Kathy Gibson reports from AfricaCom in Cape Town – Yahsat will launch a new satellite covering Africa and opening up 17 new countries to Ka-band.
The Al Yah 3 satellite will cover much of Africa and Brazil, with particular emphasis on countries with low broadband facilities.
Kevin Viret, regional director: Africa at Yahsat, explains that Yahsat delivers a full managed platform and product portfolio.
“We will be able to deliver affordable broadband via satellite to served and underserved markets,” he says.
“The Al Yah 3 offers more efficiency on the ground, enabling the use of a smaller antenna with low power amplifier, which drives for the cost of user equipment.”
Yahsat launched its first satellite in 2011, followed by the second a year later. In 2012, Yahsat went commercial for the first time, with a presence in three countries. Today, it is present in 14 countries, nine of them in Africa, and boasts 30 000 subscribers.
YahClick was the first managed service offering launched into the African market, with 17 service partners taking the product to market.
“What we’ve learnt is that we have to be fleeter of foot, with flexible solutions,” Viret says. “As well as menu-based products we have responded to a number of tenders in Africa and have won several outside of our standard service offering.”
Among the projects are one to connect 2 500 South African schools for USAASA. Yahsat will also provide connectivity for the SKA project.