Gateway Communications, an independent provider of satellite network services in Africa, has introduced AfricaConnect for the South African retail community.
According to the telecommunications provider, AfricaConnect for Retail allows remote outlets a secure, reliable and flexible satellite solution for connectivity needs. This follows Gateway's AfricaConnect product being implemented at several other sector businesses, including banking, mining and logistics companies.
Gateway Communications said in a statement that transactional applications, such as point-of-sale and ATMs, can be managed using Gateway's AfricaConnect for Retail.
Geoff Hardwick, MD of Gateway Communications, Southern Africa, says sharing a link among retail branches is cost-effective. “The reality is most retail outlets don't need a dedicated link to be online 24x7. There are certain transactions that need to happen but they do not have to be in real-time and they do not have to take place at the same time for each outlet.”
The AfricaConnect for Retail product is based upon 'very small aperture terminal' technology, using both the C-band and Ku-band spectrum of satellite, which can be set up at any location in SA.
For South African companies working anywhere within the SADC region or the wider African continent, the same solution can be deployed, managed and controlled in SA.
According to Hardwick, the solution is suitable as a backup for when the primary or terrestrial link is down. “It is very difficult to get alternate terrestrial connectivity for backup in remote locations and repair times are generally quite slow due to problems of access.
“Using a product like AfricaConnect for Retail, a number of remote sites can be backed up with a pool of low bandwidth, giving management and HQ the assurance that neither operations, nor customer service will be affected,” says Hardwick.
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