Senegal provides a prime example of a country that is benefitting from the improvement of ICT access. The country, now digitized, has a solid telecommunications infrastructure that centres around its towns and cities, the largest of which is Dakar. Internet is widely available in these urban areas with the Internet Café still very popular. The population of just over 16 million has over 3.5 million Internet users, with a penetration of 22.7 percent. However, the biggest story in the telecommunications sector for Senegal has to be the rise of the mobile phone.
Senegal satellite Internet access
Like other countries in Africa, Senegal has seen the use of mobile phones skyrocket. In 2005, there were 1.5 million subscribers. Fast forward to 2012, and there were over 13 million. Most Senegalese are still 2G users, but 3G is rapidly being rolled out and this has resulted in a boost in broadband usage. Internet, both fixed and mobile, is widely available in centres of population such as Dakar, but there is a need to roll out services to more isolated areas, of which there are many. Senegal features a topography that ranges from sandy plains to foothills, and the sheer distances that must be covered makes it challenging or impossible for mobile network operators to reach new subscribers living in rural areas. Use of VSAT services, as provided by BusinessCom Networks, can eliminate this problem, allowing MNOs to extend their reach without the headache of installing cellular towers in hard to reach areas.
Senegal relies heavily upon the commercial fishing and fish processing industry along with phosphate mining, fertilizer production, iron ore mining, oil and gas exploration projects and also tourism. Though the economy was hit hard during the global recession, the country is in recovery today and communications are playing a key part in contributing to Senegal’s economic development.
The Internet especially has facilitated the creation of new markets and services which has lead to reduced unemployment and an improvement in living conditions. It has enabled the expansion of critical services such as e-Health, e-Government and online education.
For both businesses and other organisations, BusinessCom Networks provides an extensive range of tailored services that can meet the full range of connectivity requirements. Our products are available across Senegal and can provide the vital communications links to rural areas where businesses operate and people live for reliable access to ICTs no matter where you are located.
BusinessCom’s satellite internet in Senegal offers the following services:
- Broadband Internet access
- Toll quality VoIP and Videoconferencing with CIR
- Reliable SLA through FDMA and D-TDMA with 98% efficiency on payload
- Star, Mesh and hybrid Star/Mesh topology networks
- Full support of accelerated VPN, CITRIX, ERM and other business applications
- Highly secure operation with optional AES embedded encryption
- Global C-Band coverage and sub-Sahara Ku-Band
- Landing at top tier redundant IP facilities in Western Europe and United States
- Sentinel-based QoS, bandwidth management and optimization platform