Type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Telecommunications |
Predecessor | SniperHill |
Founded | 2007 |
Headquarters | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
Website | dhitelecom |
DHI Telecom, LLC is a US commercial Internet service provider (ISP) that operates on U.S. and NATO bases in the Middle East including Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. DHI provides wired, fiber-optic cable, mobile Wi-Fi, and wireless commercial Internet access to US, coalition armed forces, direct-hire DoD, Department of the Army and State Department civilians, authorized civilian contractors, and international businesses participating in Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom. [1] DHI has additional operations in the UAE, Jordan, The Congo, Poland and Romania.
DHI Telecom competed against scores of companies for a contract with the DOD. On October 26, 2010 DHI was awarded a long-term DoD contract under the Army & Airforce Exchange Service, (The Exchange). As of September 2019, the company's operations on US and NATO bases throughout Afghanistan and Iraq are located in Baghdad, Kirkuk, and Um Qasr in Iraq and Bagram Airfield, Jalalabad, Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar e-Sharif, Camp Dwyer and Shindand Air Base in Afghanistan. DHI technology is also sold at The Exchange stores at major bases in Europe and the U.S.
ISP services offer seven packages tiered by download speed and length of each plan. The different plans range from 24-hour service, up to 30 days of unlimited service. Businesses supporting US/NATO missions can opt for small business plans.
In 2017 DHI Telecom launched Sapphire International Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspots. The pocket-sized devices use CloudSIM technology to connect in 130+ countries without SIM cards and local carrier plans. The Sapphire device connects to the strongest cellular signal and provides a secure Wi-Fi hub with up to 4G LTE speeds and can connect up to five internet devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets to a private hub. https://www.sapphirego.com/
Users can auto-obtain wireless connectivity using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)-IP addressing. Upon launching their Internet browser, subscribers are redirected to a captive portal homepage where they can either sign up for a new account, or logon to an existing account. Android and iOS mobile apps for Sapphire data plans are also available.
In each area of operation, technicians position a satellite earth station and erect and operate a main communication tower. Sectoral flat panel antennas affixed to the main tower provide 360-degree coverage for up to three square kilometers. A point-to-multi-point or terrestrial fiber optic backbone distributes and allocates bandwidth throughout the combat living areas. Each communication tower transmits an encrypted “invisible” signal through the use of licensed frequencies to commercial-grade wireless router antennas and wireless access points located throughout each US base. Data is encrypted between the company's hosts using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)-256 encryption algorithm. Sapphire mobile Wi-Fi devices are designed for 4G LTE speeds.
Operating an ISP inside war zones is costly due to the remote infrastructure, unconventional methodology, danger placed upon employees in harm's way and use of satellites that are required to get the bandwidth in and out of the OIF theatre. None of these constraints exist in the U.S. and other developed parts of the world. Also, bandwidth costs in the U.S. and elsewhere are nowhere near those found in Iraq because of America's Internet and Wi-Fi infrastructure, the surplus of fiber optic backbones and high speed cable lines to propagate bandwidth. With the infrastructure in place now within these camps, the Garrison Command ensures no soldier directly interferes, tampers, or destroys any of the wireless capabilities the Sniperhill contract has brought. The most common repair to such equipment is from normal wear and tear from the excessive heat and sand. Occasionally interference occurs from the hosting teleport.
Soldiers performing logistical operations within DHI's area of operation temporarily RON (rest overnight) at these camps. The "Target Practice" service is the most widely used option for the troops whose obligations involve convoy movement, as their stay is most likely to be less than 48 hours. This service costs $10 a day.
Network latency is the delay between requesting data and getting a response, or in the case of one-way communication, between the actual moment of broadcast and the time actually received at destination. Compared to ground-based communication such as fiber optics or cable lines, geostationary satellite communications experience higher latency than that of ground-based communications due to the signal having to travel 22,000 miles out into space to a satellite in geostationary orbit and back to Earth again.
