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Worldspace System

The WorldSpace Corporation developed and manages the satellite system through which RANET is able to broadcast multimedia (data and video) content to all of Africa, most of Asia and Pacific through ALC (Africa Learning Channel) Multimedia Service on BCID (Broadcast Channel ID) 932 in Kenya.  Broadcast capacity is provided to RANET through the WorldSpace Foundation which is endowed with 5% capacity of the WorldSpace satellites for development and humanitarian purposes.

Information to be disseminated is sent to worldspace satellite from a computer server. The satellite then beams/sends that information down to a ground receiving equipment represented by a worldspace receiver radio through an antenna. The receiver is connected to a computer through a pc adaptor where data is archived. First Voice International has provided a platform to view downloaded information in a webpage form. This information range from weather, climate, agriculture, health, technology etc.

When is RANET content broadcast over the WS digital radio broadcast satellites?

RANET currently broadcasts at the beginning of every hour on the WorldSpace Afristar satellite on the Foundation's Africa Learning Channel Multimedia Service (ALC DATA)(BCID 932). Depending upon the hour 2 megabytes of information or as much as 10 megabytes of information may be transmitted. As the channel transfer rate is 64kbps, our information generally finished broadcasting 4 to 20 minutes after the beginning of the hour. Again, the amount of time will depend upon how much broadcast space RANET was allotted.
Content which is critical in nature (warnings, etc.) or which updates on a near hourly basis (some satellite imagery, etc.) is broadcast every hour.