MainOne Cable: Connecting West Africa Digitally

For years, access to reliable, high-speed internet in West Africa was a significant bottleneck, hindering economic growth and digital development. Businesses struggled with expensive, slow connections, and individuals often relied on patchy, data-capped services that made engaging fully with the global digital landscape challenging. This digital disparity created a barrier, limiting opportunities for innovation, education, and international commerce across the region.

The high cost and low capacity were often attributed to dependence on older satellite technology or limited, often government-controlled, terrestrial infrastructure. The latency issues inherent in satellite communication made real-time applications difficult, while the scarcity of affordable international bandwidth meant that connecting to the rest of the world was a luxury, not a utility, for many. Something fundamental was needed to break this cycle and unlock the region’s potential.

Enter MainOne Cable, a privately owned telecommunications company founded by Funke Opeke. Her vision was ambitious: to build and operate a high-capacity submarine fibre optic cable system that would directly link West Africa to Europe, bypassing the existing limitations and providing a direct conduit for massive amounts of data flow. This was not just about bringing some internet; it was about bringing transformative internet – fast, reliable, and scalable.

The project was pioneering, requiring significant investment and technical expertise to lay thousands of kilometres of fibre optic cable across the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. It represented a bold step forward, challenging the status quo and demonstrating a belief in the digital future of West African nations, particularly Nigeria and Ghana, which were central to the initial phase. It was a strategic infrastructure play designed to serve as the digital backbone for an entire sub-region.

When the MainOne cable system officially went live in July 2010, it marked a pivotal moment. It delivered landing points capable of handling hundreds of gigabits per second (Gbps) of internet capacity – a stark contrast to the megabits per second (Mbps) that were the regional norm. This influx of bandwidth was often described as bringing a “firehose” of data where only a “tap” existed before, instantly changing the connectivity landscape for those who could access its capacity.

The initial focus was on providing wholesale capacity to major telecommunications operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and large enterprises. By offering this high-capacity bandwidth at significantly lower unit costs than previously available, MainOne empowered these downstream providers to, in turn, offer faster and more affordable internet services to their own customers, whether businesses or end consumers. It created a foundation upon which others could build.

Beyond just providing raw capacity, MainOne positioned itself as a reliable and resilient network provider. The subsea cable design incorporated redundancy and advanced technology to ensure consistent service, crucial for businesses and critical national infrastructure. This reliability built confidence among major players in the region, encouraging them to rely on MainOne for their core connectivity needs and migrate away from less dependable alternatives.

In essence, MainOne Cable did more than just lay a cable; it laid the very digital groundwork necessary for West Africa to participate effectively in the 21st-century global economy. It addressed the most fundamental connectivity challenge head-on, positioning itself as a key enabler for the digital revolution that was just beginning to unfold across Nigeria and its neighbouring countries. Its presence immediately recalibrated expectations for internet performance and availability.

Empowering Digital Transformation in West Africa

The sheer increase in available bandwidth delivered by the MainOne cable was not merely a technical upgrade; it was a powerful catalyst for digital transformation across West African societies and economies. With faster, more affordable, and more reliable internet connectivity widely available, businesses, government agencies, and individuals began to explore and adopt digital technologies at an unprecedented pace. The pipe was finally large enough to support real innovation.

Consider the e-commerce sector. Before MainOne, online shopping in Nigeria and Ghana was nascent, hampered by slow loading times, unreliable payment gateways dependent on stable connections, and the difficulty of coordinating logistics without real-time communication. With MainOne’s infrastructure, platforms like Jumia and Konga could scale rapidly, offering richer user experiences, handling more transactions, and building trust with customers who now had better access.

The financial services industry saw significant disruption and growth. Fintech companies blossomed, offering innovative mobile payment solutions, online banking portals, and digital wallets. These services rely heavily on instant, secure data transmission, something MainOne’s cable reliably provided. This surge in fintech not only made financial transactions easier for urban populations but also helped drive financial inclusion in areas with growing mobile penetration.

Education benefited immensely. Access to online learning platforms, digital libraries, and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) became significantly easier for students and educators. Universities and schools could implement e-learning strategies, researchers could access global databases, and individuals could acquire new skills online, all enabled by the underlying high-capacity internet backbone that MainOne provided. It democratised access to global knowledge.

Healthcare services also began to leverage improved connectivity. Telemedicine, remote diagnostics, and access to global medical information became more feasible, potentially extending healthcare access to underserved areas and allowing local medical professionals to consult with international experts. The ability to transmit large medical images and hold stable video consultations requires the kind of robust bandwidth MainOne delivered to institutions.

