The leading connectivity and data centre solutions provider in West Africa, MainOne, has launched its “Digital Lagos: Broadband for All” initiative aimed at building over 2,000 kilometres of fibre optic infrastructure across all the local governments in Lagos state.
The project, according to MainOne’s CEO, Ms. Funke Opeke, will enable the digital transformation of Lagos state through deployment of broadband infrastructure across the state.
Speaking with journalists in Lagos on Tuesday, Ms. Opeke said the project, which will begin implementation as soon as the state government gives the go-ahead, would gulp a whooping N25billion over the next 2 to 3 years.
She said when completed, the fibre infrastructure will enhance broadband connectivity, as most schools, health facilities, government institutions, telecom operators, internet-service providers and ICT hubs etc across the state would be connected to improve the quality of lives of the residents.
“MainOne is pleased to have the opportunity to present its plan for Digital Lagos, a proven path to ubiquitous broadband connectivity. This plan will involve the investment by MainOne of over N25 billion over the next 2-3 years to develop critical fiber optic infrastructure to enable broadband services across Lagos state,” she said.
She noted that MainOne has pioneered investments in critical internet-enabling infrastructure across West Africa, Nigeria, and Lagos.
She added that till date, the company has invested over N120 billion funded by leading African banks and has proven its capabilities in expanding and densifying localized fibre networks in neighbouring Ogun and Edo states by deploying almost 1,000kms of fibre in partnership with Facebook to expand broadband access and connect government institutions and other areas of interest.
The MainOne CEO said, as the licensed InfraCo for Lagos zone, the resulting network to be built by MainOne would provide essential connectivity to critical state institutions, covering over 300 government agencies, up to 10,000 State CCTV locations, telecom operators and ISPs, public Wi-Fi hotspots, Smart City components/IOT devices, in addition to Enterprises.
Also speaking at the event, Mr. Judah Levine, the CEO of HIP Consult, a Washington DC-based independent consulting firm, who works with MainOne in developing the concept paper and implementation plan, said the project would pave way for Lagos state to become a digital economy as MainOne plans to connect every local governments in the state on the broadband infrastructure.
It would be recalled that MainOne’s existing 700-kilometer network in Lagos already covers densely populated areas including Yaba, where it provides connectivity for majority of the ICT hubs & ecosystem and has connected startups like Andela, ccHub, Paga, and Flutterwave, among others that have raised up to USD500million Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Nigeria.
