12 March 2012
The Republic of South Sudan’s administration has selected the Astrium owned satellite and telecommunications specialist Vizada Networks to provide interim internet connectivity and voice services for domestic and international official use. The interim connectivity is for 3 months and was agreed on February 24th 2012 with service delivery starting during March 2012.
The Vizada Networks delivery will be based on the Viznet Broadband service, providing the South Sudan Ministry of Telecom and postal services officials with capacity of 2mbps uplink and 4mbps downlink. A 7.3m C-band VSAT antenna already in place at the Ministry of Telecom premises will be utilised for the transmission, whilst a WiMAX solution will be established by Vizada Networks’ established local partner, Unitel Communications Ltd, to further distribute the service to administration offices in Juba.
“The Republic of South Sudan became an independent state in July 2011 so building critical infrastructure is an on-going priority that Vizada Networks and our partner Unitel are well positioned to support,” comments Stein Bexrud, Sales Director (Partners), MEA at Vizada Networks. “We have been in South Sudan since 2006, provisioning internet connectivity and voice communication for Norwegian People’s Aid and other humanitarian efforts including WHO, BTENS, UNDP and OCHA, so it is a natural step to extend this to the administration and official organisations in Juba and across the country.”
The Viznet Broadband service that Vizada Networks is deploying in Juba is a standardised, high-quality service providing high-speed connectivity with dedicated bandwidth and guaranteed CIR. It is partially built upon Vizada Networks’ next generation JanUX Mark II solution and is differentiated by the integration of proprietary, industry leading bandwidth management, ACM and centralised remote monitoring and control that offer added value in terms of costs, quality and availability.
“Alongside Unitel, we are able to offer world leading connectivity technology and services to South Sudan, in support of the country’s domestic and international growth,” says Tom Løwehr, Vice President, Vizada Networks. “Vizada Networks has a proven track record in provisioning communication and connectivity services in Africa and we will use the experience we have already gained in countries like Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda to ensure that the South Sudan administration receives a reliable, available and cost-effective service.”