The signal delay can be as much as 900 milliseconds or more, which makes most satellite-based Internet service unusable and unstable for applications requiring real-time user input, such as online games or remote surgery. The functionality of live interactive access to a distant computer can also be subject to these problems caused by high latency. These problems are more than tolerable for just basic email access and web browsing and in most cases are barely noticeable but are problematic for real-time applications and those requiring large amounts of bandwidth such as 512 kbit/s or 1 Mbit/s.
DHI Telecom began its first operations in Iraq in July 2007 as SniperHill Internet Services, LLC, by Wallace Davis and Jerry Hartless. SniperHill began providing internet services in Iraq in 2007. In March 2009, the company rebranded its webpage and slogan from "surf the net safely" to "Click | Move | Communicate," an adaption of U.S. Army jargon, "shoot, move, communicate." According to a report in 2010, [2] SniperHill was the first American ISP to bring fiber-optic Internet services to U.S. forces in Iraq. On October 26, 2011, DHI Telecom was awarded a long-term contract by The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), The Exchange, to provide in-room Internet services on U.S. and NATO bases throughout Afghanistan. In December 2011, SniperHill/Iraq was awarded a similar contract by The Exchange to provide the same services in Iraq. In early 2012, the Sniperhill company name was replaced with DHI Telecom Group in Afghanistan and IQSTC Communications in Iraq. In July 2017, DHI launched Sapphire, a wireless hotspot that provides wireless internet connectivity in over 100+ countries. In May 2018, Sapphire devices are sold through Army and Air Force Exchange Service stores overseas (Military.com [3] ).
Sapphire Wi-Fi devices have connectivity in 130+ countries. [4] In October 2018, DHI acquired UK-based TEP Wireless to immediately expand the DHI market to include international travelers. Global Travel While Staying Connected; BusinessWire (Press release).
Telecommunications in the Dominican Republic include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.
The following is an outline of communications technology in Morocco.
Telecommunications in Iraq include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet as well as the postal system.
Internet access is the ability of individuals and organizations to connect to the Internet using computer terminals, computers, and other devices; and to access services such as email and the World Wide Web. Internet access is sold by Internet service providers (ISPs) delivering connectivity at a wide range of data transfer rates via various networking technologies. Many organizations, including a growing number of municipal entities, also provide cost-free wireless access and landlines.
A wireless Internet service provider (WISP) is an Internet service provider with a network based on wireless networking. Technology may include commonplace Wi-Fi wireless mesh networking, or proprietary equipment designed to operate over open 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 4.9, 5, 24, and 60 GHz bands or licensed frequencies in the UHF band, LMDS, and other bands from 6 GHz to 80 GHz.
A hotspot is a physical location where people can obtain Internet access, typically using Wi-Fi technology, via a wireless local-area network (WLAN) using a router connected to an Internet service provider.
WiBro is a wireless broadband Internet technology developed by the South Korean telecoms industry. WiBro is the South Korean service name for IEEE 802.16e international standard. By the end of 2012, the Korean Communications Commission intends to increase WiBro broadband connection speeds to 10Mbit/s, around ten times the 2009 speed, which will complement their 1Gbit/s fibre-optic network. The WiBro networks were shut down at the end of 2018.
Fon Wireless Ltd. is a for-profit company incorporated and registered in the United Kingdom that provides wireless services. Fon was founded in Madrid, Spain, in 2006, by Martín Varsavsky where it headquarters most of its operations.
Fiber to the x or fiber in the loop is a generic term for any broadband network architecture using optical fiber to provide all or part of the local loop used for last mile telecommunications. As fiber optic cables are able to carry much more data than copper cables, especially over long distances, copper telephone networks built in the 20th century are being replaced by fiber.
In a hierarchical telecommunications network, the backhaul portion of the network comprises the intermediate links between the core network, or backbone network, and the small subnetworks at the edge of the network.
Whidbey Telecom is a private, independent telecommunications company operating on the South End of Whidbey Island in Washington State, the community of Point Roberts, Washington, and its affiliate Hat Island Telephone Company on Hat (Gedney) Island. Whidbey Telecom has been locally owned and operated since it started business in 1908.
