- YahClick, Africa’s leading satellite broadband service, launches in Zimbabwe
- YahClick gives customers access to reliable, cost-effective, high-performance internet connectivity
- Yahsat appoints Utande as official Service Partner in Zimbabwe
HARARE, 8 October 2018 – YahClick, the satellite broadband service of UAE-based global satellite operator Yahsat, has officially launched in Zimbabwe. The service was unveiled during a press conference in the country’s capital, Harare, where the company also announced its partnership with official Service Partner, Utande, a subsidiary of Dandemutande Investments.
With the introduction of YahClick, customers across Zimbabwe now have better access to affordable, uninterrupted, high-speed broadband connectivity.
Sub-Saharan Africa has suffered substantial economic losses in recent years due to frequent Internet breakdowns that directly affect fixed, wireless, and mobile Internet connectivity. Underdeveloped ICT infrastructure is among the factors that reduce economic growth by two percentage points every year, while cutting business productivity across the continent by as much as 40 percent*. In Zimbabwe, the ICT sector has been underserved for many years due to several challenges. In urban areas, access to reliable Internet services is expensive, while internet penetration remains at approximately 51.9 percent**.
With the introduction of YahClick, this is to change for the better. YahClick uses the Ka-band powered by High Throughput Satellite (HTS) spot beam technology, allowing Yahsat to deliverhigh performance satellite broadband services via smaller dishes. This significantly reduces the CAPEX required to build satellite-based connectivity infrastructure, enabling YahClick to elevate the digital offering in Zimbabwe and support the country in unlocking its full economic and social potential.
“Yahsat is the first operator to introduce Ka-band satellite broadband in Africa, and as the leaders within this domain, we aim to continuously increase YahClick’s adoption across the continent.We strongly believe that high-speed, reliable broadband connectivity is one of the key facilitators of economic and social progress for African nations,” commented Farhad Khan, Chief Commercial Officer, Yahsat.
“YahClick is ideally placed to bring the transformational benefits of reliable, always-on broadband within reach of all businesses and communities to help advance the country’s ICT sector. We are excited with the prospect of playing a role in empowering the country socially and economically and look forward to doing so with our local Service Partner Dandemutande,” added Khan.
The Zimbabwe launch follows the successful roll-out of YahClick in Ghana, the DRC, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon in September, after also arriving in Burundi earlier this year.
“YahClick’s cutting edge technology through Ka-band is highly reliable, working seamlessly across all levels of the telecommunications infrastructure,” commented Dandemutande CEO Never Ncube.“By introducing YahClick with its exceptional track record on the continent, Utande is playing its part in spreading dependable Internet connectivity further across the country.
Yahsat launched its flagship service, YahClick, in Africa in 2012. It was the first operator to introduce HTS Ka-Band satellite broadband technology to the continent through Yahsat’s Al Yah 2 satellite. Following the successful launch earlier this year, and the recent commercial readiness of the company’s third satellite, Al Yah 3, YahClick’s footprint has extended to 19 additional markets in Africa including Zimbabwe.
This expansion is part of Yahsat’s commitment to deliver affordable, reliable and high-speed internet connectivity to unserved and underserved parts of the world.
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Sources:
*http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/246961468003355256/pdf/521020PUB0EPI1101Official0Use0Only1.pdf
**2018 Second Quarter Industry sector report by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz)
About Yahsat
Yahsat provides multipurpose satellite solutions (government and commercial) for broadband, broadcast, government, and communications use across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe in addition to Central and South West Asia. Based in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and wholly owned by Mubadala Investment Company, the investment vehicle of the Government of Abu Dhabi, Yahsat is the first company in the Middle East and Africa to offer multi-purpose Ka-band satellite services including:
YahClick - offers broadband satellite solutions for home and business
Yahsat Government Solutions - offers managed solutions and government capacity
YahLink - offers IP trunking solutions, corporate networking and backhauling capacity
Yahlive – a joint venture between Yahsat and SES, offers premium services to broadcasters and a select choice of TV channels
Yahsat’s first satellite Al Yah 1 was successfully launched in April 2011, and the company’s second satellite Al Yah 2 was successfully launched in April 2012. With its third satellite, Al Yah 3, launched on January 25th 2018, the commercial Ka-band coverage has extended to an additional 20 markets reaching 60% of Africa’s population and over 95% of Brazil’s population, marking the company’s first entry into Brazil.
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