Nigerian submarine cable company, MainOne, has disclosed its plans to establish a cable landing station in Abidjan, as it hopes to commence operation in the country by 2019.
The company disclosed this information shortly after the Cote D’Ivoire Government issued them a submarine cable landing license.
The company has made progress so far: MainOne claimed it has made considerable progress so far, even as all plans to construct the cable landing station and data centre in Abidjan are in motion.
The Regional Executive of MainOne, Kazeem Oladepo, stated this while addressing members of the Board of Directors of the Group during the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), in Abidjan, where they went to the VITIB location to examine the construction of the cable landing station and data centre.
About the cable landing station: The Cable Landing Station and Data Centre which is on-going in the Grand-Bassam technology free trade zone in Abidjan, is expected to be connected to MainOne’s current submarine cable system comprising of a 7,000km submarine cable.
The construction is a result of their partnership with Orange: This construction is also a result of MainOne’s recent partnership with French telecoms giant, Orange. The partnership was reached to see the company construct and install two new cable landing stations in Africfa’s Francophone region– Dakar, Senegal and Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire.
Reason for the cable landing station: When completed, the data centre would support the growth of the broadband ecosystem, improve Internet access, reduce bandwidth prices and make digital services more accessible. It would not only serve the country but all of the Francophone region and will ensure an increase in interest from investors.
“By investing in this infrastructure, we hope to bring meaningful and much-needed technology solutions to businesses and enable them in their quest for improved productivity and efficiency through dedicated and reliable connectivity services. We are prepared to collaborate with operators to expand capacity in Cote D’Ivoire and neighbouring countries to enhance regional integration and global access.”