Harris Stratex Opens First Technical Support Centre in Nigeria
In what has been described as a clear statement on the overall value of the fledging Nigerian market for the information communication technology (ICT) sector, the top management hierarchy of the leading global wireless communication solution providers Harris Stratex Networks were on hand penultimate Monday the 1st of June to officially open the company’s first Technical Service Support and Test center in Lagos.
The centre, which is the first of its kind in the sub – region, is meant to cater for a part of the existing customer base of Harris Stratex in Nigeria. Making this confirmation during the official opening ceremony of the Centre in Lagos , the President and CEO of Harris Stratex, Mr. Harald Braun explained that apart from the fact that the company presently operates in eleven African countries including Nigeria, his company is the only one with up to 30% of its profitable business coming out of Africa.
Describing Africa in general and Nigeria in particular as the only place in the world today where businesses are still in the up swing, Mr. Braun noted that of the existing five regions where Harris Stratex operates from globally, Africa’s importance is enhanced by the fact that it has been recognized as a mobile and wireless terrain.
His words: “Nobody that knows this terrain will be thinking of still depending on putting fibre or copper in the ground here anymore, the future on Africa depends on wireless technology and we happen to be the best in this area”.
Citing, available statistics he revealed that with Africa and other developing markets’ sudden leap in broadband usage from almost nothing in the last ten years to 34 million presently and a projection of one billion broadband subscribers by 2013, the market presents an enormous attraction. While admitting that there are a lot of challenges in doing business in Nigeria, Mr. Braun also explained that it is not unusual pointing out that other areas within and outside Africa also have challenges in doing businesses there including regulatory issues, inflation and economic stability issues which are not present in Nigeria. Rather the challenges in Nigeria are actually opportunities as he observed that with the lack of infrastructure in place in Nigeria, it will allow for the early deployment of cutting-edge technology from Harris Stratex, which according to him, brings to bear the full advantage of next-generation 4G technology. Therefore, the move to make the presence of Harris Stratex better felt in Nigeria with the setting up of the technical Centre was borne out of a carefully thought-out business strategy.
In addition to that, the mere fact that the President of Harris Stratex is visiting the country for the fourth time in two years also underscores the importance the company attaches to the Nigerian market. Explaining the features of the new Centre located in the heart of Victoria Island, Mr. Braun stated that the location will serve the purpose of a technical support Centre for this part of Africa, while the second location will serve as a training Centre with ample space and facilities to cater for the training of their customers.
Additionally, Harris Stratex will also be putting in place a partnership and mentoring programme in collaboration with some Nigerian Universities in order to give back to the society where they operate from in the area of training and employment opportunities.
The centre, which is the first of its kind in the sub – region, is meant to cater for a part of the existing customer base of Harris Stratex in Nigeria. Making this confirmation during the official opening ceremony of the Centre in Lagos , the President and CEO of Harris Stratex, Mr. Harald Braun explained that apart from the fact that the company presently operates in eleven African countries including Nigeria, his company is the only one with up to 30% of its profitable business coming out of Africa.
Describing Africa in general and Nigeria in particular as the only place in the world today where businesses are still in the up swing, Mr. Braun noted that of the existing five regions where Harris Stratex operates from globally, Africa’s importance is enhanced by the fact that it has been recognized as a mobile and wireless terrain.
His words: “Nobody that knows this terrain will be thinking of still depending on putting fibre or copper in the ground here anymore, the future on Africa depends on wireless technology and we happen to be the best in this area”.
Citing, available statistics he revealed that with Africa and other developing markets’ sudden leap in broadband usage from almost nothing in the last ten years to 34 million presently and a projection of one billion broadband subscribers by 2013, the market presents an enormous attraction. While admitting that there are a lot of challenges in doing business in Nigeria, Mr. Braun also explained that it is not unusual pointing out that other areas within and outside Africa also have challenges in doing businesses there including regulatory issues, inflation and economic stability issues which are not present in Nigeria. Rather the challenges in Nigeria are actually opportunities as he observed that with the lack of infrastructure in place in Nigeria, it will allow for the early deployment of cutting-edge technology from Harris Stratex, which according to him, brings to bear the full advantage of next-generation 4G technology. Therefore, the move to make the presence of Harris Stratex better felt in Nigeria with the setting up of the technical Centre was borne out of a carefully thought-out business strategy.
In addition to that, the mere fact that the President of Harris Stratex is visiting the country for the fourth time in two years also underscores the importance the company attaches to the Nigerian market. Explaining the features of the new Centre located in the heart of Victoria Island, Mr. Braun stated that the location will serve the purpose of a technical support Centre for this part of Africa, while the second location will serve as a training Centre with ample space and facilities to cater for the training of their customers.
Additionally, Harris Stratex will also be putting in place a partnership and mentoring programme in collaboration with some Nigerian Universities in order to give back to the society where they operate from in the area of training and employment opportunities.
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