Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) says it is committed to improve the coverage area and cost of satellite Internet in Nigeria through an eco-system of Virtual Internet Service Providers (VISPs).
The company says by operating the digital Business Support System (BSS) PortaBilling as provided by PortaOne, it will deliver services to key markets such as government, defense, maritime and other enterprises.
Abimbola Alale, CEO of NIGCOMSAT, says such low entry barrier enables nearly any local company such as system integrator, utility or even a supermarket chain to become an ISP.
Alale states that it will have major effects in several key markets, in particular for Small Office or Home Office (SOHO), adding that these customers will benefit from better satellite connectivity.
Alale observes that the deployment of a robust and flexible solution such as PortaBilling will address the common challenges that Internet Service Providers in Nigeria face at the moment.
According to Alale, “It will also aid profitability, market readiness and a need for technology, which evolves with the market because PortaOne offers a license, unlimited in terms of number of subscribers or resellers. This helps to maintain a low and predictable TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).”
Alale lauds PortaOne team agile development work done on the project to integrate with other elements of the solution such as online payment through REMITA.
Andriy Zhylenko, CEO, PortaOne, a Canada-based software developer, says flexible convergent digital BSS is a crucial tool, which will enable NIGCOMSAT to succeed via monetisation of an innovative service and better customer experience.
“At the heart of PortaBilling is an open architecture that will integrate seamlessly with NIGCOMSAT’s value-added services. The two will work smoothly together to create cutting edge solutions that will meet the needs of today’s customers,” Zhylenko notes.
He stated that PortaBilling will make internet access in Nigeria more abundant and affordable, by building a vast network of VISPs in the country. PortaBilling would further enable prepaid Satellite Internet access across Nigeria – by improving revenue collection and reduction of leakage for VISPs and NIGCOMSAT.
On his part, Kazeem Kolawole Raji, executive director, Technical Services of NIGCOMSAT, says the full open architecture of PortaBilling, enables NIGCOMSAT to seamlessly tie it into various back-office and VAS system.
“To make sure that NIGCOMSAT’s people learn the ins and outs of the system quickly and can take full advantage of the integration capabilities and API (Application Programming Interface), PortaOne provided on-site training for more than 100 of the company employees,” Raji says.
