Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. announced that Nepal Telecom's (NTC) deployment of a Gilat SkyEdge broadband satellite network includes the provision of data and toll-quality telephony services to Gorakshep, the last village on the Everest trek before the Everest Base Camp. At over 5,100 meters elevation, the Gorakshep VSAT installation is one of the highest in the world.

The Everest site, which enables clear voice calls to any location worldwide, hosts numerous visitors who participate in mountain climbing and other activities related to the Mount Everest ecosystem. In winter months, the Gorakshep village experiences high winds and temperatures well below freezing.

The Gorakshep deployment is part of NTC's larger Gilat network deployment announced last year, which meets NTC's Universal Service Obligations for voice and broadband data connectivity. NTC is the largest telecommunications operator in Nepal, a country with a population of nearly 30 million.

Central to this deployment is NTC's selection of Gilat's SkyAbis cellular backhaul solution to extend the range of GSM and CDMA services for Nepal's cellular operators.

Gilat's SkyAbis is a prepackaged solution for cellular backhaul, based on the SkyEdge and SkyEdge II multi-service platform. The solution enables operators to deploy hybrid networks that extend the reach of their terrestrial and cellular infrastructure to remote communities. SkyAbis features traffic optimization and dynamic bandwidth allocation for CDMA/GSM backhaul, with much higher space-segment efficiencies when compared to SCPC.

N. Ranganathan, Gilat 's Regional Vice President of Sales, Asia, said, "NTC's successful nationwide deployment of its Gilat VSAT network has enabled it to extend the range of cellular services and provide voice and broadband data connectivity, thereby offering greater convenience and productivity to citizens and visitors in every corner of the country."