An exciting development happened in February, 2021, when Nigeria Communications Satellite, NIGCOMSAT collaborated with its sister-agency, Nigeria Communications Commission and they both took a bold step in the right direction to release contagious quantum of spectrum in the 3.5GHz band for early deployment of 5G. This type of collaboration, the industry watchers have said is commendable, as it guarantees synergy between the agencies under the Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy and will consequently foster the deployment of 5G and enable Nigeria to tap its full potential like other advanced countries which have deployed 5G technology on a full commercial scale.
After this piece, readers would again have better scope with what the services, NIGCOMSAT, a company which started as a project in 2004, under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Communications Technology, has offered the nation. The company was incorporated in 2006.
Isa Ali Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, has been running the Ministry and its agencies with a clear vision: to facilitate ICT as a tool in the transformation agenda of Nigeria in the areas of job creation, economic growth and transparency of governance.
Fulfilling this mandate, in the early part of this year, NCC and NIGCOMSAT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will facilitate the release of contiguous bandwidth in one of the most suitable frequency spectrum bands for early deployment of fifth Generation (5G) Network services in Nigeria. A development that many of the stakeholders in the industry have applauded.
News from the event said, the MoU signing ceremony was the high point of discussions by the two organisations on how to relocate the NigComSat-1R satellite of NIGCOMSAT to the standard C-band 300MHz (3.9GHz – 4.2GHz) portion of the band, which is considered more suitable in terms of satellite service offering because of the advantage of cheaper terminal devices for end users. In actual fact, the relocation will leave the non-standard C-band 400MHz (3.5GHz – 3.9GHz) portion of the band for 5G use while the cost of relocating the NigComSat-1R is expected to be offset from the proceeds of the auction of the 5G spectrum.
The MoU will apparently go a long way in making a positive impact on the Nigerian economy, as well as offer a new chapter of cooperation, collaborations and mutual assistance that will further spur the growth of the telecommunications ecosystem in the country.
NIGCOMSAT has demonstrated keen interest in the development of our dear country’s technological advancement, despite the challenges facing it. The Company has shown that the country’s development is paramount to it rather than personal interest. NIGCOMSAT in collaboration with NCC made some adjustments to its satellite operation and released part of its spectrum holding in the band to facilitate the deployment of 5G in Nigeria.
Among the Frequency Spectrum bands used for 5G, the C-band (3.4GHz – 3.9GHz) stands out because its balancing point between coverage and capacity provides the perfect environment for 5G connectivity. The C-band is most suitable and appropriate for immediate deployment of 5G services taking into consideration availability of device ecosystem with 60-70 per cent of global commercial 5G network deployment currently in the band, thus the importance of this Spectrum for early deployment of 5G services in Nigeria cannot be over emphasized.
For optimal 5G service performance, an average of contiguous 100 MHz of spectrum in the C-band is required by an Operator. However, in Nigeria, only 120 MHz of the band (3.4 – 3.52) GHz is available for mobile services while the remaining 680 MHz (3.52 – 4.2) GHz of the band is used by NigComSat-1R satellites. The spirited efforts of its Managing Director, Dr. Abimbola Alale, cannot go unnoticed. The certified Nigerian satellite technologist has proven to the world that a woman can do better in a man’s world, regardless of what assignment is committed into her hands.
Her company’s collaboration with NCC has birthed a win-win relationship between both agencies of government and brought benefit to the government in its drive to facilitate the development of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
Alale is one of the few CEO/MDs in this administration that have successfully withstood the test of time and transition between two civilian administrations. She was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer for Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited by Goodluck Jonathan, former president of Nigeria in 2016. She was re-appointed in 2019 for another 4 years term in office by President Muhammadu Buhari. As of 2016, she stood as the first and only female CEO of a major satellite company in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
She holds a postgraduate degree in Space Studies and an MBA degree from the International Space University, Strasbourg, France. Alale has her Ph.D. program in Peace, Security and Strategic Studies from Nasarawa State University. Interestingly, she is a mother of 10 children, 9 of them are adopted.
When the Nigerian Communication Satellite company was incorporated in 2006, the government had ambitious plans for it. Subsequently, the country launched Sub-Saharan Africa’s first geostationary communication satellite under the auspices of NIGCOMSAT. Under her watch, the Satellite is striving to improve national security, broadcast, internet access, and e-governance, which is also crucial in the health, education, and extractive sectors.
NIGCOMSAT’s competence in the Telecommunications sector, has encouraged foreign players, such as Airbus, a European multinational aerospace corporation who paid a courtesy visit to NIGCOMSAT, with the view to showcasing its capability and willingness to offer further engagement and related elated services in the communications satellite industry. NIGCOMSAT has gracefully filled in the local supply gap, where foreign service providers exploit others in provision of bandwidths.
Nigeria’s NIGCOMSAT, has over the past 14 years proven to be a lucrative entity and has encouraged service providers to maintain their strong presence in the communications industry.
Olamide Adeniji is a member of the editorial team of TheScript Newspaper
