertise of Orange Wholesale as a space network operator and our capacity to offer world-class ground infrastructure for the most advanced satellite constellations,” said Orange Wholesale International CEO Emmanuel Rochas.
“We look forward to expanding our connectivity solutions with Telesat Lightspeed enhancing the resilience of our network for mobile backhauling, crisis response and remote connectivity,” he added.
“This strategic partnership highlights our commitment to delivering resilient connectivity solutions through our advanced, fully integrated space and terrestrial infrastructure. We are honoured that Telesat Lightspeed will help improve connectivity in remote areas for Orange’s customers in Europe, Africa and other locations throughout the world,” said Telesat chief commercial officer Glenn Katz.
Telesat said its Lightspeed Carrier Ethernet services will deliver “reliable, robust connectivity” that’s backed by service level agreements. Telecom operators can configure and monitor services in real-time, redirecting capacity as needed without satellite operator intervention. As part of Orange’s connectivity network, with ground stations in 26 countries and territories worldwide, Orange’s Bercenay-en-Othe WTA Tier-4 certified Teleport acts as an asset in providing the right connectivity solution.
Space Norway joins Telesat
Space Norway also announced a term sheet for Telesat Lightspeed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) connectivity services. The satellite operator plans to integrate a multi-Gbps Telesat Lightspeed capacity pool into its services portfolio to provide secure, low-latency connectivity services for its defence, enterprise, maritime and land customers. The capacity pool, backed by Committed Information Rates (CIR) and an SLA, will deliver “maximum flexibility for Space Norway” to tailor its service offerings, according to Telesat.
This includes prioritisation of services and data rates to each remote site, and seamless modification of online services via Space Norway’s own infrastructure. Designed from inception with a Zero-Trust Architecture, the Telesat Lightspeed network will provide “resilient communications” for “Norway and its allied partners” throughout the Arctic region. With the negotiations on the term sheet finalised, the parties expect to conclude definitive agreements by the second half of 2025.
“Space Norway found the Telesat Lightspeed network to be a natural next step in the continued evolution of our multi-orbit strategy. Its advanced architecture, including inter-satellite links and support of private landing stations, allows us to serve national requirements adhering to the strictest security and privacy standards,” said Space Norway CEO Morten Tengs.
