Google and its cable landing partner, WIOCC lands Equiano subsea cable in Nigeria
Google and its cable landing partner, the West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC) have today announced the landing of its state-of-the-art Equiano subsea cable, expected to significantly impact Nigeria’s current and future international internet connectivity demands, increase internet speeds by a factor of six, reduce internet retail prices by 21 percent, and increase internet penetration by six percent in the continent’s powerhouse.
The Equiano cable designed to start from Portugal in Western Europe, run more than 12,000km along the West Coast of Africa, and land in Lomé, Togo; Lagos, Nigeria; Swakopmund, Namibia; Rupert’s Bay, Saint Helena, and Melkbosstrand, South Africa. It will establish a valuable new high-capacity internet connection between the African continent and Europe,
Goggle has last month announced its successful landing of the Equiano undersea cable in Lomé, Togo. This was the first in a series of landings on the continent for the subsea cable, which will run from Portugal along Africa’s west coast to South Africa.
The subsea cable is named after a Nigerian-born writer and abolitionist, Olaudah Equiano, the Equiano cable will help support further digital transformation and disruption of the tech ecosystem in a country that has produced five start-up unicorns in the last five years. Also, businesses are benefiting significantly from the usage of internet platforms, with total e-commerce annual expenditure predicted to climb to $75 billion by 2025, up from its current projection of US $12 billion
Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy, yet the number of people using the internet stood at about 35% as of 2020 – double what it was in 2012. Across much of the country, people lack affordable, reliable & quality access, which limits their ability to benefit from and contribute to the country’s digital economy plans.
Though a great deal of progress has been made, studies suggest that faster internet connections, better user experiences, and reduced internet costs will help accelerate these benefits.
A recent economic impact assessment conducted by Africa Practice and Genesis Analytics states that Equiano’s arrival in Nigeria is expected to result in faster internet speeds and significantly improve people’s experiences while online. Internet speeds in Nigeria are expected to grow almost sixfold by 2025, and retail internet prices are forecasted to decline by 21% over the same period. The same study found that by 2025, real GDP in Nigeria is forecast to be USD 10.1 billion higher than it otherwise would have been without Equiano and that the cable would indirectly generate roughly 1.6 million new jobs between 2022 and 2025.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in his remarks at the virtual launch of the cable in Lagos earlier today, said “All of these developments would significantly impact Nigeria’s drive towards building a robust digital economy”
Reacting to the landing of Equiano in Nigeria, Juliet Ehimuan, Director, West Africa at Google said “Google is committed to supporting Africa’s digital transformation and we are excited to see the impact of the landing of Equiano in Nigeria. We’ve worked with established partners and in-country experts to guarantee that Equiano has the greatest potential effect in Nigeria and throughout Africa.
“Equiano is set to make an enduring contribution towards the development of Nigeria’s communications infrastructure and today marks another major step in its development. We look forward to honoring our commitment to be part of Africa’s digital transformation,” she added.
Chris Wood, Chief Executive Officer of WIOCC, on his part said “We are proud to have been selected by Google as the landing partner for the Equiano cable in Nigeria, landing the cable directly into the OADC Lagos data center. From there it will be extended to other data centers across Lagos.”
“The Equiano cable will deliver improved internet quality, speeds, and affordability to the people of Nigeria. However, for the benefits to be fully felt throughout Nigeria, hyper-scale connectivity needs to be extended from the Lagos area to the rest of the country. To make this happen, WIOCC is also deploying a comprehensive, hyper-scale national fiber network. The network will go live in phases, starting in June and continuing through to the end of the year. When combined with the Equiano cable this network will deliver transformational benefits across the country,” he added.