[Satellite TODAY 10-11-10] O3b Networks signed a multi-year deal with satellite and wireless broadband solutions provider Netcom Africa to deliver high capacity, broadband connectivity to Nigerian ships and offshore oil and gas platforms, O3b announced Oct. 8.
    The service will utilize O3b’s medium-Earth orbit technology to help boost the availability of high-speed data connections to offshore companies, with coverage areas including the city of Lagos, the Niger Delta region and another offshore area in Africa, where 50 different oil platforms are operating.
    O3b Networks said regional service providers have struggled to meet the needs of the African oil and gas sector, despite the availability of multiple submarine cable networks on Nigeria’s coast.
    While details were not disclosed, O3b Networks indicated that the agreement is a multimillion-dollar contract.