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Safaricom prepares for satellite data services
Monday, July 17, 2023
Safaricom PLC CEO Peter Ndegwa at a previous event. file image | Swimming pool
Safaricom is set to launch satellite internet services at a time when Elon Musk’s Starlink is also getting ready to go live with a similar offering in Kenya.
Satellite Internet communications have the potential to change traditional communication services, which are based on an infrastructure that has left many areas without coverage, especially the rural areas of the country.
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Safaricom will offer the service through a partnership with Starlink competitor AST SpaceMobile, which has signed agreements with major telecom operator Vodafone Group Plc.
Vodafone is one of the investors in AST SpaceMobile.
“AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 satellite underwent basic functionality testing in 2022, ahead of a formal trial in the second quarter of 2023, in partnership with Vodacom and Safaricom in Kenya,” says Safaricom’s intermediate parent company, Vodacom Group Limited, in a statement. its last annual report.
“After the successful completion of the trial, AST SpaceMobile will expand its satellite deployment in partnership with Vodacom to provide ubiquitous connections to 4G devices across Africa and beyond.” On the other hand, Starlink indicated that its satellite-based services will be available starting in the quarter ending last month.
Texas-based AST SpaceMobile is building the first space-based mobile broadband network directly accessible by standard cell phones.
Satellite data services will add to carriers’ existing offerings, which are delivered through fiber optic cable, Wi-Fi, and cellular networks.
Safaricom and other Vodafone affiliates will share revenue with AST SpaceMobile on a 50/50 basis, with the parties agreeing to maintain mutual exclusivity in their respective markets to ensure the success of the partnership.
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AST SpaceMobile’s operations extend to building Constellation of Satellites, a space-based broadband cellular network that allows existing, unmodified smartphones to connect to satellites in areas with coverage gaps.
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