Throughout the Africa Tech Festival and AfricaCom events in Cape Town this week, emphasis has been placed on fibre broadband connectivity across the continent.
At the start of the event on Tuesday, the Africa Broadband Forum 2024 gathered over 150 telecoms industry and government leaders to discuss policy, F5.5G, and strategies for expanding fibre infrastructure on the continent.
Huawei’s VP of optical business product line, Kim Jin, said Huawei will work with fibre industry sectors to build an intelligent, all-optical network, focusing on monetising coverage, bandwidth, and user experience to boost the digital economy in Africa.
In a keynote address titled Enabling next generation global broadband industry, World Broadband Association (WBBA) secretary-general Martin Creaner discussed global trends in broadband connectivity, noting advancements in speed, intelligence, and accessibility.
Broadband Africa White Paper
The forum saw the release of the 2024 Broadband Africa White Paper, jointly presented by the secretary-general of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) John Ommo and ICT consulting firm Africa Analysis.
This white paper outlines the vision and roadmap for fibre broadband development across Africa’s ‘initial’, ‘developing’, and ‘leading’ markets through 2030, drawing on both global and African best practices.
The white paper envisions that Africa’s broadband penetration will surpass 30% by 2030, with fibre connections comprising over half of broadband users. It further details strategic policies and business pathways essential for achieving widespread broadband access across the continent.
Stakeholders at the Africa Broadband Forum released the Africa Broadband Outlook 2024, which outlines a roadmap for fibre broadband development across Africa. Speaking at the event, Dobek Pater, ICT industry research analyst at Africa Analysis, said fixed broadband (FBB) drives economic growth.
He said investment in FBB can have a massive positive impact on social and economic development.
Citing estimates by Frost & Sullivan, he said every $200 million invested in FBB can generate a $446 million contribution to GDP, with an effective multiplier of 2.2 in ROI, and a $112 direct benefit to the economy.
He noted that there are 70 submarine cables connecting Africa, but more cross-border connectivity is needed; key east-to-west links are still missing, and landlocked countries need lower-cost access to international capacity.
To help governments address these challenges, Africa Analysis has drawn up a comprehensive list of recommendations, including:
- A clear national broadband plan
- Facilitate rapid deployment of broadband infrastructure through standardisation of rules and processes across different government organisations
- Encourage infrastructure sharing between network operators and utility companies
- Introduce technology neutrality in the awarding of licences
- Promote the open access network model to foster competition among ISPs to reduce broadband service fees, as well as infrastructure sharing among network operators
- Reduce demand-side costs through measures such as lower or no taxes and import duties on end-user devices, and incentivise operators and service providers to offer discounts to public institutions and low-income households in order to encourage greater adoption of broadband services
Africa Analysis also recommends the establishment of a 'Digital Infrastructure One-Stop Shop' government body to improve efficiency, and the development of a Critical Infrastructure Protection Plan to prevent and penalise broadband infrastructure theft and vandalism, including cyber attacks.
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