General News
How Satellite Internet Could Weather Future Disasters
Greg Wyler, founder of the OneWeb satellite venture has said that his mission is to bring affordable Internet services to the entire globe — and that also means beefing up the connectivity for the first responders and survivors facing deadly disasters like Cyclone Pam.
That powerful storm ripped through the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu this week, leaving widespread death and destruction in its wake.
Responding to the disaster has been difficult in part because the cyclone wiped out communication links. And that’s where satellite-based connectivity could be a life-saver, said Greg Wyler, OneWeb founder and CEO.
“Communications can come with the people servicing the area,” Wyler told NBC News on Monday. “They can bring their own infrastructure. You can enable people on the ground who already have a communication device to become part of the solution.”
OneWeb is just one of several ventures that hope to start delivering Internet and mobile services via satellite sometime in the next few years. But if Wyler’s venture stays on track, it could be one of the first to make it to the marketplace. He said the current schedule calls for launches to begin in 2017, with network activation in 2019.
The initial plan calls for a constellation of about 650 small satellites to be put into orbit, providing global data services at speeds of 50 megabits per second or faster. Wyler estimated the cost for the first phase of the venture at around $2 billion.
Some of the logistics for the network still have to be worked out — but many of OneWeb’s partnerships already have been put into place:
Virgin Galactic, founded by billionaire Richard Branson, will provide launch services. Wyler said other launchers would be used as well.
Qualcomm, a leader in wireless products and services, is working on the hardware.
Honeywell Aerospace said this month that it would provide aircraft equipment and airtime services for OneWeb’s network.
Rockwell Collins announced on Monday that it would work with OneWeb on satellite communication terminals for aircraft.
Wyler foresees a time when emergency teams could bring the Internet and phone services to the scene of a disaster on their helicopters, airplanes and trucks.
“The first responders in that environment would have mobile networks running regardless of the situation,” he said. “And for users on the ground, their cellphones and smartphones would still work to the extent that it was allowed. … We can change those survivors into supporters.”
OneWeb is planning to produce multi-user Internet terminals that could be installed on the roof of a home or school, as shown in this photo. Such terminals would be solar-powered, with a price tag in the range of $250, OneWeb founder Greg Wyler says.
Emergency response is just one of the potential applications for OneWeb, Wyler said. He envisions having terminals installed on commercial jets and private airplanes, in homes and in schools — and not just for the developed world, but also for the estimated 4 billion people who don’t have Internet access today.
OneWeb’s objective is to offer multi-user satellite terminals for less than $250, and work out deals with telecom providers to bring Internet services within reach of potential users in the developing world.
“Our mission is to enable affordable access for everyone,” Wyler said.
Airline travelers could benefit as well. Today’s in-flight networks generally put limits on streaming video or other high-bandwidth services, but Wyler said OneWeb’s aircraft terminals would change the equation.
This artist’s conception shows a compact Internet terminal installed on the roof of a Beechcraft airplane.
“This will allow an [Airbus] A380 to stream Netflix anywhere in the world,” Wyler said. “We are solving a big problem for emerging markets, which is literally half the world, and the other half is connected only intermittently.”
He acknowledged that other ventures — including SpaceX and Outernet — are also planning to offer satellite Internet services. But he doesn’t see them as threats.
“It’s best not to look at things in terms of being competitive, because the market is so large,” he said. “No one will solve 100 percent of the need. We’re really just making dents in the market.”
Wyler is delivering a keynote address at the Satellite 2015 conference in Washington on Tuesday.
Federal government recently received a proposed protocol agreement from India that could pave the way for agricultural cooperation between the two countries.
Abishek Singh, India’s high commissioner to Nigeria, announced the proposal recently n Abuja during the India-Nigeria Business Forum on Agriculture and Allied Sectors.
New Delhi’s proposed cooperation would support Nigeria’s food security efforts, with the goal of reducing post-harvest losses by nearly 50% and expanding agricultural processing.
It would also cover technology transfers, mechanization, financing solutions and capacity building.
Abuja has opened similar discussions with China.
Only recently, Mukhtar Muhammed, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, said Nigeria wanted to deepen scientific and technological cooperation with Beijing in agriculture.
The discussions with China have focused on developing low-cost, solar-powered cold storage facilities and transferring food-processing technologies.
Nigeria, also wants to work with Chinese research institutes to develop infrastructure that can improve the preservation of perishable products.
Nigeria’s outreach to its Asian partners addresses a major problem for the agricultural sector.
The Bank of Agriculture (BoA) estimates that Africa’s most populous country loses 30 million to 40 million tons of food each year before it reaches consumers.
