MWEB Business launches 'everywhere' satellite Internet service

A massive broadband connectivity net is closing over South Africa, bridging the digital divide between the urban areas, where businesses are spoiled for connectivity choice, and the country's remote rural areas.

This follows the launch, by MWEB Business, of a powerful new satellite service that delivers affordable broadband Internet connectivity to most corners of South Africa.

MWEB Business GM Andre Joubert points out that Internet access has always been problematic, if not impossible, for individuals and businesses located in regions where ADSL, 3G and even electricity is unavailable or unreliable.

"The new MWEB Business VSAT service is going to make a huge difference to farmers and game lodge owners, as well as the mining and construction industries, which currently face enormous difficulties communicating with their head offices in the cities. We also anticipate demand from businesses sponsoring connectivity for schools in the remotest rural areas.

"MWEB VSAT customers will be able to use it not only for their data requirements like surfing the Internet and e-mail, but also as a potentially more reliable, and affordable, form of telephone communication," he explains.

"In addition, because satellite connectivity is immune from cable theft, it provides a viable alternative to traditional fixed-line Internet access for businesses in the urban areas. So we expect our new satellite service will also meet demand for a quick-to-install secondary connectivity option for businesses that need business-critical high availability."

In order to provide a competitively-priced service to this neglected market, MWEB Business' satellite solution not only provides blanket coverage to most parts of the country, it can also operate effectively using solar power.

"Because latency is such an important factor in satellite connectivity, particularly for VOIP (voice over IP) services, we at MWEB are making use of a satellite teleport (transmission station) that is based in South Africa," Joubert says.

The fast MWEB service - offering speeds of up to 4Mbps - is available in various bundles used to complement either a VPN or basic Internet service. There are no daily limits to the volume of data that can be down- or uploaded.

Customers can choose to 'hard cap' their bundles, in which case the service will be halted once the bundle has reached its limit. Alternatively, they can opt to continue to receive service at an out-of-bundle rate once they exceed their bundle limit. The equipment required to utilise the service, including the satellite dishes, can be leased or purchased outright.

The pricing is as follows (includes VAT):

*Out-of-bundle rates are charged at R0.60, incl VAT, per MB.