By Taiwo Scholastica
The Group Executive General Manager of MTN Group, Miss Funmilola Akins who represented the Executive General Manager has called for the development of scalable telecommunications infrastructure to keep pace with the rising demand for digital services.
Akins made the call at the ICTEL Expo during a panel session focusing on digital transformation and the need to strengthen telecommunications infrastructure.
She identified cloud-native interconnection, fiber backbones, metro networks, 5G, and network densification as critical areas requiring urgent attention to build a resilient network.
Akins emphasized that infrastructure planning must account for future growth, especially as individuals and businesses become increasingly dependent on digital services.
“We need to build infrastructure that can scale. The demand we are seeing today is not the demand we will see tomorrow,” she noted.
She highlighted the pivotal role of fiber infrastructure in enhancing connectivity and meeting expectations for reliable digital services.
“Fiber is the backbone of connectivity. Without a strong fiber network, it will be difficult to deliver the quality of service that people and businesses increasingly expect,” she said.
According to Akins, the rapid expansion of Artificial Intelligence will place additional pressure on digital infrastructure, driving even greater demand for computing capacity, reliable power, and robust connectivity.
“AI is going to change the way we think about infrastructure. We have to be ready for the amount of computing, power, and connectivity that will be required,” she remarked.
She called for the adoption of responsive solutions that adapt to evolving user needs, noting that stronger infrastructure will uplift businesses, individuals, and the broader digital economy.
Akins concluded that the ability of Nigeria and other African nations to stay competitive with emerging technologies will largely depend on how effectively they invest in infrastructure, connectivity, and capacity to power the next phase of digital growth.