First pan-African satellite in air
- Posted on Thursday 20 December 2007 - 11:23Thales Alenia Space and African Development BankThe first pan-African satellite worth $380M is due for launch today and is considered a turning point for the development of the continent is the sectors of new technologies and telecommunication. The project was co-financed by continental and regional banks.
Rascom-QAF1 will provide telecommunication services in rural areas of Africa, as well as domestic and international connections, direct TV broadcast services and Internet access during 15 years.
Cannes - Thales Alenia Space today announced that it has transferred the Rascom-QAF1 communications satellite to the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana.
Rascom-QAF1, built by Thales Alenia Space as part of a turnkey contract with RascomStar-QAF, will provide telecommunication services in rural areas of Africa, as well as domestic and international connections, direct TV broadcast services and Internet access during 15 years.
The Rascom-QAF1 satellite has a particular importance for the African countries because it will make it possible for these populations to benefit from broadband communications services. The Rascom system will provide an expanded range of value-added services to all African countries that will be using the system, which will include:
Large-scale, low-cost telecom services in rural areas, based on the use of appropriate technologies;
Inter-urban links in each member-country;
Direct international links between all member-countries;
Direct TV broadcast and Internet access services;
Value-added broadband services.
The African rural and urban areas will be thus equipped with a key infrastructure enabling to deliver communication services to everyone, at very low cost. The satellite-based solutions are particularly adapted to match this type of requirements by ensuring a broad geographic coverage at a cost for connection among the weakest. This program illustrates the common willingness of the African countries to reduce the digital divide and make telecommunications a powerful socio-economic development lever.
Based on a Spacebus 4000B3 platform, Rascom-QAF1 is equipped with 12 Ku-band transponders and eight C-band transponders. It will weigh about 3,200 kg at launch, will have a 6.4 kW power end of life and will be positioned at 2.85 degrees East.
The Rascom-QAF1 launch campaign should start shortly, for a launch by Arianespace schedule in next December with an Ariane 5 GS rocket.
About Thales Alenia Space
European leader in satellite systems and at the forefront of orbital infrastructures, Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%). Together with Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space forms a Space Alliance between the two groups. The company is a worldwide reference in telecoms, radar and optical Earth observation, defense and security, navigation and science. With 7200 employees and 11 industrial sites, Thales Alenia Space is located in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium.www.thalesaleniaspace.comSatellite to spread telecom network in rural areas
African Development Bank
On January 17th, alongside its partners, the African Development Bank signed the Loan agreement for the RascomStar-QSF project alongside its development partners.
The loan is the final piece of the financing arrangements that will see the launch of the first pan-African communications satellite on 20th December. The total investment in the project is US$380 million of which the Bank provided a loan of US$50 million.
Other lenders to the project include the Banque de Developpement des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale (BDEAC) and the Banque Ouest Africaine de Developpement (BOAD), while equity investors include the Libyan African Investment Portfolio, General Post and Telecommunications Company, Regional African Satellite Communications Organizations Members (RASCOM) and Thales Alenia Space.
The satellite will help provide solutions to a number of problems that Africa suffers from in the field of telecommunications. The main aim of the project is to spread the telecommunications network into rural areas on a large scale and at low costs. This will be done by providing satellite services in areas that cannot presently be served economically by terrestrial infrastructure.
Approximately 80% of the African population live in rural areas and the Bank estimates that these rural end-users will be the beneficiaries of a total consumer surplus of US$1.2 billion. Additionally, farmers will have better access to information and schools will have access to new sources of education.
Furthermore, the satellite will lower the costs for interconnectivity of networks within Africa. At present, African telecoms operators pay a high transit cost to foreign satellites that provide linkage between the different networks.
The implementation of this project will therefore realize savings of millions of dollars currently paid out annually to satellite operators outside the continent as well as the lowering of costs for telecommunications end-users across the continent.
A final feature of the project is the facilitation of television, broadcasting, internet and other value-added services for telecoms, internet service providers, TV broadcasters and data content providers. The launch of the satellite will be broadcast via the rascomstar website www.rascomstar.com There will be a link that will be activated 20 min before the event scheduled for the 20th Dec at 21 h GMT.
Keywords: business telecom ict
Reactions
- Posted on Saturday 12 January 2008 13:07This is fantastic!!! it is long over due. At long last we are begining to take control of our 'Development Destiny'. This is a major sucess story that speaks to Africa's momentous Reconfiguring of Our Reality'.
In the comming year and comming Decades Africa will finally be engaging with the REST of WORLD on our terms, and a modern, sophisticated and comprenhensive Sat/Communication Network is of crucial importance in fulfilling the developmental Plans which are 'Currently Animating our Continent.
The world is finally beginning to engage with the 'NEW AFRICA'!!!
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