By Abdi Ali
Published January 11, 2016

Kazeem Oladepo, MainOne’,Regional Executive for West AfricaA high-capacity submarine cable System connecting Nigeria and Cameroon has gone live.

The Nigeria-Cameroon Submarine Cable System (NCSCS) is expected  to provide reliable internet access to its citizens via a National Broadband Network.

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The installation of NCSCS that links Nigeria’s Lagos and Cameroon’s Kribi was completed in December 2015.

The six-pair, 1100-kilometre repeater NCSCS  will deliver capacity of up to 12.8Tbps to broadband users in Cameroon. It is lit with 40GB capacity. The extension is expected to boost Cameroon’s low fixed broadband penetration, currently estimated to be around 5%.

NCSCS is built with branching units for strategic extension of its connectivity into Nigeria’s Escravos in Delta State; Qua Iboe in Akwa Ibom State; and Bonny Island in Rivers State. A distribution hub aimed at bridging the technology gap between Nigeria’s south-south and the rest of the country is to be built in Port Harcourt.

MainOne telecoms and network services provider in West Africa

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NCSCS is a product of a tripartite partnership: MainOne telecoms and network services provider; Cameroon’s Ministry of Post and Telecommunications; and Huawei Marine Networks. Investment is provided by the Government of Cameroon.

David Nkoto Emane, General Manager, Cameroon Telecommunications Corporation (CAMTEL)Kazeem Oladepo, MainOne’s Regional Executive for West Africa, says NCSCS “is an excellent addition to our network” and “proof of our commitment to expand broadband, improve quality and drive down cost of internet services in West Africa.”

“As part of our strategy to boost West Africa’s economic and commercial development,” Oladepo says, “we will continue to make deliberate and significant investments in connectivity projects that will facilitate increased access to broadband. The proposed extension of our submarine system to the Niger Delta region is particularly important for further development of the oil producing region of Nigeria, and will aid the region’s rapid transition from an oil-dependent economy to a knowledge-focused one.”

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David Nkoto Emane, General Manager of Cameroon Telecommunications Corporation (CAMTEL), says, “The NCSCS system enables us to provide users with faster bandwidth connectivity at a significantly lower cost. By providing direct connection to Nigeria, the cable system will also serve to enhance Cameroon’s position as the major bandwidth hub in the region and internationally to Europe and beyond.”