Avanti powers digital economies across Africa and Middle East with new Ka-band International IP Trunking using NovelSat’s NS3 technology

23 May, 2012

Avanti Communications, announces the launch of the world’s first commercial Ka-band, International IP Trunking proposition that will transform international IP trunking across Africa and the Middle East with prices as low as $500 per Mbps.

Market-changing increases in spectral efficiency are driven through combining Avanti’s Ka-band technology with NovelSat’s latest NS3 proprietary world leading modulation scheme. The result is an increase in spectral efficiency of up to 5bits/HZ, observed in trials completed in early May on Avanti’s Ka-band HYLAS 1 satellite. The new service will be capable of delivering high capacity bi-directional data links of up to 365Mbps between transmit and receive sites, using the most advanced NovelSat modulator and demodulator.

Avanti’s market-changing price point is made possible by combining the impressive bit rate increase and lower Ka-band space segment, which together deliver significant cost efficiencies .

The new Africa and Middle East service will be available from Q3 2012 this year through Avanti’s HYLAS 2 Ka-band satellite, scheduled to launch in July, and to be operational from the end of August. Based on Avanti’s rate card MHz pricing, operators can see their costs falling as low as $500 per Mbps per month.

Mike Fiddes, Avanti’s Sales Director Africa and ME, commented: “Africa and the Middle East are the fastest growing markets for internet subscribers with ten year growth rates forecast to be in excess of 2000%[1][1]. However, demand for international high batch data transmission in emerging markets is being held back by oversubscribed terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure or the absence of reliable terrestrial infrastructure.

“Our satellite-based International IP Trunking proposition will help ISPs, mobile operators and large corporate network operators in the Middle East and Africa side step these constraints and keep pace with market growth. The combination of our Ka-band technology and NovelSat’s advanced modulator and demodulator drives down costs while increasing performance and reliability. Improved bit rate performance, increased data compression and lower space segment combine to create what we believe to be a transformational service, with particular relevance for markets where Ku and C-band capacity is very limited.”

Both Africa and the Middle East have limited fibre capacity, which may impact on the speed of development of digital based economies. Extending or constructing new fibre networks takes considerable time and involves extensive costs, especially in regards to the civil engineering required to provide ducts. There have also been several recent cases where subsea internet cables have been accidentally cut, which has led to considerable financial and performance penalties for businesses and government lacking continuity provision.