Operators want governors to emulate Ekiti RoW charges

While commending the Ekiti State Governor, and the Chairman of Governors Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, for slashing Right of Way (RoW) charges from ₦4,500 to ₦145 per linear meter for broadband infrastructure, telecoms operators have beckoned on other governors in Nigeria, to follow suit.
     
Fayemi, yesterday, through his Twitter handle, @kfayemi and @ekitistategov, announced that to make Ekiti State the knowledge and innovation capital of Nigeria, “I have signed an Executive Order reducing the Row charges related to laying of any broadband or other telecommunications infrastructures from ₦4500 to ₦145 per meter.”
    
The Governor said Ekiti is the first to comply with the NEC approved RoW charges for broadband in Nigeria, thus becoming the cheapest state for broadband infrastructure investment as 1km of cable will now cost ₦145,000 as against ₦4.5million previously.

The system is expected to go live in 2023/4, delivering more than the total combined capacity of all subsea cables serving Africa today, with a design capacity of up to 180Tbps on key parts of the system.

2Africa will deliver much-needed internet capacity and reliability across large parts of Africa, supplement the fast-growing capacity demand in the Middle East and underpin the further growth of 4G, 5G and fixed broadband access for hundreds of millions of people.
   
In countries where the 2Africa cable will land, service providers will obtain capacity in carrier-neutral data centres or open-access cable landing stations on a fair and equitable basis. This will support healthy internet ecosystem development by facilitating greatly improved accessibility for businesses and consumers alike.
       
According to Chief Executive Officer, MTN Group’s wholesale operation, MTN GlobalConnect, Frédéric Schepens, “MTN GlobalConnect is delighted to participate in this bold 2Africa subsea cable project. This initiative complements MTN GlobalConnect’s terrestrial fibre strategy to connect African countries to each other and to the rest of the world. We are proud to be playing a key role in providing the benefits of modern connected life – a core MTN belief.”
   
Also, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, Alioune Ndiaye, said, “As one of the world’s leading multi-service telecommunications operators and present in 18 countries in Africa and the Middle East, it was natural for Orange to be part of the 2Africa project. This major investment will complete our existing submarine and pan-African terrestrial infrastructures to provide access to international connectivity in a redundant fashion throughout the west coast of Africa. It will enable Orange to securely meet the demand for increased bandwidth necessary for the continued digital development of regions throughout the 2Africa system.”