Transcript Interconnectivity Issues in Nigeria

(Inter)Connectivity Issues in
Nigeria: Some Perspectives
Mobolaji E. Aluko, PhD
Professor of Chemical Engineering
Howard University, Washington DC;
President/CEO Alondex Applied Technologies, LLC;
Vice-President, NITPA
(Nigerian Information Technology Professionals in
the Americas)
A talk delivered at the
3rd Annual International
Nigerian Telecommunications
Summit
[‘Realising Opportunities in
Nigerian Telecommunications”]
September 20-21, 2004
London, England
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Outline of Talk
1. NCC & Interconnection
2. The Need for Interconnectivity
3. The Physical Structure
4. The Logical Structure
5. Nigerian Policy – Guided or Fully liberalized?
6. Some International Examples
7. SAT-3 Issues (International, Local)
8. Some suggestions
9. A few closing thoughts
10. Acknowledgements
Bolaji Aluko;Nigeria Telcom Summit, London
September 2004
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Working Definition of Interconnection
NCC Act 1992
[Guidelines on Interconnection of Telecommunications
Networks]:
“5.(1) Interconnection means the physical and logical
linking of telecommunications networks used by the
same or a different operator in order to allow the users
of one telecommunications network to communicate
with the users of the same or another
telecommunications network or to access services
provided by a telecommunications network. The services
may be provided by the parties involved or other parties
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who have access to the network. “
The Need for Interconnectivity
Operator A
1
Audio/Voice
Data
Operator B
3
Video
Services
Images
Services
Fax
2
Subscriber
Internet
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Subscriber
Services: Mainly Voice, little Internet-penetration, need more others (ATM, X.25, GPRS, etc.)
Subscribers: 1999 - 0.5 million 2003 - ~ 2.4 mil. 2004- ~4.6 mil. 2010 - 10, 20, 40 mil. ?
Internet Users: 2000 - ~100k Sept. 2004 - ~750k [IP Count: 181k (Feb. 2004)]
[2004: MTN:2 mil, VeeNet:1 mil, Globacom:750k; MTEL:300k; NITEL:450k; Others:60k?]
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Operators: 1999: 1 NO, 1 MO, xPTOs, yISPs, etc. 2004: 2 NOs, 4 MOs, etc. 2010 - ?
BINARY SERVICE, MEDIA, PROTOCOL, MOBILITY DIVISIONS
V O I C E
NON - VOICE
WIRELESS
WIRED
FIXED
IP NETWORKS
NON-IP NETWORKS
MOBILE
Converged Services
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Each of the services:
* different rates of transmission
* different formats
* different protocols
* different priorities for delivery
Convergence Issues
XOIP – Services over Internet !
Physical Media; Logical Structure important
for efficient connectivity
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Physical media:
Wired:
* twisted pair
Wireless:
* IR, radio, microwave
(terrestrial)
* coaxial cable
* VSAT
* fiber
(Very Small Aperture Terminal)
- microwave, extraterrestrial
(Satellite)
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Physical media:
Twisted pair (copper) – low transmission rate, short distance
Coaxial cable (copper) – faster transmission rate, longer distance
Fiber (glass) – low loss, very high transmission rate, great distance
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For radio or microwave terrestrial – skip the satellite
Moderate (radio) to high-transmission rates (satellite)
[narrow-band < ~ 200 kbps --- broad-band]
Moderate (radio) to very large distance (satellite)
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True ISPs ~ 40 - 80
StarTech, Rainbownet, OduaTel, etc.
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NITEL’s Telecommunication Infrastructure
International
3 Digital, 1 Analog Intelsat Satellite Earth Station
National
7 Digital Secondary Switching Centers
Regional
52 Primary Centers (16 Digital)
Local
286 Local Exchanges (135 Digital)
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Source: BPE’s website on NITEL (www.bpeng.org)
Some Telecommunications Indicators in Nigeria
Source: VSAT case studies: Nigeria & Algeria [Esselaar & Stravou, 2003]
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Questions for Nigeria
What is our proposed and/or preferred
transmission backbone
- fiber and/or wireless?
