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Telecom

NAMA Partners NIGCOMSAT to Expand Its Satellite-based Navigation System

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To further improve safety in Nigeria’s airspace, save money for airlines and give precise guidance to pilots, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) is collaborating with the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) to expand its satellite-based navigation system known as Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS).

According to NAMA, the expansion will not just cover Nigeria’s airspace, but the whole of Africa airspace, which will improve precision for landing and take-off for pilots.

NIGCOMSAT is a company under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, responsible for the operation and management of Nigerian Communications Satellites.

Matthew Pwajok, the Acting Managing Director of NAMA,  explained during the SBAS flight demonstration at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Wednesday, that the Satellite Based Augmentation System means pilots using satellite systems to navigate their aircraft in the airspace.

Pwajok further explained that it would use equipment not based on the ground to guide flights, but based on satellite systems to navigate, which is akin to what NAMA had installed years ago, which is the Performance Based Navigation (PBN).

He however said with NIGCOMSAT satellite, it would cover broader airspace, from Nigeria to other regional airspace that could serve the African region and beyond.

“Some years ago, Nigeria implemented what we call Performance Based Navigation, which is a satellite system for navigation and what it does is to use satellite-base system with an aircraft equipped with performance system to navigate or to fly.

“When the aircraft uses that with ground procedures that are developed with flight procedure design, it enables it to manoeuvre, approach and land.

“It can also be used for en-route whereby you provide air routes, so that after take-off, it follows what we call a standard aircraft departure that is based on satellite. That is using a satellite to develop manouvres for an aircraft for take-off to climb to the en-route phase.

“When it reaches the en-route phase, when you have an air route based on satellite it continues with the same satellite system to also fly from one point to the other. So the satellite-based navigation system covers all phase of flight,” Pwajok said.

He also explained that performance based navigation provides the pilot with lateral guidance and improves accuracy, the integrity, the availability and continuity of the signal for the pilot.

“So what is now required is to put a ground infrastructure, a monitoring system, a control system or a master station that receives signals from several satellites, triangulate them and take the best location or find a space induction or signal and now broadcast it through a broadcast media worldwide or globally and it will be reviewed by any aircraft that is flying within that vicinity and use it now for more precision.

“So, we have done performance base navigation that provides general lateral guidance for pilots to locate airports. We now want to improve on it to do what we call precision approaches,” Pwajok also explained.

He disclosed that the system has been in use in Europe, the US and other parts of the world and Nigeria had embraced the system through NAMA performance based navigation but now wants to expand the system in collaboration with NIGCOMSAT.

Since the new satellite system from NIGCOMSAT covers the African airspace, NAMA is collaborating with Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA), which provides airspace management services to French speaking countries in West Africa and beyond, including 16.1 million square kilometres of airspace covering six Flight Information Regions – Antananarivo, Brazzaville, Dakar Oceanic and Terrestrial, Niamey and N’Djamena.

“Our sister agencies from ASECNA states are also here. Europe is here, America is here and so on. In collaboration with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), we are all going to monitor and see.

When we are able to see that the signal has transmitted, received, augmented and re-transmitted, it can guide aircraft precisely, an improved accuracy, an improved landing, approved takeoff and climb, then we will be able to now say yes, we can work towards implementation like the rest of the world. So the satellite-based navigation system is a very important milestone,” Pwajok said.

 


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Telecom

Telcos Threaten to Disconnect Banks over Misinformation on New USSD Charges

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Telecommunication companies have threatened to withdraw their Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD), services from banks over what they called misinformation.

Telcos Threaten to Disconnect Banks over Misinformation on New USSD Charges

MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Globacom and 9Mobile- the  telcos disclosed that the banks’ notice to their customers on the new billing system and airtime deductions for USSD services was misleading.

Also, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) also denied that the directive was from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

USSD is done via shortcodes on mobile phones and allows bank customers to make transactions in places with limited or no internet service.

Recall that banks earlier this week claimed that NCC has directed them to begin charging them from their airtime rather than from customers’ accounts.

The notice from the banks read in part: “In line with the directive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), please be informed that effective June 3, 2025, charges for USSD banking services will no longer be deducted from your bank account.

“Going forward, these charges will be deducted directly from your mobile airtime balance in accordance with the NCC’s End-User Billing (EUB) model.

“Under this new billing structure, each USSD session will attract a charge of ?6.98 per 120 seconds, which will be billed by your mobile network operator.

“You will receive a consent prompt at the start of each session, and airtime will only be deducted upon your confirmation and availability of the bank to fulfil this service.

“If you do not wish to continue using USSD banking under this new model, you may choose to discontinue use of the USSD channel.”

Reacting, ALTON, umbrella body of telecom operators in Nigeria, said the banks’ notice is a gross misinformation deliberately hatched to suit their selfish interests.

Hence they threatened to withdraw network support to the banks’ USSD services.

Engr Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of ALTON  told Vanguard: ” I don’t understand why the banks are twisting agreements and distorting information just to favour their selfish interests. In the first place, the information wasn’t a directive from the NCC but a joint regulatory agreement between the NCC and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN witnessed by the telcos and the banks. The agreement was that if the banks finally cleared all USSD debts owed to the telcos by June 2, 2025, they are free to migrate to the end-user billing method, so long as the model of migration is transparent and agreed upon by the telcos.

