ICT companies urged to offer bandwidth services

Though mobile usage has increased in Africa more than in both Asia and the Middle East in recent years, access to internet remains a challenge- at about 5% internet usage in the continent. This has hampered economic growth and government efforts of alleviating poverty.

At a recent Information, Communication Technology (ICT) conference attended by stakeholders from government with a large presence of Swedish ICT companies, Butiki Shabangu from Ericsson Sub-Saharan Africa said the digital divide is a major obstacle in Africa. In his presentation on the topic, "Digital Cities and Integrated Safety and Security Agencies", Shabangu said improved information flow could bring efficiency in governments through e-services.