Telesat Corporation (Nasdaq and TSX: TSAT) and Orange have announced the commissioning of Europe's first gateway for the Telesat Lightspeed low Earth orbit satellite constellation, located at Orange's World Teleport Association Tier-4 certified teleport in Bercenay-en-Othe, France. The gateway is now installed and operational, marking a significant milestone in Telesat's build-out of its terrestrial infrastructure ahead of an anticipated global in-service date of Q1 2028. The site will support Telesat's planned initial 225-satellite constellation, with Orange providing high-speed ground connectivity to Telesat's planned point of presence in Paris.

Key Points

  • Telesat Corporation (Nasdaq and TSX: TSAT) and Orange announced the commissioning of the first European Telesat Lightspeed gateway
  • The gateway is hosted at Orange's Tier-4 certified teleport in Bercenay-en-Othe, France, and is now installed and commissioned
  • The constellation is planned to include an initial 225 satellites; global in-service is anticipated in Q1 2028
  • Advanced gateway antennas supplied by Intellian Technologies form part of the site's infrastructure

Bercenay-en-Othe Gateway Anchors Telesat Lightspeed's European Ground Network

The Bercenay-en-Othe facility, hosted within Orange's Tier-4 certified teleport, now forms a key component of Telesat's terrestrial infrastructure. Orange is providing secure high-speed ground connectivity linking the station to Telesat's planned point of presence in Paris. The gateway is equipped with advanced antennas supplied by Intellian Technologies and is designed to support the high-capacity, low-latency architecture central to the Telesat Lightspeed network. The release states the site was selected based on operational excellence, security certifications, and its capacity to integrate next-generation technologies rapidly.

Optical Inter-Satellite Links and Data Sovereignty at the Core of Telesat Lightspeed's Design

Telesat is designing the Lightspeed network with optical inter-satellite links intended to keep customer traffic in space until it reaches a Telesat landing station or a customer's private facility. The company states this architecture is meant to provide enterprise, telecom, government, and defence users with enhanced data sovereignty, routing flexibility, and control. The network is being engineered to deliver enterprise-grade connectivity with the security and resilience required for mission-critical applications, targeting clients across Europe as well as other global markets.

Orange's Role as Strategic Ground Segment Partner for Telesat's LEO Build-Out

Orange, which reported 40.4 billion euros in revenues and serves 340 million customers across 26 countries as of end-2025, brings approximately 60 years of satellite connectivity expertise to this collaboration. Telesat's Chief Commercial Officer Glenn Katz described Orange as a valued strategic partner in the deployment effort, noting the partnership as part of the broader terrestrial infrastructure build-out ahead of the anticipated Q1 2028 global in-service date. The release also references potential future collaboration supporting connectivity for Orange's customers across Europe, Africa, and other regions.