Emma Okonji
Vodacom Business Nigeria and Intelsat S.A. have announced an agreement to expand its enterprise broadband connectivity in Nigeria. This is in order to further provide improved satellite services to its local enterprise customers.
The strategic agreement was signed at the Satellite 2018 event which took place in Washington D.C, United States of America recently. The agreement now makes Vodacom Business Nigeria the first telecommunications provider in Nigeria to lease capacity on the Intelsat 35e Satellite.
As satellite coverage increases globally, enterprises businesses are no longer limited to operating from just one location because of the high speed broadband requirements for their business operation. Through this agreement with Intelsat S.A, which is the operator of the World’s first Globalised Network and leader in integrated satellite solutions, Vodacom Business Nigeria will deploy the Intelsat EPICNG satellite services, which is a next generation of satellite technology; to its enterprise customers to enable them to operate from anywhere they want throughout Nigeria.
Intelsat’s Regional Vice President, Africa Sales, Brian Jakins, said: “Intelsat EpicNG enables higher data rate applications and smaller terminals that give enterprises the avenue to expand into new regions and take advantage of business opportunities regardless of where they occur.”
He further noted that with the improved performance delivered by Intelsat EpicNG, Vodacom Business Nigeria’s customers will utilize the satellite services on Intelsat 35e to deliver fast, high quality and resilient broadband connectivity to the banking, oil and gas, and enterprise sectors across West Africa for an improved quality of service.
Speaking on behalf of Vodacom, Managing Director for Vodacom Business Nigeria, Lanre Kolade, said: “With plans in top gear to deploy the Intelsat EPICNG satellite services, this will enable Vodacom Business Nigeria to deliver an efficient, quick, reliable, secure broadband solution with a low monthly recurring cost within the shortest time to our Enterprise customers.â€
Kolade said the agreement would further allow Vodacom to connect businesses located in places where there is no access to terrestrial and mobile networks, therefore bringing them closer to their employees, customers as well as other businesses, to help empower them to remain operational and profitable.
“As a leading provider of corporate connectivity and telecommunications solutions, Vodacom always strives to stay up-to-date with the technological needs and requirements of the changing environment hence the reason for this agreement,†Kolade said.
