*Target deepening broadband penetration in Nigeria

By Prince Osuagwu, Hi-Tech Editor

The Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Ltd has placed huge premium on leading the Sub-Saharan African satellite market, using the opportunity to deepen broadband penetration in Nigeria.

In doing so, it has attracted the interest of Mubadala communications satellite of United Arab Emirate whose operators, Yarsat has a subsidiary, Yahclick, in Nigeria.

To cement the relationship, a management team of both YarClick and NIGCOMSAT met at the weekend, in Abuja to advance talks and compare notes on the offerings that could help both companies become joint leaders of the African Satellite market.

 The partnership, apart from having the vision of leading the African satellite market also has a specific target of using the opportunity created by that position, to promote broadband penetration in Nigeria and Africa at large.

The team of Yahclick, led by Vice- President and Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr. Kevin Viret met with the Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Tukur Mohammed Lawal and his team and both reviewed the bouquet of services in the Yahclick business model.

Lawal, and his top management team, assured the the YarClick team that that NIGCOMSAT would be willing to tap into the services they presented in a collaborative manner to help in turning around some of the products and services of NIGCOMSAT.

He promised that the two satellite companies will work together to take advantage of the available market in the country and the entire sub-Saharan Africa as a whole.  Viret and his colleague, the Regional Manager, West Africa, Mr Attah Abiodun, expressed happiness at the deliberations and thanked the NIGCOMSAT team for a warm reception. 

Viret also assured NIGCOMSAT Management that the collaboration, will rest on flexible technology capacity where YarClick will compliment areas and blind spots where NIGCOMSAT spot beam cannot reach, adding that the two teams will work on pricing and billing with the aim of ensuring a workable collaborative efforts.