More than 30 countries represented and nearly 200 participants. From the Ministry of Digital Economy to the President of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Post (ARCEP) Benin, including representatives of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), as well as several regional and international organizations, terrestrial and satellite technology infrastructure companies, internet service providers and GSM operators, they were all present for a major event: capacity building through the development of a national broadband strategy.
This international seminar, organized by ARCEP Benin in collaboration with the ITU, had the main objective of addressing the conclusions of the last World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) which took place in November 2015 in Geneva, in order to define the mobile spectrum situation and a global strategy, with the simple goal of reducing the digital divide through the development of ICTs in Africa.
From April 25 to 28, 2016, four days rich in interventions to address the different viewpoints of institutions such as the ITU and ATU, but also those of regional organizations such as ECOWAS and SADC, followed by in-depth studies on the most appropriate mechanisms for a real boom in broadband in Africa, considering it as a determining factor for socio-economic development.
Case studies presented, such as Kenya’s for example, allow us to understand that the role of broadband in socio-economic development, especially among African countries including those with the lowest internet access rates in the world—an ICT Development Index (IDI 2015 – ITU) below 3%—includes, primarily, economic growth, job creation, increased investment opportunities, access to online public services, development of education and training services, and improved security services, among others. It is with this in mind that it is necessary for the State to commit to building public policies encouraging ICTs as a engine for transformation and to defining a national broadband policy.
To build a society based on knowledge and skills, it is necessary to develop adapted infrastructures, optimal connectivity, and broader access to IT tools and devices, but also to develop digital content by encouraging application development and innovation. This is achieved through capacity building, a continuous awareness campaign on internet tool usage, a legal and political framework, and the development of investment and financing opportunities.
Between the various wired and wireless networks, current and future terrestrial and satellite infrastructures (wired, fiber optics, IoT, VSAT, etc.) on which broadband deployment relies today must also be the subject of a strategy for a progressive implementation of broadband, city by city or region by region, drawing inspiration from the model of connected societies and their visions, then adapting it by taking into account the real environment.
“Every country must nurture a global vision aimed at opening continuous high-speed access to everyone through adapted infrastructure and a global policy for access to data, voice, video, and application development. That said, this strategy for developing broadband access goes hand in hand with the development of energy and water access.”
Following this seminar, an action plan organized in three steps was defined:
- The meeting of AFRISWOG (African Spectrum Working Group) leaders and preparation teams for the 2016-2019 period,
- Implementation of WRC-15 results,
- Coordination of work plans, in particular the schedule of events between the ATU and sub-regions, within the framework of WRC-19 preparations.
Useful links:
http://arcep.bj/seminaire-international-de-lunion-africaine-des-telecommunications/
http://www.gouv.bj/sites/default/files/technologies_large_bande.pdf
http://arcep.bj/seminaire-international-de-luat-sur-le-large-bande/
http://www.itu.int/fr/ITU-R/conferences/wrc/Pages/default.aspx
