Ntel repairs moribund SAT-3 submarine cable

29 Mar 2016
Chibuike Oguh

Summary

With the return of SAT-3, Ntel re-enters Nigeria’s competitive submarine communications market currently dominated by Globacom, MTN, and MainOne.

Kamar Abass, CEO, NatCom Development and Investment Limited

NatCom Development and Investment Limited (Ntel), the core investors in the defunct Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), has announced the repair and return to full service of its SAT-3 submarine cable.

In a statement released on Monday, Ntel said the return of the SAT-3 cable positions it to meet Nigeria’s growing need for fast Internet connectivity, high-quality video-on-demand, and increasing social media usage.

“The repair of SAT-3 is fantastic news for data-hungry consumers and corporates in need of superfast and abundant broadband carried over a robust fibre network with significant capacity and low latency,” said Kamar Abass, Ntel’s CEO.

SAT-3, also known as the South Atlantic 3/West Africa Submarine cable, is the longest submarine communications cable in the world. It has 17 landing points some of which link Europe to South Africa, and connections to several West African countries.

The landing point of the SAT-3 cable in Nigeria was severed in June 2013 during the land reclamation that accompanied the Eko Atlantic project. As part of the repair work, Ntel said the cable has been diverted away from shipping lanes approaching Lagos ports. Ntel owns 8.39 percent of SAT-3/WASC.

Potential customers of SAT-3 include Nigeria’s GSM and LTE operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), major international companies, Private Telecom Operators, Content/Hosting Operators, Infomedics/Infomatics Operators, the judiciary (for the execution of real-time on-line matters), banks and the military as well as airline operators.

With the return of SAT-3, Ntel re-enters Nigeria’s competitive submarine communications market currently dominated by Globacom, MTN, and MainOne Cable.


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