Telecom Infrastructure Sharing as a Strategy for Cost Optimization and Revenue Generation : A Case Study of MTN Nigeria/Zain Nigeria Collocation

Abstract: There is a growing need for operators and providers in the Nigerian telecoms industry to drive down cost of capital assets or infrastructure deployed for telecom services. This has been expressed in recent times by many operators who now come, together , on basis of mutual, agreements , to consider sharing infrastructure. The telecom market in Nigeria is driven by growing demand for telecommunications services like voice, SMS, data services like internet, fax, etc as well as high broadband services like video calling, video messaging and video conferencing. This high demand from telecom users combined with the heated competition of a gradually maturing telecoms market in Nigeria has driven many telecoms operators to explore ways of reaching their potential customers in very cost efficient and cost effective ways, hence the need to reduce the cost of rolling out telecom infrastructure while at the same time achieving the numbers through effective network coverage. Also, the regulatory body in Nigeria,NCC( Nigeria Communications Commission) has also given its backing to this initiative by providing the legal and technical guidelines that would ensure fairplay and enhance fair competition. This study or research aims at exploring the value of infrastructure sharing as a means of achieving cost efficiency and revenue assurance. The research is based on a case study analysis of the current collocation arrangement between MTN Nigeria Ltd and Zain Nigeria Ltd. The study seeks to explore the benefits of the infrastructure sharing deal between these two companies as well as recommend an improved or enhanced framework or model to sustain this strategy model in the context of the Nigerian telecommunications industry. Based on a survey/interview of 20 respondents drawn from key departments involved in this sharing deal, the following conclusions were drawn. (1) That both operators have experienced significant reduction in their cost of CAPEX(capital expenditure) employed in network rollouts/deployments; (2) that passive infrastructure(network infrastructure sharing) has led to an improved cost efficiency in network deployments; (3) that infrastructure sharing has led to improved network based operational expenditure; (4) that passive infrastructure sharing has enabled operators achieve improved coverage and capacity; (5) that infrastructure sharing has had no negative impact on customer experience and quality of service; (6) that infrastructure sharing has led to improved service delivery by telecoms operators whereby captial gained or recouped has been invested in product innovations through better value added services to gain competitive advantage. The implications of these findings is that telecom infrastructure sharing serves as an effective business model for cost optimization and revenue generation for telecom operators in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.