Main One Cable to Expand Connection from Lagos to Port Harcourt
September 4, 2013
(USTDA)
Grant to Support Evaluation of Extending 300 Mile Connection
LAGOS, NIGERIA –The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) awarded a grant to
the Nigerian communications services company Main One Cable Company Nigeria Ltd.
(Main One), to support a feasibility study on the extension of a fiber optic
network from Lagos, Nigeria to Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The grant will enable
Main One to evaluate the technical and financial feasibility of extending
approximately 300 miles of undersea fiber optic cabling and supporting
infrastructure between two of Nigeria's most important commercial centers.
The new investment will connect Port Harcourt to the existing Main One cable
system, which spans approximately 4,500 miles and provides capacity for
international and internet connectivity. Access to the cable system at Port
Harcourt, the center of Nigeria's oil and gas industry, will dramatically
decrease the costs of bandwidth and enable the growth of businesses and
consumers using telecom services in the region.
The feasibility study will include an assessment of cable installation
techniques and a recommendation for the cable route, an assessment of potential
long-term maintenance hazards to the cable, and a detailed demand assessment for
the extension.
"This project is an important example of Main One's commitment to bring
high-speed broadband access to Africa," stated Paul Marin, Regional Director for
sub-Saharan Africa. "We are proud to be supporting Main One in their efforts to
provide the infrastructure for broad-based economic growth in Nigeria."
Funke Opeke, CEO of Main One stated " We are appreciative to the USTDA for this
important grant towards furthering the development of broadband services and
thus economic development in the oil-producing Niger delta region".
The grant was signed by the U.S. Consul General Jeffrey Hawkins on behalf of
USTDA and by Funke Opeke for Main One at the residence of the Consul General.
The opportunity to conduct the USTDA-funded feasibility study will be competed
on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website. A link to the FBO
announcement will be posted to USTDA's website at www.ustda.gov. Interested U.S.
firms should submit proposals according to the instructions in the FBO
announcement.
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