How should it evolve
– completely private-driven or
government-guided?
Needed – a National Fiber Transmission
Backbone
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SIGNAL MULTIPLEXING & MODULATION
FDM, TDM, (D)WDM can all be complementary
[Eg GSM is combination of FDM and TDMA]
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What Logical Structure ?
* hubs
* routers (for destination mapping)
* bridges (to link networks)
* switches (multiport bridges)
* gateways
* exchanges (eg IXP)
Needed: A National Digital Interconnectivity
Matrix coordinated Between Operators
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NCC’s Five-Year Strategic Management Plan
(2003-2007)
“Target 1G1: To provide the regulatory
stimulus and, where appropriate, the incentives
to encourage the rollout of fibre optic links
nationwide. Minimum coverage targets will be
30% by end Q4 2004, 40% by end Q4 2006 and
50% by end Q4 2007 (by state and nationally,
as appropriate)”
Are we on track?
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NEPAD ICT Infrastructure objectives:
Key Objectives:

To have in place, low-cost thin route satellite
capacity and associated ground infrastructure to
support the e-schools, e-health and other high
priority NEPAD projects.

To ensure that all African countries are connected
to a broadband fibre-optic cable system that in,
turn, links Africa with the rest of the world.
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Facilities Sharing, Collocation, Cooperation
“19. (1) The Commission shall encourage
collocation and facility sharing and develop
guidelines for shared infrastructure use and
collocation.”
“21. (2)
The Commission shall encourage
the interconnecting operators to establish
technical committees and to develop
specifications, protocols, and procedures for
the interconnection of their
telecommunications networks”
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- NCC
Fully-Paired/Peered Connectivity Diagram for Operators
NITEL
GLOBACOM
FWA
MTEL
V-Net
MTN
Ref: “Resolving the Interconnectivity Battle in Nigeria:
Some Suggestions” [Mobolaji Aluko, November 2002]
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Suggested Multiprotocol Switch/Clearing House
GLOBACOM
NITEL
Switch
or
Router
MTEL
V-Net
FWA
MTN
Ref: “Resolving the Interconnectivity Battle in Nigeria:
Some Suggestions” [Mobolaji Aluko, November 2002]
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Sample Integrated Mobile Communication
Connectivity
(Intra- or Inter-Operator)
An intelligent logical combination of wired and wireless resources
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INTERNET EXCHANGE (IXP) ARRANGEMENT
ISP1
ISP3
ISP2
ISP4
IXP
ISP5
ISP6
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Ibadan Internet Exchange IbIX: VSAT-based; http://www.ib-ix.net/index.htm
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Lagos Internet Exchange – STM-1/SAT3 WIP-based in the works; NITEL-enabled
African Exchange Points (IXPs)
Cairo and Johannesburg: fiber-landing based
All Eight Others: satellite-based
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~$400 million lost annually in Africa due to out-of-continent satellite traffice
Typical Network-to-Network Interface (NNI)
(Reference: Cable & Wireless)
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Some IP-VPN Access Options [Cable & Wireless]
Desirable to have some similar diagrams from Nigerian operators
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FIBER-OPTICS INFRASTRUCTURE
NITEL Fiber
[? STM-4 (622Mbps) cables]
GLOBACOM Fiber
[32 STM-64 (~10Gbps) cables]
SAT3
NITEL Fiber Rings (capacities?)
