Denis Opudo
AfricaCom 2017 which was held in November 2017 discussed the reasons why the internet penetration rate is low in Africa. The reasons behind the poor rate of internet penetration in Africa will always be of interest to anyone whose livelihood depends on the internet. The fact that internet is one the crucial factors in African economic development, more people should be accessible to it. Several reasons were discussed in the forum as to why most Africans are not on the internet. Some of the reasons are discussed below.
No Connectivity
The level of African telephone infrastructure is poor. As a matter of fact, without the right infrastructure, there will be no internet access. Mobile is the connectivity that is known to most people, and the mobile operators have done a recommendable job in ensuring that there is an internet connection in most places. POTRAZ discovers that 98% of internet connections in Zimbabwe is mobile. However, it becomes tough for the mobile operators to spend a lot of money in setting up internet strictures in rural areas.
The fact that most of the rural residence has a low income it makes it hard for the mobile operators to develop areas where they will not rip maximum profits. The government should now come in and develop the areas to make it easier for the residence to raise their income rates.
High cost of data
Despite the fact that there is a low rate of incomes in Zimbabwe, there are still high costs of data. The charging rates are very high, and this is contrary to the fact that there is high rate completion in the telecommunication market where prices are expected to be low. Going with the words of Kamal Bhattacharya the Chief Innovation Officer at Safaricom (Kenya’s Econet) who said that the company would charge what they can charge just says a lot on how high taxed are Africans to acquire the mobile services. That is now the disadvantage of having a free market in the continent. The moment there is no disruption in the industry; customers will still have to pay more.
High cost of devices
This is not anything to go by. Devices are reducing in prices courtesy of Google’s Android is an open source operating system and the high production improvement of China and other Asian countries. Various companies that offer devices on credit like Telecel, NetOne, and Econet in Zimbabwe have made it easier to own a mobile device.
