Managed LEO+ is now available to Colt customers across 65 countries, and services businesses such as production facilities, manufacturing sites and retail locations, in rural and hard-to-reach areas.

Colt, which has a land-based network in 40 countries and ten subsea systems, is positioning the new service as a back-up alternative to fibre connectivity for businesses in remote locations and for organisations looking for rapid deployment.

Managed LEO+ includes a site survey to determine the optimal location for the satellite antenna and establishes the required works guidelines to install the necessary equipment.

Following approval of the works by the customer or site owner, the deployment is scheduled, which Colt says takes no more than 24 hours including installation, commissioning and testing.

According to Colt, the Managed LEO+ launch follows a successful trial with a global biopharmaceutical company which has operations in 30 countries, some of which are in rural locations previously underserved by network providers.

"The company needed a secure, sustainable, future proof digital infrastructure to connect and integrate its operations; to run tools and applications; and to share data between sites in areas such as research and development and supply chain management," Colt says.

"The company required consistently high levels of performance and reliability, regardless of whether they were located in urban or rural areas.

"Colt’s managed LEO 4G/5G network met these requirements and more, enabling efficient remote access, improving collaboration and ensuring robust levels of regulatory compliance."

Annette Murphy, chief commercial officer, Colt Technology Services said businesses with operations in remote and hard-to-reach areas are disadvantaged by patchy, low-quality access to their enterprise networks.

"This isn’t just frustrating for them: it slows progress, stifles innovation and excludes them from the digital economy," Murphy said.

"Our new Managed LEO+ service complements our existing fibre network and provides an exciting new option for high-performing, secure network access – and it’s fully managed by Colt, so businesses benefit from our mission to remove complexity and make life easier for them."