Gilat Satcom has launched a portfolio of satellite services for rural Africa that will require subscribers to pay as little as US$1.00 per month.

The Village Island portfolio of services will allow rural dwellers in Africa to access voice-over-IP (VoIP), cellular, video over IP and Wi-Fi connections via private satellite networks.

Gilat said Village Island is being supported by governments, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), network operators, churches and major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and is aimed at specified groups in rural areas.

The initiative comes as the high cost of communications and Internet connectivity in the region prevent many rural Africans from using telecom and Web services.

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