By 
Paulo Daniel Ferreira, President of ProTelecom Connecting Nigeria Limited
Give us an overview of Pro Telecom operations in Nigeria?
ProTelecom Connecting Nigeria Limited is a young Nigerian company, founded by me and my associate Mr. Eze Ukaji in 2013. ProTelecom brings to Nigerian and West African telecom and broadcast markets, new and unique terminal equipment and services at the very best market prices. Our service allows Nigerian consumers to solve most of their problems in rural connectivity, internet connectivity and television whether through free or pay connectivity.
What unique solutions are you offering and who are your target markets?
ProTelecom Connecting Nigeria Limited brings new equipment and solutions in four big sectors: mobile connectivity, internet connectivity, Free Tv connectivity and Pay Tv connectivity. We are last mile solutions, with innovative equipment like the ProTelecom wireless dual chip SIM card, mobile desktop cell phone that is unlocked for all GSM and CDMA operators in Nigeria market and we are in the market to solve Nigeria’s last mile problems in the mobile, internet and tv connectivity and diffusion.
What is the economic effect of migrating from analogue to digital transmission?
The economic effect in Nigeria will be huge. We are talking of a 170 million population. It will bring better pictures, high definition and new values and standards to Nigeria Free and Pay TV spectrum. All the operators in the market in DTH, MMDS, CATV, and satellite as well state and federal government will have to invest in new channels, equipment and services as well as local productions in terms of content.
Has your set-up-box been programmed to decode programme and stations names in local languages?
We are working on that right now. At this moment we have equipment for Digital High Definition where the HDTV 3 and 4G TV Antenna Amphibious stands out as well as the External HDTV Antenna 4 in 1 that works with all TV models and digital converters. But we are working on that right now so that we can offer a local set-up-box to decode programme and stations names in local languages.
Gearing towards digital migration in 2015, what are the future opportunities and challenges for telcos entering the digital home?
The opportunities are huge. We are talking of a huge population, with a middle class growing every day that wants to have access to new contents and keep up to date with information. In this way telcos must understand these new consumers needs, where social networks are vital and not only focus on their regular business model, they must understand that digital revolution is coming to Africa and that consumers will want better quality.
Do you think Nigeria is doing enough to meet the ITU digital migration deadline?
I really think so.NBC is making a huge effort to see that everything goes well. It is not easy. We are taking on different levels of sign and transmission all over Nigeria, with different operators that bring lots of challenges to this digital migration. This will need the full synergy for all stakeholders involved in the process, from users to regulators and the government. But I really think in 2015, we will be ready to operate this big step in Nigeria’s broadcast history. And ProTelecom will be part of this history.
This 6?s is anchored by Asst. Researcher/Writer: MOSHOOD ABUBAKAR
The new face of broadcasting from 2015
June 17, 2015 is the deadline for the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting as set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). After that date, the business of broadcasting would never be the same again. What will change? Every signal becomes digital. Broadcast operators and other ancillary business providers in the broadcast ecosystem would have to remodel what they bring to the market. Consumers would have options and regulators will, perforce, demand better management and efficiency in spectrum usage. The more advanced, value-laden digital technology would enable consumers explore vast opportunities of quality signals and choice channels numbering up to 100 on their television sets as against the pre-2015 times when a broadcast station deliver services on analogue pipes and eat up massive spectrum to deliver meagre content on just one channel. With digitalisation, the same single channel can be split into a dozen more all offering high resolution images and sound fidelity unattainable on analogue. Then there will be new merchants of services, such as found in companies like ProTelecom, taking advantage of technology convergence to deliver contents on once disperse connectivity pipe. The new era of broadcast ushers a brand new way of doing things once inconceivable. In broadcast, the future truly has come today. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the army of broadcast players have no choice than to push and push and push to ensure the June 2015 deadline is achieved.
