Content area
Full text
North American satellite operator Global IP has awarded SkyVision Global Networks a contract to supply 11 Ka-band gateway stations for the company's future GiSat 1 satellite network. The partnership represents a major milestone for SkyVision CEO Ori Watermann, who has worked to restructure the company over the last three years to better serve the African market.
In an interview with Via Satellite, Watermann admitted that SkyVision has more or less kept quiet since it was acquired by a European investment firm last year. "We were very busy building our new vision, new growth engines and new structure of the company," Watermann said. "It's a very challenging market and you need to be very focused on your business to see what is your advantage that you can leverage."
According to Watermann, SkyVision's main advantage is its deep penetration into the African market, as it has been forming partnerships and providing connectivity in the region since 2000. "We acquired Afinis five years ago, so we have subsidiaries mainly in West Africa and Nigeria, and we have many representatives on the ground -- technicians, installers, maintenance, et cetera," he said.
It's because of these established relationships and assets that Global IP approached SkyVision, Watermann said, and also because of the massive opportunity both companies see in Africa. "The opportunity is connecting the unconnected. In Africa, there are only 300 million internet users out of 1 billion people. The demand is the highest you can see in the world; the growth percentages are expected to be the highest in all...