African businesses and consumers are increasingly adopting broadband for basic internet access and voice services, adding momentum to the move from dial-up to ADSL, a study by ICT market research group BMI-TechKnowledge has revealed.
According to the report’s co-author Maxwell Chanakira, access to international capacity remains an inhibiting factor to the overall development of broadband services on the continent, with the notable exception of North Africa.
He said that a number of terrestrial and submarine cables planned for construction across Africa in the next eighteen months are expected to boost growing broadband access demands on backbone capacity substantially, while also contributing to lower prices.
The research predicts that by 2011, the dial-up market in Africa will decline to 1,9-million subscribers as the number of DSL connections rises to the region of 5,4-million, while total wireless connections — both cellular and fixed wireless — would rise to 5,2-million.
It added that in North Africa, countries leading the way in the adoption of ADSL technology include Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia.
“African states that already have extensive copper networks are expected to maximise this investment. In East Africa, the adoption rates for ADSL have been comparatively slow, with Sudan and Kenya at the forefront in this region”, said Chanakira.
These countries, along with South Africa, are expected to have the number of their ADSL subscribers exceed 4,4-million in 2011.
Chanakira added that West Africa was increasing its uptake of ADSL with Nigeria and Senegal as leading countries.
However, Central Africa appears to be the region that is lagging behind the rest of the continent in upgrading to ADSL connections, he said.
The total five year cumulative capital expenditure for broadband infrastructure is expected to reach $1,2-billion by 2011. ‒ I-Net Bridge