Nigerian Communications Satellite

Introducing Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited incorporated a limited liability company in April 2006, NIGCOMSAT LTD is responsible for the operation and management of Nigerian Communications Satellites starting with NIGCOMSAT-1 which was launched in May 2007.


Nigcomsat-1 a super hybrid geostationary satellite has a launch mass of 5150 kg (5.15tonnes), a service life of at least 15 years and reliability of more than 0.70 at the end of its lifetime.

Located 42.5E, with forty transponders (30 active and 10 redundant), Nigcomsat-1 is sub-Saharan Africa’s first communications satellite and the only African communications satellite providing the strongest and best footprint across Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
The Satellite’s payload offers services in the C, Ku, Ka and L bands that provide optimal and cost-effective voice, data, video, Internet, and global positioning and navigational services application as well as solutions.
Built with radiation hardened technology Nigcomsat-1 is marked by high reliability, onboard software reprogrammable ability, fault tolerance, robust onboard switching system, high redundancy and high efficiency. This hybrid satellite also has better look angles and shorter latency for intra-Africa communication traffic and high fade margin compensation for attenuation losses due to rain.
Besides bandwidth leasing, provision of transmission services, backhauling and a wide range of broadband services, other benefits derivable from Nigcomsat-1 applications include reduced cost of deployment for VSAT installations through the acquisition of smaller equipment (smaller dish, low power block converters and low noise block amplifiers). The Ka band is equally available for broadband services at lower cost arising from the frequency re-use techniques, competitively priced transmission capacity, small antennas and reduced terminal prices. Similarly, the L-band services are also available for space based augmentation system which is ideal for the needs of Galileo and new generation GPS.