2. The Networked Society for Africa is an industry attempt to contribute to
individual countries' and Africa's policy development for broadband
deployment and adoption and make the message more actionable.
As a starting point, all countries in the region are strongly encouraged
to have a broadband policy in place. Those that have it need to review
and ensure that it sets 'SMART' targets in place, and suggest
mechanisms through which those targets can be achieved within a
reasonably short period.
Governments are generally endowed with a number of policy and
regulatory instruments, if amended with some judiciousness and
applied appropriately; they are supposed to make the deployment and
adoption of broadband a swift exercise. A number of issues warrant
attention; however as means to lay the foundation, this paper focuses
itself on the following areas:
1. Executive summary
Statistics for broadband and internet penetration in Africa are very low when
compared to the rest of the world. Meanwhile, countries worldwide are embarking
on ambitious plans to deliver 'Broadband for All' to their citizens. According to the
UN Broadband Commission Annual Report 2012, by mid-2012 some 119 countries
had a policy in place. Various African states have broadband plans or policies;
however, few set clear operational measures to achieve.
Implement light-touch regulation
Promote infrastructure sharing
Accelerate infrastructure roll-out
Systematize and incentivize innovation
Harmonize spectrum policies
throughout the continent
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2 Networked Society for Africa
3. The DAE is one of the seven flagship initiatives of the
Europe 2020 Strategy, set out to define the key
enabling role that the use of Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT) will have to play if
Europe wants to succeed in its ambitions for 2020.
In emulating the DAE in the context of Africa's
broadband development, Ericsson, or the broader ICT
industry, does not intend to try and set a political
agenda for the 55 countries in the region, let alone a
single country. The Networked Society for Africa is not
an attempt to dictate to governments how to go about
doing its job but it is a bid to reach out and collaborate.
The need for coordinated efforts between government
and industry in the deployment and adoption of
broadband has never been greater. Increased
cooperation between private and public sector will
hopefully increase penetration for broadband, or mobile
broadband in the region.
The Networked Society for Africa is by no means a new
concept to Africa. Access to advanced ICT has long
been identified to being critical to Africa's long-term
economic and social development.
The humble beginnings of the idea can be found in the
Kigali Protocol of 2008, which was signed by twelve
countries from Eastern and Southern Africa. The
protocol sought to address bottlenecks and challenges
experienced in the lack of backbone infrastructure, and
of appropriate cross-border policy and regulatory
environment.
The defining feature between the DAE and the Kigali
Protocol is that the latter focused more on
infrastructural development, as opposed to the creation
of a digital economy.
2. Background
The Networked Society for Africa uses international cases such as the Digital
Agenda for Europe (DAE) as a reference model. Other models from the African
continent, such as the Kigali Protocol also lend a hand in defining the path to be
followed by the Networked Society for Africa.
The Networked Society
for Africa is not an
attempt to dictate to
governments how to
go about doing its job
but it is a bid to reach
out and collaborate.
Networked Society for Africa 3
4. 3. Introduction
While research on the contribution of broadband to
economic development has confirmed its positive
impact, it has also yielded results that vary.
Constrained by the availability of data, analyses have
largely focused on the developed countries of the
world, typically Western Europe and North America.
This could probably suggest an under-estimation of the
impact of broadband on economic growth in the
developing world and Africa in particular.
The growth prospects, described above, present the
continent with an opportunity to leverage the ubiquity
and success of broadband. While most African states
have a broadband plan in one form or another, few set
clear operational measures to implement it. The
Networked Society for Africa is intended to make the
broadband deployment and adoption message more
actionable.
The ITU Broadband Commission in its 2010 Leadership
Imperative: The Future Built on Broadband Report
opined that countries that succeeded in rolling out
broadband networks and integrating them into their
economic and social fabric have done so not
necessarily on the back of vast wealth or huge
investments, but on the basis of early and consistent
prioritization of broadband at every level of policy
making.
International experiences have shown a positive correlation between broadband
penetration, economic growth and job creation. The lessons learnt from these
global assessments demonstrate the transformational power of Information and
Communications Technologies (ICTs); impediments must therefore be addressed
with insistence to harness the richness of broadband.
The Networked Society for
Africa encourages policy
makers and regulators to
promote, encourage and
incentivize market based
solutions in the challenge
to expand broadband
access and adoption, and
thus connect Africa one
country at a time.
4 Networked Society for Africa
5. 4. Networked Society for
Africa framework
4.1 Harmonized spectrum
The lack of fixed telecommunications infrastructure in
the region will continue to drive greater adoption of
mobile broadband. On the other hand, spectrum is the
lifeblood for this critical mobile broadband industry.
Without access to licensed, coordinated and
harmonized spectrum mobile broadband will not
function optimally. Moreover, the social and economic
development prospects will be severely restrained.
Harmonized spectrum is critical for the development of
public mobile broadband access. The same applies for
the industry to be able to successfully respond to
national policy goals, by providing standardized
products that are operational in licensed bands.
Broadband policies need to clearly articulate the critical
role of harmonized spectrum, and assertively identify
potential additional spectrum for the industry.
Spectrum harmonization also enables the market to
reach economies of scale much quicker, and drive the
cost of devices and network equipment down. Global
roaming, cross-border coordination and device
interoperability across political and geographic
boundaries are some of the implicit benefits of a
harmonized spectrum.
5.Implementlight-touchregulation
3.Promoteinfrastructuresharing
2.Accelerateinfrastructureroll-out
4.Systematizeand
incentivizeinnovation
1.Harmonizespectrumpolicies
throughoutthecontinent
Foster social and economic development, competition
and investment in sub-Saharan Africa’s digital economy.
