ST. HELIER, Jersey, Channel Islands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--O3b Networks today announced that its customer Palau National Communications Corporation (PNCC) has signed an agreement to increase its allotted capacity to bring faster, more reliable connectivity to the citizens of the remote island nation of Palau. O3b Networks satellite technology is responsible for enabling PNCC to offer high-performance 3G mobile services to its customers, with the latency and throughput required to support other technologies in the future.
Palau is comprised of more than 300 volcanic coral islands in the Western Pacific Ocean, eight of which are inhabited by more than 21,000 residents. Historically, achieving connectivity via undersea cables has been logistically challenging and cost prohibitive. This upgrade with O3b is a direct effect of the results PNCC has seen with connectivity through O3b’s low-latency, high throughput Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) Satellites. O3b Networks is the only satellite operator that can deliver connectivity comparable to fiber, making it the ideal solution to bring broadband quality internet to places like Palau.
Since PNCC began its relationship with O3b in 2013, the company has experienced dramatic improvement in speed and reliability of its services. In the short 17-month relationship, PNCC has upgraded its capacity three times. In addition to supporting existing 3G data and Wi-Fi hotspots, PNCC currently supports fixed broadband using DSL. The increase demonstrates the significant impact access to reliable high-speed broadband internet has had on demand for improved services in Palau.
“Just because an island nation is remote, doesn't mean it's residents should be subject to low-performance internet,” said Imran Malik, Regional Vice President for the Middle East and Asia for O3b. “Everyone deserves broadband connectivity, and PNCC is showing the rest of the world it can be done more easily, quickly and economically with O3b.”
“We launched 3G services as soon as we went live with O3b, and right away the data usage began increasing,” Paulus K. Kingzio, General Manager of PNCC. “We needed an international connection that would support the required 3G networks for services and applications our customers are demanding, and we found that with O3b.”
About O3b Networks Limited
O3b Networks Limited is a global satellite service provider operating a next-generation satellite network for telecommunications operators, Internet service providers, enterprise and government customers in emerging markets. The O3b system combines the global reach of satellite with the speed of a fiber‐optic network providing billions of consumers and businesses in nearly 180 countries with low‐cost, high‐speed, low latency Internet and mobile connectivity. O3b Networks’ investors include SES, Google, Liberty Global, HSBC Principal Investments, Northbridge Venture Partners, Allen & Company, Development Bank of Southern Africa, Sofina, Satya Capital and Luxempart. O3b Networks is headquartered in St. Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands.
About Palau National Communications Corporation
The Palau National Communications Corporation (PNCC) is the Republic of Palau’s national carrier for local and international telecommunications services. PNCC offers a full range of telecommunication services nationwide, with over 31,000 subscriptions for Internet, telephone, PalauCel, and digital TV, and has one of the highest telephone penetration rates in the Pacific region. For more information, visit www.palaunet.com.