By Francois Giudice, Correspondent France
Orange’s teleport in Bercenay-en-Othe (Aube – Grand Est) has just received level 4 certification from the WTA (World Teleport Association). This strategic satellite-based telecommunications site becomes the 20th in the world and the 2nd in France to receive this accolade. This demonstrates the importance of this technology for Orange, which continues to make investment in this area.
The WTA is an international organization which offers services to satellite-based communication professionals, highlighting the vital role of teleports, and promoting excellence in business, technological and operational practices, notably via internationally-recognized certification programmes.
This certification is granted following a rigorous assessment of the installations and procedures used at the teleport, using a questionnaire with over 170 items (infrastructure, energy, redundancy, resilience, radio frequency, hosting, IP access, etc.), followed by an on-site audit organized by the WTA. The certification ranges from level 1 to 4, with level 4 (the highest) obtained by the Orange teleport in Bercenay-en-Othe. With this accolade, Orange confirms its operational excellence and the quality of its teleport’s infrastructure. It guarantees a certain standard of quality for its customers, as well as for satellite operators looking to host their solutions at the Bercenay teleport.
“We would like to welcome Orange to the family of global operators which have received complete certification for their installations, technology and operating procedures” announced Robert Bell, Executive Director of the WTA. “The independent and standardized nature of this assessment helps to distinguish teleport operators, and to guarantee customers receive the expected value for money”.
“I am extremely proud of this recognition, which is a testament to our teams’ considerable expertise, and reflects our commitment to excellence in terms of infrastructure, procedures and security” confirmed Executive Vice President of International Networks and Services at Orange, Jean-Luc Vuillemin. “Satellite technology is being deployed widely, and the space race involves private players, alongside States, with a rapidly changing potential for innovation. Orange plays a key role in terms of sovereignty through control of its own infrastructure, like the Bercenay-en-Othe teleport”.
Orange, a satellite operator for over 40 years
With over 40 years of expertise in the field, Orange offers satellite services to its customers covering over 2,500 connected sites in over 100 countries, based on the Orange teleport in Bercenay-en-Othe in France, and several Orange teleports worldwide, like in Russia and Senegal, as well as a network of partner teleports. Satellite communications complement Orange’s terrestrial services portfolio, coupled with its submarine cable networks, to offer global coverage to its customers. The satellite addresses a historic need for services in regions which do not have other connection options, and also the growing need for high speed connections to equipment on the move, such as boats, trains and aircraft. The satellite offers a secure means of connection for government institutions, and is used as a backup link for some customers.
The satellite market, a sector undergoing a revolution
The global satellite services market is undergoing a revolution, and the satellite market’s revenue should more than double in the next 10 years to exceed US$50 billion by 2030, with a 13 per cent annual growth rate. *
This alternative to terrestrial communications offers multiple potential applications. Traditional companies are facing growing needs, whilst newcomers offer breakthrough technologies revolutionizing the market.
Significant investment, particularly in the deployment of new GEO satellites and new MEO and LEO constellations, are investments which will be accompanied by new requirements in the ground segment and value-added services.
Orange supports all these requirements by forming partnerships and being part of several European research consortiums on the topic. Moreover, as a telecoms operator, Orange supplements these more recent technologies by offering flexibility thanks to softwarization, cloud or Edge Computing solutions.
