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Nigeria Signs Deal With Thales Alenia Space for New Communications Satellite

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Nigeria is set to strengthen its satellite communications capacity following the signing of a contract between NIGCOMSAT Ltd and French-Italian aerospace company, Thales Alenia Space, for the construction of a new geostationary communications satellite, NigComSat-2A….

Nigeria is set to strengthen its satellite communications capacity following the signing of a contract between NIGCOMSAT Ltd and French-Italian aerospace company, Thales Alenia Space, for the construction of a new geostationary communications satellite, NigComSat-2A.

The agreement was announced in Cannes, France, on Sunday by Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture owned 67 per cent by Thales and 33 per cent by Leonardo.

NigComSat-2A will have a launch mass of nearly four tonnes and is designed to provide coverage across West, Central and Southern Africa.

The satellite will support television broadcasting, internet connectivity for remote and underserved communities, voice communication and streaming services.

It is expected to remain operational for more than 15 years and will be built on Thales Alenia Space’s Spacebus B2 platform.

NIGCOMSAT Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nkechi Jane Egerton-Idehen, described the agreement as a major step in Nigeria’s digital transformation efforts.

Egerton-Idehen said the satellite would help expand broadband access to millions of people in underserved African communities while strengthening Nigeria’s communications infrastructure and satellite capabilities.

Thales Alenia Space President and CEO, Hervé Derrey, said the project would enable NIGCOMSAT to provide reliable and high-quality services as demand for connectivity continues to grow globally.

Derrey said the deal also reinforced confidence in the company’s Spacebus B2 satellite platform.

NIGCOMSAT, established in April 2006 under the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, currently operates NigComSat-1R, which was launched in December 2011.

The satellite was Nigeria’s first geostationary communications satellite and has provided communications services across the region.

NIGCOMSAT provides transponder leasing, broadband connectivity and satellite broadcasting services through C-band, Ku-band, Ka-band and L-band frequencies.

The agency is headquartered in Abuja and has offices in Lagos, Kaduna and Gombe.

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