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The Chief Technical Officer, Cezart Technologies, Mr. Olujobi Oluwaseyitan, gave some insight into fixed and mobile satellite network operations in Nigeria and the benefits to the economy. Emma Okonji brings the excerpts:
What are the core values of Cezart Technologies in relation to fixed and mobile satellite operations?
We deliver core services in fixed and mobile satellite solutions.
We are service providers and entrepreneurial managers with expertise in business development and mobile satellite telecommunications. We are into management and business development, indirect and indirect sales, sourcing and purchasing.
We provide customers with mobile satellite communications from our partners like Thuraya, Inmarsat and Iridium, and we also provide our customers with fixed satellite communications from our partners like Eutelsat, YahSat, Global Xpress, using the C-Band, Ku-Band, Ka-Band.
With successful deployments of fixed and mobile satellite solutions for varying technical demands, we consistently deliver high-quality, cost-effective and efficient communication solutions to governments, enterprise customers and international organisations. We have proven ability to improve competitive performance and generate growth by introducing strategic and tactical solutions based on analysing challenges, markets, products, people and grow opportunities.
How secured is satellite networkÂ
Satellite network is highly secured and it has been proven by experts that hacking into a satellite network is extremely difficult because signals are directly from the satellite.
What are the benefits of satellite technology to the Nigerian economy?
Every economy, including the Nigerian economy, needs communication in every location where human beings thrive, but in situations where terrestrial network is difficult to deploy, then satellite network will play a vital role in ensuring communication flow even in the remotest area of the economy. The military for instance, can operate from any zone, but when there is no terrestrial communication link, then satellite technology becomes inevitable for communication flow. It is for this reason that Cezart Technologies plays a strong role in the fixed and mobile satellite network service offerings in Nigeria.
What are your target market strategies in providing terrestrial and satellite network services?
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Our choice of target markets is strategic and we assume that it reflects our strengths and weaknesses. We are not selling to the self-reliant users, because they buy equipment as appliances based on features and price. Instead, we are selling to the service-seeking users whose needs match our strengths and weaknesses.
Regarding the small business segment, we are looking for the type of small businesses that appreciate our value-added services enough to pay for them, but aren’t big enough to have experts in-house on payroll or staff.
How does Cezart Technologies play prominently in fixed satellite services, when mobile broadband is fast driving mobile technology across globe?
Despite the service offerings of mobile broadband in driving 4G LTE technology for the terrestrial network, the fixed satellite service that we also offer in addition to mobile satellite services, operates with the V-SAT technology, using the KU Band, C Band and the KA Band to provide fixed satellite services. The KA Band offers unlimited bandwidth and it is cost effective.
How is competition driving the fixed and and mobile satellite service offerings?
There is no good business without competition that drives the market. But despite competition, Cezart Technologies stands out in the midst of competition because we offer unique services that others do not offer. We have patent solutions and sometimes we collaborate with our foreign partners to provide the best of solutions that customers needed. We go beyond sales, to offer after-sales services to customers and we do this to enhance customer experience while generating revenue. Our core strength is on service delivery and after-sales services.
Before now, people see satellite services as the best when compared to terrestrial service offerings. But we see a lot of patronage in terrestrial service today driven by broadband. What is your take on this?
The satellite and terrestrial services are two different offerings in the telecoms space, even though they complement each other. When terrestrial telecoms service was introduced years back, it competed with satellite services, because it is a lot cheaper to deploy in terms of infrastructure deployment. But the satellite is very good to deploy in areas where there are no terrestrial network or in areas where terrestrial network cannot be deployed for several economic reasons.
One major challenge with the deployment of satellite network is in its inability to withstand unfavourable weather condition. Has that changed over time?
It is a fact that satellite network has weather challenges, such that when the weather is poor, it affects satellite signals, but all that have improved with advanced technologies. Technology has helped to improve the failover time. But there is no technology without its own challenges. Even the terrestrial network technology has its own challenges.
Despite its challenges the satellite network services have come to stay  because it operates perfectly in areas where the terrestrial network services cannot reach.
How affordable is satellite services to individual customers?
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Over time the cost of satellite services has become affordable and many organisations and individuals are asking for satellite network services as against terrestrial services.
What are the advantages of satellite network over terrestrial network?
Both the satellite and the terrestrial networks are the key to business growth and they both function in different ways. While the satellite network is good in areas where terrestrial network cannot be deployed, the terrestrial network is cheaper to deploy. For example, the military and the maritime workers could travel or find themselves in an area where there is no terrestrial network in the course of performing their duties and they will surely need satellite network to survive in the area.
