Arabsat Partners with Level421 for Reliable Coverage in Middle East and Africa

Arabsat has announced a partnership with Level 421, an African, Middle Eastern and Central Asian satcom services provider.

As part of the partnership, Level 421 has installed a new 6.5 m antenna pointing towards Arabsat-5C satellite at 20 degrees East, capable to also handle extended C-band, and is currently live and operating.

Qatar Airways Offers First B787 with OnAir’s In-flight Connectivity

Qatar Airways launched the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight to deliver both Wi-Fi Internet and mobile phone access to passengers via OnAir’s in-flight connectivity.

A total of 1,250MB of data was used for over 50 Internet sessions, averaging the usage per session at around 22MB. Around 75 phones used the mobile network, where nearly 50MB of mobile data was used and 340 text messages were sent.

RascomStar, ViaSat Unveil New GSM Cellular Service in Africa

Pan-African satellite operator RascomStar and its satellite and mobility communications partner ViaSat successfully conducted a live demonstration of their GSM cellular service for underserved areas during the AfricaCom 2012 international show.

The RascomStar/ViaSat solution functions as a low-cost turnkey managed service with ground segment incorporating ip.access technology provided by ViaSat and space segment from RascomStar. The partners said they designed the solution to be easily scalable and to reduce mobile operator risks while raising its profits.

SkyVision Global Networks Enhances Local Presence throughout Africa

SkyVision Global Networks will continue expanding its local presence across Africa. The company, which has opened an office in South Africa, now plans to expand its presence in the region still further, after a recent strategic review.

The company has recently initiated a major expansion into West Africa with the acquisition of Afinis. This gives the company the opportunity to serve the Francophone markets in Africa better.

Yahsat Set for Ka-Band YahClick Launch in South Sudan

Abu Dhabi-based satellite operator Yahsat is gearing up to launch its YahClick “broadband everyone” satellite service in South Sudan during the coming months.

The service aims to provide wide reaching, high performance, satellite broadband Internet to unserved and underserved locations and communities across the country. Yahsat selected local based Internet service provider RCS-Communication as its service partner for South Sudan.