...making use of the latest satellite technology. This addition to Telkom's satellite product portfolio offers voice and Internet services to small business and residential customers. SpaceStream Home offers Internet access with a download rate of up to 512 kbps and either one or two Voice over IP, telephony lines per single deployment. Currently a monthly bandwidth cap of 1GB is linked to the Internet service. The intial focus will be on customers who are currently serviced by manual exchanges, old copper wire line technologies, and customers who fall within the SKA exclusion zones.

"SpaceStream Home is an entry level product designed to deliver voice and Internet services to areas with unreliable or no terrestrial infrastructure. It is an especially compelling offer for our customers in rural areas that have been repeatedly hit by cable theft," explained Mr. Steve Lewis, Managing Executive of Telekom's Product House. Added to the challenge of cable theft, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) requires large radio silent areas around the antennas. This prevents the use of terrestrial wireless systems and cellular phones. SpaceStream Home meets SKA's requirement for radio silence.

"Telkom is sympathetic to its customers in these areas. We understand that the farming community is reliant on quality and sustainable telecommunications services. ICT services are a vital component to the running of a business and is an integral part of everyday living," said Mr. Lewis. "It was, therefore, also important for Telkom to make sure we select the most appropriate satellite technology. SpaceStream Home uses the proven Ku-band (12-18 GHz) space segment and is deployed with 1.2m antenna dishes to reduce susceptibility to rain and poor weather conditions, thereby improving service reliability."