Africa Tech Festival: Broadband development across Africa is a priority

Africa's fibre broadband development took centre stage at the Forum, highlighting policy, 5.5G, innovation and industry excellence. Picture: Huawei

Africa's fibre broadband development took centre stage at the Forum, highlighting policy, 5.5G, innovation and industry excellence. Picture: Huawei

Published Nov 13, 2024

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The Africa Broadband Forum 2024 was held on Tuesday at the start African Tech Festival in Cape Town.

This Forum was done under the theme F5.5G accelerating all-optical connectivity in Africa.

Africa's fibre broadband development took centre stage at the Forum, highlighting policy, 5.5G, innovation and industry excellence.

The event looked at ways to explore strategies for expanding fibre infrastructure and enhancing connectivity in Africa.

Telecommunications company, Huawei said that it was working with the fibre industry sectors to build an intelligent, All-Optical access network.

Kim Jin, Vice President of Huawei’s Optical Business Product Line said that the company was looking for ways to seize opportunities for coverage monetisation, bandwidth monetisation, and experience monetisation to achieve business success and accelerate the development of Africa's digital economy.

A new white paper

During the event, organisers released the 2024 Broadband Africa White Paper.

The research outlines the vision and roadmap for fibre broadband development across Africa’s "initial ", "developing ", and "leading" markets through 2030.

The paper predicted that Africa’s broadband penetration will surpass 30% by 2030, with fibre connections comprising over half of broadband users.

The research also provided strategic policies and business pathways that are essential for achieving widespread broadband access across Africa.

This the forum’s sixth year, and organisers said that they feel that they have solidified it’s role as a key platform for industry exchange across region.

By uniting African stakeholders, the forum hoped to accelerate broadband development, innovation and knowledge-sharing, powering the continent's digital advancement.

IOL Business