Thuraya… Assists In Trek For Truth In Congo

[SatNews] A quest by a Canadian TV reporter to uncover news that is largely unreported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) requires extraordinary equipment in order to complete this task. Dennis Porter, a TV journalist and provider of broadcast media won’t leave home without his Thuraya XT, a tough satellite handheld phone and the world’s smallest satellite broadband solution Thuraya IP. Both are vital to completing his project.

With over a decade career in TV journalism and broadcast media during which he worked for the Discovery Channel and CBC in Canada, Dennis is currently based in the city of Goma in eastern DRC. He has filed news stories to the CBC TV and Radio in Canada and is targeting a wider network of broadcasters in coming weeks. He is searching several angles of African social, economic and political life that have not been yet been sufficiently highlighted or studied by Western and international media. He is meeting academics, journalists, community leaders and ordinary people from various walks of life.

In such conditions, reliable and uninterrupted connectivity is exactly what a reporter needs. “One thing that you absolutely cannot do when filing news stories is missing a deadline. With Thuraya IP’s long battery life, the ease of ‘Plug and Play’ setup, the high-speed connection and flexible service packages were all features that really made the Thuraya IP and the experience in this media journey so far, I can guarantee that I’ll be able to feed my story out on time.

“Broadcasting news can be difficult at times here in Goma, and in Congo generally. Access to the advanced technology and equipment required to finish assignments is not easy. And on the other hand, power and mobile networks can go down for long periods of time, which makes it impossible to function as a remote TV reporter. That’s where my Thuraya equipment is so instrumental. Most of the time, Thuraya’s satellite network is my only link to the outside world. With Thuraya IP and Thuraya XT I can address this issue and start reporting some of the big stories that have gone untold for far too long.

“Two weeks ago, I spent several hours stuck in a remote forest when the roads were washed out with rain.  I could not afford to waste such a long time. So, I pulled out my Thuraya IP, got connected to the net and did a lot of work.  No matter where I am, I can get to work just as if I was sitting in an office building back in Toronto” Dennis commented. Moving broadcast video over the Internet involves huge file sizes.  Dennis also noted that Thuraya’s unlimited data plan makes sending audio and video files much more affordable.