Artist rendition of the Belintersat 1 satellite. Photo: Belintersat 1.

[Via Satellite 12-31-2015] China Great Wall Industries Corporation (CGWIC) has announced Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSat) as the winner of a bidding process to provide In-Orbit test (IOT) and carrier Spectrum Monitoring (CSM) services for Belintersat 1, a communications satellite owned by the government of Belarus. The operation will begin on Jan. 16, 2016, the launch date for the satellite in Belarus, and will last for 15 years. According to Vaguard, this makes Nigeria the first African nation to compete at the international stage as a major player in space technology.

Besides transponder leasing, NigComSat will be providing broadband services, enterprise solutions, secured communications and solutions over Nigeria and other 35 African countries.