In demonstration of its commitment to empower Nigerians with the latest mobile Internet and Enterprise Business solutions, leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, has entered into a strategic partnership with Computer Warehouse Group to deploy the country’s first research and education network dubbed Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN).

The historic NgREN, an initiative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is the first Research and Education Network in the whole of West and Central Africa. It employs Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to drive inter-institutional communication, collaboration, and shared access to knowledge across national and international boundaries.

The unique programme, which will be commissioned by the Vice President, Arch Namadi Sambo, on Tuesday, July 8th, 2014 at the National Universities Commission, Maitama, Abuja, is an outcome of the National Universities Commission’s partnership with the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities to establish a foundation that will redefine research and learning in tertiary institutions across the country.

The project also enjoys the support of the World Bank as it seeks to create an elaborate infrastructural backbone to interconnect all research and education institutions in the country and link them with other research and education networks worldwide.

Commenting on Airtel’s role in deploying the NgREN, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, expressed delight at the initiative, saying the programme underscores the company’s objective of repositioning as Nigeria’s number one Enterprise Business and mobile Internet service provider and in line with its core corporate philosophy of enriching lives.

He also noted that Airtel is passionate about the development of the education sector in tandem with the company’s major Corporate Social Responsibility agenda.

“At Airtel Nigeria, we are committed to creating an innovative Enterprise Business and mobile communications solutions that will enrich lives and empower Nigerians to fulfill their dreams. Airtel will continue to support programmes and initiatives that will deepen learning, research, innovation and digital content in Nigeria,” Ogunsanya said.

In the phase that is ready for commissioning, Airtel Nigeria is connecting the 27 older Federal Universities in Nigeria  through the provisioning of 1Gig (Core backbone connectivity across 4 geographical Zones in the country i.e. Kano-Abuja; Abuja-Port Harcourt; Port Harcourt-Lagos and Lagos-Kano and 155mbps from the Regional aggregation point to each of the selected Universities in those Regions and 155mbps Duplex Dedicated Internet Service shared centrally by the selected Universities in those Regions.

The NgREN project is in its first phase and a critical component is the implementation of a full-mesh, high performance national backbone network interconnecting all member campuses to provide state-of-the-art high performance/broadband network with internet access.