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Yahsat, Tanaza partner to broaden WiFi service

By , ITWeb
Africa , 10 Jan 2018

Yahsat, Tanaza partner to broaden WiFi service

UAE-based satellite operator Yahsat has partnered with Italian WiFi cloud management software provider Tanaza to leverage a WiFi management platform and expand service delivery, specifically access to WiFi hotspots.

The two companies have committed to a MoU according to which Tanaza will provide Yahsat with a web platform to manage multiple users accessing WiFi and social hotspots across the operator's coverage footprint – of which Africa is a significant market.

According to a statement issued to the media, since forming in 2010, Tanaza has built a client base of over 800 partners with millions of WiFi users in more than 130 countries.

"Yahsat will take advantage of the Tanaza's cloud-based software to allow WiFi connections across geographies, with easy management and effortless user access," reads an excerpt from the statement.

Farhad Khan, Yahsat's Chief Commercial Officer, said: "We have been looking for a partner that could tap into the elasticity of the cloud to help to make accessing our network leaner. Tanaza will provide us with the technology needed to further enhance our offering and fully align with the needs and preferences of our end-users across the Middle East, Africa, Central and South West Asia."

Sebastiano Bertani, Tanaza CEO, said, "We look forward to working with Yahsat and their partners. We envision a world where any person can connect anytime, from anywhere, wirelessly. This partnership with Yahsat is an important step towards the realisation of this vision. We are confident the MoU with Yahsat will unlock a full range of new possibilities for the benefit of businesses and individuals, as well."

In November 2016 Yahsat entered into a strategic partnership with Talia, an established teleport, satellite, and terrestrial network operator.

Talia committed capacity on Yahsat's Ka-band Al Yah 3 satellite launched in 2017, alongside existing services on the Y1B satellite.

During the same time period the company also announced a multi-year capacity agreement with global satellite operator Eutelsat Communications to give Eutelsat's African broadband venture 'Broadband for Africa' access to high-performance commercial Ka-band capacity for broadband services across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Broadband for Africa plans to reduce the digital divide by offering high-quality and high-availability broadband solutions for consumers, enterprises and the public sector.

In 2017 Khan referred to the significance of the 'spot beam' technique used by broadband connectivity providers to deliver the capacity of satellite technology to rural areas of South Africa.

"This means signals are delivered in a highly concentrated way, making it a more efficient way of covering rural communities and areas. It means communities are not served by an inefficient blanket broadcast, rather they have access to connectivity where they use it. Because of this approach, we are seeing it have an incredibly positive impact on the rural communities that are being served."

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