YanaSat Service from Marlink to Provide High-speed Internet in French Guiana

YanaSat is based on a unique digital infrastructure that will enable high-speed Internet access at speeds of 30 Mbps for homes in vast rural areas and urban centres.

Marlink, the smart network and digital solutions company, will leverage SES’s satellite connectivity to operate YanaSat, a new publicly owned satellite network in French Guiana. The network will deliver digital connectivity services to homes, schools, medical centres, and administrations, alongside businesses located in areas not covered by terrestrial networks.

The construction of the teleport with local gateway infrastructure that will host YanaSat has started at the Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane (CTG) compound in Suzini, Cayenne. The YanaSat service is already running over the SES-17 satellite and will be completed with full MEO satellite services delivered via SES’ next-generation O3b mPOWER communications system by mid-2024, ultimately providing nearly 3.5 Gbps of capacity.

YanaSat is based on a unique digital infrastructure that will enable high-speed Internet access at speeds of 30 Mbps for homes in vast rural areas and urban centres. Institutions and businesses will also have access to high-performance, low-latency connectivity, with the aim of driving digital transformation.

The Marlink Group will manage the Public Service Delegation responsibility of the YanaSat network on behalf of CTG. Developed with support from the European Union to provide subsidised satellite connectivity at an affordable price, Marlink employs cutting-edge technologies to provide high-speed internet access to consumers and to accelerate the deployment of mobile telecom networks.

Internet Service Providers can use YanaSat to offer internet access subscriptions while mobile telecom operators can capitalise on the capabilities of YanaSat to provide cellular backhaul for LTE 4G/5G services, allowing these operators to offer an optimised mobile service across French Guiana. By providing high speed internet access at an affordable price across the territory, YanaSat will play a key role in accelerating digital inclusion programmes in French Guiana.

Marlink already has strong operational experience in Guiana. Since 2017, Marlink has managed satellite network services for Société Publique Locale pour l’Aménagement Numérique de la Guyane (SPLANG), the public company driving the digital development of French Guiana, that connect schools and villages in isolated regions to the internet.

“Marlink is delighted to be the unique stakeholder in YanaSat which will create the opportunity to provide high-speed, high-quality Internet access across the entire territory of French Guiana,” said Alexandre De Luca, President, Energy, Enterprise and Government at Marlink. “Together with our long-standing partner SES and with the backing of the CTG and European Union, we can promote online education, training and telemedicine while boosting leisure and business connectivity in all regions to improve quality of life for all the Guianese people”

“As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES is proud to partner in this project which will bring reliable Internet access to the people of Guiana at competitive prices,” said  Simon Gatty Saunt, Vice President of Networks Sales, Europe at SES. “By leveraging the best of our GEO And MEO high-throughput satellites, we can, through YanaSat, help residents as well as organisations and institutions improve their access to local and global networks.”