(Ecofin Agency) - According to the GSM Association, 300 million people are not covered by mobile broadband in Sub-Saharan Africa. This offers a great opportunity for telecom service providers. 

Aerial fiber optic network infrastructure provider Phase3 Telecom will provide low-latency broadband satellite internet in Nigeria. To this end, the company recently signed a partnership agreement with satellite telecom services operator YahClick.

By leveraging its extensive aerial fiber network and YahClick's satellite capabilities, Phase3 Telecom will provide Internet services to Nigerian residential and business users through its subsidiary P3Tech. It will place special emphasis on unserved and underserved communities to enable these populations "to connect and participate in the global digital economy.”

According to Stanley Jegede, executive chairman of Phase3 Telecom, the partnership will contribute to Nigeria’s goal to reach 70 percent broadband penetration and 90 percent population coverage by 2025. It specifically targets the 35 million residents that have no access to telecom services (according to the Nigerian Communications Commission-NCC).  

“Our satellite broadband services will provide tangible benefits in accessibility, service, cost, and socio-economic development to the unserved and underserved homes and businesses in the area, unlocking all the opportunities that reliable, cost-effective satellite broadband products afford,” said  Muhammed Bashir, P3Tech’s vice-president for Digital Transformation and Innovation.

The partnership comes against a backdrop of strong growth in the Nigerian telecom sector, driven in part by increasing demand for high-speed Internet connectivity and accelerating digital transformation. To meet the growing demand, in rural areas notably, telecom service providers are now betting on space technology. 

Isaac K. Kassouwi