There is, says McKinsey, US$3-trillion in business value waiting in the cloud for those organisations that successfully tap into its potential.

Gartner predicts that by 2028, cloud will become an essential part of doing business because it places business right at the edge of competitive value.

But where does this leave South African organisations that don’t have access to the high-level connectivity that cloud demands? Companies in mining, tourism, game farms, manufacturing and agriculture also want access to the cloud, yet the benefits it provides in innovation and productivity growth are limited by location.

Solving this challenge in the past meant compromising on connectivity and cloud. Companies could access cloud services using satellite broadband, but bandwidth constrained performance. Using something as simple as OneDrive was an exercise in frustration with congestion and poor upload and download speeds. The problem is that satellite has been constrained on two fronts – it hasn’t had the right technology in place, and it has not been customised correctly.

GEO satellite isn’t dying, it’s changing. New partnerships, the thriving space race and the explosion of solutions designed to reduce latency, improve speeds and transform partnerships has seen a complete overhaul of its capabilities. Companies experiencing constrained connectivity because of location can tap directly into the potential of cloud using satellite broadband; they just need to tweak their approach (and their technology).

Optimisation

The answer lies in optimisation. GEO – geostationary Earth orbit – satellite must be optimised for your organisation’s unique usage requirements. If your business is reliant on cloud-based document storage solutions, for example, then you need to adjust your device settings so it can handle these high data demands. Benefitting from satellite means optimising your GEO service for your usage behaviours. This also means the business can get more mileage from its investment as it can reduce congestion while still gaining access to the right services.

Although GEO satellite will always have limitations – it can’t compete with fibre or wireless for speed and bandwidth, this doesn’t mean poor business performance. Most solutions offer an uncapped service with a fair usage policy, which means companies must optimise their capacity in such a way as to ensure they have a superb experience. Think of it like water – it’s a limited resource that requires careful management to ensure it lasts. If companies manage their satellite capacity with a resource mindset, they can delve into the cloud without compromising on performance. And, perhaps most importantly, they can do this without adding extensive costs to the bottom line.

This limitation is not exclusive to GEO satellite services. Fibre and LTE users also face usage constraints and can often end up spending far more on their cloud-driven connectivity because their resource management isn’t optimised correctly. Comparing satellite to LTE or fibre is the equivalent of comparing apples and pears. Installation, hardware, investment – these costs are higher for satellite as the equipment is costly. However, the longevity and accessibility of satellite, when wedded to meticulous data and usage optimisation, can deliver return on investment that balances out over the long term.

Product	FTTB	LTE	GEO satellite
Price per GB	R1.50	85c	R25
Hardware	R1 500	R1 000	R5 500
Installation	Plug and play	Plug and play	4 hours
Latency	3ms	30-50ms	>700ms

So, although GEO has its limitations and costs, LTE and fibre are no different. Each connectivity solution brings with it unique challenges and complexities. However, for companies constrained by location, it has become a reliable, accessible and customisable solution that can enhance their cloud investments and strategies. While it may not compare directly to the latest in connectivity innovations within urban environments, it connects companies in rural and isolated regions with a technology that’s both practical and affordable.