Telecom
Communication Satellite can Deliver Broadband, NigComSat Boss
Engr. Timasaniyu Ahmed-Rufai, chief executive officer, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat) has x-rayed how broadband could improve economics and create a win-win situation for governments and concluded that his agency has the ingredients to add pep to the broadband revolution.
Speaking at the 2013 e-Nigeria conference on local content hosted by Nigerian IT Development Agency (NITDA) recently in Abuja, Ahmed-Rufai asked in his paper “Satellite based broadband in Nigeria, prospects and challenges” Why Broadband? and listed the seemingly misgivings and skepticism of policy makers that broadband can actually deliver services and improve the wellbeing of citizens?
He provided some answers in his paper, listing various aspects of broadband delivery, which include Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), Cable broadband, Wireless broadband like GSM, WIMAX, CDMA and Wi-Fi, Symmetric broadband (SDSL) and Satellite broadband via Communications Satellite on varying bands including Ku, C and most recently higher spectral frequencies like Ka-band and beyond.
According to the NigComSat boss, Africa remains the least wired continent in the world today “in terms of robust telecommunications infrastructure and systems to cater for its nearly one billion population”.
This underscores the reason for high demand in the form of communication satellites and variants of terrestrial wireless systems more than in any other continent for the sole purpose of bridging its digital hiatus, complementing the group of inadequate terrestrial ICT infrastructure in the rural areas, swampy and landlocked terrains thus playing a critical role of delivering ICT readiness in un-served and underserved areas.
In Nigeria for instance there is a combined landed submarine optic fibre capacity of over 10 terra bit per second (Tbit) but only about 0.5Tbps gets to the hinterland.
Besides: Internet penetration stands at 33% while broadband penetration is put at 6%; 72.25% of access is via wireless networks, mainly GSM while the remaining 27.75% access is via other media; and 2G mobile coverage is 65% while 3G is only 35% and this is concentrated in urban areas so technically only urban areas enjoy the luxury of broadband.
And in a country where over 70% of its population resides in the rural areas, he said the limitation of access to broadband via cable may be bridged via NigComSat-1R which could serve as conduit to improve access links but sadly NigComSat-1R is today grossly underutilised.
The effect is that huge capacity of cable broadband is left at the shores thereby encouraging capital flight which is put at $450m yearly spent on bandwidth purchase from abroad.
Ahmed-Rufai emphasized that Communications Satellite is the answer as a “low hanging fruit” to meet short and medium term plans of the National Broadband Plan, because “if we must optimize access to information and guarantee universal access in the short and medium term to all citizens, including those in the remote areas then communication satellite should remain within the framework of our ICT policy and broadband implementation to complement existing but inadequate terrestrial infrastructure as well as strategic national and continental telecommunication infrastructure during natural disasters and emergencies.”
He also advised that there should be a policy by government on the use of satellite broadband as primary source of internet in rural and swampy areas with associated ground technologies and redundancy in areas with optic fibre to mitigate against cuts, damages and theft considering our geography, lack of channelized roads, subways, railways and poor urban and regional planning.
Ahmed-Rufai said Satellite Communications can indeed deliver broadband because it has been a major means of broadcast, mass media, free to air TV, medical science especially Tele-medicine, e-learning among others.
NigComSat-1R was launched December 19, 2011, and it is a quad band made up of C, K, Ka, and L bands. There are 40 transponders out of which 28 are active while 12 are redundant. Commercial activities on the satellite began on March 19, 2012 after a successful In-Orbit Test (IOT) and In-Orbit Delivery (IOD) with modest achievement in terms of improving and driving national broadband access in homes, offices, businesses, schools in Nigeria as well as prospects and potentials outside Nigeria.
Nigeria’s telecom operators recorded 155, 397 fibre-cut incidents between April and May 2026, and these they blame on why internet or calls suddenly stop working.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed fibre-cut incidents increased from 74 276 in April to a record 79 121 in May, bringing the two-month total to the highest level recorded by the industry.
This represents a 2 428% increase from the 5 934 incidents reported during the first quarter of 2026.
