The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is starting a project that will see broadband infrastructure worth $1 million - about R8.1 million - being implemented in Africa.
The union is teaming up with proprietary point-to-multipoint broadband infrastructure supplier Nexpedience to boost broadband access on the continent.
The ITU says that, under the terms of the deal, Nexpedience will provide 180 new Expedience base stations worth $1 million.
This will see the initial base station deployment in six nations continent-wide. The first nation to benefit from the new infrastructure is Burundi, with deployments also planned for Djibouti, Burkina Faso, Mali, Rwanda and Swaziland.
Broadband seed
“Designed to withstand extreme meteorological conditions and capable of providing up to 32km of sector coverage, Nexpedience's base stations have been specifically designed for rural deployment,” says the union.
Its Wireless Broadband Network in Africa project aims to develop and implement wireless broadband connectivity and applications that will provide free or low-cost digital access for schools, hospitals, and under-served populations in rural and remote areas Africa-wide.
At the signing of the agreement in Geneva, Brahima Sanou, director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau, emphasised the need to make developing countries part of the global broadband revolution.
“I am confident that this new partnership will accelerate broadband uptake right across the African continent, bringing the power of high-speed connectivity to users everywhere, from big cities to small villages.”
Nexpedience CEO Kiriako Vergos said giving access to broadband technology to underserved populations in Africa is of great importance. “There are enormous benefits to be derived from a 'broadband-seed' deployment strategy.”
In 2010, ITU secretary-general Hamadoun Tour'e led the establishment of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, which has the aim of putting broadband at the heart of the global development agenda.
Share