Implementation of a GSM wireless mobility access solution, in metro, and on highway regions, is rather fundamental. The availability of a clear migration path towards higher bandwidth data services, beyond basic voice, via GPRS, and EDGE, is attractive. Should intelligent phased beam array antennas be incorporated into the initial roll-out design, it is possible provide desired geographic coverage utilizing only a fraction of BTS locations, as opposed to use of more traditional designs. Elimination of some 30-40% of BTS sites has been proven in actual applications. Also, unlike traditional designs, this approach is spectrum efficient, enabling use of a 1:1 cell reuse plan, which is particularly advantageous if RF spectrum may prove limited in availability.

The application of LMDS is also well understood, and while it does inherently remain somewhat limited, due to mandate of line-of-site wireless RF path requirements, it does enable provision of attractive bandwidth quantities to multi occupant buildings. It is a simple matter to extend this wireless service provision to various floors of such buildings, either via Ethernet cabling, or 802.11a/b/g wireless Ethernet.

Provision of LMDS services to individual Subscriber residences should be discouraged from consideration. There are presently available several other alternative wireless Subscriber network designs which do not rely upon strict LOS RF path mandates; rather NLOS (near line of sight), These also have an attractive radial geographic coverage, with broadband connectivity.

Moreover, there actually are other alternatives, which while not perhaps as technological interesting, could be determined to become achievable, resulting in significantly lower cost to provide services, with resulting services offer substantially larger bandwidth than LMDS. Every Operator which intends to include LMDS into their network must be obliged to carefully study, and understand, why WinStar failed so miserably in application of this technology…

While ATM data network technology remains respected as a highly reliable method of networking it unfortunately, represents a legacy approach, which is rapidly, especially in new networks, being replaced by pure IP, with g-MPLS protocol applications. The large and inefficient ATM header overhead is eliminated with an IP solution, achieving significantly higher transport efficiencies. IP, of course, has evolved into an entirely suitable networking method for application in support of GSM mobile access networks.

One more area in which an emerging new TELCO, such as Globacom, may maximize upon both CAPEX reductions, and subsequent OPEX costs, is through avoidance of the introduction of legacy circuit-switched exchanges. Very cost effective, fully scalable, VoIP solutions are readily available from many vendors, including Alcatel. These may be applied through cohesive network design to serve local, national, and international service applications.

The emerging trend, which has already been significantly demonstrated to be exceedingly effective, both from services quality, reliability, and cost, in addition to bandwidth efficiency, is distributed Ethernet. This remains the lowest cost means of provision of bandwidth, both for voice, as well as data. It is ubiquitous for the reason that the cost per port remains the absolute lowest of any technology which has been demonstrated. It is entirely practical to develop network engineering designs, which are entirely cohesive, incorporating 10/100/1,000/10,000 M/bs interfaces, This applicable for all LAN, and WAN, requirements, and conjunctively incorporated with traditional SDH long-haul transmission network route requirements. Alcatel, and others, presently have resiliency solutions which are essentially Ethernet Resilient Ring topography configurations, making metro transport of native, high-speed, Ethernet attractive, verses singular use of SDH/SONET, with attendant higher costs for traffic packet translations.

Globacom, as the Nigeria SNO, will enjoy immense success in offering superior internet access data services, particularly in this situation of essential absence of present availability of this desirable service. Through focus upon an overall network design which is fundamentally predicated upon IP, and Ethernet, efficient use of Layers 1-2, and 3 of the OSI stack, by both routing, as well as IP switching, great efficiencies in bandwidth utilization, as well as management control, is achieved. Resiliency objectives also become significantly easier to achieve under this approach.

The above discussion elements, which have only been briefly touched, move us on to the undeniable fact that each of these, respective, Subscriber service access network element solutions create exceedingly high demands for transmission bandwidth, in the core transmission network. This become highly cumulative as the geographic coverage of the national network expands. Also, the progressive capture of additional Subscribers creates ever increasing demands for bandwidth quantity. It is well understood, also, that once Subscribers are able to have access to efficient voice, and particularly data, services, daily usage tends to increase.

