Findings by a joint study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and EDHECinfra, a venture of the international EDHEC Business School, revealed that large markets such as Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Brazil and parts of Asia have huge potential to attract digital infrastructure projects but are untapped markets for fibre optics investments.
This, according to the report, can be linked to uncertain economic growth that has made fibre-penetration levels uneven, despite a clear demand for fibre infrastructure projects.
The study points out that the increasing desire for higher speeds and reliable online access will inevitably lead to a huge expansion of fibre optic installations in new networks in low and middle income nations as well as in existing networks in higher-income countries. Ultimately, fibre, which has already begun to make inroads in networks everywhere, will replace legacy (primarily copper) infrastructure completely, particularly as 5G rolls out.
If you are of this world, you’re undoubtedly using cloud-based services to keep your business running smoothly. The introduction of cloud computing services and technologies has altered the way businesses operate. We currently live in a world where it is expected that information be available immediately.
To keep up with instant accessibility, businesses must assess their network infrastructure. Slow internet speeds, high latency and “capped” connections can be the cause of losses in business productivity and efficiency. These are problems fibre-optic broadband solves.
Fibre to the home has been proven to increase customer satisfaction, and enables operators to offer new services, such as video on demand, 4K TV and smart home connectivity.
Deploying FTTH in rural areas opens up new markets for operators, enabling them to reach more consumers and increase revenues – and finally start financially including people in the rural areas.
The economic benefits of FTTH, for residents, businesses and for Nigeria are potentially enormous. While there are upfront costs in FTTH deployments – especially ROW fees, equipment and methodologies are evolving to reduce these significantly. Now is therefore the time for operators to look at extending their FTTH networks and creating new revenue streams for the future, while encouraging growth in rural areas.
Nigeria could rank fifth among fibre optic cable producing countries on African continent next year, according to George Onafowokan, Managing Director of Coleman Wires and Cables.
Onafowokan said that his company’s cables would serve the telecommunication, oil & gas and some other sectors.
“It will make Nigeria to be the fifth in the production of cables in Africa. The key impact of this is that we will meet up with the local supply and demand of fibre optic cables and for us, this is a game-changer for the country.” Onafowokan said.
He added, “For nearly 170 years, corning has combined its unparalleled expertise in glass science, ceramics science, and optical physics with deep manufacturing and engineering capabilities to develop life-changing innovations and products. The installed capacity of this Coleman’s fibre optic factory ranges from 100,000km to 150,000km of fibre cables annually.”