Those losses are worth an average of about N3.5 trillion ($2.5 billion) annually, according to data the institution presented at a workshop in Kaduna in July 2026.
Perishable products are particularly vulnerable, according to local media reports, with fruits and vegetables accounting for an estimated 40% to 50% of total losses.
The government has already launched its own response to the problem.
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) indicted the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and other ministries over administrative lapses that allowed the fictitious Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) to operate.
Musa Aliyu, chairman, ICPC, stated that NITDA, alongside the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), the Budget Office, and other bodies, failed to carry out adequate due diligence and standard operating procedures.
ICPC said however, clarified that the findings pointed to severe internal control weaknesses and administrative negligence rather than active official complicity by NITDA and the other affected agencies.
The briefing followed a 30-day investigation ordered by the president on July 7 into allegations surrounding the purported presidential council.
The commission also cleared the presidency and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) of any wrongdoing but blamed institutional lapses in several ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
Aliyu said investigators established that Adeniyi Adeyemi, the director-general, was never appointed by the federal government and that the PFIPC had no legal existence.
“As you may recall, on the 7th of July, Mr. President directed the ICPC to conduct an investigation into the fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and submit a report within 30 days,” he said.
“Today, exactly within the stipulated period, we have submitted an interim report based on our interactions with all stakeholders involved.”
According to Aliyu, Tinubu directed the commission to make its findings public in the interest of transparency and accountability.
He said the investigation found that Adeyemi’s purported appointment letter was forged.
“It has been established that Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was never appointed by the Federal Government or any authority whatsoever,” he said.
“The Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, which sometimes they called the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, was never established by any law, executive order or any valid instrument of government.
“The appointment letter presented by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was completely forged alongside similar documents used to perpetuate the illegal activities of the fake agency.”
Aliyu stated that a purported government gazette used to legitimise the organisation was also fabricated.
“If you recall, there was a gazette which he used to support the fake agency. That gazette is an illegal document that never passed through the processes prescribed by law,” he stated.
“Our investigation found that the office used by the fake agency was the office of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. The office was broken into and access was gained illegally. That was how he was able to operate from there.”
Aliyu also revealed that investigators uncovered two additional fictitious government agencies allegedly created by the suspect — the FCT Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency/Public-Private Partnership (FIPA-PPP).
According to him, fake legislative instruments were used to create the agencies and open bank accounts.
Despite the elaborate scheme, the ICPC chairman said the investigation found no evidence that federal government funds were disbursed to the fake council.
“Our investigation found that no funds of the federal government were approved or disbursed to the fake PFIPC,” he said.
“We also discovered no weaknesses in the systems of the State House or the Central Bank of Nigeria during our investigation. The fake appointment letter did not originate from the presidency.
“Our investigation found that some public officers failed to carry out due diligence and failed to comply with standard operating procedures in their ministries and departments. That gave him the opportunity to carry out these illegal acts.”
Nigeria tax system is build on taxing prosperity not poverty, according to Dr. Zacch Adedeji, executive chairman, Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).
Dr. Zacch Adedeji, executive chairman, Nigeria Revenue Service
Adedeji, also dismissed the insinuation that the government’s tax reform is aimed at extracting money from Nigerians .
He said the essence of reform is creating an economic environment where individuals and businesses can prosper.
Dr. Adedeji made the clarifications on Sunday night while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he defended the administration’s tax reforms and addressed concerns over rising government revenue amid the economic hardship facing Nigerians.
According to him, the government’s objective is to tax the fruits of investment rather than the investment itself.
“For us at Nigeria Tax, we are not there to extract. Our focus is not revenue. I don’t want to tax poverty. I’m to tax the fruit, not the seed, and I’m to tax the return, not investment.”
Adedeji explained that the government would generate more revenue as businesses became more profitable, without necessarily increasing the tax burden on individuals and companies.
He said a company that made N100 in profit could generate N30 in tax revenue for the government, but if its profit increased to N200 or N300, government revenue would rise accordingly.
“So, if I want to make more, I must work for you to make more. And that is why it is in the best interest of us in Nigeria Revenue Service that businesses are doing well, individuals are doing well,” he said.
He said the approach was consistent with President Bola Tinubu’s economic agenda, which seeks to remove barriers to investment and create a more conducive environment for businesses to operate and expand.
Adedeji cited reforms in the electricity sector as part of the government’s efforts to stimulate economic activity.
He noted that the Electricity Act had devolved powers to state governments to generate, transmit and distribute electricity, arguing that improved power supply would boost production and productivity across the economy.
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