The Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) officially launched the country`s broadband service yesterday, in a move that will likely shame many richer African nations.
Featuring offerings that include broadband Internet, VSAT and multimedia services, the project`s aim is to get the East African country onto the information highway by providing a strong ICT infrastructure in order to bring technology to all its people.
The ETC worked with numerous companies when setting up the infrastructure throughout the country, including Cisco, Business Connexion and Dimension Data, and the new service will feature ADSL and dial-up options, video conferencing, IP telephony and video on demand.
According to Mark Desimone, VP at Cisco, the beauty of broadband is that it eliminates the concept of time and space, while providing a great tool to develop skills.
"The opening of a broadband offering such as this is significant for any nation, and I believe this is just the beginning of what will be a bright future for Ethiopia, as this is probably the most advanced network in Africa," he says.
"There is an opportunity here to leapfrog many western nations, as Ethiopia has no real legacy systems to worry about, and we anticipate that broadband access will also simplify the processes in business, government, education and so on.
"Broadband will place Ethiopia at the centre stage, not only on the continent, but also globally. Keeping in touch with current technology is just as important in the modern world as breathing, and broadband is the oxygen of the 21st Century."
According to DiData executive director, Hanif Randera, it is not only about the technology, but also how the technology is used, now that it is in place.
"Knowledge equals strength and power, and the key to knowledge is information access, which is why this national network is of such importance to Ethiopia," he says.
"It is time for Africa to stand up and make it clear to the rest of the world that we are also part of the universe."
Waldi van Zyl, business executive at Business Connexion, claims this project sets an example to the rest of the continent in terms of how to implement ICT infrastructure.
"Ethiopia has realised it is too poor not to be an ICT leader, particularly as ICT is one of the key factors in alleviating poverty," says Van Zyl.
"Obviously return on investment (ROI) is critical in a huge project of this nature, but the ROI doesn`t necessarily have to be monetary - it can be in terms of how it improves the country as a whole."
He says the key element with this project is knowledge transfer, which is a two-way street, bringing information into the country from the rest of the world while also educating the rest of the world about Ethiopia.
"We are now at the point where the trucks are warming up on the information highway and are raring to go - all that is needed is to fill them up."
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