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THE African mobile market is the fastest growing in the world with 17 per cent of sub- Saharan population owning a mobile phone, up from 1 per cent in the 1990s, according to information made available by the World Bank.
The mobile market is expanding at twice the rate of the global market rate and there are at least five times more mobile phones than landline subscribers, says the bank.
Statistics show that US$25 billion was invested in the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector in sub-Saharan Africa between 1995 and 2005, mostly by private investors. The communications revolution is explained in part by the opening up of the telecommunications sector to competition, reform of state-owned enterprises and the establishment of independent regulators, the bank said.
By 2006, there were more than 110 million mobile subscribers in sub-Saharan Africa, said the bank. But the cost of Internet access is relatively higher compared to other regions, it notes.
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The cost of dial-up Internet access in sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, is approximately US$50 per month compared with US$12 per month in South Asia. A basic 256 Kbps broadband connection in East Africa costs US$250-350 per month, compared to US$30 in Mexico, US$43 in India, and US$50 in Philippines, it stated. The World Bank Group, the International Telecommunications Union, the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) Global Alliance for ICT and Development and other organisations have teamed up to support the new Connect Africa initiative, which aims to tackle this problem.
According to the bank, "This global multi-stakeholder partnership aims to mobilise the human, financial, and technical resources required to bridge the gaps in information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure in Africa. The ultimate goal is to use affordable connectivity to stimulate economic growth, employment, and development throughout Africa."
Credit: This Day
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