Telecom
2012: Alcatel-Lucent Reels Success Story, Activities
Alcatel-Lucent has a very strong presence in Africa, connected to its global organization, leveraging central support and ensuring best practices, the company has dedicated teams with local knowledge and global expertise on the ground in most of Africa’s countries , specialized in a wide array of technologies for both fixed and mobile communications including and not limited to 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE, Optics and IP, broadband access, VoIP, applications, managed and professional services as well as Enterprise solutions that deliver a competitive edge to businesses of all sizes.
These experts are working with customers, operators, governments, businesses and partners which form an efficient ecosystem to develop and introduce new technologies and solutions, to ensure growth and capture business opportunities – with the ultimate goal to bring Broadband to the people in Africa.
Alcatel-Lucent’s strong presence in African countries is a real asset for operators. Our company is ready to engage anywhere in Africa with the accurate expertise and at any level.
Alcatel-Lucent is present in most of the African continent, including but not limited to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon, Mali, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Angola, Madagascar, Mozambique and Zimbabwe…..
The company brings an unmatched heritage of ideas and execution to the challenge of realizing the potential of a connected world.
In term of Research & Innovation, the innovation engine behind Alcatel-Lucent is its Bell Labs, the company’s research arm, one of the world’s foremost centers of research and innovation in communication technology.
Alcatel-Lucent has more than 29,100 active patents, in which more than 2,600 have been obtained in 2011, and seven Nobel Prizes in Physics (shared by 13 scientists).
Alcatel-Lucent was named one of MIT Technology Review’s 2012 Top 50 list of the “World’s Most Innovative Companies” for breakthroughs such as lightRadio™, which cuts power consumption and operating costs on wireless networks while delivering lightning fast Internet access.
Through such innovations, Alcatel-Lucent is making communications more sustainable, more affordable and more accessible as we pursue our mission – to guarantee our partners return on investment, while mastering network complexity and providing good customer experience.
Enabling International and Pan-African connectivity- Alcatel-Lucent is involved in most of the major submarine projects recently launched
Leveraging over 150 years of experience in the submarine business, Alcatel-Lucent is strongly involved of the telecom infrastructure development in this part of the world, with many successful projects implemented around Africa.
The African continent is definitely still yearning for affordable connectivity, as it is essential for social and economic development.
The need for more connections is particularly vibrant in high-growth economy countries, where submarine cable networks can help bridge the digital divide and fuel economic and social development. International bandwidth in sub-Sahara countries has dramatically increased by 2012.
This massive bandwidth has landed in West African and East African coasts thanks to EASSy, SEAS, GLO1, LION, MENA (Orascom Telecom), TE North (Telecom Egypt), ACE, TEAMS, Seacom, WACS and a few other submarine networks; as a result, the cost of International connectivity is reducing considerably; and the continent will witness explosive growth for mobile, fixed and broadband traffic at competitive rates.
Alcatel-Lucent is involved in most of the submarine systems in Africa: a 17,000 km from Cape Town in SA to Penmarch in France , linking 20 countries (Europe-Africa) and bringing connectivity to Mauritania, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, and Equatorial Guinea and Sea-Me-We 4 a 20,000 km, linking 14 countries from France to Singapore
It is also involved in SAT-3/WASC system – linking Portugal to South Africa with branches to Spain, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and Angola and SAT-3/WASC reliant le Portugal à l’Afrique du Sud, avec des embranchements en Espagne, au Sénégal, en Côte d’Ivoire, au Ghana, en République du Bénin, au Nigeria, au Cameroun, au Gabon et en Angola as well as EASSy, 10,000 km submarine network linking eight countries from East Africa and Sudan to South Africa.
Others are Kenya-United Arab Emirates cable for the East Africa Marine System (TEAMS) consortium – spanning 4,900 km to connect Mombassa in Kenya to Fujairah in the UAE; WACS – 14,000 km submarine network connecting South Africa to Europe. In service in 2012; and système sous-marin de 14 000 Km reliant l’Afrique du Sud et l’Europe. Mise en service en 2012.
Additionally it is participating in LION, connecting Toamasina in Madagascar to SainteMarie in La Réunion and Terre Rouge in Mauritius via a link of approximately 1000 km; SEAS 1900km linking Seychelles and Tanzania; GLO1: 9,800Km connected Ghana to West Africa and Europe; Middle East North Africa (MENA) 3 850 Km cable for Orascom Telecom, positioning Egypt as a central hub for traffic transit between Europe, the Middle East and Asia; and TE North system for Telecom Egypt – 3,100 km, it started with ultimate capacity of 128 x 10 on each of its eight fiber pairs, which makes it one of the largest cable systems in the region. Now in service using 40G technology as well as Atlas Offshore for Maroc Telecom – linking the cities of Asilah in Morocco to Marseille in France, over more than 1,630 km. It directly interconnects Maroc Telecom with the various European operators.
Customers’ Experience -Trusted Partner
Alcatel-Lucent to bring faster, higher-quality broadband to Africa: In Africa, Alcatel-Lucent is focused on three major segments; infrastructure, applications and services; all three are critical to its long-term commitment to its Customers.
