Why did Facebook switch to invest in fiber optic systems in Africa?-Information Technology

Faced with growing legislative pressure in Europe, Facebook has turned to technical infrastructure investment in Africa, according to The Guardian.

Government officials in Edo state, southern Nigeria, aim to radically improve access status Internet poor for 4 million people. MainOne will be the company responsible for the deployment of an extensive fiber optic network in West Africa, with the support of Facebook.

A general agreement was signed to install fiber optic lines running throughout Benin City, the capital of Edo State. Since 2019, 400 km of cables have been installed in Edo.

“Clearly, Facebook is not a digital infrastructure company, but they invested in these cables,” said Emmanuel Eweka, a former senior Edo government official.

In recent years, as Facebook has come under increasing legislative pressure in the West, the company has increased its focus on Africa, especially in countries with looser regulatory and regulatory environments. .

The weak Internet coverage, expensive prices, and large population (200 million people) in Nigeria are seen as opportunities for Facebook to gain new users and their data. Therefore, the company did not hesitate to invest in business activities to help people there have easier access to the Internet.

“To make Internet data more affordable, Facebook needs to build infrastructure that is virtually free,” Eweka said. “Actually, Facebook is not an expert in the Internet, but they will give it back with user data and it is clear that there is huge potential in a country like Nigeria.”

A billboard advertising the Facebook Free Basics service on a street in the capital Abuja (Nigeria). Photo: Reuters/Alamy

New potential users are emerging in countries with rapidly growing populations and increasing smartphone usage. Currently, just over half of Nigeria’s population has access to the Internet and the rate of access is increasing every year.

In 2019, Facebook invested $20 million in Internet infrastructure in Edo and committed together with MainOne to lay 750 kilometers of fiber optic cable in Edo and the southwestern state of Ogun. Both states have committed to building business and technology hubs and expanding Internet access for entrepreneurs, tech workers, government agencies and schools.

“If a case file is sent to the governor’s office, the governor can see exactly when it was opened and if it was done,” Eweka said. So the loss of files somewhere in the system is now gone.”

Faster internet has changed the way government operates in Edo, officials say.

Last November, the government kicked off the Edo Technological Park, a largely unbuilt project on the 200,000 square kilometer site that the developers envision will be the heart of a burgeoning tech ecosystem. state development.

The center will provide “residential, working apartments, residential and commercial real estate, technology incubators and offices for rent”. The basis of the plans was increased access to the faster and cheaper Internet services that Meta helped provide.

Stephen Osawaru, a 38-year-old entrepreneur and business consultant in Benin, works with a network of more than 300 startups in the state. “The internet is better and cheaper than it was five years ago, creating more opportunities,” he said.