SATELLITES AND FIBRE OVERTAKE
The INTELSAT Era
In 1965, the launch of Early Bird (INTELSAT I) marked the dawn of satellite communications. For the Commonwealth, this was transformative now, a message could cross the globe in seconds. By the 1980s, fibre-optic technology brought unprecedented capacity and speed, laying the foundation for the internet age. Commonwealth engineers contributed to satellite ground stations from Canada to the Caribbean. Ascension Island in the South Atlantic became a critical relay point, linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas. As fibre-optic cables replaced copper, the CTO helped members adopt and finance this cutting-edge technology. It was a leap from kilobits to megabits, enabling modern data services and global commerce.
Participants at the CTO Workshop on Earth Station Management, Kuantan, Malaysia, August 1997. Hosted by Telekom Malaysia, this was the first workshop organised in collaboration with INTELSAT, marking a milestone in strengthening global cooperation on satellite communications .
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