Page 68 - SAMENA Trends - May 2020

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Kacific Reconnects ASTCA Network to Outer Island in American Samoa

American Samoa is an U.S territory with a redundancy.” ASTCA had to act quickly to
population of just over 55,000 people, living restore communications with Ofu Island.
across seven volcanic islands and coral The drive for connectivity was made more
atolls in the South Pacific. A recent fiber urgent by the simultaneous public health
outage during the COVID-19 pandemic danger of COVID-19. The deployment,
has shown the importance of satellite however, was much more difficult both
redundancy systems. The eastern island logistically because of reduced transport
of Ofu, part of the Manu’a group, suffered a options, and due to additional border
cable outage in March 2020. Although Ofu regulations of both the governments of
is connected with a subsea cable system American Samoa and the Independent
to American Samoa’s main island 100 km State of Samoa. The light, compact and
away, two of the three branches of the simple 1.2m high-speed Kacific VSAT was
looping cable system serving the Manu’a critical to allow fast transportation and
group were damaged by rough seas in installation of that system. “ASTCA is a
separate incidents two weeks and 90 public agency (state owned enterprise),
kilometers apart. To restore service, ASTCA so we have a fundamental commitment
implemented a backup satellite option to universal access and full connectivity
provided by Kacific. ASTCA purchased to all of our islands. The population of Ofu
a small satellite dish (1.2m in size) from is approximately 500 people. We don’t use
the neighboring country of Samoa. The the word “only”, because our commitment
disassembled dish was picked up in is to everybody,” continued Lewis. “The
Samoa and transported to Ofu (200 kms other reason is that we were then – and
away) by a small dive boat. After receiving are now – in the middle of an emergency
the equipment on site at Ofu, it took only declaration. We could not communicate for critical communications and internet-
a few hours for ASTCA engineers to install at a time we were having a public health based applications. This service is highly
the VSAT and establish a stable uplink and emergency, that’s obviously unacceptable.” scalable, giving you a secure, stable high-
downlink connection at more than 90Mbps, Fa’asala Augafa, ASTCA CTO, added, “Given speed connectivity delivered over an
communicating with Kacific’s Singapore- the landscape and geolocation of the easy-to-install satellite antenna. Kacific
based Network Operations Centre. “To remote islands, we need satellite. Whether offer this service either as a standalone
have two very reliable links go down within it is primary or secondary, we have yet to solution, or a value-added solution, which
weeks of each other for independent determine that. Our experience has taken can be built into the existing network.
causes, we were really not ready for that,” away that thinking that cable is stable Telecommunications connectivity is
said Lewis Wolman, CEO of American and will always be there.” Kacific’s Fiber an essential service that underpins the
Samoa Telecommunications Authority Back Up solution is designed for large health system and key government
(ASTCA). “We never imagined that we could enterprises and businesses, government infrastructure. Satellite provides a valuable
lose both legs of the subsea cable system agencies and emergency services, who back up system to complement terrestrial
and had neglected to provide satellite need access to broadband internet 24/7 infrastructure, when connectivity is critical.

China Unicom Entering Superfast Satellite Communications

China Unicom, one of China's leading sensing data services and emergency customers. Customers could include
telecom operators, has entered the response solutions via satellite. shipping vessels at sea, remote islands,
satellite internet business to provide UnicomAirNet, a mixed-ownership satellite offshore oil rigs, drones, emergency
superfast internet access, remote- telecommunications company in which response vehicles, passenger planes and
China Unicom has a stake, held road shows forest fire departments. The company also
demonstrating the company's services to runs a mapping service using satellite
potential customers from governmental data for airport operators. The National
and corporate sectors from April 27 to Development and Reform Commission,
30, industry portal c114.com.cn reported. China's top economic planning agency,
UnicomAirNet could provide internet recently included satellite internet under
access, video and audio connections, data the country's new infrastructure build-up
transmission and long-range monitoring project.
services to land, sea and air-based

68 MAY 2020