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SAT3/WASC/SAFE PROJECT
1
2
3
4
5 6
7
8
9
16
10
17
11
15
13
2
14
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For SAT3/WASC [15,000 km]:
SDH transmission; two pairs optical fiber; WDM
Initial capacity 20 Gbit/s (4x2.5 Gbits/s per fiber pair)
Upgradeable to 40 Gbit/s to 120 Gbit/s (4x2.5 + 5x10
Gbits/s per fiber pair)
Nigeria’s allocation – 13 STM-1’s (each 155.52 Mbits/s;2 “lit”)
For SAFE [13,800 km] – 10 Gbits/s (2x2.5 Gbits/per pair)
to 130 Gbits/s (2x2.5 + 6x10 Gbits/s per fiber pair)
LANDING POINTS
1. Portugal(Sesimbra)
2. Spain (Chipiona)
3. Spain (Altavista)
4. Senegal (Dakar)
5. Côte d’Ivoire (Abidjan)
6. Ghana (Accra)
7. Benin (Cotonou)
8. Nigeria (Lagos)
9. Cameroon (Douala)
10. Gabon (Libraville)
11. Angola (Cacuaco)
12. South Africa (Melkbosstrand)
13. South Africa (Mtunzini)
14. La Reunion (St. Paul)
15. Mauritius, (Baie Jacotet)
16. India (Cochin)
17. Malaysia(Penang)
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GLOBAL NETWORK MAP
Links to:
SAT3  SAFE (to Asia via Indian Ocean)  SMW3
 TAT-14 (to USA via Atlantic Ocean)
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 SMW3 (to Asia via the Mediterranean)  APCN-2 Japan-US
{each 4 fiber pairs; DWDM; 160 Gbis/s}
Connectivity
via Portugal
TAT 14
North America
TAT 12/13
SEA-ME-WE 3
FLAG
Central
America
Sesimbra
Columbus 3
Atlantis 2
South America
SAT 3 / WASC / SAFE
Africa
Middle
East
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Western Europe
Middle East
SAT 3 / WASC / SAFE
Dakar
Atlantis 2
South America
Connectivity
via Sénégal
Central Southern Africa
and Asia
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Connectivity via India
FOG
Western Europe
SEA-ME-WE 3
FLAG
SAT 3 / WASC /
SAFE
Africa
Cochin
Asia
Pacific
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Asia Pacific
FLAG
SEA-ME-WE 3
Middle
East
Penang
APCN 2
Africa
SAT 3 / WASC /SAFE
APCN
Connectivity
via Malaysia
Australia
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Cable restoration
SEA-ME-WE 3
PORTUGAL
&
SPAIN
Cochin, India
FLAG
SAT-2
ATLANTIS 2
Dakar, Senegal
Penang, Malaysia
SAFE
Durban, S.Africa
SAT- 3/WASC
Cape Town, South Africa
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See: http://www.cw.com/uk/our_network/network_maps/index.html
Also: http://www.level3.com/userimages/dotcom/images/maps/darkfiber_map.gif
Sesimbra
SAT3/WASC
Chipiona
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SAT-3 USAGE IN NIGERIA SO FAR
1. Telcoms
NITEL
Globacom
MTN
GS Telecom
PTOs, etc.
2. Oil & Gas Companies:
Shell
Chevron
NLNG, etc.
3. ISPs
Tara
Accelon
GS Telecom
Elinex
Nova, etc.
4. ASPs
SITA
Tara, etc.
[to be/connected to Nitel’s Wholesale IP (WIP);
gearing up for Lagos Internet Exchange Point (LGIX)]
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Some concluding thoughts:
*Telecommunications are critical to economic
development
*There is need for greater transparency and information
flow for investor planning/wealth creation
* Fiber backbone critical !
* Need for Integrated National Plan for Telcom services
(with some time tables)
* Next important issue: value-added services
(e-commerce, e-learning, security, etc. by SMEs)
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Final Acknowledgements
* To CWC
* To NCC/Ministry of Communications
* To the listening audience
Bolaji Aluko;Nigeria Telcom Summit, London
September 2004
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I will be happy to take questions!
End
Bolaji Aluko;Nigeria Telcom Summit, London
September 2004
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