Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Communication, and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, has unveiled a robust plan to strengthen fibre optic cable across the country. In a recent TV interview session, Dr Tijani emphasised the government’s commitment to elevating service quality across the industry and prioritising fibre optic expansion for enhanced connectivity.
According to him, “We are committing to prioritise the quality of service and significantly increase the kilometres of fibre optic cables across Nigeria. This will undoubtedly elevate the quality of both mobile telephony and internet services.”
Highlighting the roadmap, he outlined a target to escalate the existing 35,000 to 40,000 kilometres of fibre optic cables to a substantial 95,000 kilometres. This move is poised to revolutionise connectivity and service quality.
However, Dr Tijani acknowledged the substantial investment needed to achieve this, estimating a cost range of $1.5 to $2 billion for the project.
“Our aim is to secure funding within the next 6 to 12 months, leveraging private sector investment,” he stated. “We’re seeking collaboration with competent firms to execute the fibre deployment over the next 2 to 3 years, aiming to cover a significant portion within the first four years of this administration.”
The Minister stressed the strategic significance of this initiative, not merely for immediate improvements but to position Nigeria favourably for future technological advancements beyond 5G.
“Our commitment is to ensure sustained progress that allows Nigeria to actively participate and benefit from upcoming technological innovations,” he added.
Minister Bosun Tijani at the Techcabal Monshoot event this year
In response to inquiries about funding sources and stimulating national economic growth through digital streaming platforms, the minister emphasised a strategic focus on fostering local technology entrepreneurship. “We’re dedicated to boosting local patent capital to support technology companies and stimulate innovation within Nigeria,” he explained.
Tijani’s strategy aligns with a comprehensive blueprint aimed at enhancing innovation, entrepreneurship, and capital within the technology sector. He highlighted a visionary approach, rooted not only in short-term gains but in establishing a robust foundation for Nigeria’s active participation in global technological advancements.
Read also: Nigeria’s fibre connectivity journey: so far yet still a long way to go
Why fibre optic connectivity?
The introduction of cloud computing services and technologies has altered the way businesses operate. We currently live in a world where it is expected that information will be available immediately.
Findings from a joint study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and EDHECinfra, a venture of the international EDHEC Business School, revealed that large markets such as Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Brazil, and parts of Asia have huge potential to attract digital infrastructure projects but are untapped markets for fibre optics investments.
The fibre optics evolution in Nigeria may be underway
This, according to the report, can be linked to uncertain economic growth that has made fibre penetration levels uneven, despite a clear demand for fibre infrastructure projects.
The study points out that the increasing desire for higher speeds and reliable online access will inevitably lead to a huge expansion of fibre optic installations in new networks in low and middle-income nations as well as in existing networks in higher-income countries. Ultimately, fibre, which has already begun to make inroads in networks everywhere, will replace legacy (primarily copper) infrastructure completely, particularly as 5G rolls out.
To keep up with fast internet demands, businesses must assess their network infrastructure. Slow internet speeds, high latency, and “capped” connections can be the cause of losses in business productivity and efficiency. These are problems fibre-optic broadband solves.
Fibre to the home has been proven to increase customer satisfaction and enable operators to offer new services, such as video on demand, 4K TV, and smart home connectivity.
A recent fibre network project by the Lagos State Government…
Deploying Fibre to the Home (FTTH) in rural areas opens up new markets for operators, enabling them to reach more consumers, increase revenues, and finally start financially including people in rural areas.
The economic benefits of FTTH for residents, businesses, and Nigeria are potentially enormous. While there are upfront costs in fibre deployments, especially ROW fees, equipment and methodologies are evolving to reduce these significantly. Therefore, now is the time for operators to look at extending their fibre networks and creating new revenue streams for the future while encouraging growth in rural areas.
Nigeria could rank fifth on the list of fibre optic cable-producing countries on the African continent, according to George Onafowokan, Managing Director of Coleman Wires and Cables.
Onafowokan said that his company’s cables would serve telecommunications, oil and gas, and some other sectors.
“It will make Nigeria to be the fifth in the production of cables in Africa. The key impact of this is that we will meet up with the local supply and demand of fibre optic cables and for us, this is a game-changer for the country.” Onafowokan said.
He added, “For nearly 170 years, Corning has combined its unparalleled expertise in glass science, ceramics science, and optical physics with deep manufacturing and engineering capabilities to develop life-changing innovations and products. The installed capacity of Coleman’s fibre optic factory ranges from 100,000km to 150,000km of fibre cables annually.”
