MainOne has announced an urban fiber optic infrastructure project (metro fiber) in two states of Nigeria, with support from Facebook. Infrastructure collaboration is part of Facebook’s efforts to connect more people to broadband Internet. As part of this project, MainOne builds and operates approximately 750 km of terrestrial fiber infrastructure in Edo and Ogun states, two of Nigeria’s fastest growing states.
These open access transmission networks will provide metropolitan fiber optic connectivity to more than 1,000,000 people in Benin City, Abeokuta, Sagamu and 10 other cities by connecting mobile operators’ base stations, Internet service providers points of presence and public places including schools and hospitals. This partnership will leverage MainOne’s strength as a provider of wholesale telecommunications infrastructure services through Facebook investments and support from local and state regulators to deepen broadband Internet penetration in Nigeria .
Commenting on the partnership, Ibrahima Ba, Head of Network Investments for Emerging Markets at Facebook, said, “We are working closely with MainOne and other partners to accelerate the deployment of broadband Internet. In Nigeria, we are gathering lessons learned from scaling our global infrastructure and MainOne local environment knowledge to develop and test new work models that allow multiple operators to access a common infrastructure .
Funke Opeke, Chairman and CEO of MainOne, welcomed the collaboration and commitment of Facebook and the Nigerian authorities to improve broadband penetration across the country. Commenting on the partnership, she added, “MainOne has always been committed to broadband innovation, job creation and the growth of the digital economy in West Africa. We believe that this partnership and the open access network we have developed will help improve the quality of access and accelerate digital transformation in Ogun and Edo states.
Watch a video documentary on the deployment of open access fiber in Nigeria below:
