Google’s Equiano Cable In Nigeria By WIOCC

Google’s Equiano Cable In Nigeria By WIOCC

TECH DIGEST – The Equiano undersea internet cable, with a design capacity about 20 times greater than any other cable now serving the region, would have a direct influence on connectivity, resulting in faster internet speeds, lower internet rates, and a better user experience in Nigeria.

The state-of-the-art Equiano has landed in Lagos, Nigeria, thanks to Google and cable landing partner WIOCC.

Nigeria’s current and future international connection demands will be met by a subsea cable.

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The Equiano cable will begin in Portugal, stretch over 12,000 kilometers along Africa’s West Coast, and land in Lomé, Togo, Lagos, Nigeria, Swakopmund, Namibia, Rupert’s Bay, Saint Helena, and Melkbosstrand, South Africa, offering a crucial new high-capacity connection between Africa and Europe. The Equiano cable, named after Nigerian-born writer and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano, will aid in the country’s digital transformation. Nigeria has produced five start-up unicorns (companies worth more than $1 billion) in the last five years.

Benefits that Equiano is expected to bring to Nigeria

According to a recent impact assessment study conducted by Africa Practice and Genesis Analytics, once the state-of-the-art, high-capacity Equiano cable is completely operational, which is projected to happen later this year, Nigeria will benefit from the following:

Connectivity-related

1. Increase internet speeds by a factor of six

2. Reduce internet retail prices by 21%

3. Increase internet penetration by six percentage points

Economic

1. Boost GDP by USD 10.1 billion by 2025

2. Boost job creation by 1.6 million jobs by 2025

Sustainability

1. Save 2.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum

Since 2017, the Nigerian government has accelerated its digital transformation efforts. Many industries in the country, particularly the startup sector, have benefited from these measures. Faster internet connections, better user experiences, and lower internet costs, according to studies, will expedite these benefits.

“Google is committed to assisting Africa’s digital development, and we are pleased to watch the impact of Equiano’s landing in Nigeria,” Juliet Ehimuan, Director, West Africa at Google, stated in response to the arrival of Equiano in Nigeria.

Equiano has been developed in collaboration with existing partners and in-country specialists to ensure that it has the biggest possible impact in Nigeria and across Africa.”

“Equiano is poised to make a long-term contribution to the development of Nigeria’s communications infrastructure, and today marks a significant milestone in that process.” “We look forward to living up to our promise to be a part of Africa’s digital development,” Ehimuan said.

“We are happy to have been picked by Google as the landing partner for the Equiano cable in Nigeria, landing the cable directly into the OADC Lagos data center,” said Chris Wood, WIOCC’s Chief Executive Officer. It will thereafter be expanded to other data centers around Lagos.”

“The Equiano cable would increase internet quality, speeds, and affordability for Nigerians,” he continued. However, in order for the benefits to be realized throughout Nigeria, hyper-scale connectivity from Lagos to the rest of the country must be extended. WIOCC is also building a nationwide, hyper-scale fiber network to achieve this goal. Starting in June and continuing through the end of the year, the network will go operational in stages. This network, when joined with the Equiano cable, will provide transformative benefits across the country.”

The Equiano undersea cable made its maiden landing in Africa last month in Lomé, Togo, confirming the commitment made at the Google for Africa 2021 event to help expand internet connectivity across the continent.