Airtel and partner to offer satellite phone services
What you need to know:
- Airtel Africa and Thuraya Telecommunications will jointly launch satellite phones and broad-band Internet services.
- Airtel Africa chief marketing officer Andre Beyers was on Wednesday quoted as saying that it will later be expanded into the rest of its African markets.
Barely a month after selling its transmission towers to a second party, Airtel has partnered with a mobile satellite services operator to extend coverage to remote regions.
Airtel Africa and Thuraya Telecommunications will jointly launch satellite phones and broad-band Internet services through the former’s subsidiaries in Kenya, Congo Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana and Zambia.
Airtel Africa chief marketing officer Andre Beyers was on Wednesday quoted as saying that it will later be expanded into the rest of its African markets.
LEADING THE MARKET
“Airtel Africa is committed to leading the market by providing cutting edge, technology-driven convergence between satellite and mobile communications, which addresses the growing demand for communications technology in Africa,” he said in a statement.
Thuraya vice-president (commercial services) Bilal el Hamoui said the deal would help Airtel provide businesses and communities with reliable mobile and fixed telecommunications services for voice and Internet-based applications.
Mr Beyers said the union would help them offer services to the remotest region thereby helping improve lives via communication linkages.
“We continue supporting our customers’ operations and ensuring a high level of network service for demanding market segments such as mining and energy exploration,” he said.
In the towers sale, Airtel Kenya earned Sh19.5 billion after it disposed of 1,100 mobile telephone masts to UK infrastructure firm Eaton.
The agreement also gave Airtel a chance to lease them back under a 10-year contract.
