Zuku Channels’ installers get trained and certified

You might have a set top box/decoder and all you think of is paying for it, getting it into your home, switching on the telly, and flipping through channels. But what about the middle man who actually installs it? Do you ever think of his credentials?

Global company SES Satellites, in partnership with Strong Technologies ( who acquired the rights for Zuku Channels here in Zambia), carried out a training workshop for its notable installers last week in the Lusaka and Copperbelt provinces, inviting installers from around the country that were considered the best in their regions.

The SES-Zuku channels installer training workshop called ‘Elevate‘ was meant to complement satellite and digital television services in Zambia with quality installations done by qualified installers.

Ibrahima Guima-Saidou, Senior Vice President of SES Commercial in Africa in a written statement said that the “the Elevate program was borne out of a need to complement the satellite and digital television roll-out on the African continent with quality installations, and also services to empower and benefit local business growth across the digital broadcasting environment through skills development. Our partnership with Strong Technologies aims to deliver e-service applications via satellite, including e-health and e-agriculture, and provide information and technology (ICT) development in urban and non-urban areas in Zambia.”

Lloyd Ngoma, Managing Director of Strong Zambia Technologies added that “The demand for Zuku Channels in Zambia led us to the plan for the training of the installers. Well trained installers will ensure that Zuku Channels’ customers are connected quickly and efficiently. We also wanted to empower Zambians in installation of Zuku Channels across the country, thus providing much needed jobs for several people.”

On whether Zambia is ready for the switch from analogue to digital migration, Ngoma said Zuku Channels is already on a digital platform, and the transition would not affect it.

170 installers were provided by Strong technologies for this Elevate installer training in Zambia. The workshop was to improve their installation skills and also give them certification and marketing tools that were the installers would use as reference points for their installation skills wherever they were hired.

Zuku is distributed by Strong Technologies’ agents in Zambia and offers up to 119 channels, most of them third-party, offering a lot of African content at a price of K599, satellite dish inclusive.