Orange opens a Lightspeed ground station in France

Global service remains planned for 2028.

AI-assisted reporting · TelcoBrief / Brightcomms

Event date: 2026-09-17T00:00:00Z · Published: 2026-09-25T19:33:10Z

AI-generated illustration; it does not depict the event. Conceptual link between satellites and a terrestrial network; it does not depict Orange or Telesat equipment or facilities. · TelcoBrief · IA

Orange and Telesat announced activation of a Lightspeed ground station in Bercenay-en-Othe, France, on September 17. It prepares European infrastructure for businesses and governments, but the constellation is not yet in global commercial service: Telesat expects that to begin in the first quarter of 2028. [1]

The upgrade reuses a longstanding site. Speaking to Light Reading, Orange’s international networks chief explained that an unused 32-meter geostationary antenna was dismantled to accommodate ten new antennas standing between one and four meters high. Low electromagnetic noise at the location supports reception, according to the executive, making the site relevant beyond its existing facilities. [2]

The business extends beyond hosting equipment. The March 2025 agreement included a satellite capacity commitment for Orange Wholesale’s portfolio and terrestrial connectivity toward Paris. Orange identified future applications including carrying traffic from mobile base stations into the main network, emergency response and connectivity for remote areas. Those uses describe the intended commercial role of the partnership. [3]

Lightspeed uses low Earth orbit, or LEO. NASA explains that the closer a satellite is to Earth, the higher its orbital speed. A geostationary satellite, by contrast, maintains the same position relative to the ground. That physical difference helps explain why antennas for low orbits need to track satellites as they pass overhead. [4]

A separate industrial agreement underpins antenna supply: in October 2024, Telesat contracted Intellian to design and integrate 127 systems across its landing-station network, not exclusively in France. The design includes LEO satellite tracking alongside networking and control equipment; the stations will connect traffic with telecommunications operators, the internet, cloud services and private customer networks. [5]

Ground preparation also extends beyond Europe. In its 2025 review, Telesat described an agreement with Vocus for a station in New South Wales and a land purchase in Timmins, Canada. These are earlier steps in building a global network: having a site or an agreement does not, on its own, establish that service is operational. [6]

Sources

2026-09-25 19:36:41 — En revisión: ampliación del contenido y contraste de fuentes conforme al nuevo estándar editorial. / Under review: expanding coverage and checking sources against the new editorial standard. / Em revisão: ampliação do conteúdo e verificação das fontes conforme o novo padrão editorial.

2026-09-25 20:25:45 — Reescritura completa con datos comprobados, contexto, revisión de las tres traducciones y fotografía individual con derechos. Sustituye el breve retirado por insuficiencia editorial.

2026-09-25 21:06:50 — Imagen actualizada: ilustración conceptual generada con IA, estilo de periódico de 1920; no representa el hecho. / Image updated: AI-generated conceptual illustration, 1920s newspaper style; not a depiction of the event. / Imagem atualizada: ilustração conceitual gerada com IA, estilo de jornal dos anos 1920; não representa o acontecimento.