Eutelsat secures Konnect deal with Nigeria
October 5, 2021
By Chris Forrester
France’s President Emmanuel Macron was present at an important contract signing at the Elysee Palace between Eutelsat and Nigeria’s GloWorld Globacom telco.
The deal saw GloWorld commit to a “multi-year, multi-Gb/s” spectrum contract aboard Eutelsat’s Konnect Ka-band satellite which will be used to supply broadband connectivity to underserved regions of Nigeria.
Globacom, trading under the name Glo, is a multinational telecommunications company and the second largest operator in Nigeria, with a market share of circa 28 per cent and over 51 million subscribers.
In service since early 2021, Eutelsat Konnect is a new-generation High Throughput Satellite offering unprecedented operational flexibility. Delivering significant resources for broadband services with quasi-complete coverage of Sub-Saharan Africa, it addresses direct-to-user consumer and enterprise broadband services, with a comprehensive range of packages from bite-sized “pay as you go” vouchers through to monthly and annual contracts.
Commenting on the agreement, Rodolphe Belmer, CEO/Eutelsat, said: “We are honoured to have been selected by Globacom, one of the leading telecommunications operators in Africa’s most populous market, to extend the reach of its services. This agreement illustrates the unparalled resources of our powerful Eutelsat Konnect satellite to satisfy the strong demand for connectivity in underserved regions throughout the African continent.”
Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr., Chairman of Globacom Limited, added: “We are delighted to add satellite services to our portfolio, leveraging the state-of-the art Eutelsat Konnect satellite to extend connectivity to even far-flung areas in Nigeria, in line with our mission to build Africa’s biggest and best telecommunications network. The infrastructure will complement our Glo 1 submarine cable and extensive fibre optic layout across the country.”