There are a number of factors which become mandatory to achieve business success as an Operator, among these are the following:

1. National transmission network capacity must be adequate to satisfy bandwidth demands, initially and in the future, on a fully scalable, highly resilient, reasonably economical basis.
2. Metro transmission network capacity shares the above demand considerations.
3. International transmission network capacity further shares these similar considerations.
4. National interconnections to other Operators is yet another requirement fundamental to network operational enhancement, and although not fully controllable by the subject Operator, due to reliance upon others, remains subject to continuing acquisition of adequate ports, and bandwidth.

Projections which have been published, relative to Globacom intensions include provision of services to some 3.4-million Subscribers, in a relatively short period of time. Also, services are intended to be offered in up to 72 locations throughout the country of Nigeria. It becomes obvious that Globacom will eventually become capable of capture of a Subscriber base exceeding 10-million, provided the network which they design, build, and operate is adequate. This should be achievable within 5-10 years, something which is literally unprecedented. This simply cannot happen, if the particular subject elements identified above, are not satisfactorily achieved. Yes, item 4 might become less important; however, the present practice being exercised in Nigeria, of Subscribers maintaining multiple handphones is absurd.

Continuing this discussion, with focus upon item-3; published information pertaining to Globacom stated that they have already arranged to obtain international bandwidth on the recently landed fiber optical submarine cable network (SAT-3). This is the only practical means for any national Operator to achieve international service objectives, including both voice, and especially internet bandwidth capacity. Even with applied extensive provision of network caching capacity, web surfing requirements will demand high continuing event connectivity to USA NATs.

From review of the installed configuration of this (Alcatel designed & installed) submarine cable network, I find it somewhat a pity that the branching topography, and FO cable segment landing, at Lagos, did not include a second branch, perhaps into Port Horcourt, thus presenting a resilient solution, and eliminating the existing single point of failure prospect presently installed. It is quite doubtful that there is any submarine cable maintenance ship, on standby, anywhere in this geographic regions. This means that if this submarine FO cable, Nigeria landing branch, is severed, the international traffic outage period might prove extended in duration. Globacom would, accordingly, stand to lose considerable revenue during such period.

Item-1 historically comes to represent one of the highest CAPEX cost elements, if not the absolutely highest, involved in build of a new national network. Yet, without it, since all network access systems remain totally subordinate to this national transmission network, it becomes the fundamental measurement tool demonstrating QoS. There probably is considerable thought being applied, presently, to the most effective mean under which to achieve these objectives, and I will speculate, and discuss, some of the more obvious approaches.

It is quite common, especially when dealing with non-technical individuals, for the satellite solution to be tabled, particularly V-sat, which everybody appreciates represents a low cost, quick to implement, technology to achieve communications in remote, widespread, geographic locations. Which it certainly is; however, it is inherently bandwidth limited. Also, generally speaking, the continuing OPEX costs to acquire, and utilize, satellite transponder bandwidth can become prohibitive. Clearly, due to bandwidth capacity limitations, alone, discounting the planned launch of Nigeria’s new satellite, this is an inappropriate technology to utilize for the Globacom core national transmission network.

The other wireless alternative technology which springs to everybody’s mind, is terrestrial microwave. This approach has already been applied by one, and to some extent, other competitive Operators in Nigeria. MNT news articles demonstrate their pride in the recent construction of such a core transmission network technology. Unfortunately, while if sufficient RF frequencies, in desirable lower range (e.g. 5-8 Ghz) might be available, at whatever cost, the scalable bandwidth is also severely limited. Yes, with NERA (or probably Alcatel) SDH microwave radios, operational in increments of STM-1 (151-M/bs) incremental channels, usually configured in a N+1 resiliency configuration, and possibly incorporating co-channel application, there still becomes a very finite limitation of how much bandwidth may become obtainable.

This problem is further compounded by the ever increasing cost for both towers, and high performance (read quite large, also) parabolic antennas required to achieve high quality, long route hop, terrestrial route connectivity. Even if the quoted Globacom 10,000 kms of national Nigeria network transmission route coverage was to be achieved via a MW approach, the costs per MB of bandwidth would be unacceptable. This problem compounded by the ever-incrementally increasing costs to add additional STM-1 capacity circuits on the same route. Demands would, rather quickly according to Globacom Subscriber capture projections, become inadequate to support operational traffic.

