©1998-2003 ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) E-Strategies. Page - 1 ICTs – Challenges and Opportunities for Africa Alexander NTOKO Chief,

©1998-2003 ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) E-Strategies. Page - 1

ICTs – Challenges and Opportunities for Africa

Alexander NTOKO

Chief, E-Strategy Unit

ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)

Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D

SYMPOSIUM ON AFRICAN ICT ROADMAP TO ACHIEVE NEPAD OBJECTIVES

Arusha, Tanzania, 1-3 April 2003

©1998-2003 ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) E-Strategies. Page - 2

ICTs – Challenges and Opportunities for Africa

The Drivers

The Trends

The Opportunities

The Challenges

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Drivers –Technology and Network Effect

o Moore’s Law: The performance of micro-processors (computing power) doubles every 18 months resulting in cheaper, faster and affordable technologies.

o Metcalfe’s Law of Connectivity: The value of a network grows exponentially with the number of nodes. As the number of nodes double the value of the network quadruples ( f(x) = x2 )

©1998-2003 ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) E-Strategies. Page - 4

The Technological Evolution is Driving the Digital Revolution

o The phenomenal rise in computing power per dollar .o The transition from analogue to digital

telecommunication technologies and the emergence of digital mobile terrestrial networks (2+G).

o The migration from circuit-switched to packet-switched networks.

o The emergence of a de-facto channel for multi-media transmission (Internet Protocol).

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..and this is Driving Global Trends

1. Convergence of technologies and networksTelecom + Computing + Broadcasting Multimedia Networks Fixed (Wired line) Mobile/Wireless Convergence (FMC)

2. Increase in network transmission capacity for terrestrial (wired/wireless), satellite and mobile.

3. New alliances, partners, services and business models.

4. The breakdown of geographical and time barriers perpetuating the phenomenon of Globalisation.

5. ICTs As an Enabler for Other Industries through ICT Applications for health, commerce, education and government services.

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And through ICT Applications Several Sectors can Benefit from the e-Revolution

1. Health Access to health/medical information.Access to remote specialist.Basic health information to population.

2. EducationAccess to wide range of educational resourcesLower cost for learning through e-learning

3. Government ServicesIncreased efficiency of government servicesBetter services to citizens

4. CommerceAccess to New MarketsBetter Return for Goods/Services (dis-intermediation)

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But Africa to reap the benefits of ICTs, it must address some main challenges

Technology

Resources

Infrastructure

Environment

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The Challenges1. Infrastructure

Telecommunication –Affordable and AccessibleRegional Backbone for AfricaPower (Electricity) – Stable and Available

2. EnvironmentGlobalisation, LiberalisationDe-Regulation and PrivatisationPolicies, Strategies and Legal Issues

3. TechnologySoftware acquisition and development (Open Source)Standards and Interoperability IP Address Managementcountry code TLD (ccTLD) Names

4. ResourcesFinancialHuman Capacity

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What should governments do?

1. Policies to facilitate and promote investment and use of Telecom and ICTs.

2. Address Issues related to the Management of Internet IP Addresses and ccTLDs.

3. Strategy for Addressing Trust and Confidence in the use of Telecom and ICTs.

4. Appropriate E-legislation for ICTs including Intellectual Protection.

5. Being a service provider (e.g., for e-government services)

6. Facilitating Partnerships with various stakeholder

©1998-2003 ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) E-Strategies. Page - 10

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/e-strategy

[email protected]