By MAIMBOLWA MULIKELELA
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ISAT Africa Zambia has established the first commercial Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) hub in Lusaka, which will facilitate the transmission and receiving of data through satellite within the country.
VSAT is a device – known as a small private earth station – that is used to transmit and receive data signal through a satellite.
Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) director general Margaret Mudenda commended ISAT for investing in a modern and new VSAT hub in Lusaka, the first commercial hub.
This is important and significant to the development of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector.
At the corporate launch of ISAT Africa Zambia in Lusaka yesterday, Ms Mudenda said VSAT would remain a critical medium for the far-to-reach areas of the country.
Ms Mudenda said with the VSAT in place, all the traffic would be routed through the hub in Lusaka, thus ensuring that traffic destined or originating in Zambia would be exchanged right here in Lusaka via the internet exchange before making its way to the global internet.
Ms Mudenda assured ISAT and other stakeholders in the ICT sector that it would do its level best to maintain a level playing field that was conducive for continuous growth and greater ICT penetration in Zambia.
Ms Mudenda said the acquisition of terrestrial capacity from the sub-marine fibre systems SEACOM, EaSSY and TEAMS via Tanzania had brought a 3rd major route for international terrestrial capacity to Zambia, others being via Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Speaking earlier Wananchi Group chief executive officer Richard Alden said the company had expanded into Zambia because it offers great potential for future growth
ISAT Zambia is part of the Wananchi Group which is a US$300 million investment fund with operation six countries in Africa.