Satellite technology has been identified as more cost-effective than mobile services by Dawie de Wet, chief executive officer at African network service provider Q-KON
According to De Wet, satellite was 10 times more cost-effective than mobile services and that the growth of mobile technology services had severely impacted cost structures for both individuals and corporate customers.
De Wet remarked, “The general perception is that the satellite service is an expensive alternative that can only be justified in very specific niche market applications and often considered as a last option to provide connectivity services.
“However, when calculating an equivalent per-minute cost for satellite services, it may come as a surprise to many that satellite is about 10 times cheaper,” he explained.
De Wet added that the pricing and billing models of current satellite services have not yet evolved enough and the solutions are offered as part of an expensive pricing package.
He said that service providers have a role to play in helping to drive an awareness by demonstrating the cost advantage of using specifically developed billing models for applications.
Q-KON has urged the market to view the cost of satellite services in the context of services offered and business model applied. Services offered could be the Internet, standby services, telephony services and/or broadcast services and corporate data networks.
