TC|Daily | Q-KON’s Dawie de Wet on big changes sweeping the satellite industry

There has never been a more exciting time to be in the satellite communications industry, says Dawie de Wet, CEO of Pretoria-based Q-KON.
In this episode of TC|Daily, De Wet, who is one of South Africa’s leading experts in satellite communications technology, tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the huge changes happening in the satellite space and what they mean for consumers and for industry.
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In the interview, De Wet talks about:
* The origins of Q-KON;
* Why satellite is going through something of a renaissance, despite the proliferation of terrestrial and subsea fibre infrastructure;
* GEO (geostationary orbit) vs MEO (medium-earth orbit) vs LEO (low-earth orbit) satellites – what are they, and what are the latest developments in each?;
* How satellite technology has advanced in leaps and bounds in recent years;
* Why it might not be the mobile operators that drive a consumer revolution in satellite adoption, but why a revolution is coming anyway;
* Starlink, OneWeb, Lightspeed, O3b mPower, AST SpaceMobile and other projects – and is there overinvestment taking place?;
* How Africa’s needs are different to the rest of the world’s; and
* Q-KON’s role in all of this.
This is a fascinating discussion about an often overlooked area of the technology industry – don’t miss it.