Satellite Internet in Djibouti

Satellite Internet Access Service

Located in the Horn of Africa, Djibouti is bordered by Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia. The remainder of its border is along the Red Sea. It is home to diverse geography from mountains and coastal deserts to shrublands. The country is home to over 900,000 people, most of whom live in its urban areas. Djibouti lacks natural resources and its economy is primarily based around service activities at its deepwater port on the Red Sea. The country’s location is strategic and the Port of Djibouti offers an important source of GDP to the country. Low rainfall means that agriculture is not a viable industry and much of Djibouti’s food is imported.

Djibouti is one of the few countries in Africa where there is still a monopoly on telecoms provision. This has led to a lack of competition in the overall telecoms market. Despite the fact that access to the fibre optic submarine cables is very good from Djibouti, the price of broadband is still high and this is holding back the growth of the broadband sector in the country. The government is gradually opening up to the idea of competition and is looking at foreign investment to encourage development. At present, Djibouti has 150,000 Internet users. The Internet is mainly accessed on mobile phones (there were 312,000 mobile subscribers in 2015) and mobile phone ownership is rising. Fixed line penetration is low at 3 subscriptions per 100 people.

With the cellular network limited to the area in and around Djibouti city, there exists an opportunity for VSAT technology from BusinessCom Networks. For people living outside of this area, cellular access is very patchy or non-existent. A VSAT network can enable the rapid growth of cellular service to more rural areas, bringing basic voice services as well as Internet and data to pockets of the population where they are not accessible at the moment. VSAT provides a cost effective way in which to expand mobile networks. It is also a solution that is easy and rapid to install. With know-how from a local BusinessCom Networks installer and a bespoke approach to every customer, mobile connectivity access need not be a problem.

Strategic Location

Djibouti’s location as a port is going to be key to its growth and the government is investing in port infrastructure, including a container terminal. The country is set to become a shipping hub, and therefore communications will be vitally important. VSAT networks can be used extensively in the shipping industry, transmitting valuable data using IoT applications for monitoring purposes. For the Port of Djibouti, which is rapidly expanding, VSAT can provide highly versatile connectivity where currently there is none and can link together different parts of the port and other infrastructure.

BusinessCom Network’s in-country expertise and wide portfolio of solutions can meet the needs of a country that is expanding its port as well as meeting the connectivity needs of its people.