RascomStar-Qaf is an African company based in Mauritius, which operates under a concession from Regional African Satellite Communications Organization (RASCOM), an intergovernmental treaty organization representing the interests of 45 African telecommunications operators. The company’s shareholders are RASCOM, Libya Africa Investment Portfolio (LAIP), and Thales Alenia Space. RascomStar-Qaf’s prime objective is to provide satellite capacity and telecommunication services for national and international public communications service providers across the continent of Africa. RascomStar-Qaf launched its first satellite RASCOM-QAF1 on Ariane V in December 2007. This high performance satellite provides pan-African coverage with multiple Ku- and C-band spot beam transponders until its transition to equivalent service on the RASCOM -QAF1R satellite to be launched in mid-2010.

The Company is responsible for the financing, design, procurement, construction, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance of the Space Segment as well as for the launching of the Satellites, all at the Company’s own Cost and risk. It's responsible for the design and the development of the Ground Segment which adress Telco’s Integrated Communication Services and Thin Route Trunking Business.

For more information, visit http://www.rascomstar-qaf.com/

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ViaSat Inc. has signed two contracts with RascomStar-Qaf, the pan-African satellite operator, to deliver satellite systems for high-capacity infrastructure communications carrying pan-African telephony and data between regional and national capitals and for rural telecommunications access across the African continent with RascomStar-Qaf VSAT terminals. The combined value of the contracts is approximately $53 million with deliveries scheduled to begin this year and continuing into 2011.

This major addition to the African telecommunications infrastructure is requiring a full turnkey system approach, with ViaSat providing full system responsibility: system engineering, integration, logistic support, installation, training and an initial 12 months of in-region network operation support.

“The construction and deployment of ViaSat R*BCS and R*TES infrastructure will enable RascomStar-Qaf to realize its mission of delivering affordable telecommunications services throughout Africa,” said Faraj Elamari, CEO of RascomStar-Qaf. “These satellite-based systems will reach rural areas of Africa that no other telecommunications infrastructure can support on a cost-effective basis. Our goal is to establish a modern, African telecommunications standard that will rely on resources within Africa.”

The two networks fulfill separate communication requirements for RascomStar-Qaf:
• The R*BCS (RascomStar-Qaf Broadband Connectivity Services) telephone and IP trunking network is based on ViaSat LinkWay®S2 networking terminals and 7.3-meter gateway antenna systems. Gateways are scheduled for installation between late 2009 and mid - 2010.
• The R*TES (RascomStar-Qaf Telecommunication Services) network is designed to provide low density telephony and optional Internet access. The very low-powered R*TES will be designed to combine multiple low rate telephone circuits while minimizing power consumption, making them ideal for solar operation. High-speed Internet connection is an optional feature. The ViaSat network design includes multi-transponder operation that enables seamless connections no matter the location of the rural terminal within the African continent.
For more information, visit http://www.viasat.com/news/viasat-signs-53-million-contracts-provide-rascomstar-qaf-new-communication-infrastructure-africa

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