Photo by: Duane Daws
High-throughput satellite technology would make its mark in South Africa as companies and consumers pursue lower communication costs and increased broadband access – and network operators should leverage this trend, converged network operator Neotel said this week.
Innovation and lower deployment costs, in addition to rising demand in areas where terrestrial infrastructure was limited, had fast-tracked the growth of satellite broadband, leading to lower costs for South African end-users, Neotel business solutions and excellence chief Abid Qadiri explained.
He urged network operators to use satellite technologies in conjunction with terrestrial technology to provide higher quality, cheaper broadband.
With the high capital expenditure of operating satellite broadband, it “made sense” for network operators to bundle investments to deliver services to end-users at relatively lower costs, as most customers were not concerned about whether the service was delivered through satellite, terrestrial or other wireless mediums – consumers just wanted good, stable connectivity.
He noted that the industry had seen a lot of growth in the uptake of satellite broadband in underserviced areas and operators would be at an advantage if they had the “right mediums” to deal with the cost requirements in whatever context.
“Going forward, private–public collaboration is essential to ensuring the required terrestrial and satellite infrastructure investment and strategies to address the broadband challenges in South Africa,” Qadiri pointed out, indicating the private sector’s willingness and preparedness to work with government in the implementation of policies to ensure connectivity for all.