A CHINESE commercial satellite company will be providing telecom services to Brazil.

Shanghai-based Spacesail, which is developing high-speed internet services via low Earth orbit satellites, has reached an agreement with the Brazilian state-owned group Telebrás to offer satellite communications and broadband internet services, Xinhua reported.

According to the Brazilian government, the companies will assess the demand in areas lacking fiber optic infrastructure, with the goal of launching the service by 2026.

“Spacesail is dedicated to establishing a long-term partnership with Brazil,” said Spacesail’s senior official Zheng Jie during a press conference Tuesday.

Spacesail operates a mega-constellation with full frequency bands, as well as a multi-layer and multi-orbit design. The company is in discussions with over 30 countries to expand into the international market, with the Brazilian agreement being its first overseas deal.

Currently, the Spacesail Constellation comprises 36 operational satellites in orbit and is set to commence its global satellite internet service next year. This service will offer application scenarios in transportation, new energy, smart agriculture, disaster relief, and low-altitude economy sectors.

China presently has 1,059 satellites in orbit, of which 492 are commercial satellites. As of the end of June this year, 546 commercial space firms were operating in China.

Brazil aims to introduce competition to Elon Musk’s Starlink, which holds nearly half of the satellite internet market in Latin America’s largest nation.

(SD-Agencies)