African telcos urged to address rural connectivity

Speaking at AfricaCom in Cape Town, South Africa last week, experts said connectivity to rural areas will remain a pipedream if the mobile network services firms did not cooperate.

Dimitris Mavrakis, principal analysts for Informa Telecoms & Media, organisers of the annual event, said presently, these operators were not taking rural communities seriously.

"Connectivity to the rural areas could be enhanced if the operators addressed the issue as a whole rather than individually. This is an issue they should look into seriously.

"Until this is done, connectivity to the rural areas will remain low," he said.

Robert Madzonga, chief corporate services officer of MTN SA, argued the continent should emulate such countries as France, where regulations have enhanced connectivity to rural areas.

"In such countries, if a company is allocated spectrum, they are mandated to roll out services to the under-serviced areas first, at least 80%, after which they can be allowed to roll out a service to the urban areas.

"This has enabled people in the rural areas enjoy the benefits of mobile technology," Madzonga added.

The digital divide

There is still a significant divide between the adoption of ICT services in urban and rural areas.

Concern has been raised that with ICT able to act as a vehicle for change, the fact this divide still exists threatens to hold back an economic boom that the continent needs.

In major cities across the continent, mobile penetration may be high, but this is not the case in rural areas, where on average two thirds of the continent's population lives.

Analysts believe expanding into new rural territories, therefore, represents a significant growth opportunity for operators at a time when the urban market is becoming more saturated.