Telecom
Stakeholders Delve Deeper into Telecoms Infrastructure Deployment Challenges Seek End to Govt Lip-Service
The quest for a reliable telecommunications infrastructure for the players in West Africa’s industry to deliver essential services and products in an interdependent ecosystem was the focus of discussion at the maiden edition of the West Africa telecoms Infrastructure Summit and Exhibition (WATISE).
L-R: Soye West (Head of Operations Lagos and Ibadan) Huawei, Onyinyechi Ntuka (Specialist, Database Applications) Commercial IHS Nigeria, Michael Chukwuka Oduh (Associate Director, Field Control & Network Services) Technical Quality Management IHS Nigeria and Kayode A. Olaniyan (Senior Manager, Public Policy & External Relations) Corporate Services IHS Nigeria at WATISE 2023 Maiden Edition.
The event, which has as its theme: ‘The Future of Infrastructure, Connectivity And Services: A New Interdependent Ecosystem of Partners’ was hosted by TechnologyMirror, an ICT and Telecoms news website with support from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and IHS Towers Nigeria.
In the lead presentation with the topic: ‘Telecoms Infrastructure Challenges: The Pains of Inter-Related Players of the Ecosystem and the Consumers’ Ques’t, Engr Spencer Itive, a telecoms engineer and Chief Executive Officer of RS Engineering Global Limited, harped on the need for Government in the region to pay close attention to the protection of telecoms infrastructure for the region’s digital economy quest to be achieved.
According to him, Government had been paying lip services to the declaration of telecom infrastructure as critical national stressing that the lack of commitment from the Government has led to a consistent attack on telecoms infrastructure across the country.
“We are yet to see the commitment of the government in protecting telecom infrastructure and this is why every community sees the deployment as a favour to the telecom operators,” he said.
Itive said a complex tapestry of partnerships now weaves together telecom companies, technology giants, governments, and a thriving ecosystem of startups noting that these partnerships would redefine the boundaries of what is possible in telecommunications.
On the future of infrastructure connectivity, he said all stakeholders in the telecoms sector had to understand that no single entity could meet the multifaceted demands of the digital age in isolation.
Speaking in the second presentation, with the topic: ‘Infrastructure Gap: Leveraging Connectivity and Technology to Transform Enterprise and Social-Economic Life in West Africa’, Rachael Orumor, Chief Executive Officer, Sens Orbit Nigeria said that over 20 million businesses across Africa use technology to interact with their clients and potential customers.
Orumor who is based in the Republic Benin, said that the factors that are driving digital transformation in West Africa is the increasing investment in infrastructure, growing awareness of the benefits of technology and a supportive regulatory environment.
While delivering her paper virtually, she noted that there was limited access to education, especially for people in rural areas, who do not have access to high-speed internet or reliable mobile service stressing the need for more attention for telecoms infrastructure in the region’s rural areas.
According to her, to leverage connectivity and technology to transform enterprise and socioeconomic life in West Africa, infrastructure investments must ensure the proper functioning of existing infrastructure while expanding telecommunications reach.
She said that lack reliable telecoms infrastructure reduces economic opportunities noting that many businesses now rely on online tools and platforms to operate, and workers who do not have access to these tools may be at a disadvantage.
During the panel discussion, Mr Mike Ofili, Chief Executive Officer of Coloplus, a tower infrastructure company, said that returns on investment in infrastructure could only be achieved in major cities where there were relative stability and a ready market.
He said the concentration of most telecoms infrastructure in major cities, was because of vandalism, insecurity, and high right-of-way (RoW) charges experienced across the country.
Ofili however, noted that RoW charges were also high in the major cities, especially, Lagos, but operators were able to sustain infrastructure deployment with higher returns from the state.
Speaking on the issues that prompted operators to slow down their expansion into rural areas, Ofili said most telcos had to pay so much to lay fibre cables.
“I can tell you that 90 per cent of the data centres in Nigeria are in Lagos and I don’t know how you want to achieve 70 per cent broadband penetration in Nigeria with almost all the data centres in Lagos.
“It is very difficult to lay fibre cable across many communities in Nigeria, you cannot cross any community without paying different people”, he said.
” You cannot build towers without going through different communities of people demanding all kinds of things,” Ofili said.
Hotspot, Nigerian last-mile connectivity and tower operator, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a consortium led by Clear Blue Technologies, solar-power company to deploy 312 solar powered mobile sites across Nigeria.
Under the deal signed earlier this week at Mobile World Congress 2025, the sites will feature Clear Blue’s Illumience Smart Power solar solution designed for telecoms infrastructure.
The Clear Blue consortium also includes Empower New Energy, which provides clean energy project financing across Africa, and Netis, which specialises in operating and managing telecom infrastructure and will the installation, operations, and maintenance services for the project.
Miriam Tuerk, CEO, Clear Blue, said the consortium has the expert skills and capabilities to quickly design, build and operate the network, solar power and tower sites.
