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Gilat Satcom Believes in Connectivity for Everybody- Alex

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Alex Petropouliadis is vice president, Sales Africa, Gilat Satcom,
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Alex Petropouliadis is vice president, Sales Africa, Gilat Satcom, the communication solutions provider that offers satellite and fiber-based connectivity solutions in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Petropouliadis joined Gilat Satcom in 2007 as a regional sales director and was appointed VP Sales Africa in 2012.
Prior to joining Gilat Satcom, Petropouliadis worked for Xerox and was part of the management team and has also worked for Creo as a sales director responsible for SADC sales.
Petropouliadis on a recent working visit to Nigeria spoke to peter ugwu on a wide range of issues.

Gilat Satcom’s Mission in Nigeria
Our main target is to become the biggest Internet Service Provider (ISP) Company in the country. I will say Gilat today has become a pan-African company.
What we do as a new strategy is to acquire businesses all over Africa. We are combining them under one brand, which is Gilat.
The idea started about a year ago and became a strategy for the company; since then we have been able to acquire three operations in Zambia, Nigeria and DRC.
Gilat’s core business has always been satellite and we have decided that the core focal area and the strategy should change hence we engage in buying home-grown and developing businesses in Africa. 
We have invested about $20 million in West-Indian Ocean Cable Consortium (WIOCC); the biggest investor in the EASSY cable in East Africa.
With this investment, we became a shareholder in WIOCC. Apart from that we also purchased capacity through this organization on the WIOCC cable.
The route is actually a big ring starting from London, going around the continent (Africa).  The good news is that we have a full redundancy ring with fibre capacity in Africa.
So, basically we engage in the technologies-satellite, which has always been our world business and we are continuing with it and engage in fiber connectivity.

African Focus
We decided to have local presence in Africa, starting with acquiring local presence. In addition to what we already have, we are finalizing the acquisitions of businesses in Niger and Burkina Faso; by end of 2013, we would have five full operational bases in Africa.
Our people oriented strategies will continue in 2014 with the aim to have seven additional ISPs in Africa.
Of course, we are not going to reach every country in Africa; it all depends on the business case of the country we have mapped out to reach out to, just like some countries in Central Africa.
Nigeria is one of our major targeted markets; here we have commenced 100% operation; today we emphasis on aspects of communication in Nigeria, especially in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt.
We are planning to have redundant ring connecting the three cities; you can imagine a triangle moving from Lagos to Abuja, there to Port Harcourt and back to Lagos.
The impact would be that when have a cut, we can reroute the traffic back to the customers.  By this we are achieving full redundancy.
Secondly, we are part of WACS, we see our customers’ needs and the primary need is redundancy.
So, we are solving the challenges local in the country through the range-rings, but still not limited to one infrastructure so that when one network is down we should not be down as well.
We are actually taking capacity from other vendors like MainOne Cables, Glo 1, integrating them into one system; when a provider goes down, the other one comes up immediately.

The Last-Mile Infrastructure
Basically, we are a carrier of carriers. We sell capacities not directly to the home users.
However, we are introducing a latest technology into the market to mitigate some customers’ related challenges.
We supply capacity to other ISPs, cellular operators, among others. Unless a government office, we would not sell directly to the customer.
I understand there are challenges in the country today, eventually, as more competitors enter the market, more fibers laid, they will be solved.
Many countries in Europe, United States, and other developed countries started exactly the same way Nigeria and other African countries are going today.
The last mile is the problem, but the stakeholders-individuals, corporations and the nation at large will overcome that.
If you are to reach everywhere and reduce the price, then solving the challenge of last-mile is paramount in the process.
Taking the capacity from the shore is very cheap, but extending it to Port Harcourt is very high.
This is the biggest challenge that could be solved with more players coming in; Gilat is not the playing this game per say, we are not laying fiber rather we are adopting other infrastructure.

Gilat’s New Product
We have developed a new product and we are introducing them into the African market.
It is something that will basically give people internet connectivity in a very small modem (box) in a size of 20 meters.
There will be an accompanying dish of about 90 meters (the same used for the DSTV). The modem is able to reach high speed internet uplink through a cellular using the cellular modem (uplink) and downlink via satellite.

Idea behind the Innovation
Today, the market is used to the cellular data spurred by the evolution in mobile devices. 
The user experience about how the devices are connected for surfing the internet actually depends on the download, not the upload. For instance, when you want to get CNN online via Google, to cull up the page you are actually uploading a request to the web.
The internet sees it and downloads the site for your usage. The big content and the user experience depend on the downlink.
When you download you have the picture, texts, video, they are actually big contents; so the bigger the bandwidth is the better the user experience.
It makes people happy; saves time, energy, resources and enhances productivity. What we did is to leverage on the issue cellular companies have ingested on their towers and links.
We expect the product to get to every home. Another feature embedded in the product is WiFi, which allows people to share data or connectivity.
The price will be based on consumption level as well. We are segmenting it, because we are not targeting just home users alone; we are creating opportunities for the small and medium enterprises to benefit from it. Gilat will always be on the forefront of innovation in this regard.

