Kacific recognised at Asian Telecommunications Awards 2022

Kacific has received two significant awards at the Asian Telecommunications Awards 2022 for its commitment to underserved communities.

Award organisers and the Asian Business Review have named Kacific the Company of the Year and Kacific Chief Executive Officer Christian Patouraux, CEO of the Year.

The Asian Telecommunications Awards celebrates outstanding companies whose remarkable initiatives and achievements transform customers' lives and keep the region moving forward.

Kacific says it has always been committed to transforming the lives of underserved and unserved communities by delivering affordable and reliable satellite broadband.

The company adds that it was the first operator that managed to bring a satellite into service starting its mission without capital, the backing of an established parent company or a license to operate.

The company says Patouraux made a strategic decision to use Ka-band satellite technologies to beam bandwidth from a geostationary High Throughput Satellite, resulting in greater spectral efficiency and higher frequency reuse, enabling Kacific to significantly reduce the cost per Mbps.

To respond to the high retail demand created by the pandemic, Kacific adjusted its business model to add a franchise retail broadband model, Gigstarter, to its wholesale model, distributing bandwidth primarily through large ISPs and telecom operators.

The new model was created partly in response to businesses finding it difficult to commit to long-term contracts.

Gigstarter is a pre-packaged, prepaid, monthly broadband service, which allows channel partners to resell broadband plans easily to end users plan-by-plan, site-by-site through easy-to-install VSAT terminals.

Kacific says this offers many practical advantages for distributors or ISPs alike, including the hassle-free deployment of pre-packaged broadband plans with turnkey fair use policies and quality of service settings.

Furthermore, Kacific reshaped its distribution channel as part of its pandemic response.

The company developed a network of Authorised Distributors (KADs) in which local entrepreneurs can participate and get licensed to resell Kacific's broadband services in remote regions.

Kacific says its KAD channel has created avenues and opportunities for rural economic development, further increasing its reach and impact in the remote and isolated regions in the Asia Pacific.

"Kacific is honoured to receive these awards from the Asian Business Review, we're committed to serving this region," Patouraux says.

"While Kacific provides the infrastructure and bandwidth, the real heroes are the distributors and installers and support staff who, every day, bring life-changing internet into remote villages and communities, and the teachers, health workers and small business owners who use that powerful tool to transform their world."

Kacific currently serves more than one million users and is the largest Ka-band satellite operator in Asia Pacific. It has connected 18,000 users at schools, many of which did not have prior broadband access, and 11,500 users at healthcare clinics, dispensaries, and hospitals.

The company says it is preparing to launch Kacific2, a more advanced geostationary satellite, in the next few years to continue scaling its services to meet the growing demand for internet connectivity.