Ilukwe advises on infrastructure sharing ... As GBP deploys 250 NOC

Managing Director, Galaxy Backbone Plc (GBP), Mr. Gerald Ilukwe has advised on some shareable telecommunications infrastructure on the continent.

This is coming as GBP announced the deployment of 250 Network Operating Centres (NOC) lately.

Speaking at the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) summit organized by the Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation (CTO) in conjunction with the Ministry of Information and Communication and Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Abuja, last week, Ilukwe who dwelt on ‘Pursuing Successful Infrastructure Sharing Strategies in Africa,’ noted there are some immediate and most viable infrastructure that could be easily shared among operators in the ICT sector.

He enumerated this infrastructure by categorizing them into two, electronic and non-electronic.

He listed the electronic infrastructure to include base towers stations, micro wave radio equipment, switches, antennas, transceivers for signal processing and transmission, while the non-electronic comprises of tower, shelter, air-conditioning, standby power generating sets and back-up batteries, electrical equipment, technical premises and easement and pylons.

Others, Ilukwe named to include data centres, utility and middleware applications disaster recovery as well as business continuity facilities.

On the imperatives of infrastructure sharing, Ilukwe said that it facilitates optimization of investment in infrastructure and the use of scarce national resources like right of way.

He also said that it reduces negative environmental impact through co-location of antenna farms to limit radiation, incessant digging up of roads and pavements as well as proliferation of telecom masts.

“It thus focuses on service innovation instead of network deployment,” he said.
Commenting later after a media tour of Galaxy Backbone site in Abuja, Ilukwe said his team has deployed about 250 Network Operating Centres in FCT for the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for various organizations.

“Today, we have 250 NOCs in Abuja,” he said.

Out of the 250 centres, he said, 200 belongs to the Federal Government including the Federal Road Safety Commission - 85, Nigerian Immigration Service - 65, Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) - 49 and News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) 6.

According to Ilukwe who was joined in the media parley by the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of Galaxy, Mr. Martin Ahachi and Marketing Communications Manager, Mr. Ginger Ekeh, said, his office is ready to deploy to the Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST) based on its recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the agency recently.

“We are waiting for them to say they are ready and we would deploy,” declared Ahachi.


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