New submarine cable links Nigeria, Cameroon

Telecom company MainOne announced Monday that an underwater communications cable connecting Lagos, Nigeria, and Kribi, Cameroon, was finished and put online last month.

The new 684-mile cable will carry up to 12.8 terabytes per second of broadband connectivity to help provide the broadband access needed for Cameroon to accomplish its National Broadband Network initiative and further develop overall communications infrastructure in both countries. Only about 5 percent of Cameroon is currently connected to broadband.

“This is an excellent addition to our network and is added proof of our commitment to expand broadband, improve quality and drive down cost of Internet services in West Africa," MainOne's Regional Executive for West Africa Kazeem Oladepo said. "As part of our strategy to boost West Africa’s economic and commercial development, we will continue to make deliberate and significant investments in connectivity projects that will facilitate increased access to broadband. The proposed extension of our submarine system to the Niger Delta region is particularly important for further development of the oil producing region of Nigeria and will aid the region’s rapid transition from an oil-dependent economy to a knowledge-focused one.”

Construction began in June of last year after the government of Cameroon invested in a partnership among MainOne, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and Huawei Marine Networks.

Officials said the cable was designed with connectors that will allow it to branch off to other parts of the region, and there are already plans for a distribution hub in Port Harcourt that could connect Nigeria's South-South region to the rest of Nigeria.