Facebook, MainOne to accelerate broadband penetration in Edo, Ogun

Tue, Feb 26, 2019 | By publisher


Business

Facebook says it has collaborated with MainOne on metro fiber infrastructure project, toward accelerating broadband penetration in Edo and Ogun.

Ibrahima Ba, Network Investments Lead for Emerging Markets at Facebook, made this known on Tuesday in Lagos.

He said that the infrastructure collaboration was part of Facebook’s efforts to connect more people to broadband internet.

Ba said that as part of the project, MainOne was building and operating approximately 750 km terrestrial fiber infrastructure in Edo and Ogun.

He said that these open-access transport networks would provide metro fiber connectivity to reach more than one million people in Benin City, Abeokuta, Sagamu and 10 other towns.

According to him, the metro fiber connectivity will connect mobile operators’ base stations, Internet Service providers (ISP), Points of Presence (POPs) and public locations including schools and hospitals.

“This partnership will leverage MainOne’s strength as a wholesale telecommunications infrastructure service provider with investment from Facebook and support from local regulatory and state authorities to further deepen broadband penetration in Nigeria.

“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,’’ he said in a statement.

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

“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,’’ Opeke said. (NAN)

 

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