West African countries sign agreement to develop modern telecom infrastructure
The commercialization of alternative transnational telecommunications infrastructures is now a reality in West Africa following a public-private partnership, between the Manantali Energy Management Company (SOGEM) and the Consortium Envol Technology / Sonatel.
Following an international call for tenders, awarded on November 24, 2020, SOGEM and the Envol Technology / Sonatel consortium recently signed a partnership contract for the operation of the Fiber Optic Guard Cable (CGFO ) the SOGEM / OMVS electricity network, crossing Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and in the medium term, Guinea.
This agreement will facilitate Internet access by users of OMVS member states, both in terms of tariffs and in terms of territory.
By making the excess capacities of its Fiber Optic network available to Internet service providers in member states, SOGEM is faithful to the ECOWAS Priority Telecommunications Program which aims to develop a modern regional telecommunications infrastructure and reliable at very high speed.
This network constitutes a major contribution to the growth of the internet in the region by supporting the ICT ecosystem, by equal access between countries and will stimulate the digital economy, by meeting the needs for connectivity and increased traffic in the region.
SOGEM will continue its contribution to better digital access to territories by pooling the substantial, current and future investments made by the States.
The IKASIRA company is the Wholesale Operator Partner made up of Envol Technology and Sonatel. As the operator of SOGEM's telecommunications infrastructure, it will apply a catalog of services promoting access to the greatest number of Internet Service Providers by offering them IP transport and transit services that will allow ISPs to benefit from very suitable offers.
