Orange to connect Wallis and Futuna Islands with O3b mPOWER

Orange said on Tuesday it has launched a project to replace the existing satellite infrastructure of the Wallis and Futuna Islands in the South Pacific with connectivity from satellite operator SES’s O3b mPOWER system.

The “Nuanua” project will leverage broadband connectivity from SES’s second-generation medium earth orbit (MEO) O3b mPOWER satellites. Solar panels will be installed over an area of 170 square metres to optimise the power supply for the installations and reduce the project’s carbon footprint.

Orange said the project will enable its local subsidiary, Orange Wallis & Futuna, to deliver high-performance connectivity services.

It will also provide the archipelago with a more robust backup connectivity option. Apart from satellite, international connectivity for the Wallis and Futuna Islands currently consists of a single subsea cable – the 1,600km Tui-Samoa cable that runs between Fiji and Samoa. Orange said O3b mPOWER will enhances the islands’ connectivity resilience.

SES launched the first two of its next-generation O3b mPOWER satellites into orbit last month. The new generation satellites feature redesigned payload power modules to address power glitch issues in the previous generation.

The buildout of the Nuanua project is expected to last six months, and is scheduled to be live by the end of the first half of 2025.

Orange is responsible for operating international networks for the Wallis and Futuna Islands on behalf of the French government under an agreement signed in 1986.