Even if only a tree-branch physical geographic configuration would be incorporated (ignoring any resilient ring MW provisions), the compounding of traffic from multiple city locations, on the same backbone route, rapidly exceeds the availability of any possible microwave route; e.g. collecting operational traffic, for example, from a dozen cities, transporting into Lagos, at a single STM-1, from each location, would result in a totally absurd Lagos terminal microwave facility. I am convinced that very quickly MNT shall begin to understand just how "temporary" their microwave approach to backbone transmission network really is, and the disappointing inability to scale upwards in demanded increased bandwidth.

The next alternative approach, which has been exceedingly well demonstrated by Carriers, and Operators, to represent the only truly feasible core transmission network solution; terrestrial fiber optics. To achieve this desirable technology the overwhelming prerequisite is right-of-way (ROW). This might be self owned, and controlled, or that acquired from others. In either situation, the ROW demand is paramount.

Probably the first potential solution to be examined is to negotiate with newly formed Carrier, NEPSKOM, to lease, or even purchase, dark fiber on their terrestrial FO network. This approach consisting of utilization of existing national, and metro, electrical power utility towers, and pylons, to support aerial FO cabling, is tried and well proven. Studies by Telcordia (Bellcore) have demonstrated that in spite of common beliefs, this (exposed) aerial cable has been shown to be up to 17x more resilient to our of service separations, than buried FO cables. The south Africans have demonstrated excellent business sense in establishing this J-V participation with the incumbent Nigerian electrical utility company.

Although as noted, this is likely the first potential alternative to pursue, to achieve the demands for Globacom core transmission network connectivity, nationally, and perhaps in each metro location; it may not prove acceptable for these reasons:

1. Even though NEPSKOM has stated their intentions to be a Carrier’s Carrier, the J-V partner is an direct operating competitor, to Globacom, which may preclude the NEPSKOM from doing business with Globacom.
2. It is almost impossible to believe that NEPSKOM would "sell" any dark fiber to Globacom, at any price.
3. If NEPSKOM might lease, for example, one (1) pair of FO, to Globacom, nationally, the annual price might prove unacceptable.
4. If Globacom might obtain such dark fiber, their actual costs involved would become the above OPEX, plus a highly inflated CAPEX, since huge immediate expenditures, for very expensive high density WDM transmission equipments would become necessary to install, and operate.
5. There is certainly the possibility that the actual FO which has been installed, and yet to be installed, is not specification-compliant with the Globacom requirements. Perhaps it may be G.652 compliant; however, Globacom costs might be substantially lower, if G.656b spec media was available. Recent Corning News, incidentally, described widespread application of counterfeit FO cable, installed in many locations throughout China.
6. Even if NEPSKOM would lease dark fiber, to Globacom, at an acceptable annual cost; there remains the problem of their schedule for making geographic network coverage, in accord with the aggressive Globacom service provision schedules at each of the 72 locations (doubtful NEPSKOM has any intentions of serving even a token of this quantity of locations, in any regard).
7. It may be assumed there would be additional costs, applied by NEPSKOM, to Globacom, for co-location of Globacom equipments, and their associated provision of power, and environmental control services
8. Since this FO infrastructure is designed, built, and operationally maintained by NEPSKOM, Globacom essentially has no control over the operational resiliency, and functional integrity, other than that as may be expressed in their SLA.
9. It is not difficult to consider that in the event of an outage, the services first to be restored (if any choice) will be those of the NEPSKOM J-V Operator partner’s network services.
10. I close this discussion element by suggesting that NEPSKOM would not be willing to provide leased bandwidth, in sufficient quantities, to support the Globacom core network transmission requirements, at a price which would prove consistent with any Globacom Business Plan. Nor would NEPSKOM allow Globacom to install their own aerial FO cables, on the power utility existing towers, and pylons.

With this NEPSKOM potential alternative discussed, we examine other potential ROW solutions which may be available, and obtainable, to support Globacom terrestrial FO requirements.

I note now, that having examined limited topography maps of Nigeria, it is evident that since much of the country, where cable placement would be necessary, is mountainous, rocky, and swamp terrain, any considerations pertaining to the installation of underground FO cabling should be avoided, This applicable to both typical manhole/duct construction, and direct burial, approaches. Time required, and costs to achieve, would prove inconsistent with obvious budget objectives, and time to market targets.

The usually incorporated, historically, ROW acquisitions by Operators desiring to install their FO terrestrial core networks, consist of oil, or gas, pipeline routes, roadways, or railway, routes. The use of rivers, which Nigeria certainly has, is to be dropped from any consideration, due to boat/anchor traffic, fishing disruption, flooding, currents, and high cost (and inefficiency) of plowing FO cable into the riverbeds.

