LAGOS, Nigeria -- The Main One Project is a massive and very ambitious cross-continental sub-marine fiber network that will digitally connect Africa with the rest of the world. The first phase of the project which spans 7,000 kilometers extends from Seixal in Portugal to Lagos in Nigeria and Accra in Ghana, respectively. Using Dense Wave Multiplexing technology of 1.92 Terabits per second with two fiber pairs, Main One Cable will deliver more broadband Internet capacity to the West Africa sub region than any other existing or proposed submarine cable projects. The project is driven by Main One Cable Company.

The project has from inception been singularly distinguished by a strict conformity with expressly stated project timelines. All major historic milestones have conformed to earlier projections.

In 2008, the Main One project carried out all necessary desk-top research and applied for the requisite survey and operational permits. Among other activities, it also applied for and successfully obtained the first ever submarine cable landing licenses to be issued in Nigeria and Ghana, respectively.

Main One obtained the necessary marine survey permits in January 2009 and commenced marine route survey operations afterwards. In May, it began cable manufacturing alongside the manufacture of Repeater Assemblies.

By June, Main One had concluded its marine survey operations. It also commenced the construction of its cable landing stations in Accra, Ghana and Lagos, respectively based on designs earlier sourced in March and finalized in May. In Seixal, Portugal where the cable terminates, it is landing in an existing cable station with VSNL.

Still in June, the post survey route was reviewed and the final cable route, engineered. Very importantly, Main One Cable Company secured commitments for all of the $240million (two hundred and forty US Dollars), required to fully fund the first phase of the project.

According to Funke Opeke, Chief Executive Officer of Main One Cable Company, “we continue to be delighted at the steady progress we are making on every front on this ambitious submarine project.”

“We are particularly delighted that our desk top research, marine survey, wet plant and dry plant designs have been successfully concluded while our wet plant and dry plant manufacture, respectively, have progressed considerably. We are also recording considerable progress with regard to the construction of our cable landing stations.”

Marine installation, Opeke added, has also commenced. She added that with the Main One project having secured commitments for the entire funding of its first phase, “practically everything is in place to ensure that Main One cable is ready for Service in June 2010. When that happens,” she added, “we will usher a new lease of life to broadband penetration in the West Africa sub region and a strong growth imperative to the economies of the sub region”.

MainOne Cable Co.