Satellite Internet in Azerbaijan

The Republic of Azerbaijan is situated in the South Caucasus region, between southwest Asia and southeast Europe and has a population of just under 10 million people. With the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, Iran to the south and a small border with Turkey, the country is home to dramatic landscapes. The Greater Caucasus mountain range and the country’s mud volcanoes, flatlands and rivers and lakes are fuelling the arrival of tourists, which is a sector of the economy being heavily promoted by the Azerbaijan government.

Wealth of Oil & Gas

Azerbaijan is a country rich in natural resources. Oil and natural gas forms the most critical part of the economy and it is considered to be a one of the most significant places on the planet for oil exploration and development with two thirds of the country rich in oil and gas reserves. Mining is also an important sector of the economy and the Lesser Caucasus is rich in minerals and precious metals including gold, silver, iron, copper and titanium. Agriculture also forms an important part of the Azerbaijan economy with 54% of the country being agricultural land and grain, cotton, potatoes, sugar beet, livestock and wines and spirits forming main produce. The country is also developing a successful health tourism sector.

The recent oil and gas boom has also spearheaded great improvement in the ICT sector as money has been invested into e-government projects. The Internet sector in Azerbaijan is growing and there is a good fixed line network in place, despite the fact that 50% of the population live in rural areas. At the end of 2016, there was 78.2% penetration in terms of Internet users across Azerbaijan. Mobile growth has seen moderate growth. Currently, there are four GSM operators in the country and penetration has reached 110%. There is a good level of broadband penetration and the e-government project being rolled out is due to be completed by 2020, giving the Azerbaijan population access to government services online. The government is also looking to expand access to services on mobile phones.

VSAT Solutions for Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is becoming a well-connected country, but could reap huge benefits from the use of satellite-based services, especially for its growing enterprise sector. The country is no stranger to satellite technology. The country’s space agency Azercosmos, has already orbited one communications satellite, Azerspace-1 and plans to launch Azerspace-2, an Earth Observation satellite, in the near future.

Use of VSAT networks in the main industry sectors of oil and gas, mining, tourism and agriculture could have a great impact on the country’s economy offering high-speed, reliable connectivity between industrial sites from mines to oil and gas pipelines to hotels and resorts. The world of business in Azerbaijan and beyond is built upon the foundation of digital networks and VSAT provides a highly scalable and cost-effective solution which means that businesses all over the country can have access to all-important broadband solutions through a network that has been designed by experts at BusinessCom Networks. The Azerbaijan government can also gain from the use of satellite to meet its e-government goals and to reach all pockets of the Azerbaijan population, introducing them to services no matter where they live and work.