Posted by From Bethrand Nwankwo, Abuja on
A NEW service that will link calls from Nigeria directly to London through the Internet has been introduced by the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL).
A NEW service that will link calls from Nigeria directly to London through the Internet has been introduced by the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL).
Known as Internet Provider (IP) Wholesale Service, it will be launched in Lagos next week and will also help to enhance the company's finances.
At a pre-launch press conference in Abuja at the weekend, NITEL's Executive Officer, Mr. Albert Mashi, said the IP would give Nigeria a direct connection to London Internet Exchange through a fully fibered solution, using the intercontinental SAT-3 sea-cable.
He also added that it would give Nigeria a straight connection into the heart of the worldwide Internet, pointing out that this is the first time Nigeria would be connected via SAT-3 to the London Internet Exchange.
Mashi said the difference between the existing methods, which use satellite is the unlimited bandwidth that NITEL can now provide through the connection.
The firm chief further explained that the dial-up delay as a result of constraint in satellite bandwidth and factors like weather conditions are addressed by SAT-3.
"NITEL can provide any bandwidth without any change in the existing infrastructure", he said.
Mashi equally revealed that NITEL had activated half a Gigabit duplex from and to the Internet, which he declared as superseding any existing connection.
"This is not a plan or a vision. NITEL has the infrastructure on ground and an impressive list of customers is already enjoying the service. It is also not the end, it is just the beginning. NITEL distributes the service call over the country, using its fibre network", he said.
NITEL, Mashi added, would welcome any company that wants to do business with it by distributing this service to the end-users.