At Africacom, which is being held at the CTICC in Cape Town, Gilat Satcom has revealed that it has signed a two-year $7.5M contract with a leading mobile communications company in DRC.
Dan Zajicek, CEO of Gilat Satcom, said “Established operators across Africa choose us to improve the quality of the voice and data services they provide. We are a reliable partner who always delivers. We will continue to invest heavily in our African network to provide customers with a fast and reliable service.”
According to Gilat Satcom, it will be providing satellite backup for the mobile operator’s:
– cellular and fiber networks in the four largest cities of the DRC: Goma, Kinshasa (the capital), Kisangani and Lubumbashi
– international voice calls
– domestic fiber, cellular and wireless backhaul networks.
Gilat Satcom has been providing satellite broadband connectivity to enterprises and ISPs in the DRC since 2008, most recently using the new satellites of O3B. Its partner Raga S.p.r.l is one of only three licensed hub operators in the country. During this time demand has increased rapidly as people and businesses realize the social and economic advantages of having fast and reliable broadband connectivity.
This contract comes following a sustained period of significant investment by Gilat Satcom in both its pan-African satellite and fiber networks.
As one of Africa’s providers of broadband over both satellite and fiber, Gilat Satcom’s R&D team are constantly working to improve its offering. At AfricaCom it is launching:
LTE Readiness – A new line of services for cellular operators rolling out LTE networks. Using advanced VSAT TDMA technology, Gilat Satcom can dynamically manage traffic on LTE networks and reduce the capacity required by up to 90%.
SATBACK – Free satellite backup capacity designed especially for mobile operators. Whenever a remote site loses connectivity SATBACK automatically kicks in and acts as a replacement link to the remote site, maintaining voice and data connectivity whilst the link is repaired. Operators pay a small, one-time fee when joining the SATBACK service. Gilat Satcom installs the SATBACK service kit and provides hot-standby for the links, then charges a small monthly fee for the backup sites.
The SATBACK backup capacity is free of charge when not used. Operators pay only for the capacity they actually use.
AfricaUp – An affordable smart backup solution for heavy network users including corporates, mobile operators, banks and Government offices. AfricaUp uses a combination of Gilat Satcom’s satellite and fibre networks to provide a fully redundant and highly available backup solution.
Gilat Satcom has a growing range of fibre routes in coastal and landlocked Africa and is amongst the first companies in Africa to offer both non-stop East to West coast-to-coast and international connectivity. Its pan-Africa satellite footprint allows its MPLS network to reach the most remote areas of the continent and connects to both the WACS, EASSy and SEACOM undersea cables via fibre local loops across Malawi, Namibia, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.
The company provides telcos, ISPs, Governments and businesses across Africa with fast and reliable broadband connectivity at a highly competitive price.
Gilat Satcom’s African headquarters is in Lagos and it has a number of joint ventures across Africa including Microlink in Zambia.
Staff Writer
