Avanti launches South African based operations
London based satellite operator, Avanti Communications Group, which provides Ka-Band satellite data communications services across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, officially launched its South Africa-based operations yesterday.
Above:
The Avanti Communications team at a launch event held in Sandton yesterday.
The announcement is underpinned by Avanti’s continued commitment to investing in Africa through a direct local presence backed by in-country solutions to enable and facilitate connectivity through key partnerships both in South Africa and throughout the region. To date, Avanti have invested over USD$897 million in Sub-Saharan Africa, with USD$143 million in South Africa alone.
Building on the success of its previous high throughput satellites (HTS), Avanti launched its third satellite, HYLAS 4 in April 2018. HYLAS 4 will operate with 64 fixed and 4 steerable beams from five Gateway Earth Stations to significantly extend Avanti’s coverage to West and Central Africa for the first time.
This development will provide affordable high-speed satellite broadband to connect homes, SMEs, schools, enterprises and mobile operators across Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in rural and remote locations where terrestrial networks are limited.
“Through our reliable high-speed connectivity, we bring the digital era to people, we believe everyone has the right to become a digital citizen, especially those in the remotest areas across Africa,” says Christian Georgeson, Chief Marketing Officer of Avanti Communications.
Avanti have worked in some of the most challenging locations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, pushing boundaries to deliver innovative and flexible communications across various sectors.
“Through our technology, we empower our partners, ensuring they deliver always-on connectivity to their customers, wherever they may be. Not only have we invested in our satellites, but we’ve invested heavily in our ground network and our people. We have highly redundant Gateways Earth Stations, ensuring 99.8% availability and have built dedicated Gateways in South Africa, which enables data to land in-country. In addition to our satellites and ground infrastructure, Avanti is committed to local employment opportunities in space, ICT, engineering and communications sectors.” adds Georgeson.
The addition of HYLAS 4 will see Avanti complete its coverage across Africa, in addition to having the capability to cover markets across Latin America. These markets can be reached through the satellite’s four steerable beams which can be placed anywhere across the Earth’s disk visible from the orbital slot of the satellite.
Avanti’s South African in-country presence comes as the company also unveils its new corporate identity which encapsulates its vision to connect homes, grow businesses, extend networks, change lives and go the extra mile to liberate untapped potential. Brenden Pronk, Sales Director & Country Manager for Southern Africa explained: “Avanti aims to bridge the digital divide by enabling and facilitating connectivity with existing providers to cover the gaps that exist in the industry. The bigger picture is creating fully connected societies for the benefit of people, communities, SMEs and large enterprises alike.”
As part of its commitment to connecting people wherever they are, Avanti have also partnered with local lifestyle and entertainment show #Hashtags, which explores topical issues and trending topics in South Africa.