“As everyone active in the telecom market in Africa is aware, it is a difficult operating environment with challenging TCO targets. And yet, it is probably the largest untapped telecom market in the world with significant growth potential”, said, Morenikeji Aniye, CEO, Hotspot.
“Clear Blue brings an innovative technology and service capability which, together with an innovative business model and structure, enables us to deploy and operate these sites while meeting stringent service and TCO targets.”
Clear Blue noted that the deal is subject to final contract negotiations and signatures.
Assuming everything goes according to plan, Hotspot will roll out the solar-powered sites at the end of this year.
Technology company, Globacom, has been experiencing substantial increase in the adoption of its Bulk Data services by enterprise clients. This surge reinforces the appeal of Glo’s innovative data solution among corporate organizations, schools, and tertiary institutions.
Glo’s Bulk Data offering is a user-friendly self-service portal that enables enterprise customers to gift data to other customers. This feature allows sponsors to allocate specific data amounts for free navigation of mobile apps or websites, with the sponsor covering the costs.
The service is particularly beneficial for educational institutions, which can purchase the Schools’ Bucket Data plan for students’ academic usage, valid for 90 days.
The Gifted Data Plan on its part, is available for a 30 days validity and offers flexibility, allowing sponsors to gift data to multiple Glo subscribers in various sizes, ranging from 200MB to 10GB, depending on the Pack the Gifting customer has subscribed to.
Sponsors can also customize SMS notifications to beneficiaries, setting Glo’s product apart from others in the market. Beneficiaries can easily check their balance by dialing *127*0# on their devices.
Glo’s Bulk Data service has become an attractive solution for enterprise clients seeking efficient data management, thanks to its flexibility, customization options, and user-friendly features.
The Bulk Data service is designed specifically for bulk data buyers, including corporate entities, schools, and tertiary institutions.
MTN Nigeria, one of Africa’s leading ICT companies, has partnered with automobile giants, Nord and GAC Motors to reinforce its commitment to its local content policy and support made in Nigeria products.
MTN
This partnership involved the procurement of a combined total of 33 cars for MTN’s customer-facing teams in Lagos and the North, including 22 locally assembled vehicles from Nord and GAC Motors, highlighting a strong commitment to local manufacturing. The additional purchase of 11 other cars further strengthened this operational initiative. These cars, essential tools of trade, play a key role in MTN’s customer engagement strategy, allowing their teams to commute to the field easily to deliver on targets.
In July 2021, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) established the Nigeria Office for Developing the Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NIDOTS), an office charged with the primary responsibility of ensuring the promotion of indigenous content in the Nigerian telecoms sector, through the enforcement of the Nigerian National Local Content Policy. This national policy serves as the framework for MTN’s local content commitments, supporting the Nigerian Federal Government in developing sustainable local societies, while championing digital and financial inclusion.
At a handover ceremony held at MTN’s Lagos Headquarters, Lynda Saint Nwafor, Chief Enterprise Business Officer at MTN Nigeria, expatiated on MTN’s content policy and the relevance of this partnership. “At MTN, we maintain a stance on promoting local content development in Nigeria by enabling local supply chains through local procurement.”
Saint Nwafor further detailed how this partnership supports MTN’s logistics model: “We had some challenges over the years. The logistics model we initially wanted to adopt didn’t work, so we had to revert to the old model.
“This model allows our sales and client success teams to better commute to customer locations.”
MTN Nigeria remains committed to creating shared value and playing a positive and meaningful role in creating a sustainable and inclusive country.
Wema Bank Battles to Recover N888.3m which Allegedly Vanishes in Shocking System Glitch
Hotspot, Clear Blue Consortium Ink MOU for Solar-Powered Mobile Sites
NELFUND, NIMC to Roll Out Biometric G2P Cards for Students
NITDA Identifies Key Barriers to Cybersecurity in Nigeria
Microsoft Develops AI Reasoning Models to Rival OpenAI
Fidelity Bank Raises ₦232Bn in First Phase of Capital Raising
Schmidt, Ex Google Chief Says AI Risky in Terrorist Hands
KongaFM Basks in Rave Reviews from Nigerians
GSMA Launches Innovation Fund to Boost AI Solutions in Emerging Markets
FG Order MDAs to Close Commercial Banks’ Accounts, Enforce TSA Policy
Telecom2 days agoCustomers to Receive 5GB Free Data on New Glo e-SIM
E-Business2 days agoStealer Malware Leaked over 2m Bank Cards – Report
News2 days agoAirtel Africa, Mastercard Launch New Digital Payment Solution for SmartCash Customers
News1 day agoFG Lists Simon Ekpa, 16 Others as Terrorism Financiers, Freezes Accounts
Broadcasting2 days agoTariff Hike: FG Drags MultiChoice to Court for Ignoring Regulatory Directives
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Leads Africa’s Digital Revolution: Highlights from the Omniverse Summit 2025
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Showcases Groundbreaking 5G Innovations @Omniverse Summit 2025
General News2 days agoDG NITDA Reaffirms Commitment to Research and AI-driven Solutions