SES hits rural communities with affordable, limitless connectivity

In line with its target to connect the unconnected and bridge the digital divide in Nigeria, SES has extended its tentacles to rural communities in the country.

In order to actualise this, the Luxembourg-based satellite operator is leveraging partnerships with a number of local tech operators by introducing low-cost wireless and internet solutions in line with Nigeria’s Broadband Plan.

“We want to leverage existing partnerships and make sure we support users within the country to have access to the internet wherever they are,”Joy Nma Emenike, sales manager for West Africa, SES, said in an interview in Lagos.

“We have tailored our solutions in such a way that all classes of people can buy them. We have our Ku-band solution, which is very effective. We have the Ultra Low Cost Site. We have designed a secure and reliable solution based on our Ku-band platform for this group of people living in under-served and un-served areas so that they can enjoy the benefits that come with connectivity within these places,” Emenike said.

SES provides secure satellite communications solutions to broadcast, telecom, corporate and government customers globally. It has global presence across Europe, America, Asia and Africa.
It has three strategic offices in Africa, with a view bringing the rest of the world to Africa and taking Africa to the rest of the world. The company has an established presence in Africa’s largest economy, with partnerships with Computer Warehouse and Startimes, targeted at buoying the digital TV platform and distributing direct-to-home signals.
 
“In Lagos, we have Computer Warehouse as our teleport partner. We also have a number of other partnerships. With the synergy and strategy we have with these partners, we have been able to deploy many of our projects with regard to e-learning, e-commerce, e-health and data services. The telecoms are also partnering with us to provide quality and better data and port services across West Africa and Nigeria,” the SES sales manager for West Africa said, adding that the firm has partnered with a number of broadcasters to push its products across the country and the region.
The Nigeria Broadband Plan (2013-2018) says that less than 10 percent of households and individual users in un-served areas have internet access.  It further says that less that 50 percent of households and individual users in under-served areas have broadband access.

To close this gap, SES has mapped out a clear-cut strategy to help the country realise its broadband targets in three years’, the company says.
The firm has keyed into the low-cost wireless solutions and satellite, while ensuring that it offers efficient and quality services to consumers.