Telecom: Okundji and Mende revive RENATELSAT
The National Satellite Communications Network (RENATELSAT) has almost been dead for more than twenty years and has just had a breath of fresh air for its resurrection and long survival. It is thanks to the insight and efforts of two government ministers: Emery Okundji of PT-NTIC and Lambert Mende of Communication and Media. The two Tetela, don't be shy about being called that, were able to pull off a Public-Private partnership in a context of South-South cooperation between the South African Africa Union Financial Services Sarl (AUFS) and RENALTESAT, relating to the exploitation of capacities on the BEINTERSAT-1 satellite, the signature of which took place this Saturday, May 26 in Kinshasa.
Indeed, according to Emery Okundji, this partnership will allow the Congolese national satellite telecommunications network to acquire new equipment for the rental of capacities, especially for audiovisual needs, on the Belarusian satellite "BELINTERSAT-1" , located at the orbital position at 51.5 ° East, which offers wide pan-African coverage, with one high-power C-band beam and several high-power Ku-band beams. AUFS will also participate in the creation of a national television platform which it will make available to RENATELSAT. In addition to financing the acquisition of this equipment in a BOT (build, operate and transfer) partnership, AUFS will have to provide training for dedicated RENATELSAT staff, which will be provided by international experts. AUFS will also set up mechanisms and projects allowing RENATELSAT to achieve financial and technical autonomy. Finally, it will have to ensure redundancy for any eventuality of failures on the aforementioned satellite.
For the simple understanding, through this partnership, AUFS will install satellite dishes and the appropriate state-of-the-art equipment, first in all the large cities in which RENATELASAT has operated in the past in the former configuration of the provinces of the DRC. . The installation will gradually follow in the new provinces. Although the funding figures are not publicly disclosed, scooprdc.net learns that for the first phase of installation AUFS would have ten million US dollars.
Such a transmission network represents for our Government major challenges with a view to national coverage for Digital Television.
Emery Okundjis
But the advantage is not only for the advent of digital television, in the sense that television channels will migrate and release analog frequencies in favor of telecommunications operators who have just switched to 4G, but also for the latter in terms of connectivity redundancy. The various state services will also benefit from it with regard to the Internet connection.
This partnership therefore marks an important step in the efforts of the Government of the Republic to ensure better connectivity for all of our fellow citizens in the era of digital transformation, optical fiber has only two phases already implemented, Kinshasa. Moanda 610Km and Kinshasa-Kasumbalesa via Sakania 3.300Km. In a continental country, ways and means had to be found to overcome this lack of connectivity.
Emery Okundjis
For Lambert Mende who congratulates himself as president of the National Commission for Migration to Digital Television for this partnership, satellite communications are important in a continental country like the DRC. At AUFS, Lambert Mende asks to ensure that the same goodwill which it has shown in its relations with the DGDA and the Ministry of Finance can be manifested through the contacts to be had with RENATELSAT.
