By MainOne receives $550,000 grant from USTDA
MainOne has been awarded a grant of $550,000 by the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to support a feasibility study on the extension of a fiber optic network from Lagos to Port Harcourt. The grant will enable MainOne to evaluate the technical and financial feasibility of extending approximately 300 miles of undersea fiber optic cabling and supporting infrastructure between Lagos and Port-Harcourt, Nigeria’s most important commercial centres.
With such a grant, Port Harcourt will be connected to the existing MainOne cable system in Lagos, which spans 4,500 miles and provides capacity for international and local internet connectivity. With an access to the cable system, cost of internet bandwidth will be reduced for businesses and consumers using telecom services in Port Harcourt and its environ.
Paul Marin, the USTDA Regional Director for sub-Saharan Africa, who was represented by the U.S Consul General, Jeffrey Hawkins at the signing of the agreement said: “This project is an important example of MainOne’s commitment to bring high-speed broadband access to Africa, we are proud to be supporting MainOne in their efforts to provide the infrastructure for broad-based economic growth in Nigeria.” A delighted Funke Opeke, CEO of MainOne said: “We are appreciative to the USTDA for this important grant aimed at furthering the development of broadband services and economic development in the oil-producing Niger Delta region.”
