Miebi Senge
15 October 2008
Gilat Satcom customer base is increasing rapidly due to its action of implementing cost effective VSAT technology and application to better serve its Nigerian customers.
The company said this was crucial considering the increased need of Internet services in businesses, and the tensed quest for rural Internet access.
Speaking in an interview with journalists last Monday, the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Roy Hess, said the company is experiencing an extremely high demand for VSAT connectivity both in the metropolitan and rural areas therefore it will continue to invest in new satellite capacity solutions which are targeted at enhancing Internet usage in the country at affordable costs.
He said in an era when operators and service providers are constantly seeking solutions for the many telecommunication challenges of the 21st century, Gilat Satcom had succeeded in becoming a premier telecommunications service provider with global spread, bringing international standards and quality of service into the local Nigeria market sphere.
According to him, as a leading backbone connectivity supplier of top local carriers and ISPs and a provider of fixed and mobile solutions for customers operating beyond the reach of traditional telecommunications, with a global presence in over 40 countries, the company was committed to empowering Nigerians.
Hess said Gilat Satcom had introduced the premium Ku-band services in Nigeria in 2007 which was and still is very successful, noting that, " We are here to stay, develop new markets, and bring to the Nigerian users the best our technology has to offer."
The Gilat Satcom boss said this was in line with the company's mission to provide fast, flexible, scalable Internet connectivity to distant locations, as well as a response to virtually every communication need.
"We are committed to the Nigerian market which is an ICT market growing at a very rapid rate. Satellite connectivity is blooming, and connecting rural areas is major trend where satellite is the optimal solution. Cost of services are a significant factor when choosing a service, therefore, we expand our portfolio to offer the cost-effective inclined orbit-satellite solution that significantly reduces the price per bit," he explained.
He said many Nigerians were unable to enjoy basic Internet connectivity services, and this had resulted in poor access to digital information, and this, therefore, is likely to make them maintain their socio-economic weakness and are left behind culturally, socially and economically.
The company said there was the need for proactive monitoring and management of backbone links to ensure that service is stable and continuous, and that support is quick and professional, adding that the implementation of flexible and cost-effective solutions was to adapt to the specific needs of users of VSAT technology.
He said the reach of satellite, however, is virtually limitless, and in rural areas, satellite networks were much more economic to deploy, maintain and operate than any other network technology. "Copper and fiber-based networks are more costly as they require resources-consuming infrastructure that are very expensive to maintain and operate. Whereas in large metropolitan areas the costs of these networks are sustained by the final subscribers, in remote areas these infrastructure are prohibitively expensive and thus virtually non-existent.
"Satellite, on the other hand, is much easier to deploy and install, and certainly more economic. Even in regions where other infrastructure like fiber optics are in place, satellite communications are the ideal backup solution in case of natural disasters and/or other emergencies." Hess noted that despite the fact that broadband and fiber optics networks were considered to be very reliable, satellite communications provided unparalleled reliability.
He said in this environment, where operators and service providers were constantly seeking solutions in coping with telecommunication challenges of the 21st century, Gilat Satcom, as a leading backbone connectivity supplier of top local carriers and ISPs in Africa, was committed to offering one-hop direct Internet connectivity both inland and to the Internet backbone. In January 2009, the company he said, will introduce another satellite space segments called G11 operated by Intelsat. The company was declared as the best satellite service provider for 2007 by NITTA, Nigeria .
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they have much more to offer look for www.gilat.net
Try asking their suffering KU customers how their service works when there is rain or during Ramatan.
I promise you the best solution is C-Band.