MainOne, Avanti to deepen rural broadband penetration in Nigeria

Satellite data communications services in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Avanti Communications Group plc (Avanti) and West Africa’s MainOne, have signed an agreement to jointly improve broadband penetration across Nigeria by providing the latest KA-band based satellite communication services to enterprises located in remote areas of the country.

The companies made this known at the weekend in Lagos at Nerds Unite, a yearly IT conference hosted by MainOne.

While there are 111 million Internet users in Nigeria, there are 60 million broadband users with 31.5 per cent penetration, according to statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Under this arrangement, MainOne will leverage Avanti’s newest satellite, HYLAS 4, launched in April 2018 to enable highly flexible capacity services with 100 per cent country coverage of Nigeria.

Such coverage, according to both firms, is most critical and will accelerate the time to deploy Internet broadband services into remote areas that are difficult to reach by fibre infrastructure.

The partnership will also include the deployment of Avanti’s ECO initiative, which bundles broadband access, solar power and embedded Wi-Fi services for schools and small communities, ideal for deployment in remote parts of the country where power availability and connectivity services remain a challenge.

Chief Operating Officer at Avanti, Libby Barr, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with MainOne and look forward to building a strong relationship to enable rollout of satellite broadband services across West Africa. Avanti’s products will greatly complement MainOne’s existing fibre-based networks by providing reliable connectivity services to its enterprise customers beyond its immediate fibre reach. We look forward to expanding our collaboration in serving the people of Nigeria and Africa with life-changing services.”

Chief Executive Officer of MainOne, Funke Opeke, said the firm’s partnership with Avanti provides Nigeria the opportunity to accelerate expansion of broadband Internet via satellite, to bridge the digital gap and improve transformation for more Nigerians.

She said: “Such services are most critical for the Oil and Gas sector, and for the delivery of social and educational services into rural areas of the country. Beyond connecting institutions, Avanti’s ECO solution also addresses the needs of their immediate communities and will accelerate getting more of our rural communities online.”