Inmarsat the world’s leading provider of global mobile satellite communications, announced that, in conjunction with the government of the Republic of Rwanda, it is launching a series of digital service initiatives across the capital, Kigali, a city of more than one million people.
As part of the digital services initiatives, Inmarsat also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Rwanda’s Ministry of Youth and ICT, which will facilitate closer cooperation and coordination between the Government of Rwanda and Inmarsat. The objective of the MoU is to develop a number of key ICT projects aligned with the Rwandan National ICT strategy.
The announcements were made by Inmarsat’s CEO, Rupert Pearce, at the opening ceremony of the Transform Africa Summit in Kigali, hosted by HE Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda. Under the Smart Africa Alliance, Rwanda is spearheading the smart cities agenda and will showcase the components of the smart city to over 300 city mayors from across Africa.
The digital service pilots, which will be enabled through Inmarsat’s world-leading satellite communications network, are scheduled to last up to 12-months in Kigali. The results of the lessons learnt during the pilots will be used to develop blueprints for a range of digital services initiatives that can be applied more broadly across Rwanda and in other African nations, in conjunction with the Smart Africa Alliance.
The Smart Africa Alliance is a partnership bringing together all African countries committed to the Smart Africa Manifesto and is supported by regional and global bodies including the African Union, the International Telecommunication Union, World Bank and The African Development Bank. Inmarsat was the first commercial company to join the Alliance, becoming a platinum member in 2016.
Rupert Pearce, CEO of Inmarsat, said, “The key enabler to liberate this potential is connectivity. Inmarsat, with its world leading global satellite communications networks, is privileged to have been selected by the Smart Africa Alliance and the Republic of Rwanda to demonstrate the ability of satcoms to release Africa’s economic and social potential.This has only been made possible by a revolution in the capabilities and the economics of satellite communications over the past few years. Until quite recently, it was regarded as a niche service; a perception that is now being completely overthrown. In parallel with the emergence of the digital society, we have seen satcoms enter the mainstream of the telecommunications industry.”
