ViaSat Signs $53 Million in Contracts to Provide RascomStar-Qaf with New Communication Infrastructure for Africa
Two networks initiate 5-year plan for wide-ranging expansion of telephone and Internet access availability
ViaSat Inc. has signed two contracts with RascomStar-Qaf, the pan-African satellite operator, to deliver satellite systems for high-capacity infrastructure communications carrying pan-African telephony and data between regional and national capitals and for rural telecommunications access across the African continent with RascomStar-Qaf VSAT terminals. The combined value of the contracts is approximately $53 million with deliveries scheduled to begin this year and continuing into 2011.
This major addition to the African telecommunications infrastructure is requiring a full turnkey system approach, with ViaSat providing full system responsibility: system engineering, integration, logistic support, installation, training and an initial 12 months of in-region network operation support.
“The construction and deployment of ViaSat R*BCS and R*TES infrastructure will enable RascomStar-Qaf to realize its mission of delivering affordable telecommunications services throughout Africa,” said Faraj Elamari, CEO of RascomStar-Qaf. “These satellite-based systems will reach rural areas of Africa that no other telecommunications infrastructure can support on a cost-effective basis. Our goal is to establish a modern, African telecommunications standard that will rely on resources within Africa.”