Vandalism remained the leading cause of fibre cuts, accounting for more than 54 000 incidents despite telecom infrastructure being designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, a classification intended to strengthen protection of key digital assets.
Also road construction constantly damages fiber where iggers and machines tear up buried cables during road repairs or construction.
Even with all these, some state governments make it hard for companies to fix cables quickly across different areas with all manners of fees and levies.
The NCC designation provides for penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment for offenders, but operators continue to face widespread infrastructure damage.
Proposed solutions, including Nigeria’s Dig-Once policy and AI-powered fibre sensing technologies, have yet to achieve widespread adoption.
The NCC is developing a cost-based framework for shared underground duct infrastructure, while operators are exploring AI-powered fibre sensing technologies that can detect cable damage in real time and improve network resilience.
Nigeria is pursuing ambitious broadband targets under its National Broadband Plan and has expanded fibre deployment to about 35 000 kilometres.
However, infrastructure protection has not kept pace with network expansion, leaving subscribers vulnerable to unreliable connectivity despite continued operator investment.
Standard Bank has partnered with Helios Towers to provide a $29 million Social Documentary Credit Facility. According to the financial services company, this transaction marks Standard Bank’s first Documentary Credit Facility structured in a Sustainable Finance format.
It notes that the facility will support the procurement and importation of telecommunications infrastructure and related services across Africa.
It will also provide payment certainty to suppliers, while supporting Helios Towers’ working capital requirements and infrastructure expansion programme, the bank adds.
Structured in accordance with the Loan Market Association’s Social Loan Principles, the financing is designed to promote digital connectivity and telecommunications infrastructure development in underserved markets.
This will help Helios Towers further expand its footprint and enhance mobile network coverage and connectivity across the continent.
Helios Towers operates one of Africa’s independent telecommunications tower platforms, enabling mobile network operators to extend coverage across multiple markets.
Standard Bank notes that the facility supports the expansion of tower infrastructure and services, increased network densification and improved connectivity in underserved markets and remote regions across the African continent.
It will also drive digital inclusion and tackle the digital divide while supporting economic growth and socio-economic development.
“This transaction demonstrates the power of innovation in trade finance. By combining a first-to-market Social Documentary Credit Facility with a cross-border funding solution, Standard Bank has supported Helios Towers’ growth ambitions while helping extend digital connectivity to underserved communities across Africa,” says Benoit Samouilhan, global transaction banker at Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking.
According to the bank, this facility enables positive social impact by increasing and improving network coverage and connectivity in some of the world’s most remote regions.
“Reliable digital infrastructure is fundamental to Africa’s future growth and development,” says Alex Carter, group finance director at Helios Towers.
“This facility provides us with the flexibility and certainty needed to support our ongoing infrastructure investments while advancing our mission of expanding connectivity across the continent. We value our longstanding relationship with Standard Bank and look forward to building on this partnership.”
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will on Thursday convene a stakeholders’ consultative forum to review the draft business rules for Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) in Nigeria.
NCC
The forum, scheduled to hold at 10 a.m. at the NCC Annex Office, Mbora, Abuja, is expected to bring together telecommunications operators, industry associations and other stakeholders to provide input on the proposed regulatory framework before its finalisation.
The commission announced the event on its official social media platforms, inviting interested stakeholders to participate in the consultation process.
The engagement is part of the NCC’s efforts to strengthen the regulatory framework for MVNO operations and promote greater competition, innovation and consumer choice in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
Mobile Virtual Network Operators are telecommunications service providers that offer mobile services by leasing network capacity from licensed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), rather than owning spectrum licences or telecommunications infrastructure.
The NCC has identified the MVNO licensing framework as one of its initiatives aimed at deepening competition, expanding access to telecommunications services and driving digital inclusion across the country.
The consultative forum is expected to provide stakeholders with the opportunity to review the draft business rules, make recommendations and contribute to the development of a robust operational framework for the emerging MVNO segment.
The commission is expected to issue further details on the outcome of the consultation after the meeting.
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