Satellite is facing a strong threat as governments look for alternative technologies to provide connectivity and competition, says Ugandan ICT minister Alitumba Nsambu.
Nsambu delivered a keynote address at Satcom 2008, which began in Sandton, this morning. He said many African countries regard satellite as an old and expensive technology.
"When we bring our complaints to service providers that the price of telecoms is too high, they tell us it's because they use satellite technology and it's very expensive," he said.
Citizens are also led to believe the high cost of telecoms is brought about by the high cost of satellite.
In response, African governments in East Africa, including Uganda, looked for cheaper connectivity and are involved in the construction of undersea cables and optical fibre networks, he said.
No foe
David Hartshorn, general-secretary of the Global VSAT Forum, noted that the satellite industry also recently faced the threat of having the spectrum it needs being reallocated for terrestrial.
"We do not see the terrestrial wireless industry as a foe, but as a customer. So the idea of taking C-band spectrum that satellite uses to backhaul the wireless industry was ironic. We worked hard against the notion of giving away this spectrum."
He said the issue was resolved at the Radiofrequency conference in November, when government, policy-makers and regulators unanimously showed an overwhelming support for preservation of the band's continuous satellite usage.
It was the first clear signal for the terrestrial industry that winning was not a foregone conclusion, Hartshorn said.
He noted that the battle for spectrum was not fully won, as there were 70 nations that reserved the right to someday deploy the band for terrestrial purposes. There were extremely stringent conditions set for such an eventuality, he added.
Hartshorn also noted that the use of this spectrum for new generation technologies such as WiMax and LTE is interfering with satellite services.
Servicing the poor
SA's science and technology minister Mosibudi Mangena noted satellite still had a critical role to play in SA, in addressing the disparity of connectivity.
Satellite can be used in SA to provide connectivity in under-serviced areas, he said. "We view satellite as very important - integrating the country, building a more equal society."
Hartshorn agreed, stating that the biggest satellite roll-out has been for e-government services. Satellite services are finding their way into the mix and developing applications to serve the poor. "So it's an exciting time for them."
The only way for satellite owners to make money in Africa is by going back to basics and considering the income per capita of Africa's citizens, said Nsambu. "The money is in the rural communities; people who really need to communicate."
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