More internet investment needed to sustain Africa’s economic growth

LONDON, May 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ There remains considerable activity and investment in Africa’s national and international broadband infrastructure. Many countries have a range of government programs in place aimed at increasing bandwidth availability, and at extending networks deeper into non-urban areas. Submarine cables now provide 20-times more international bandwidth than was the case in 2010: …

WEF Africa Summit: Africa needs more investment on broadband footprint

WEF Africa Summit is took place the past week in Rwanda’s capital Kigali, under the theme: “Connecting Africa’s Resources Through Digital Transformation”. Improved broadband coverage, availability and access to energy are at the centre of Africa’s move towards the 4th Industrial revolution.     Electricity challenges are weighing on the continent’s outlook in the technology …

Ukraine is in turmoil, but it’s still online. Here’s why

After months of domestic unrest, Ukraine now has Russian troops and a potential international crisis brewing in Crimea. On Friday, reports surfaced that Ukrtelecom, the country’s largest telecom provider, had suffered a major outage in Crimea — with UPI reporting the company alleged phone and Internet services were almost entirely down in the region after …

Is fibre-tapping becoming a threat in Africa?

Fibre-tapping, which involves bending fibre-optic cables and using hi-tech means to access light they emit to steal data, has reportedly been used by UK and US spy agencies. But experts are divided about whether fibre-tapping is a threat in Africa. Earlier this year, it was reported in the UK that spy agency, the Government Communications …

Goldman Sachs: Technology SA’s biggest area of underperformance

Technology is South Africa’s biggest area of economic underperformance, according to a new report from Goldman Sachs. The report, entitled ‘Two Decades of Freedom’, highlights South Africa’s achievements since the establishment of democracy in 1994 and the challenges the country still faces. Though it said South Africa has made significant advancements in the last 20 …

African ministers seal internet deal to accelerate broadband

Ministers from six African countries have come to an agreement to accelerate broadband access across Sub-Saharan Africa. Government ministers from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia met during the weekend in Botswana to discuss general points for consideration to expand internet access across the countries. Nonofo E Molefhi, minister of transport and communication for …