Solutions for Banking and Financial Institutions
We have several banks working with us on deploying primary links for redundancy actualization. We are very well known in the industry.
Essentially, we have an iDirect hub in Lagos where any bank can connect for a capacity it can use for any application.
In the mean time, a number of banks are accepting the offer. The hub serves both for regular and private networks. We have invested about $1 million dollars in this hub just to set it up in the neighbourhood.

Crash of Broadband Internet Price in 2014
It is absolutely possible. However, it depends on the market segment the analysts are talking about. If you are talking about the home user, the answer is definitely yes.
For example, the new product we are introducing to the market has reduced price compared to what is already in the market.
For corporate, depending again on where they are located. Like I said earlier, pricing depends, largely, on the last-mile; that is taking the capacity from Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and other cities.
As more players enter the market the prices will go down and then the corporate entities will enjoy lower pricing.
The issue will be the time those players will recoup their investment; because if companies after laying fibers and deploying other infrastructure, they could not recoup their investment they will become distressed.
The cost of laying the fibers cost money. Based on the fact that investors are coming into the Nigerian market means it will not be long even the corporate bodies will enjoy bandwidth at reduced prices.
Today, we have Glo1, MainOne Cable, SAT-1, WACS and a new one coming up; the user experience and cost will always get better.
We are talking about terabytes of capacities. It is similar with other markets; when you are growing the prices are usually high, nevertheless more investments brings price down. So, as soon as companies make gains from their investment, new players entering the market, then monopoly has since been eliminated, it will cruise.

Africa and Broadband Ubiquity
I believe, it will not be long, Africa will witness broadband ubiquity. We are all striving towards this initiative.
It is an initiative that Gilat Satcom delights in. We believe that each country and each person should be connected to the world.
There are many challenges in Africa and outside Africa. In each continent there are challenges; Africa has the challenge of the last-mile, US had it, Europe experienced it.
So there may be additional challenge in each country. I truly believe that five years from now, in Africa, there will be full connectivity given the enormous investments going on. If  you remember in some African countries, with exception of Nigeria, five years ago, they had not internet and ill-afford it.
They were only the government and big companies that were connected; people had no access to 3G or cellular connectivity, but look at what we have today. And in five years we can compete with other developed countries of the world. 

Assessment of Government Policies
I am very satisfied with what the government is doing. I had met with several government officials in Nigeria, discussing on the way forward and I could see the passion and willingness to develop the system, give the people the connectivity they want.
Today, everybody has one smart device or the other looking for connectivity and government is interested on that.

Competition among ISPs
My company’s competition is not with the local ISPs. They are my customers; the people that
I will supply my capacities to.They are the ones to distribute my hybrid product. Although, may be some cases customers may approach Gialt directly, we will define what they want and decide to sell directly to them.
But that will be a fraction of business we are doing now. We are carrier of carriers. We are not deploying directly to homes.
If someone wants a gig of bandwidth I will not sell to him, he has to approach the ISPs. There is an aspect that can raise some concerns because the companies we are carrying also deploy the solutions and that is the beauty of competition. But we are not afraid. As many competitors are there, the better for the market. Our uniqueness will give us an edge in the market. 
       


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General News

Harmonised Tax Bills Ready, May Get NASS Approval Today

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The National Assembly has hinted that it may consider passing the harmonised tax reform bills by Tuesday, following a successful review of the troubling clauses in the proposed legislation.

This was disclosed by the Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, James Faleke, via his official X account on Sunday. Faleke is the leader of the House delegation for the bills harmonisation exercise.

He tweeted, “The conference committee set up by the House and the Senate on the Tax Reform Bills has successfully concluded its work. The joint committees thoroughly reviewed all sections and addressed the grey areas of the four bills, examining each clause strategically and resolving contentious issues.

“After an intensive deliberation that stretched through Thursday night, all day Friday, and into the early hours of Saturday, I am pleased to report that the bills are now ready for presentation to both the House and the Senate for final passage.

“I would like to especially appreciate the Senate conference committee, ably led by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, the Distinguished Senator Sani Musa, as well as all members of the Senate Conference Committee.

“I also extend heartfelt gratitude to my colleagues on the House Conference Committee, which I had the honour to lead, for their unwavering commitment to the Nigerian people. We are truly grateful for your dedication and resilience in bringing this important task to a conclusion.”

It was reported that the four tax bills were sent two weeks ago to the joint harmonisation committee made up of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives to reconcile the amendments of both Chambers before it is transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for his assent.

After announcing the passage of the bills following a majority voice vote, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, praised the lawmakers for their sacrifice in ensuring that the tax system in Nigeria meets an international standard.

He said, “These four executive bills seek to transform and modernise the tax system in Nigeria.”

The move came barely 24 hours after the Upper Chamber earlier cleared two of the bills before pushing the remaining legislation for consideration on Thursday.

