With Africa still lagging behind in broadband access, the African Union has encouraged countries to upgrade the continent's broadband infrastructures in order to catch up with ultra-broadband as the latest broadband internet connection technology. FTTR (fiber-to-the-room).
The FTTR solution extends fiber to rooms and provides multiple FTTR 6 gigabit Wi-Fi master/slave units, all-optical components, and optical cable assembly tools, enabling customers to enjoy a consistent gigabit Wi-Fi experience in every corner of the room. divisions at any time.
Magalie Anderson, director of management information systems at the African Union Commission, said during the recent Africa 2023 Broadband Forum in Dubai that the region will need reliable broadband infrastructure.
“We will need broadband access at all levels, in particular broadband access for all citizens.” Therefore, we must prioritize the allocation of broadband infrastructure and strive to accelerate the adoption of broadband across the population”, said Anderson.
He stated that access to broadband for African families will allow citizens to participate in the development of industries and start-ups in Africa.
Anderson urged member countries to create plans and policies aimed at providing individuals with access to broadband.
“We want them to use best practices from existing global implementations. Use cutting-edge broadband technologies and, most importantly, encourage and promote a culture of broadband adoption.”, said Anderson.
The African Broadband Forum, organized by Huawei and the World Broadband Association (WBBA), aims to provide a useful communication platform for the African broadband sector, promote industry consensus and partnership between members of the industry.
Speaking at the Forum, Martin Creaner, Director General of the WBBA, said the Association is committed to closing broadband gaps in Africa.
Creaner said the Association is trying to create broadband excellence everywhere through collaboration, knowledge, event sharing, advocacy and lobbying.
“And WBBA is bridging the gap, for all the players across the entire ecosystem, so that everyone is working together, both on the supply side and the demand side, and the demand side are the key people who need broadband, whether consumers, the new metaverse, players, industries, such as manufacturing, medical, education or retail. And WBBA is bringing this entire ecosystem together to improve broadband for everyone,” said Creaner.
“But there is still a big gap between parts of Africa with full fiber optic capabilities and others that are working toward that kind of capability, and WBBA is committed to helping accelerate broadband for everyone in Africa.”
According to Richard Jin, Huawei vice president and president of Optical Business Product Line, the African broadband industry has grown dramatically over the past five years.
“The global broadband penetration rate increased from 8% to 12%,” Jin added, citing an increase of 50 million broadband customers.
He stated that the region must prepare for more inventive technology to connect new services and applications.
