Satellite technology company Avanti Communications has been granted the authorisation required for its HYLAS 4 satellite gateway station in Diamniadio, Senegal, about 32 kilometres from Dakar.
The Infrastructure Operator Authorisation, which was granted on 29 February 2024 by the Minister of Communications, Telecommunications and Digital, Mr Moussa Bocar Thiam, means the gateway’s state-of-the-art infrastructure will now become operational. Avanti will now move on to the final phase of testing before launching its services.
Avanti says the launch will provide Senegal with complete high-speed national satellite coverage, representing a significant step forward in the country’s telecommunications landscape and supporting the government’s Senegal Digital 2025 strategy.
Avanti says its satellite coverage will provide reliable, high-speed voice and data to Senegal’s rural communities, schools, hospitals, businesses and government departments, as well as playing a crucial role in improving national security.
Once operational, the gateway is set to be a driving force in Senegal’s digital economy with the potential to generate local employment opportunities. To make this vision a reality, Avanti says it has committed to investing in Senegal’s growing tech centre and has already started recruiting a team on the ground in Diamniadio.
In addition to Senegal, the new gateway will extend the coverage of Avanti’s HYLAS 4 satellite to the surrounding West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Liberia and Ivory Coast, making Senegal a key digital hub for the region.
Avanti’s carrier customers will also be able to extend their reach to rural areas and other semi-urban locations where terrestrial networks are currently limited or unreliable.
Hylas 4, which launched in 2018, not only enhanced the capacity of the Avanti fleet but was said to represent a significant investment that fed into the profound change to broadband communications underway in Africa.
