In less than a month, reliable telecommunications and affordable internet access might become a norm in the eastern and southern part of Africa. SEACOM, the highly anticipated deepwater fibre-optic is due to be completed and begin operating on the 27th of June 2009. To date Internet reaches less than 10% of the African population with the cost of internet often higher than that of many developed countries. The use of the satellite internet technology and the monopolistic telecommunication entities have been identified amongst the causes of this unfortunate state of ICT affairs in Africa.
The SEACOM high-speed fibre optic cable infrastructure will, in many parts, replace the use of satellites as the most effective method of deploying internet connectivity to the continent. As the first undersea fibre optics cable on the east coast of Africa, SEACOM is promising to completely transform the African ICT landscape and bring about positive changes such as facilitating development in education, healthcare, conservation sectors as well as significantly lowering the cost of doing business for African companies.
In addition, SEACOM promises that:
· The cable will improve digital communications and enable school and college students to study in virtual libraries and to visit counterparts in other countries. There will also be improved television signal during the 2010 World Cup football tournament in South Africa as a result of the improved digital communication.
· African businesses will benefit from the increased internet connectivity by being able to harness and reach offshore customers and suppliers
.Farmers in remote regions will be able to check market prices for seed, fertiliser, and their produce - giving them new power over intermediaries
However, while this grandiose promise does indeed seem practical enough to revolutionarize the African ICT sector, there remain notable concerns:
1. Shortage of electricity. The continent is famous for its notoriously erratic electricity supply and the countries that Seacom will serve have some of the lowest rate of national electrification
2. Shortage of skills. The ICT industry requires highly technical knowledge and African countries need to establishing programs to encourage educational institutions and businesses to train more people in ICT skills. Training should also be tailored to address diversity in languages in the continent. This human resource development is central to building the ICT capacity of African countries
3. Low computer literacy and very low PC penetration. Prices of computers remaining relatively high for the average citizen. For as long as this remains the case, access to cheap internet will remain a mere wish for the majority of the African citizens.
4. Language barriers. There is need to develop policies to cater not only for the bulk of Africans who speak French, Swahili, Arabic and Portuguese but also to develop content in local African languages.
However, only time will tell if these barriers will be lowered as the internet connection in the continent develops. The SEACOM promise will be fulfilled when internet access stops being a luxury that only a fraction of the African population can utilise.
The SEACOM high-speed fibre optic cable infrastructure will, in many parts, replace the use of satellites as the most effective method of deploying internet connectivity to the continent. As the first undersea fibre optics cable on the east coast of Africa, SEACOM is promising to completely transform the African ICT landscape and bring about positive changes such as facilitating development in education, healthcare, conservation sectors as well as significantly lowering the cost of doing business for African companies.
In addition, SEACOM promises that:
· The cable will improve digital communications and enable school and college students to study in virtual libraries and to visit counterparts in other countries. There will also be improved television signal during the 2010 World Cup football tournament in South Africa as a result of the improved digital communication.
· African businesses will benefit from the increased internet connectivity by being able to harness and reach offshore customers and suppliers
.Farmers in remote regions will be able to check market prices for seed, fertiliser, and their produce - giving them new power over intermediaries
However, while this grandiose promise does indeed seem practical enough to revolutionarize the African ICT sector, there remain notable concerns:
1. Shortage of electricity. The continent is famous for its notoriously erratic electricity supply and the countries that Seacom will serve have some of the lowest rate of national electrification
2. Shortage of skills. The ICT industry requires highly technical knowledge and African countries need to establishing programs to encourage educational institutions and businesses to train more people in ICT skills. Training should also be tailored to address diversity in languages in the continent. This human resource development is central to building the ICT capacity of African countries
3. Low computer literacy and very low PC penetration. Prices of computers remaining relatively high for the average citizen. For as long as this remains the case, access to cheap internet will remain a mere wish for the majority of the African citizens.
4. Language barriers. There is need to develop policies to cater not only for the bulk of Africans who speak French, Swahili, Arabic and Portuguese but also to develop content in local African languages.
However, only time will tell if these barriers will be lowered as the internet connection in the continent develops. The SEACOM promise will be fulfilled when internet access stops being a luxury that only a fraction of the African population can utilise.
It remains to be seen if there will be indeed room for the massive reductions in prices as it would appear that that SEACOM will sell the bandwidth to local providers that are likely to continue to practice current prices. This was the frustration from one of the Manager of one of the leading Mozambique ISPs. So until further notice, while there will be increase in speed there is no assurance of massive price cuts.
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