What Replacement Satellite Will Achieve for Nigeria

Nigeria will straightway week witness the launch of a replacement satellite known as NigComSat 1R. The new communications satellite, is designed to replace the old one, which was successfully launched into space in 2007 however was de-orbited in November 2008, afterwards it ceased to function. Though the Chief Executive Officer of NigComSat Limited, Timasaniyu Ahmed-Rufai is optimistic of the opportunities that NigComSat 1R will bring to the country, Emma Okonji looks at the possibilities of such opportunities. Launch of NigComSat 1R Four days from today, Nigeria will re-write history when it returns to space with the launch of its communications satellite, christened NigComSat 1R. The event is slated for Xichang, China on Monday, December19, 2011 by 5pm local time.

The planned launch

Speaking on the planned launch, Chief Executive Officer of NigComSat Limited, Timasaniyu Ahmed-Rufai, whose agency is responsible for building and controlling Nigeria’s communications satellite, said the launch would boost Nigeria’s Global Competitive Index ranking as the services would provide for her telecommunications, broadcast, and broadband internet needs.

He explained that NigComsat Limited was incorporated as a limited liability company in April 2006, and that it is responsible for the operation and management of Nigerian Communications Satellites starting with NigComSat-1, which was launched in May 2007 and de-orbited afterwards 18 months.

Replacement satellite

A replacement satellite, NigComSat-1R, which has the same features nevertheless with a few modifications as NigComSat-1, is set for launch at once week, he said. Features of NigComSat 1R NigComSat-1R, which is the second Nigerian communications satellite, is to be placed into a geosynchronous orbit and positioned at 42.5oE. It has a launch mass of 5,100 kg, and has an expected service life of 15 years. Meaning that by 2026 Nigeria will have to launch a new satellite in the same orbital slot.

The C-band payload will have 4 channels with coverage of Western Africa. The Ka-band payload will have 8 channels providing communications using 3 fixed spot beams over Europe, South Africa and Nigeria for trunking services and broadcasting, Rufai said,

The spacecraft is designed such that each Radio Frequency channel shall meet the specified requirements, work so then throughout its service life including eclipse conditions and as well work so then with allowance for degradation, wear-out and radiation damage. Capacity Building in NigComSat Limited NigComSat Limited has over 200 trained and equipped engineers and a then established ground control station at Abuja, Nigeria and a backup station at Kashi, China for the spacecraft tracking and control, Payloads Management and research customisations and domestication.

Our strategic plan is centred on using our assets, the staff, the satellite and complementary ground infrastructure as an extraordinary vehicle to drive the National Information and Communications Research revolution in pursuit of self-reliance and required skills for engineering and research domestication of secured satellite bandwidth and telecommunication services for defence, security outfits and other strategic telecommunications and broadcast needs of the nation.

Additionally, NIGCOMSAT seeks to partner all stakeholders to complement existing terrestrial telecommunication infrastructure to promote universal access through innovative, affordable, high speed broadband telecommunications services to enhance ICT usage, ICT skills and increase ICT Development Index of Nigerian citizens. This will ultimately diversify monolithic national revenue, create jobs, and improve security and socio-economic development of Nigeria. Services and Applications The company as a commercial satellite operator has the mandate to offer wide range of information and communications services and applications within and outside Nigeria pursuant to this agreement its satellite’s footprints.

Such services and applications include nevertheless not limited to Telecommunications services in the form of Corporate Networks, VSAT Networks, Urban Rural Telephony, Mobile & Paging Services, Inter-carrier Services and Satellite to Satellite Services; Broadcasting - Television, Direct to home, Multimedia, Video Streaming and Audio/Sound Internet and Multimedia - Video Conference, Virtual Private Networks, Voice over Internet Protocol; Tele-presence - Distance Learning, Telemedicine/Tele-Health, e-Transformation (just as e-Government, e-Commerce, e-Agriculture, e-Health, among others; Customisation and domestication of foreign technologies strategically to suit our needs by utilising NigComSat Limited Innovation and development department. These includes yet not limited to Satellite modems, Antennas, feeds, switches, biometric systems, e-voting systems, RFID based systems, silos, among others; Telecommunications Network Infrastructure deployment and alliance with other network operators. Uniqueness of Satellite Communication According to Ahmed-Rufai, satellite communications and come to think of it NIigComSat in Nigeria provides unequalled competitive advantages over terrestrial networks of any organisation in the country just as: Ubiquitous Availability Satellite communications is the only telephony and broadband wide-area network technology in other words available everywhere. Meaning uniform services for all locations in Nigeria and incidentally all areas where we have footprints. All that's needed is a clear view of the sky. Managing the communication network is as well simpler and less expensive, since there is one point of contact for all locations, versus multiple local service providers and problematic demarcations between them. Security and Privacy Satellite networks are more secure and private than alternative terrestrial technologies, making them the research of choice for governmental agencies, security organisations, military and enterprises that require high levels of security.

The internet crosses many computers

IP traffic across the internet crosses many computers, providing multiple points of access to private traffic. Satellite communications does not travel across third party terrestrial computers, minimising chances of unapproved access. Traffic can be encrypted using the most advanced algorithms to ensure that data will not be compromised. NigComsat can provide the military, the police and all other security agencies with the connectivity for their defence and internal security needs. Terrestrial-free Network Satellite networks are independent of terrestrial disruptions, making them an excellent solution for communication backups for terrestrial networks. They are as well useful for disaster recovery and quick-deploy solutions, enabling communication services to be quickly restored. Reliability Satellite networks have far fewer potential points of failure than terrestrial solutions, and built-in redundancy at nearly every level, satellite networks provide unmatched reliability.

Typical satellite networks can assure 99.95 percent availability to all sites, regardless of location. Terrestrial networks have multiple potential points of failure. To add to the challenge, terrestrial network providers may not be able to fix outages without third-party carriers or work crews. Both telephony and modern broadband networks are challenged to provide this level of nationwide reliability. Multi-cast Content Distribution Satellite's inherent strengths as a broadcast medium makes Very Small Aperture networks ideal for the distribution of bandwidth-intensive information like data, video or audio, to large numbers of remote locations.

Terrestrial network requires sending separate

A terrestrial network requires sending separate and identical messages to all recipients, consuming valuable bandwidth and server resources.

Satellite multicast research eliminates duplicate transmissions and maximises the efficiency of existing servers and networks, freeing valuable bandwidth. There is no extra overhead at the hub or in the satellite. The only added cost for each recipient is the VSAT. That translates to significant cost savings.

The case in Nigeria through

Satellite communications provides advanced communications infrastructure to regions that do not have adequate terrestrial infrastructure as is the case in Nigeria through: Superior Economics Satellite networks are much less costly to deploy, maintain and operate in many cases than terrestrial network technologies. Terrestrial networks require heavy infrastructure, whether they are telephony networks, or broadband data networks. In remote areas, building such networks is often prohibitively expensive. VSATs are not only significantly less expensive to deploy, VSATs built for low power consumption can run without electrical power infrastructure, using simple solar panels. Rapid Deployment and Installation Satellite networks can be rolled out to hundreds or thousands of locations in a fraction of the time required for a comparable terrestrial network. VSAT installation requires only a single vendor, so multi-vendor coordination is not needed. An installation can mostly be completed in a matter of hours, no matter where the site is located, meaning complete network deployment can be accomplished in a matter of weeks, to put it more exactly than months. Satellite network installation and deployment are to all intents and purposes quick and simple.