Extracts from:  Q-KON Newsletter  August 2006

Q-KON commission Pan-Africa iDirect C-band network

Q-KON has recently secured capacity on Intelsat IS10-02 hemi-beam for its new iDirect C-band platform that will provide premium services in a single beam to all of Africa. The iDirect C-band platform requires only 1.8m, 5W systems anywhere in Africa and is the perfect solution for premium corporate services that requires an integrated seamless solution throughout Africa.

The Q-KON iDirect services has been seamlessly integrated with terrestrial services to provide an end-to-end solution for Internet access and VPN access services to Europe, USA and South Africa as well as high-quality site-to-site telephony services and international dialing services.
"We structured and defined the iDirect C-band service to provide a service throughout Africa that is seamlessly connected back to South Africa and Europe. This is a premium service and supplement our low-cost shared services currently available in West Africa." Comments Dawie de Wet, CEO, Q-KON.

With its 1.8m, 5W configuration the iDirect platform will not compete in the low-cost market segment and is introduced to the market as a perfect fit to the multinational organisations and enterprise operations.  Previously this market sector could only be serviced with more expensive 2.4m or 3.8m systems and advanced equipment.

New "Per-hour" billing for Satellite Internet Access Services

Q-KON has introduced "per-hour" billing for satellite services which is yet another "first" to the Nigeria market. The ViNet On-demand service provides unequalled business benefits for hotels, cyber café's and other hotspot operators. By integrating Q-KON's ViNet PAS1R satellite access network with advanced hotspot billing software Q-KON can now offer services to hotspot operators at "per-hour" billing.

Satellite services are no longer a new technology in the Nigeria market and is being offered to the market by a number of service providers using different VSAT equipment manufacturers and satellites.  Although the pricing and product descriptions are slightly different all these services are in principle the same in the sense that a service grade is offered to the client at a fixed contract with a fixed monthly payment.

Says: “Dawie de Wet”, CEO, Q-KON: "The market has seen little technology innovations and no innovation of the business case relating to satellite services, our new "per-hour" billing solution is based on redefining the business model and breaking business constraints and barriers" 

The solution was specifically developed for hotels, cyber café's and hotspot operators. The Q-KON ViNet "On-demand" service free these operators from the liability of a fixed monthly contract.