Lagos may have the most visible physical infrastructure and Cross River may be the tourist destination of choice but if the ongoing talks in Akwa Ibom State progress, Akwa Ibom State may be the technology state to watch in 2010. Ongoing talks between 3i Mobile (http://www.3iprojects.com) and the Akwa Ibom State government will lead to Akwa Ibom being the first state in Nigeria where citizens can make free unlimited cellular telephone calls.

3iMobile is negotiating to deploy the first 4Gcapable cellular network that will be available free in two stages. In Stage one due in mid 2010, all State civil servants will be able to make free calls between themselves in the State and extremely inexpensive calls with Nigeria to other networks. Due to network architecture and interconnect tariff rates, international calls will be as  low as two naira per minute to most European, Asian and North American countries and slightly higher to other regions. In the second phase due early 2011, 3i Mobile will roll out its 4G network across the state with a basket of free minutes to the citizens with extra minutes at a small premium. Asked why 3i Mobile is not making its network 100% free, the company said that this would prevent abuse of its network.

3iMobile has already demonstrated a live system to the Nigerian army for use in times of conflict, enabling it to shut down existing networks and operate a secure network. The system is in use by the London Metropolitan police and was recently used during the last London terrorist bombing. The system has also been demonstrated at the University of Lagos to enable students call each other without incurring cellular charges.

3i Mobile’s network is completely green technology the base stations to be deployed by Koyanda Company utilizes solar and wind power thereby eliminating the expensive cost of diesel which drives up the cost of service. 3i Mobile’s network is called a disruptive technology because it challenges incumbents with the capability of transforming the entire mobile cellular business