Only days after the operator announced the roll-out of commercial 5G services in Addis Ababa, comes news that Ethio Telecom is planning satellite network upgrades with the help of satellite networking technology, solutions and services company Gilat.
Gilat announced this week that it had received a contract for satellite network modernisation from Ethiopia’s state-owned operator. Gilat’s SkyEdge II-c with hundreds of Capricorn and Gemini VSATs will be used to enable enhanced satellite-based 4G cellular backhaul capabilities and enterprise communications for remote regions of the country.
Gilat say that the SkyEdge II-c VSAT network platform enables service providers to deliver a wide range of advanced, high-speed services to diverse markets.
As for the VSATs themselves, the Capricorn family consists of high-performance, highly efficient VSATs ideal for vertical markets that demand high throughput and high-speed services, such as 4G/5G cellular backhauling and mobility. The Gemini family consists of high-throughput VSATs designed to enable high-speed broadband internet services for the enterprise and consumer markets.
"As part of our modernisation process, we carefully evaluated our options," says Mr Tesfaye Tadesse Woldesemayat, Chief Network Infrastructure Officer at Ethio Telecom. "Gilat’s technology, with its long history of proven satellite-based cellular backhaul experience, proved to be the right choice to enable reliable and efficient mobile connectivity and enterprise communications to enable a bright future for the people of Ethiopia."
