The project is set to provide a significant boost to local economies across Guinea, offering businesses affordable access to fibre-like broadband speeds that enable a wealth of advanced communications, said CBNL, the equipment company that will supply the network.
Mutaz Elbadawi, chief commercial officer at InterCEL+, said:
“The network has the potential to revolutionise broadband in Guinea, helping businesses develop value added services, compete on international markets and transform their growth potential.”
The mining sector drives 15% of the gross domestic product of Guinea, which has a population of around 11.5 million.
The first phase of the project is already running in the capital city of Conakry, offering businesses up to a tenfold increase in bandwidth compared to the legacy WiMax links they had previously been using.
InterCEL+ will use CBNL’s VectaStar equipment, said Kamel Kaddoumi, vice president of sales for the Middle East and North Africa at CBNL. “InterCEL+ will benefit from VectaStar’s significant cost savings, together with guaranteed bandwidth and the ability to build hub sites delivering up to 14.4Gbps,” he said.
InterCEL+ is part of an African telecoms group called Expresso, which has operations in Ghana, Mauritania and Senegal as well as Guinea. Expresso is 75% owned by state-controlled Sudanese operator Sudatel and is a major partner in the ACE project. InterCEL+ manages the ACE cable landing station in Conakry.