SES Networks, a provider of global connectivity and managed data services through the only multi-orbit satellite-enabled network and wide-ranging infrastructure on the ground, has announced that it will deliver dedicated, private network connectivity from any vessel, airplane, enterprise, energy or government site in the world to Microsoft Azure using its satellite systems.
According to the announcement, SES is able to provide connectivity services across its global fleet of 50 Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) and 20 Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites. The company’s 20 O3b MEO satellites are able to deliver MEF-certified data connectivity with low latency via Azure’s global gateway network and earth-bound network infrastructure, resulting in services that are suitable for edge computing.
As the first Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute services partner with a cloud-scale satellite network, SES Networks will offer Azure customers the ability to leverage their satellite-enabled managed services to connect locations and sites in remote and underserved places, as well as vessels out at sea and airplanes that did not previously have access to cloud services.
John-Paul Hemingway, Chief Executive Officer of SES Networks, said, “We believe that the economic and productivity benefits of the cloud should be easily available to all enterprise, maritime and aeronautical customers as well as government organizations, regardless of location. Now, as a Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute connectivity partner, we are expanding our strategic collaboration with Microsoft and extending intelligent cloud and edge services from Azure to the most underserved end points on the planet.”
Hemingway also added that as the only satellite network service provider operating “a global, multi-orbit fleet utilizing an extensive fleet of GEO and MEO satellites, SES stands ready to help Azure customers connect to any site at cloud scale, supporting critical enterprise workloads and offering an end-to-end network solution for emerging AI, IoT, video content services, and future applications to come.”
Ross Ortega, Partner, Product Manager of Azure Networking, Microsoft Corp., said, “We are collaborating with SES across a range of initiatives to build upon their expertise in satellite communications and increase connectivity to critical services and applications for customers in remote and underserved areas. This new collaboration between SES and Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute further enables us to bring Azure to any business or government site.”
