Page 81 - SAMENA Trends - November-December 2019

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Ethiopia Launches First Satellite Into Space

The satellite, which was launched from to develop space programs to advance China. The 70-kilogramme (154-pound)
the Taiyuan space in northern China, will their development goals and encourage satellite was developed by the Chinese
be used for weather forecast and crop scientific innovation. A Chinese Long Academy of Space Technology with the
monitoring, officials said. Ethiopia launched March 4B rocket hoisted the first Ethiopian help of 21 Ethiopian scientists, according
its first satellite into space on Friday, as Remote Sensing Satellite (ETRSS-1) aloft to the specialist website Africa News.
more sub-Saharan African nations strive from the Taiyuan space base in northern China covered most of the satellite’s $8
million cost, according to an official
involved in Ethiopia’s space program who
spoke on condition of anonymity because
he was not authorized to disclose details of
the project. At the launch event broadcast
on state television, Deputy Prime Minister
Demeke Mekonnen said: “This will be
a foundation for our historic journey to
prosperity. Space is food, space is job
creation, a tool for technology…sovereignty,
to reduce poverty, everything for Ethiopian
to achieve universal and sustainable
development.” The launch makes Ethiopia
the eleventh African country to have a
satellite into space. Egypt was the first in
1998.

NBN Co Launches New Business Satellite Services

NBN Co has begun offering business-grade wholesale broadband typically much smaller in IoT use cases. NBN Co said it will launch
from its SkyMuster satellite to enterprise and government more products next year, including access bandwidth services
customers in regional areas. The network owner said that its which will provide committed wholesale speeds for critical
services will initially focus on remote customers that require applications for large enterprises and government customers. All
high-data internet access and IoT use cases, such as mining and offerings are planned to have a number of configurable options
resources, oil and gas, emergency services, forestry, construction, and a choice of three service assurance levels. NBN Co’s newly
education, agriculture, tourism and health. Business NBN Satellite appointed chief development officer, regional & remote Gavin
Services currently offers two products. The first is Virtual ISP, a Williams said the new business satellite service was designed
standard wholesale offering with options for 30/1Mbps speeds, to raise the digital capabilities for a wide range of customers
30/5Mbps or 13/13Mbps. There’s no committed wholesale speed, Australia-wide. “Regional and remote businesses in areas as
and will include 1000GB of data as a standard with additional diverse as mining and resources, tourism, agribusiness and
charges in 100GB increments. The other is an IoT offering with health, now have access to a range of customizable wholesale
speeds up to 2/2Mbps and no data quota, given data transfers are options from NBN designed to meet their needs, regardless of
how far they are from town.” NBN Co also announced that it has
launched a new business unit focused on regional and remote
communities, those typically covered by satellite services. The
new business will be led by Williams, who was promoted from his
previous role as executive general manager for products at NBN
Co. NBN Co said in a statement that the new business unit would
combine aspects of the fixed wireless and satellite teams, and will
work to ensure regional and rural customers remain “front and
center” of the NBN rollout. “We’re redoubling our commitment
to regional Australia with a focused business unit responsible
for engaging with regional customers and meeting their needs,”
said NBN Co CEO Stephen Rue. “The regional rollout of the NBN is
almost complete with more than 98 percent of premises in regional
Australia now able to access the network or with construction
underway.”

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