Satellite broadband gets millions more Africans online

The launch of a new satellite will provide broadband access for millions in Africa, without having to rely on fault-prone undersea cables

LIKE many cybercafes in the centre of the Ugandan capital, Kampala, the Amazon Digital Internet Caf? is always jam-packed. Run by Annette Byaruhanga and her husband Ernest, the venue can make up to 400,000 Ugandan shillings ($155) on a good day.

But every now and then there is a major problem. When the country's undersea communications cables are damaged - and they often are - it causes havoc for local people and businesses. During a recent hiccup, Annette Byaruhanga lost business for two weeks. "We were severely affected by disruption of broadband service when the undersea cable was ruptured," she says. "The damage spoiled our reputation. Our customers lost confidence in our caf?."

There could soon be a solution. A recent satellite launch promises to revolutionise broadband in East Africa, helping to bring high-speed internet to some of the millions in the region still without it.

Many in the region, like Byaruhanga and her husband, feel let down by the undersea fibre-optic system that connects some African countries to Europe and Asia. The multilayered, armoured cables have been cut on several occasions by shipping, and there are repeated outages. The most recent serious incident was in February this year and was due to a ship's anchor. It left Ugandans without internet access for days.

For both eastern and southern Africa, things are about to change. The small HYLAS 2 satellite, developed by Avanti Communications, based in London, was launched in early August from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, South America. The satellite completed its orbital testing in early September and is almost ready to begin commercial services.

Once HYLAS 2 is transmitting, individuals and small businesses with personal satellite dishes will be able to receive data at up to 20 megabits per second. Telecoms companies and big multinationals will get faster speeds, says Avanti chief executive David Williams.

The socio-economic benefits could be enormous. A report issued last month by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation says that a 10 per cent increase in broadband availability generates economic growth of 1.38 per cent, nearly twice the impact of the same increase in availability of fixed-line telephones. It also says that, as of June this year, some 341 million people in sub-Saharan Africa would have had to travel at least 50 kilometres from their homes to reach a place with broadband internet. And it adds that an estimated 40 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa will not have access to broadband services unless there is greater use of satellites.

Satellite broadband, often heralded as the future of internet access in the west, could soon be booming in Africa. The launch of a second HYLAS satellite is now scheduled for 2015. Together, the two satellites will bring up to 100 gigabits of capacity to Africa, claims Williams. While it is almost certain to cost more than existing broadband access, its greater reliability will make it a must-have for many of Uganda's small businesses.

"With reliable satellite broadband, even if it costs more, I would be sure that the internet link is up and running all the time," says Byaruhanga.

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