COUNTRY FOCUS: ANGOLA
“
SUCH A DIRECT
CONNECTION BETWEEN AFRICA
AND THE AMERICAS WILL HAVE A
PROFOUND EFFECT OF CREATING
AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE ‘HEART
OF THE INTERNET’ BY DIVERTING
THE LOCATION OF DATA CENTRES
AND INTERNET EXCHANGE
POINTS (IXP) TO AFRICA.
to and from Africa, bypassing Europe. Once
operational, Angola Cables will be part of the
responsible entities for the digital exchange
servicing Africa and South America.
Together with growing terrestrial fibre
optic systems, mobile technologies and
satellite services, such a direct connection
between Africa and the Americas will have
a profound effect of creating an alternative
to the ‘heart of the Internet’ by diverting,
for example, the location of data centres
and Internet Exchange Points (IXP) to
Africa, facilities traditionally located in
developed markets. To this, Angola now has
the third biggest IXP on the continent in
Angonix. Further knock-on effects include the
development of hubs for telecommunications
innovation on the continent.
www.intelligentcio.com
Fostering ICT innovation and
international collaboration
Telecommunications and digitalisation
are some of the most powerful tools for
empowering countries and economies.
If one looks at mobile telephony, it has
spread further and faster in Africa than
any other part of the world. According to
GSMA, a global organisation representing
nearly 800 mobile operators and hundreds
of mobile technology companies, the
doubling of mobile data usage increases
annual growth in GDP per person by half
a percentage point. Consider some of the
following facts about the mobile market in
Sub-Saharan Africa:
• Currently, there are 420 million unique
mobile subscribers in the region, a
number projected to grow to about 535
million by 2020.
• Smartphone connections have doubled
over the past two years to nearly 200
million, accounting for a quarter of
mobile connections.
Sub-Saharan Africa now accounts for nearly
a tenth of the global mobile subscriber base
and is expected to grow faster than any
other region over the next five years. With an
improved connection between the Americas
and Africa, complemented by a strong mobile
industry on the continent, the social and
economic development of the regions is
expected to improve in line with such growth.
Mobile connectivity has become one of the
main platforms for innovation and the driving
force for greater inclusion, with about 270
INTELLIGENTCIO
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