On Sept. 17, 2026, telecommunications operator Orange and Telesat LEO ULC, a subsidiary of Telesat Corporation, announced the commissioning of the first European gateway for the Telesat Lightspeed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation.
Installed at Orange’s World Teleport Association Tier-4 certified facility in Bercenay-en-Othe, France, the ground station will serve as a primary European entry point for space-to-ground data transmission across the network.
Ground Segment Architecture and Fiber Interconnects
The Bercenay-en-Othe teleport was selected for its operational security certifications, existing ground segment infrastructure, and proximity to major European fiber backbones. Orange is supplying a high-speed, secure ground network that links the landing station directly to Telesat’s planned Point of Presence (PoP) in Paris, providing low-latency routing for enterprise and government traffic.
The gateway installation is engineered to support the initial 225-satellite deployment phase of the Telesat Lightspeed constellation. By routing commercial and government data through certified European ground hubs, the network satisfies data sovereignty and traffic localization mandates required by regional enterprise, telecommunications, and defense customers.
Hardware Specifications and Orbital Data Routing
The terrestrial gateway incorporates tracking antenna systems manufactured by Intellian Technologies to maintain continuous radio frequency links with passing LEO spacecraft. The ground tracking hardware operates in coordination with Telesat Lightspeed’s space-segment architecture, which utilizes optical inter-satellite links.
- Gateway Location: Orange Tier-4 Teleport in Bercenay-en-Othe, France
- Point of Presence: Paris, France (connected via dedicated Orange high-speed fiber)
- Antenna Subsystems: Advanced gateway tracking antennas supplied by Intellian Technologies
- Constellation Scale: Engineered to support initial 225 LEO satellites equipped with optical inter-satellite links
Through space-based laser routing, customer data remains in orbit across inter-satellite links until reaching a designated local landing station or private customer ground interface. This architecture reduces intermediate terrestrial transit hops, preserving end-to-end encryption and network throughput for mission-critical applications.
Executive Perspectives
“We are very pleased to host this new low Earth orbit gateway in our Bercenay-en-Othe teleport,” said Jean-Louis Le Roux, Executive Vice President of Orange International Networks. “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. The activation of this gateway not only reinforces our position in the space ecosystem but also supports our efforts to address the increasing demand for secure satellite connectivity.”
“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,” added 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.”
Global Infrastructure Timeline
The commissioning of the Bercenay-en-Othe ground station advances Telesat’s broader schedule to deploy global terrestrial infrastructure ahead of commercial service activation. Telesat and its industrial partners will continue constructing additional ground gateways and landing facilities across North America, Europe, and international markets to support the planned first-quarter 2028 global in-service launch of the Telesat Lightspeed network.