Optical Transport: Igniting Africa’s Digital Growth

Broadband access is one of today’s key drivers of economic and social improvement. This is a pressing issue in Africa where broadband penetration remains the lowest globally; Africa’s average household penetration rate is 12%, compared to the global average of 63%. The African Development Bank Group highlights an urban-rural divide, with 6% of rural areas having some form of digital connectivity.

Government initiatives like the Smart Africa Alliance’s Smart Broadband project and investment from the World Bank through its Digital Economy for Africa scheme, along with private sector funding, have helped drive digital connectivity improvements. This investment is key to supporting service providers deploying broadband to the unserved and underserved rural areas that need it most and re-architecting existing networks for the next generation of bandwidth demand. ?

While this is a great opportunity for service providers, the cost and technical requirements to carry out successful deployments in the region are challenging. Having the right blend of expertise and technology is vital to ensure projects are successful.?

Support with congestion and capacity

Network congestion remains a significant challenge in Africa, largely due to rapid population growth and increasing demand for digital services putting pressure on limited infrastructure.

Technical partners can deliver specialist technologies such as alien wavelengths to reclaim capacity for providers on existing spans of backhaul, helping overcome the challenges of congested networks. This will help propel forward Africa’s digital future, meeting its population’s connectivity needs.

As service providers plan rural deployments, they will need to install, or upgrade backhaul capacity that can cope with future demand. Working with a specialist technology partner can help anticipate capacity needs while creating a tailored solution for service providers that offers an exceptional cost-to-performance ratio.

Overcoming costs of expansion

It can cost up to twice as much to deploy new base stations in rural areas, and three times more to operate them than in urban areas, and data shows that only 59% of the African population resides within reach of terrestrial backbone infrastructure.

Service providers require a wide range of WDM equipment with specialist capabilities, such as extended reach and bi-directional communications over a single strand of fiber, to ensure deployments reach communities. This can be provided by specialist partners, such as Ekinops, to deliver both the flexible capacity today’s networks need, and a future-proof platform to meet tomorrow’s demand.

The power of partnership

There is a clear opportunity for service providers to expand their networks into rural Africa. While the above challenges must be accounted for, they can be overcome with the right support. However, not all partners are created equally.

It’s important for service providers to work with partners that understand their key objectives and can deliver the consultancy and technical solutions needed to meet a project’s unique requirements. The power of partnership will be critical to provide truly tailored and cost-effective rural broadband deployment in Africa, ignite its digital future and build a more inclusive, prosperous future for the continent’s citizens.

Interested in learning more? Contact the Ekinops team.

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