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Alcatel signs a contract with RascomStar-QAF to provide a rural telephony network covering the African continent by satellite2 July 2005
Alcatel has signed a contract with RascomStar-QAF, the pan-African satellite service operator, to develop and produce the ground segment for its optimized rural telephony network. Slated for service entry at the end of 2006, this network will allow the telecom operators representing African countries to propose services needed by isolated populations, in particular in rural zones.
The contract covers the development, production, installation and support during the launch phase of the Rascom (Regional African Satellite Communication Organization) ground network. RascomStar-QAF will be handling operations using its Rascom-QAF 1 satellite built by Alcatel Space, currently being integrated at the company's plant of Cannes in southern France.
This unprecedented system will enable operators dedicated to Africa to provide low-cost universal rural telephony services in the remotely populated areas of Africa, where traditional fixed or mobile phone operators have difficulty offering services at acceptable price levels. RascomStar-QAF will be offering an attractive price for its voice, fax and IP messaging services.
This pan-African network will include a redundant platform for overall traffic control, gateways allowing network integration with the public switched telephone network (PSTN) of each African member-country, and user terminals that can be solar powered. It will support the operation of 150,000 terminals disseminated on the whole African continent, including 25,000 that can communicate simultaneously.
The Rascom system will eventually provide an expanded range of value added services to all African countries that will be using the system, which will include:
- large-scale, low-cost telecom services in rural areas, based on the use of appropriate technologies;
- inter-urban links in each member-country;
- direct international links between all member-countries;
- direct TV broadcast and Internet access services;
- value-added broadband services.
"We are very pleased with our increasing involvement in setting up the Rascom system, dedicated to Africa," emphasized Pascale Sourisse, Chairman and CEO of Alcatel Space. "This ambitious project is a natural fit with our businesses, since we believe that everybody should enjoy access to the resources needed to communicate. After winning the Rascom-QAF satellite contract, we are proud to be able to contribute our experience in terrestrial networks to this tight-knit partnership with Rascom and African telecom operators."
About Alcatel Space
Alcatel Space, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alcatel, is the world's third largest satellite manufacturer and Number 1 in Europe. Deploying extensive dual expertise in civil and military applications, Alcatel Space develops satellite solutions for telecommunications, navigation, radar and optical observation, meteorology and science. The company is also the leading European prime contractor for earth observation, meteorology and navigation ground segments, and for space system operation. For more information, visit the Alcatel Space web site: www.alcatel.com/space
About Alcatel
Alcatel provides communications solutions to telecommunication carriers, Internet service providers and enterprises for delivery of voice, data and video applications to their customers or employees. Alcatel brings its leading position in fixed and mobile broadband networks; applications and services, to help its partners and customers build a user-centric broadband world. With sales of EURO 12.3 billion and 56,000 employees in 2004, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.
Source: noticias.info
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