MainOne Lands First 2Africa Submarine Cable in Akwa Ibom State
MainOne (www.MainOne.net), an Equinix Company, is pleased to announce its significant involvement in the historic landing of the first and only submarine cable system in Nigeria outside of Lagos, in Akwa Ibom State. This partnership represents a major step forward in improving broadband connectivity and fostering economic growth in the South-South, South-East, and North-Central regions of Nigeria.
Covering a distance of 45,000km, 2Africa is set to become one of the largest subsea cable projects globally, linking Europe, Asia, and Africa, with a design capacity of up to 180Tbps. The importance of 2Africa lies in its ability to meet crucial internet requirements and enhance reliability across vast areas of Africa. Additionally, 2Africa acts as a catalyst for the progression of 4G, 5G, and fixed broadband accessibility, extending its benefits to billions of individuals.
The choice of Akwa Ibom as a landing location highlights its strategic significance in Nigeria’s digital transformation journey. By providing cable diversity and resilience, 2Africa significantly contributes to the country’s digital infrastructure resilience, with MainOne’s role as the landing partner reinforcing this commitment. Noteworthy is MainOne’s facilitation of a terrestrial metro fiber network in Akwa Ibom State and the entire South-South Nigeria, seamlessly connecting businesses and individuals in the region to the submarine cable system.
Abayomi Adebanjo, the Regional Business Head of MainOne, an Equinix Company, emphasized the company’s dedication to enhancing internet capacity and promoting development in South-South Nigeria. This commitment involves deploying financial capital and project resources towards infrastructure investments in various sectors such as economic growth, digital transformation, healthcare, security, agriculture, and increased state revenue.
To address internet distribution challenges in the Southern and North-Central region of Nigeria, MainOne will establish a terrestrial metro fiber network. This network will bridge the gap in unserved and underserved areas, providing internet access to a wider population. By hosting the submarine cable system landing and fiber cable interconnection, Akwa Ibom State, the South-South Region, and Nigeria as a whole will experience numerous economic and social benefits. These benefits include fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, job creation, and improved public service delivery.
