ST Engineering iDirect – Revolutionizing connectivity: bridging The Digital Divide WITH SKYflow
Bart De Moor, Senior Manager, Product Marketing ST Engineering iDirect
In an increasingly digital world, the disparity in access to remote learning resources has become a pressing issue. Remote learning, particularly in developing countries, remains inaccessible to many families, and children, due to a lack of essential resources or supportive government policies.
Since the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the education of hundreds of millions of students has been disrupted. During this time, education ministries implemented remote learning measures to maintain educational continuity, but data reveals that 31% of global school-age children are beyond the reach of these initiatives – largely due to a lack of access to radio, television, or the Internet, and the absence of conducive remote learning policies.
In reality, across the world, only one out of every three school-age children has Internet access at home, with figures dropping dramatically in regions like West and Central Africa, where only 5% of children are connected. Online learning, which most closely replicates in-person instruction, remains the preferred method but is unattainable for many due to these digital divides.
Connectivity in Peru
Due to its dynamic landscape, inaccessible roads and mountains, the health of Peru’s population differs vastly across the country because of access challenges, leading to large portions of its residents having little to no access to healthcare. What’s more, 30% of Peru’s population – primarily in rural and impoverished areas – has long struggled with limited access to public broadcasting services. The National Institute of Radio and Television of Peru (IRTP) quickly realized they were incapable of effectively communicating critical public health news and information via public broadcasting and providing a learning platform to the 30% without connectivity. A solution was needed to address these gaps in connectivity infrastructure that included both video and non-video data.
To help address this challenge, the SKYflow ecosystem was officially deployed earlier this year in Peru; a solution which leverages the innovative DVB Native IP (DVB-NIP) standard and bridges the gap between broadband and broadcast networks and paves the way for a truly converged media distribution solution. It uses the efficiency of broadcast networks for large-scale content distribution to modern IP devices, fully integrating broadcast technologies with those used in broadband networks. The aim of the groundbreaking solution is to bridge the connectivity gap and bring vital digital services to the unconnected.
The Future of connectivity
SKYflow is an innovative collaboration between partners, EKT, EasyBroadcast, Quadrille, EZDRM and ST Engineering iDirect. The DVB native IP over satellite ecosystem offers cost-effective, ultra-fast, low-latency delivery of live,on-demand video and files to mobile devices and large screens alike for global audiences.
With the rising demand for Over-The-Top (OTT) content, providers are increasingly seeking innovative methods to distribute IP content across broader geographical areas. This not only helps in offloading their networks but also in connecting underserved regions, like Peru. Satellite technology, as demonstrated by SKYflow, plays a pivotal role in this evolution.
The solution uses the satellite’s capability to multicast, making it highly efficient. SKYflow is capable of providing unidirectional or bi-directional live or linear distribution, where the bi-directional delivery utilizes a satellite return path using a VSAT platform.
The launch of SKYflow in Peru has simply been transformative. With the system’s ability to deliver educational and governmental content, healthcare information, and even entertainment to underserved regions in Peru it has opened up new opportunities for personal and community development. SKYflow’s deployment in Peru showcases its capacity to provide free-to-air channels to residents across the country, addressing both entertainment and informational needs. The availability of self-install kits further simplifies access, ensuring that even the most remote households can benefit from this technology.
This advancement has already begun to aid the Peruvian government in achieving its goal of reaching every household with valuable educational video and media content.
Looking ahead
The capabilities of satellite technology are unparalleled in remote areas, yet it represents only a part of a broader connectivity ecosystem. The potential for satellite technology in bridging the digital divide continues to expand. SKYflow’s early success in Peru serves as a model for other regions facing similar challenges and the system’s scalability and adaptability mean it can be deployed in various contexts, from other Latin American countries to remote areas in different parts of the world. As technology advances, the integration of two-way communication capabilities and enhanced content offerings will further revolutionize digital inclusion.
Overall, SKYflow stands as a testament to the transformative power of satellite technology in addressing connectivity issues in remote and underserved areas. As the landscape of satellite usage in the broadcast space continues to evolve, initiatives like SKYflow will pave the way for a more connected, informed, and inclusive society.
