UAE-based satellite operator launches service in Ghana

A United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based satellite operator, Yahsat, has officially launched its broadband satellite service, YahClick, in the country.

The satellite service is aimed at serving the country’s specific connectivity needs and delivering high-performance and customised broadband solutions to businesses and communities.

“YahClick’s services will enable communities, businesses and the government to unlock the full potentials of Internet and achieve the level of social and economic development the country deserves,” the Country Manager for Yahsat Africa, Mr Denver Bartman, said at a press conference in Accra last Tuesday.

He explained that sub-Saharan Africa had suffered substantial economic losses in recent years due to frequent Internet breakdowns.

That, he said, had directly affected fixed, wireless and mobile Internet connectivity.

According to him, research conducted in the country suggested that each communication disruption cost approximately US$6.3 million a day, with disruptions expected to total 22 days in 2018.

“We did our research through global agencies which have extracted these information. We then did simple calculations on the number of times the Internet was down and how much it cost the economy.

“It was realised in our findings that the government of Ghana is losing revenue worth over US$23 billion,” he added.

He, therefore, indicated that the introduction of the uninterrupted satellite broadband service in the country would help reduce the figures and provide increased economic gains.

Motive for establishment in Ghana

Mr Bartman indicated that the beam of one of the three satellites of Yahsat, Orbital ATK, was already directed towards Ghana.

He said the company decided to invest in the country because Ghana’s economic growth was positive, hence the need to add connectivity to enhance the performance of companies with high speed and give instant access to resources that were critical to success.

“Aside from the economic achievements of the country, Ghana has a politically stable environment and a large population which can be targeted to consume the Internet,” he stated.

Partnership

Yahsat has partnered with regional broadcast and Internet service providers such as Comsys Ghana Limited (CGL) and Teledata ICT, both information and communications technology (ICT) enterprise solution companies in the country.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Teledata, Mr Greg Eid, added: “We believe that YahClick services will not only successfully meet our customers’ needs, but also open up new business opportunities across various industries.

He expressed interest in the partnership with YahClick to ensure that customers accessed uninterrupted and high-speed Internet which was critical to their growth.