The COVID-19 pandemic which led to the closure of businesses and restriction of movements underscored the need for digital adoption. For many businesses, the quality and speed of the internet are just as important as the engagement of the provider.
As of October 2021, Nigeria ranked 105th in the world for broadband connection speeds, representing one of the slowest at 13.45Mbps. Adopting digitization on an internet service that can barely hold the systems efficiently can be frustrating. The success of a company hinges upon the excellent performance of its employees. Unreliable and slow connections, therefore, mean employees are unable to perform their tasks and communicate with clients. These could affect employee morale and result in lower productivity and efficiency.
FiberOneBroadband, Nigeria’s largest broadband provider, said it has made a success in solving the internet speed challenges that businesses face in the country and enabling high-speed internet access across the country. In 2020, with the pandemic shutting down physical business locations and forcing large migration online, FibreOne Broadband, also fiber to the home provider, saw a significant increase in customer base to almost 300 percent. Residential customers grew by 77 percent while small, medium enterprises (SMEs) rose 23 percent during the period.
Fiber to the home (FTTH), also known as fiber to the premises (FTTP), refers to the installation and use of optical fiber from a central point directly to individual buildings such as residences, apartment buildings, and businesses to provide high-speed internet access. FTTH dramatically increases connection speeds available to computer users compared with technologies now used in most places.
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Founded in 2017, FiberOne Broadband has been connecting people in their homes and businesses, enabling them to enjoy a whole new way of connecting to and streaming music, movies, online meetings, and gaming.
Lanre Adebayo, a tech entrepreneur who recently subscribed to FiberOne said he is able to work without interruptions and the service is so fast that he is able to upload more videos within a shorter time than he was used to.
FiberOne Broadband provides customers up to 1200 megabytes per second for downloads. According to the internet speed test website, Ookla, the global average download speed on fixed broadband as of September 2021 was 113.25 and 63.15 Mbps on mobile.
“Technology is invading every space and undoubtedly affecting our daily lives. More people are opting for devices at home to work efficiently and ease the stress of chores,” said Kenny Joda, Head of Corporate Services at FiberOne. “Our customer base keeps growing and we have 77 percent of residential subscribers. Our service delivery at FiberOne Broadband is customer-centric and from our end, we will keep introducing solutions that keep our customers productive either at home or the office.”
Fiber optic internet is considered very expensive by many, a factor that has seen usage not grow at the same level as mobile broadband. Fiber deployment across the country faces different barriers including Right of Way, multiple taxes, etc.
To be sure, fiber optic internet is an internet connection that transfers data through fiber optic cables. Within the fiber optic cables, data is converted into light signals that pass through thin glass wires inside the larger protective cable. Transferring data in this way (by light signals) is what makes fiber-optic internet incredibly fast.
Apart from being fast, fiber optic internet is very reliable, especially for video streaming. Fiber optics can also handle more users and more data at consistently higher speeds, and it doesn’t need energized lines, so it is not as prone to outages.
In order to ensure that consumers do not see the cost of installation as prohibitive, FiberOne Broadband became the first optic internet provider to reduce instead of increase its activation fee despite the economic challenges businesses are facing. Consumers can access over 900GB of data for just N11,450.
The company offers a triple play of voice, data, and video and has been bringing affordable and quality fiber optic internet solutions to homes and offices. Over the past years, FiberOne broadband said it has become known for its affordability, reliability, and excellent service delivery. In December 2020, the company ran a promo that promised a 25 percent slash in installation cost for new subscribers. The promo ran from December 2020 to January 2021.
Its service is now accessible in four states including Lagos, Rivers, Kwara and Abuja.
“We understand that most homes are gradually becoming smart homes and as such, the demand for reliable, quick, and unlimited broadband is steadily on the rise and we have no plan to fall short of the expectations of our clientele,” said Temitope Tanimomo, Head, Sales, FiberOne. “This is why we have not only bumped up the speeds on all our SmartHome plans but also introduced a new plan to accommodate our elitist clients who have lots of devices in their homes connected to the internet.”
