Eutelsat’s Konnect Russia and RTCOMM sign MoU for connectivity distribution for sea and river vessels in Russia

• Strong focus on development of maritime VSAT services
• Showcasing the relevance of satellite to connect hard-to-reach areas

Paris, 21 September 2021 – Eutelsat Communications’ (Euronext Paris: ETL) Russian broadband operation, Konnect Russia and RTCOMM, Russia’s leading distributor of satellite communications have signed a memorandum of understanding for the distribution of connectivity services in Russia.

Thanks to the in-orbit resources and infrastructure of Konnect Russia, the first company to launch mobility services in Ka-band in Russia, RTCOMM will reinforce its offer of satellite solutions, notably its fast-growing business of maritime VSAT services for sea and river vessels, leveraging the Ka-band coverage of Eutelsat’s powerful EUTELSAT 36C satellite offering unparalleled coverage of the Western part of the Russian Federation and part of Western Siberia.

RTCOMM, a subsidiary of Rostelecom, is Russia’s leading distributor of communication services to customers in any hard-to-reach places where cellular and wire telecommunications are underdeveloped or absent.

Commenting on the agreement, Sergey Ratiev, Chief Executive Officer of RTCOMM said: “Konnect is the leading operator of Ka-band satellite communications in Russia with its own developed satellite infrastructure, and the signing of this partnership agreement will significantly expand the boundaries of satellite solutions provided by RTCOMM. It is significant for our users, whose activities are related to doing business in hard-to-reach and remote territories of the European part of Russia as well as for those categories of clients engaged in sea and river transportation.”

Dmitry Bronner, Chief Executive Officer of Konnect Russia added: “Our company strives to provide satellite communication services to as many users as possible, regardless of their geographic location, including remote regions. Our dedicated state-of-the-art in-orbit resources enable telecom operators to work flexibly in the market of broadband Internet access services. RTCOMM is a company that both understands market demand and makes the most efficient use of the opportunities provided by us, whilst being guided by similar values in its activities. As such, we are optimistic about the success of this partnership.”