FINAL REPORT: DEFINITIONAL MISSION TO AZERBAIJAN:
AZERCOSMOS – AZERSPACE-2 FEASIBILITY STUDY
August 07, 2013
Space Partnership International
39
population, terrestrial copper phone lines serve only 16% of the population
19
, and emerging
wireless communications services (such as Internet Exchange Points, or IXPs, or broadband
internet access) service only 1% of the population.
20
One key area where satellite communications can benefit Azerbaijan’s infrastructure is the ability
of operators to provide backup and trunking services. Satellite backup for fiber backbone ensures
service continuity in cases of fiber failure. Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Communication and
Information Technology expects both satellites to be able to deliver connectivity where optic cable
is not practical, (e.g. where the deployment and maintenance costs of bringing optic cable to last
mile are high.)
21
Satellite trunking for cellular operators provides ability to extend cellular coverage to
increase the subscriber base and expand into rural areas
to meet the growing
demands of outlying cities and villages.
Satellite backup for cellular networks allows operators to quickly establish backup
capabilities over satellite at fixed points in their cellular network.
Satellite trunking or backhaul for remote/rural wireless gateways.
Infrastructure Benefits for Africa
The planned coverage over Africa provided by Azerspace-1 and Azerspace-2 will help
governments, telecommunications operators, businesses, and end-users in Africa meet their
telecommunications challenges. Azerspace-1 and -2 will complement land networks with satellite
connectivity to reach areas with poor infrastructure at a fraction of the cost compared to the
comparable terrestrial infrastructure that would be required to cover the last-mile customer markets.
The continental C-band and Ka-band coverage will support the rapidly emerging and growing
economies in Africa’s 54 sovereign countries, which reach a population of over 1 billion.
22
Azerspace-1 and -2 will provide a blend of needed wholesale capacity and retail satellite services,
enabling public and private customers throughout Africa to deploy market-relevant satellite-based
services and networks. The Ka-band services should help drive new lower-cost retail
telecommunications, internet access, and media solutions for economically constrained and remote
small and medium businesses (SMBs) and consumers.
Enabler of Satellite-based National ICT Programs and Systems
During our meeting, we discussed the possible ways that satellite could support many of the
country’s 52 technology initiatives:
19
Around half of the telephone lines
in Azerbaijan are analog, and more than 85% of the main lines are in
urban areas. Source:
OpenNet https://opennet.net/sites/opennet.net/files/ONI_Azerbaijan_2010.pdf
20
Delta Telecom controls the only IXP and charges the same amount for local and
international
traffic. Providers have not been able to agree on setting up another IXP. The external traffic of
Azerbaijan is now 6 Gbit/s, which is a notable increase from the 75 Mbit/s capacity of 2006.
Source: wwwdelta-telecom.net/graph.html
21 Source: interview
with Deputy Minister, MCIT, 2013.
22 Source: United Nations, 2011
FINAL REPORT: DEFINITIONAL MISSION TO AZERBAIJAN:
AZERCOSMOS – AZERSPACE-2 FEASIBILITY STUDY
August 07, 2013
Space Partnership International
40
Post Offices
MCIT has identified Azerbaijan’s many postal service centers offering financial services as a prime
candidate for satellite usage. Today the country has 1,800 post offices, many of which serve
multiple villages. MCIT plans to bring approximately 10 Mb connectivity to each of the country’s
1,800 post offices. Satellite will be used to deliver services to those offices that are located beyond
the reach
of the fiber, and also to back-up the more critical sites.
School Networks
MCIT plans to provide connectivity to all of the schools in the country. The schools will require
reliable communications, including satellite services. MCIT plans to deploy C-band in the higher
precipitation zones and Ku-band in drier environments. Depending on the specific case
requirements, services can be delivered as a point-to-point or one-to-one solution, or distribution
gateway.
Multi-use Gateways to Connect Remote Villages
The Deputy Minister stated that there are currently 70 villages that 1) are in immediate need of
connectivity and 2) cannot be connected without satellite. MCIT is also seeking to share a single
VSAT gateway/terminal for school, post office, and internet kiosks.
MCIT plans to use each of these stations as universal access points, because in many of these
villages the local inhabitants cannot afford Internet access. The online access will allow the last-
mile inhabitants to access their personal records, obtain entitlement data, retrieve online
documentation, submit requests to various ministries, and conduct training, certification, and other
functions. MCIT stated that without satellite support, occupants of remote villages would not be
able to access the required national services.
Network-Services Development
Azercosmos recently indicated that it plans to offer Ka-band services on the Azerspace-2 satellite.
If properly implemented, Ka-band should provide increased spectrum compared to C-band and Ku-
band, enabling greater volumes of traffic to be transmitted. This would be ideal for Azercosmos
customers who are looking for smaller end-user antennas (VSATs), increased mobility, and higher
bandwidths and speeds to support today’s internet and intranet applications and services.
Azerspace-2 Ka-band satellite services are expected to offer improved last-mile support for new
services. This should help the development of public services. For example, Ka-band will facilitate
the rapid deployment of applications for disaster preparedness or asset/facility management.
The new Ka-band should also help the Azerbaijan government sell services to international
customers, since Ka-band’s more powerful, focused, and dedicated beams should address most
regional customers’ requirements for network security and autonomy. Ka-band on Azerspace-2 will
provide increased spectrum compared to C-band and Ku-band, enabling greater volumes of traffic
to be transmitted. For this reason, this satellite should address demand for new next generation Ka-
band satellite capacity through Africa, where supply cannot keep up with demand. Ka-band growth
in regional markets is expected to increase over the next decade.
In the commercial sectors, Ka-band will help enhance manufacturing capabilities through more
advanced networking, enable the distribution of new retail and point-of-service networks, and
enhance related distributed financial solutions. Ka-band should also open up new sales
opportunities and markets, such
as in broadcasting of video, where Azercosmos has indicated that it
intends to offer DTH service over Ka-band satellite beams and low-cost terminals. This is a