Earlier this month Backbone Connectivity Network (BCN), a leading connectivity services provider in Nigeria, launched an interactive network map for its metropolitan fiber in Abuja leveraging InfraNav, HIP Consult’s data visualization and analytics platform for ICT infrastructure.
A customized InfraNav plug-in called Network Marketer serves as a geolocation translator for BCN’s network infrastructure, allowing visitors to BCN’s website to search and view coverage at specific locations. The tool also allows users to contact BCN’s sales department directly within the mapped search results, thereby boosting the company’s external engagement and improving lead-to-sales response times.
BCN’s implementation of InfraNav Network Marketer represents the first known interactive platform of its kind in Nigeria, and is indicative of BCN's innovation tradition, as a pioneer fiber network operator in the country.
Taking a wider view of the state of the connectivity industry, Judah J. Levine, CEO of HIP Consult, observed that “at a time when capacity utilization rates of fiber networks are exceedingly low, often in single digits, operators recognize that unsold capacity is revenue forever unrealized, and hence are keen for better ways to monetize their costly assets; tools like InfraNav Network Marketer invite prospective customers to visually engage a network and understand its relevance to their locational requirements, which can facilitate transparency and trigger sales.”
Allowing prospective and existing customers to directly and visually search for connectivity simplifies the marketing and monetization of networks. Additionally, when customers query addresses not currently covered, the aggregated requests can serve to inform network planning and expansion efforts.
Commenting on the addition of Network Marketer to BCN’s market engagement strategy, the company’s Managing Director & CEO, Ibrahim Dikko, noted that “the collaboration with HIP Consult’s InfraNav team is increasing the visibility and commercial potential of our fiber networks by helping would-be customers and the ICT community at large – whether private or public sector – to better understand and access BCN’s connectivity offerings; we consider this an important catalyst for the future growth of our business.”
For additional information on InfraNav Network Marketer, please visit www.infranav.com or contact ajaffe@hipconsult.com.