SES S.A. has reached an agreement with Sea and Space Exploration for the distribution of SES' proven satellite broadband service ASTRA2Connect in 20 countries in Central and West Africa.

ASTRA2Connect will be distributed by Sea and Space's spin-off SatADSL through a specialized network of professional distributors based in Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Sierra Leone.

ASTRA2Connect, Europe's most successful satellite broadband network serving 80,000 end-users, is offered via distribution partners to end-customers and businesses in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

SatADSL will provide this reliable and affordable satellite communication service in Central and West Africa to individuals and small businesses as well as to remote sites of corporate organizations.

"We are proud to offer our successful satellite-based broadband service ASTRA2Connect in Central and West Africa together with Sea and Space Exploration," said Patrick Biewer, Managing Director of ASTRA Broadband Services.

"While the average penetration rates of terrestrial networks are low in Africa, broadband via satellite is immediately available for everyone within our reach.

"ASTRA2Connect can thus serve as a crucial telecommunication infrastructure for the region."

"We are fully committed to offer an affordable and high quality service to our African partners through the ASTRA2Connect platform," said Thierry Eltges, CEO of SatADSL.

"The SatADSL service brings an innovative solution to African users currently having no equivalent choice.

Africa's economy is rapidly growing and an increasing number of expanding companies in this region rely on telecommunication services best adapted to their needs.

"We are proud to participate in this process and allow more and more individuals and companies to connect to the world - thanks to the continuous improvement of our service."