Page 49 - SAMENA Trends - September 2023

SATELLITE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Ofcom Measures to Encourage Satellite Connectivity for Maritime Services

and Protect Other Services

Ofcom has today made changes to its Earth Station Networks
license to confirm that NGSO satellites can deliver the latest space-
based broadband services to ships and boats. At the same time,
the new measures are designed to help us protect other services,
such as radio astronomy, from harmful interference. Every satellite
operator providing broadband services in the UK must hold an
Earth Station Network license. These licenses authorize access
to spectrum so that ground-based terminals can communicate
with satellites. To ensure all providers of UK satellite services can
access the spectrum in a similar way, we have made the following
changes to the current Earth Station Network license:
• Explicit authorization for earth stations on boats, ships and
offshore installations that connect to non-geostationary orbit
(NGSO) satellites. This clarifies that these services are permitted
in the territorial seas of the UK, Isle of Man and Channel Islands,
and ensures that all NGSO services – whether on land, sea or air
– all operate under the same license conditions.
• New license conditions to support the protection of geostationary The new/updated license will be issued to all new applicants
orbit (GSO) satellite services, radio astronomy and fixed links granted an Earth Station Network license in future. The updated
from harmful interference caused by NGSO systems. terms will be issued to all existing license holders in the form of a
• A new definition of the geographic boundaries of the license. variation to their current licenses.

YahClick and NIGCOMSAT Partner to Expand Broadband Penetration

YahClick, the data solutions subsidiary of the UAE’s flagship Saharan Africa and boost access to critical electronic services
satellite solutions provider Al Yah Satellite Communications across the region. The project is expected to begin in Q4 2023
Company (YahSat), has partnered with Nigerian Communications and will see YahClick work closely with NIGCOMSAT to provide
Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) to expand broadband penetration in sub- faster and more reliable broadband internet connectivity. The
improvements, say the partners, will result in speed increases of up
to 25 Mbps for standard profiles and up to 100 Mbps for dedicated
corporate users. This, the partners say, will empower the delivery
of essential education, health, and a wide range of other public and
corporate services. YahClick says its expertise and cutting-edge
technology will enable the rollout of e-government applications and
help accelerate Nigeria’s digitization plans, providing unserved and
underserved communities with uninterrupted internet. A steering
committee compromising executives from both companies has
been formed to ensure the implementation of the project is aligned
to the national requirement and essential service institutions
in Nigeria. Sulaiman Al Ali, Yahsat’s Chief Commercial Officer,
explains: “Our partnership will play an important role in helping the
Nigerian government as well as private organizations roll out critical
electronic services to underserved and unserved communities
across the country. For Nigeria’s digitization drive to be successful,
it is imperative that in-country infrastructure is reliable enough to
deliver uninterrupted services. YahClick has extensive experience
in providing advanced and affordable technologies that are easily
accessible in remote regions.”

49 SEPTEMBER 2023