Partnership agreement expands satellite operations in Africa and Middle East
Wednesday, 18 January 2012 13:41 | James Barton
A major satellite communications provider in Africa has signed a new partnership with a major teleport services provider to expand operations and service delivery in the African and Middle East markets.
Intersat Africa currently offers Internet via Satellite connectivity to major organisations, government institutions and the private sector through the African continent and The Middle East. The company has invested in state-of-the-art technology and cutting edge solutions that make service delivery more efficient and reliable for its customers and has won numerous awards for affordable and reliable connectivity.
Belgium Satellite Services (BSS), formed following the acquisition of Belgacom’s satellite services division in 2007, provides tailor-made, high-quality satellite networking solutions including hosting and hub services, IP over satellite, and TV and broadcasting solutions from its large technical and operational infrastructure in Europe.
The combination of these two established industry players will create a new force for the African and Middle East market. The partnership includes a joint sales, marketing and product development organisation that will expand the customer base and offer an enhanced range of reliable satellite services.
Ajoy Khandheria, Chairman of BSS said: “I am very impressed by the organisational capabilities Abdul Bakhrani and his team have built at Intersat and BSS will benefit immensely by adding the capacity to fully provide concept to complete solutions which has been the focus in our telecoms and IT convergence projects in Asia and the Satcom business at a global level”.
Nitin Dhawan, CEO of Belgium Satellite Services, said: “With the experience of BSS, Intersat will be able to provide end-to-end GSM Backhaul and DTH Broadcasting Solutions in the region. It will give our customers improved access to the dynamic satellite services markets in Africa and The Middle East and is an important strategic step for BSS.”
Abdul Bakhrani, CEO and co-founder of Intersat, added: “Intersat was built by Africans based on a strong commitment to provide affordable and reliable Internet and communications services. The combination of our two companies will solidify our ability to provide fast, responsive and flexible solutions for our customers in Africa and The Middle East through an enhanced infrastructure, technical development and marketing coverage”.
The strengths of both organizations will bring new and more optimized services to all types of customers from SME’s to large corporations, telecom operators and ISPs. Although fibre has reached the African continent, it has not fully met expectations in terms of reliability, availability and ability to reach a significant portion of the population who live in rural areas. As inland fibre is far from ubiquitous, Internet via Satellite is for many people the only solution for communications connectivity.
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