Telecom Lead Africa: African broadband market is set to
see some action.
ITU and Nexpedience, a supplier of broadband
infrastructure, are partnering to offer broadband access in Africa.
Nexpedience will offer 180 Expedience base stations worth
USD 1 million to be deployed in six African nations.
Burundi will be the first nation to benefit from the new
infrastructure. Broadband infrastructure will be deployed in Djibouti, Burkina
Faso, Mali, Rwanda and Swaziland.
Nexpedience claims that its base stations are designed
for rural deployment. These base stations can withstand extreme meteorological
conditions and capable of providing up to 32 kilometres of sector coverage.
ITU’s Wireless Broadband Network in Africa project aims
to develop and implement wireless broadband connectivity and applications that
will provide free or low-cost digital access for schools, hospitals, and
under-served populations in rural and remote areas Africa-wide.
Brahima Sanou, director of ITU’s Telecommunication
Development Bureau (BDT), said the partnership represents another important
element in ITU’s efforts to bring broadband technology to the world.
Kiriako Vergos, CEO of Nexpedience, said that giving
access to broadband technology to underserved populations in Africa is of great
importance to us. There are enormous benefits to be derived from a
broadband-seed deployment strategy, and we decided to partner with ITU because
we know that the organization has the team in place to get it done.
