Pakistan to have its first satellite broadband service

Pakistan will have its first satellite based broadband operations by end of this year, as a satellite was launched on April 23 that requires three months for commissioning. It has been learnt that under the agreement of Quantum Global Communications (QGC), Redtone with Yahsat of UAE, satellite broadband services will be offered in Pakistan for the very first time.
The brand name of the satellite-based broadband is YahClick and this would work in two scenarios that include urban and rural targets, while charges of Customer Premises (CP) would be around $700. In addition, the customer has to pay around $40 monthly for the service. The Redtone Zulfiqar Group Chief Technical Officer Ali Ursani, while talking to Pakistan Today said that this offer is meant for unlimited access with 2mbps package, while CP includes a 30cm antenna that costs around $350. If duties are relaxed by the government, CP costs would reduce further.
He said that generally satellite solutions cost $2000, but we are offering a plausible package for satellite based network which is an ideal product for the Pakistani market. It will cater broadband services in areas where telecommunication infrastructure does not exist. Vset facility (i-Direct satellite-based IP communications technology) is another option in this capacity but it is costly for Pakistani users. The other option named Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) is also quite expensive for Pakistan as its running cost for 512kb is $400 thousand, he added.
Our country’s broadband market is not more than two million people in a population of 180 million people, while the broadband density is also quite low against the tele density of 65 percent. This satellite based broadband, beyond geographical necessities, will help grow country’s broadband sphere, he added. It is to be noted that Quantum Global Communications is a registered company in Labuan, Malaysia. The Quantum Global Communications Group has diversified telecom investments in USA, Pakistan and United Kingdom. Al-Yah Satellite Communications is a private joint stock company, fully owned by Mubadla (UAE), an investment arm of the Government of Abu Dhabi.
It is the regions first multipurpose satellite system, based on extensive interaction with customers and research into their communication needs. Yahsat offers complete range of services including YahClick, Yahwire, YahSecure, YahLink and YahServices.