Government services started transitioning online, offering e-government portals for tax payments, business registration, and accessing public information. While challenges remain in full implementation, the underlying infrastructure capability provided by MainOne made these initiatives technically viable, paving the way for greater efficiency, transparency, and citizen access to public services without needing to queue physically.

The impact extended to creative industries and digital entrepreneurship. Online content creation, streaming services, digital marketing agencies, and software development firms all saw exponential growth. Nigerian and Ghanaian tech hubs thrived, attracting investment and producing innovative solutions precisely because they were connected to the global digital economy through high-speed links, allowing collaboration and market access.

In summary, MainOne did more than just sell bandwidth; it provided the essential nutrient for the digital transformation ecosystem in West Africa. By lowering the barriers of cost and performance, it unlocked potential across multiple sectors, directly contributing to economic diversification, job creation, improved public services, and enhanced quality of life for millions who could now fully participate in the global digital age.

Laying the Foundation: The Subsea Cable Route

The core physical asset of MainOne Cable is the submarine fibre optic cable itself, a marvel of engineering that lies on the ocean floor, carrying petabytes of data every second. This invisible highway connects West Africa directly to the global internet backbone in Europe, bypassing longer, less direct routes and significantly improving performance metrics like latency – the time it takes for data to travel from one point to another. Lower latency is crucial for applications like video conferencing, online gaming, and real-time trading.

The MainOne cable system stretches over 7,000 kilometres (approximately 4,350 miles) across the Atlantic. Its primary artery originates in Seixal, Portugal, a major international connectivity hub. From there, it travels south, making its first vital landing points in West Africa before extending further down the coast. The choice of Portugal was strategic, connecting directly to major data centres and internet exchanges in Europe.

The most critical landing points for the initial phase were in Accra, Ghana, and Lagos, Nigeria. The Lagos landing station, located in the Lekki area, is a key facility where the submarine cable comes ashore and connects to the terrestrial network that distributes capacity inland. These landing stations are highly secured facilities, housing the complex equipment needed to power the cable, process the incoming data signals, and connect to land-based fibre networks.

Building and deploying a subsea cable is an incredibly complex and capital-intensive undertaking. It involves:

• Route Survey: Detailed mapping of the ocean floor to identify the safest path, avoiding obstacles like shipwrecks, rocky areas, and fishing zones.
• Manufacturing: Producing durable fibre optic cables designed to withstand immense pressure, varying temperatures, and potential damage from marine life or human activity (like fishing trawlers).
• Laying: Using specialised cable-laying ships that carefully deploy the cable onto the seabed, sometimes burying it in shallower waters near the shore for protection.
• Testing and Commissioning: Rigorous testing to ensure signal integrity and capacity end-to-end before the system goes live.

The strategic placement of the landing points in major commercial hubs like Lagos and Accra was paramount. It ensured that the high-capacity bandwidth was immediately available in the areas with the greatest demand from large businesses, data centres, and major telecommunications operators. From these points, MainOne (and its customers) could then build out terrestrial fibre networks to extend the reach further inland and to other cities.

While the initial cable ran from Portugal to Nigeria and Ghana, MainOne planned and executed extensions and connections to other countries along the West African coast over time. This included linking to markets like Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, spreading the benefits of high-capacity, low-latency connectivity to a broader set of nations within the sub-region and creating a more interconnected West African digital economy.

The physical cable itself is surprisingly thin relative to its capacity, typically only a few centimetres in diameter, but it is heavily armoured, especially in shallower coastal waters, to protect the delicate optical fibres within. These fibres transmit data using pulses of light, capable of carrying astronomical amounts of information simultaneously, representing a massive leap from older copper cables or satellite dishes.

In essence, the MainOne subsea cable is the essential physical infrastructure – the literal pipe – that enabled the digital transformation discussed previously. Its careful planning, complex deployment across thousands of miles of ocean, and strategic landing points laid the bedrock upon which the entire digital ecosystem of West Africa could be built, providing the necessary link to the global internet and unlocking potential.

Revolutionizing Internet Access Across the Region

Before MainOne, internet access in West Africa, especially Nigeria, was often synonymous with slow speeds, exorbitant costs, and unreliable connections. Businesses relied on expensive satellite links or limited legacy infrastructure, making basic tasks like sending large emails or using cloud services a frustrating ordeal. For the average Nigerian household, broadband internet was largely unattainable due to price and availability constraints.

MainOne fundamentally changed this reality. By injecting massive, affordable international capacity directly into Nigeria and Ghana, it crashed the unit cost of bandwidth. Where megabits cost thousands of dollars per month previously, gigabits became exponentially cheaper on a per-megabit basis. This price drop was not immediate or uniform across the board, but the foundational cost structure for wholesale bandwidth was drastically altered forever.

