Cape Town, South Africa – August 31, 2021 – Speedcast, a leading communications and IT services provider, announced today that the company has been selected by Mining Company Katanga for a three-year contract to deliver satellite connectivity services to its headquarters and a major mine complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Mining Company Katanga (MCK Sarl) is a Congolese mining contractor based in Lubumbashi.

Internet connectivity is critical for today’s digital mine site, as it enables Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities, ensures safety of personnel and equipment on-site, and provides crew welfare applications for workers in the most remote locations. As part of the agreement, Speedcast will serve MCK’s Lubumbashi headquarters and the Ruashi open-pit copper and cobalt mine under contract with MCK, delivering optimized wide-area networking (WAN) over high-throughput, very small aperture terminal (VSAT), C-band satellite service and content filtering. The solution will enable internet access, cloud-based applications, IoT and crew welfare applications across their operations. All services will be fully supported by Speedcast’s 24×7 global Customer Support Centers (CSC).

“We are thrilled that MCK has placed its trust in Speedcast to deliver critical, remote connectivity and network optimization to its headquarters and contracted mining site,” said James Trevelyan, Senior Vice President of Enterprise and Emerging Markets at Speedcast. “We have the highest-powered C-band network in Sub-Saharan Africa, which means we can enable the customer’s digitalization agenda while delivering the highest performance primary or back-up communications solution.”

“Our Ruashi project is one of our largest refined copper and cobalt production sites with more than 2,000 people and suppliers employed. It’s vital to our headquarters and operations to have seamless communications and network management as we prioritize efficiency and digital transformation, now and in the future, while still operating cost-consciously,” said Hubert Nkonkosha, IT Manager at MCK. “Speedcast was a clear choice for our needs, and we look forward to leaning on their team for support and expert guidance, building a strong working partnership for years to come.”

Speedcast recently augmented its Tier 1 satellite network across the Sub-Saharan African region with the addition of a new High-Throughput Satellite (HTS), offering ultra-high signal availability – even into 1.8m terminals. The satellite’s look angle across Africa is around 60 degrees elevation, making it ideal for steep-sided open pit mines and resilient to equatorial weather patterns. It also incorporates the latest VSAT technology and a selection of bandwidth packages, from high-speed to gigabyte-only plans.

For more information about Speedcast’s C-band services in Africa, visit Speedcast.com.

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About Speedcast

Speedcast is a leading communications and IT services provider, delivering critical communications services to the Maritime, Energy, Mining, Media, Telecom, Cruise, NGO, Government, and Enterprise sectors. The company leverages its global network platform to provide fully connected systems that harness technologies and applications to transform what remote operations can achieve. With the world’s most comprehensive network, Speedcast enables faster, seamless pole-to-pole coverage from a global hybrid satellite, fiber, cellular, microwave, MPLS, and IP transport network with direct access to public cloud platforms. The company integrates differentiated technology offerings that provide smarter ways to communicate and distribute content, manage network, and remote operations, protect and secure investments, and improve the crew and guest experience. With a passionate customer focus and a strong safety culture, Speedcast serves more than 3,200 customers in over 140 countries. Learn more at www.speedcast.com.

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About Mining Company Katanga (MCK Sarl)

Established in Lubumbashi, in the Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1997, our main activities consist in executing mining, earthworks and concrete works contracts for plant foundations. Over the past 14 years, we have excavated more than 150,000,000 cubic meters of ore / waste rock and have employed and trained more than 2,000 national employees, which is why MCK is proudly Congolese.