Features

Why Pinnacle emerged Daily Times Company of the Year

By Ihesiulo Grace 10 January 2017 8 No comment

When the history of digital broadcast is told in Nigeria, Pinnacle Communications Limited will be proudly remembered as the firm that blazed the trail and set standards for the emergence of world class digital broadcasting in Nigeria.

With its state of the art facilities, the firm paved the way for Nigeria to join the league of nations that have moved from analogue broadcasting to world class digital broadcasting.

Despite surmounting the initial tough obstacles to emerge winners of the 2nd Broadcast Signal Distribution license Network for transition from analogue to digital broadcasting, in 2016, yet many had feared that the company may not be able to meet the deadline set for them to provide the much needed facilities and manpower for the effective migration.

It took the company just six weeks to secure, clear, build up the
site and installs what is now known as the finest transmission systems in the
world at the Mpape site.

Telecommunication Union, ITU had in 2006 fix 17 June 2016, as the deadline for the transition of analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting in the VHF 174-230 MHz and UHF, 470-862 MHz frequency bands, while they also
stated how frequencies will be used in an all digital environemnt as well as governing cross border interference in the transition period leading to the final deadline of 17 June, 2015.

Nigeria however failed feat has not only restored the hope that Nigeria is capable of the June, 2017 deadline given by the international Telecommunications Union, ITU but has also culminated to the launchin of the first ever minimum of 30 channels free television stations for Abuja residents.

The achievements is seen as a clear example of the Nigerian spirit of positive daring as well as a major statemeent for the country’s entrepreneurial ability as Pinnacle Communications achieved the feat to prove to the amazements of many, that Pinnacle is capable of achieving great heights, especially when guided by a focused entrepreneur, like its Chairman, Sir Lucky Omoluwa.

Following the switch on, Abuja residents can now watch close to 30 TV channels, offering fares in news, entertainment, sports and business, for free.

Before the digital switch on, close to 450,000 set top Boxes were provided for the ever growing Abuja populace, thereby offering them unique opportunities to enjoy an innovation that will create a catalyst in broadcasting in various spheres including educational programmes broadcasting as well as emerging Nollywood movies.

The advantages derivable from the initiatives are numerous to be listed here, but some of such include the possibilities of instant feedback which would
assist in deepening the democratic processes, while also enhancing the opening up of the Nollywood film and creativity industry to offer access to the rich repertoire of Nigerian films.

These low hanging fruits, as it were, will also help to sweep the carpets off the feet of pirates, thus bringing more funds to help develop Nigeria’s fil industry, rated as the third largest in the world.

As the regulatory agency, Nigeria Broadcasting Commission has rightly situated, “under the new digital ecosystem, seventy percent of content on 24-hour television would be local and this has the catalyst of offering job opportunities as well as wealth creation for Nigeria’s very creative young
through the entire broadcasting value chain.

The introduction of a Digital Access Fund (DAF), would become platform to help collect television licenses in Nigeria to get funds that can aid the development of the grassroots.

The decision by Daily Times Nigeria to crown as the DAILY TIMES COMPANY OF THE YEAR 2016, is therefore, born out of thefact that with these great feat, the Nigerian dream of achieving the June 2017 timeline to complete a
nation-wide digital switchover is assured.

Pinnacle, a company registered as Pinnacle Communications Limited, is an international communications Equipment COmpany focused on providing product, system and service solutions that takes its customers to the next level.

The company provides a wide range of products and services for wireless, broadcast, network support and government markets.

It is also into advanced transmitter equipment systems and services for digital television, DTV and digital radio equipment.

The company was incorporated with the Corporate Affairs Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with Registration Number RC 245722 on the 9th of May 1994 and since then it has been solely responsible for the radio communication of several states in the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as design, supply, installation and commissioning of Radio, AM/FM and Television boradcast equipment.

The company was given the right to midwife Nigeria’s migration from analogue to digital broadcasting after a keenly contested bidding process organised by the Presidential team on digital migration, BSDGROUP, after beating 15 other companies which had expressed initial interest in the project.

This bidding process came after the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC
experimented the switch-on of broadcast transmission from analogue to digital broadcasting in Jos, the Plateau State capital From the five bids, Phase 3 Telecoms Limited, Pinnacle Communications Limited and Trendcorp Africa limited met the mandatory requirements and were therefore qualified for technical evaluation.

The technical evaluation saw Pinnacle Communications which scored 74.8% and Phase 3 Telecom Limited which had 71.1% scaled through to the financial phase, but expectedly, Pinnacle which bided N618 million or 31.1 percent higher than the 20 percent prescribed for the preserved price of N500 million, defeated Phase3 bided N100 million, which has less than 20 per cent.

With the process over Pinnacle Communications Limited wasted no time in deploying a national terrestrial broadcasting signal distribution network to actualise the dream.

The Board of Directors, Management and Staff of Daily Times Nigeria join millions of Nigerians to say hearty congratulations to the Board of Directors of Pinnacle Communications for this great achievements.