Konnect Africa, a subsidiary of Eutelsat Communications, announced on March 23, 2020 the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding with Flash Services and the start-up Schoolap to provide broadband Internet to schools in the Democratic Republic of Congo. For the first phase of the project, 3,600 private schools will be connected over the next 12 months.
Jean-Claude Tshipama, Managing Director of Konnect Africa, explained that this “this project demonstrates the major benefits of the Internet via satellite for bridging the digital divide and demonstrates the effectiveness of the solutions deployed by the Konnect teams Africa ”.
He added that the entry into service of the Eutelsat Konnect satellite, launched into space last January, “in the coming months will be a major turning point allowing us to better serve the high demand for connectivity from our customers, whom they they are individuals, businesses or public services ”.
According to Konnect Africa, each school will be able to subscribe to an unlimited plan or more which will give it access to broadband opportunities. The project may, in its second phase, be extended to several tens of thousands of additional schools, thus meeting the digital inclusion needs of the Congolese government.