Nigeria - to focus on broadband connectivity in the future

[it news africa] The chairman of Nigeria’s telecommunications regulatory authority Nigeria’s Communications Commission (NCC), Earnest Ndukwe, has called for focus on broadband internet connectivity by emerging markets as a means of forging ahead in global competitiveness.

“Most emerging markets will continue to lag behind in the global competitiveness unless broadband internet connectivity is given a priority attention in the scheme of things including ICT equipment and infrastructure”, Ndukwe told reporters in Lagos.

The NCC boss added that emerging markets including Nigeria could make use of the broadband initiative to fast-track developments in various sectors of her economy and consequently become global players in their quest for making giant economic strides in 2020.

Ndukwe said the idea also formed part of a paper presented by his commission to a capacity building conference on ICT Investments in emerging economies organized by the Commonwealth Telecommunication Organizations, CTO in London recently.

He disclosed that while many questions on what type of regulation can promote investment, consistency and predictability were raised during the Panel discussion that attracted heated debate on how best to build robust ICT infrastructures in the emerging markets, his commission had averred that government has intervened to ensure lower prices and fairer access to national and international fibre infrastructure, adding that NCC has actually taken a role in getting this infrastructure built.

“Broadband infrastructure and connectivity provide an opportunity not only for economic surge, but also present long-term benefits that transverse almost every aspect of Nigeria and rest of the African sub-region. There is no better time to embrace this technology as an essential factor for the development of African societies” he said.

Reports have seen broadband Internet access as becoming an essential part of everyday life, and part of how people communicate, book their holidays, search for work, find out news, purchase goods and educate their children.

Studies have also revealed that broadband in the rest of the world will grow from 16 million to 48 million lines in the same period, so the world will add 273 million lines to reach 683 million in total.

Nigeria intensifies focus on broadband connectivity