Below we briefly summarize the most notable ones:
New subsidiary and cooperation projects in Latin America
In April we strengthened our position in the Latin American audiovisual market by acquiring the signal management and transport business of Media Networks Latin America to provide this wholesale service to television operators in the region and to cover a much larger position. in the value chain. In this way, we have started to distribute the content of Telefónica, CNT or Entel via satellite in Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador. This operation has involved the establishment of a new subsidiary of the Group, HISPASAT Perú, to take charge of its infrastructure and operations at the Lurín teleport.
Also in Latin America we have carried out important cooperation work with the governments of the region to carry out cooperation projects linked to promoting the reduction of the digital divide and the universalization of rights such as education and health through satellite connectivity. Thus, in April we inaugurated a connectivity and tele-education service in 15 schools in Honduras, within the framework of the aid that Spain allocated to this country to alleviate the devastation caused by hurricanes Eta and Iota; and a few weeks ago we delivered to the government of Ecuador two pilot tele-education and telemedicine projects that will benefit more than 400 students from five remote villages and the inhabitants of a sixth population that require primary care.
HISPASAT meeting with the Ministers of Education and Telecommunications of Ecuador
Committed to rural Spain
2021 has also been the year of our determined commitment to the connectivity of rural Spain. At the end of October we announced our alliance with Eutelsat to reinforce our satellite capacity in Spain and Portugal with that of the Konnect satellite and a few weeks later we launched our new wholesale, neutral and open product of up to 100 Mbps, focused on closing the digital divide in the remote towns in Spain and the promotion of their economic activities and to which several telecommunications operators have already joined. The importance of bringing connectivity to 100% of our territory has been demonstrated in the pilot project carried out by Redeia through Elewit and HISPASAT to demonstrate the wide range of improvements that satellite connectivity and the use of Internet can bring. Things in rural and fishing environments.
Financing and new agreement for Amazonas Nexus
In parallel to these actions, we have continued with the manufacturing of our Amazonas Nexus satellite, which will be launched into orbit at the end of 2022. At the end of June, EXIM approved the granting to HISPASAT of financing of 80.7 million dollars for the launch service and its corresponding insurance. This has been the first financing that this bank has made to the satellite sector since 2015, which is a demonstration of the financial market for the Amazonas Nexus project. This new satellite will provide advanced broadband connectivity services and mobility environments throughout the American continent, the northern and southern Atlantic corridors and Greenland. Precisely, at the beginning of October we announced our agreement with Tusass (the former Tele-Greenland) to provide Internet access services in all remote cities and towns in northern and eastern Greenland, to provide corporate services to mining companies and to act as support for communication services in emergency situations through Greensat, a specific payload that will be embarked on the Nexus.
C/Ku antenna installation in Qaanaaq (Greenland)
Towards the future
Finally, we have worked together with other large European companies in the sector in the study in charge of designing a satellite connectivity system for the European Union, aimed at promoting the digital economy and reducing the digital divide throughout the territory of its member countries.
Likewise, we have maintained continuous activity in projects linked to 5G. In projects carried out within Redeia, we have demonstrated the viability of 4G/5G connectivity bubbles via satellite on high-voltage supports to fight the digital divide and that the satellite can act as a backup to the 5G terrestrial network for transmission of images captured by drones to increase the availability of information at all times and its analysis in real time during the review of high voltage lines, which can be carried out over long distances and even while moving, aboard a vehicle. We are also part of the 5GMED projects (in which the satellite facilitates connectivity in mobility environments such as railways, because it is more efficient to connect directly to the train than to lay stations along its entire route) or Darwin (which studies the combination of satellite technology with 4G/5G environments to guarantee robust and efficient autonomous driving regardless of geographical location).
By 2022 we hope to continue all these paths already open, along with other equally exciting developments, aimed at getting the most out of a sector, that of satellites, which is currently in a moment of great effervescence.
Thank you for joining us and happy holidays to everyone!
We donated to five remote schools in the country a complete digital classroom and satellite broadband solution that will benefit more than 400 students, and a satellite telemedicine service to provide primary care remotely.
We acquired the participation of Telemar (Oi) in HISPAMAR Satélites to obtain all of its share capital and continue to be the reference operator in the Spanish and Portuguese markets in the region
We deployed three digital classroom pilots with the government of the Dominican Republic in rural schools in the country that lack connectivity.
HISPASAT presented its connectivity solutions for the rural world at Presura 21, including its new wholesale satellite broadband service of up to 100 Mbps.
ICTs are called to enrich and transform education as we know it. At HISPASAT, in collaboration with leading technology providers in the sector, we have developed a complete solution that allows rural schools to be provided with a complete package of ICT services and technologies.
