In what Telkom says is a bid to enable voice and data services in SA's remote and rural areas, it has added another satellite-based service to its product portfolio.
SpaceStream Home (SSH), an Internet protocol (IP)-based communication solution, makes use of satellite technology to deliver voice and Internet services to small businesses and residences.
Supplementing Telkom's range of SpaceStream services, SSH was released to the market yesterday. It offers a download rate of up to 512Kbps, and either one or two voice over IP lines per single deployment. A monthly bandwidth cap of 1GB is currently linked to the Internet service.
Steve Lewis, Telkom's managing executive of product house, says a focus of the company's satellite strategy is to assist areas where normal wire line or wireless access networks are not cost-effective, or where high reliability cannot be ensured.
To this end, says Telkom, the initial focus will be on customers who are currently serviced by manual exchanges, old copper wire line technologies and customers who fall within the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) exclusion zones.
Skirting challenges
Lewis says SSH is essentially an entry-level product, designed to deliver voice and Internet services to areas with unreliable or no terrestrial infrastructure. “It is an especially compelling offer for our customers in rural areas that have been repeatedly hit by cable theft.”
Added to the challenge of cable theft, says Telkom, the SKA requires large radio silent areas around the antennas, which prevents the use of terrestrial wireless systems and cellular phones. According to Telkom, SSH meets SKA's requirement for radio silence.
“Telkom is sympathetic to its customers in these areas. We understand that the farming community is reliant on quality and sustainable telecommunications services. ICT services are a vital component to the running of a business and an integral part of everyday living.”
Lewis says SSH uses the Ku frequency band (12-18GHz) space segment and is deployed with 1.2m antenna dishes to reduce susceptibility to rain and poor weather conditions.
SpaceStream Home is available at R499 per month, with an upfront installation fee of R6 914.24. Telkom says two contract options are available, whereby customers can pay the installation fee off on a monthly basis.
Telkom says customers serviced by manual exchanges or residing in the SKA affected areas are being contacted in a move to educate them as to the viability and benefits of the satellite service for connectivity.
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