-Hundreds of microsatellites to provide high speed Internet access around the world-
-Grupo Salinas is firmly committed to improve people's wellbeing and progress with affordable connectivity-
MEXICO CITY, June 25, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Totalplay, a Grupo Salinas company, and Mexico's most innovative triple play services offering direct-to-home fiber optics, announced today that it participates as a shareholder in OneWeb's project to build a communications system to provide with broadband services on a global level. Other companies investing in the project are Airbus Group, Bharti Enterprises, Hughes Network Systems, a subsidiary of Echostar Corp., Intelsat, Qualcomm Incorporated, the Coca Cola Company and Virgin Group.
The project that will start operating in 2019, consists of 900 low earth orbiting satellites that will provide high speed Internet access to unserved or underserved households and businesses in over 50 countries. Totalplay is looking forward to the opportunity to distribute the OneWeb's high speed broadband service throughout Mexico and other countries in Latin America.
"We would like nothing better than to bring true affordable broadband coverage to 100% of Mexico, but running cables and placing towers for that level of coverage has just not been possible. We are backing OneWeb, as we believe it has all the pieces in place to create that service in the future," said Ricardo B. Salinas, Founder of Grupo Salinas.
Grupo Salinas is aware of the close correlation between telecommunications and GDP growth, and through Totalplay is committed to improve the wellbeing and progress of families and the productivity of organizations with affordable, high quality connectivity.
About Totalplay and Grupo Salinas
Totalplay is the most innovative triple play service in Mexico, and a Grupo Salinas company. Grupo Salinas is a group of dynamic, fast-growing, and technologically advanced companies focused on creating shareholder value, and improving society through excellence. Founded by Mexican entrepreneur Ricardo B. Salinas, Grupo Salinas companies include Grupo Elektra --Latin America's leading financial services company and specialty retailer and the largest non-bank provider of cash advance services in the United States, with over 6,000 points of sale in Mexico, the US, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama and Peru-- and Azteca --one of the two largest producers of Spanish-language television programming in the world, operating two national television networks in Mexico, El Trece and Azteca 7, through more than 300 owned and operated stations across the country, and Proyecto 40, a UHF channel. Azteca affiliates include Azteca America, a broadcast television network focused on the rapidly growing U.S. Hispanic market-- Other Grupo Salinas companies are Azteca Comunicaciones Colombia and Azteca Comunicaciones Peru, which connect rural areas with world class fiber optic networks.
About OneWeb
OneWeb's mission is to enable affordable Internet access for everyone and is building a communications network with a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites that will provide connectivity to billions of people around the world. With more than 10 terabits per second of new capacity, it will transparently extend the networks of mobile operators and ISP's to serve new coverage areas, bringing voice and data access to consumers, businesses, schools, healthcare institutions and other end users.