Hear about Telkom’s future network and backhaul plans
The long term outlook for broadband in Africa is exceptionally good. Current penetration is very low, and Africa’s economic growth is impressive – indeed, according to an Economist/IMF forecast, Africa will be the fastest growing region in the period 2011-2015. The “Africa Rising” meme has taken hold just a decade after the same newspaper now praising the African Lions declared the continent “hopeless” in a notorious cover. Put this alongside the fact that African internet penetration has grown by at least 2300% since the year 2000 – compared to a 480% global average – and the future looks very bright indeed. And connected.
While the macro drivers of greater broadband penetration in Africa have great momentum, the challenges – logistical, financial, regulatory and technological – are truly immense. The combination of immense opportunity and mammoth challenges makes Africa the most exciting frontier in broadband anywhere in the world.
According to in-depth research that the Institute for International Research (IIR) conducted over a two month period in late 2012, backhaul generally and Telkom’s network plans in particular are hot topics in the telecoms industry. IIR is hosting the Broadband Summit on the 18th, 19th and 20th of March, 2013 where Mr. Aphonzo Samuels, Managing Executive: Wholesale Services at Telkom will talk about Telkom’s future network and backhaul plans. The Broadband Summit will once again showcase the very latest technological developments, feature thought-leaders from around the continent, and examine the optimal strategies for increasing broadband penetration in Africa.
The event will cover various issues affecting the telecommunication industry in Africa, including recent developments, challenges, business strategies and market opportunities. The event will feature key speakers in the industry such as Jon Osler, Managing Director – Africa at Intelsat and Ryan Hawthorne, Senior Specialist: Corporate Strategy at Neotel. Hosted alongside our Digital TV Summit, and taking place over three days, the event features two pre-conferences workshops – on monetising LTE and Metro Ethernet, in association with the MEF – and two multi-speaker conference days. For more information visit the website on www.broadbandsummit.co.za