Since there already has been announced, a scheduled major rehabilitation of the national railway systems, we might forecast a high potential for serious disruptions to any Globacom FO cabling which might, otherwise, be arranged to utilize this particular category of ROW. This practically suggesting this potential alternative consideration likely unacceptable.

From the minor information which I have been able to access, there is little to suggest that there exists, in Nigeria, sufficient quantities of either oil, or gas, transport pipeline routes, to enable reach to anything ;but very limited numbers of the desired 72 locations. Therefore, with the possible exception of the southern coastal areas, where oil production is evident.

Now comes the remaining ROW alternative consideration, for potential placement of Globacom FO cabling; the Nigerian national highways/roadways. These are reported to be in a terrible state of repair, which does not suggest any desirable integrity, as might be sought under such a network construction approach. However, this might deserve closer examination, which is rather beyond present discussion, for reason of absence of specific information. There have been situations, whereby the design, and condition, of roadways, have included designs with substantial easement backfill soil conditions, universally, along the total geographic coverage. In such instances, it is conceivable to consider obtaining permit to plow-in FO cables, into this consistently suitable soil, devoid of underlying rock.

I tend to seriously doubt that the Nigerian highways would present such a desirable easement, consistent, soil situation, but there still remains yet another potential solution to achieve placement of the Globacom national fiber optical core backbone transmission network. This, with some relatively positive assumptions that negotiating a successful permit to utilize roadside highway routes, would be obtainable, at an acceptable cost to Globacom, is possible. This is an aerial cabling configuration solution.

There are several different methods of achieving aerial FO cable transmission, in conjunction with terrestrial tower supports. One is by installation of a steel messenger strand, and attaching the FO cable to this, via spin-lashing with steel wire (which I have been led to believe is the approach taken by NEPSKOM) Another is through use of an integrated steel messenger strand, which physically appears as a "figure-8" cable composition. This approach results in a very fast installation capability; however, does present certain undesirable associated factors, such that use is generally limited to Subscriber service drops, rather than long-haul core backbone network infrastructure provisions. Yet another, which is attractive from cost, speed of install, functionality, and design flexibility is ADSS all dielectric, self-supporting) fiber optical cable.

This cable construction presents numerous attractive characteristics. Any type of FO media may be included in the design, even mixed spec glass units, if desired. Modern designs utilize a "dry" water egression blocking compound, which increases installation time, by eliminating messy, troublesome, previous gel type of compounds. The quantity of FO glass tubes may be anything from 12, up to 800, with probable Globacom requirements suggested at perhaps 3x different counts, i.e. 48, 96, and 144; with similar constructions for utilization in Metro applications (provided some sort of joint-use agreements may be achieved, enabling attachment to existing power utility poles in these 72 city locations). This ADSS media is also quite light in weight, contributing to ease of installation, and enabling tower-to-tower spans to reach up to [even] 1,000-meters in length, if necessary, and sufficient tower heights are correspondingly scheduled. Such spans might prove only appropriate for application at potential large river crossings, rather than in generic route design. Since this type of cable does not contain any metallic content, potential damage from lightning is eliminated. Yes, towers would require earthing, but not the FO cabling, again accelerating installation speed.

Unlike some other aerial cable designs, the bend radius in small, resulting in an ideal capability to provision, and install, "snowshoe" type aerial slack loops, at tower attachments, in accordance with engineering design determinations, periodically. This practice, in conjunction with provisioning of route distributed, FO cable repair kit sections, fosters rapid section replacement, in the event of any cable separations.

So, under this potential approach, the objective of creating a Globacom owned, and operated, fiber optical core backbone, essentially unlimited bandwidth capacity, Nigerian national network, with interconnection to the international submarine cable landing site, is achieved.

Through the incorporation of carefully calculated network dimensioning, for each applicable city-to-city FO route, Globacom may enjoy the advantage of delaying incorporation of advanced, very expensive, optical transmission equipments, such as DWDM, for may years, perhaps more than a decade. The cost of FO may be determined to be considerably less than that of such optical-electronic equipment, and the Cable uses no power.

