Finally, Here Comes Dangote’s Phone Company

As promised Alheri Engineering Limited, a member of the Dangote Group has flagged off its network in a revolutionary style with the birth of alternative transmission link for telecommunications services, via power lines of Transmission Company of Nigeria, a subsidiary of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
The model, a novel as reported by this newspaper in November last year will give the company promoted by Aliko Dangote, easily Africa’s richest man, strong footprints in the already crowded Nigeria telecommunications market.
Commercial services on the network however would have to wait till late April this year when Alheri Engineering actualizes reasonable coverage in its fibre optic project.
The company is working with Phase 3 Telecoms, a world class Nigerian company and PHCN to actualise its fibre optic project tagged “One Network" expected to cover over 14, 000 kilometres of aerially deployed fibre optics cables.
Dangote’s company along with MTN, Globacom and Zain won 3 G carrier licenses allowing them at launch to terminate commercial third generation wireless services .
Each of the telecommunications companies coughed out for $150 million for the licences.
3G otherwise, the third generation technology, is an enabler of mobile communications, ushering in many benefits such roaming capability, broad bandwidth and high speed communication upwards of 2Mbps.
MTN, Globacom and Zain have all commenced their 3G services but Alheri can still fight for a position in the telecom market.
It has started on the right foot with the revolutionary fibre optic project that has some measures of reliability and security, a head-start over the conventional underground fibre optic cables prone to vandalisation.
It also provides a cost effective and efficient telecommunications infrastructure while enabling convergence in building the most reliable backbone that would create high capacity for end users.
The fibre optic project can also be used for voice, data and video transmissions, as well as serve as leverage in the delivery of areas of e-Governance, telemedicine, among other facilities.
Alheri’s project  will contribute to the rapid development of the country, the region and Africa as a whole.