The impact on speed was equally dramatic. ISPs and mobile operators who purchased capacity from MainOne could suddenly offer speeds previously unimaginable to their customers. From typical speeds measured in low single-digit Mbps, providers could begin offering tens, even hundreds, of Mbps to businesses and, eventually, homes. This allowed for activities like seamless video streaming, large file downloads, and stable video conferencing.

Reliability was another key area of revolution. Unlike satellite links which can be affected by weather conditions (‘rain fade’), fibre optic cables are highly resilient. While cables can be cut (an industry-wide challenge), modern systems like MainOne are designed with redundancy and robust landing stations, providing a much more stable connection vital for mission-critical business operations, financial transactions, and continuous online services.

The beneficiaries of this revolution were widespread:

• Large Enterprises: Banks, multinational corporations, and large Nigerian companies could finally adopt global IT practices, leverage cloud computing effectively, and communicate seamlessly with international offices.
• SMEs: Smaller businesses could access online tools, cloud-based software (SaaS), digital marketing channels, and e-commerce platforms that were previously inaccessible or impractical due to connectivity limitations.
• ISPs and MNOs: Local internet providers and mobile network operators gained access to bulk capacity, enabling them to expand their service offerings, improve quality, and compete more effectively, ultimately benefiting the end consumer.
• Educational and Research Institutions: Universities and research bodies could provide faster, more reliable internet for students and faculty, supporting online research, access to digital resources, and participation in global academic networks.

For the average Nigerian, the impact, while perhaps less direct initially than for businesses, was profound over time. As ISPs and mobile operators lowered prices and increased speeds (driven by the cheaper wholesale cost from MainOne and competitors who followed), activities like watching YouTube videos without constant buffering, making stable WhatsApp video calls, and using online social media platforms became commonplace rather than luxury experiences.

The ability to reliably connect online fostered a culture of digital consumption and creation. It supported the growth of local tech communities, enabled the development of Nigerian-specific online content and applications, and integrated the population more fully into the global digital commons. The internet transformed from a tool for essential business communication to a platform for entertainment, social interaction, and personal development.

While challenges like last-mile connectivity and affordability for the lowest income groups persist, MainOne’s contribution was in providing the essential, high-capacity international link that made the subsequent improvements in speed, cost, and reliability across the connectivity ecosystem possible. It truly reset the bar for what was achievable with internet access in West Africa.

Key Milestones in MainOne’s Decade of Growth

MainOne’s journey since its inception has been marked by several significant milestones, demonstrating its evolution from a single cable project to a diversified digital infrastructure provider and, eventually, a key player in the global Equinix network. Understanding these steps highlights the company’s strategic growth and increasing impact on the region.

The foundational milestone was, of course, the successful landing and launch of the MainOne subsea cable system in July 2010. This was the culmination of years of planning, fundraising (reportedly over $240 million), and complex engineering work. Its activation immediately injected significant capacity into the West African market and validated the vision of its founders. This event wasn’t just a company milestone; it was celebrated as a national achievement in Nigeria.

Following the initial launch in Nigeria and Ghana, a key focus was expanding the network’s reach. Over the subsequent years, MainOne extended the cable system and established landing points in other West African countries. This included locations like Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, and Dakar, Senegal, thereby distributing the benefits of high-capacity, low-latency connectivity to a wider sub-region and creating an interconnected coastal network.

A major strategic expansion came with MainOne’s foray beyond just subsea cable capacity into data centre services. Recognizing the need for secure, reliable local hosting for the data traffic the cable carried, the company launched its MDXi (MainOne Data Center) subsidiary. The flagship Tier III certified data centre in Lagos, commissioned around 2015, became a critical hub for colocation, interconnection, and cloud services in Nigeria, offering enterprise-grade facilities previously scarce in the market.

To distribute the international capacity from its landing stations and data centres inland, MainOne invested heavily in building out terrestrial fibre networks. These metro and long-haul fibre routes connected key business districts, industrial estates, and cities away from the coast, ensuring that the benefits of the subsea cable reached a broader base of businesses and users across Nigeria and other operational countries. This was essential for closing the ‘last-mile’ gap for many customers.

Securing partnerships with global content providers and cloud operators was another crucial milestone. By attracting major players like Google, Akamai, and eventually, cloud providers to host content and establish points of presence within MainOne’s network and data centres (particularly MDXi), the company significantly improved the end-user experience by reducing latency for popular services. This made streaming, searching, and using cloud applications much faster for West African users.

