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Avanti Communications Group Plc. – a leading provider of satellite data communications services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa – and Lagos-based MainOne have signed an agreement to jointly improve broadband penetration across Nigeria by providing the latest Ka-band based satellite communication services to enterprises in remote areas.

Under the agreement, MainOne will leverage Avanti’s newly-launched satellite, HYLAS-4, to enable highly flexible capacity services with 100 per cent country-wide coverage of Nigeria. This will accelerate the deployment of broadband services into remote areas that are difficult to reach by fibre infrastructure.

According MainOne – which provides premier connectivity and data centre solutions in West Africa – the partnership will also include the deployment of Avanti’s ECO initiative, which bundles broadband access, solar power and embedded Wi-Fi services for schools and small communities. The partnership is also backed by Avanti’s Gateway Earth Station (GES) hosted and managed by MainOne’s Tier III Data Centre (MDXi) in Lagos, Nigeria. The GES was launched and commissioned in March 2018.

“Our partnership with Avanti provides Nigeria with the opportunity to accelerate the expansion of broadband internet via satellite to bridge the digital gap and improve digital transformation for more Nigerians,” said Funke Opeke, CEO of MainOne. “These services are most critical for the Oil and Gas sector, and for the delivery of social and educational services into rural areas of the country.”

According to the statement, the companies announced their partnership at Nerds Unite, an annual IT conference organised by MainOne. The 2019 edition, themed: “Accelerating digital transformation,” convened IT professionals across West Africa and the global community to discuss the application of latest radical technologies to the Nigerian business landscape. The conference held on Friday in Lagos.

“We are delighted to be partnering with MainOne and we look forward to building a strong relationship to enable the roll out of satellite broadband services across West Africa,” said Libby Barr, Chief Operating Officer at Avanti. “Our product will greatly complement MainOne’s existing fibre-based networks by providing reliable connectivity services to its enterprise customers beyond its immediate fibre reach. We look forward to expanding our collaboration in serving the people of Nigeria and Africa with life-changing services.”

Launched in 2010, MainOne has delivered wholesale internet services to major telecom operators, internet service providers, government agencies, large enterprise and educational institutions in West Africa.