Data Connection Still Slow in Nigeria, Says ntel Boss

THE growth in broadband penetration in the country has not been evidently clear in the speed of internet connection prompting the Managing Director of NATCOM, owners of ntel, Mr. Abass Kamar to describe data connection in Nigeria to be slow.

Kamar who made the remark while speaking at the 2016 NigeriaCom Conference and Exhibition, said that despite the slow speed of data connection in the country, there are clear evidence that there is hunger for reliable data connection in the country noting that the industry is presently witnessing a fundamental phenomenal shift from narrow band to broadband connection.

He said that to meet the quest of the consumers for high speed broadband connection it has become necessary to embrace the 4G technology, and that the migration to 4G broadband in the next five years will be greater that the migration to mobile communication.

He disclosed that the 92 million internet subscribers are connected through the narrow band connection and as such the active subscribers had to contend with a 2G connection, which is lower than one megabyte connection per second.

He observed that as a result the average consumption under the 2G connection is lower than 200 megabytes monthly compared to a global stand of 800 megabyte monthly stressing that there is urgent need to address this deficit.

According to Kamar, the way out of the present trend of low speed data connection in Nigeria is 4G technology if the industry must carter for the mass market needs saying that the industry needs solutions that does not focus on cities but on the vast area of the country.

He said that the need of the internet communities goes beyond city hotspots but mobile solutions that can carry a lot of capacity just like noting that ntel has the ability to build Nigeria’s most constant efficient mass market mobile  broadband network.

Kamar explained that although it went out to acquire a company that has been out of fashion and business, it has been very clear on the fundamental requirement of the telecoms market today noting that is built on what is called the golden spectrum.

He added that ntel is built on the 4G/LTE –Advanced technology is  built on the 900/1800MHz spectrum, which can deliver the unbeatable and game changer customer experience of high speed internet access up to 230Mbps,”thus enabling a world of full mobile broadband experiences that will transform both lives and livelihoods.”

Abbas, an ex-Country Manager of Ericsson Nigeria said that ntel is the biggest 4G network in the country today, but that the decision of the company to rollout only Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt was strategic saying that beyond its inherited infrastructure, it also has secondary sites from tower companies.

In an address while declaring open the event, Portfolio Manager, Africa TMT KNects365, organisers of the event, Adam Thompson observed that Nigeria requires the diversification away from a heavy dependence on the oil and gas sector, and expansion of the knowledge economy.

He said that the development of the ICTs and skills mark stronger prospect for social benefit and that this can only occur through convincing actions from the NigeriaCom participants.