LAGOS, NIGERIA — In a major leap for Nigeria’s digital infrastructure, MTN Nigeria in partnership with Huawei Technologies has rolled out the nation’s first 400G-800G Hybrid Automatically Switched Optical Network (ASON), aimed at meeting the surging demand for high-speed data and advanced connectivity services.

In a joint statement made available to PUNCH Online, both companies described the project as a technological milestone that will dramatically enhance internet speeds, improve network reliability, and expand capacity to support the growing needs of homes, enterprises, and cloud-based platforms across Nigeria.

The deployment marks several firsts in the country’s telecom landscape:

• Nigeria’s first hybrid L0 + L1 ASON system, combining both optical and electrical layers on MTN’s Lagos transmission line.
• The first 800G single-wavelength optical channel on a Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) network, enabling ultra-high-speed data transfer.

Cutting-Edge Infrastructure for a Data-Hungry Economy

At the heart of the deployment is Huawei’s advanced 400G/800G optical transmission technology, including Optical Cross-Connect (OXC) systems and Hybrid ASON protocols. These components allow MTN to dynamically manage and reroute data traffic, reduce latency, and ensure more efficient use of network resources.

“The tools not only expand the network’s data capacity but also reduce long-term operational costs,” the companies said.

A Strategic Boost for MTN’s Service Capabilities

Speaking on the significance of the upgrade, Yahaya Ibrahim, Chief Technical Officer at MTN Nigeria, said the move is key to sustaining the operator’s leadership in broadband and enterprise service delivery.

“This milestone enables MTN Nigeria to meet its growing capacity demands and improve the performance of wireless, home broadband, and enterprise services,” Ibrahim stated.

“With higher-capacity optical channels like 400G/800G, we are able to reduce cost per bit while boosting service reliability. The deployment of Hybrid ASON significantly enhances the stability of 100GE and higher services, ensures upstream connectivity, and safeguards MTN’s revenue streams.”

Laying Groundwork for Nigeria’s Digital Future

As Nigeria accelerates its push toward digital transformation, the MTN-Huawei collaboration signals a critical investment in core infrastructure needed to support smart cities, e-commerce, fintech, digital education, and healthcare innovation.

Industry analysts say such high-speed, adaptive backbone networks are essential for unlocking the potential of 5G, edge computing, and artificial intelligence across the continent.

With the hybrid ASON deployment now operational, MTN is positioning itself to deliver faster, more stable, and more scalable digital services—bringing Nigeria a step closer to becoming a truly digital economy.