French telco Orange has inaugurated its WTA-certified tier-4 teleport in Bercenay-en-Othe, just outside Troyes, as subsidiary Telesat LEO ULC’s first European ground station downlinking from the 225-satellite Telesat Lightspeed constellation.

“As we continue the build-out of the Telesat Lightspeed terrestrial infrastructure in advance of our anticipated global in-service date of Q1 2028, Orange is a valued strategic partner in our deployment efforts,” said Glenn Katz, chief commercial officer at Telesat. “We look forward to exploring additional opportunities for collaboration that will support the delivery of resilient connectivity, including for Orange’s customers across Europe, Africa and other locations around the world.”

The partnership at the gateway delivers on an agreement Orange and Telesat signed in March 2025 to carry the Lightspeed network’s capacity on Orange’s wholesale business.

Orange supplies Telesat with secure, high-throughput infrastructure connecting its constellation with its planned point of presence (PoP) in Paris, serving enterprise and government. Telesat cited the strong qualifications of the site underlying its decision to affiliate with the teleport, and Orange. The site was recently certified Tier-4 by the World Teleport Association (WTA), the highest credential it offers, recognizing its high specifications and security standards.

A security focus at the downlink is essential to Telesat’s goals in targeting the specialist needs of military and government communications, a focus for the company in the face of big LEO entities Starlink and Amazon Leo outspending all others in the pursuit of the consumer market.

In addition to a highly varied portfolio of antennas, some from the dawn of commercial satcoms, the ground station features a new deployment of antennas from Intellian Technologies supporting the modern specifications of the Telesat Lightspeed ecosystem.

Jean-Louis Le Roux, EVP of Orange International Networks, who headed the inauguration in France, told DCD that Orange was actively exploring satellite optical downlink technologies, including the Bercenay-en-Othe site.

“This partnership with Telesat demonstrates our ability to deliver trusted ground infrastructure as well as innovative and resilient connectivity solutions with our integration of next-generation satellite networks,” he said. “This collaboration aligns with our goal to host more satellite operators at Bercenay-en Othe through our ground segment offerings, establishing the site as a European hub.

Telesat also struck an agreement with SatPort Infrastructure just days earlier to build future landing stations for Lightspeed around the world, reflecting a growth phase for Telesat on the ground as it hopes to establish ground infrastructure to commercialize Lightspeed.