Announced during AfricaCom 2022, the two will deploy Eutelsat’s KA-band satellite connectivity, Konnect, to reach communities across Nigeria.
"Eutelsat's ambition is to connect one million unserved people across sub-Saharan Africa to high-speed internet over the next 5 years and this partnership with Tizeti will help bridge Nigeria's digital divide and unlock the wealth of social and economic opportunities that the internet brings," said Philippe Baudrier, general manager of connectivity for Africa at Eutelsat.
The partnership will deliver a complementary solution that uses satellite broadband infrastructure and Tizeti’s community Wi-FI management platform to deliver a fast and affordable public wi-fi hotspot service, especially in remote areas that are difficult to reach by terrestrial broadband infrastructure.
“Our partnership with Eutelsat extends our mission of bringing affordable and reliable internet to more Nigerians and provides us with the opportunity to accelerate the expansion of broadband internet via satellite, to bridge the digital gap and improve digital transformation for more Nigerians," added Kendall Ananyi, chief executive officer of Tizeti.
Konnect's Community Wi-Fi (Konnect Wi-Fi) initiative has already been successful across Africa with hundreds of sites providing internet access to tens of thousands of people every week.
The digital divide across Africa impacts things like employment, education, family and social life, and access to information, making partnerships such as these key.
In related news, earlier this month Eutelsat confirmed the successful launch of its Eutelsat Hotbird 13G satellite by SpaceX.
Eutelsat Hotbird 13G is the second of two satellites built by manufacturer Airbus Defence and Space to be placed at Eutelsat’s flagship 13-degree Easy neighbourhood position, replacing three older satellites.
