MUNASHE MATAMBO
HARARE – Yahsat, UAE’s leading satellite operator says it has invested approximately $300 million into the construction of its third satellite named A1 Yah 3 whose connectivity will be used for better internet access in the region prior the official launch of the company’s broadband service in Zimbabwe called YahClick, with service partners DandeMutande (the largest Vsat operator in the region).
YahClick is Africa’s leading satellite broadband service at the moment.
The Director of Business Development Africa at Yahsat, Kevin Viret, told Business Times that the company is seeking to contributing towards the economy via encouraging E-services and E- Government.
In Zimbabwe, access to reliable Internet services is expensive while internet penetration remains at approximately 51, 9 percent. Kevin told BT that with the introduction of YahClick in the country, those in the rural areas will receive the same type of connectivity quality and experience as those in the more developed towns.
“Yahsat is the first operator to introduce Ka-band satellite broadband in Africa, and as the leaders within the domain, we aim to continuously increase YahClick’s adoption across the continent. Uninterrupted connectivity, no reliance on terrestrial networks, no reliance on fibre beam or interference on wireless networks,”
“Even remote schools and remote health clinics will have the same connectivity, the same speeds and the same experience as those in the more developed areas,” added Kevin.
Sub-Saharan has been suffering from substantial economic losses in recent years due to frequent Internet breakdowns that directly affect fixed, wireless and mobile Internet connectivity.
Yahsat launched its first flagship service, YahClick, in Africa in 2012. The company already has two other satellites that were launched in 2011 (A1 Yah 1) and 2012 (A1 Yah 2). Following the successful launch earlier this year of the company’s third satellite, it now extends to 19 additional countries including Zimbabwe. The company is operational in over 140 countries.
“With the A1 Yah3 we now cover 28 countries in Africa and satellite is up. We have got 3 satellites currently, A1 Yah 1 launched in 2011. We have C-band on that and it covers the whole of Africa right up into Europe. A1 Yah 2, which is the one we started and pioneered in Africa, that satellite is up and has been operating since 2012. And then A1 Yah 3 launched this year- its got a coverage of 17 extra countries between A1 Yah 1 and A1 Yah 2,” he said.
Chief Executive Officer of Dandemutande, Never Ncube, says the company is also expecting better growth in the coming future as it assists in providing the new high-speed internet access which will cover all the remote areas in the country. At the moment the company is the largest Vsat operator and the 4th largest internet access provider in Zimbabwe.
The company says pricing on the new internet broadband is favorable compared to other broadbands. The product has enhanced speeds of up to 25mbps.
“Internet penetration is steadily growing and at the end of June our internet penetration as a country was pegged at 51, 9 percent. We believe that our businesses need internet. Without internet business cannot function, so as a country that 51, 9 percent whilst its comparable with other countries in Africa we think we should actually be much higher than that to enable the business to grow at a faster rate,” said Ncube.
