9MOBILE
130 has been instrumental , Sinfield adds , in challenging this status quo . “ He ’ s convinced a lot of states that decreasing those up-front payments will lead to better adoption of ICT technology and more revenue in the long-term .” As a result , right of way charges are being dropped across the country , allowing 9mobile , as well as other MNOs and fibre companies , to roll out more infrastructure in support of the Government ’ s five year broadband plan .
However , even with government tariffs reduced , the expense of installing the necessary infrastructure itself can be prohibitive . “ The cost of deploying fibre is very high ,” remarks Sinfield . As a result , 9mobile has been forging alliances and partnerships with other Nigerian operators , creating a shared fibre network that could soon serve even the most isolated areas of the region . “ It doesn ’ t make sense for all of us to dig the same hole and lay the same fibre . We already have deals in place with other operators to swap fibre ; we ’ re building out a huge ecosystem throughout the entire country ,” he adds .
NOVEMBER 2020