Dejan Kastelic, CTO at Vodacom, stated that the company wants to rely more on low earth orbit (LEO) satellite capabilities to fill the coverage gaps in its telecom network in Africa, especially in rural areas.
As part of the project, Vodacom will collaborate with satellite operators Starlink and AST SpaceMobile. According to Kastelic, the LEO satellites offer higher throughput and lower latency to provide higher-quality telecom services than geostationary (GEO) satellites. He added that LEO satellite technology can be deployed to connect subscribers in two years, compared to 10 to 15 years for the traditional approach.
This initiative is part of the Vodacom Group's "Vision 2025" strategic plan. Under the "Digital Society" component, the company has set itself the goal of connecting and improving the lives of 100 million new subscribers in the context of increased demand for high-speed connectivity and the acceleration of digital transformation across Africa. For this, space technology is more appropriate, as it offers a greater range to reach dispersed populations, even those living in rural, remote areas that are traditionally difficult to access for the telecom operator's terrestrial network.
Ultimately, this project should enable Vodacom to improve the coverage and quality of its telecom services in Africa.
