Beninese ISP Isocel Telecom has obtained a EUR6 million (USD7.1 million) loan from Bpifrance which it says will enable it to extend its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) access network to span 500km in the Greater Cotonou area, covering around 30,000 to 40,000 homes and connecting businesses and other organisations, according to Jeune Afrique. The work is scheduled to begin in January 2021 and finish in the second half of the year. French broadband solution provider Sagemcom will carry out the deployment, using Acome optical equipment supplied via Geka Telecom.
To date, Isocel has deployed 90km of fibre in Cotonou, serving around 500 customers with FTTH access, using overhead infrastructure mounted on electricity poles rather than buried fibre to reduce installation costs. It expects to reach at least 10,000 fibre broadband subscribers over the next three to five years.