Hispasat, GlobalSat team to offer free satellite broadband across Mexico

Spanish telecommunications satellite operator Hispasat has announced a collaboration with internet service provider GlobalSat in the roll-out of free satellite connectivity hotspots in 500 remote towns in Mexico.

GlobalSat is a Mexican telecommunications company with more than 25 years’ experience in the sector. It is the leading provider of satellite internet access in Mexico for SMEs, corporations and the government as it operates the country’s largest satellite network. Its mission is to provide specialised and reliable business connectivity to any location in Mexico.

As part of the partnership between Hispasat and GlobalSat – promoted by the Mexican federal government through the CFE TEIT (Telecommunications and internet for everyone) programme – residents of the towns of Durango, San Luis Potosí, Guerrero, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas and Sinaloa will have free satellite connectivity on their devices through an open Wi-Fi hotspot located in public areas of these communities.

The aim of CFE TEIT is to bridge Mexico’s digital divide, guaranteeing the right for the Mexican people to access information and communication technology, as well as radio broadcast and telecommunications services. According to figures from the National Statistics and Geography Institute of Mexico from 2020, only 50.4% of the rural population use the internet – 27.9 percentage points lower than people in urban areas.

Hispasat said this difference meant it was essential to promote satellite technology in these areas to accelerate their development, stabilise society around equality and bridge the digital divide. In recent years, Hispasat has carried out a number of initiatives in Mexico focused on this issue.

It said that because of their universal coverage and simple deployment, satellites were the ideal option to extend internet access to remote towns quickly and efficiently. The service provided in these 500 hotspots can be exported not only to any other town in Mexico, but also to any part of Latin America, thanks to Hispasat’s coverage in the region, it added.

The technology provided by Hispasat is part of the managed services offered by the company. Specifically, it offers broadband connectivity thanks to the capacity in the Ka band of its Amazonas 5 satellite located in the 61º West orbital position.

With this high-performance satellite, GlobalSat and the Mexican government say they can ensure these communities will have quality internet access, regardless of how remote they are. The project has been led by GlobalSat, which has used its experience in integrating satellite systems with Wi-Fi technologies for rural communities in similar projects with the federal and state governments.

“We are very satisfied that GlobalSat has chosen us to provide satellite connectivity in these 500 remote hotspots in Mexico,” said Ignacio Sanchis, chief commercial officer at Hispasat. “GlobalSat is joining us on this extensive long-term joint project, and we are convinced that this initiative will be a complete success when expanding internet access in these towns.”

GlobalSat CEO and founder Eric Cataño added: “The excellent performance of the capacity in Hispasat’s Ka band over Mexico will be essential to guarantee quality service like the one these rural areas need. With initiatives like this, we hope to keep contributing towards a universal, quick and efficient roll-out of telecommunications in our country.”