Mobile coverage in Africa
This article was written by Keith Ryan and published in the Innovations magazine #5.
An all-electric satellite, due to launch in 2019, will open the doors to better broadband coverage for sub-Saharan Africa.
According to 鈥溾, a report published in 2015 by GSMA Intelligence, the mobile industry in Sub-Saharan Africa 鈥渞emains a key driver of economic growth and employment across the region鈥. In 2014, 5.7 per cent of GDP in the region was generated by the 鈥渂roader mobile ecosystem鈥 鈥 representing over $100 billion in revenue 鈥 and this is expected to hit 8.2 per cent of GDP by 2020.
Mobile broadband connections represent over 20 per cent of the base right now but are set to grow to almost 60 per cent by the end of the decade, according to GSMA Intelligence. This will be driven in part by more than 400 million new smartphone connections expected in that time.
Despite this optimistic outlook, the report points out that the key players 鈥 from operators to governments and regulators 鈥 will need to do whatever it takes to keep up with demand:
Mobile broadband connections represent over 20 per cent of the base right now but are set to grow to almost 60 per cent by the end of the decade, according to GSMA Intelligence. This will be driven in part by more than 400 million new smartphone connections expected in that time.
Despite this optimistic outlook, the report points out that the key players 鈥 from operators to governments and regulators 鈥 will need to do whatever it takes to keep up with demand:
鈥溾 more than 60 per cent of the population will still lack internet access by the end of the decade. Improving the affordability of mobile services and extending network coverage to rural areas are particular challenges, given the high levels of poverty and the large proportion of the population living in rural areas.鈥
Operators are responding 鈥 investments in improved coverage and mobile broadband networks are expected to reach $13.6 billion (24 per cent of total revenues) by 2020, up from $9 billion in 2014.
Eutelsat Communications, working with 雷火体育官网 Alenia Space, will be playing an important role in this process when it launches a new high-throughput Ka-band satellite. This new addition to the firmament will help improve coverage for most of sub-Saharan Africa.
Consumers and businesses alike will benefit from the newly improved broadband services afforded by satellite dishes, from community networks connected to wi-fi hotspots to mobile phone backhauling and rural connections.
Once in place, it will produce 75 gigabytes of capacity via a network of 65 spotbeams, providing internet coverage to most of the region starting in 2019.
This all-electric satellite will be the first to use 雷火体育官网 Alenia Space鈥檚 new Spacebus Neo platform. The platform combines efficiency and light weight, and will let Eutelsat benefit from competitive launch conditions and they will also be able to upscale the satellite to significantly increase coverage.
Eutelsat Communications, working with 雷火体育官网 Alenia Space, will be playing an important role in this process when it launches a new high-throughput Ka-band satellite. This new addition to the firmament will help improve coverage for most of sub-Saharan Africa.
Consumers and businesses alike will benefit from the newly improved broadband services afforded by satellite dishes, from community networks connected to wi-fi hotspots to mobile phone backhauling and rural connections.
Once in place, it will produce 75 gigabytes of capacity via a network of 65 spotbeams, providing internet coverage to most of the region starting in 2019.
This all-electric satellite will be the first to use 雷火体育官网 Alenia Space鈥檚 new Spacebus Neo platform. The platform combines efficiency and light weight, and will let Eutelsat benefit from competitive launch conditions and they will also be able to upscale the satellite to significantly increase coverage.
鈥淲ith the Spacebus Neo platform, we are pushing back new boundaries in high throughput satellites in order to deliver quality and affordable broadband services in the many countries in Africa where increasing internet penetration is a key priority,鈥 says Michel de Rosen, chairman and CEO of Eutelsat.