SES, CCNL Propel Digital Switchover in Nigeria

SES has signed a multi-year agreement with Cable Channels Nigeria Ltd. (CCNL) to provide a video platform from its 28.2 degrees east orbital position for the provision of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and Direct to Home (DTH) broadcast platforms in Nigeria.

CCNL, a Nigeria National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) licensed company, is the certified content aggregator and platform owner for the Free-to-Air (FTA) DTT and DTH platforms in Nigeria.

The company is playing a key role in Nigeria’s Digital Switchover (DSO) process by getting channels onto the land-based DTT network and onto satellite as DTH, both offered under the brand FreeTV.

SES will be providing the space segment and specific platform services for the DTH service, which will be used to feed the DTT transmitters around the country, forming a hybrid DTH/DTT solution.

Using teleport services provided by SES local teleport partner Computer Warehouse Group (CWG), the channels are aggregated from all over Nigeria by way of microwave, fiber, IP or satellite, and then multiplexed before uplink to the Astra 2F satellite at 28.2 degrees east.

“This agreement with SES will have a massive impact on consumers as we move toward the Nigeria DSO process. It moves over 25 million households from three to four analogue channels to 15 channels at launch, increasing to at least 30 channels in digital-quality picture and sound,” said Mohammed Bawa, vice chairman of CCNL.