HISPASAT, the Spanish telecommunications satellite operator of the Red Eléctrica Group, has collaborated with the internet service provider GlobalSat in the rollout of satellite connectivity hotspots in 500 remote towns in Mexico, including Durango, San Luis Potosí, Guerrero, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas and Sinaloa. Thanks to this initiative, promoted by the Federal Government through the CFE TEIT, the residents of these towns will be able to enjoy free satellite connectivity on their devices through an open WiFi hotspot located in public areas in these communities.

The technology solution provided by HISPASAT is part of the managed services offered by HISPASAT. Specifically, the operator offers broadband connectivity thanks to the capacity in the Ka band of its Amazonas 5 satellite located in the 61º West orbital position. With this high-performance satellite, GlobalSat and the Mexican federal government can ensure that these communities will have quality internet access, regardless of how remote their location is. The project has been led by GlobalSat, which has provided its experience in integrating satellite solutions with WiFi technologies for rural communities in similar projects with the federal and state governments.

Ignacio Sanchis, Chief Commercial Officer of HISPASAT, stated, “we are very satisfied that GlobalSat has chosen us to provide satellite connectivity in these 500 remote hotspots in Mexico. GlobalSat is joining us on this extensive long-term joint project, and we are convinced that this initiative will be a complete success when expanding internet access in these towns.”

For his part, Eric Cataño, CEO and Founder of GlobalSat, added “the excellent performance of the capacity in HISPASAT’s Ka band over Mexico will be essential to guarantee quality service like the one these rural areas need. With initiatives like this, we hope to keep contributing with towards a universal, quick and efficient rollout of telecommunications in our country.”

HISPASAT and bridging the digital divide in Mexico

CFE Telecomunicaciones e Internet para Todos (Telecommunication and Internet for Everyone) aims to guarantee the right for the Mexican people to access information and communication technology, as well as radio broadcast and telecommunications services. According to figures from the National Statistics and Geography Institute of Mexico (INEGI) from 2020, only 50.4% of the rural population use the internet, 27.9 percentage points lower than people located in urban areas. This difference means that it is essential to promote satellite technology in these areas to accelerate their development, stabilize society around equality and definitively bridge the digital divide.

In recent years HISPASAT has carried out a variety of initiatives in Mexico focused on this issue. Thanks to its universal coverage and simple deployment, satellites are the ideal option to extend internet access to the most remote towns quickly and efficiently. Therefore, the service provided in these 500 hotspots could be exported not only to any other town in Mexico, but also to any part of Latin America thanks to HISPASAT’s coverage over the region.