SES and TV ISLA to deploy high-throughput connectivity to Providencia Island

SES and TV ISLA will expand broadband access on Providencia Island, part of Colombia’s San Andrés Archipelago, with a hybrid Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity solution. The project will provide resilient, high‑performance connectivity to the island, directly benefiting approximately 7,000 residents as well as the thousands of tourists who visit each year.

SES’s managed solution will include resilient MEO capacity from its own MEO constellation, complemented by its LEO solution powered by its partner’s constellation. This hybrid multi‑orbit approach will deliver more than 500 Mbps of low‑latency trunk capacity to enable the rapid rollout of an on-island fiber‑to‑the‑home (FTTH) network to approximately 1,500 homes in the coming months.

Located 700km north of the mainland in the Caribbean Sea, Providencia Island has historically experienced poor connectivity and was severely impacted by Hurricane Iota in 2020, underscoring the need for a resilient and easy-to-deploy communications infrastructure. The existing infrastructure connecting the Colombian Archipelago to the mainland lacks the capacity and reliability required to support the island’s population, limiting access to digital services across education, commerce, and tourism. SES offers a quick-time‑to‑market, cost‑efficient and scalable solution that will connect the island while also avoiding the environmental impact associated with new subsea infrastructure.

Since 2018 TV ISLA and SES have collaborated to connect San Andrés, the largest island in the Colombian archipelago, with a similar MEO solution to help accelerate digital transformation through increased bandwidth for the local population.

“Through our longstanding relationship with SES, we are confident they are the right partner to deliver this challenging and exciting project,” said Juan Caez, Chief Technology Officer of TV ISLA. “With the upfront and ongoing support of SES and its multi‑orbit solution, Providencia will finally benefit from reliable broadband connectivity, benefiting the entire island’s population.”

“By leveraging our versatile multi‑orbit satellite capabilities, SES is helping TV ISLA drive digital inclusion on Providencia Island while advancing Colombia’s broader connectivity and long‑term socioeconomic development goals,” said Ricardo La Guardia, Vice President Americas - Fixed Data for SES. “This project not only deepens our collaboration with TV ISLA through the deployment of state-of-the-art satellite technology within a resilient hybrid architecture, but also reinforces SES’s commitment to delivering reliable connectivity to underserved and remote communities.”