Exciting times are in the offing in Nigeria, as some firms begin take advantage of the enormous bandwidth capacity on offer from new fibre-optic cable systems.

The cables, which are currently being deployed in the country, are expected to boost the existing services to produce innovative solutions that can transform the economy.

The proliferation of the submarine cable systems has opened up the ICT sector to further foreign direct investment. Opportunities lie in the deployment of broadband infrastructure and content creation, which will enable the population to take advantage of the benefits delivered by the cables. 

The association of telecommunications companies of Nigeria recently announced plans to spearhead a three-phase implementation agenda that would include building infrastructure across the country, managing data services and sourcing financing for local entrepreneurs.
 
Mobile phone operators in Nigeria (MTN Nigeria, Etisalat Nigeria, and Starcomms Plc) who bought capacity from Main One cable say that the connection has opened an opportunity to introduce enhanced mobile and data services.

Starcomms plans to introduce an Inter-Standard Roaming (ISR) solution that will enable users to make pre-paid roaming calls to an international GSM network. This is a huge untapped market for mobile operators in Nigeria.

Etisalat Nigeria intends to become a dominant player in ICT through expanding its mobile data services that will be strategically tailored for enhancing connectivity and boosting efficiency. Revenue from voice services has been falling and operators are keen to explore other means of generating earnings.

Source: Business Day