SES and Castor Networks has announced that the Dutch provider of teleport, VSAT and broadcasting services has signed a capacity expansion agreement on SES' NSS-7 satellite to meet the growing needs for connectivity throughout Southern Africa.

Castor Networks will utilise the new capacity to enable the delivery of voice and data across corporate networks of oil and gas and mining industries, ISPs and governments in countries such as Angola, Mozambique and South Africa.

At 340 degrees East, NSS-7's newly-configured South Africa Ku-band beam is well-positioned to support VSAT hubs in Europe that are expanding into remote areas in Southern Africa.

"NSS-7 is an ideal fit, as it is a high-powered satellite that offers comprehensive coverage over Southern Africa with cross connectivity into Europe and complements Castor Networks' iDirect Ku-band coverage over Africa," said Edwin Cras, Managing Director of Castor Networks.

"SES, with its professional account management and technical sales support team, has been taking the lead in searching for the right technical solution, allowing us to grow our business by offering competitive rates on first NSS-12, and now NSS-7."

"Castor Networks is an innovative satellite solution provider that has developed significant bandwidth efficiency gains. We are delighted to have Castor Networks aboard NSS-7 and make use of the satellite's new connectivity to extend its networks.

"This latest contract broadens our partnership and reflects the escalating demand for connectivity throughout Africa," said Norbert Holzle, Senior Vice President of Europe, Commercial for SES.