TSF restores communications in Timbuktu, Mali with Astrium satcom equipment

Satellite communications equipment and airtim from Astrium Services have been seeing good work in the Sahel region of Mali. Non-government organization Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) can maintain contact with local authorities and their headquarters thanks to Astrium's reliable satellite Internet and voice capabilities. The NGO has also been able to restore contact between more than 4,200 refugees and their loved ones.

Northern Mali is suffering from severe disruptions of its communications links. Several towns, including Timbuktu, have been completely cut off from land lines and mobile networks. The increasingly dangerous conditions have also forced NGOs to limit their activities in the region.

TSF responded by delivering Astrium satellite communications technology to Timbuktu, allowing locals to make both domestic and international calls. The Mayor of Timbuktu himself was able to contact Bamako and inform the authorities about the difficulties his town was experiencing.

Many of the Sahel people depend on humanitarian support as their primary means of survival. Humanitarian workers in the region stay on top of the critical situation by sharing vital information using fixed and mobile satellite communications equipment and airtime provided by TSF and Astrium. 

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CENI taps SES Broadband Services for connectivity during Burkina Faso parliamentary elections

SES Broadband Services has entered an agreement with the Independent National Elections Committee (CENI) of Burkina Faso for satellite broadband services during the African country's parliamentary elections on December 2, 2012.

The SES affiliate will be teaming up with Newtec, Access Sat, and Unicom. They will provide CENI with satellite equipment and bandwidth for Internet on satellite access, surveillance, and video conferencing services. They will also deploy a satellite communications network that will link together 14,698 polling stations, 45 electoral district offices that serve as the hubs for the stations, and the central election office in Burkina Faso'scapital city of Ouagadougou to ensure the swift and secure communication of ballots.

SES will leverage bandwidth from its satellite at the 5 degrees East orbital slot. Newtec is tasked with providing hardware and hub infrastructure. The VSAT terminals will be installed by Access Sat while Unicom will produce the equipment for the video and LAN network.

According to a statement by Mr. Barthelemy Kéré, the President of CENI, the Committee picked the satellite VSAT platformed offered by SES because it is able to deploy to and transmit electoral data from remote regions. The mobile satellite communications technology will help make sure that the electoral process in Burkina Faso stays transparent. SES and its partners will not only provide fast and reliable data transfer services. They will also deploy biometrics for the voter registration and other innovations.

Ku Band Platforms to be Launched by RRsat on AMOS-5 Satellite Over Africa

One of the leading providers of global, end-to-end content management and distribution services, RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd., is now expanding to radio and television broadcasting industries. To support the expansion, RRsat has teamed up with SpaceCom to deliver high-powered Ku band, MCPC platforms via the Amos 5 satellite. The development will see an increase in the direct-to-home capacity content to Sub-Saharan Africa. 

SpaceCom's Amos 5 has been delivering Ku-band, as well as C-band capacity to the entire African continent. The company's plans to be multi-regional satellite operator is also supported by the upcoming projects like AMOS-4 in 2013 with coverage over Russia and South Asia, and AMOS-6 in 2014 with coverage over Europe and the Middle East.

International point-to-point businesses have declined and the satellite industry is now investing more on DTH services. RRsat's new Ku band, MCPC platforms will deliver powerful beams and greater coverage to the African continent, providing the needed infrastructure to meet the increasing TV viewing demand in the continent. 

"The African market for broadcast television is growing rapidly," said Lior Rival, VP Sales & Marketing at RRsat. "Together with AMOS, we believe that with these platforms we will be able to provide leading TV and radio channels the opportunity to reach a continent demanding new television viewing. RRsat is able to cost-effectively bring content from Europe, Asia and the Americas for DTH distribution.

Aside from Ku band, the newest spectrum called Ka band is also emerging in the Asian and Australian regions. It's greater capacity and ability to complement existing Ku band services are being seen as the future of a satellite industry facing challenges like limited orbital slots and frequencies.