DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 10, 2026--
ELCOME, a global provider of maritime technology and satellite communication solutions, announced today that it has signed an authorized reseller agreement with Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) to offer satellite-based connectivity to the commercial maritime sector.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260210659505/en/
Under this agreement, ELCOME will offer Amazon Leo to fleets operating across all major oceans, supporting merchant shipping, offshore service vessels commercial fishing, and yachting. Building on ELCOME’s existing fleet connectivity footprint across more than 5,000 vessels, the addition of Amazon Leo Pro and Leo Ultra terminals will provide operators with an independent low Earth orbit connectivity path that improves availability and network diversity at sea. Customers will see increased resilience, optimized application performance, and accelerated modern digital operations onboard and between ship and shore.
Amazon Leo is building one of the most advanced satellite communications systems in the world. Powered by a constellation of thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit, the system will provide lower latency and higher transmission capacity than traditional geostationary satellite solutions, enabling real-time applications, telemetry, remote operations, and hybrid network architectures.
“This agreement advances our mission to deliver global, scalable, and future-ready connectivity to the maritime industry,” said Jimmy Grewal, Managing Director of ELCOME. “Amazon Leo technology will help transform how vessels communicate, operate, and integrate with their shoreside networks.”
“Through this agreement with Amazon Leo, ELCOME will provide the connectivity that modern maritime operations demand. Customers on the open seas will have the ability to power critical technology, using our antennas designed to operate seamlessly in challenging maritime environments,” said Trevor Vieweg, Head of Global Business, Amazon Leo.
Maritime operators will benefit from ELCOME’s global engineering footprint, 24/7 support operations, and long experience deploying satellite communication systems for fleets of all sizes.
For more information, visit https://elcome.com/amazon/
About ELCOME
ELCOME is a Dubai-based maritime technology and communications company that has been serving enterprise, government, offshore energy, defence, and yachting customers worldwide for more than 55 years. The company specializes in satellite connectivity, navigation, automation, safety, and digital vessel solutions advanced communication systems across the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa and North America.
For more information, visit https://elcome.com/
About Amazon Leo
Amazon Leo is Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite network. Its mission is to deliver fast, reliable internet to customers beyond the reach of existing networks, from individual households and small businesses to large enterprise and government customers—and anyone in between. Amazon Leo is powered by an initial constellation of more than 3,000 satellites, connected to a secure, global network of ground gateway antennas and dedicated fiber, and includes a lineup of compact, high-performance antennas – Leo Nano, Leo Pro, and Leo Ultra – that communicate with satellites passing overhead. The entire system is designed, built, and operated in-house at Amazon and aims to connect tens of millions of customers around the world.
Source:AETOSWire
The agreement with Amazon Leo advances ELCOME’s mission to deliver global, scalable, and future-ready connectivity to the maritime industry (Photo: AETOSWire)
Thousands of Catholic devotees commemorated Good Friday across Latin America with processions and ceremonies re-enacting the crucifixion of Jesus.
In Antigua, a colonial-era city in southern Guatemala, dozens dressed in purple and white robes and made their way under the early morning sun, many of them penitents known as “cucuruchos.” Others carried centuries-old images of Jesus through cobblestone streets.
The city hosts more than a dozen processions throughout Holy Week, set against a backdrop of volcanoes.
Marcos Bautista, 63, said he has attended the Good Friday observances since his father brought him along as a baby in his arms.
“To describe Holy Week in Antigua, there are no words that can capture what it feels like," Bautista said. “It’s a feeling that, just by speaking about what Jesus has done in our lives, moves me deeply.”
In Bolivia, President Rodrigo Paz traveled to the southern city of Tarija to participate in Good Friday ceremonies.
The country is a secular state under its constitution and its leaders refrained from engaging in any religious events between 2006 and 2025. But Paz — who took office last November — broke with precedent by attending Palm Sunday Mass carrying a palm frond.
In the capital city of La Paz, local authorities and military bands accompanied Good Friday processions, in which hooded penitents carried the Holy Sepulcher through the streets.
Antonio Santamaría, who was holding an image of Jesus, said he welcomed the government’s presence. “I’m glad everyone is here now,” Santamaría said.
Bolivia remains a predominantly Catholic country, alongside strong Indigenous spiritual traditions. In some households, it is customary to eat only fish on Good Friday and prepare up to 12 dishes representing the apostles of Jesus, a tradition that has declined in recent years amid an economic crisis.
In Ecuador, where about 80% of the population identifies as Catholic, processions were held across major cities. In the capital, Quito, the “Jesús del Gran Poder” procession drew more than 150,000 faithful who filled the historic center’s streets with chants and prayers as they accompanied an image of Jesus carrying the cross.
Thousands more climbed the Monserrate Hill in neighboring Colombia. At more than 10,200 feet (3,100 meters) above sea level, they reached the summit in the capital city of Bogotá to attend Mass at the basilica. Similar observances, including reenactments of the Stations of the Cross, were held in other parts of the country.
Mexicans, too, celebrated Good Friday in a country that’s home to nearly 100 million Catholics.
Masked penitents, in chains and with pieces of cactus stuck to their skin, walked through the town of Atlixco, in the central state of Puebla. Known as the “Procession of the Chained," it’s part of a tradition in which some participants pay penance for their sins and others thank God for miracles.
“It’s very beautiful, very sad,” said Marcela Ramírez, a homemaker who attended the procession. “It’s a kind of reverence, and you have to come and accompany them.”
While the share of Catholics in Latin America has declined over the past decade, the faith remains the region’s largest religion.
In several countries, including Peru and Argentina, more than 60% of adults still identify as Catholic, according to 2024 surveys by the Pew Research Center and Latinobarómetro.
AP journalists Moisés Castillo in Antigua, Guatemala; Carlos Valdez and Juan Karita in La Paz, Bolivia; Gonzalo Solano and Gabriela Molina, in Quito, Ecuador; and Martín Silva in Atlixco, Mexico, contributed to this report.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
A penitents known as a "Veronica" takes part in the Jesus del Gran Poder procession in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa).
Hooded penitents known as "Cucuruchos" take part in the Jesus del Gran Poder procession in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa).
A blindfolded penitent wears a crown of thorns before a Good Friday procession during Holy Week celebrations in Atlixco, Mexico, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Chains drape over the Santa Muerte tattoo of a penitent before a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Atlixco, Mexico, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A penitent wearing chains and prickly cactus holds a photo on a cross at a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Atlixco, Mexico, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Penitents from the Nazareno brotherhood carry a statue of Jesus down the steps of the Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle for a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Tunja, Colombia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A hooded penitent from the Nazareno brotherhood waits for the Good Friday procession inside the Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle during Holy Week in Tunja, Colombia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Young women and girls carry jeweled hearts representing the Virgin Mary at a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Hooded penitents participate in a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
A statue of Jesus Christ with a cross makes its way past electric cables at La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Women carry children dressed as penitents knows as "cucuruchos" on the sidelines of La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Penitents carry statues of Jesus Christ representing the Stations of the Cross at a Good Friday procession by La Merced church during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, just before sunrise Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Musicians dressed as Roman soldiers take part in La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
