Gateway solution connects Mauritian islands

MAURITIUS

Gateway Communications has provided a connectivity solution to Emtel, for the remote islands of Agalega and Rodrigues, which form part of the Republic of Mauritius.

The Rodrigues Island lies 550km northeast of Mauritius with a population of about 35,000. The island contributes to the economy through a variety of sectors including tourism, fishing and agriculture. Effective mobile connectivity is needed in order to facilitate business-to-business communication and for general correspondence with the mainland.

The Agalega Island lies 1,122km north of Mauritius and has a population of less than 300 people.  This island is self-sustaining, but residents utilise mobile communication for ordering supplies, for emergency situations and to stay in touch with their friends and family across the island archipelago.

Gateway says although they were previously connected, the Islanders of Rodrigues and Agalega frequently experienced weak links and outages often brought on by bad weather. Emtel - a division of the Millicom International Cellular (MIC) group - approached Gateway Communications for a potential solution, which would deliver the most efficient voice and data connectivity to the residents of these islands.

Emtel used CellDirect - Gateway’s satellite cellular backhaul solution – to give the islanders access to reliable and effective mobile communications.