US machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) company Orbcomm will acquire South African advanced satellite and remote asset-control and management company Skygistics to expand its geographic footprint in the African M2M and IoT markets, says Skygistics chairperson Kevin Eborall.

Greater direct access to leading- edge M2M and IoT technology is set to substantially benefit the African marketplace, he adds.

“Orbcomm brings to the market the latest technological products at competitive prices, owing to its economies of scale and focus on volume applications. “Orbcomm’s suite of products is complementary to the existing Skygistics offerings, and these will continue to be marketed and supported.”

One of the significant technological benefits of the transaction is that Skygistics clients and distributors now have access to the Orbcomm portfolio of products and services operating across Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and the Orbcomm satellite network.

African clients will benefit from the addition of 11 new state-of-the-art Orbcomm Generation 2 (OG2) satellites that were launched in December. This completed the OG2 low-earth orbit satellite constellation at an investment value exceeding $200-million.

Each of the OG2 satellites provides six times the data access and twice the transmission rate of existing Generation 1 satellites, providing faster message delivery, larger message sizes and better cover- age at higher latitudes, while significantly increasing network capacity.

“Coupled with an existing dedicated ground earth station in Hartebeesthoek, Gauteng, further improvements in communications capabilities and reduced data latency across the African continent are expected to significantly improve customers’ quality of service,” says Skygistics CEO Neil Hattingh.

With continued infrastructure growth and a vast landmass, the market potential for satellite and GSM-based communication technology in Africa is significant.