The deal with Nigerian telecom company 21st Century Technologies was signed in the end of last year and deployment to the first 10,000 homes is now on its way.
The contract covers the entire spectrum of supplying, building and systems integrating a nationwide residential fiber-optic broadband network in Nigeria. It also includes the latest Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Network (GPON) Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) technology, enabling advanced high-speed broadband services.
Jan Embro, head of Market Unit sub-Saharan Africa at Ericsson, says the project represents a major breakthrough in the West African region, a market mostly dominated by mobile communications. The FTTH network will provide high-quality broadband connectivity and services such as IPTV, high-speed internet access and voice-over-IP. Deployment to the first 10,000 homes will start in January 2009.
“This contract reflects the company’s strong position in Nigeria, builds on our partnership with 21st Century Technologies and highlights our multimedia capabilities,” Embro says. “It is the first project of its kind in the West African region and will be the forerunner of related services not only in the region, but in Africa as a whole.”
Wale Ajisebutu, managing director of 21st Century Technologies, says: “We are delighted to work with Ericsson to deploy and integrate one of the world’s most sophisticated network architectures for fiber optics. With the combination of Ericsson’s GPON (Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Network) and IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) technology, we can deliver an enriched multimedia experience to our customers.”
Under the terms of the deal, Ericsson will provide an end-to-end deep fiber access network with EDA 1500 for GPON access and fiber cables, including Ribbonet and Micronet air-blown fiber systems. It also includes Redback SmartEdge 1200 routers and Ericsson’s IMS solution for the core network, enabling access to a wide range of multimedia services. Ericsson will also be in charge of network design, deployment and systems integration services.
