The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with telecom company Ericsson to help fast track roll out of technology across the continent
According to ATU, an African Union specialised agency in fostering ICT growth in Africa, the MoU will support ICT growth as a critical infrastructure and help lay the foundations for the continent’s social and economic progress.
The two organisations seek to promote global and regional coordination and spectrum usage harmonisation to encourage economies of scale and maximise affordability for all African users.
John OMO, secretary general of the ATU, said, “Our collaboration with Ericsson is geared towards connecting, innovating and transforming the continent into a knowledge economy.”
OMO, who spoke at the signing of the MoU in Nairobi, Kenya, further noted that it is imperative that economies across the continent become more competitive, agile, open and innovative to leverage ICT innovations in order to transform African nations into smart economies.
This move comes at a time when Africa continues to experience unprecedented mobile broadband growth, with traffic, subscriptions and device ownership growing at exponential rates. The continent has emerged as one of the strongest innovation adopters, with rapid growth in technology and smartphone usage.
According to a November 2019 Ericsson Mobility Report, mobile broadband subscriptions for sub-Saharan Africa will increase to about 70 per cent of mobile subscriptions by 2025, with increased 4G coverage and uptake being the main engine. Driving factors behind this shift include a young and growing population, and lower-priced smart phones and feature phones available.
