More than ten African countries have indicated their desire to benefit from the operations of the yet-to-be launched Nigeria Commu-nication Satellite, known as NIGCOMSAT-1, Director General of the National Space Research and Devel-opment Agency (NSRDA), Prof. Robert Boroffice, has said.
advertisement
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, the NSRDA boss disclosed that the countries were hoping to notch up a deal on using the communication facility in the areas of telecommunications carriage, navigation, television distribution, direct broadcasting systems (DBS), and digital broadband.
Among the countries that have so far made contact with the agency for possible deal on the facility, according to Boroffice, are Ivory Coast, Egypt, Togo Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia and Benin Rep-ublic.
NIGCOMSAT-1, billed for launch in the last quarter of 2006, is a hybrid space satellite communication device designed to enhance telecommunications and real-time monitoring of facilities across the African continent and beyond.
Boroffice said these countries' show of interest was in response to an earlier call made by President Olusegun Obasanjo to African Heads of State to avail themselves of the opportunities offered by the new communication technology.
He stated that the deployment of NIGCOMSAT-1 will aid Nigeria and Africa in bridging the telecommunications gap, which exist between African countries and the rest of the world, as well as the communication gap between rural and urban centres within each African state.
He disclosed that the agency has recently hosted a delegation from Burkina Faso and is making arrangement to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with that country's radio station to be allocated a bandwidth on the satellite.
The NSRDA boss said the communication satellite is not meant to be operated on strict commercial basis, but to act as a facility that would unify Africa in its drive for information technology revolution.
"The project is not designed as a pure commercial venture but one that would serve to unite Africa. It will save the continent some cost in the amount used in making trunk calls", he said.
He, however, said NSRDA intends to maximise every opportunity at its disposal, including entering into commercial contracts that would earn funds for the agency, he said.
Commenting on application of the country's first ever Earth Observation Satellite (NIGERIASAT-1), the DG noted that significant progress has been recorded through the use of the facility to provide specialised information on sites around the globe.
"We have entered into several contracts with countries in America, Europe and Asia to provide them with specific data needs", adding that the agency has worked out special incentives and competitive prices to attract users.
Boroffice spoke of plan to attract foreign investments to assist in the development of the country's telecommunications sector.
He said agreement has been reached between the agency and a US-based company, Patriot Inc., to invest in the setting up of an antenna and VSAT manufacturing outfit within the shores of the country with an intent to drastically reduce the cost of antenna/VSAT in the local market.
Nigeria had in 2003 promised to launch into the orbit a communication satellite come 2006 after the first satellite, SAT-I, exclusively for earth monitoring and imageries, was launched.
Boroffice had said then that Nigeria intends to use the technology to improve access to telecommunication services, create more jobs as well as help in tele-education especially in the distance learning initiative.
He then justified the country’s involvement in space technology, saying it would enhance the development of human resources and capacity building, natural reso-urces management, defence, national security, study of the earth and its environment, space communication in addition to education and training.
advertisement
advertisement