Broadcasting
Intelsat to Launch New Satellites

Communications satellite services provider Intelsat will launch its Intelsat 33e and Intelsat 36 satellites on 24 August 2016 in what the company describes as a significant moment for a largely underserved African market.
Intelsat 33e will join the company’s existing satellites Intelsat EpicNG and Intelsat 29e to cover the Middle East and Africa, while Intelsat 36 will mostly serve pay TV provider MultiChoice which will leverage the Ku-band payload following the launch.
Brian Jakins, Africa Regional Vice President of Sales at Intelsat says the uncommon decision to launch two satellites at the same time makes commercial sense for the company.
“It made commercial sense for us to be looking at co-locating these two satellites on the same launch, they serve the same market predominantly although Intelsat 33e covers a wider range going all the way through Europe as well as Asia and the Middle East. So, from a commercial perspective that is one of the reasons, as well as the time to market. Africa has shown a lot of growth on the broadband side and there is also a lot of growth on the media side as well and I think it [the dual launch] was related to a combination of timing and commercial attractiveness.”
Jakins confirms the growing demand by its customer base for higher throughput, capacity and efficiency, as well as trends which reflects Africa’s growth prospects in communications, broadband and media.
“The market is robust and it is growing and if you look at Africa’s internet penetration we have been trailing at around just under 15 percent. Our population as a region is often compared to Latin America and their internet penetration is almost at 40 percent, so from an internet penetration perspective you can see that there is a huge demand for broadband capacity. We have somewhere in the region of 300 million broadband connections and the market is generally underserved. There is a large population across Sub-Saharan Africa that are not connected to any form of technology and this is where sattelite plays a big role by enabling us to connect those at the last mile, to connect those rural and underserved communities. Having been in the in the telecommunications industry in Africa for the last twenty years and with intelsat for the last year now, it is really an exciting time with the technology developed from a satellite point of view which is ideally placed to service all those markets.”
Jakins also emphasises the value of partnerships with mobile network operators, among others, which are managed by Intelsat staff from offices in South Africa and Senegal, to help achieve the goal of connectivity everywhere on the continent.
He says partners and customers such as Coca cola, Multichoice, Vodacom and Gondwana International Networks subsidiary AfricaOnline are enablers for last mile connectivity and conquering challenges of terrain, cost of deployment, sustainable technology and growing demand.
“Beyond this launch we have another launch happening in February next year which will be the third of our Epic range satellites. We have about seven satellites planned over the next four years particularly to serve that technology phase that we need to bring. There is a big drive on our side to have this complimentary platform in place. We are also an invested partner with One Web which is working on low constellation satellites which will bring lower latency, higher speeds and greater capacity. We are primed for having a fully interoperable geo earth orbiting satellite constellation. There is a lot that is happening from our side into this infrastructure.”
Intelsat 33e is the second of Intelsat’s next generation, high throughput satellites with Ku-band and C-band spot beams to meet broadband demand for carrier-grade telecom services, enterprise networks, some media services and aeronautical connectivity.
Intelsat 36 will be co-located with Intelsat 20 at 68.5°E, Intelsat’s premier direct-to-home (DTH) neighborhood in Africa.
Broadcasting
MTN Launches One TV with Free-to-View, Pay-as-You-Go

MTN Group has begun rolling out MTN One TV, a new entertainment proposition designed to make digital video content more accessible, relevant, and flexible for customers across African markets.

