Galaxy to save FG N8.2 bn on ICT infrastructure

The federal government owned public limited liability company charged with harmonizing its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, Galaxy Backbone Plc, has said its projected savings for the country in the next three years is estimated to be $70 million, about N8.2 billion.

Managing Director, Galaxy Backbone Plc, Mr. Gerald Ilukwe gave this indication during his presentation at the just concluded two-day first-ever forum on ICT public infrastructure in Abuja.

He said that by setting up Galaxy, the government is bound to save $70 million annually; beginning from 2011, adding that by reinventing her mission the government would be operating a single nation-wide network infrastructure to serve all Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Galaxy, he also said, provides infrastructure and management services for all national databases and transversal applications serving government MDAs.

In addition, Galaxy, would provide connectivity and internet access to rural and underserved communities and third party customers as well as provide bandwidth requirements - space segment/SAT-3) for all government MDAs.

Based on the global best practice, Galaxy would become a common platform for addressing the connectivity and other technology imperatives of government MDAs.
Ilukwe added that Galaxy would offer national wide and Metropolitan Area Network as well as Virtual Private Network (VPN) services.

Equally, his firm tends to provide Internet and bandwidth to FGN MDAs as well as data hosting and Co-location facilities for national priority projects; Government-wide Messaging and collaboration solutions and other applications.

Galaxy Backbone network, he said, involves the National Information, Communication Education Project (NIICEP) solution, while empowering typical remote sites with the ability to support interactive distance education, eGov services, awareness programmes, tele-medicine, remote monitoring, and rural telecommunication systems.
Just as the rural telecom system would offer video, native voice, Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP), Rural Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), WiMax and Wireless Fidelity (WiFi).


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