US-based broadband satellite networks and services specialist Hughes Network Systems partnered a trio of African telecom companies, which have selected its Jupiter System to power delivery of satellite broadband services for their customers.

Botswana Telecommunications Corporation, Satcom Networks Africa along with a primary East African telco each selected the system based on its high performance, operational efficiency and  better customer experience, HNS said.

“Hughes is committed to the growth of our operations in Africa, and we have tripled our dedicated sales and engineering support across the continent to serve growing broadband demand,” added Dharmendra Singh, regional director, International at Hughes.

“Our Jupiter System enables service providers to improve their offerings and deliver a wide range of  applications supporting economic and social development across Africa — helping close the digital divide, which is our global mission.”

The Hughes Jupiter System is a high performance satellite broadband platform designed to support a wide range of applications across most verticals from consumer to enterprise, government and mobility.

It serves some 1.3 million subscribers in the Americas. With DVB-S2X technology built in, the system delivers about 200 Mbps of TCP throughput per terminal. For cellular backhaul applications, it includes 4G/LTE optimization capability that can yield 30 to 60 percent bandwidth savings versus that of conventional backhaul services.

Botswana Telecommunications Corporation is using the system to expand its high-speed business broadband service in Botswana, with the first phase of deployment including hundreds of remote terminals connecting businesses and homes.

SatCoNet, the only native VSAT operator in Tanzania, for its part, opted for the Jupiter System to improve their service offering for the market in a bid to utilise its improved performance and throughput to offer a better experience to its customers.

Finally, HNS said one of the largest telecommunications companies in East Africa will implement the system for video and broadband service in schools. “The technology refresh begins with 1,000 sites, improving high-speed satellite performance and evolving their solution to meet growing demand,” it noted.