Editor’s Note: Remembered we told you about some tech industry guys we met at NigeriaCom event? Adewale Yusuf, our tech event blogger, had the chance to chat with Nadim Chidiac, CTO of Coollink, the partner and representative of YahClick in Nigeria.
I know you’ve been seeing and hearing YahClick commercials on local and cable TV as well as radio stations, and you would’ve been wondering what are this ones up to in a country where broadband is messed up – in my opinion. So, you can check what Nadim had to say concerning YahClick’s presence in Nigeria, maybe it will convince you to check them out, especially since the speed on offer is quite tempting.
O: Can we meet you?
N.C: Of course you can meet us. You are more than welcome to visit our office upon giving us a 48-hour notice so that we can all be ready for you *smiling*.
O: Who or What is YahClick?
N.C: YahClick is the brand name of the service we launched in partnership with Yahsat. So your question should be, who is Yahsat? Al Yah Satellite Communications, Yahsat is a satellite communications company wholly owned subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, the Abu Dhabi Government’s strategic investment company.
The company offers voice, data, video and internet services for broadcast, Internet and VSAT users for both private and government organizations. Yahsat launched its first satellite (Y1A) in 2011 for military Ka-Band as well as KU and C-Band services (only C-Band over Nigeria). Y1B was then launched in 2012 bringing YahClick to life as of September 10th 2012. Y1B will be covering 28 countries, out of which Nigeria will be the biggest market.
O: Why are they in Nigeria?
N.C: Yahsat is in Nigeria because of, and through Coollink. Coollink signed a partnership with Yahsat in 2009 in order to provide broadband connectivity to everyone everywhere in Nigeria. There is a dire need for that kind of connectivity in areas where broadband services do not exist. Why should schools in remote areas be deprived of internet service? Why should companies with sites in remote areas pay a fortune to be connected to communicate with their head office? YahClick is the solution. With plans as low as N4,950, it will be affordable and reliable.
O: Who are their partners and why partnering?
N.C: Coollink has a vast network of partners, resellers and installers across Nigeria to be able to install and deliver the service any time and anywhere.
O: What is YahClick’s broadband speed?
N.C: What is broadband? Broadband refers to a communication bandwidth of at least 256 Kbps. Coollink is offering YahClick plans from 512 Kbps and up to 15 Mbps on the download. This is an innovative solution that the common Nigerian user has not been used to.
It actually doesn’t even exist in many areas in Nigeria. Back in the days of dial-up, it would take the average user 10-30 minutes to download a song and 28 hours to download a 700MB file. One of our partners in Enugu was flabbergasted when he was able to download Ubuntu Server (700MB) in less than 10 minutes. His exact words were: “Wow! It took me two weeks to download this file on my connection in Enugu”.
O: What is the future of YahClick and Coollink’s partnership?
N.C: When Our Group MD first signed the partnership with Yahsat, his goal was to make a major impact on how Nigerians connect to the Internet. Up till now, having broadband internet access is still a luxury for most Nigerians nation-wide. Our MD’s vision was to make it a basic commodity instead and that is exactly what is happening with YahClick. As for the future of our relationship with Yahsat, it is quite simple.
The contract states that once 60% of the satellite’s capacity is sold, we will stop selling to end-users in order not to congest the network and maintain a good browsing experience for everyone. By that time, a third satellite will be launched to accommodate more users and provide new technologies.
[image via Flickr/ AndiH]
