Imarasat, an Africa based technology company and Avanti, a satellite data communications company have partnered to offer affordable broadband service to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Imarasat says it has signed a two year contract extension with Avanti to offer affordable broadband service to SMEs and enterprise markets across 14 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to Imarasat, nearly 75% of SMEs lack access to the Internet and are therefore unable to benefit from the growth and productivity gains that broadband can offer.
Imarsat sees business opportunities in about 32% of SMEs outside of 3G broadband coverage entirely that “are perfectly suited to satellite broadband services” offered by the two companies.
According to the companies, Imarasat has contracted additional services using both Avanti’s Select and Custom products.
Avanti’s pre-packaged Select product allows Imarasat to provide consumer and SME customers with fast, affordable satellite broadband.
Additionally, Avanti’s guaranteed capacity Custom product is more suitable for enterprise customers. It is enabling Imarasat to more effectively address key verticals, such as financial services, oil and gas, hospitality and agriculture.
Salim Suleman, Managing Director of Imarasat, says that “our desire to partner with Avanti is based on the same value proposition that attracted us to its services in the first place. That is, a combination of reliable, high quality satellite broadband delivered as part of flexible product portfolio at a cost-effective price and with zero capital expenditure. This significant contract extension reflects our confidence in Avanti as a strategic partner that can help us grow.”
Also commenting, David Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Avanti adds that “the significant extension to our high quality, flexible satellite broadband services across Sub-Saharan Africa illustrates the well-established, close relationship between the two companies.”
Imarasat’s Ka-band satellite broadband service includes a highly differentiated Quality of Service (QoS) feature. It ensures real-time prioritization of mission critical applications for SME and enterprise customers using Imarasat’s packet shaping technology.
This is implemented on hubs at Avanti’s Gateway Earth Stations. The technology avoids contention and interrupted business broadband services associated with non-business traffic, such as infotainment and peer to peer file sharing, the companies said.
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