The growing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) revolution in the country may still sound strange to some people.A Catholic priest, REV. FR. CHIKE UBA, is using antenna technology to empower his people, as the need to communicate with modern technology grows stronger in Nigeria, writes REMMY NWEKE.
Yagi antenna ...
Nigeria still witness her citizens craving daily for kinds of technological innovation to better their lives.
Technology, according to Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, is the knowledge about scientific or industrial methods or the use of these methods obviously for elevation of humanity.
There exist technical innovations built not only to make the world less stressful but to further bridge the yearning gap in digital divide and antenna is one of such technology.
A dipole type is one, which has a half wavelength long consisting two rods or more, connected to a transmission line at the centre. Directional antenna is that which transmits or receives signals only in a narrow angle, whereas electrical device antenna is that which is powered by the electricity.
The non-directional or omni-directional antenna is one that sends or receives signals equally from all directions.
Antennas, usually are sensitivity to receptor organ and could be said to be fundamentally a metallic apparatus for sending or receiving electromagnetic waves.
Nowadays, therefore, there are different types of antennas for different purposes. There are antennas reputable as replacement boosters, often for cell phones, with other kinds including power strip boosters, PC boosters, long range Yogi and amplifiers to name a few.
There exist also the Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) type, which is for Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) for 2.4 Gega Hertz (Ghz) antennas, as well as the Wi-Fi booster antennas, which extend the range of wireless network or connected to other wireless networks within a given neighbourhood.
Some of these antennas are built to cover between 35 and 50 miles. Most of them today are available in the Nigerian market and the brands making wave are those with capability to boost receptions on communications gadgets, especially cellular and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) phones as well as television in some instances.
While some of the antennas are mounted on roof tops, before connecting to the handsets, like that of TV set, some take solace on the self-sticking type usually fixed with adhesive on the phone set.
These antennas contain what technologists described as wireless repeaters, which provide radio frequency (RF) coverage when installed to areas that either lack signal or lack the required signal strength for adequate performance of a telecommunication tool and precisely on mobile phone.
This could be achieved by the repeater systems providing an effective solution through redirecting, filtering and amplifying the available signal at the donor (main) antenna, into the weak coverage area, via a properly selected interior coverage antenna.
Most of these antenna boosters work on analog and digital systems, as well as dual and tri-band modules. It could also improve signal on pagers, walkie-talkies, cordless phones and two-day radios.
In the Awka-North town of Awba-Ofemili in Anambra State, a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Emma Chike Uba, got wind of this innovation and has capitalized on it to provide free service on his GSM phone to the people of the town to make and receive calls.
According to him, on assumption of office as the parish priest of St. Paul’s Catholic Church in the town, about 14 months ago, he thought it was end of the road for him in terms of communications with outside world. But he decided to take a walk round the Presbytery environ with his handset, when a call came through on the set but it was not steady.
As expected, the caller did not believe Fr. Uba was at any location in Awba-Ofemili, knowing fully well there was no GSM presence in the town, about 25 kilometres from Awka capital city.
Fr. Uba later remarked the spot, which he turned into a ‘cell-site’ of sort for making and receiving calls, between the hours of 9pm and 12am, amidst mosquitoes’ bites.
The zeal to better lives made the clergy to know of these antenna boosters, which he bought at the cost of N12,000. The price has since come down to about N8,500, while in cities like Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, these set of antennas, especially the Yugi product, sell now from N6,500.
Soon after, the need for parishioners to ‘flash’ their relatives in the cities in return for a call increased, forcing the clergy to now purchase another set specifically for them; an MTN line and a mobile phone as well as an antenna to go with it, from his purse and handed same to one of the parishioners to manage.
As Nigerians reflect on the three years of GSM, and Fr. Uba commemorate his 14th month in Awba-Ofemili, the community now has a point of access where to call at anytime and leave messages for their loved ones.
On the other hand, even relatives could now reach their own in the cities without the traumatic journey on bad road to Awka town, which cost about N600 presently, just to make a call.
Indigenes, who spoke to Champion Infotel, said the coming of Fr. Chike Uba to the town is a blessing. And for the priest, the church cannot divorce the humanity and economic well being of the faithful, and communication forms a major part and step to actualizing this fact.
Investigations revealed that many others like Fr. Uba, have since taken a cue from him by getting reception via antenna at their various rural locations, mostly in the eastern states of the country.
This kind of empowerment would not only boost self-reliance in the rural areas, but would also empower them economically.
Today, the wise thought of Fr. Uba, has motivated up to five call centres in the town by offering assistance to indigenes of the town due to bad road connecting Amansea, Ebenebe, Ugbenu, Ugbene and Awba-Ofemili, as well as the time for such trip which is a full day affair.
Fr. Uba now has enough signal through the two booster antennas, mounted over a height of a two-story building bamboo stick behind his residence, one of which is an MTN and the other for MTel. He said the technology has helped him immensely by making life a lot easier, as he could now simply send a text message to his friends at Awka, for him to buy some bags of cement for the on-going church building, without physically being there or taking the pains to drive the road which has been yearning for repairs.
So, when next you receive a call, do not be surprised, it may come from a relative in the hither land. Thanks to the booster antenna technology.
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