Cambridge Broadband Networks Ltd. (CBNL), the multipoint microwave network specialist for 3G and LTE backhaul, has opened a new Center of Excellence in Lagos, Nigeria as the company expands its operations and investment in the African continent. The center will be co-located with CBNL’s new Nigerian office and will be the company’s second facility in the region, following the success of its South African centre.

Fully equipped with workshops, labs and training facilities, the new Center of Excellence will provide local telecoms engineers with dedicated training and resources to become a VectaStar Certified Engineer, enabling them to plan and install CBNL microwave transmission equipment and networks. The company also plans to reach out to the local community further, building relations with educational institutes, for example, and using the new facilities in other ways within the local community.

The VectaStar training provides engineers with a certified accreditation that offers a solid grounding in the telecoms industry – covering aspects such as network design, installation and testing – and should stand them in good stead as the industry continues to boom in Nigeria.

“The African mobile market is growing at a rate of between 18 to 20 percent each year and it now has more mobile subscribers than Western Europe. It also has the potential to overtake Europe in the technology stakes as well, with operators in the region already looking at deploying LTE networks, despite the majority of African nations remain without 3G infrastructure,” said Vincent Chirouze, Vice President, Sub-Saharan Africa, Cambridge Broadband Networks. “We’ve been a part of its phenomenal success for the past five years and the opening of our Center of Excellence in Nigeria is testament to our commitment to the region and our investment in the people of West Africa.”