Launch of Orange's Nuanua satellite initiative in Wallis and Futuna islands
Orange and SES Launch Nuanua Project to Boost Connectivity in Wallis and Futuna Islands
The telecommunications operator Orange, in collaboration with SES, a global satellite operator, has announced the launch of the Nuanua project. This initiative aims to enhance internet and telecommunications services in the Wallis and Futuna Islands, a remote French overseas collectivity in the South Pacific.
Key Aspects of the Nuanua Project
- Purpose: The project is designed to address the challenges posed by the remote location and limited existing infrastructure of the Wallis and Futuna Islands, aiming to improve internet and telecommunications services.
- Technology: Nuanua leverages cutting-edge satellite connectivity provided by SES. Specifically, it uses high-throughput satellite technology to deliver high-speed broadband internet with greater capacity, reliability, and coverage.
- Goals: The project's objectives include expanding high-speed internet access for residents and businesses, improving the quality and availability of digital services, supporting economic development, and overcoming geographical barriers where traditional fiber optic or terrestrial networks are difficult to deploy.
- Name Meaning: "Nuanua" means "rainbow" in the local Polynesian language, symbolizing connectivity and bridging gaps between the islands and the wider world.
- Partnership: Nadine Allen, the global head of enterprise and cloud, is partnering with Orange on the Nuanua project.
- Environmental Considerations: The Nuanua project incorporates a responsible approach to the environment through the use of solar panels. Solar panels will be installed over an area of 170 m² to optimize the power supply for the Nuanua project installations, aiming to reduce the carbon footprint of the Orange group.
- Timeline: The project build-out is expected to take approximately six months, and the Nuanua project, co-financed by the European Union, is expected to be operational by the end of the first half of 2025.
- Scalability: No information about the project's capacity to scale up was provided in the current paragraph.
- Resilience: The Nuanua project will enhance the diversity and resilience of essential connectivity. It will replace the existing satellite infrastructure of the Wallis and Futuna Islands and will complement the existing connectivity delivered via a submarine network. Currently, the Wallis and Futuna Islands are served by one submarine cable.
- Sustainability: The Nuanua project offers a reliable, sustainable, and high-performance connectivity solution.
In summary, the Nuanua project represents a significant step toward closing the digital divide for the Wallis and Futuna Islands by combining Orange's telecom expertise with SES's satellite capabilities to provide modern, reliable, and widespread internet access in this remote region.
- The Nuanua project, a collaborative effort between Orange and SES, harnesses the power of space-and-astronomy and technology to address the connectivity challenges of the Wallis and Futuna Islands.
- To ensure the sustainability and resilience of the Nuanua project, it employs high-throughput satellite technology and incorporates solar panels for power supply, demonstrating a commitment to science and innovation.
