Konnect Africa to conquer the Ivorian market for high-speed satellite Internet access

Satellite Internet services now accessible in Côte d'Ivoire through an extensive network of distributors

Paris, Abidjan, 15 January, 2019 - Konnect Africa, an initiative of the satellite operator Eutelsat (Euronext: ETL) dedicated to satellite broadband on the African continent, today announces the launch of its Internet access offers in Côte d'Ivoire.

Advantageous offers for professionals and individuals

According to the Telecommunications Sector Observatory of the Telecommunications Regulator/ICT of Côte d'Ivoire (ARTCI), the number of fixed Internet subscribers (Ethernet cable, wifi and fibre) in Côte d'Ivoire stood at 155,541 in the second quarter of 2018, representing 0.6% of the total population.

At the same time, according to Deloitte's TMT 2017 report, the country has 9 million mobile Internet subscriptions, notably thanks to the 4G network. Some areas of Ivorian territory, however, are not properly served by mobile technology.

Thanks to the latest satellite technologies, Konnect Africa is now helping to bridge the digital divide in Côte d'Ivoire by offering its broadband Internet offers to individuals and professionals, particularly outside major cities, where no reliable broadband solution is available. The Konnect range includes eight Internet access offers, ranging from 5GB to 30GB of data for Konnect Home residential offers, costing from 9,000 to 35,000 CFAF and adapting to all needs. Konnect Pro offers which provide superior performance corresponding to the expectations of professionals, offer between 50 and 500GB of data and are marketed from 58,000 CFAF.

These offers will be made available on a prepaid basis in order to meet the needs of the Ivorian market. The speeds offered will be up to 20 Mbit/s downstream and up to 3 Mbit/s upstream. For the launch, Konnect Africa is also setting up a promotion on this new range.

In order to make its services accessible to as many people as possible, Konnect Africa has joined forces with local partners in several major cities in Côte d'Ivoire, but also in remote areas: Lifi-Led, Watec, Open Services, HubLive and Ecosat. Specialized in the telecom and technology sector, education, money transfers or audiovisual, these companies with various professions will enable Konnect Africa to address its future customers as closely as possible to their consumer habits.

Konnect Africa is targeting rural areas in particular by offering an adapted and lightweight solution called Konnect wifi, which provides shared Internet access through a single point of reception. Konnect wifi will provide Internet access at points of traffic such as shops, villages, schools, farms, hospitals, etc. in rural areas. Access to the service will be through the purchasing of recharge vouchers, valid from a few hours up to 1 month. Currently undergoing the final testing phases, Konnect wifi will be available soon.

On the occasion of the opening of Konnect Africa's services in Côte d'Ivoire, Jean-Claude Tshipama, CEO of Konnect Africa, said: "Satellite technology for high-speed Internet is the answer for efficient digital coverage in Côte d'Ivoire. Many "white zones" remain and Konnect Africa's complementary offer addresses this lack of connectivity. Thanks to first-class local partners, we are now able to offer quality broadband offers at competitive prices.”