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Via Satellite: How do you see the direct-to-home markets developing?Rufai: [The direct-to-home market] in Africa is a niche market. The question is affordability, especially when you look at the middle and lower classes. We have a channel on the Ka-band which is specifically designed for television. We are obviously looking to take advantage of the need in Africa for a wider variety of television services.
Via Satellite: When do you expect Nigcomsat-1 to be profitable?Rufai: The satellite has a lifespan of 15 years and we hope to be profitable within four to five years. We are going into end-to-end services. We are also looking at the future structure of the company. It is going to be a public-private partnership.
Also, at some point in the future, we are looking forward to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. We are looking for investors to buy into the company. We hope to be on there soon, but firstly we want to be on our own local exchange within the next year. Two years after that, we hope we could be on an international exchange. One of the key challenges will be targeting investment.
Via Satellite: How concerned are you about the potential loss of some C-band spectrum to telecoms players? How would this impact Nigcomsat?Rufai: It is an issue that not only affects Nigcomsat, but it affects the whole of Africa. As you know, C-band is highly used for communications in Africa. Given that WiMax [Internet] services may or may not take-off, we think most African administrations support C-band remaining with satellite players. It could disrupt existing services, which have been properly coordinated.
I believe very strongly that satellite players will be able to keep hold of C-band spectrum. Each regional administration has already discussed C-band spectrum. It is already been confirmed that it is difficult to combine satellite and telecoms services. It is very difficult to avoid interference. Our position is that you need to look for alternative bandwidth for the [terrestrial] players. That is the most reasonable thing to do. The same services can be deployed in other bands that are available. In Africa, we don’t see any reason why the [terrestrial] players would need C-band spectrum.
Via Satellite: Where do you expect Nigcomsat to be a year from now?Rufai: I hope to be giving you the lowdown on new satellite services in the region. We should also be in a position to tell you about our next mission. This should also be the signal for the [information and communications technology] landscape in Africa to change.
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