In a bid to offer converged broadband services to its clients, connectivity and data centre services provider, MainOne has announced a strategic partnership with Avanti, provider of satellite data communications services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The announcement, which was made on Friday at Nerds Unite, an annual IT conference hosted by MainOne, noted the partnership will improve broadband penetration across Nigeria by providing the latest KA-band based satellite communication services to enterprises located in remote areas of the country.
According to MainOne’s Chief Executive Officer, Funke Opeke, the partnership with Avanti provides Nigeria the opportunity to accelerate expansion of broadband internet via satellite, to bridge the digital gap and improve digital transformation for more Nigerians.
Such services, she noted, are most critical for the Oil and Gas sector, and for the delivery of social and educational services in rural areas of the country. “Beyond connecting institutions, Avanti’s ECO solution also addresses the needs of their immediate communities and will accelerate getting more of our rural communities online,” Opeke assured.
Also speaking, Libby Barr, Chief Operating Officer at Avanti expressed delight partnering with MainOne and look forward to building a strong relationship to enable the rollout of satellite broadband services across West Africa.
“Avanti’s products 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,” he emphasized.
Under this arrangement, MainOne will leverage Avanti’s newest satellite, HYLAS 4, launched in April 2018 to enable highly flexible capacity services with 100% country coverage of Nigeria. Such coverage is most critical and will accelerate the time to deploy internet broadband services in remote areas that are difficult to reach by fiber infrastructure.
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, ideal for deployment in remote parts of the country where power availability and connectivity services remain a challenge.