MainOne also focused on achieving industry certifications and recognition for its infrastructure and services. Achieving certifications like the Tier III standard from the Uptime Institute for its MDXi data centre underscored its commitment to international best practices in reliability and operational excellence. Winning numerous industry awards over the years further solidified its reputation as a leading digital infrastructure provider in the region.

A pivotal moment towards the end of its first decade was the decision to sell the company to Equinix, a global leader in digital infrastructure. The acquisition, announced in late 2021 and completed in early 2022, represented a significant exit for MainOne’s investors and founders and marked the beginning of a new chapter under global ownership, promising increased investment and integration into a worldwide network.

These milestones collectively tell the story of MainOne’s intentional strategy: start with the fundamental international link, expand its reach geographically, build essential supporting infrastructure like data centres and terrestrial fibre, attract critical partners, uphold high standards, and eventually integrate into the global digital ecosystem through a major acquisition, solidifying its legacy and future trajectory.

Beyond the Cable: MainOne’s Data Centre Services

While the submarine cable remains MainOne’s most visible asset and the foundation of its network, the company strategically expanded its offerings to provide crucial supporting infrastructure, most notably through its data centre arm, MDXi (MainOne Data Center). Recognizing that simply bringing bandwidth ashore was insufficient without local facilities to process and host data, MDXi was established to create a robust digital ecosystem within West Africa.

Data centres are essential components of modern digital infrastructure. They are secure, purpose-built facilities designed to house vast amounts of computing and networking equipment, providing reliable power, cooling, physical security, and connectivity. For businesses and service providers, placing their IT infrastructure in a high-quality data centre is vital for ensuring uptime, performance, and data security.

MDXi operates carrier-neutral data centres, meaning they provide connectivity options from multiple network providers, including but not limited to MainOne’s own network. This vendor neutrality gives customers choice and fosters a competitive environment for connectivity within the facility, benefiting clients by potentially lowering costs and increasing redundancy options.

A primary service offered by MDXi is Colocation. This allows businesses to rent physical space (racks, cages, or private suites) within the data centre to house their servers, storage, and networking equipment. MDXi provides the necessary power, cooling, security, and internet connectivity, while the customer manages their own IT hardware. This is often more cost-effective and reliable than building and maintaining proprietary data rooms.

Another critical service is Interconnection. MDXi facilities serve as hubs where different networks can physically connect and exchange traffic directly and efficiently. This includes connecting enterprises to cloud providers, ISPs to content networks, and businesses to business partners. Direct interconnection within the data centre bypasses the public internet, reducing latency and improving performance for mission-critical applications and data exchange.

MDXi also offers various Cloud Services and Managed Services. This can range from providing direct, high-speed connections to major public cloud platforms like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud (often referred to as cloud on-ramps) to offering managed hosting, backup, and disaster recovery services. These services allow businesses to leverage cloud flexibility while ensuring their data is securely housed within West Africa with low latency access.

The synergy between the MainOne cable and the MDXi data centres is powerful. By bringing international bandwidth ashore (via the cable) and then providing world-class facilities (MDXi) for businesses and content providers to host their applications and data locally, MainOne created an end-to-end infrastructure solution. This allows content frequently accessed by Nigerians (like streaming videos or social media feeds) to be served from Lagos rather than Europe or America, drastically improving speed and user experience.

The MDXi data centre in Lagos is a flagship facility, known for its Tier III certification. This certification signifies that the data centre meets rigorous international standards for reliability, with redundant capacity components and multiple independent distribution paths for power and cooling, ensuring high availability and minimal downtime, crucial for financial institutions, e-commerce platforms, and other critical online services operating in Nigeria.

Expanding its data centre footprint was a natural and necessary evolution for MainOne, moving it beyond being just a connectivity provider to becoming a full-fledged digital infrastructure partner for businesses across West Africa. These facilities are not just buildings; they are critical meeting points for the digital economy, enabling local content hosting, fostering interconnection, and supporting the growth of cloud computing and other essential online services.

MainOne Joins Equinix: A New Era Begins

In a landmark development announced in late 2021 and completed in early 2022, MainOne was acquired by Equinix, Inc., a global digital infrastructure company. This acquisition marked a pivotal moment for MainOne, its team, and the West African digital landscape, signaling a new era of increased global integration and potential for accelerated growth and investment in the region’s connectivity ecosystem.

Equinix is a giant in the digital infrastructure space, known globally for its vast network of over 240 data centres across more than 70 metropolitan areas worldwide. The company specialises in providing interconnection, colocation, and access to digital ecosystems, serving as a critical hub for global networks, enterprises, and cloud providers. Its entry into Africa, specifically through acquiring an established and reputable player like MainOne, was a significant strategic move.

