MainOne, Facebook take 750km terrestrial fibre to Edo, Ogun

Submarine cable system operator, MainOne, has announced a metro fiber infrastructure project in two states of Nigeria, with support from Facebook.

The infrastructure collaboration is part of Facebook’s efforts to connect more people to broadband Internet. As part of this project, MainOne is building and operating approximately 750 km terrestrial fiber infrastructure in Edo and Ogun States.

These open-access transport networks will provide metro fiber connectivity to reach more than 1,000,000 people in Benin City, Abeokuta, Sagamu, and 10 other towns by connecting mobile operators’ base stations, Internet Service providers (ISPs), Points of presence (POPs), and public locations including schools and hospitals. This partnership will leverage MainOne’s strength as a wholesale telecoms infrastructure service provider with investment from Facebook and support from local regulatory and state authorities to further deepen broadband penetration in Nigeria.

Speaking on the partnership, Network Investments Lead for Emerging Markets at Facebook, Ibrahima Ba, said: “We are working closely with MainOne and other partners to accelerate broadband deployment. In Nigeria, we are bringing together Facebook’s learnings from scaling our global infrastructure with MainOne’s knowledge of the local environment to develop and test new working models for multiple operators to access common infrastructure.”

MainOne’s Chief Executive Officer, Funke Opeke, lauded the collaboration and the commitment of Facebook and authorities in Nigeria to improving broadband penetration across the country.

Commenting on the partnership, she added, “MainOne has always been committed to broadband innovation, job creation, as well as growing the digital economy of West Africa. We believe that this partnership and the open-access network we have developed will be beneficial to improving the quality of access and accelerating the digital transformation in Ogun and Edo States.”

According to statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the country’s broadband penetration hovers around 31 per cent, with about 60 million Nigerians having access, while Internet users are about 111 million.