For now, over two billion people in Asia and the Pacific have no access to the internet either because they live in areas not connected at all or because it is too expensive. At the end of 2018, mobile internet penetration in the Pacific Islands was the lowest of any region in the world, at just 18% of the population.
Telecommunication plays a crucial role in the socio-economic development of communities. Despite the recent advances in communications and technologies, only 20% of Asia Pacific’s population has access to broadband services.
Identifying the gap
Asia-Pacific passed a number of resolutions calling for a more equitable distribution of international Internet connectivity costs. But lately, this issue has not been as publicized and Asia-Pacific Internet connectivity has grown rapidly.
Numerous initiatives promise to make the internet affordable and available. Broadband satellite operations are identifying the gaps and planning to make a rapid and lasting change in the underserved communities in the Southeast Asian region.
Kacific is a next-generation broadband satellite operator striving to accomplish its vision of becoming the forerunner of digital transformation in vulnerable communities revolves around three value propositions—affordability, accessibility and flexibility.
Bringing internet affordability
Kacific takes advantage of the latest satellite technology. The strategic choice to make Kacific1 a High Throughput Satellite means Kacific can use multiple spot beams and reuse frequencies, reducing the cost per bandwidth.
Kacific supplements its Kacific1 satellite with a state-of-the-art teleport, hub and managed service network to further control and streamline the value chain and lower the prices per GB or Mbps to end-users.
The launch of Kacific1 has drastically lowered the price point per GB of data capacity by 40% in the markets Kacific operates in. Even in its least affluent target markets, Kacific operates well below the affordability target set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and UNESCO, where 1GB should be lower than 2% of the Gross National Index (GNI) per capita.
Improving accessibility
With Kacific1 being a geostationary satellite, end-users can now access the internet with simple, low-cost, easy-to-install and easily transportable satellite dishes without the need for expensive and complicated equipment setup.
Kacific’s partnership with local enterprises has also disrupted the value chain, leveling the internet prices in many of the markets and translating the savings directly to the end-user.
Lastly, Kacific has built an extensive distribution network with over 450 partners, resellers, and distributors across 25 different countries, with regional warehouses available for rapid deployment, no matter the end user’s location.
Providing flexibility
Kacific gives its partners the choice of purchasing wholesale uncontended bandwidth on the Virtual Network Operator (VNO) platform. This gives regional partners the freedom to manage the wholesale bandwidth and roll out package deals in response to market demands at the time. Due to their access to as many or as few plans as they require, they have better arrangements and a higher ROI.
The company is confident that its connectivity and satellite solutions, which address the Asia Pacific region’s broadband needs, will be able to foster economic development, better healthcare services, boost education, and improve government services in the area, especially with the imminent launch of the Kacific 2, which will provide 3.5 times more bandwidth allocation than Kacific1.