S07 CAF 1 2022 Ghana_Layout 1 23/02/2022 12:55 Page 25
Remote coverage
Photo: Adobe Stock
SATELLITE TECHNOLOGIES
Problems on the ground. Solutions in space Intelsat, the leading satellite operator, has served Africa since 1965. Some of the countries in Africa where it is currently busy include South Sudan, Somalia and Zambia. But this isn’t just about helping operators and remote communities. Remote industries and government entities are also benefiting from Intelsat’s service offering, as Hans Geldenhuys, director, Africa sales, tell Phil Desmond.
Satellite is aiding the expansion of mobile broadband coverage in rural South Sudan.
I
NTERNET CONNECTIVITY IS a crucial tool that helps people across the globe work, learn, shop, visit friends and family, and access healthcare. Only satellites can quickly and cost-effectively bring reliable connectivity to hundreds of Wi-Fi access points and cell sites. This is something leading satellite operator Intelsat knows well, not least thanks to recent projects in South Sudan, Somalia and Zambia. For example in South Sudan, Intelsat is helping a leading mobile telecommunications group operating in the country to expand its mobile broadband coverage to communities in deep rural areas of the country. Which begs a few questions – for example, what sort of devices will end users employ? And is Intelsat enabling 2G, 3G or 4G? Hans Geldenhuys, director, Africa sales, Intelsat, explained, “When it comes to deploying 2G/3G/4G coverage in rural and hard-to-reach areas, satellite backhaul is ideal from a feasibility and economic standpoint. Without satellite, it would have been both a logistical nightmare and prohibitively expensive to connect these networks in South Sudan to the backbone.” In this case, Intelsat helps mobile network operators in South Sudan expand or augment their footprint by providing backhaul connectivity between an operator’s network core and 2G, 3G or 4G cell sites requiring voice and/or data coverage across metro-edge and
www.communicationsafrica.com
remote locations. Consumers and end users are able to communicate using any device – from ultra-low-cost feature phones to very-high-end smartphones (or tablets or PCs) to access the full range of voice and data services (2G, 3G, 4G) provided by the mobile network operator. Geldenhuys added, “The use of space-based solutions facilitates mobile operators’ network planning strategy, especially the coverage of rural areas. Their ubiquitous nature means that distance, topography and even line of sight are not constraints or factors of cost, and mobile operators can quickly deploy backhaul not just one site at a time, but [for] an entire network of sites.”
The ubiquitous nature of satellites means that distance, topography and even line of sight are not constraints. Another benefit for mobile operators is the cost of satellite backhaul, which is all opex, determined by the amount of bandwidth required to support a network of cell sites. There’s minimal capex for satellite equipment at the site. Geldenhuys explained, “A single pool of capacity can provide high-performing backhaul for mobile broadband to an entire network of
cell sites based on the dynamic traffic demand across the network of sites. As a result, the cost of satellite capacity is dynamically distributed across the entire network of sites based on demand, maximizing use of capacity.” In Somalia, by contrast, the service focus is on industry rather than operators. Of course, for industries such as banking, mining, oil and gas, government organisations, or private and aidoriented agencies, an always-on, robust connectivity is crucial to distribute information to, and gather information from, remote places. Small business owners can also hugely benefit from connectivity. “Yet,” Geldenhuys said, “network access is unequal, with disparities between cities and rural regions, and according to recent studies, 45.3% of the population in Somalia had access to mobile connectivity, while only 12% were using internet in January 2021.” Connectivity has the power to enable new services, such as mobile money, which has become an essential and widespread part of Somalia's economic ecosystem, and the government’s National ICT Policy pledges to reach total 4G coverage between 2024 and 2025. Thus, said Geldenhuys, “Our partners in Somalia capitalise on Intelsat’s expertise and leverage our high-performance next-generation satellite network to expand broadband and enterprise networks into Somalia and regions where terrestrial technology cannot provide
Communications Africa Issue 1 2022
25