In terms of security, satellite data are highly secured because they are encrypted. Apart from the military and maritime workers, NGOs who travel for tourist attraction could be in places where they are completely cut-off from terrestrial communication and they will be forced to use satellite network for communication. Those in oil and gas industry also need satellite services when they work in offshore areas where there is no terrestrial network connectivity. People still desire to use satellite when the terrestrial network in a particular location is weak.
There are places referred to as blind spot where terrestrial service is completely cutoff and there will be need to deploy satellite network services.
What are the market trends in the telecoms industry?
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The most obvious and important trend in the market is the declining prices. This has been true for years, but the trend seems to be accelerating now. We see the major manufacturers and suppliers putting systems together with amazing specs-more power, with more speed, and more bandwidth.
Another trend is ever-greater connectivity. Everybody wants to get access to the internet and every small office wants a long area network (LAN) of internet connectivity. A lot of small offices want their LAN connected to the internet.
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How will you describe the projected market growth in the industry?
The projected market growth for the telecom’s industry has been one of the most highlighted aspects of new business in the marketplace today. With the coming of age of the new broadband services and the privatisation of many telecom companies, which were previously run by the government, we see that growth is going to surpass any projection that has been made in the past. It must be seen as one of the fastest growing market segments in business today. The recent mergers and takeovers are a small taste of what is waiting to happen.
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What are some of the industry market needs?
Since our target market is the service seeker, the most important market needs are support, service, training, and installation, in that order. One of the key points of our strategy is the focus on target segments that know and understand these needs, and are willing to pay to have them filled.
How do you view technology evolution in the telecoms industry?
Cezart Technologies is a client focused Information Technology (IT) services provider committed to helping its clients succeed by adding value through the effective use of information technologies. We offer a comprehensive variety of IT services and solutions including IT Infrastructure Design, Implementation and Support, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning, Technology and Systems Integration, Application Design, Development and Maintenance, Comprehensive Technology Consulting and Small Office Home Office (SOHO) solutions.
We can design new or enhance existing computer and technology infrastructure. We can establish enterprise, departmental or branch or home office compute environments, complex development environments, portals, networks and security all aligned with business goals and objectives.
We see Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plan that business can execute, as the most important investment any company can make to ensure that business can survive any disaster. We can help you develop a plan to prepare for a disaster and operate business in a contingency situation.
In the area of technology integration, we integrate hardware, network and software products and technologies from different vendors to create a single solution that meets the needs and business goals. We have specialised expertise in implementing and integrating a broad range of hardware, network and software technologies.
These are some of the technologies that are evolving and we tap into them to provide quality service for our customers.
In the area of IT consulting services, we provide technology strategy, planning, and direction in the areas where the greatest needs exist. Our focus is to provide solutions that complement businesses, foster growth, and create opportunity. We provide analysis of business and applications to determine if information technology are meeting the customer business needs.
The aviation industry is skeptical about connectivity while passengers are airborne. How can Cezart Technologies assist airborne passengers in having internet access without disrupting navigational signals?
Our partner, Iridium, offers the best of communication devices around the aviation industry and it offers a whole lot of aviation and military solution that address satellite connectivity in excluded areas, because of its wide range of communications facilities. Our other partners like Inmarsat and Thuraya have their core expertise in maritime and land communications respectively, and they are very good in these areas. So what we do at Cezart Technologies is to look at the entire system and provide tailor-made solution that will address the issues.
What is the business relationship between Cezart Technologies, Thuraya, Inmarsat, and Iridium.
These companies are first tier companies in the telecoms space and Cezart Technologies work directly with them as partners. So Cezart Technologies has its own solutions, but partner these multinational companies for equipment supply.
How do you see big data development in Nigeria in relation to the kind of services you offer that has to do with data?
Nigeria is the largest market for data communication in Africa and I see the growth of data on the increase, because demand for data is equally on the increase. Yes, Nigeria is still regarded as an emerging market in technology development, but a lot of things are happening in the county that continues to attract local and international investors. Nigeria is veritable ground for data market and we have a huge market for data.
How can SMEs benefit from the kind of satellite service that you offer?
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are involved in different kinds of businesses and those of them they require satellite services for their operations, will definitely need our services, because our solution will help them to grow and develop faster than they ever thought.
Outsourcing is gaining global attention across all sectors. How effective is Cezart Technologies in the outsourcing space?
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Outsourcing is making a lot of impact on businesses and we are part of it too. As a satellite service provider, we help organisations to handle the satellite communication aspect of their business, if such company is not a core satellite company. Outsourcing helps organisations to focus more on their area of strength, which is their core business, thereby raising efficiency and fast revenue generation.
How long has Cezart Technologies been in the business of satellite services and what are the possible breakthroughs?
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We have been in the satellite business for the past 16 years and we have recorded several breakthroughs. We offer services for embassies, organisations and government agencies.
