Johannesburg, 08 Dec 2014
Winning the SABS Design Award is a significant development in Q-KON's quest to emerge as the preferred supplier of turnkey telecommunications services to the African market.
If one considers the journey the company has been on, beginning in 1989, the road has been one of achievement, tenacity, expertise and reliability.
It started with the development of the first 9 600bps data radio in 1995, six years after inception, representing a seismic shift in the barrier of data transmission using radio as a carrier.
The company, the result of a joint venture between Q-DATA and Megkon, leveraged its expertise as a data radio solution supplier and ground work to its advantage, attracting the likes of the then SAPS for remote and mobile operations.
Q-KON emerged as a reliable service and solutions provider, firmly positioned to develop command, control and communication projects for the then SANDF.
In November 1989, when the strategic direction changed in the country, and those big projects were cancelled, Q-KON had a more defined future and, in a way, was left to die by its parent companies.
Today, 25 years later, we are still celebrating the spirit of tenacity and energy that come from taking on the impossible. Part of the secret to our success is always remembering our past, where we have come from, and why. This is the backbone of our continued value-added service to Africa.
Being shaped by industry
You cannot trade in the ICT industry for 25 years and remain the same, things will change, technologies will come and go, markets will start and collapse, strategies will grow and fade.
However, who you are, what you value and why you do what you do will very seldom change and when your day-to-day business is linked to these routes it brings stability, direction and focus in an otherwise stormy landscape.
For us, the fundamentals are still the same, we are a system engineering group focused on bringing technology, markets and business together in unique and different ways.
We are the team that will lead the new market developments, in 1995 it was data over radio, then in early 2000 it was using 2.4GHz wireless LAN equipment to build long-distance metropolitan wide area networks, then moving on to IP over satellite.
We were the team that tested the very first IP-over-satellite link in partnership with PanAmSat and RadyneComstream back in 2002. From this we found the strength and confidence to continue on our journey and we are looking forward to unlocking real value to all.
Our venture into Africa has helped solidify the business and helped form the foundation of Q-KON's satellite services to the continent.
From being two junior engineers at the age of 25 when we were left with a company, a name and not much hope, we are proud and deeply thankful to be at this point in our journey.
We have never built the business on the latest gadget, or some break-through technology, and we probably will not do so in future. For us it is a continued effort to apply the technology of the day to the needs of the market. It is a constant focus to develop the business concepts to match and be the leading integrator for evolving markets.
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