 | Issue: | Global-ICT 2008 |
| Article no.: | 12 | |
| Topic: | Sustainable development through satellite communications | |
| Author: | Andrew Sukawaty | |
| Title: | Chairman and CEO | |
| Organisation: | Inmarsat plc | |
| PDF size: | 195KB |
About author
Andrew Sukawaty is the Chairman and CEO of Inmarsat. Mr Sukawaty has spent 30 years in the telecommunications industry and has been involved in starting several businesses. He was a pioneer in the paging and cellular industries since their inception. Mr Sukawaty was previously the president and CEO of Sprint PCS. He was CEO of NTL Limited and previously held various management positions with US West and AT&T. Mr Sukawaty holds a BBA from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from the University of Minnesota.
Article abstract
Africa has 14 per cent of the world’s population, but less than two per cent of its fixed telephones and fewer Internet subscribers than either France, Germany, the UK, or the USA among others. This digital divide blocks Africa’s economic development, but economically connecting Africa, including its remote regions, is among the biggest challenges in global communications. European Satellite Operators (ESOA), the UN and many NGOs are working together to bring satellite communications for voice and data to the continent.
Full Article
The first live satellite call to Africa took place in 1963, between John F. Kennedy in Washington D.C and the Nigerian Prime Minister, Abubaker Balewa. It symbolized the beginning of the global communications revolution but, more than 40 years later, much of the African continent and many of the world’s developing countries have yet to benefit fully from the technological advances. There is a true digital divide – well known, well documented and, unfortunately, very real. The figures are stark. According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), in 2006 Africa accounted for 14 per cent of the world’s population, but less than two per cent of the world’s fixed telephone lines and less than 0.4 per cent of the world’s broadband subscribers. The ITU’s figures for 2007 show that there were fewer Internet subscribers in the whole of the African continent than in either France, Germany, the UK, the USA and several other developed countries. The lack of a reliable communications infrastructure presents a real obstacle to the economic development of developing nations – connecting Africa’s many underserved and remote regions is among the biggest challenges facing the global communications industry. The European Satellite Operators’ Association (ESOA), represents the interests of the satellite industry with the European Commission, Parliament and Council, and with numerous agencies of the United Nations and a range of Non-Governmental Organisations. Since 2006, we have campaigned alongside ESOA to promote the role of satellite communications in sustainable development, and to work directly with organisations, both governmental and commercial, to help them utilise the unique benefits of satellite communications. Reaching out For many developing countries, existing terrestrial networks are clustered around urban centres, leaving thousands of people and businesses in rural or remote areas with no access to voice, let alone data, connectivity. Satellite communications provides ubiquitous coverage over extremely large areas – several continents within one satellite footprint – with consistent and robust quality of service across the entire coverage area. Through satellite communications, developing nations have immediate access to some of the world’s most advanced technology. Modern communications satellites can provide users with access to the same technologies – such as broadband connectivity, IP data, and 3G communications – taken for granted in developed countries. Satellite communications is also highly cost-effective. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), a joint initiative of African governments to stimulate socioeconomic progress across the continent, is utilising satellite communications to reach its goal of improved telecommunications while simultaneously reducing costs. Delivering essential services One of the areas in which satellite communications makes a very important contribution is in the delivery of educational resources to schools and colleges. Schools, where available, can be very remote, with some children travelling many miles every day to attend. Internet access through a terrestrial network is not viable, but satellite communications can deliver e-learning resources directly to the schools, and the teachers and pupils who need them. NEPAD has identified the access to communications technology as an important step in improving and increasing the educational programmes across Africa, and ESOA members are at the centre of a number of projects that aim to achieve this. The benefits of e-learning can extend beyond schools too; for example, through human resources and training to improve the skills development of employees. Satellite communications deliver a wide range of resources that improve the welfare of those living in developing countries, particularly in rural areas, and reduce the disparity between the rich and poor created by the digital divide. Satellite communications provide the networks across which developing nations can plan and build new infrastructures, establish health and disease management programmes, revitalise