Over the last few years, we’ve had our sights set on launching dedicated satellites for Mexico.
A number of our employees at Astranis come from Mexico, some from small communities where connectivity is very poor, or non-existent. As they told us, and as we found from further research, the need for better connectivity in Mexico is self-evident — more than 30% of the country does not have internet access today, and satellite is often the only way to connect the remote and rural communities scattered across the rough, mountainous terrain of Mexico’s 32 states. And the nation itself is focused on improving satellite internet availability. Connectivity is a constitutional right in Mexico, and the President has made connectivity a national priority.
We have been looking for the right partner to address this opportunity, and today, we are excited to announce that we have found them.
Apco Networks is a perfect customer for Astranis. Led by their founder, Orlando Castillo, Apco has 19 years of experience providing end-to-end satellite connectivity solutions in Mexico under the brand name Aitelecom. Apco has the local expertise that is necessary to successfully roll out connectivity services in a market as diverse as Mexico, and it also has an innovative, long-term partnership with a ground solutions provider that will enable Apco to serve a unique role in the Mexican connectivity ecosystem.
Our Astranis satellites will allow Apco to provide a managed service for many different kinds of connectivity — WiFi sites, direct-to-enterprise, and backhaul for rural cell sites. This wide breadth of potential service offerings is unique in the market, and it allows them, in their CEO’s words, to pursue a strategy of “community, not competition.” Apco is eager to partner with other internet service providers in Mexico, a strategy that helps supply local solutions that fit local demand.
Mexico is a very diverse nation. The northern states are different from the southern states, which are different from the eastern states. A solution like ours, which can be tailored to the individual needs of individual markets, is key.
We expect these two satellites to have a big impact. Today, buying just one GB of internet costs some Mexican families in southern states over 10% of their monthly income. But with two Astranis satellites on orbit and dedicated to Mexico, we expect to make connectivity more available and more affordable, and affordable services can change lives.
We have seen first-hand how existing WiFi hotspots have become centers of activity in small, rural, Mexican towns — they are places where students congregate after school, where parents come to meet each other and their children, and where popsicle cart owners and drink vendors come to help those folks brave the summer heat.
Mexico needs more connectivity. And we’re honored to partner with Apco to deploy affordable, reliable internet services for up to five million people in the very near future.
Astranis has raised a $200 million Series D, led by a16z Growth Fund and co-led by BAM Elevate. This brings our total capital raised to $750 million, and gets us one step closer to launching 100 MicroGEO satellites by 2030 — and connecting millions to affordable internet.
Matt spent 13 years scaling Palantir from 100 employees to over 3,000 -- and a $50 billion valuation.
Pound-for-pound the most powerful communications satellite ever for GEO
Un Satélite Argentino
Our tenth MicroGEO satellite announced, for a global leader in satellite telecommunications.
Astranis is launching another satellite for the Philippines
Astranis has signed a new contract with a trusted partner of the national security space community to demonstrate secure end-to-end communications using the Arcturus satellite
Astranis's second product is UtilitySat. It's the Swiss Army Knife of satellites, and something our industry has never seen before: a multi-mission commercial GEO satellite, capable of conducting multiple fully-operational broadband connectivity missions.
We're building the first-ever broadband internet satellite dedicated to the Philippines. 2 million people, 5000 rural communities, 1 MicroGEO.
Astranis has raised a $200 million Series D, led by a16z Growth Fund and co-led by BAM Elevate. This brings our total capital raised to $750 million, and gets us one step closer to launching 100 MicroGEO satellites by 2030 — and connecting millions to affordable internet.
Matt spent 13 years scaling Palantir from 100 employees to over 3,000 -- and a $50 billion valuation.
Pound-for-pound the most powerful communications satellite ever for GEO
Un Satélite Argentino
Our tenth MicroGEO satellite announced, for a global leader in satellite telecommunications.
Astranis is launching another satellite for the Philippines
Astranis has signed a new contract with a trusted partner of the national security space community to demonstrate secure end-to-end communications using the Arcturus satellite
Astranis's second product is UtilitySat. It's the Swiss Army Knife of satellites, and something our industry has never seen before: a multi-mission commercial GEO satellite, capable of conducting multiple fully-operational broadband connectivity missions.
We're building the first-ever broadband internet satellite dedicated to the Philippines. 2 million people, 5000 rural communities, 1 MicroGEO.
Astranis has raised a $200 million Series D, led by a16z Growth Fund and co-led by BAM Elevate. This brings our total capital raised to $750 million, and gets us one step closer to launching 100 MicroGEO satellites by 2030 — and connecting millions to affordable internet.
Matt spent 13 years scaling Palantir from 100 employees to over 3,000 -- and a $50 billion valuation.
Pound-for-pound the most powerful communications satellite ever for GEO
Un Satélite Argentino
Our tenth MicroGEO satellite announced, for a global leader in satellite telecommunications.
Astranis is launching another satellite for the Philippines
Astranis has sold two satellites to a local ISP in Mexico, which can connect up to five million people
Astranis has signed a new contract with a trusted partner of the national security space community to demonstrate secure end-to-end communications using the Arcturus satellite
Astranis's second product is UtilitySat. It's the Swiss Army Knife of satellites, and something our industry has never seen before: a multi-mission commercial GEO satellite, capable of conducting multiple fully-operational broadband connectivity missions.
We're building the first-ever broadband internet satellite dedicated to the Philippines. 2 million people, 5000 rural communities, 1 MicroGEO.