Addressing journalists after the plenary, the Chairman of the ad hoc committee for the tax reform bills and the lawmaker representing Niger East Senatorial District, Senator Sani Musa, explained that they did their best to ensure the taxation system in Nigeria meets international standards.

Musa also disclosed that parts of the tax proceeds will be used to fight cybercrime, boost defence infrastructure, the TETfund, and aid soldiers in their efforts to restore peace and safety in the country.

Continuing, the Niger Senator explained that the senators recommended that the President needs to appoint a chairman and create an ombudsman to arbitrate and adjudicate on tax-related matters.

The legislator also harped on the need for the establishment of a tax tribunal, which he said cannot be overemphasised.

“It is not à court of record. We have looked at the issue of VAT, coĺlection of taxes, development levies, and inheritance tax, which had been expunged.

“I believe Nigerians wiĺl see something nice from this. We also commend the President for giving a level playing field to all,” he said.

 


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Google I/O 2025 Showcases Temu’s Innovations in Digital Shopping with Web UI Primitives

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E-commerce platform highlighted as a case study in applying Google’s latest Web UI primitives to enhance interactivity and performance in online shopping experiences.

Temu was featured at Google I/O 2025 as an early adopter of Google’s new Web UI primitives—a set of Web UI APIs designed to improve interactivity, performance, and responsiveness in web applications. The e-commerce platform was presented at the conference as a case study for implementing these technologies to deliver a more dynamic and engaging digital shopping experience.

Google I/O is Google’s premier annual developer conference, where the company unveils its latest products, showcases innovations across its portfolio, and shares its vision for the future of technology.

This year, the conference’s focus includes new Web UI primitives designed to simplify the development of common yet complex components—such as Carousels, Tooltips, and Drop-down menus—to create more seamless and responsive user experiences.

“Temu, the e-commerce company, has been setting the bar when it comes to applying these new primitives to their full potential,” said Paul Kinlan, Lead of Chrome Developer Relations at Google I/O 2025. “The web is becoming more stylish and responsive every single day.”

Since integrating the MPA View Transitions API, Temu has seen a 10% increase in user session duration and a 15% rise in page views, according to Paul Kinlan’s presentation. The platform has also been piloting several new APIs—including Carousels, Popover, Anchor Positioning, and Customizable Select—which have improved page performance and reduced CPU load by 10–15%, helping to lower device battery consumption and interactivity latencies. Google also highlighted its collaboration with Temu to enable next-generation capabilities for select features.

Temu has been actively adopting cutting-edge technologies to enhance customers’ digital shopping experiences. It was one of the first developers to optimize its app for the Google Pixel Fold and integrate Android’s “dialog full-screen dim” feature, earning recognition from Google. Temu is listed as an Editors’ Choice on the Google Play Store.

Since its debut in September 2022, Temu has rapidly expanded to over 90 markets worldwide, offering a diverse range of merchandise at highly competitive prices. Temu was named a top Apple-recommended app of 2024 and operates one of the most visited e-commerce websites in the world.


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HEDA Sues FG, Oil Giants over Alleged Unlawful Oil Licence Transfer

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Incorporated Trustees of HEDA Resource Centre have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government, multinational oil companies, and Nigerian government agencies at the Federal High Court in Lagos, challenging the legality of a significant oil asset divestment deal.

HEDA Sues FG, Oil Giants over Alleged Unlawful Oil Licence Transfer

In suit number FHC/L/CS/850/25, filed by Kunle Adegoke (SAN), HEDA is seeking a court determination on whether the transfer of interests in oil mining lease assets by Eni Societa Per Azioni, Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited, and Oando PLC complied with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 and other relevant regulatory frameworks.

The civil society group alleges that the transaction violated multiple statutory provisions, including the Guidelines for Obtaining Minister’s Consent to Assignment of Interest in Oil and Gas Assets (2021), the Upstream Petroleum Environmental Regulations (2022), the Gas Flaring, Venting and Methane Emissions Regulations (2023), and the Upstream Petroleum Environmental Remediation Regulations (2024).

The defendants in the suit include the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

HEDA is asking the court to declare the transaction unlawful, invalid, and of no legal effect, asserting that proper legal and environmental procedures were not observed.

The organisation also seeks a perpetual injunction restraining the government agencies from recognizing or approving the deal and an order nullifying any ministerial consent already granted.

Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, chairman, HEDA, stated that the legal action reflects the organisation’s enduring commitment to transparency, environmental justice, and regulatory compliance in Nigeria’s extractive sector.

“This suit is about more than a corporate deal; it’s about the integrity of our regulatory systems and the future of environmental governance in Nigeria. We cannot allow powerful interests to bypass laws meant to protect citizens, the environment, the economy, and the integrity of the country,” he said.

HEDA maintains that this case represents a crucial test of the Nigerian government’s willingness to enforce the PIA and uphold accountability within the oil and gas industry.

“With this legal step, HEDA aims to set a precedent that oil licence transfers and divestments must strictly adhere to Nigerian law, especially in an era where environmental sustainability and responsible governance are paramount,” the statement concluded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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