Broadband/Connectivity News Tech Updates

SES extends deal with Ivanhoe Mines for satellite connectivity

The two companies have already been working together for around five years.
Photo credit: SES

SES has signed a new deal with Ivanhoe Mines, a mining company in Africa, which will see the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo continue to deploy high-speed satellite-based connectivity services based on SES satellites.

The enhanced partnership builds on a successful five-year relationship between SES and Ivanhoe Mines and comes at a time of significant investment in low-latency, high-capacity solutions in the region following the boom in the African mining industry.

The O3b constellation is powering connectivity for leading mining operators, driving a digitalisation revolution for the sector that is helping to increase profitability while improving worker safety and accountability. This model enables operators to cost-effectively scale connectivity as needed throughout the lifecycle of a mine, ensuring assets have the right amount of bandwidth at any given time to meet digitalisation requirements.

Commenting on the deal, Caroline Kamaitha, Vice President of Sales Africa at SES, said: “We’re proud to continue delivering reliable high-speed connectivity to DRC’s mining industry through our O3b high-throughput and low-latency connectivity services, enabling mining companies to implement new services and applications that will improve workers’ safety, digitalise operations and maximise profitability through increased agility and automation.”

Anil Udayabhanu, Head of Technology at Kamoa Copper, added: “Our long-standing partnership with SES has already helped us to improve the profitability of our extraction, and supported our goal of improving the safety and welfare of all of our staff. In addition to that, O3b connectivity services will also help us leverage the latest applications, communicate in real time and maximise our productivity.”