Click YahClick, the satellite broadband service of UAE headquartered Yahsat, in conjunction with Vox Telecom, has won the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project tender in South Africa.
This will see YahClick delivering voice and data services in the country’s Northern Cape at a dramatically reduced cost and with a high level of reliability.
The Northern Cape’s remoteness and lack of radio signals in the area made it one of the best locations in the world to build the SKA.
However, the associated protection requirements imposed by the Astronomy Geographic Advantage (AGA) Act demand that telecommunication services need to be delivered in a “radio astronomy friendly” manner. These restrictions provided the perfect opportunity for YahClick to pursue its vision of connecting remote and underserved communities to each other, so it was seen as the natural fit.
Vox Telecom was awarded the SKA tender based on YahClick’s ability to operate over ka-band, meeting this highly demanding requirement. YahClick’s Ka-band technology makes use of “spot beams” rather than broadcasting over an entire continent, which results in far more efficient use of the available bandwidth, at a lower cost. It is reliable and is not subject to terrestrial related factors out of the subscriber’s control which are common in African markets.
David Murphy, chief commercial officer of Yahsat, says: “South Africa and the African continent is an important market for us and we were delighted that our YahClick service and Vox Telecom was chosen as the technology of choice to provide the SKA communities with the ability to stay connected.
“Working with our local service partner Vox Telecom, our technology allows us to deliver not only broadband internet, but also high quality voice, CCTV and a number of associated products such as e-mail, anti-virus, backup and security. We believe that this service will significantly benefit the regions’ rural communities, farmers, and small-to-medium size businesses. This is entirely consistent with our main objective of connecting communities affordably, especially in more rural and underserviced areas where it truly makes a difference to lives.”
The SKA has sponsored an initial 300 terminals which are currently being distributed to the local community on a first come first serve basis.
Jacques Visser, senior product manager at Vox Telecom, comments: “As part of Vox Telecom’s long term strategy, we aim to bring high-speed internet connectivity to rural and agricultural areas in South Africa. We are excited about this opportunity to partner with SKA SA to connect communities not only to their friends, families and suppliers but also to the world of the internet.”
