Mining company Katanga selects Speedcast for satellite connectivity

Mining Company Katanga has selected Speedcast to deliver satellite connectivity services to its headquarters and a major mine complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Mining Company Katanga (MCK Sarl) is a Congolese mining contractor based in Lubumbashi.

Internet connectivity is critical for modern digital mine sites because it enables Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities. Furthermore, it ensures the safety of personnel and equipment on-site and provides crew welfare applications for workers in remote locations. Speedcast will serve MCK’s Lubumbashi headquarters and the Ruashi open-pit copper and cobalt mine as part of the three-year contract. Thus, Speedcast will deliver optimised wide-area networking (WAN) over high-throughput and very small aperture terminal (VSAT). Likewise, the company will also provide C-band satellite service and content filtering. Furthermore, the solution will enable internet access, cloud-based applications, IoT and crew welfare applications across their operations. In addition to the above, Speedcast’s 24×7 global Customer Support Centers (CSC) will support all the services.

James Trevelyan, Senior Vice President of Enterprise and Emerging Markets at Speedcast, expressed Speedcast’s enthusiasm. He stated that the company was thrilled that MCK had chosen it for the project. He further added that they have the highest-powered C-band network in Sub-Saharan Africa. This, according to James, meant that they could “enable the customer’s digitalisation agenda while delivering the highest performance primary or backup communications solution.”

“It’s vital to our headquarters and operations to have seamless communications and network management as we prioritise efficiency and digital transformation, now and in the future, while still operating cost-consciously,” said Hubert Nkonkosha, IT Manager at MCK. “Speedcast was a clear choice for our needs, and we look forward to leaning on their team for support and expert guidance, building a strong working partnership for years to come.”

Speedcast recently augmented its Tier 1 satellite network across the Sub-Saharan African region with a new High-Throughput Satellite (HTS). The HTS offers ultra-high signal availability – even into 1.8m terminals. The satellite’s look angle across Africa is around 60 degrees elevation. This makes it ideal for steep-sided open pit mines and resilient to equatorial weather patterns. It also incorporates the latest VSAT technology and a selection of bandwidth packages, from high-speed to gigabyte-only plans. Africa News