By appropriate selection of the type of FO glass, in conjunction with appropriate Alcatel optical equipments, I cannot envision any requirement, whatsoever, for application of any active, route intermediate, electronic transmission equipments. The only such gear would be located in the respective 72 city metro sites, where Subscriber access equipments are already located. Thus, no new, additional, requirement for shelters, buildings, UPS batteries, engine-generators, etc. would become necessary, solely in support of the national transmission core network.

I cannot say, at this time, exactly how many kms of FO route would eventually become necessary to serve these 72 locations. The physical topography would, as usual, begin with a typical tree-branch network. Eventually, these cable routes would become a mixture of rings, partial mesh, and intensive mesh, eventually becoming the most reliable configuration possible; that of fully-meshed, with multiple alternative directional cable routes available, in the event of a cable segment break. These re-route would incorporate readily available optical fallover switches, the Alcatel 4x integrated optical switching, within their OADMs, and at highly concentrated locations, probably optical switches. Restoration time involved in any physical break event would be carrier-class <50 ms.

The tower designs would require appropriate engineering design. The typical span route length similarly requires determination. I might envision a careful economic trade-off scenario, whereby the component factor combinations are examined, to determine the optimum design solution. These might include:

1. Standard tower heights, perhaps 1-20 meters, self supporting, with a reinforced concrete foundation. The steel rod reinforcing compositions, in a "cookie-cutter" approach, to be fabricated off-site, and transported to the install site only on the day required. Likewise, use of ready-mix cement trucked to install site is attractive, provided such service is available. Reusable fiberglass concrete forms to be utilized, rather than more expensive, one-time use, plywood.
2. Towers should be able to be locally produced, with appropriate specification steel, hot-dip galvanized, and quickly assembled at each site. Earthing kits would be included, designed for rapid installation.
3. We typically deal with respective individual route aerial cable span-sag factors of 1%. Obviously this height above ground is reduced by the increases in span length. Similarly, the height of the towers, at each end of any respective route span, also effect the resulting mid-span ground clearance.
4. Since this ADSS cable construction is so lightweight, the tower design perimeters may be projected to be rather lightweight, since neither horizontal, or vertical loading requirements will prove significant, resulting in a less costly tower product. Especially in comparison to typical MW towers, which have to accommodate large, wind loaded, parabolic antennas.
5. Any increase in the typical engineering design rules, pertaining to span lengths, naturally increase, or reduce, the quantity of tower FO cable attachment labor requirements.
6. This cable, with noted potential glass tube counts, typically may be procured in single reel lengths of up to 14-kms. This provided the installation contractor has adequate vehicle, and other equipments, to handle these large reels. This becomes just another element in these equations.
7. Also of note, is the considerations pertaining to transmission route loss; the more splices necessary, as determined by individual cable reel segments, the more overall transmission performance losses. All FO splices would be of the fusion type, which result in extremely low incremental splice loss.
8. Tower attachment hardware is readily available from multiple vendors, such as Preformed Line Products, designed especially for ADSS FO cable; probably Alcatel produces their own such product line, including suitable aerial splice cases.

In order to determine just how many kilometers of this backbone core FO network infrastructure may be installed, over any given period of implementation time – well, this becomes a product of how many construction, and installation team resources are applied to the task. It would be entirely feasible for multiple special functional duty, respective, teams operational, simultaneously. Essentially working on a carefully managed, "leap-frog", program. These functional elements might consist of:

1. The highway survey teams, to determine, and stake-out each actual, specific, roadside tower location.
2. The foundation excavation team, with either hand labor, or quicker mechanized equipment, provisions.
3. The central rebar steel foundation fabrication team, forming and welding these prefab tower foundation units.
4. The tower steel fabricator factory, cutting, drilling each respective piece, and cleaning then hot-dipping galvanizing each segment, and packing each tower for transport to required site location, on scheduled day of erection/assembly. Their package to include all nuts/bolts/washers necessary for these assemblies, on-site.
5. The tower site foundation forming team, placing the fiberglass panels in place, the day previous to scheduled pour at each respective tower site location. These same individuals to return, follow concrete pours, and set-up, to recover the fiberglass forms, for subsequent reuse.
6. The tower steel foundation reinforcement placement team, to seat these units, the day prior to scheduled concrete pour. This same group might also have the responsibility for placement of an under-tower base driven earth rod, with extension tower member (later, after tower erection) attachment cable, as the earthing solution.
7. The tower concrete pour team, which could prove the desired ready-mix unit, and truck crew, or hand mix labor, with delivered sand and gravel, etc. This manual approach is undesirable, due to anticipations of quality yield, and targeted for avoidance, if possible.
8. The FO cable line crew, following along after sufficient concrete cure, to actually place the cable, and settle appropriate sag factors. These individuals to also install the "snowshoe" FO cable slack retention units, at specified design tower locations.
9. The follow-on FO cable splicing team, which shall perform all FO glass junctioning, and splice case installations. They will have already performed, at applicable warehouse cable reel incoming storage location, on-reel quality performance OTDR measurements, on each FO reel segment, with printed results, confirming specification compliance, in advance of actual installation. This same type of test, to be performed at time/site of actual installation, while cable remains on-reel, and compared with warehouse measurement printed record, to confirm there has been no damage incurred during cable reel transport.
10. Composite, continuing, multi-segment, OTDR measurements shall also be effected, following each addition of segment, on each FO cable route under installation.
11. Terminal city location optical site preparation team to survey each such scheduled FO backbone cable termination site location, prior to scheduled final cable section installation, insuring all necessary ancillary provision are in-fact ready, and if not, make same ready. This to include installation of bayframes, power provisions, earthing (which must include measurement for correct spec compliance), and possible mounting of equipment shelves, according to engineering diagrams.
12. The actual commissioning of the optical electronic equipments, performance of route attenuation balancing, end-to-end performance measurements, inventory of scheduled operational spare circuit packs, as may be provided, following operational verification of functionality, and final turnover to the control of the TMS/.NOC/NMS management site personnel.

As may be observed, work could be progressing, simultaneously on several different city-to-city FO cable routes, as well as simultaneously working on several different segments of any individual city-to-city FO route. Thus, the schedule to build, and turn into service, any portion of the entire Globalcom core FO backbone network, would be entirely dependant upon the quantity of resources which may be applied, and managed, during implementation phases.

Logistics management would be crucial to schedule compliance, beginning at inception, by having entirely specification compliant elements of the overall program available when, and where, in required quantities, as required.

The costs to achieve this FO network build would prove to be the resulting engineering design product, with previously discussed factors appropriately determined, and acquisition of all qualified contractor bids, for each respective element of efforts necessary. Equipment costs, and technical labor costs, along with FO cable, installation accessories, test equipments, splicing machines, etc. are all factors involved. These can become precise numbers, and budgeted into the overall Business Plan accordingly. Appropriate application of professional efforts in planning, tendering, and implementation management would be absolutely essential, along with application of the most stringent, and consistent, quality assurance implementations.

One might present some extremely rough figures, in order to sanity-check the potential feasibility of this approach…although this is a dangerous procedure. In actual budgetary costing, following all of the highly involved cost-tradeoff exercises, we already anticipate that the single most meaningful factor, that being the resulting "average FO cable span length", could be a length which probably would consist of between 300 – 750 meters.

If we applied the figure of 500-meters per span, this would result in the necessity for construction of backbone route tower facilities consisting of 20,000 towers, with respect for the announced Globacom 10,000 kms of national FO route projection.

If we applied a very rough estimated cost for each respective FO route span segment, to include costs of tower, and FO cable, installed, tested, and placed into operational service, of US$10,000., then the cost for the total national backbone FO network infrastructure would become: US$200-million.

If we would prove to be unable to achieve such an incremental element cost objective, and the actual costs become, even, twice this; still this figure of perhaps 1.5x; US$300-million still might appear a "bargain".

I say "bargain" in that what will have been constructed is a facility which will support the entire national network’s traffic, for a nominal period of life which could become some 25-years, enabling essentially unlimited bandwidth is exactly that, at this price.

Part of these CAPEX costs, compared for example to any alternative solution, which included initial demands for instant introduction, and operation, of advanced optical-electronic equipments, would be nicely offset by avoidance of such costs. These costs avoided would similarly be extended towards the annual OPEX avoided, in additional maintenance and operation costs, necessary to support such advanced equipments. Avoidance of [additional] equipment counts, as well as network complexity, are addition plus factors.

In conclusion, a Globacom core fiber optical national Nigerian solution which costs some $200-300 million, in support of an overall SNO network 5-year budget of perhaps $5 – 10 billion, appears rather insignificant.