Tatanet to set up satcom network in Africa
Business Standard — April 6, 2008

Tatanet, a satellite communication systems integrator, has bagged a contract to set up a satellite communication to provide internet connectivity across 53 countries across the African continent. The financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

The company has bagged the order from the public sector unit Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL), which is implementing the e-network project on turnkey basis. The network will create a network for tele-medicine, tele-education, internet, video conferencing, telecommunication, and e-governance services, Tatanet said in a statement.

Tatanet, a division of Nelco, is a satellite communication project systems integrator and V-Sat service provider.

"The opportunity to set up such a complex network is very exciting and we look forward to the challenge. This project has many firsts and provides us the platform to showcase our skills in the field of system integration and satcom projects. We are confident of our ability to deliver a robust network, which will be a benchmark for such initiatives in the future," Tatanet vice president–sales (enterprise & turnkey projects) and programme management Kaushik Mandal said.

Tatanet will build a satellite hub station with a data centre at Dakar in Senegal, Africa, a Studio in India and other facilities to connect 7 Indian university centres, with various specialised courses of study that will cater to the diverse student communities in Africa. The network will also assimilate 12 Super specialty hospitals in India to provide tele-consultation and continuing medical education services.