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Bridging the African digital divide

Bridging the African digital divide. Roberto BLOIS, Deputy Secretary-General, Opening of Policy and Development Forum 12 November 2001. Africa and the digital divide Catching up in mobile Falling behind on IP connectivity Low level of regional integration Digital divide initiatives

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Bridging the African digital divide

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  1. Bridging the African digital divide Roberto BLOIS, Deputy Secretary-General, Opening of Policy and Development Forum 12 November 2001

  2. Africa and the digital divide Catching up in mobile Falling behind on IP connectivity Low level of regional integration Digital divide initiatives New names for an old problem DOT Force and UN ICT Task Force Improving access and connectivity: a call to action World Summit on the Information Society Agenda

  3. Africa: catching up in mobile Africa's 30 4% mobilephones (millions) 25 Africa's share 3% of global total 20 15 2% 10 1% 5 0 0% 1999 2000 2001 Source: ITU World Telecommunication Indicators Database and forecast.Note: Figures are for year-end.

  4. Africa: Falling behind on IP Africa's IP bandwidth (Mbit/s) 1'400 0.3% Africa's share of 1'200 global total 1'000 0.2% 800 600 0.1% 400 200 0 0.0% 1999 2000 2001 Source: ITU, adapted from TeleGeography Inc. “Packet Geography, 2002”.Note: Figures are for mid-year.

  5. Africa’s Internet traffic travels outside the region Total int'l 1.2 Gbit/s 53 Gbit/s 290 Gbit/s 676 Gbit/s capacity 100% Between 80% regions Within 60% region 40% 20% 0% Africa Asia-Pacific Americas Europe Source: ITU, adapted from TeleGeography Inc. “Packet Geography, 2002”.Note: Figures show inter-regional and intra-regional IP backbone capacity.

  6. Digital divide initiatives • A new name for a well-understood problem • 1980s: The Missing Link • 1990s: Information “haves” and “have nots” • 2000s: The Digital Divide • The Digital Opportunity Task Force • Created at the G8 Okinawa Summit, July 2000 • Reported to the G8 Genoa Summit, July 2001 • What happens next? • The UN ICT Task Force • Proposed by ECOSOC in July 2000 • To be launched by Kofi Annan, November 2001 • Secretariat to be based in New York

  7. Four assumptions and a hypothesis • The digital divide is primarily an infrastructure divide • In 1980s and 1990s, the missing link was for voice communications; now it is for data communications • On the Internet, accelerating returns to scale and economies of scale are significant • “Internet latecomer” and “small market” problems • Public policy should focus on areas of market failure • If Internet access is more expensive to use in Africa, then the digital divide will get wider So, attempts to bridge the digital divide should focus on providing Internet connectivity in Africa

  8. Moving beyond the talk • Need for international co-ordination to improve IP connectivity in African LDCs • It’s a supply-side, infrastructure problem • Better connectivity will provide cheaper access • Regulatory reform is part of the task … • Liberalisation of international gateway, especially for cable landing rights and VSATs • Competitive tendering and market-based solutions • … But international aid is also required • Better connectivity will cut communication costs for international agencies and NGOs • Better connectivity will attract commercial investment

  9. Creating the African Information Society • Moving beyond the digital divide • Celebrating African content • Converging carriage and content • Joining Africa to the global information network • Participating in the World Summit on the Information Society, Geneva 2003 and Tunis 2005

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