MainOne launched its “Digital Lagos: Broadband for All” campaign initiative towards the digital transformation of Lagos State through deployment of ubiquitous broadband infrastructure across the state.
MainOne’s ambitions for Lagos were inspired by the vision of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who had noted that “Technology will improve the rule of law, education, ease of doing business and government processes of Lagos”.
At the campaign launch organized in Lagos to announce its plans, Funke Opeke, Chief Executive Officer, MainOne, said, the company is keen to collaborate with the Lagos State Government and all other relevant stakeholders to build Digital Lagos and help citizens from all walks of life realize the benefits of broad, sustainable economic growth, modernized education, health, and other services delivery, and improved quality of life.
“MainOne is pleased to have the opportunity to present its plan for Digital Lagos, a proven path to ubiquitous broadband connectivity. This plan will involve the investment by MainOne of over N25 billion over the next 2-3 years to develop critical fiber optic infrastructure to enable broadband services across Lagos state,” she said.
A presentation was made by Mr. Judah Levine, CEO HIP Consult, a Washington DC based, independent, management consulting firm with specialization in ICT in emerging markets. HIP Consult worked with MainOne in developing a concept paper and implementation plan for Digital Lagos. Mr. Levine touched on the research done for Digital Lagos, its implementation plans, and expected impact in Lagos with benchmarks against Johannesburg and Nairobi, other leading cities in ICT deployment across the continent.
Opeke said MainOne had pioneered investments in critical internet-enabling infrastructure across West Africa, with investments of over N120 billion funded by leading African banks. In 2018, the company expanded its reach in Nigeria by densifying localized fiber networks in Ogun and Edo States with almost 1,000kms of fiber in partnership with Facebook to expand broadband access and connect government institutions and other areas of interest.
Opeke said, as the licensed InfraCo for Lagos zone, the company’s plans for Lagos were more ambitious and the network to be built by MainOne would provide essential connectivity to critical State institutions, cover over 300 government agencies, up to 10,000 State CCTV locations, Telecom operators and ISPs, public Wi-Fi hotspots, Smart City components / IOT devices, in addition to Enterprises.