Pakistan is one of the most important and big markets for satellite broadband internet as there is exceptional demand in the rural and underserved communities across the country for broadband internet services. Talking to newsmen, Masood M Sharif Mahmood Chief Executive Officer Yahsat said current enhanced connectivity is providing far-reaching social and economic benefits for the nation. Beyond commerce, there are social benefits for residents which are hugely impactful - providing knowledge transfer, growth and opportunity, he added.
Yahsat service - YahClick is using state-of-the-art satellite technology to send and receive high-speed broadband internet signals in Pakistan, linking some of the country's most important infrastructures. This includes the banking sector, where over 164 ATMs for many leading banks are serving the country's most isolated locations, he maintained.
"Eversince the market entry we are attracting more business and home users who are striving for better connectivity and access to global online, social, cultural and knowledge communities," he said.
Karakoram Area Development Organization (KADO) is a community based NGO, working in remote Aliabad, in the Hunza region. KADO has established seven IT learning centres, all of which are connected to YahClick's satellite internet facilities. Students attend courses free of cost, which include web design, programming, e-marketing, call-centre training, online stocks, solar energy solutions and forex trading. Upon completion of training, KADO helps facilitate employment contracts for its graduates, he said.
Mahmood said Gilgit-Baltistan province is one of the least accessible provinces in Pakistan. As a result, it is difficult for economic produce from the province to gain widespread access to the rest of the country. Ongoing security issues have compounded the province's isolation, resulting in limited investment in infrastructure, including telecom and internet access, he added.
"Part of our YahClick's mission is to connect unconnected communities and we did in Aliabad," he said and added that the power of satellite connectivity is such that it can be extended to areas where coverage is either impractical from a business case perspective or from a logistical one.
He said satellite connectivity comes with a slew of benefits, and is an ideal primary form of connectivity for communities situated in a remote location. In Pakistan, the wide area coverage capability of satellite connectivity makes high-speed internet access from remote locations quick and easy, and is transferable relatively easily to any location within the satellite's coverage area, he maintained.
"It is also possible to connect many remote locations spread across large distances through a secure private link, and YahClick intends to undertake similar initiatives in other remote areas throughout its coverage region," Mehmood said.
Through satellite broadband communications, users in the remotest parts of the country are now able to take a giant leap forward when it comes to high performance broadband. Previously underserved communities are no longer subjected to the costs and physical limitations that would be present with traditional cable based systems, he mentioned.
With current development and connectivity, today, rural communities in Pakistan are achieving a speed and level of social development never before seen, he said.
Yahsat CEO said that through satellite communications, broadband connectivity is no longer limited to the incumbent telecommunications providers, allowing customers and businesses to offer competitive pricing packages. It also negates the need for terrestrial operators' local maintenance of on-ground facilities.
With high speed broadband is beyond the limited as now a doctor can enjoy the same level of access to the latest medical expertise wherever he is on his rounds, just as a child can enjoy a face to face tutorial without a two hour trek to the "local" school, he said.