Nigeria is set to rake in US$6-million following its successful bid to provide in-orbit test services to Belarus.

This is the result of a 15-year deal between reached by Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) and Belarus National System of Satellite Communications and Broadcasting (Belintersat).

Abimbola Alale, Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT, said the agreement affirmed that Nigeria has the capacity to provide high technology satellite services to other countries.

Alale revealed that under the agreement, the antenna for Belintersat's KU and C bands would be located in Nigeria's capital city of Abuja and NIGCOMSAT would be offering and monitoring the payloads on the band.

"Within the next 15 years, we shall be monitoring their payload and at the same time sending the information on real time to Belarus as they have ground station there," she said.

Alale added: "NIGCOMSAT started this business before them, we have the experience as we have been here in the last 10 years. In the next two weeks, we shall also start the Carrier Spectrum Monitoring (CSM), which also involves monitoring the traffic on the payload without sending any command, since they have clients that are based in the African continent."

Representing Belintersat, Andrei Yanovich said the agreement with Nigeria on the provision of IOT satellite services would enable Belarus to build capacity in the satellite communication.

"Belarus is ready to further explore the marketing opportunities in Africa through collaboration with NIGCOMSAT to deliver services where they have enough bandwidth."

Beyond the payload deal, she said Nigeria can also benefit from Belarus' bands since the West African powerhouse will soon fill up its own bands.

Funding new satellites

Alale used the deal announcement to call attention to the delay of the intended launch of two new satellites, NIGCOMSAT 2 and 3.

"Our due process certification is ready and handy. The only drawback is the appropriation for the counterpart funding," Alale stated. "The delivery of the project would be based on the commitment of government through its counterpart funding which is between 10 to 15 percent of the project cost. Once this is done, it will become easy for the ministry to seek foreign investors for the take-off of the project."