Satellite Internet in Angola

Satellite Internet Access Service

Angola is located in the south of the African continent. It has a population of over 20.5 million and is amongst the fastest growing economies in the world. With vast mineral and petrol reserves, Angola’s economy is driven by the oil sector which is worth 50 percent of GDP. Diamonds also contribute 5 percent of GDP. Subsistence farming also plays a key role.

Strategic Importance of Telecommunications

The 2008 recession hit Angola hard and, as a result, the government decided to try to diversify the country’s economy and to make it less reliant upon its oil industry, which is so volatile. The government has taken steps to develop its telecom infrastructure and to increase the standard of its connectivity in order to make its business sector more efficient. Telecoms are viewed as a strategic sector in Angola. The country plans to launch the AngoSat-1 satellite in 2017 which will deliver TV, Internet and e-government services to the Angolan population. Angola also has access to two fibre-optic submarine cables.

Connecting the Rural Areas

The connectivity picture in Angola is improving rapidly, but there is still much work to do, despite the fact that the government is fully behind universal connectivity. At present, 22 percent of the population are Internet users. There has been rapid adoption of the smartphone which has led to a huge increase in Internet usage. Mobile penetration currently stands at 59.6 percent. However, the majority of the population is still not connected and this is mainly in rural Angola where connectivity is very challenging to roll out. This is where satellite can play a key role in connecting Angola. Installation of VSAT systems will connect remote and rural towns and villages that are otherwise unreachable by terrestrial means. It will also enable Mobile Network Operators to expand into rural areas using cost-effective and rapidly installed VSAT networks to backhaul their traffic and increase their subscriber bases into remote areas of the country.

The use of VSAT technology can also help Angola to tackle other challenges such as healthcare. Diseases such as malaria, cholera and haemorrhagic fever are still common in Angola, and VSAT networks can help medical teams to tackle these illnesses using telemedicine. Education also presents a challenge in rural areas and satellite technology can bring about huge benefits through the use of e-Learning. This can help to reduce the gap that exists between urban and rural education.

BusinessCom Networks has been connecting businesses across Africa since 2003 and our experience and expertise can help individuals, institutions and organisations to connect no matter where in Angola they are located. At BusinessCom, we understand how VSAT can transform businesses, schools, hospitals and remote communities and change them for the better.

BusinessCom offers the following satellite internet services in Angola: