Latest News

[Satellite News 01-25-12] SkyVision Global Networks is expecting to improve its performance in the African region during the next two years after signing an AfricaSat-1 capacity deal with Measat Satellite Systems.

   AfricaSat-1, located at the 46 degrees East orbital slot, provides C-band coverage across the African region, as well as the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe. SkyVision CEO Doron Ben Sira believes that the deal will create potential to grow revenues from a greater demand for broadband services.
   “The multi-transponder agreement will provide the capacity needed to support SkyVision’s tier-one Internet connectivity solutions to ISPs, enterprises, telcos and mobile operators in the region,” Ben Sira told Satellite News. “SkyVision is seeing a large demand for bandwidth lately and this agreement is a part of several agreements we have signed recently. We believe that in the near future we will keep holding an inventory of over 40 transponders (36 MHz of capacity).”
   The deal is a welcome boost to Measat, as it looks to make good on its African strategy. Measat CEO Paul Brown-Kenyon said that his company also is looking to broaden its horizons and become more than just a regional Asian player.
   “The strategy was initially opportunistic. We moved Measat-1 and Measat-2 to two slots that we had in the region to protect the orbital rights we had and to start developing a presence in the region,” Brown-Kenyon told Satellite News. “The next phase is to move from an opportunistic business to one which is more saleable longer term, which means putting into those slots station kept satellites … Africa generates 10 percent of our revenues. With the growth we are seeing in Asia, that figure is unlikely to change dramatically, although it will likely slightly increase and go up to around 15 percent. While we have positioned ourselves as an emerging market, our focus will continue to be Asia.”
   SkyVision recently launched Ku-band VSAT services in Africa. In just a few months, the company connected more than 100 links, according to Ben Sira. “We believe Ka-band will create opportunities to connect rural communities and more unserved populations. SkyVision intends to be on the frontline of this effort. We see big potential in satellite cellular backhaul services and one of our big customers in Nigeria has recently upgraded its capacity to deploy more Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) reaching the rural communities. We expect to see more projects like these in 2012 and 2013.”
   SkyVision’s business in Africa maintained growth in 2011, and Ben Sira expects 2012 and 2013 to present higher growth figures based on a strong pipeline of orders already in place and a number of sectors driving the demand for satellite capacity.
   “We support both onshore and offshore activities in the oil and gas sector and with the new findings on the shores of West Africa, the demand is growing. The mining sector has grown steadily in the past years and we believe that the entrance of international mining companies will increase the demand from this sector. A substantial percentage of all gold in the world exists in Africa, and this is just an example,” Ben Sira said. “NGO is also a growing segment as well. We have just concluded deployment of a global network for a leading NGO in 21 countries, which was a very challenging and rewarding project.”
   While Africa will remain a key focus for the company, Ben Sira expects the company to derive significant growth from other regions as well, as the Middle East and Asia regions continue to show extraordinary growth rates. One of SkyVision’s biggest growth engines is Afghanistan, where the company recently concluded a multimillion-dollar deal to provide service to American troops.

Get the latest Via Satellite news!

Subscribe Now