Closing the gap in Nigeria’s ICT infrastructure deficit

More than any other sector, poor infrastructure has been the bane of ICT development in the country and a leading cause of deficiencies in the quality of telecommunications services, from broadband penetration to reliability of mobile network services.

This infrastructure deficit is preventing many Nigerians from gaining affordable and reliable access to ICT services. These challenges notwithstanding, some indigenous companies are striving to deepen ICT infrastructure in Nigeria, to enable the country deliver better quality of service at lower prices to its teeming population and deserve better support.

One of these companies that have proven its mark through investments in quality infrastructure facilities to close the digital divide is MainOne. As a start-up company in 2010, the company defied the odds by deploying West Africa’s first private submarine cable, connecting Nigeria and Ghana to the rest of the world at a cost of $240 million. With most of the international capacity still stranded at the coast where the cable lands, the company has continued to invest in enabling infrastructure to deepen broadband penetration in Nigeria.

Despite the challenging economic environment in the country, the company has invested in a next generation internet network, in addition to its earlier investment in submarine cable infrastructure, evolving to be the leading provider of Internet transit services out of West Africa over the last 6 years.

MainOne has equally deployed hundreds of kilometres of metro terrestrial fibre optics network so far, with plans to deploy over a thousand additional kilometres in Lagos, aimed at elevating the entire Mega City into an innovation hub, a feat it has already achieved in the Yaba metropolis of Lagos where its 30kilometers fibre optic cluster network has carved out the Yabacon Valley, supporting home-grown innovation and entrepreneurship in Lagos.

It has also built and operates a Tier III data centre which today hosts leading global content and e-commerce platforms in Nigeria. Beyond the shores of Nigeria, MainOne is growing its distribution network in Ghana, leveraging a new metro fiber network deployed by Google to boost Internet access in Ghana. Furthermore, the company recently extended its submarine network to Cameroun where it is supporting improved internet penetration in partnership with Cameroun Telecoms (CAMTEL). Today, MainOne currently provide best-in-class services to customers in 9 countries in the West Africa region. The company continues to make great strides as a worthy ambassador of quality and excellence in the region and is strongly positioning the Nigerian business brand favourably in the global ICT and business community.

Most recently, the company has expressed its intention to invest over $100m over the next five years, as a sign of its commitment to continued improvement of broadband services in West Africa. These investments are particularly targeted towards achieving the National broadband plan in Nigeria by building out its fibre network in Lagos. This plan will have the company deploy over 1,200 kilometres of fibre in Lagos to connect all local government areas, all commercial areas, schools and Ministries, Agencies and Departments.

In addition, the company recently secured rights to 5.4Ghz microwave licenses for the entre South West and Rivers State; licensed spectrum which enables connect more customers to the internet and to continue to grow its existing business. The company has also strategically acquired property within the Flowergate scheme in Ogun State to build a second data centre. That facility will provide diversity for the growing volume of content in the Lekki data centre, as well as serve the new industrial cluster forming within that axis of Ogun State.

The combination of sophisticated infrastructure and technical expertise that the company has amassed in its 6 years of operations is second to none in West Africa, helping to drive the region’s internet revolution. Little wonder the company has gained several global awards over the last six years with a recent nomination of its Tier III Lekki Data Centre as finalist in the Data Centre Dynamics EMEA Award in Internet Data Centre Category.

During its period of operations, innovative solutions deployed by MainOne have engendered significant impact and far reaching results across the technology industry, significantly enabling the region’s digital economies. Furthermore, the company has continued to fuel the growth of the tech segment in the economy powering connectivity and/or data centre services for the majority of Nigeria’s banks, leading e-Commerce companies such as Konga, Yudala, Iroko TV, Wakanow, and tech innovators like Andela, Budgit and CCHub. These efforts have literally created tens of thousands of jobs in the country by the stimulation of the Internet service provider (ISP), e-Commerce and ICT sectors.

MainOne has done more than any other organisation in the effort to drive more affordable access to broadband internet access across West Africa, pioneering significant crash in the price of wholesale Internet services which has enabled MNOs and ISPs in the region to continue to thrive.

This it has done through an innovative open-access shared infrastructure model that significantly reduces cost of services while increasing service efficiency, ensuring that different players in the service delivery value chain are able to focus on their core area of service and create more value for the consumers. The recent debate on retail data price floors clearly suggests that companies such as MainOne must be encouraged to accelerate the pace of infrastructure deployment for Nigerians to fully enjoy lower cost services.

All hands must be on desk for more ICT infrastructure

With the current economic travails and as Nigeria seeks to diversify from its dependency on oil revenues, real development in broadband service provision needs to be strongly supported by government as global experience has shown this to be a quintessential catalyst for growth in the real sectors of the economy. The days of advocacy are long gone and should be replaced with serious policy implementation, commitment to investment and support in the area of infrastructure build and development.

There is indeed an urgent need for government to proactively support initiatives aimed at efficiently deploying broadband infrastructure to guarantee the connection of more people, businesses and public institutions to the internet, in order to facilitate online and real time communication services and solutions that are required for building and sustaining the desired economic growth and global competitiveness of the country. Such models are currently canvassed by MainOne through collaboration with local and international partners, scalable business solutions and innovation, and capacity development programmes at efficient prices.

The federal government should, as a matter of necessity, work steadfastly towards closing the infrastructure deficit in the nation’s information and communications technology (ICT) industry by expediting and deepening the implementation of the National Broadband Plan. Companies like MainOne, which have significant local content and ownership and proven capacity to deliver can help the government achieve better outcomes in growing the digital economy and creating jobs.

Whilst it is noteworthy that Nigeria has the continent’s highest mobile telephony landscape, it is not yet Uhuru; there is still a lot of work to enable digital transformation. The critical issues and challenges in the sector are begging for attention. With organisations such as MainOne already at the forefront, the responsibility of government is to provide an enabling environment to make these businesses thrive and blossom into veritable platforms for growth. This will support the growth of a sustainable economy, place the future of our youths and next generation on a solid foothold and enhance the prosperity of our nation.

Udom Bassey