Cotonou, Paris – On the occasion of AfricaCom 2014, Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext: Paris) and Isocel Telecom, one of Benin’s Internet Service Providers, announced the conclusion of a multi-year lease for C-band capacity on the EUTELSAT 3B satellite to support the country’s tax collection system.

A secure private network for Benin’s tax authorities

The capacity booked on EUTELSAT 3B will support a secure private network, to go live in December that will raise efficiency by transmitting citizen tax data gathered from collection centres across the country to the central administration in Cotonou.

This new data transmission network, using robust C-band capacity, has been specially designed to operate in a country whose tropical climate is characterised by the monsoon period running from April to November. Collection centres beyond range of terrestrial infrastructure, from Ouidah in the South to Malanville in the North, can now be directly linked to the country’s central administration.

 Nationwide services for Isocel Telecom

Commenting on the new contract, Robert Aouad, CEO of Isocel Telecom, said, “Through this first collaboration with Eutelsat we are expanding our portfolio of services with satellite communications and extending our coverage to the whole country, including to the most isolated regions. We have placed our trust in a leading satellite operator in the West African region and can now benefit from the resources of the new EUTELSAT 3B satellite.”

Rodney Benn, Eutelsat’s Regional Vice President for Africa, added, “Launched in May 2014, the EUTELSAT 3B satellite is designed to diversify and increase our resources and footprint at the 3° East position. Together with EUTELSAT 7B, we are now exceptionally well positioned to meet customer demand for data transmission and site interconnection services across West Africa. We are proud to be selected for this new service by a major operator in Benin whose development is redefining the telecoms sector in the country.”