“The reason for that clause was because the telcos insisted that the process of migration is such that will not allow a customer to be billed twice; in other words, that a subscriber would not have his airtime deducted and also have his or her money deducted for same services from his or her bank account.

” As we speak, some of the banks have cleared their debts, but the majority are yet to do so. So, even if all the modalities of migrating to end-user billing have been perfectly carried out, the implementation cannot even begin because the banks are yet to clear the USSD debt owed to the telcos.

“Our position now is that if that is the way the banks want to treat the agreement, we may withdraw support for their USSD services. It is not a must-have. They can do without it. But, they should clear the debts as agreed,” he added.

 


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MTN Nigeria Plans N900Bn in Service Upgrade

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MTN Nigeria has announced plans to embark on a massive capital expenditure (CAPEX) drive in 2025, committing nearly N900 billion to significantly enhance network service quality across Nigeria.

MTN Nigeria Plans N900Bn in Service Upgrade

Dr. Karl Toriola, CEO, MTN Nigeria,

The substantial investment, more than double the combined CAPEX of approximately N440 billion spent in 2023 and 2024, underscored MTN’s aggressive strategy to address persistent service quality issues and meet growing customer and regulatory expectations.

Dr. Karl Toriola, CEO, MTN Nigeria, detailed this unprecedented financial commitment during a recent interview on Arise TV, emphasizing that improving service quality is the company’s paramount message for the year.

He highlighted a clear understanding and expectation from both the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and security agencies for improved network quality.

A primary focus of this increased CAPEX will be on putting additional capacity in a city like Lagos, particularly in Abuja, where you have a lot of buildings coming up, you need additional sites because there are coverage issues.

Beyond these critical urban centers, the investment aims to bolster network resilience and ensure power stability for its infrastructure nationwide.

This includes proactively addressing site outages by ensuring timely payment for operational necessities such as diesel for generators, a persistent challenge in the Nigerian operating environment.

Toriola outlined a comprehensive upgrade process, which involves placing orders formally, opening letters of credit, and then the equipment gets shipped in and installed.

He added that MTN will be acquiring new sites and laying fiber to the base station to create better stability” where necessary.

While the immediate CAPEX is geared towards improving existing service quality and capacity, this investment aligns with MTN’s broader goals of enhancing financial inclusion in underserved rural areas, suggesting a long-term vision for network expansion and service improvement that extends beyond metropolitan areas.

Subscribers can anticipate tangible improvements in service quality, with a significant improvement in quality of service expected by the end of the second quarter or early in the third quarter of 2025, according to Toriola.

“This year is all going to be about capital expenditure on an aggressive basis to fix quality of service issues (and) meet both the regulators’ and the public’s expectations,” he affirmed, reiterating MTN’s steadfast focus on customer experience through substantial capital investment.

 


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Telecom Regulators in Africa Chart New Course for a Data-driven Future

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Telecom regulators and industry leaders from across the Middle East and Africa gathered in Cairo last week to chart a data-driven future for the region.

In a region where digital transformation is accelerating at unprecedented speed, connectivity intelligence firm, Ookla and Egypt’s National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) joined forces to organise the Telecommunications Regulatory Summit

Themed ‘Harnessing Data and Technology for Superior QoS’, the summit focused on how data, particularly crowdsourced insights, can transform regulatory strategies across the region.

The summit attracted stakeholders from over 30 countries, including delegates from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and World Broadband Association (WBBA), who engaged in high-level discussions on optimising network performance and accelerating digital inclusion.

Karim Yaici, lead industry analyst for the Middle East and Africa at Ookla, said the event set the tone for the growing value of data-driven decision-making.

“Access to and the use of crowdsourced data contribute to making more informed decisions, fostering transparency and ensuring that citizens in the MEA region benefit from high-quality, accessible and affordable connectivity,” he said.

The experts underlined that crowdsourced data is becoming a critical complement to traditional regulatory methods.

They agreed that it helps identify service gaps, prioritise infrastructure investments, and drive innovation.

With broadband speeds now closely tied to GDP growth and productivity, accurate performance data is seen as key to socio-economic advancement.

Dr. Hossam Abdel-Mawla, vice-president of technical affairs and quality of service at NTRA, stressed that the summit was pivotal in fostering regional collaboration.

“By actively sharing best practices and exploring innovative data-driven strategies, we are shaping a future where telecom regulations ensure digital inclusion and economic growth across the region,” he said.

In a key session, Ahmed Nabawy, director of client services at Ookla, presented findings on 5G performance in Egypt and Tunisia.

He demonstrated how Ookla’s unified data platform, powered by AI, enables operators to analyse 5G-capable device density and prioritise high-impact rollout areas.

The summit also explored the shift from conventional network quality metrics to more user-centric Quality of Experience models. These advanced analytics tools promise to enhance transparency, improve accountability, and ultimately deliver better connectivity experiences for all.

 


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