Africa - A new satellite

New Satellite to Save $500 Million for Africa

Luanda, Dec 25 (Prensa Latina) The launching of the first pan-African telecommunications satellite system into orbit next week will allow Africa to annually save $500 million.

The director of the Regional African Satellite Communication Organization (RascomStar), Fraj Lamari, told an Angolan radio station that the African continent's first pan-African telecommunications satellite system is similar to the US Intelsat and the European Eutelsat.

The satellite system will 500 millions of dollars paid out annually to operators outside the continent, such as US Intelsat and the European Eutelsat, as transit charges for intra-African traffic.

The operator, Rascom, expect the system to provide a range of value-added services to all countries of Africa.

The services would, among others, include provision of telecommunications services in rural areas on a large scale at low costs by using appropriate technology.