News, Satellite, ITU Connect Africa, Digital Divide, Africa: In support of the ITU’s "Connect Africa" initiative, the global satellite communications sector plans to double the number of earth station terminals operating in the region by 2012, empowering more than 1 billion Africans located in under-served rural, suburban, and urban areas throughout the continent. To support this growth, more than 20 satellites will be brought into service to connect Africa during the next five years.

To facilitate the industry’s offering, complimentary capacity building will be delivered to governments in Africa by the Global VSAT Forum (GVF), the non-profit association of the international satellite industry. This will provide regulators and ministry stakeholders with access to an online interactive course entitled "A government guide to satellite communications." The announcement, made at ITU Telecom Africa, is a major effort by the private sector to help achieve ICT broadband connectivity targets by 2012 in Africa in preparation for reaching the broader Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. African governments are being invited to enable the satellite industry’s efforts by implementing strategic market liberalisation, harmonising satellite regulatory frameworks, and maintaining access to satellite spectrum, including the C, Ku, Ka, L, S, and other bands.

ICT access via satellite

During the past five years, Africa’s satellite market has been the fastest-growing region with a rate of increase that has been twice as fast as the global average. Satellite television and radio services now reach millions of Africans. Mobile satellite services are being deployed not only for commercial enterprises but also for rural telephony and data services in the most remote areas of Africa. Likewise, Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs) are now deployed in every African nation, where they not only support vital enterprises such as banking, mining, and oil and gas, but are also used to support national or regional distance learning, telemedicine, emergency management, rural communications, cyber cafés, ISPs, Internet access, and a host of e-government applications.

Recognising the instrumental role of wireless communications in helping Connect Africa, satellite communications operators and manufacturers that are members of GVF announced that they would be increasing the availability of earth station terminals by 100% throughout the continent by 2012. In addition to providing direct connectivity for end-user applications, many of the terminals will be used to extend the reach of terrestrial network infrastructure. Provision of cellular backhaul via satellite to the public switched network is a well-proven marriage of complementary technologies that the satellite industry plans to expand upon. Similarly, backhauling of next-generation terrestrial-wireless systems via satellite is envisioned as part of the solution to Connect Africa. Delivery of content to cable head-ends will be increased via satellite. In addition, provision of last-mile connectivity for fibre-optic cables will be an important feature of the industry’s support for the initiative.

"Connecting Africa can be achievable by 2012 with satellite-based solutions," said David Hartshorn, Secretary-General of the Global VSAT Forum (GVF). "Equally, government support in the form of liberalisation, harmonisation and adherence to sound spectrum management practices will be essential. Further, the importance of capacity building can not be overstated for our efforts to be sustainable.” Satellite operators that plan to bring new satellite capacity into service for Africa during the next five years include ABS, Arabsat, Eutelsat, Gascom, Intelsat, Measat, NigComSat, Nilesat, Rascom, SES Astra, SES New Skies, Telesat, and Yahsat.

Building capacity online

In response to the ITU’s request for capacity-building support, GVF is providing "The Government Guide to Satellite Communications", an online course to be made available on a complimentary basis to governments in Africa. “Satellite communications have become a mass-market solution,” David Hartshorn added. “These new economies of scale are enabling cost-effective delivery of services to society’s 'have-nots', and the 'Government Guide to Satellite Communications' will inform African regulators, ministry officials and other public servants as they seek to implement enabling regulations and policies.”

The GVF course was developed by SatProf, Inc, a US-based company specialising in the development of e-learning material and engineering support for governments, satellite installers, technicians, engineers, and managers. The course is designed for government officials who need a comprehensive overview of the key subject areas relating to the delivery of satellite communications, including industry history, orbits, frequencies, network topologies, bandwidth factors, applications, markets, regulations, competition, hybrids, and more.

Upon completion, government officials will be equipped with an understanding of how the satcom market is structured, the capabilities of the technology, and the implications for regulation, policy, e-government programmes, and other applications. The capacity-building module is a complement to the GVF Satcom Academy, which serves as the global industry standard for training on satellite communications. It was created by a mandate of the GVF Education & Training Working Group (E&TWG), whose mission is to identify, formulate and share knowledge that is beneficial to the communications community, its shareholders and stakeholders.