Gateway Business, a Vodacom Group company and leading supplier of African telecommunications services, has selected Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) for its multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) network in Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa. This deployment means that Cisco technology solutions will drive an IP next generation network (NGN) for Gateway Business, employing intelligent MPLS technologies.

By utilizing Cisco technology, Gateway Business is able to use MPLS at the core of its pan-African network and a blend of fiber, wireless or satellite at the access level. Gateway Business is one of the largest independent providers of secure, high speed, reliable bandwidth services in Africa. Over 1,500 multi-national corporations rely on Gateway to deliver business critical information between head quarters and branch offices from simple voice solutions, to private MPLS virtual private networks (VPNs) and internet access.

In Nigeria, Gateway Business is deploying a national MPLS network, rolling out wireless broadband services across 36 different states in 2010 and 2011.

Gateway Communications, the groups Carrier Services and Wholesale division, is also an investor in the West Africa Cable System (WACS), which will bring additional capacity in to Nigeria by June 2011. Through this agreement with Cisco Gateway will be able to immediately deploy a range of new services for customers in Nigeria, West Africa, and across the African continent.

"Innovative service providers like Gateway are rapidly bridging the digital divide and establishing connected communities. Gateway uniquely combines impressive global coverage with an unrivalled local presence and the Cisco powered MPLS network will help take its customer offering to the next level," said Richard Edet, general manager, Cisco Nigeria.