Broad Based Communications: Making Real Bandwidth Penetration a Reality in Nigeria

Broad Based Communications (BBC), which is located in Lagos, Nigeria, is a fixed network company. Although Broad Based Communications is very young in telecom industry, it developed rapidly in the past five years. Its network is designed as open access, so that everyone in Nigeria can use it. Recently, ZTE Technologies interviewed John Mercado, Chief Operating Officer of Broad Based Communications. He talked about the main focus of Broad Based Communications as well as the company’s recent projects and networking strategy. He also talked about his expectations for ZTE and visions for Broad Based Communications.

Could you introduce Broad Based Communications and its main business focus?

Broad Based Communications is a fixed metropolitan fiber optic network company. We generally focus on last mile carrier base access using optical transmission. Being a carrier's carrier of high capacity circuits, BBC has been a trusted name in the wholesale telecom market space. One differentiator of the company is that BBC is an open access company; we cater for telcos, carrier, financial institutions and ISPs in a non-competitive and non-discriminatory way.
So far, the company has deployed 1,962 Km of optical fiber, serving 20 out of 20 banks in Nigeria, 18 internet service providers, 3 out of 4 GSM companies, presenting in all Submarine Cable Landing Stations and making headway in terms of last mile access connectivity.

In Nigeria, 90% of the networks are mobile. As a fixed network operator, what are your major advantages and competitiveness?

Being a metro access company, we do several things to compensate the wireless sector because high capacity transmission network is the solution needed to effectively deliver whatever LTE technology is promising. This is what we do every day and we are the best when it comes to delivering connectivity at par with world class standards.
Even though the majority of networks in Nigeria are wireless, the fibre business that we are running is to further make them stronger and increase the bandwidth penetration as well. The more fiber optic we install underground, the closer we are in making it possible for the bandwidth-hungry contents to become a reality and to be experienced by all Nigerians.

Nigeria is encouraging free competition in the telecom market. What opportunity does this bring to Broad Based Communications?

BBC from inception is an enabler and a differentiator. We are an open access company, and we cater more on shared infrastructure, so we encourage more competition on the ground, encourage more innovation and encourage Nigerians to develop more content in order to coagulate opportunities.

The more the competitions, the more equal level playing ground available to common Nigerians. BBC network was designed as open access; this was envisioned by our Managing Director, Prince Henry Iseghohi Okojie years ahead for the common good and the service of the many.

Could you tell us about some of Broad Based Communications' recent projects? What is the importance of these projects?

We are seriously expanding and preparing the ground works for some keys states in the country, and additional product lines will be launched by Q2 this year. These projects shall ensure flows of video contents to the market.

What is your networking strategy for the next three to five years?

Our networking strategy is to spread Broad Based Communications to other states of the federation, to duplicate the model we have done successfully in Lagos to other states and to make sure that other states in Nigeria are benefitting from the achievement we have made in Lagos.
We control most of the banks and financial institutions in terms of connectivity, so we need to expand them, the same with ISP and fibre to the base station expansion. Expansion on these projects are what we intend to do not for tomorrow but for today.

What impressed you most about ZTE's team? How will the partnership between Broad Based Communications and ZTE evolve in the future?

ZTE has been a partner of BBC for half a decade, and ZTE's presence on the ground gave us confidence. We are benefiting a lot from ZTE's portfolio of expertise and its continuous support. There are times misunderstandings and we all end up in compromise and resolve.
BBC and ZTE are partners in progress. We move along together, and I believe BBC has achieved a lot because of ZTE's innovation.

What are your expectations for Broad Based Communications in 2016?

We are very excited and optimistic about 2016. We have seen the policies are changing; we are witnessing a much more predictable environment.
One of our corporate contributions is to provide connectivity to the Nigerian Internet Exchange Point (NIXP). NIXP is the promoter of local contents in the country and is mandated by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to host the local data interconnections of all licensed operators. We have felt the need and desire of a novice user when Netflix (content provider based in the US) was first introduced in Nigeria this year. The local traffic of NIXP jumped to 3 folds a week after, and it was a tip of the iceberg in the making.

At end of the day, we will have more business and opportunities for everyone.