This is the view of Vinay Patel, senior sales director, sub-Saharan Africa, of Hughes Network Systems. Speaking at the Hughes' annual regional seminar alongside the SatCom Africa 2013 conference in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, earlier this week, Patel said there is growing demand for satellite broadband services in Africa.
"Internet penetration in Africa stands at 15,6% compared to the global average of 34,3%. We expect huge growth as African countries meet increasing demands for broadband Internet, cellular backhaul and mobility. "Very small aperture terminal (VSAT) technology is ideal to satisfy these needs and Hughes stands ready with the world's most advanced and field-proven solutions."
Hughes is a global company in broadband satellite networks and services. It has shipped more than 3.3 million systems to customers in over 100 countries, representing over 50% market share. In the past 13 years, Hughes has shipped more than 90, 000 VSATs to enterprise, small-medium business and consumer markets in Africa.
This year's seminar featured the latest advances in Ka-band, high-throughput satellite technology, and the recently announced HN9600 and HN9800 Ka-band satellite routers, which incorporate the JUPITER technology that is the cornerstone of HughesNet Gen4 high-speed satellite Internet service in the United States. One of the first international service providers to offer the new routers is Yahsat on its Yahclick service in Africa, the Middle East and south-west Asia.
"Ka-band represents the next frontier in broadband, enabling operators to offer a wide range of multi-Mbps service plans for consumer and enterprise applications," said Patel. "Our proven Ka-band technology in the form of the HN9600 and HN9800 routers is the ideal answer to the ongoing price versus performance challenge faced by telecom operators, delivering a rapid return on their investment and a superior broadband experience to customers. We offer a unified broadband network service, irrespective of the terrestrial infrastructure - wireless, cable or fibre.
"When it comes to mobile solutions, satellite communication - with its ubiquitous network coverage virtually anywhere in the world - is the only effective way to enable continuous communications-on-the-move. VSAT technology can be used to implement on-the-move solutions for aeronautical, maritime and land-based mobile communications."