For Equinix, acquiring MainOne provided immediate access to a high-quality subsea cable system and a network of interconnected data centres in key West African markets, particularly Nigeria and Ghana. This acquisition allowed Equinix to quickly establish a strong foothold in a region with massive growth potential for digital services, leveraging MainOne’s existing infrastructure, customer base, and local operational expertise rather than building from scratch.

For MainOne, becoming part of Equinix opened up a world of opportunities. It gained access to Equinix’s vast global network of data centres and its extensive ecosystem of over 10,000 customers, including many of the world’s largest enterprises, cloud providers (like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), and network operators. This integration allows MainOne’s customers in West Africa to more easily and directly interconnect with global services and businesses.

The acquisition means that MainOne now operates as “Equinix Nigeria.” While the name and operational structure have evolved, the core infrastructure – the subsea cable, the landing stations, the MDXi data centres, and the terrestrial fibre networks – remains the foundation, now backed by the significant financial resources and global operational standards of Equinix. This promises continued investment in upgrading and expanding the network.

The benefits for West Africa are substantial. The acquisition by a global leader like Equinix brings enhanced credibility and attracts global digital players to the region. Large multinational corporations, content delivery networks, and cloud hyperscalers looking to expand their presence in Africa are more likely to invest and establish infrastructure in facilities that are part of a trusted, global network like Equinix.

Furthermore, integration into the Equinix global platform means that West African businesses and internet users can expect even better connectivity and access to global services over time. As more global content and cloud providers establish points of presence within the Equinix Nigeria (formerly MainOne) data centres, the distance data needs to travel decreases, leading to lower latency and improved performance for accessing these services from within the region.

This acquisition signifies a maturation of the West African digital infrastructure market. It validates the quality of the assets and operations that MainOne built over its first decade and positions the region for accelerated digital growth by becoming a more integral part of the global digital economy’s physical infrastructure backbone, leveraging Equinix’s scale and reach to shape the future of connectivity.

Shaping the Future of West African Connectivity

Even after the acquisition by Equinix, the infrastructure and legacy built by MainOne continue to play a critical role in shaping the future of West African connectivity. The foundational subsea cable, the strategic data centres, and the terrestrial network are now integrated into a global platform, positioning the region for further digital advancement and deeper integration into the global digital economy.

The demand for connectivity in West Africa is projected to grow exponentially. Driven by a young, rapidly growing population, increasing smartphone penetration, urbanization, and the proliferation of digital services – from streaming and online gaming to e-commerce and remote work – the need for higher capacity, lower latency, and more reliable internet access will only intensify in the coming years.

Equinix Nigeria is poised to meet this growing demand. As part of a global entity with significant capital resources, the company is better positioned to invest in upgrading the existing cable system’s capacity through technology enhancements and potentially participating in new cable systems landing in the region. Increasing international bandwidth is the first step to enabling future digital applications.

Supporting the rollout of next-generation technologies like 5G is another critical area. 5G networks require robust fibre backbones to connect base stations and handle the massive increase in data traffic and lower latency demands. Equinix Nigeria’s terrestrial fibre network and data centres are essential components for telecommunications operators deploying 5G across the region, providing the necessary infrastructure for this mobile revolution.

The data centres (MDXi, now part of Equinix) will continue to be vital hubs for fostering digital ecosystems. As more local businesses, content providers, and cloud on-ramps come together within these facilities, the ability to exchange data directly and locally increases. This reduces reliance on international links for local traffic, improves performance, and encourages the development of Africa-specific digital services and content.

Furthermore, the integration into Equinix’s global Fabric™ and interconnection services allows West African businesses and service providers to easily connect to partners, customers, and cloud services located anywhere in the world where Equinix has a presence. This significantly simplifies international connectivity and facilitates cross-border digital trade and collaboration, further embedding West Africa into the global value chain.

Addressing the challenge of connecting underserved rural and semi-urban areas remains crucial. While MainOne primarily focused on major hubs, its terrestrial fibre network provides a foundation. The future under Equinix will likely involve continued expansion of this inland infrastructure, working with partners to extend high-speed connectivity beyond the major coastal cities, bridging the digital divide within nations.

Ultimately, the future of West African connectivity will be shaped by continued investment in both international and domestic infrastructure, fostered by players like Equinix Nigeria. Building on the foundation laid by MainOne, the focus will be on scaling capacity, increasing reach, enhancing reliability, and enabling the complex digital interactions required for the region to fully leverage technologies like AI, IoT, and immersive digital experiences, driving economic prosperity and social development.