The Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat), Nkechi Jane Egerton-Idehen, has disclosed that the state-owned satellite company has regained a significant share of Nigeria’s broadcast and government communications market.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos on Friday, Egerton-Idehen said the company now carries over 50% of the country’s broadcast traffic, marking a notable turnaround from its position two years ago.
She noted that key institutions such as the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Galaxy Backbone, and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) are now back on its network, while telcos and other service providers are being won as new customers.
This comes amidst concerns that the Nigerian communication satellite has been underutilized for years despite the huge investments by the government two decades ago.
What the NigComSat CEO is saying
According to the CEO, some of these customers, including Galaxy Backbone, had been clients over a decade ago but had to be actively won back as part of the company’s renewed market strategy.
The recovery effort, she said, has involved rebuilding trust, improving service delivery, and re-engaging institutions that had migrated to alternative providers.
- “Now we are carrying DSO traffic for NBC. We are carrying traffic for Galaxy. Galaxy used to be a client, like 10 years ago, they left at some point and we had to win them back. We are also carrying NIMC’s traffic.
- “Today, we carry over 50% of the country’s broadcast traffic. More than half of the broadcast stations in Nigeria are on NigComSat. But some of them had to be won back when we came two years ago, they were not there,” Egerton-Idehen said.
More insights
The NigComSat boss also addressed historical challenges that contributed to the company’s loss of clients, including the failure of its first satellite.
She explained that the incident, which occurred during an early deployment involving a vendor launching outside its primary market, led to a loss of confidence among customers.
Although the satellite was insured and replaced in 2011, the four-year gap in service availability resulted in the exit of several long-standing clients, many of whom did not return immediately due to lingering concerns over reliability.
- “There were a lot of government agencies that use satellite services, but they don’t patronize us.
- “And when we went back, a lot of them had their reasons. I know one agency told me they originally used us, but when we lost the first satellite, they left and they never came back, because they were worried,” she said.
She added that beyond infrastructure setbacks, service quality issues—including response time and reliability—also contributed to customer attrition.
Push for government patronage
Egerton-Idehen used the platform to advocate for a policy that prioritises government-owned service providers in public sector procurement.
She argued that government agencies should grant NigComSat the first opportunity to provide satellite-based solutions before seeking alternatives elsewhere.
- “I think government agencies should give government entities first right of refusal. It means that come to me first if you’re looking for that solution; if I cannot address it or cannot solve it, then you go to somebody else.
- “So few need the right of first refusal, especially for government agencies. Why? The funding is coming from the government. It’s taxpayers’ money.
- It doesn’t make sense to invest a lot of money in something, and when you need it, you go somewhere else and buy it. It doesn’t make sense. That’s a wasted investment,” she said.
Drawing a comparison with Egypt’s satellite ecosystem, she noted that government-backed platforms in other countries benefit from mandatory patronage across critical sectors, particularly defence and public infrastructure.
What you should know
Last month, NigComSat announced it was able to generate N2 billion in revenue in 2025, up from N650 million recorded in the previous year.
The company also disclosed that plans are underway for the launch of two new satellites, NIGCOMSAT-2A and NIGCOMSAT-2B, scheduled for 2028 and 2029.
For 2A and 2B, the NigComSat CEO said the company closed the tender and was now back into the financing and implementation stage.
Egerton-Idehen added that when they are up and running, the two satellites are expected to provide security within the borders and neighbouring countries and support the security agencies with real-time data collection and intelligence.
