CRSG SIGNS CONSESSION AGREEMENT WITH MTN COMMUNICATIONS NIGERIA LIMITED TO INVEST N1 BILLION INTO COMMUNICATIONS & BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE IN CALABAR .
On Thursday July 18
th 2013, Cross River State signed a concession agreement with MTN Communications Nigeria Limited for the provision of 115km of telecommunications cable duct infrastructure for the city of Calabar spanning from Tinapa to Anantigha.
This system when completed in six to nine months would provide complete access to broadband infrastructure for all residents of Calabar making Calabar the most wired city in Nigeria in terms of coverage. Apart from access to broadband the system is expected to significantly improve the quality of voice services in Calabar as well as make video services a reality over wired and wireless channels.
This project another innovative and bold initiative of the administration of Senator Liyel Imoke is a Public Private Partnership between the Cross River State Government and MTN Communications Limited is completely privately funded and will cost approximately N1.1 billion naira to implement.
The infrastructure to be installed includes 3 telecommunication cable ducts and 96 core fibre optic cables for each partner and managed by both the Cross River State Government and MTN Communications Nigeria Limited. The infrastructure would enable other service providers and network / broadband users to approach either party to lease infrastructure or services. In addition to this infrastructure, MTN would site an additional 99 Base Stations to improve wireless services in the State in 2013 and similar numbers in 2014 and 2015.
It would also support the development of various third party services enabled by broadband such as city-wide wifi, access to various government services, e-ticketing, smart transport, smart education, smart health, e-tourism and ultimately the creation of Nigeria's first smart city.
During his remarks the Special Adviser Communication Technology Development Mr Odo Effiong, remarked that telecommunications was now an essential utility secondary only to water, transportation, and power. He said that broadband infrastructure had been identified as critical to socio-economic development and that broadband was to the information economy what electricity was to the industrial economy. He stated that studies showed that a 10% increase in broadband in a developing economy resulted in a growth of 1.38% of GDP.
He went on to say that the initiative was an important component of His Excellency's socio-economic development plan and Calabar becoming the regional business and investment destination of choice. The project was a third of three major collaborative projects including the SmartGov.CRSG project and the Tinapa Knowledge City project that represented investment of about N2.5 billion into the sector in the State.
Speaking at the signing the General Manager Legal MTN Communications Nigeria Limited Mrs Oghenerume Rotimi stated that, MTN is exited at this partnership and the opportunities it presents to deliver socio-economic transformation to the State. The initiative is part of their plan to establish a fibre optic network across the country. She commended His Excellency Senator Liyel Imoke for his vision and dynamic administration and stated that this public private partnership represented best practice in the provision of services to the people of the State.
Signing as a witness for the State Government was the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General in the state Barrister Attah Ochinke who congratulated everyone involved in bringing the project to this stage as well as the partners MTN for emerging as winners of the procurement exercise.
Beatrice Ezong
Info ICT Via: Cross River State Government - Official Press Release
MTN is a telecommunication company everyone would love to work with. They know how to make profits so it would always make sense.