In terms of revenues, investment and local presence, Alcatel-Lucent has a major role in building and transforming Africa’s telecommunications networks for many world-class fixed and mobile operators in Africa, including but not limited to Airtel, Kenya Data Networks (KDN), Uganda Telecom, Orange, Etisalat Nigeria, Globacom (Nigeria and Ghana), MTN, Unitel Angola, Mcel Mozambique, TDM Mozambique, Vodacom, Telkom South Africa, Smile, Togo Cellulaire ,Tigo Millicom Ghana, Telesis Tanzania, Algerie Telecom, Maroc Telecom, Inwi Morocco, Tunisiana, Orascom Telecom along with many other international key players, regional and local service providers. Additionally, Alcatel-Lucent is also present in the Oil and Gas sector and with various governments – bringing advanced, affordable and convenient services to its customers across the region.
Nigeria’s telecom operators recorded 155, 397 fibre-cut incidents between April and May 2026, and these they blame on why internet or calls suddenly stop working.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed fibre-cut incidents increased from 74 276 in April to a record 79 121 in May, bringing the two-month total to the highest level recorded by the industry.
This represents a 2 428% increase from the 5 934 incidents reported during the first quarter of 2026.
Vandalism remained the leading cause of fibre cuts, accounting for more than 54 000 incidents despite telecom infrastructure being designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, a classification intended to strengthen protection of key digital assets.
Also road construction constantly damages fiber where iggers and machines tear up buried cables during road repairs or construction.
Even with all these, some state governments make it hard for companies to fix cables quickly across different areas with all manners of fees and levies.
The NCC designation provides for penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment for offenders, but operators continue to face widespread infrastructure damage.
Proposed solutions, including Nigeria’s Dig-Once policy and AI-powered fibre sensing technologies, have yet to achieve widespread adoption.
The NCC is developing a cost-based framework for shared underground duct infrastructure, while operators are exploring AI-powered fibre sensing technologies that can detect cable damage in real time and improve network resilience.
Nigeria is pursuing ambitious broadband targets under its National Broadband Plan and has expanded fibre deployment to about 35 000 kilometres.
However, infrastructure protection has not kept pace with network expansion, leaving subscribers vulnerable to unreliable connectivity despite continued operator investment.
Standard Bank has partnered with Helios Towers to provide a $29 million Social Documentary Credit Facility. According to the financial services company, this transaction marks Standard Bank’s first Documentary Credit Facility structured in a Sustainable Finance format.
It notes that the facility will support the procurement and importation of telecommunications infrastructure and related services across Africa.
It will also provide payment certainty to suppliers, while supporting Helios Towers’ working capital requirements and infrastructure expansion programme, the bank adds.
Structured in accordance with the Loan Market Association’s Social Loan Principles, the financing is designed to promote digital connectivity and telecommunications infrastructure development in underserved markets.
This will help Helios Towers further expand its footprint and enhance mobile network coverage and connectivity across the continent.
Helios Towers operates one of Africa’s independent telecommunications tower platforms, enabling mobile network operators to extend coverage across multiple markets.
Standard Bank notes that the facility supports the expansion of tower infrastructure and services, increased network densification and improved connectivity in underserved markets and remote regions across the African continent.
It will also drive digital inclusion and tackle the digital divide while supporting economic growth and socio-economic development.
“This transaction demonstrates the power of innovation in trade finance. By combining a first-to-market Social Documentary Credit Facility with a cross-border funding solution, Standard Bank has supported Helios Towers’ growth ambitions while helping extend digital connectivity to underserved communities across Africa,” says Benoit Samouilhan, global transaction banker at Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking.
According to the bank, this facility enables positive social impact by increasing and improving network coverage and connectivity in some of the world’s most remote regions.
“Reliable digital infrastructure is fundamental to Africa’s future growth and development,” says Alex Carter, group finance director at Helios Towers.
“This facility provides us with the flexibility and certainty needed to support our ongoing infrastructure investments while advancing our mission of expanding connectivity across the continent. We value our longstanding relationship with Standard Bank and look forward to building on this partnership.”
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will on Thursday convene a stakeholders’ consultative forum to review the draft business rules for Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) in Nigeria.
NCC
The forum, scheduled to hold at 10 a.m. at the NCC Annex Office, Mbora, Abuja, is expected to bring together telecommunications operators, industry associations and other stakeholders to provide input on the proposed regulatory framework before its finalisation.
The commission announced the event on its official social media platforms, inviting interested stakeholders to participate in the consultation process.
The engagement is part of the NCC’s efforts to strengthen the regulatory framework for MVNO operations and promote greater competition, innovation and consumer choice in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
Mobile Virtual Network Operators are telecommunications service providers that offer mobile services by leasing network capacity from licensed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), rather than owning spectrum licences or telecommunications infrastructure.
The NCC has identified the MVNO licensing framework as one of its initiatives aimed at deepening competition, expanding access to telecommunications services and driving digital inclusion across the country.
The consultative forum is expected to provide stakeholders with the opportunity to review the draft business rules, make recommendations and contribute to the development of a robust operational framework for the emerging MVNO segment.
The commission is expected to issue further details on the outcome of the consultation after the meeting.
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