It was on news yesterday that the Federal Government of Nigeria has launched the Ka Band satellite service through the Nigeria Communication Satellite NIGCOMSAT. This means that when fully functional, every Nigerian shall have access to high speed internet broadband connectivity. The service providers have also promised that it shall be made accessible to all Nigerians across board as the equipment to gain access is simple, smaller, cheap and easy to set up. As the internet has become part of our everyday-lives, how can the Ka Band high speed internet broadband service benefit you as a Nigerian?
Even though Nigeria has launched the KA Band high speed internet Broadband service, what chances do the providers have to succeed in this country? I ask this question because most Nigerians may not know what actually the Ka Band is, how they can apply it and what difference it stands to make in their everyday internet usage. But do not worry, I shall open your eyes to what you need to know about the Ka Band High Speed Internet Broadband technology service.
The Ka Band is part of the K Band which covers a part of the microwave and the infrared ranges in the electromagnetic spectrum EMS. Here, we are talking about frequencies of about 26.5 to 40 GHz. Due to its broad frequency coverage, the Ka Band is used majorly in two ways; the 30 to 20 GHz band coverage is applied in Satellite Communication technology applications.
They are seen in satellite internet connectivity during up-linking and down-linking, high resolution close-range targeting radar used in military fighter planes. They are also seen in vehicle speed detectors as used by highway law enforcement agents in developed countries.
The part of the Ka Band which falls within the infrared region is mostly applied in astronomical observations. Observing the heavenly bodies like the stars and other planetry objects are made simpler by these technology.
ADVANTAGES OF THE KA BAND INTERNET BROADBAND
Before the introduction of the Ka Band for internet connectivity, most ISPs were on the KU Band platform. Even before the KU Band came, the C – Band was in vogue. So why the progressive change? It is a well-known fact that the C – Band was very reliable, never affected by rain or weather conditions and most compatible with old model hardware which many people still had. However, it was very expensive to own, manage or use.
The KU Band came and was embraced because it offered cheaper and richer content services. It was richer than C – Band because its data and voice carriage was more superior to the C – Band capabilities. This is seen in the DStv Eutelsat Satellite KU Band which transmits Higher Definition HD images and audio to owners of DStv HD decoders.
In addition to this property, the DStv KU Band carries internet connectivity too. That is why owners of the DStv Explora can connect to the internet with their Explora decoders. However, the KU Band was still more expensive compared to the Ka Band now launched in Nigeria.
The Ka Band currently offers the cheapest internet broadband service so far in the technology of the satellite communication. The equipment is very easy to set up and small in size. With just a screw driver, you alone can conveniently mount the dish and operate it without stress. The Ka Band internet services are almost 10 times faster than the regular KU Band we have been using.
The cool thing about Ka band is that it enables the satellite operators to transmit around ten times as much data over the same satellite capacity as Ku band. The equipment used could be much smaller and cheaper, lighter and is much easier to set up.
The Nigerian Government through the NIGCOMSAT has promised to make this product available to everybody – individuals, small and medium scale businesses, coperate organizations and even rural dwellers. This is one good thing – that so long as you are seeing the sky, then you can signal from the satellite to your Ka Band satellite dish. Therefore, the signal can be found everywhere. Nigeria is about to experience an internet access revolution with the launch of the Ka Band high speed internet broadband service.
