In line with the success of the Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) flight demonstration carried out in Abuja in February 2023, Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd, NIGCOMSAT, and Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), renewed their partnership on the development of Satellite Based Augmentation System. With this agreement, NIGCOMSAT will provide access to the SBAS payload of NIGCOMSAT-1R satellite to Thales Alenia Space to disseminate SBAS signals in Africa.

Satellite Based Augmentation System is an aviation-grade safety satellite navigation system enabling highly reliable satellite navigation services and high-accuracy positioning. This technology is a game changer for aviation, focusing on improving flight safety and efficiency while ensuring better user experience by achieving free traffic flow and decreasing CO2 emission with fuel consumption reduction. SBAS is a key enabler in implementing the African Union’s Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).

It is also a game changer for non-aviation sector applications such as precision agriculture, land and maritime transport, rail safety, oil and gas, drone navigation, secured time transfer, mapping/cadastral, survey and mass market applications.

About NIGCOMSAT

Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd (NIGCOMSAT) is a company and agency under the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy whose mission is to be Africa’s leading satellite operator and service provider. NIGCOMSAT Ltd owns and operates the Nigerian Communications Satellite. The company provides innovative and cutting-edge satellite communications solutions by operating and managing a geostationary communication satellite-NigComSat–1R, built to provide domestic and international satellite services via two-way satellite communications services across West, Central, South, and East Africa, Europe and Asia. The satellite is a hybrid Communication Satellite with a payload for navigation overlay services (NOS) system similar to EGNOS.

NIGCOMSAT Ltd Press Contacts

1. Engr.Tukur Mohammed LAWAL (MD/CE); tlawal@nigcomsat.gov.ng 
2. Mr. Adamu Idris (GM Corporate Affairs); aidris@nigcomsat.gov.ng. 
3. Dr. Lasisi Salami LAWAL (SBAS Project Manager); lasisi@nigcomsat.gov.ng. 

About THALES ALENIA SPACE

Drawing on over 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Governments and private industry alike count on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections and positioning, monitor our planet, enhance management of its resources, and explore our Solar System and beyond. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent companies’ Space Alliance, which offers a complete range of services. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of approximately 2.2 billion euros in 2022 and has around 8,500 employees in 10 countries, with 17 sites in Europe and a plant in the US.

THALES ALENIA SPACE – Press Contacts

1. Sandrine Bielecki; sandrine.bielecki@thalesaleniaspace.com. 
2. Catherine des Arcis; catherine.des-arcis@thalesaleniaspace.com.