With the June 2017 deadline for switchover from analog to Digital Television at the corner, the Federal Government has contracted a foreign satellite service provider to beam signals to homes and other locations in the country.

This is as it prepares to raise N220 billion to shore up the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) to meet challenges of the new age of television.The Guardian had reported, last Wednesday, that because of the unavailability of redundancy (back up), the government was setting aside use of its N144 billion NIGCOMSAT, preferring a foreign satellite service provider that bid and provided a viable alternative.

Nigeria signed a multi-year agreement with SES to provide a strategic, reliable and stable video platform, via SES’s prime orbital position 28.2 degrees East, for the provision of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and Direct to Home (DTH) broadcast platforms in Nigeria. SES will utilise teleport services provided by its local partner Computer Warehouse Group Plc. (CWG). The deal was between SES and Cable Channels Nigeria Ltd (CCNL), a company licensed by the Nigeria National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

CCNL is the certified content aggregator and platform owner for the free-to-air DTT and DTH platforms in Nigeria, and is playing a key role in the Nigeria Digital Switchover (DSO) process by getting channels onto the land-based DTT network and onto satellite as DTH, both offered under the brand FreeTV.

An SES official said the company was engaged through a competitive bidding process. A fact sheet on the digital switchover confirmed: “SES will be providing the space segment and specific platform services for the DTH service, which will be used to feed the DTT transmitters around the country – a Hybrid DTH/DTT solution.

“Using teleport services provided by SES local teleport partner, CWG, the channels are aggregated from all over Nigeria by way of microwave, fibre, IP or satellite, and then multiplexed before uplink to the ASTRA-2F satellite at 28.2 degrees East.”

Senior Vice President, SES Commercial in Africa, Ibrahima Guimba-Saidou, noted: “SES is proud to be CCNL’s partner of choice and at the forefront of the DSO process of the most populous nation in Africa. The service will provide 100 per cent coverage for Nigeria’s DSO through DTT and DTH and give viewers the opportunity to receive high quality TV throughout the country, regardless of their location. It will also give them access to multiple local, regional and national channels.”

Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed, confirmed much to The Guardian. He said: “When the White Paper on the utilisation came out, the NBC (Nigerian Broadcasting Commission), the digital team set up by government, paid a visit to NIGCOMSAT and explained to them how ready they were to patronise them, but unfortunately as we speak today, NIGCOMSAT has no redundancy. In other words, they have no back up. If we sign with them and for any reason the satellite goes down, it means we cannot transmit.”

He, however, stated that as soon as NIGCOMSAT has redundancy, the Federal Government would have no choice but resort to the main local player.

Speaking at the end of the National Council on Communication Technology (NCCT) held Kaduna, last week, the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, stressed how investors and users of the satellite were scared of losing data to unreliable satellite. He confirmed government’s plans to procure two others as backup for NIGCOMSAT at the cost of $550 million.

He said: “Once that is done, we can beat our chest and say nobody should take Nigerian money outside for the purpose of storing data. I am confident that with Federal Government’s approval, we will get what we want.

“We need just about $550 million to acquire two new satellites. We are already negotiating with China EXIM Bank, who assured us that they would deliver the money.”
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