Situated midway between Hawaii and Australia, the Marshall Islands are an isolated and sparsely populated collection of five volcanic islands and 29 remote coral atolls.
While the Islands offer much in beauty, the country and its citizens lacked the connectivity needed to thrive in a modern and digitized world. Intelsat recently partnered with the Marshall Islands National Telecommunications Authority (NTA) to develop a multi-phase approach, utilizing small cell technology to establish a 2G network and provide voice communications to the remote islands.
Despite challenges such as transportation difficulties and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Intelsat and NTA successfully deployed 60 small-cell bay stations, a satellite hub, and other equipment across the islands. Thanks to this partnership voice connectivity was offered to 100 percent of the country, transforming the lives, and opening new opportunities for communication, and economic growth.
This successful project highlights Intelsat’s commitment to bridging the digital divide and paving the way for future broadband expansion. The upcoming phases will bring 3G and 4G data connectivity to enhance education and healthcare services.
September 15, 2023
Intelsat Connectivity Transforming Lives and Livelihoods in the Marshall Islands
Contributed by:
Mr. David Wajsgras
Chief Executive Officer of Intelsat
The ideas and opinions expressed in this insight are those of the authors; they do not necessarily reflect those of ITU and UNESCO or the Broadband Commission. The mention of specific companies, products or services does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by ITU or UNESCO or Broadband Commission in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.
