By peter oluka
Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited is targeting part of the wireless spectrum that have been abandoned or left unused by television (TV) broadcasters as they increasingly move to digital transmission.
Already, the company has partnered with Microsoft to conduct tests in select location as a faster and cheaper way to beam the Internet to remote rural areas and roll out Sidmach services to the hinterlands.
Technology giants such as Microsoft and Google are pushing for governments around the world to open up this ‘white space’, hoping that it will boost innovation in Internet delivery, according to Mr. Michael Olajide, the executive director, Finance and Administration at Sidmach, during an interview with Nigeria CommunicationsWeek.
He said that a recent example is a pilot initiative in Abeokuta, Ogun State, carried out by Sidmach in partnership with Microsoft that aims to boost access to the Company’s health and educational solutions by the rural dwellers.
He said that the choice of Abeokuta was as a result of ‘noise interferences’ witnessed in Lagos due to the activities of illegal transmitters on such frequencies.
Mr. Olajide said that the regulatory authorities should urgently address the challenge as means to boost broadband penetration in the country.
He said, “The reason we embarked on the study is that we have a need to make our health management solution available to the rural areas. We also want to expand our school management solutions to every nooks and crannies of the country. No child should be left out in proper formal education, especially in this digital age.
“Deploying these solutions through cloud technologies will impact many lives. For example, if there is a clinic in the rural area which doesn’t have all the expertise, the health officers can connect to health institutions in Lagos or any city with equipped facility closer to them. When connected to an expert or specialist, he/she can help diagnose the ailment. In other words, telemedicine will become possible. These are captured in our APMIS. We are launching APMIS this quarter. People are already trying it out”.
He further cautioned against continuous interferences on the frequencies by illegal transmitting stations, thus, “The regulatory bodies- NCC and NBC know what to do. They have the equipment and personnel to stamp it out. There are other technologies underway, like the 5G that will make connectivity more available.
“Same time, the TV whitespace is interesting, because it moves far; about 20kilometres from the base station. So, if you have a base station within Abeokuta, within 20kilometre radius, you will definitely have connectivity; likewise, if you have the technology in Ijebu-Ode, Shagamu, etc.
“This can be replicated in other places like Bayelsa and other hinterlands. That is the beauty of TV whitespace and we hope this is going to come very fast. Other international companies are also supporting this move. For instance, the test we are conducting in Abeokuta, Microsoft sent the equipment. We only paid for the clearing at the ports”, Mr. Olajide told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek.
