Who or what will drive the digital revolution in Africa asks the GSMA



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  Who or what will drive the digital revolution in Africa asks the GSMA

By 2022, the mobile economy will generate more than 150 billion dollars, or nearly 8% of GDP in Africa Saharan. According to the organizers of the GSMA Mobile 360 ​​Series Africa 2018 conference to be held in Rwanda this week,

ITWeb Africa reports from Kigali that delegates were asked if the continent's digital revolution would be led by people or by technology.

Akinlawe Goodluck, Chief of Sub-Saharan Africa at the GSMA, said: "… the forum on mobile money leadership and women for technology are just a few of the sessions that will address the theme of the conference.The number of subscribers in the region today stands at 440 million people, which equates to about 9% of the global base of subscribers to the conference. mobile phone, which is expected to result in a compound annual rate of 4.8%, from 2017 to 2022, more than double the global growth rate over the same period, the penetration rate should reach 50%. % of here 2023 and 52% by 2025. "

Goodluck added this discussion will focus on the emergence of 3G as the most dominant networking technology in Africa as it now represents 60% of connections from sub-Saharan Africa, and this should be the case until 2025.

"We also expect that by 2025, mobile broadband connections will account for 87% of all connections in the region. In 2017, mobile technologies and services generated more than 7% of GDP in sub-Saharan Africa – a contribution that represented about $ 110 billion in economic value. By the year 2022, the mobile economy will generate more than $ 150 billion, or nearly 8% of GDP, while countries continue to benefit from a larger mobile Internet enhanced by technologies and generating efficiencies. By 2025, we believe that nearly 300 million more people will come online, the majority of them connecting via mobile broadband networks.

According to Goodluck, delegates will need to evaluate African governments' policies for economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa with mobile money transactions, for example, growing 15 percent in 2017 to reach 19.2 percent. billion US dollars.

Rise of mobile technology

"To extend connectivity to under-served areas and to ensure the long-term sustainability of the industry requires the establishment and the concentration of regulatory frameworks and investment-friendly policies to facilitate clearer investment spending programs. Two key points to support the growth of the mobile ecosystem are the implementation of a spectrum management framework and appropriate tax reform to improve the availability of mobile technology for consumers of the Internet. low income segments. "

Jean de Dieu Rurangirwa Information Technology and Communications badured delegates that the country's government was doing its utmost to support the rise of mobile technology.

" Rwanda in particular has put in place an enabling environment to business in the telecommunications sector with the right regulations and infrastructure. Through collaboration, partnerships and mutual respect, the telecommunications sector has indeed made its mark in the larger digital revolution. The opportunities for trade diversification and investment in the telecommunications industry are considerable. The Rwandan government offers preferential treatment to companies when they want to invest in different areas of ICT in our economy.

The GSMA's Report on Spectrum Pricing in Developing Countries published on the sidelines of the event indicates that spectrum prices in developing countries are, on average, more than three times higher than in developed countries, given incomes.

The report also reveals that governments are raising spectrum prices to maximize government revenues. [ad_2]
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