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On 4 August 2010, ITU hailed a new era of pan-regional
connectivity with the successful launch of the
RASCOM-QAF1R and NILESAT 201 communication
satellites. Launched on board an Ariane 5 vehicle
from the Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana, the
new satellites will enhance access to a wide range
of information and communication technology (ICT)
services for millions in Africa and the Middle East.
In addition to providing access to the ICT services
needed by businesses to compete in today’s global
markets, the new systems will deliver broadcast news
and entertainment. They will also serve as a platform
for new applications in such areas as distance education
and telemedicine, which will be vital to improving
the lives of local people and helping governments
achieve the Millennium Development Goals, now just
five years away.
Speaking from Kourou where he attended the
launch, Dr Touré said: “The launch of state-of-the-art
satellite systems has been a long and much cherished
dream for the region and its people. This
launch represents another major milestone in getting
the region’s communities better connected. In addition
to providing low-cost international connections
between African countries and connecting isolated
villages via low-cost terminals, the RASCOM-QAF1R
will provide direct television and radio broadcasting
services, Internet access and value-added broadband
services. NILESAT for its part will bring subscribers
instantaneous access to news, information and entertainment,
as well as the high-speed data — the
cornerstone of modern life. The launch of these two
systems represents another huge step forward in
bridging the digital divide, and reinforces the importance
of making new technologies such as broadband
accessible to all the world’s people.”
The RASCOM and NILESAT 201 satellites were
stacked one on top of the other in the Ariane 5’s dual
payload dispenser system. To be deployed first during
the flight sequence, NILESAT 201 is fitted with
24 Ku-band and 4 Ka-band transponders. It will be
positioned at an orbital slot of 7 degrees west, delivering
digital direct-to-home television and radio
broadcasting to the Middle East and North Africa
from September 2010.
The second in the launcher payload “stack”, situated
just above the launch vehicle’s core stage, the
RASCOM-QAF1R system will be positioned at an orbital
slot of 2.85 degrees east, and will ensure service
continuity for the RascomStar-QAF operator and its
customers, providing Africans in 45 countries with
access to advanced communications and information
technologies, and in particular rural telephony.
Equipped with 24 equivalent 36 MHz transponders
in both Ku-band and C-band, its footprint covers the
entire African continent, as well as parts of Europe
and the Middle East.
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