Avanti Communications and Free in Senegal announced a five-year partnership agreement under which Free in Senegal will build and host a new satellite gateway in Senegal for Avanti's HYLAS 4 Ka-band satellite. The new gateway will extend the coverage of Avanti's latest satellite, HYLAS 4, to Senegal and the neighbouring West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Gambia and Liberia, as well as completing Avanti's coverage of Ivory Coast. The expanded coverage will significantly increase access to high-speed satellite internet for the countries' schools, hospitals and communities.

The new gateway will also provide satellite backhaul services to Avanti's carrier customers, extending their reach to rural areas and other semi-urban locations where terrestrial networks are currently limited or unreliable. Free Senegal will build and operate the new gateway from its Tier III data centre facility in Diamniadio outside the capital Dakar, adding Avanti as a strategic customer to its growing enterprise business in Senegal and supporting the Government's Digital Senegal 2025 strategy. Amongst the many positives of increased connectivity, the partnership is due to make a big impact on education, enabling e-learning services for schools across the region.

Pending approval from the Senegalese authorities, the gateway is planned to go live in December 2022.