Satellite Internet in Venezuela

Satellite Internet Access Service

Venezuela is a country of diverse and dramatic landscapes and is located on the northern coast of South America. The country is bordered by Colombia, Brazil and Guyana and has a population of 31.5 million people. Its range of geography encompasses the mountains of the Andes and the Amazon Basin. Venezuela is rich in natural resources such as petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold and minerals. The economy is mixed, but is largely based on petroleum oils.

Country in Crisis

In 2013, the government devalued the Bolivar Fuerte due to growing shortages sparking an inflation hike and today, the decline of the economy has led to an increase in prices of basic consumer goods such as flour and milk. This has had a severe knock-on effect on many parts of Venezuelan daily life.

The economic challenges have resulted in the postponement in terms of telecommunications infrastructure development, such as the rollout of 4G and LTE services. The lack of basic resources and inflated prices for necessities mean that the population has become extremely cautious with their finances, concentrating on the items that are most important. Mobile devices are viewed as luxury goods and there has actually been a fall in subscriber numbers to both fixed and mobile telecoms. The recession has also forced mobile operators to increase their prices, making it even more difficult to increase their subscriber base. At present 60% of Venezuelans are connected to the Internet but the slow speeds and lack of Internet quality mean that the service is well below average. However, the use of social media has soared as those who do have access use it to source everyday necessities. Internet access tends to be restricted largely to those living in urban areas and the capital Caracas.

Opportunities for Satellite Solutions

Satellite connectivity has a critical role to play in delivering even the most basic Internet services to Venezuelans. VSAT networks provided by BusinessCom Networks can deliver highly affordable, tailored solutions to communities that are not currently connected to the Internet with no requirement for any terrestrial infrastructure – an important consideration given the lack of infrastructure across Venezuela. High-speed and reliable Internet connectivity will give Venezuelans the opportunity to access important information, tools and resources and to make phone calls and stream video. This kind of information can have an important socio-economic effect on the population, enabling them to empower themselves.

For Mobile Network Operators, BusinessCom Networks can facilitate the augmentation of existing mobile networks into areas that currently have no access to mobile broadband connectivity. More importantly, BusinessCom’s VSAT rural telephony solution can be implemented extremely cost-effectively, eliminating the need for expensive cell towers to be constructed. Not only this, but networks can be rolled out rapidly, to quickly tackle to gaps in existing infrastructure and to deliver a highly reliable and fast service that delivers IP services as well as voice.

Though Venezuela is currently challenged by its existing infrastructure, VSAT can be used to transform its peoples’ access to the Internet. BusinessCom Networks are on hand to design, implement, operate and maintain these highly flexible networks and to ensure that a high Quality of Service is delivered at all times. Reliable, cost-effective access to the Internet is available now and we look forward to enabling people and businesses across Venezuela to gain access to this critical resource.