ST. HELIER, Jersey--(BUSINESS WIRE)--O3b Networks today announced that Guyanese Service Provider E-Networks will be delivering O3b’s high-speed, low latency connectivity to Guyana Goldfield’s Aurora Gold Mine.
O3b Networks operates a Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite network that provides fiber-equivalent throughput and latency. Connectivity over the network will transform many aspects of mining operations, enabling real time HD videoconferencing, cloud computing, database-driven applications, and many other key applications that were previously impractical to use.
Guyana Goldfields—a Canadian-based gold producer primarily focused on the exploration, development and operation of gold deposits in Guyana—considers the Aurora Gold Mine its flagship asset, with gold production starting just over a year ago. The mining company has agreed to lease its own O3b terminal and dedicated bandwidth for 3 years to link their mining facilities to offices in Georgetown and Canada, helping to better track productivity while greatly improving overall communications.
Using the O3b satellite-enabled network for high-performance internet connectivity was a more cost-effective option than fiber. The path for a fiber cable to the mine would be a significant distance and would cut through dense rainforest, all adding to the construction costs. The prospect of falling trees rupturing a cable was a risk as well. And the long distance ruled out microwave as a viable option.
“E-Networks is excited to bring fiber capabilities to mines in Guyana, without having to lay any actual fiber,” said Vishok Persaud, Managing Director of E-Networks. “O3b is the best option for places like the Aurora Gold Mine, delivering internet on par with fiber, but without the high cost.”
“The implementation of O3b at the Aurora Gold Mine has greatly improved the Information Technology capabilities of the organization,” said Rohit Tellis, CIO for Guyana Goldfields, Inc. “The performance of business critical applications like ERP, logistics fleet tracking, Sharefile and Office 365 has improved exponentially in turn driving our staff’s productivity. In addition,” Mr. Tellis continued, “the lower latency and increased bandwidth has allowed us to implement new applications like Voice over IP and Remote Infrastructure monitoring which would not have been possible previously. We are now exploring a disaster recovery project. We have achieved all this while reducing our costs. Due to the very remote location of the mine, the O3b satellite service was put in place as an alternative to a capital heavy microwave project which would have taken over a decade to achieve an ROI.”
“O3b is excited to support E-Networks in delivering state-of-the-art communications to their enterprise customers operating beyond the reach of fiber,” Said Omar Trujillo, VP LATAM Sales for O3b Networks. “Having critical data in hard-to-connect locations like Guyana Goldfields’ mining operations makes an enormous difference for lowering costs, increasing productivity, and improving safety for any facility.”
About O3b Networks
O3b Networks Ltd. is a provider of global managed communication services and operates both a state-of-the-art fleet of high throughput, low latency satellites and a global terrestrial infrastructure. O3b delivers carrier-grade Data Networking Solutions to ISPs, telcos, mobile network operators, governments and enterprises in the most remote and inaccessible places on the planet. O3b Networks is a wholly owned subsidiary of SES (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG).
About E-Networks
E-Networks Inc. is Guyana’s premier triple-play service provider providing high-speed Internet access, television, and 4G Broadband over a combination of Fiber and wireless connections. With its own satellite facility and dedicated access to the Submarine Fiber Optic Cable, the company can provide its services across a wide coverage area at a very low cost. E-Networks has a wide range of corporate clientele ranging from Diplomatic Missions, Financial institutions, Insurance Companies and Small to Medium-sized business. Its corporate services ranges from dedicated IP, Internet Services, Corporate Wide Area Networks, VPNs and Professional Network Services.
About Guyana Goldfields, Inc.
Guyana Goldfields Inc. is a Canadian based mid-tier gold producer primarily focused on the exploration, development and operation of gold deposits in Guyana, South America. The 100% owned Aurora Gold Mine achieved commercial production January 1, 2016 and has a total gold resource of 6.54 million ounces in the measured and indicated categories (62.83 million tonnes at 3.24 g/t Au) as well as an additional 1.82 million ounces in the inferred category (16.93 million tonnes at 3.34 g/t Au). For further details, please refer to the report entitled “AGM Inc. Aurora Gold Project- Updated Feasibility Study” dated January 18, 2016 available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
