NawaSat in high demand

AfricaOnline GM Marc Gregan says that the ultra-low-cost satellite internet product NawaSat is in high demand. “After our trail launch in late May, we are still rushing to fill orders.”
He said the company has installed the product on numerous farms, lodges and at a number of mines. “NawaSat is well-suited to the inaccessible areas of Namibia, as well as to small communities or remoter business hubs, such as mines.”
“In the last four months, it has proven that it is reliable connectivity and, to users of NawaSat, that it is cost effective whether for business or personal use,” Gregan said.
The base rate for NawaSat is N$499 per month, and the out-of-bundle rate per gigabyte is N$129.  Said Gregan, “This is extremely affordable and it also has the benefit of being extremely reliable.”
He went on to say that the product has also been installed for a number of businesses and households in larger centres. “Businesses particularly need reliable connections and consistent bandwidth at an affordable rate. NawaSat has earned the confidence of its users.”
NawaSat is provided through a partnership between AfricaOnline and SES, an international satellite company with a network of 52 satellites in geosynchronous orbit around the globe. “Although SES reaches 99 percent of the globe, the most important fact is that it reaches all of Namibia.”
Asked about the challenges in launching the product, Gregan said, “We have a waiting list, but the rollover on jobs is becoming faster. We had some worries about the weakening of the Rand and the Namibian dollar, but the physical equipment is still priced within the range of a household appliance, and although the cost has increased slightly, we see no reduction in demand.”
“NawaSat subscribers see it as a necessity and, given the pricing of subscriptions and out-of-bundle bandwidth, they write it off rapidly against the cost of more conventional types of bandwidth,” Gregan concluded.