Israeli communications company Gilat Satcom is extending its presence in SA with the ultimate goal of becoming a pan-African Internet service provider (ISP) with its own fully redundant African network.
Gilat, which already has South African ties through its partnerships with local ISPs iBurst and MWeb, is to set up a physical presence in the country in the first quarter of next year.
Alex Petropouliadis, VP of sales for Africa at Gilat, says, following a major strategy change with the advent of extensive undersea fibre in 2010, the company's focus has been on bringing coast-to-coast terrestrial fibre connectivity to the continent, with SA being pivotal in its overall plan.
"We went from being a satellite operator prior to 2010, to a fibre operator. We identified local requirements and now offer combined communications services throughout Africa." Petropouliadis says 85% of Gilat's revenue is generated in Africa.
After being allocated funds to enter SA at the beginning of the year, Gilat has started liasing with local telecommunications companies - including SA's incumbent Telkom and third operator Cell C - with the aim of finally establishing a point of presence in the country.
Petropouliadis says a recent investment in the West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), which in turn has its own stakes in both the West African Cable System and the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System, gives Gilat access to fibre along Africa's east and west coasts. The $4 million investment, he says, has given Gilat international capacity in SA's landing stations at Cape Town and Mtunzini, and across Africa.
These developments - together with the capacity build under way on the African continent - will have an increasingly positive effect on consumers in SA, either by way of lower pricing or better capacity.
Ultimately, he says, Gilat aims to introduce a fully redundant, low-cost network. "When I say redundant, I mean both international and local redundancy."
Petropouliadis says redundancy in Mozambique, for example, has been doubled, effectively providing the country with a fully redundant network. This, he says, was achieved through collaboration with the country's fixed-line operator, TDM.
He concludes that Gilat's 2015 goal of "being able to connect all of Africa" is well within reach, despite the unique challenges Africa presents. Gilat is set to present its ongoing connectivity plans at this year's AfricaCom conference in mid-November, in the build up to its official SA entry.
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