social and cultural life, and enhance their democratic processes and civil governance. In the recent Brazilian municipal elections, satellite service providers Stratos and Tesacom deployed a network of 1,200 terminals across the country to relay results from rural districts. Over 1,125 ‘remote sites’ (defined by Brazil’s Electoral Superior Court as those situated at least three hours away from a working PSTN – public switched telephone network – infrastructure) were able to relay their constituents’ votes to a central headquarters, significantly enhancing the speed with which the votes from across the entire country could be collated. In the 2004 election, the sending of voting data was not complete until 4am on the day after the election; in 2008, it was finished by 11pm on the same day, just six hours after polling stations had closed. Satellite communications is a competitive leveller for businesses, offering access to the world’s marketplaces and allowing developing countries to take their place in industrial globalisation. The voice and data connectivity delivered by satellites supports ownership and leadership in business, improves the opportunities for employment, and brings the power of networking across the country and beyond. Satellite communications is deployed at local level to give an international reach to businesses in a diverse range of sectors: finance, oil and gas, manufacturing, professional services and IT, to name a few. Within developing countries, ESOA members offer assistance to new service providers, helping build businesses that will deploy satellite communications in their own communities; for instance, using local knowledge to offer IT and communications facilities for other businesses in the area, establishing Internet cafés in village centres, or renting out mobile satellite terminals so that several businesses can share the cost. Encouraging learning, developing business Inmarsat supported a trial of satellite communications for schools in the Lebanon. We worked with two schools: Al-Ishraq School in Ainata (a primary school), and Saint Joseph School in Ain Ebel (a secondary school), which serve some of the area’s most disadvantaged children. Teachers at the schools did not have access to comprehensive libraries and had to travel to Beirut every time they needed to research a topic. There was no terrestrial network available to support access to the Internet, no funding available for large-scale fixed solutions, low levels of IT expertise, and no previous experience of using satellite communications. During the 200-day trial, the schools showed an average daily data use of around 20Mb, and both reported significant benefits – students could access the Internet for research, obtain information and apply for further education. The teaching material delivered in the classroom could be updated. The headteachers also reported an improvement in exam results and the pupils’ level of stimulation. The success of the project led to an agreement between the ITU and Inmarsat for a Distance Learning Initiative in other developing countries. When Deliflor, the leading Dutch grower of chrysanthemums, was looking to expand its operation in Africa, it identified a suitable business partner in Ethiopia. Located just a few hours outside of Addis Ababa, the local partner could meet all of the requirements of the Dutch company, except for a lack of access to reliable communications; Deliflor’s operations rely heavily on the data shared across its IT network. Using satellite service, however, the company was able to help its Ethiopian partner to establish a cost-effective communications solution over satellite, giving it a reliable data connection to its new partner in the Netherlands. Satellite communications was instrumental in supporting a business that generated local employment for 200 people. Getting the policies right Around the world, satellite providers speak on industry panels, participate in government-industry working groups and conduct media interviews to educate authorities on proper selection and use of satellite systems and solutions. In addition, international organizations, such as the United Nations, have asked satellite operators to contribute to fulfilling their plans for development in developing regions. Through advances in technology, satellites provide a quick and cost-effective response to meet developmental needs and priorities. In order to safeguard the benefits delivered by satellite communications and to continue to respond to developmental and other needs around the world, it is imperative that satellite communications receive clear recognition in Europe’s evolving space policy and in other regulations around the world. The European Parliament is now debating a new regulatory framework for electronic communications that may jeopardize the long-term stability of services provided by satellite operators. The new legislation does not account for the uniqueness of satellite communications or the requirement to protect signals and guarantee access to the required spectrum. We stand with our peers in ESOA to call on regulators to protect the rights to our use of spectrum, to keep those rights stable over the next 20 years, and to ensure that signals from space are protected from interference. With a fair and clear policy on satellite communications, we can continue to make a difference to the world’s sustainable development, and beyond.
