MANDAC, the Dublin-based low-power satellite-based internet and telecoms firm, has signed a deal with the European Space Agency (ESA) to launch products in East Africa.
The move will allow start-up access for the agency’s satellites to beam broadband into the remotest parts of Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi.
John Murphy, the founder of Mandac, said the Irish firm was contracted to roll out 500 Wireless-To-Go devices based in kiosks in the next 12 months, working with its partners Intersat Africa and Astra Broadband Services.
“What makes Wireless-To-Go special is its reliability and that it requires no technical expertise on the ground,” Murphy said. The ESA, he said, had allowed the project to run on its satellites as it will “deliver affordable internet access” to Africa. Mandac’s boxes can be run by a car battery.