TRIPOLI, Libya — Phoenicia Group Libya LLC, (www.phoenicia.ly), the leading U.S.-Libyan diversified business and consultancy group, today announced plans to offer BGAN satellite Internet solutions to corporate and government clients across Libya, marking the deployment as the first time the technology will be used in the country.
Phoenicia Group, through its affiliate Al-Waha IT & Telecommunications, is the sole licensed private satellite Internet and telecommunications provider in Libya, by virtue of General People’s Committee Decision 88/2004, and offers military, government, and corporate clients in Libya a range of services, including VSAT, IT Consultancy, Disaster Management, VHF & HF, Microwave, Security, Wireless, and VOIP solutions.
“We anticipate BGAN target users to be oil, marine, and construction companies, government, and military institutions in locations in Libya with limited, unreliable, or non-existent telecommunications infrastructure, like most of the interior of the country and offshore, which would prove useful,” said Walid Mesbah, VSAT Operations Director.
BGAN, or Broadband Global Area Network, is a 3G-based satellite Internet service launched by Inmarsat providing broadband speeds up to 428 Kbps using a mobile lap-top sized terminal which can be set up almost anywhere worldwide, providing Internet, VPN, data, VOIP, and wireless solutions in even the most remote locations.
Ryad Sunusi, a prominent Libyan businessman and consultant, and President & CEO of Phoenicia Group, commented:
“Acquiring BGAN Satellite Internet capabilities will augment our own VSAT portfolio and provide ever more solutions and choices to clients — with an installed user base of over 350 VSAT terminals in Libya for government, military, and corporate clients based on iDirect TDMA and SCPC technologies and in light of customer demand for alternative and flexible broadband mobile communication services, we believe introducing BGAN will provide an adequate back-up to traditional VSAT and serve as flexible mobile office solutions for users with who are on the move, like oil drilling, media, and defense applications.”
Satellite Internet is very popular in Libya, due to limited and expensive Internet infrastructure, download bandwidth restrictions on broadband Internet connections, and slow speeds, and is closely regulated by the GPTC, the government telecommunications body, which heavily fines companies using VSATs installed by unlicensed parties, and which offers its own VSAT service, based on the aging DVB-RCS and Nera technology.
The initial BGAN deployment will be for the Libyan Army this summer, and is expected to expand rapidly.
“It’s one big world, one big interconnected network, and we will continue to offer our clients the very best solutions they have come to expect from the Phoenicia Group.”
Sunusi cautions international companies and expatriates in Libya to be wary of unlicensed parties who claim they offer satellite Internet and telecommunications services, as users should exercise due diligence and be sure they are dealing with a licensed partner, with fines and other legal consequences a consequence of using unauthorized terminals.
About Phoenicia Group Libya, LLC
Phoenicia Group, a U.S.-Libyan professional business services company, establishes and advises on interoperability issues in the Libyan Market with technology, and devises, researches and implements market entry and risk management strategies for U.S. companies wishing to establish a foothold for commerce in Libya.
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[tags]satellite internet services, Libyra business development, Phoenicia Group Libya[/tags]
