Arab Satellite Communications Organization (ARABSAT) announced on 12 November 2019 the signing of a contract between leading satellite service provider, Arabsat, Sudan-based Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) service provider, Sudasat, and global leader in IP-based satellite communications, ST Engineering iDirect. The agreement will see the installation of a Newtec Dialog® hub that will provide Internet services across Sudan on the Arabsat 6A Ka-band satellite, which was launched by a Falcon Heavy earlier this year and is dedicated to connecting the Middle East and African regions.
The latest Newtec Dialog hub to be installed in Africa will enable Sudasat to enhance its broadband connectivity across the Sudanese territory, with the prospect of connecting many hundreds of remote sites. It will also offer Sudasat the possibility to take advantage of Newtec Dialog’s multiservice capabilities in the future, enabling it to grow into other market segments such as mobility, cellular backhaul and broadcasting.
“This new installation further reinforces our strong partnership with Arabsat, which has been established over many years,” said Thomas Van den Driessche, President of the Executive Strategic Board and Chief Commercial Officer at ST Engineering iDirect. “We are proud to continue our work together, enabling Sudasat to introduce high-speed connectivity to Sudan and bringing connectivity to businesses and individuals as never before. We would also like to thank both Arabsat and Sudasat for their cooperation and support in bringing this deal to fruition. Our Africa and Middle East teams also deserve recognition for their close collaboration and interaction.”
Arabsat is the leading satellite service provider in the Arab World and has been serving the region with its telecommunications and broadcast services for over 40 years.
“We have seen the Newtec Dialog platform in action and we know that it is both reliable and scalable,” said Eng. Khalid Balkheyour, President and CEO at Arabsat. “These were key attributes that we were searching for in order to enable Sudasat to deliver the best quality experience to its customers. We look forward to serving Sudan and its neighbouring regions on Arabsat 6A.”
Sudasat’s employees will receive full training and certification on the Newtec Dialog platform following its installation and commissioning by the ST Engineering iDirect team.
“We are delighted to be working with both Arabsat and ST Engineering iDirect to take our connectivity offering to the next level,” said Khalid Ehaimer, General Manager, Sudasat. “Our partnership with both companies is pivotal in enabling us to deliver our market strategy. We look forward to rolling out these services to Sudan and beyond and to extending our portfolio of services in the future, using the multiservice capability of Newtec Dialog.”
Newtec Dialog is a multiservice VSAT platform which enables operators to build and adapt satellite networking infrastructures according to specific needs. It provides a choice of three return technologies, including MF-TDMA, SCPC and the unique, dynamic Mx-DMA® which combines the best qualities of both to provide dynamic bandwidth allocation with the highest level of efficiency.
