Nigeria, Google in talks for new subsea cable to strengthen digital backbone

Nigeria is currently in talks with Google for a new subsea cable that seeks to strengthen its digital and connectivity backbone. This is according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday.

In an interview in Abuja, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), noted that Nigeria wants to increase its existing subsea cable links with Europe through the proposed infrastructure. He added that such investment is needed to help transform Nigeria into a digital hub in Africa and support the vision for a $1 trillion digital economy. 

While the proposed deal is a plus for internet access, the NITDA boss tagged Nigeria’s current reliance on cables that follow the same path “a single point of failure.” In such a case, damage causes significant internet disruption, which affects economic activities. 

According to the report, a Google spokesperson confirmed that talks between both parties are at an advanced stage. This development builds on Google’s plan to bridge the digital divide in Africa. In September, Google revealed plans for four new infrastructure hubs in Africa to connect its latest underwater fibre-optic cables.

The development comes at a time when Nigerian and other African countries are suffering from internet blackouts due to subsea cable damage. In a continent that has the world’s fastest-growing population, issues with seamless internet connectivity pose a threat to innovation and restrict access to advanced technology such as artificial intelligence.

Aside from the ongoing talks with Google, Abdullahi said that Nigeria is talking to other tech giants alongside. Nigeria is also seeking to drive investment in digital infrastructure. This will provide improved access to reliable cloud and computer power needed to broaden the use of high-tech tools. 

Also Read: Meta completes 2Africa subsea cable system, the first cable to connect Africa to the world.

Subsea cables to the rescue for Nigeria and Africa 

In its move to ensure every Nigerian is digitally connected, the federal government, in partnership with the World Bank, invested  $2 billion in 90,000 kilometres of subsea cable network across the country. The infrastructure, whose rollout is underway, forms part of Nigeria’s continued push for a digital economy.

While subsea cables are described as the real backbone of the digital economy, they’ve been faced with challenges such as vandalism, cable cuts and other disruptions. 

For instance, data by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) revealed that about 150 to 200 cable cuts occur globally yearly, causing connectivity disruptions across all sectors of the global economy, including banking and telecoms. 

To bridge the gap, Nigeria and Africa as a whole recently recorded a milestone in digital connectivity. 

Last month, Meta Inc. completed the core 2Africa Subsea Cable system, an infrastructure that links East and West Africa to the Middle East, South Asia and Europe. The subsea cable, the first to connect Africa to the rest of the world, seeks to transform connectivity for 3 billion people, including Africa’s 1.4 billion people, over the next 10 years. 

The subsea cable marks a defining moment for Africa’s economy and community development, and the facility represents a major change in international bandwidth for Africa, with technical capacity that far exceeds previous systems. 

According to Meta, the subsea cable on the West segment stretched from England to South Africa, and landed in countries such as Senegal, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, DRC, and Angola. In addition, the cable supports 21 terabits per second (Tbps) per fibre pair, with 8 fibre pairs on the trunk. 

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