Authorities should explain internet problems

Mmegi Editor | Tuesday August 18, 2015 11:21

The ‘unhappy hour’ comes at a time when the SADC region has invested hundreds of millions of Dollars in the East Africa, and West Africa undersea cable projects which were completed three years ago. When this project was at concept stage, and later implemented, we were told that it was going to improve internet connectivity across Africa, as well as reduce the costs of internet use in the continent. Speed was also mentioned as the main objective of the project.

There is no doubt that the internet dominates every form of communication, be it private conversations, business deals, financial transactions, and even teleconferencing. The internet has transformed the way people do things the world-over in countries that have it, to such a degree that going back is not an option. Communities or countries with poor internet connectivity are likely to remain behind forever, as they will appeal little to investors, resulting in lost economic opportunities due to lack of internet. With the world moving fast, and globalisation picking pace every other day, it is disturbing that our internet connectivity is so slow, and sometimes non-existent. What is even more appaling is the total silence from our authorities, particularly Botswana Telecommunications Corporation, BoFiNet, and Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority, which are mandated with providing us with this vital service.

During the four weeks, which we mentioned earlier in this article, no explanation came out of the BTCL offices, either in the form of press release, statement or just verbal explanation on what was going on. It was business as usual. We cannot continue to live like this if indeed we are serious and committed to competing with the rest of the world. When there are problems, people ought to be told what is happening to a service they heavily rely on and whether something is being done to rectify the problem. One does not need to be a rocket scientist to tell customers that there is a problem. While we see some of the services as not so important, we should remember that in some of the countries we compete for investors, access to the internet is considered a right.

Lastly, we hope that as we move towards a new vision, post 2016, we shall include access to the internet as a right that should be enjoyed by all. Access to the internet is as vital as access to water, food, and shelter, and therefore should be treated as such.

Today’s thought

“ The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.”

 

- Bill Gates