Satellite provider Intelsat and Japanese operator SoftBank have successfully trialled a cost-effective, rural 3G mobile phone service in Kenya.
The demonstration delivered a high throughput, managed VSAT-based 3G solution through the allocation of capacity based on traffic demands.
“There are still hundreds of millions of people who live outside mobile network coverage areas today,” said Junichi Miyakawa, executive vice president, director & CTO of SoftBank Mobile. “I hope this technology will make communication even more free and convenient for people around the world.”
“The successful field trial of a cost-effective, managed VSAT-based, rural 3G service delivery solution is an excellent example of the collaborative innovation that our industry requires to properly support the demands of its end users,” said Intelsat vice president of network services product management Steve Good.
“We are confident that technology advancements, such as this and our Intelsat EpicNG platform, will allow mobile operators to provide reliable, ubiquitous support to their most remote users, and provide a robust broadband infrastructure as networks upgrade from 2G to 3G, and eventually to 4G via satellite.”
