wiredInUSA July 2019

5G first

Lagos digitization

Photo by Rodion Kutsaev on Unsplash

West African solutions provider MainOne, has launched its “Digital Lagos: broadband for all” initiative to enable the digital transformation of Lagos state through the deployment of broadband infrastructure. MainOne’s ambition for Lagos is inspired by the Lagos governor-elect Babajide Sanwo- Olu, who believes “technology will improve the rule of law, education, ease of doing business and government processes of Lagos.” At the campaign launch, Funke Opeke, MainOne CEO, said the company is keen to collaborate with the Lagos government and all other relevant stakeholders to build Digital Lagos and help citizens from all walks of life realize the benefits of broad, sustainable economic growth, modernized education, health, and other services delivery, and improved quality of life. Opeke said MainOne has pioneered investments in critical internet-enabling infrastructure across West Africa, Nigeria, and Lagos. To date the company has deployed almost 1,000km of fiber, in partnership with Facebook, to expand broadband access and connect government institutions and other areas of interest. Within Lagos, MainOne’s existing 700km network already covers major population centers.

In early June, Etisalat became the first telecom operator in the Middle East and North Africa region to offer super-fast 5G network on 5G-enabled smartphones, providing speeds up to 1Gbps and lower latency of around 1 millisecond. Said to be around 20 times faster than 4G, and with ultra-low latency, 5G service will allow users to stream live 4K resolution video with virtually no lag. The new 5G service will enable subscribers to use highly connected technologies from augmented reality and VR, to IoT, AI, autonomous vehicles, 3D printing and wearable technology.

wiredInUSA - July 2019

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