Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 24 | Page 10

NEWS Liquid Telecom recognised as world leader in IPv6 deployment Liquid Telecom has been recognised as a world leader in the deployment of IPv6 by the IPv6 Forum UK. Manifesto issued on digital economy and inclusive development in Africa A frica’s next steps on the path to engaging in and benefiting from e-commerce were outlined by UNCTAD in its Nairobi Manifesto on the Digital Economy and Inclusive Development in Africa, issued at the conclusion of the first Africa eCommerce Week in Nairobi, Kenya. The manifesto states: “The digital economy, including e-commerce, is proliferating in Africa, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses to expand their market access and join value chains. Jobs are being created and new business models are emerging. “At the same time, the evolving landscape is creating new risks and challenges. The development gains from e-commerce are not automatic and the increased use of digital technologies can result in new divides and wider income inequalities.” L iquid Telecom has been recognised as a world leader in the deployment of IPv6 by the IPv6 Forum UK. The Jim Bound Award recognises Liquid Telecom’s contribution to IPv6 deployment in Africa, where it has achieved double digit IPv6 penetration. The move to IPv6 – the next-generation of Internet Protocol Address – is of growing importance as IPv4 reaches the final stages of exhausting its unallocated address space. Liquid Telecom has been proactive in supporting the move to IPv6 in Africa, where it was among the first to implement IPv6 in Kenya, Zimbabwe and 10 INTELLIGENTCIO Zambia. The company is currently rolling out IPv6 across all its consumer services in the region. “We have worked hard to ensure that the eventual depletion of IPv4 will not have any impact on our customers,” said Mathew Chigwende, Group Head of Network Engineering, Liquid Telecom. With its focus on the inclusive social and economic benefits to be made from new forms of trade, the Nairobi Manifesto charts a course for African countries with policy recommendations in nine critical areas: e-commerce readiness assessment and strategy formulation; information and telecommunications technology infrastructure and services; payment solutions; trade logistics transport and trade facilitation; legal and regulatory frameworks; e-commerce skills development; access to financing; e-commerce and women’s empowerment; and measuring e-commerce and the digital economy. “We have put in place a future-proof procurement policy that ensures we have IPv6 compliant equipment both in the core and customer edge. “We now provide our customers with IPv6 as a default and assist them in implementation.” www.intelligentcio.com