Avanti communications, master distributor sign contract for HYLAS 4 with iWayAfrica

Avanti Communications Group plc, a leading satellite operator and provider of satellite data communications services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has signed a HYLAS 4 Master Distributor contract with iWayAfrica, a pan-African service provider proving telecommunication solutions across the African continent, to provide satellite broadband services across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The master distributor contract enables iWayAfrica to utilise the latest Ka-band satellite technology via Avanti’s HYLAS 4 satellite, which offers 100 per cent coverage of Sub-Saharan Africa.

iWayAfrica will provide affordable high-speed satellite broadband to connect homes, SMEs, schools and enterprises across Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in rural and remote locations where terrestrial networks are limited.

iWayAfrica has a presence in over 44 African countries, and already deploys Avanti’s Ka-band services in Eastern and Southern Africa via the HYLAS 2 satellite.

HYLAS 4, which launched in April 2018, will extend iWayAfrica’s Ka-band offering into new countries across West and Central Africa with commercial service scheduled from August 2018.

iWayAfrica has regional offices for all its wholesale services in Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius and South Africa.

Kyle Whitehill, chief executive officer, Avanti Communications, said: “We’re delighted to extend our partnership with iWayAfrica and have them sign as Avanti’s first Master Distributor for HYLAS 4. Combined with our world-leading Ka-band technology and IWayAfrica’s expertise in telecommunications across the African market, the new services will offer consumer and businesses affordable high-speed broadband access.”

Mathew Welthagen, Group CEO of Gondwana International Networks, the parent company of iWayAfrica, said: “With HYLAS 4, we are excited to take Avanti’s high-speed service plans to West and Central Africa for the first time. This is a natural extension of our existing relationship and we are actively engaged with our partner network to bring these services online, as well as extending our reach in the region even further to new partners and new territories”.