In Romania, there are 18.8 million connections to the Internet. Romania's country code is .ro. The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states. There were over 600 000 domains registered under .ro at the end of 2012.
The internet in Cuba covers telecommunications in Cuba including the Cuban grassroots wireless community network and Internet censorship in Cuba.
Like many developed and developing countries, the Internet in Bangladesh has witnessed significant growth. Although facing many constraints in expanding Internet access and use, development of the Internet and Information Technology are high government priorities. In March, 2021 Internet users in Bangladesh increased to 116 million. On 19 February 2018, Bangladesh started the 4G network service.
The Internet in Pakistan has been available since the early 1990s. Pakistan has about 124 million internet users, making it the 7th-largest population of internet users in the world. Information and communications technology (ICT) is one of the fastest growing industries in the country. In 2001 just 1.3% of the population used the Internet. By 2006 this figure had grown to 6.5% and in 2012 to 10.0%. As of July 2021; the percentage of internet users in Pakistan is 54%, which translates into approximately 118 million citizens having access to internet.
Internet in Tajikistan became present within the country during the early 1990s. Tajikistan had just become independent in 1992, with Emomali Rahmon as the new ruler, when the internet was introduced to the country. Nevertheless, it was after over a decade that the country’s internet became more accessible. The history of the internet’s foundation in Tajikistan extends from 1992 to present-day Tajikistan. By 2009, internet penetration had developed since the initial conception of the internet in Tajikistan and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) had increased in number. In terms of the ISPs, Tajikistan primarily relied upon satellite-based connections using Discovery Global Networks.
WorldLink Communications is an Internet service provider in Nepal. The nation's largest ISP, it has 900,000 active consumer accounts and 2,000 business accounts, along with approximately 25,000 subscribers to its NET TV IPTV service, and covers 73 of the nation's 77 districts. As of 2023, it has around 700,000 fiber to the home customers and 31% market share in Nepal.
Angola Cables is an Angolan multinational telecommunications operator of fiber-optic telecommunication cables.
BharatNet, also known as Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), is a central public sector undertaking, set up by the Department of Telecommunications, a department under Ministry of Communications of the Government of India for the establishment, management, and operation of the National Optical Fibre Network to provide a minimum of 100 Mbit/s broadband connectivity to all 250,000-gram panchayats in the country, covering nearly 625,000 villages, by improving the middle layer of nation-wide broadband internet in India to achieve the goal of Digital India.
Tep Wireless, branded as Tep, is a telecommunications company which provides mobile broadband for international travelers. The aim of the service is to prevent roaming fees for individuals going abroad, while keeping them connected to the Internet anywhere they go. The service is rendered via pre-paid MiFi devices, which are delivered to users before their trip or picked up at various airports. At the end of the user's trip, the MiFi device is returned by post or dropped off at airports. Tep delivers its mobile broadband service through partnerships with global network operators, including Vodafone. The WiFi device can be ordered on the company's website, or those of Expedia or VisitBritain.DHI Telecom acquired Tep Wireless in October 2018 and continues to operate as a subsidiary.
[5] In January 2019, DHI Telecom Introduces Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspots, Once Only Available to the Military, at The New York Times Travel Show, (MarketWatch [6] ).
[7] In April 2019, DHI opened its new Houston headquarters, (MarketWatch).
[8] In June 2019, DHI acquired French-based Travel WiFi to increase its presence in France and to provide customers with easy wi-fi hotspot pickup at airports in Paris DHI Telecom Acquires French-Based Travel WiFi; YahooFinance.
[9] In June 2019, DHI acquired Trinus, a mobile Wi-Fi provider based in Chile and Peru (MorningStar).
[10] October 28, 2019, DHI Telecom's Mobile Hotspot Wins Gold in San Francisco's Golden Bridge Awards Ceremony; YahooFinance.
[11] November 13, 2019, DHI Telecom acquires Singapore-based Yogofi mobile Wi-Fi; Morning Star.
[12] March 06, 2020, DHI Telecom Acquires Paris-based Bienvenue WiFi for Travelers; Business Wire