31 October, 2012

The recently announced partnership between Vodacom Business Services and AGRI SA - the country's foremost agriculture trade association - for satellite connectivity solutions is already seeing uptake in remote rural areas.

Agri SA members are welcoming the ability to obtain reliable and robust connectivity for their businesses, thus growing their markets.

Vodacom Satellite Connect is a Converged Communications satellite solution that brings high speed connectivity to remote areas where land lines and normal 3G systems cannot reach. This brings internet, email, and now voice solutions to these regions.

Kerneels Combrink, Financial Manager for Naranja Packers, sees Vodacom Satellite Connect as the perfect solution to their growing business. "We grow and package citrus fruits for both local and global markets," he says, "and it's essential that our communications are reliable. As we are 60km from Lydenburg, Mpumalanga, there's little option in this area as cable theft is high and our previous ISP could only provide us with a slow and unreliable connection. For us, Vodacom Satellite Connect is an essential communications solution if we are to grow our business and stay in touch with our customers here and overseas. We are using it as a business expansion driver and it has become a critical element of our business. It's an excellent service - reliable and fast - and we are very happy with it."

The Alzu Enterprises group, situated near Middelburg, Mpumalanga, consists of various operations in the area, including farms and the new Petroport on the N4. Ben Myburgh, the group CFO, says the Petroport is a recent venture for the group and has been operating for two years. "While we have a Diginet line to the farm, for the Petroport, Vodacom Satellite Connect was the only solution. There are no fixed lines in the area and very poor 3G reception. The system is used by the Administrative staff for management information systems, emails and internet connectivity and we recently upgraded to VoIP (Voice over IP). It's a must-have for us and we are very happy to now have a reliable service that meets our needs. We are looking forward to the savings that VoIP will bring."

"This is exactly the application we were hoping for," says Vuyani Jarana, Chief Officer: Vodacom Business Services. ". Vodacom Satellite Connect is the perfect solution when it comes to connecting all corners of the country. What's more we have made it our goal to make robust and reliable connectivity available to all South Africans through affordable business solutions. For farmers, businesses and the rural community at large, telecommunication is important for transactional purposes as well as for security reasons. Our partnership with Agri SA is starting to benefit its members and bring their operations into the main stream local and global markets."