The world will continue to require satellite internet connections for a long time to come, even with the increasing usage of fibre.
Philippe Llau, director of business data and telecoms at satellite provider Eutelsat, told the East Africa Com conference in Nairobi, Kenya, satellite will be required until last mile connection issues have been resolved and solutions have been found to problems such as cable vandalism.
He argues satellite will remain attractive, especially in remote areas where most providers do not find it economically viable to roll out fibre, given its economical and quick deployment.
“Satellite is quick to deploy and does not require as much capital when accessing remote areas that lack supporting infrastructure as seen by fibre. And in a continent where a big number of internet users continue to live in rural areas satellite will continually be in use until fibre infrastructure is put to place,” said Llau.
He added that satellite is easier to multi-bundle and multicast, especially for those in the media and data creation industry.
However, he did say that the merits of satellite may in future be more likely to be utilised as a backup to fibre, given it is relatively easy to switch traffic from fibre to satellite and satellite can easily pool capacity among multiple markets and networks.
“Where cable cuts and other interference have occurred it is also relatively easy to establish a pay-as-you-restore approach,” he said.
Eutelsat says it is confident of an existing and expanding market and will continue to deploy satellites, with the last having been sent into orbit just last week.
