Pilots flying Nigeria�s air space are navigating blindly because of the short-distance coverage by radars being used in the country�s airports, Managing Director of the Nigeria Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Engr. T. Ahmad-Rufai said yesterday.
Rufai said immediately after pilots take off from Nigerian airports, they find it difficult to communicate with relevant authorities until they approach the next airport some 10 to 15 minutes later.
Speaking at the celebration to mark NIGCOMSAT�s first year, Engr Rufai said the world is gradually moving to the new satellite communications technology for aviation industry.
In March this year, a Beechcraft plane belonging to Wings Aviation Limited disappeared from Nigerian airspace for reasons many people believe to be communications error.
According to him, if the Nigerian Aviation Management Agency [NAMA] will collaborate with NIGCOMSAT, Nigerian pilots will find it easier to communicate via satellite throughout the country and beyond.
He said right now, NIGCOMSAT has L-band that is being used for navigation and it helps pilots communicate more easily with the relevant authorities.
He said it is easier to trace a plane via satellite at the time of an accident. He said “we suggested that for NAMA, but they are yet to say anything tangible.”
According to Rufai, the plan is to sell the transponder that carries L-band to NAMA or any relevant authority for them to utilize before patronizing customers from Europe that place high demand of the product.
He said the satellite is currently carrying the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Emperion, Galaxy Backbone and Cyberspace with sales commitment to Defence Headquarters, Immigration, ICPC and Craft Technologies, among others.
On the services the satellite will offer on data, Rufai said NIGCOMSAT is presently being utilized to provide over 400 communities with tele-centers nationwide, with 79 currently being deployed.
He said the company plans to increase its business vista by proposing to launch NIGCOMSAT 2 and 3 “as current and proposed utilization analysis carried out by our engineers show that transponders� requirements will soon exceed the available capacity on the NIGCOMSAT 1.” Rufai said in the first one year of its operation, the company has been faced with some operational challenges, especially the licensing issue with the regulatory authority.