Konnect Africa launches its satellite Internet access offers in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Internet access solutions for both households and SMEs available from a large network of local resellers

Kinshasa, Paris, 28 November, 2018 - Konnect Africa, an initiative of the satellite operator Eutelsat (Euronext: ETL) dedicated to satellite broadband on the African continent, announces the launch today of its Internet access offers throughout the Congolese territory.

Internet offers from 5 GB to unlimited data plans

The ICT Development Index published annually by the International Telecommunication Union to date shows that less than 3% of Congolese households have Internet access. According to the ITU, less than 1% of the Congolese population currently have access to the Internet via terrestrial networks. The lack of connectivity is a major obstacle to the economic development of this country.

By relying on the latest satellite technology, Konnect Africa is now providing a concrete response to the digital divide by launching a range of eight Internet access offers for individuals and businesses. Accessible at affordable prices, these subscription offers are suitable for all consumer profiles, offering packages of up to 5 GB of data, and which can be unlimited for professionals. These packages are being proposed as prepaid in order to meet the needs of the market. The broadband speeds offered will be up to 20 Mbit/s download and up to 3 Mbit/s upload. For the launch, Konnect Africa is also introducing a promotion on this new range.

Leading local partnerships

By working hand in hand with a large network of local partners specialised in various fields ranging from the distribution of telecom and television services to financial services, Konnect Africa has ensured that it has covered the Congolese territory as widely as possible. These Internet access offers are now available in six major cities of the Democratic Republic of Congo through a network of eight resellers[1] totalling nearly 500 stores and retail points.

These offers will soon be supplemented by the arrival of a Wi-Fi hotspot service, called Konnect Wifi, which will provide broadband internet access at traffic points such as in hospitals, schools and universities, stores, etc.

On the occasion of the introduction of Konnect Africa's services in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jean-Claude Tshipama, CEO of Konnect Africa, stated: "In a country which constitutes one of the main African markets for internet via satellite, today we are able to offer the Congolese people powerful connectivity solutionsthanks to this technology. As a key success factor to meet the specificities of a country, we rely on world-class local partners to distribute our turnkey offers. Currently being deployed in some 20 countries in Africa, our Konnect Africa service responds to the need to develop digital inclusion on this continent."

[1]Equity Bank, Espoir Telecom, Flash, KinWiFi, Horeb, Malka multi services, Mb’enzo, TWC