NCTS Selects Hughes to Deliver Satellite Broadband in Egypt

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), an innovator in satellite and multi-transport technologies and networks for 50 years, has announced that the National Company for Telecommunications Services (NCTS) has selected the Hughes JUPITER™ System Series 3 to deliver the ground segment requirements for operation of the Ka-band TIBA-1 satellite.

The deployment of the Egyptian government-owned TIBA-1 satellite is a major milestone in the country's mission to connect the unconnected; the Hughes JUPTER System will enable delivery of Internet and telecom services to millions of people in remote and rural areas of the country.

"Our mission is to provide reliable, affordable broadband connectivity for the whole of Egypt, including remote and rural areas – satellite is essential to achieve our goal," said Dr. Abdelhamid Mostafa, chairman of the board of directors of NCTS. "We will optimize performance of our TIBA-1 satellite with the superior ground system, both technically and commercially, for the job. The Hughes JUPITER System provides efficiency, reliability, flexibility and high performance to ensure the best service delivery."

With features that yield higher bandwidth efficiency and lower service cost for operators than other ground systems, the Hughes JUPITER System is the most widely used VSAT system in the world.

The latest iteration of the system, Series 3, is designed to support the industry's most advanced satellites that feature flexible payloads, sophisticated channelizers and Q- and V-band feeder beams. With a centralized network architecture utilizing powerful and highly virtualized data centers, high-density gateways and artificial intelligence, the system automatically manages weather and network traffic impacts to optimize the network and deliver fast speeds to end users.

Initially, NCTS will employ two JUPITER System gateways, a network management system an initial delivery of remote terminals and an OSS/BSS solution, with installation expected in 2022. NCTS may order additional end-user terminals as public adoption of broadband services expands.

"Hughes is proud to provide the technology to power the massive effort to connect the unconnected in Egypt," said Ramesh Ramaswamy, executive vice president and general manager, International division, Hughes. "The JUPITER System is a critical ingredient in a resilient, reliable broadband network that will help power social and economic development across Egypt."

The National Telecommunications Services Company NCTS - (SAE) is a joint-stock company established in February 2019 and by the provisions of the Egyptian law. NCTS established under the Prime Ministers Decree No. 242 of 2019 authorizing the National Services Products organization Agency (NSPO) to establish a joint-stock company in the name of the National Company for Telecommunications Services (NCTS).

NCTS had granted Licenses from the National Telecommunication Regulatory authority (NTRA) to operate Telecom satellite and satellite earth stations, and the only holder for VSAT license to offer Ka-band satellite services.

NCTS owns and operates a wide range of infrastructure including, the first Egyptian satellite networks, TIBA-1 satellite in the geostationary orbit located at 35.5 East, Satellite Earth Stations, Data Center hosting facilities and Teleport facilities established in two locations in Cairo and Qena.

On the National and international levels, NCTS aims to provide fully integrated telecommunication solutions to its customers through well-established infrastructure that keeps pace with the latest technologies and to contribute to the development of the country infrastructure towards achieving strategic visions of digital services.

NCTS scope underlies several infrastructure operations, telecommunication applications and added values services, which includes the Egyptian HTS TIBA-1 Teleport Earth Station facilities, Data Center hosting facilities, Telecommunication Towers facilities and Submarine cable landing stations.