ANGOSAT-2 to Boost Communication Services for the National Maritime Coordination and Surveillance Center

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In a new report released by the National Space Programme Management Office (GGPEN), on 16 January 2024, the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, inaugurated the National Maritime Coordination and Surveillance Center located in Barra do Cuanza in Luanda. The Center is part of the Executive’s strategy of providing the Angolan Navy (MGA) with modern resources to better respond to the sector’s challenges, including protecting the country’s Exclusive Maritime Economic Zone, around 200 nautical miles.

Furthermore, to advance the centre’s goals and objectives, the country’s telecommunication satellite, ANGOSAT-2, will serve as a vital infrastructure to facilitate the provision of essential telecommunications services necessary for the seamless operation of the Center. In addition, through collaborative efforts with the Ministry of National Defense for Former Combatants and Veterans of the Homeland, a Ku-band Very Small-Aperture Terminal (VSAT) antenna has been successfully installed at the centre, ensuring quicker and more effective decision-making processes, particularly in emergency scenarios.

The center will work closely with facilities in Benguela (Lobito), Namibe, Soyo, Zaire province along the Angolan coastline. This collaborative effort will play a role in safeguarding Angolan territorial waters and bolstering maritime security, efficiently gathering information and providing timely support to vessels, ensuring effective intervention.

In October 2022, Angola launched its second communications satellite, ANGOSAT-2, to minimise its digital divide problem, offer various services and cover the entire African continent, emphasising Southern Africa. In February 2023, the President of Angola, João Lourenço, issued the Presidential decree, nº11/23, authorising the commercialisation of ANGOSAT-2 after the completion of the telecommunications satellite’s testing phase. The President entrusted the overseeing and monitoring processes to Engineer Mario Oliveira, Minister of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication (MINTTICS). The decree legalises the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication as a sub-delegate to supervise the necessary processes for the satellite’s management and commercialisation.

In March 2023, the General Manager of the Angolan National Space Programme Management Office (GGPEN), Dr Zolana Joao, announced during the ANGOSAT-2 project and services presentation that 33% of the C band on ANGOSAT-2 has been sold. The telecommunication satellites have provided services across hospitals, administrations, schools and universities in areas like Uíge, Cuando Cubango, Huíla, Luanda, Cabinda, Moxico and Lunda Sul to advance socio-economic growth.

Furthermore, during the ANGOTIC 2023 conference, Angola Telecom announced the launch of a new service called Conecta Angola, which aimed to provide free internet connectivity supported by the Angosat-2 satellite to remote areas of the country where none of the country’s mobile operators had been active. The project would target state institutions such as schools, hospitals and municipal administrations with limited internet connectivity access to increase digital inclusion.