Connectivity is an essential aspect of modern life and Nigeria, as one of Africa's largest economies, has a critical need for reliable and affordable Internet access. With a population of over 200 million people, Nigeria's businesses, and citizens all rely on communication technologies to thrive.
One of the main challenges facing Nigeria's connectivity needs is the lack of infrastructure. Despite being a rapidly developing country, many parts of Nigeria still lack access to basic communications services – especially affordable Internet access.
Now Starlink is available in Nigeria at a monthly cost of some tens of Euro a month. There is of cause the upfront cost of the equipment, which is still above 500 Euro. Undoubtedly the appearance of Starlink will force other players on the market to lower their prices. For Nigeria this is good news as affordability of Internet access is equally important as service availability.
For those who are in need of Internet connectivity in a larger area, for example a logistics hub or a large marketplace, private LTE offers the optimal complement for the satellite system. The same applies to communities where no single user needs or can make use of the 100Mbit/s or faster satellite service. Instead, there is the need to serve many legacy feature phones for simple browsing and messaging.
Poutanet private LTE is now available in Nigeria. The Automated Tech World pilot system was deployed in November 2022 and is ready for service. For ensuring 24/7 availability the system is powered by off-grid solar. It is also capable of offering local services, such as SIP based messaging and voice calls. These services work also in case the Internet connection is not – which still remains an issue as much of the communications infrastructure is relying on diesel generators and other less reliable sources of power. By combining the Automated Tech Word private LTE with a satellite service the power problems are gone. Off-grid solar can be used to power the satellite equipment as well.
Automated Tech World is focusing on the basic data connectivity services and building its operations along the Social ISP principles.
For more information about Social ISPs please refer to the Social ISPs for reducing digital inequality document prepared by Poutanet, Karugrid and Earth 3.0 Foundation.