MTN Nigeria, the largest domestic telecom operator with over 47 million subscribers, has signed a new contract with Cambridge Broadband Networks (CBNL) to upgrade and expand its 3G network facilities in order to meet up with consumer’s demand.

Under the terms of the contract, CBNL will undertake the supply, installation and commissioning of the new VectaStar backhaul equipment to improve the telecom giant’s services. It would also offer programme management, deployment, and support services to ensure efficient, cost effective and timely delivery of the upgraded network.

CNBL is a world leader in the development and deployment of next generation microwave backhaul and access solutions. Its VectaStar platform, one of the most diverse multipoint microwave backhaul platforms utilized in over 41 countries, will be deployed for MTN Nigeria.

CBNL Vice President for Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigel Webb, explained that: “The Nigeria upgrade requires both product expertise and local knowledge to ensure effective transition, with minimal downtime and disruption to MTN’s customers.”

“Our significant local presence enabled us to work closely with MTN planners to model detailed scenarios, prior to deployment. This will deliver a smarter, more efficient and resourceful network to support the traffic needs of today and for future capacity and coverage requirements,” he added.

Meanwhile, Olusegun Salami, MTN Nigeria’s Senior Manager, Transmission Access Planning, said the company has “seen a significant growth in subscribers accessing the internet via 3G over the past few years, and as a result will be modernising its network in order to expand capacity and continue delivering the customer experience and mobile access expected by our customer base throughout Nigeria.”

According to him, CBNL’s demonstration of an impeccable knowledge of the market, customer needs and the challenges faced during network upgrades, coupled with the high performance of VectaStar, made it the perfect candidate to handle the project.