Report on how to make internet accessible and affordable in Africa launched

(4 minutes read)

· A report published in the Internet Society (www.InternetSociety.org) created a road map for African countries to make internet connectivity less expensive and more intense.

· The report suggests measures to bring down the cost of usage of the internet in the continent.

· There is the need for technical overhaul to keep the cost under check. Presently, internet service
roviders have to use expensive international Internet connectivity to exchange and access content, which is hosted abroad since they do not have a local IXP.

A report published in the Internet Society (www.InternetSociety.org) created a road map for African countries to make internet connectivity less expensive and more intense. A better connectivity, the report points out, is a key opportunity for countries to continue building more resilient digital economies. The report reveals how a vibrant Internet ecosystem is critical to bringing faster, and more affordable Internet to Africa to script changes in the economic, social and political landscape of the continent.

The report by the society is coming at a time when there is widespread demand in the continent for reducing the price of accessing the internet and making it affordable to people. Interestingly, the mobile penetration in Africa is increasing, which can help the continent in extending many services including banking through the net to pave the way for an inclusive society.

The report suggests measures to bring down the cost of usage of internet in the continent. There is the need for technical overhaul to keep the cost under check. Presently, internet service providers have to use expensive international Internet connectivity to exchange and access content, which is hosted abroad since they do not have a local IXP. If the traffic is allowed to remain local, installing IXP, it will help in making it faster and affordable. Two countries-Kenya and Nigeria-can take the lead in promoting internet locally at affordable
cost since they have already implemented it. For instance, in Kenya, KIXP grew from carrying peak traffic of 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) in 2012 to 19 Gbps in 2020, with cost savings to the extent of US$ 6 million per year. In Nigeria, IXPN grew from carrying just 300 Megabits per second (Mbps) to peak traffic of 125 Gbps in 2020, and cost savings increased forty times to US$ 40 million per year. These are two successful models other countries in Africa can follow.

The report further says that the governments in Kenya and Nigeria adopted policies that made it easier for an Internet ecosystem to thrive and made it easier for different service providers to develop sub-marine cables. They also adopted data protection regulations that spurred confidence and attracted international service providers. Since these countries have a head start in the internet as compared to the rest in the continent, the services sector including financial trade and professional services are thriving in these countries.