YahClick, the satellite broadband service provider and Hughes Network Systems have signed a strategic partnership with Global Communications Extension Services Limited (GCES) to provide satellite connectivity for 9mobile.
YahClick’s partnership with GCES would bring satellite connectivity to hundreds of cellular backhauling sites, delivering 9mobile with a reliable and robust means of rural connectivity across its entire Nigerian operations.
Farhan Khan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), YahClick, in a statement in Lagos on Thursday said that the partnership with GCES provided trustworthy, accessible and affordable broadband connectivity for 9mobile.
“Our agreement unites three companies in working shoulder to shoulder to bridge the digital divide while enabling residents and businesses to realise their potential.
“As we expand further in Africa, this is another example of the power of collaboration with industry peers that share our vision of advancing humanity,” he said.
Khan said that the partnership had made it possible to overcome the barriers of remote connectivity.
“Satellite backhauling option has made it feasible to offer cellular services in areas that are prohibitively expensive to reach using traditional terrestrial means.
“YahClick’s satellite services now reach more than 60 per cent of the population in Africa, and the agreement with GCES extends the company’s reach to more regions within Nigeria.
“The introduction of satellite services within rural and unserved areas will also positively impact the economy of the country as it strengthens Nigeria’s policy of financial inclusion championed by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“Money vendors operating Point of Sale (POS) services and other merchants in these areas will benefit from the availability of broadband connectivity and increased financial transactions.
“It will result in greater profitability, therefore, raising their standard of living,” he noted.
Adamu Babadisa, Chief Technical Officer, GCES, said that the latest partnership would allow GCES to introduce 9mobile to the latest telecommunication applications, equipment, and IT infrastructure to help sustain its mobile network operations.
“This partnership will not only eliminate the barriers to mobile internet adoption within remote regions in Nigeria but also improves the citizens’ access to affordable devices, data plans and opportunities which arise from staying connected.
“This is a step closer to uplifting the marginalised communities that live in unserved and underserved regions
“It also brings socioeconomic benefits that come with sighting of such infrastructure in terms of job creation and economic prosperity of these communities,” he said.
