Astrium extends its VSAT Coverage Services

Astrium, an aerospace subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company or EADS, announced that it had completed extensions of their VSAT coverage over the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The company also said it plans to extend the coverage in Atlantic Ocean by the end of the year.

The extension project aims to increase Astrium’s already extensive global coverage, adding more bandwidth in high-demand regions, and delivering services across a global market. Last September, the Paris-based civil and military space system provider announced that brands like Pharostar, Sealink, and Wavecall will be benefiting from the improved VSAT coverage.

Standardized VSAT services will enjoy an increased to 3mbps in data throughput speeds while customized Sealink solutions will get 10mbps. The VSAT services from Astrium support a range of applications including Internet, data backup, fax and SMS, voice calls, and email.

New VSAT services to Southeast Africa courtesy of Gilat SatCom

Nigerian-based communications solutions provider Gilat SatCom unveiled plans to extend its VSAT services to Southeast africa with high-bandwidth internet on satellite connectivity. The company will be making use of the SkyEdge 2 technology which runs under the Amos 5 ku-band satellite.

According to Gilat, the new project will cover the northern reaches of the Democratic Republic of Congo down to South Africa. Upload speeds are expected to range between 512 kbps to 2048 kbps. The VSAT service aims to deliver to customers high-speed satellite broadband connectivity that could withstand various weather conditions while being offered at a relatively low-cost price.