Nigeria's second national carrier, Globacom, on Thursday launched a fiber-optic cable backbone to enhance transmission of voice and data.
The backbone will offer Nigerians, mostly those in the southeastern part of the country, convergence of voice, data and multimedia applications, according to Martins Olowonihi, acting chief operating officer of the company's Glo BroadAccess. Olowonihi spoke at the launch of the backbone in Owerri, the capital of Imo State in Eastern Nigeria.
"Owing to Globacom's innovations, Nigerians are able to do a whole range of things including Internet browsing, sending and receiving electronic mails, multimedia messaging, vehicle tracking, mobile banking and accessing Microsoft Outlook, all on their handsets," Olowonihi said.
The launch marks the conclusion of the Owerri-Onitsha section of the Glo Optic Fibre cable backbone, which the company
is building across the nation, he said. "It provides large bandwidth for offices and corporate organizations," he said.
Olowonihi pointed out that the launch follows the completion of the Onitsha-Awka section of the company's network earlier this month.
"You now have a much faster transmission of data, voice broadband Internet and multimedia services. This will significantly transform the economy of Imo State and empower its people," he said.
Commissioner for Information, Chief Chuma Nnaji, speaking on behalf of Governor of Imo State Chief Ikedi Ohakim, said the fiber backbone offers the possibility for the state to increase revenue and employment. There is much the private sector can do to aid the government in improving the lives of people, he said.
Globacom was awarded its license in 2003 and is known for innovations such as per-second billing and bringing GSM tariffs in the country down from N50 (50 naira or US$0.43) per minute to N10 per minute.
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