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Alcatel-Lucent eyes Africa's connectivity needs

Admire Moyo
By Admire Moyo, ITWeb's news editor.
Johannesburg, 04 Aug 2015
In most of the countries in Africa, there is no strong fixed-line network, says Alcatel-Lucent.
In most of the countries in Africa, there is no strong fixed-line network, says Alcatel-Lucent.

French global telecommunications equipment provider, Alcatel-Lucent believes Africa has various connectivity needs, crucial for the continent's social and economic development.

The company says increasing the availability of ultra-broadband services is essential for Africa's future development.

Becoming digital is an important catalyst for change, for development and innovation, says Alcatel-Lucent in a statement. The continent's infrastructure will need greater capacity to deliver high-quality ultra-broadband connectivity to support added-value services for end users in both urban and remote areas.

Alcatel-Lucent - which is set to be acquired by Nokia in a deal that will create the world's second-largest network equipment maker - has deployed a number of LTE networks in Africa.

In the next five years, it's predicted that Internet use on mobile phones within Africa will experience unprecedented growth, doubling the rate of the rest of the world.

While the use of Internet on mobile phones increases exponentially, so too does the need for the network behind it, says Alcatel-Lucent.

"In most of the countries in Africa, there is no strong fixed-line network. The mobile is the number one medium for people to connect," says Daniel Jaeger, Alcatel-Lucent's vice-president for Africa.

In addition, Jaeger says: "A lot of development has happened on this continent over the last few years, but at the same time there's still a lot to come. Telecommunications is a vital part of that."

According to the company, 4G LTE and ultra-broadband networks have already enabled a positive change for Africa - politically, economically and socially.

"For me, Africa is at the heart of tomorrow," says Michel Combes, Alcatel-Lucent's CEO. "Becoming digital is an important catalyst for change. The focus of development will continue to bring connectivity to users by working with local, regional and international partners to literally help connect the African people."

The company believes that ultra-broadband is the most transformative technology since electricity, and one of the most promising assets for governments seeking to boost their economies and social development in an open digital world. It creates opportunities for people to unleash their skills by enriching the way they innovate, do business and share knowledge, it adds.

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