Communications in Africa
Impact and Dynamics
According to reports from International Telecommunication
Union (ITU) Africa has made great strides in information and
communication development with year 2000 proving a watershed
as mobile and Internet connectivity surpassed the fixed line
services. The growth in telephone networks was largely fuelled
by mobile cellular communications. The change was so rapid
that it caught many by surprise and opened up many opportunities.
The ITU, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland is an international
organization through which governments and the private sector
coordinate global telecom networks and services. It is the
leading publisher of telecommunication technology, regulatory
and standards information.
Countries that had more mobile than fixed line subscribers
increased from 2 in 1999 to 17 in 2000 states the report.
Sector liberalization by governments has seen competition
opening up and innovative new products being introduced by
most operators in the telecommunications industry.
Regulatory instruments were the main barriers for development
of the sector. The deregulation of the industry in mobile
telecommunications and public data networks has seen more
players play the game. This has opened up job opportunities
and triggered economic growth in the sector.
Internet connectivity and its use in Africa continue on an
upswing with shared facilities such as Internet cafes becoming
main access methods. All the African nations are now connected
to the Internet. South Africa the continent's IT powerhouse
started the trend in November 1991 and the last country to
get connected was Eritrea a year ago.
At the start of 2001 Africa had an estimated 4,4 million
Internet users with more than half in South Africa and just
1.3 million from other sub-Saharan countries. To arrive at
the accurate figures at the moment is difficult because the
continent is lacking enough market surveys in telecommunications.
Telecom growth in Africa is being hampered by lack of infrastructure
especially in rural arears. Not only infrastructure to set
up the telecom services but also the skilled human resources
to educate people about using computers and telephones in
general. Lack of personal computer manufacturers has also
hindered the growth of the industry. Africa does not boast
of computer manufacturers. This means all new computers are
imported, raising prices and making it generally unaffordable
for the average person.
Not enough effort has been done to explore the manufacturing
of cheap personal computers. Only Gambia has been successful
in recycling used computers.
The poor infrastructure in Africa makes the cost of connecting
to the Internet generally high. This further makes the service
unaffordable in light of our low per capita incomes.
Internet users who use the dial-up method have to pay telephone
charges making it exorbitant for the average man in Africa.
Bandwidth prices are high in Zimbabwe and Africa because of
the lack of good infrastructure. In many instances, as was
the case in Zimbabwe there is one provider of services who
is controlled and protected by the government. Demand will
therefore be higher than supply leading to a supplier's market
where customers are subjected to the inadequacies and inefficiencies
of the single operator.
The structures that are 'widely' available are for voice
communication so the market is left with no option but to
use the dial-up method of connecting to the Internet. The
ITU states that Africa has 0.15% of total Internet users in
the world. This is a low figure considering the size of the
continent and the number of inhabitants.
The liberalization of the telecommunications sector by the
government has led to companies setting up infrastructure
to operate public data networks. Africom the first private
company to be awarded such a licence, as well as other players
are focused on developing first class infrastructure to improve
communications in Africa.
The governments in Africa need to take a more active role
in IT and enabling communications especially for educational
institutions. Most primary and secondary schools in Zimbabwe
are not connected to the Internet. It is amazing to note that
even some institutions of higher leaning do not have networks
yet. This market (students) has the highest number of Internet
users. The educational facilities should by now be using or
introducing e learning to students who cannot attend lessons
everyday or are in remote areas.
Click here to
visit our Newsletter Archives
|
