Unprecedented Internet growth in Africa

Birgitta Cederstrom, market research company Frost & Sullivan information and communication technology (ICT) business unit leader for Africa, added that this was despite relatively low Internet penetration on the African continent (an estimated 120-million users), compared to the developed world.

Cederstrom said the more mature markets in Africa, such as South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and Egypt, were experiencing the most growth. "With the new undersea cables and terrestrial fibre roll-out, as well as the satellite influx across Africa, we expect to see close to double-digits in terms of growth in the more mature markets over the next two to three years." She attributed the growth to IT infrastructure developments, such as cable systems in East Africa that have boosted the region's Internet use. Undersea fibre-optic cable network operator Seacom recently announced that in 2012, it would upgrade its East African submarine cable and increase capacity to meet rising demand from the African continent.

Cederstrom says over the next two years, initiatives that would connect West Africa will rise in numbers, increasing the international bandwidth by triple digits. "This infrastructure boost will lead to an increase in consumer and enterprise demand for broadband." Frost & Sullivan predicted further that the improved connectivity in 2012 will boost the data business sector in Africa, creating jobs and faster return on investment, she stated. Also spurring data services use in Africa for 2012, is the prediction of further price drops during the year. "Last year, the use of data services in South Africa grew by 28% and we believe that in the next two to three years, it will grow by up to 60%," Cederstrom said.

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