Thuraya helps rural communities to improve communications

Libya is a country full of varied terrains, ranging from the Mediterranean coast to the vast sand of the Sahara. Due to its varying landscapes, a number of rural regions in the country have little access to traditional telephones, as installing the infrastructure for a POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) or fibre optic network in rough terrain environments can prove to be a lengthy process for construction and installation firms.

Recently, the Libyan government created an initiative to provide communications access and solutions to every citizen in the country, including those in the rural communities. As such, Thuraya worked closely with contractors to install 2,500 Thuraya Public Calling Offices (PCOs) and 500 payphones across much of Libya's desert areas and on oil and gas rigs, to cater to the huge workforce in the industry.

Thuraya Public Calling Office (PCO) is a powerful and cost effective communication tool for thousands of people around the world. Its technology has the ability to monitor the statistics of outgoing calls to enable an accurate costing of each call.

For those who require telephone services regularly, Thuraya offers its payphone service which uses pre-pay cards; whereas those who occasionally use the services are free to use the PCOs, as users are charged according to the length of the calls made.

As the project was subsidised by the Libyan government, it meant that for the first time, rural inhabitants in Libya were able to use telecommunications services and stay in touch through the successful implementation of Thuraya's satellite PCO and payphone services.

Dr Sven Rohte, Chief Commercial Officer, Thuraya, said:

"At Thuraya, we pride ourselves on delivering communications to diverse cultures with a near global reach. Thuraya's rural solutions are convenient, modern and reliable, and help to bring together communities and assist small businesses."

Thuraya's products, services and network continue to connect regions and improve the socio-economic prospects of many around the world, and help bridge the gap between rural communities, who would otherwise be out of touch. Today, thousands of individuals in remote areas now benefit from Thuraya's state-of-the-art services and network.