Nigeria’s broadcasting and broadband industries could experience a significant increase in capacity from 2028 if the deployment schedule for the country’s new communications satellites, NIGCOMSAT-2A and NIGCOMSAT-2B, remains on track.
The project received a major boost over the weekend after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the acquisition and deployment of the two satellites under a programme estimated at about $2 billion.
The approval gives the Federal Government and NIGCOMSAT the authority to move ahead with key stages of the project, including contract arrangements, financing, technical preparations and engagement with the selected technology partners.
NIGCOMSAT Managing Director/CEO, Jane Nkechi Egerton-Idehen, had previously announced that NIGCOMSAT-2A is expected to be launched in 2028, while 2B is scheduled for 2029. The project has now entered its next implementation phase, with Thales Alenia Space of France and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) identified as technology partners.
NIGCOMSAT-2A is being developed as a High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) capable of providing high-speed data, voice and video services. It will operate across several frequency bands, including L-band, C-band, Ku-band and Ka-band.
The additional capacity is expected to support broadband internet, television broadcasting and other high-capacity communications services. It could also provide stronger links for businesses, government agencies and communities where fibre infrastructure is unavailable or costly to deploy.
The development comes as Nigeria’s existing communications satellite, NIGCOMSAT-1R, approaches the end of its designed operational lifespan. Launched in December 2011, the satellite was built for a 15-year lifespan and has 28 transponders covering Ka-, Ku-, C- and L-bands.
NIGCOMSAT-1R replaced NIGCOMSAT-1, which failed in orbit in November 2008 following a solar-array problem.
Despite the available capacity, commercial utilisation of NIGCOMSAT-1R has remained relatively low. Industry reports in 2025 estimated that only about seven per cent of the satellite’s broadband capacity was being used, leaving approximately 93 per cent idle at a time of increasing demand for broadband services.
Improving commercial utilisation is one of the priorities of the current NIGCOMSAT management. Egerton-Idehen has set a target of generating ₦8 billion in revenue within three years, following an increase in revenue from about ₦650 million in 2023 to more than ₦2 billion in 2025.
Egerton-Idehen described the FEC approval as an important milestone for NIGCOMSAT and Nigeria, crediting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his support for the project.
She said the new satellites would expand Nigeria’s national satellite capacity, improve connectivity and strengthen critical communications services, while the company works to convert the investment into tangible benefits for Nigerians.
If NIGCOMSAT-2A is launched as planned in 2028, followed by 2B in 2029, the satellites could provide Nigeria with additional infrastructure to meet rising demand for broadband, broadcasting and other digital services.
