A 45,000 km submarine fibre optic cable capable of interconnecting Akwa Ibom State and the entire South-South zone of Nigeria to Europe, Asia and other parts of Africa en route the Atlantic Ocean has been presented to Akwa Ibom State government.

The 2Africa submarine fibre optic cable project, with a design capacity of 180Tbps, is undertaken by the MainOne Equinix Company .

The landing of the cable in Akwa Ibom makes the state the second landing point of the state-of-the-art infrastructure paving way for the proliferation of 4G, 5G and fixed broadband accessibility hence providing robust connectivity and technological advancements to empower businesses, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and countless other sectors.

Speaking at the ceremony to mark the landing of the cable on Akwa Ibom shoreline at Qua Iboe Beach, Ibeno Local Government Area, Governor Umo Eno identified Information Communication Technology, ICT, as being critical to the attainment of the core pillars of the ARISE Agenda and assured of the support of his administration towards the success of the project.

Governor Eno commended the Main-One Equinix Company for their contributions to Nigeria’s digital economy and urged youths in the state not to be left behind in the ICT revolution about to hit the state, adding that the state government was building a robust security architecture aimed at addressing insecurities in the waterways which, he said, the advanced network the broadband Submarine Cable will provide.

He further used the occasion to reiterate his commitment to ensuring food security in the state through agriculture and the bulk purchase policy underway , urging the people to join hands with the government in prioritizing agriculture to ensure food security.

Earlier, the Regional Business Head of MainOne Equinix Company, Abayomi Adebanjo said the submarine fibre optic cable, built primarily to serve Africa, upon completion, would be the world’s longest.

He thanked the Governor Umo Eno led government of Akwa Ibom State and the Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani for their contribution towards the landing of the cable, adding that the initiative will boost the digital economy and create easy accessibility to the digital technology.

He reiterated the commitment of MainOne Equinix Company to building and expanding terrestrial metro-fibre network to aid the extension and distribution of the submarine capacity towards the realisation of a more connected future for all, adding that the cable landing has positioned Akwa Ibom in the global digital space. (Daily Sun)

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