[Via Satellite 10-13-2016] Pan African telecommunication provider Gondwana International Networks (GIN) has launched Source, a fully managed, virtual network satellite operator service. Aimed at telecoms and internet service providers, Source will be rolled out across sub-Saharan Africa on the first Jupiter hub in Africa, which is owned and operated by GIN.

Mathew Welthagen, CEO at GIN says that the company has partnered with Intelsat on to bring cost-effective satellite connectivity to Africa. “Our collaboration has resulted in the establishment of the first Hughes’ Jupiter hub in Africa. We have over 15 years of hands-on VSAT operational experience, making us well positioned to deliver a new era of satellite services to Africa,” he said.

Welthagen said that Source permits VSAT operators to focus on service provision and customers, not on network infrastructure. Ground support and network management services will be run from GINs facilities at Hartebeesthoek in South Africa. He said this brings immense benefits such as African traffic being landed in Africa, lower latency and secure backhaul, “The location is also a national key point and has multiple levels of security and redundancy.” Regional multi-national businesses with branches across multiple territories will benefit from the minimum capacity requirements for designing network failover, and managing ERP data reporting back to head office, GIN stated.

As a wholesale Virtual Network Operator Platform, Source has two options: Raw Capacity and Managed Service VNO. The Raw Capacity VNO provides the operator with full access to a VNO on the Jupiter hub and the ability to architect and manage its own services. Operators will typically deploy their own packet shapers, provisioning and billing systems. The Managed Services VNO is where the operator contracts capacity on a VNO on the Jupiter hub, but GIN manages the VNO, creating bespoke services in a closed dedicated bandwidth pool. The operator is not required to have in-depth knowledge of VSAT design, and can leverage off GIN’s Allot packet shapers, and OSS/BSS provisioning and billing platform.