There is a new wave of excitement in the air. Nigerians are now beginning to reap from the fruits of deregulation in the broadcast industry. Monopoly has given way for free market. And there appears to be an enabling environment now that spurs indigenous entrepreneurs to do business in the hitherto exclusive pay-TV industry.

It is a gracious reminder of 2001 when telecommunications in Nigeria took a new phase and has remained so, ever. The excitement then was not only overwhelming but unprecedented as it opened the door to greater opportunities not just for the country's economy but for the Nigerian citizen. Today, the low and the mighty in Nigeria have unrestricted access to the telephone, something that was almost a taboo a few months before the revolution.

Like the holy book said, there is time for everything under the sun. This period could perhaps be described as the right time for Nigerians to compete in the pay-TV business which was before now dominated by a single player. It is not as if there had not been indigenous pay-TV operators that tried their 'luck' in the business in the past. No, there were but they seemed to have come the wrong time.

If there are legacies that the Obasanjo administration left behind which Nigerians- critics and admirers alike would not forget in a hurry, it is the telecom revolution and of course the evolving pay-TV revolution. The landmark telecom revolution is there for everybody to see. What however, Nigerians are beginning to see in the pay-TV business is the product of a foundation led by the Obasanjo government through Frank Nweke Jnr, erstwhile minister of Information and National Orientation.

Nweke had about two years ago frowned at the harsh conditions under which indigenous pay-TV operators were doing business in Nigeria and said government had no other option than to put a stop to that. He promised then that government was out to encourage indigenous pay-TV operators to enable them not only stay in business but compete favourably with their likes all over the world.

Nigerians were witnesses to the way pay-TV stations driven by indigenous entrepreneurs were frustrated out of business not only by competition but by government's unprotective policies and an environment that was everything but friendly. Indigenous pay-TV operators like Frontage Satellite Television (FSTV), Trumpet Internet Television (TITV) and the unsteady TrendTV are classical examples of local operators that could not stand the heat in the business of pay-TV.

While the likes of FSTV and TITV seemed to have become history at least for now, the future of the few other ones doing business in the country prior to the emergence of HITV remained uncertain. And so the pronouncement by the Obasanjo government was the saving grace needed to salvage the ailing pay-TV industry in Nigeria.

Ever since HITV entered into the country's pay-TV business, it has not pretended to be here for real business. Its subscriber base has continued to soar as more and more Nigerians continue to identify with the Direct-To-Home pay-TV operator. In fact, its wrestling of the Premiership from MultiChoice was a masterstroke that turned the tide in its favour.

HITV has proved beyond every reasonable doubt that it has all it takes to run a pay-TV business of international standard. From a few channels at inception, the pay-TV body now boasts of close to 30 channels spanning some of the best in news, sports, entertainment and kiddies programmes. Yet, the management of the broadcast outfit keeps on assuring of plans for continuous channel addition and excellent service.

The HITV success story has opened the floodgate of pay-TV business in the country such that the number is increasing by the day. The success story has once more restored hope in the hitherto feared sector. TrendTV is back once more and appears to have weathered the storm and ready to remain in the business.

Only recently, in a fashion reminiscent of the emergence of Africa Independent Television (AIT), Daar Communications formally launched DaarSat, a new home-grown Nigerian Direct-to-Home pay-TV, promising a rich broadcast content and a deep Afro-centric orientation in line with the traditions of the company.

Debuting with about 40 channels, DaarSat will be the first satellite pay-TV platform offering service in and operating wholly from Nigeria. The idea is to continue to encourage Nigerians to embrace new technologies and prepare for the challenges of the 21st century.

This is not forgetting the contributions of Bayo Banjo's Disc Communications, Uzo Udemba's Communications Trend Limited (CTL) and of course, Alhaji Barwa Garba's ABG Communications. Today, take a stroll round major cities in Nigeria and see that almost every home now has a dish mounted on their rooftops that pick numerous digital satellite TV channels including free-to-air and subscription packages.

The telecom miracle is gradually being replicated in broadcasting. And there is no better time for this than now that the whole world is talking about digitization of broadcasting. Good enough, Nigeria has set 2012 as its switchover date from analogue to digital broadcasting. It is not unlikely that before the switchover date, more pay-TV operators will spring up in Nigeria.

Government should continue to formulate policies and create the enabling environment that will grow the local broadcast industry. Nothing stops the likes of HITV, Disc Comm, DaarSat and CTL from expanding into other African countries just like MultiChoice is doing and as Globacom is doing in telecommunications.

With O3B Networks promising to offer cheap, low latency satellite bandwidth that can cover any part of Africa by 2010, the coast certainly will be clear for the pay-TV operators to expand to other African countries. Government should be more involved this time around as the pay-TV industry has the capability to promote the country's image more than anything else.