Calling from Aldabra for only 55c |25 March 2011

Far from any large human settlement, the atoll is the perfect environment for scientists to observe, study and understand the unique species that thrive in this remote corner of the globe.

But the same remoteness that makes the atoll a researcher’s dream come true also turns living there into a daily challenge for the dedicated staff charged with protecting and managing the island.

Over 1000km from the inner islands, the logistical demands of running the atoll are far from straightforward, making communication with Mahe a key priority. But having previously relied on short-wave radio calls and a satellite phone for emergency use, the Aldabra team are now plugged into a Kokotalk connection providing secure, low-cost calls back to the inner islands.

Supplied by Kokonet, the Kokotalk system in use on the island connects a telephone handset directly to the internet, avoiding the expense of calling home through a satellite phone provider.

“On a remote island, communication makes a huge difference,” said Dr Frauke Fleischer-Dogley of the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF), which manages Seychelles’ two World Heritage Sites –Aldabra and the Valleé de Mai.

While most of the SIF’s official communication takes place via email, the equally important social contact for staff on the island, separated by hundreds of kilometres of ocean from their friends and family, is centred on the Kokotalk connection.

Dr Fleischer-Dogley said the Kokotalk phone, which is connected to the island’s dedicated internet network, is housed in the Aldabra library and is available for access by all the staff.

Despite Aldabra’s distance from Mahe, calls using the Kokotalk system are billed as local calls, meaning the island’s staff can call a landline telephone for only 55c plus GST for three minutes or a mobile phone for 99c plus GST per minute.

“Because of Aldabra’s location, it requires its own VSat internet connection. But even though this is supplied by another company from another country, we can still provide Kokotalk, letting the people living on the atoll call home at a very low cost,” said Kokonet’s sales and marketing manager Romano Laurence.

“We can supply Kokotalk to any outer island with an internet connection,” he said.

In addition to Aldabra, a number of other outer islands have signed up to the Kokotalk network, to make savings for both the organisations and individual members of staff hard at work far from home.

For more information about the Kokotalk service, contact Kokonet on 6474747.

Sponsored by Kokonet