Page 113 - SAMENA Trends - September-October 2022

SATELLITE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

MACRA Licenses Starlink to Provide Satellite Broadband in Malawi

The Malawi Communications Regulatory application and subsequent negotiations.
Authority (MACRA) has announced that it MACRA added that the firm has been
has granted a license to operate high speed, issued with a Network Facilities license,
low latency satellite broadband services a Network Services concession and an
to Starlink, the satellite internet service of Application Services license. Starlink’s
SpaceX. According to the regulator, the low-orbit satellites are designed to offer
process commenced in February 2022 high speed, low latency broadband internet
and the authorization was granted after in remote and rural locations across the
‘following Starlink’s successful license globe.

China-Aided Project Helps 100,000 People in Rural Uganda Access Satellite

TV

China has officially completed the are very useful in practical learning. They other developing communities. At the
installation of the satellite television can also compare with other schools Johannesburg Summit of the Forum
project in 900 Ugandan villages that face outside their community," Mengdai said. on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)
connectivity challenges. Chris Baryomunsi, He added that adults can now access key held in South Africa in 2015, the Chinese
Ugandan Minister of Information, health and commercial information, as government pledged to provide satellite
Communication, Technology and National well as benchmark their dreams against television for 10,000 African villages.
Guidance, officiated at the handover
ceremony held in Katabi village in the
central Ugandan district of Wakiso. He
praised China for its technical support
to Uganda, noting that the support will
drive development in communities.
Aoge Mengdai, Chief Executive Officer of
StarTimes Uganda, the project contractor,
said 900 villages have been connected
to satellite television service since 2018
when the project was executed. And more
than 100,000 people in 18,000 households,
2,700 schools and health centers have
access to satellite television. StarTimes
is a Chinese pay-TV company. "The
benefits are beyond simply accessing TV.
These children can now access television
learning and video demonstrations which

Wise County Gets Grant for Satellite-Based Internet

The Virginia Coalfield Economic wiring; and for two-year subscriptions for 94 toward the project. For background on
Development Authority has made a residences in Wise County with the purpose Starlink, see our previous story “Reaching
$232,500 grant to the Wise County Industrial being to expand education and telehealth for the stars” which looks at the push to
Authority to be used to finance low earth access in Wise County. According to the use Starlink’s satellite-based internet to
orbit space-based broadband through IDA’s application, this will result in a grand reach places unserved by conventional
Starlink Satellite Internet to additional total of 438 students that will receive fiber. “VCEDA was appropriated $500,000
unserved and/or underserved children in Starlink Satellite Internet service in Wise in the Virginia state budget for FY2023 and
Wise County. The grant funds will be used County. Wise County has committed to $500,000 in FY2024 for initiatives intended
for the cost and expense of hardware and provide $155,000 in leveraged funding to expand education and telehealth

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