Issue 9 February - May 2002

Sizwe Nxasana, CEO of Telkom

While the technologies with which humans communicate have reached an almost unbelievable level of sophistication, there are people in the world today who have never made a telephone call. Switching on a personal computer is the stuff of dreams. Using technology to improve the quality of their lives is simply incomprehensible. It needn’t be this way.

Bridging the ever-widening digital divide has become one of the most crucial challenges of the 21st century. When I use the term “digital divide” I do not only refer to the void between the mostly urban, affluent “haves” and the rural, impoverished “have-nots”, but also the chasm that exists between the African continent and the developed world.

We all know that the emergence of an information economy has turned the world on its head and redefined the global economy. It is also common knowledge that Communication and Information Technology will continue to be the key drivers for economic growth and socio-economic upliftment.

Aware that it must sink or swim in this sea of technological change, Africa is endeavouring to harness these technologies and compete in the global marketplace. We have, in the past couple of years, witnessed the continent take its first steps into the digital world of the Internet and E-Commerce. The fact that all African countries today have some form of Internet access, compared to only four in 1993 is proof that progress is being made.

The positive developments taking place on the continent are mainly the result of governments relinquishing their grip on telecommunication monopolies, as well as joint ventures and strategic partnerships between first world corporations and developing nations that result in infrastructure modernisation.
However, the other side of the coin is not so shiny.

Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, has only 0,4% of the world’s telephone lines while countries in central Africa have less than 2 telephone lines for every 1 000 people. There are many similar—and equally depressing—examples, but I do not want to belabour the point. The bottom line is this: To ensure Africa surfs the information revolution wave, to make Africa part of the digital economy, policy-makers and businesses will have to find solutions to a number of challenges. I want to briefly touch on four such challenges.

The first of these is strengthening the communications network that spans the continent. Stringing copper is no longer an adequate solution. What the continent needs is a high-density, high-bandwidth fibre network complemented by satellite access. The SAT-3/WASC/SAFE submarine cable project that Telkom and 35 other telecommunications operators are engaged in, is precisely the kind of breakthrough the continent needs in terms of both technology and bandwidth.

Infrastructure development also implies discarding disparate technologies. Telkom and the SADC countries is currently, through its Regional Information Initiative, busy with a number of projects aimed at upgrading and expanding the telecommunications network and establishing a regional network with advanced technology capable of linking all countries in the development community.

The second challenge is pricing. Policy-makers need to ensure that pricing and access information and communication technology complement each other.

Thirdly, legislative and regulatory measures must ensure that the objective of increased teledensity can be pursued.

Lastly, a culture of what I like to call “digital dexterity“ must be fostered among the youth through development programmes aimed at improving computer and technology skills.

The clock is ticking and the stakes are high. If the digital divide turns into a chasm, the ideal of sustainable economic development will not be realised and Africa will continue to be choked by the stranglehold of poverty. The time has come to join hands and find solutions to build a bridge across this ugly divide once and for all.

I have, over the past couple of years, discovered just how satisfying and enriching an experience this can be. The thrill of being part of a company that is building a bridge across the divide and the satisfaction that comes from seeing people improving the quality of their lives and broadening their horizons are almost indescribable.
When all is said and done, the digital divide is not about teledensity figures and penetration statistics. It’s about people. It’s about the old man that makes his first telephone call and the young girl that receives her first e-mail. How can one not be part of such a magnificent undertaking?