Introduced in line with MTN’s Ambition 2030 strategy, MTN One TV brings together local storytelling, live channels, international programming, and market-specific viewing options tailored to how customers across the continent access and pay for digital entertainment.
The proposition is designed to give customers greater choice in how they watch content, with viewing models that may vary by market and can include free-to-view content, advertising-funded experiences, pay-as-you-watch access, and subscription offerings.
Depending on local availability, customers may also be able to pay through airtime, Mobile Money, and other locally supported payment methods, helping to reduce common barriers to streaming access.
Beyond enhancing customer experiences, MTN One TV creates new opportunities for African creators, broadcasters, advertisers, and ecosystem partners by helping connect content to wider audiences through MTN’s scale across connectivity, payments, and digital services.
By bringing together a broad mix of content experiences under a single proposition, MTN aims to support greater content discovery, broader audience reach, and sustainable growth across Africa’s digital entertainment ecosystem.
Anchored in MTN’s strategic platforms of Connectivity, Fintech, and Digital Infrastructure, MTN One TV forms part of the Group’s broader ambition to build digital experiences that create value for customers while enabling participation and growth across Africa’s digital economy.
“Entertainment is increasingly becoming an important gateway to digital participation,” said Selorm Adadevoh, MTN group chief commercial, strategy and transformation officer.
“Through MTN One TV, we are leveraging the scale of our connectivity, fintech, and digital capabilities to make relevant content more accessible while creating new opportunities for Africa’s creative and digital economies. This is aligned with our ambition to deliver digital solutions for Africa’s progress.”
MTN One TV is being introduced progressively across MTN markets through a phased rollout approach that reflects local market needs, existing services, and partnership opportunities.
Over time, MTN will bring together a combination of video capabilities, content partnerships, and customer experiences under the MTN One TV brand to create a more consistent and scalable entertainment proposition across its footprint.
Through MTN One TV, MTN continues to extend its role beyond connectivity by combining entertainment, payments, and digital services to deliver experiences tailored to the needs of African consumers.
The rollout supports MTN’s Ambition 2030 vision of leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress while expanding access to digital entertainment across the continent.
Broadcasting
IATA Drops Bombshell: Nigeria Among World’s Most Expensive Countries to Run an Airline

International Air Transport Association (IATA) has identified Nigeria as one of the most expensive countries in the world for airline operations, citing high taxes, charges and operational costs that continue to weigh heavily on local carriers.

IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, Kamil Al-Awadhi, disclosed this during the association’s Annual General Meeting held in Rio de Janeiro.
Al-Awadhi said that although Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, had been pursuing reforms aimed at improving the aviation sector, airlines operating in the country still faced enormous cost pressures.
According to him, the high-cost operating environment has continued to affect the profitability and competitiveness of Nigerian airlines, making it difficult for the industry to realise its full potential.
He noted that excessive taxes, regulatory charges and other operating expenses remained major obstacles to airline growth across the region, with Nigeria ranking among the most challenging markets from a cost perspective.
Al-Awadhi urged member states of the Economic Community of West African States to adopt a proposed 25 per cent reduction in aviation taxes and charges to ease the burden on airlines and passengers.
According to him, lowering taxes and charges would reduce airfares, stimulate passenger traffic and strengthen the competitiveness of carriers operating within West Africa.
He stressed that a more supportive policy environment was critical to unlocking the economic benefits of aviation, including increased trade, tourism and regional integration.
Industry stakeholders have consistently advocated lower taxes and regulatory fees, arguing that the current cost structure makes air travel less affordable and limits the growth of the sector.
IATA’s latest remarks add to calls for governments in West Africa to implement policies that will promote a more sustainable and competitive aviation industry across the region.
Broadcasting
NASENI Trains 50 Women in Kano on Renewable Energy Technologies Under She-Powers Initiative

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), under the leadership of its Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, has trained 50 women in Kano State on inverter and battery technologies through its She-Powers Energy Initiative.

The three-day programme, held at the Technology Incubation Centre, Farm Centre, Kano which ended yesterday, was designed to equip participants with practical renewable energy skills, promote women-led enterprises, and enhance sustainable livelihoods.
The initiative forms part of NASENI’s broader commitment to empowering women, creating economic opportunities, and expanding participation in Nigeria’s growing clean energy sector. It also aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by supporting job creation, entrepreneurship, and inclusive economic development.
Through targeted interventions such as the She-Powers Energy Initiative, NASENI continues to demonstrate its commitment to leveraging technology and innovation to improve lives and drive sustainable development across the country.
Photos: Participants at the She-Powers Energy Initiative training organised by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) held at the the Technology Incubation Centre, Farm Centre, Kano yesterday.
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