Gilat Satcom Connects DRC Customers Over Reliable, High Performance O3b Network

O3b Networks and Gilat Satcom have announced that Gilat Satcom has gone live on O3b's unique 'Fiber in the Sky' satellite network, offering latency and throughput comparable to fiber over the O3b satellite-enabled global network.

A member of the Eurocom Group and winner of best satellite service for 2016 in Capacity Africa, Gilat Satcom offers satellite and fiber-based connectivity solutions in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The company operates three international teleports in Europe and the Middle East, multiple hubs/PoPs in Africa, Europe and the US. Gilat Satcom is currently delivering vital connectivity across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including to the capital city of Kinshasa.

Although DRC is connected by terrestrial fiber cables, the country's population of 80 million experiences occasional challenges with connectivity over the land-based link. O3b was chosen by Gilat Satcom because it is the only satellite network comparable to the performance of fiber both in latency and throughput, while providing superior reliability for voice, video and other data services Gilat Satcom's customers rely upon.

For Gilat Satcom's mobile network operator (MNO) and internet service provider (ISP) customers, the improved reliability of O3b's fiber-in-the-sky solution will make an enormous difference. The O3b link enables high-speed broadband internet access, mobile LTE and 3G data traffic, and is used to backup and compliment the fiber infrastructure. The O3b solution provides superior reliability through both route and site diversity, resulting in a high availability, high performance service.

"We are investing heavily in both our fiber and satellite operations throughout Africa. Our customers need reliable connectivity to make their businesses work, so the redundant high-performance connection O3b provides is essential," said Ofer Doron, Gilat's VP Engineering. "Having diverse routing options beyond just fiber provides the vital network stability our customers demand."

"We are very excited to be working with Gilat, bringing the people of DRC the internet performance over satellite they would normally expect over fiber," said Carole Kamaitha, VP Africa for O3b Networks. "O3b's network provides even remote, land-locked locations all the internet capabilities they need, enabling online education, telemedicine and e-government services."

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