Internet access is critical for Africa
Broadband access can be used as a developmental tool in Africa, a summit heard on Friday (22 October 2010). Kunbi Oguneye, chief executive of Nigerian Internet solutions provider Suburban Telecom, spoke to Sowetan at the Infrastructure Projects Summit organised by African investor at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg.
The summit aimed to create a platform which would enable project sponsors and promoters to engage with infrastructure investors and development institutions.
An array of issues were discussed, including transport, water and sanitation, renewable energies, telecommunications investment opportunities and the role of development financial institutions.
"Broadband is critical to development in Africa. It can be used in health by allowing doctors to perform diagnosis using telemedicine and can also be used in education," said Oguneye.
Oguneye's company was started by two young entrepreneurs in 2000 and in the last two years it increased its wholesale internet connectivity by more than 800%.
Suburban Telecoms provides broadband to businesses.
He said other challenge was the lack of ground infrastructure to put fibre optic cables, which then deliver broadband to homes.
Oguneye said things recently changed when the Nigerian government awarded licences to two new companies (Main One and Glo One) this year which reduced Suburban Telecoms market share.
He said such a situation had resulted in certain parts of the country (rural) being neglected in the internet penetration of Nigeria.
"Now that rural areas are behind on development, people then move to the major cities, causing the metros to be overpopulated," said Oguneye.
He said broadband penetration in Nigeria stood at about 2% although more than 30 million people had access to the Internet through cellphones.
"A cellphone is meant to complement broadband. You cannot do all your business on your cellphone. That is why people need broadband," he said.
Source: Sowetan
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