Pak Datacom Limited raises satellite bandwidth utilisation eightfold in one year

Pak Datacom Limited (PDL) has increased its satellite bandwidth utilisation eightfold within a year, according to Mettis Global, as demand for dependable, high-capacity links keeps rising. The company now serves around 550 major government, financial and corporate institutions. A company spokesman linked the faster upgrade of its satellite network to that demand, which has moved along through High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) technology and extra bandwidth.

The move to HTS followed the closure of PAKSAT-1R services, which had reached end of life, because the Standard-Ku capacity it needed was unavailable on MM1. PDL has also widened its Yahsat tie-up, in place since 2016, and now runs over 4,000 links, including more than 1,000 government connections, through several providers. Its multi-band strategy spans C-Band, Ku-Band and Ka-Band across HTS platforms such as Yahsat and Kacific, matched to customer requirements. The shift also eases constraints in the older Ku setup and allows more scalable links.

Security measures include VPNs, GRE tunnelling, firewalls, encryption, authentication and access controls, covering links that run from remote locations to client networks. PDL also pointed to a link for an ATM at Khunjerab Pass in Gilgit-Baltistan, at about 15,396 feet, which Guinness World Records recognised as the world's highest-altitude ATM. Separately, after acquiring its Fixed Line License, the company has started extending fibre networks in key areas, a move it says will generate direct and indirect employment.