The move is in line with the efforts of several African governments to combat Covid-19 by allowing access to care for a large number of people.
Eutelsat subsidiary Konnect has recently proposed to offer broadband internet connection to isolation centres to fight against Covid-19 in Sokoto, a north-western state in Nigeria. Konnect hopes to enable the real-time connection of centres, leading to effective coordination of medical services and improved the care offer thanks to telemedicine.
With this offer, Konnect joins the fight of several African governments to combat Covid-19 by allowing access to care for the greatest number of people. Each isolation centre will benefit from free broadband connectivity. This deployment is made possible through the partnership with Coollink, a foremost ISP in Nigeria.
Commenting on the agreement, Jean-Claude Tshipama, CEO of Konnect Africa, said: “This operation demonstrates our ability to meet as quickly as possible the connectivity needs of institutional and commercial structures, even in complex times like these. We want Sokoto State to benefit from our expertise and the quality of our broadband services by providing FREE connectivity to all isolation centres.”
Shahin Nouri, CEO of Coollink, added: “Helping the Sokoto State Government to provide free satellite internet services to isolation centres is very important to us. It shows our engagement to deliver high-speed Internet anywhere in Nigeria and to help communities in crisis. Eutelsat Konnect has been a very important partner for us, and with such initiatives, is showing its commitment to the Nigerian market.”
Konnect, in partnership with Coollink, has been operating in Nigeria since 2017, with the ambition of offering broadband connectivity to all segments of the population, in particular those located in unserved or underserved areas.
Konnect offers an affordable and flexible solution, available everywhere. Konnect will see its in-orbit resources increase tenfold with the entry into service of the Eutelsat Konnect satellite in the coming months. With a total capacity of 75 Gbps, Eutelsat Konnect will be able to provide very high-speed internet of up to 100 Mbps, guaranteeing full coverage of Nigeria and 40 other African countries.
