Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Brazil and parts of Asia have been identified as untapped markets for fibre optics investments, according to a report jointly released by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and EDHECinfra, a venture of the renowned international EDHEC Business School.
In the study entitled Infrastructure Strategy 2022: A Pivot to the Digital Frontier, it was stated that, “Although demand for fibre optic projects is most pronounced in less-wealthy economies—large and diverse regions with significant potentials, such as Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Brazil, and parts of Asia are untapped markets—fibre penetration is also uneven in places where economic growth is less uncertain.”
The report provides a new perspective on the investment strategies and risk-adjusted-performance of different groups of infrastructure investors.
It was stated that if the countries can put their acts together, they have huge potential to attract digital infrastructure projects, which could lead to economic growth.
The study points out that the increasing desire for higher speeds and reliable online access will inevitably lead to a huge expansion of fibre optic installations in new networks in low- and middle-income nations as well as in existing networks in higher-income countries.
Ultimately, fibre, which has already begun to make inroads in networks everywhere, will replace legacy (primarily copper) infrastructure completely, particularly as 5G rolls out.
“Fibre optic investment is required to expand the capacity of the undersea cable infrastructure on the shores of Nigeria beyond the cities to other regions of the country in order to make connectivity truly ubiquitous.
“With the growing demand for fast and reliable Internet connectivity, investing in digital infrastructure is profitable and it is expected that investment in fibre installations all over the country will accelerate in a few years from now,” the Managing Director and Partner, BCG Nigeria, Mr Stefano Niavas, said.