Delivery broadband all citizens by 2020
Figure 1: Networked Society for Africa framework
4.2 Infrastructure rollout
Various reasons can be attributed to the long lead
times to infrastructure deployment in the developing
countries. The high costs associated with rights of way,
ducts and tower construction, the associated legal and
regulatory difficulties in obtaining permits for access to
streets, road and public land present some of the
challenges and obstacles for accelerated infrastructure
rollout.
In some countries, overlaps and contradictions exists
over mandate and jurisdiction of different public
authorities who may be involved in the process. This
creates pseudo-regulatory bodies and the opportunity
for forum shopping within the industry, thus leading to
inconsistencies and unnecessary delays to
infrastructure rollout.
A National Broadband policy should preferably
pronounce on the responsible public authority that is
mandated as a single port of call for access to public
resources such as land and buildings. Within a single
country, the administrative process of applying for
access to these resources should be harmonized and
made consistent across all regions and sub-regions.
Networked Society for Africa 5
6. 4.3 Promote shared infrastructure
The start of telecommunications liberalization in the
continent coupled with the introduction of competition,
and the complete or partial privatization of the
incumbent operators unleashed an unprecedented
take-up of mobile communications. Mobile broadband
has benefited immensely from the existing installed
base for mobile voice.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of remote sparsely
populated rural and peri-urban areas are yet to benefit
from this phenomenon. To bridge this access gap in the
economically less viable areas, passive infrastructure
and resources such as towers, ducts and rights of way
can be shared among competitors.
New ways are needed to address the issues of
spectrum availability, a shortage of licenses, tougher
competition in the telecom sector and global financial
pressure. A wholesale network-sharing model based on
cooperation with a third party could unlock added value
for operators, stimulating competition and overall
market growth.
Additionally, it is recommended that broadband
infrastructure rollout should also be deployed in
tandem with other infrastructure civil works such as
roads, sanitation and electricity. This would not only
speed up deployment, but will also reduce the cost of
deployment significantly.
4.4 Systematize and incentivize innovation
Innovation often occurs where the need for change is
greatest. Broadband has been positively identified as a
vehicle for innovation and creating small and medium
enterprises, both in the developing and developed
world.
Without innovative solutions such as pre-paid &
dynamic discount system, millions would not have
been able to afford ICT services. Online remittances
and mobile money transfers have enabled the
'unbanked' masses to have access to mainstream
economy. Most of this innovation has been at random
and at times prohibited and there is now a growing
need for systematized innovation.
The multiplier effects of ubiquitous broadband adoption
also finds expression in a myriad of social and
economic settings, in particular, economic
diversification and growth, entrepreneurship, the
creation of employment opportunities and the
development of a talent pool to draw 'specific expertise'
from.
Leveraging the advantages described above could
provide fertile ground to foster continuous innovation;
however, this requires a review of some legacy policy
frameworks or a complete overhaul. Sector policies
should be transformed to incentivize innovation instead
of impeding or obstructing it.
4.5 Implement light-touch regulation
The legacy of the historical licensing frameworks that
contained specific details about the particular
technology to be used by an operator and how it shall
be implemented is still existent in several markets in
the region. A number of jurisdictions have, or are
currently migrating to light-touch regulatory frameworks
in the form of converged or unified licensing. These
instruments embrace technology neutrality among
others as an enabler for rapid technology evolution.
Investments in network infrastructure are long-term,
large-scale undertakings that rely on confidence in the
existence of stable market rules and industry policies to
stimulate investments and the usage of broadband
services. Meanwhile, policy and regulation of the ICT
sector presents a significant impact on Research and
Development investments and innovative services in
the industry.
Policy makers are implored to consider technology
neutral frameworks that treat the underlying platforms
equally. At the other end of the continuum, the
regulators' goal should be to regulate the service where
regulation is warranted and not the technology
platform.
6 Networked Society for Africa
7. References
Ÿ Ericsson ICT Policy for the Networked Society
Ÿ http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/2012/ict_policy_for_networked_society.pdf
Ÿ Challenges of broadband infrastructure development in Africa – NEPAD presentation, Sep 2010
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/cpsi/unpan042392.pdf
Ÿ ITU Broadband Commission 2010 Leadership Imperative: The Future Built on Broadband report
Ÿ ITU Broadband Commission Annual Report, 2012
Ÿ Ericsson White Paper: Wholesale network sharing - evolving the model
http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/whitepapers/wp-wholesale-model.pdf
Ÿ The OECD's Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry: Public Rights of Way for Fibre Deployment to
the Home.
5. Conclusion
The African population of close to one billion people presents to business both an opportunity due to potential
market size and a challenge due to possible fragmentation. Unlike China, U.S.A. or India, these inhabitants are
distributed over 55 sovereign states with 55 different regulatory regimes.
The African Ministers in charge of Communication and Information Technologies at their meeting held in Khartoum,
Republic of The Sudan in September 2012, re-affirmed that ICTs are critical to Africa's development, economic
competitiveness, in the attainment of the African Union Vision and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
If Africa is to benefit from the ICT sector as recognized by the Ministers, the different National Broadband policies
need to speak to the imperatives of regional integration.
The Networked Society for Africa acknowledges and commends the various regional infrastructure development
initiatives that seek to attain the objectives outlined in this document. These include but not limited to:
Ÿ The African Union Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA)
Ÿ The African Union New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD)
Ÿ The ITU Harmonization of ICT Policies in sub-Saharan Africa (HIPSSA)
Ÿ The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) Spectrum Harmonization initiatives
Networked Society for Africa 7
