Norway to Invest $214 Million in Spanish Satellite
November 11, 2009
Norway has entered into an agreement with Spain to invest in the acquisition of a Spanish satellite that will improve communications with Norwegian defense forces deployed in Afghanistan and Chad as well as naval units on international missions, the Norwegian Defense Department announced Nov. 10.
The Norwegian government said it plans to put a proposal before the national parliament to contribute 1.2 billion Norwegian kroner ($214 million) to the project by the end of December.
The joint project will ensure secure and robust broadband communications via satellite until 2027. In order to achieve stable and effective monitoring of Norwegian interests and be able to handle incidents quickly and in a credible way, good communications are a must,†said the Norwegian Defense Department, in a statement.
The Norwegian government currently leases its satellite capacity from commercial operators.