Loy Okezie

Since I moved back to Nigeria last year after living in Europe for about 3 years, I’ve been wondering when I’ll be able to enjoy the fastest internet connection.

So when Globacom announced last November that they would be launching an undersea submarine cable by March 2009, I was hoping it won’t be one of those projects that will be abandoned or take longer than expected.

Because of my quest for broadband, I wrote about a few ‘broadband-related’ internet connections such as Swift Hotspot, Starcomms iZap and MTN F@stlink with Swift Hotspot claiming to be the fastest broadband service available in Nigeria with downloads of a 200MB file in 2 minutes.

Although, I’ve used all of these wireless internet connections, none of them seems to be compared to what I’ve been used to in Europe. (At a time, I used Freebox)

Interestingly, Globacom has announced their broadband service with the launch of Glo Broad Access (not 3G plus) which offers convergent Phone and Broadband ADSL internet services, allowing customers to unleash the full power and capabilities of Globacom’s Optical Fibre Network directly into their homes and offices.

The new service will have significant impact on the way we work, conduct business, pursue education, obtain information and get entertained in Nigeria. It will allow subscribers to use the same dedicated Glo fixed line in their homes and offices for voice call, internet connection, video conferencing and cable television.

Powered by the superior and globally preferred ADSL technology (riding on the backbone of Globacoms’ highly redundant, ring protected MPLS fibre network and using the very latest DWDM technology) users of the Broad Access ‘Phone and Broadband internet services’ will enjoy crystal clear voice clarity and instant 24/7 unlimited access to the Internet at speed of thought.

According to Globacom’s Group Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Mohamed Jameel, the service offerings from Glo Broad Access includes landline telephony on IP/MPLS-enabled optic fibre for distortion-free clarity, 24/7 connectivity and stability of connection at a reasonable cost.

Jameel stated that other packages included in the service are video conferencing, which would help to reduce travel and thus enhance enterprise productivity, fast broadband internet which allows for interactive gaming, video streaming, high speed downloads and simultaneous “Talk & Surf” on the connection.

“Glo Broad Access will also offer consumers their favourite local and foreign cable TV channels subject to agreement with broadcast right owners, using thesame magical digital wire or dedicated Glo fixed line,” Jameel said.

What will Glo BroadAccess Cost?

Glo’s Broadband package will be available for home and very small offices, SMSs and corporates, and large enterprises and the cost will vary depending on the package.

See a detailed information about Glo’s Broadband tariffs, which I find relatively affordable for a service which offers the convergence of advanced voice, advanced data and advanced video on one single wired line.

Before now, the cost of broadband access in Nigeria has been described as one of the highest in the world, according to Mavis Ampah, a World Bank representative. She said broadband connectivity in the Nigeria is very low at 0.01 when compared to countries such as India and Tanzania, the latter with about 13 % broadband connectivity.

Now that will change soon.

Globacom’s Bid to Buy NITEL

Globacom’s bid to buy pioneer national operator, Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) in the privatisation process under way by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) received a major boost last week as Federal lawmakers said that they will back the bid of the second national operator (SNO).

If Globacom’s bid goes through, the telecoms giant will acquire at least a 75 per cent stake in the entire NITEL conglomerate or at least a 75 per cent stake in one or several of its components, namely: SAT-3; Domestic Fixed Line Telephony; National Fibre-Optic Transmission Backbone; CDMA networks, MTEL (GSM), and Analog System (TACS).

What that means is that, Globacom will be able to leverage on the backbone of NITEL’s infrastructure together with Globacom’s state-of-the-art optical fibre cable (OFC) that connects over 40 cities in Nigeria which will enable fixed land lines in homes and offices all over Nigeria as well as the financial benefits that comes with such a huge acquisition.

While I can’t wait to use Glo’s BroadAccess, my hope is that Globacom will provide broadband Internet security measures to protect users from cyber-attacks and other related cases. Perhaps, a real-time Internet surveillance mechanism will help ensure safe internet access via this new broadband service.

For now, we can only imagine what such cyber-related crimes can do.

Tags: bpe, broadband nigeria, fibre optic nigeria, glo broadaccess, glo-1, globacom, information superhighway, mohamed jameel, mtn f@stlink, nitel, starcomms izap, swift hotspot