MainOne extends submarine cable to Niger Delta and Cameroon

11 Jan 2016
Financial Nigeria

Summary

The submarine fibre cable will enable the south-south region of Nigeria as well as Cameroon to open frontiers for e-commerce and improve access to the internet.

Funke Opeke, Chief Executive Officer, MainOne

Leading provider of telecom services and network solutions in West Africa, MainOne, has announced that the high-capacity Nigerian-Cameroun Submarine Cable System (NCSCS), connecting Lagos, Nigeria, and Kribi, Cameroon, has been completed.

Installation of the submarine cable commenced in June 2015 following a partnership between MainOne, the Cameroonian government and Huawei Marine Networks. The six-pair, 1,100 kilometer repeater submarine cable system will deliver capacity of up to 12.8TeraBytes per second (Tbps) to broadband users in Cameroon and is charged with 40GB capacity.

In a statement on Monday, the company said the new submarine cable system will address demand for broadband connectivity in Cameroon. The country’s broadband penetration is about five percent. The submarine cable extension is part of the Cameroonian government’s strategic plan to provide internet access to its citizens via a National Broadband Network.

“This is an excellent addition to our network and is added proof of our commitment to expand broadband, improve quality and drive down cost of internet services in West Africa,” MainOne’s Regional Executive for West Africa, Kazeem Oladepo, said. “As part of our strategy to boost West Africa’s economic and commercial development, we will continue to make deliberate and significant investments in connectivity projects that will facilitate increased access to broadband.”

The NCSCS is built with branching units that extend connectivity into Escravos in Delta State, Qua Iboe in Akwa Ibom State, and Bonny Island in Rivers State. These hubs are designed to bridge the technology gap between the South-South region and the rest of Nigeria.

“The proposed extension of our submarine system to the Niger Delta region is particularly important for further development of the oil producing region of Nigeria, and will aid the region’s rapid transition from an oil-dependent economy to a knowledge-focused one,” MainOne’s Regional Executive stated.

MainOne’s terrestrial fiber optic networks are facilitating broadband services for businesses in West Africa. The submarine fibre cable will enable the south-south region of Nigeria as well as Cameroon to open frontiers for e-commerce and improve access to the internet, encourage social entrepreneurship and technological development in Nigeria and Cameroon.

David Nkoto Emane, General Manager, Cameroon Telecommunications Corporation (CAMTEL), said, “The NCSCS system enables us to provide users with faster bandwidth connectivity at a significantly lower cost. By providing direct connection to Nigeria, the cable system will also serve to enhance Cameroon’s position as the major bandwidth hub in the region and internationally to Europe and beyond.”
 


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