Nearly one year ago amid great hype, MTC, one of two mobile operators in Namibia (leo being the other), conducted 4G trials in Windhoek. Nothing has happened since. One year later, the mobile operator is still waiting on obtaining the appropriate spectrum license. Even if MTC secures more funding, the ball is in the national regulator’s court to green-light the request for 4G.

The writing has been on the wall from the beginning. How can the Namibian user-base immediately support 4G service if only five countries in the world had deployed 4G technology at the time of the first trial in Windhoek? At the time, MTC quoted 98% national coverage with 3G speeds of up to 7.2Mbps, but actual speeds were (and are) much lower. Comments on MTC’s Facebook page suggest 3G speeds are hardly at 2G levels. Multiple MTC users ask why 4G is necessary when enhancements to 3G would be the next logical step.

The New Era newspaper uncovered that, in addition to MTC’s lack of a license and the delays with the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia in granting the license, the City of Windhoek is also slowing the process with demands of revenue from the yet-to-be-built network.

A timeline of events sheds light on the drawn-out situation:

• February 2, 2011: “Prime Minister Nahas Angula has called on the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) to urgently award a license to MTC to implement fourth generation (4G) technology.” {Namibia Press Agency}
• February 17, 2011: A 4G trial in front of government officials held in Windhoek showed speeds of “over 100Mbps, which is 20 times faster than the speeds churned out by the current 3G technology.” Streaming mobile video was also demonstrated. However, MTC acknowledged a need to build some more base stations, still was waiting on clear guidelines from the authorities, and stressed the need for fibre to carry the bandwidth. {MTC}
• February 1, 2012: In a press release mirroring that of February 2011, MTC announces a second successful 4G trial. The results were identical to the test run in 2011. Now, MTC cites 29 nations operating 4G technology – but none are in Africa. The wording is very careful, but MTC says they are ready to launch and are waiting on the regulatory body to grant the proper spectrum. {MTC}
• February 2, 2012: MTC told Namibia media that the company is “facing a number of challenges in implementing 4G technology.” {New Era}

The benefits of enhancing the quality of 3G service are more important than winning the race to see which nation and/or operator can first launch 4G in Africa. MTC would be wise to compete with leo for the most robust 3G network instead of competing for a title. What would happen if MTC were to end up with sub-par 4G service but leo were to deliver solid 3G bandwidth?

For your viewing pleasure, we’ve included video of 2011′s first round of public 4G trials:

• South Africa (Cell C)
• Congo-Brazzaville (Airtel)
• Sierra Leone (Airtel)
• Zambia (Airtel)
• Ghana (Airtel)
• Nigeria (Etisalat)
• Egypt (Etisalat)

But, what exactly is 3.75G and how does it compare to 3G or 3.5G?

Airtel, along with other mobile operators, touts HSPA+ service as being 3.75G. Other sources (including 3GPP), consider HSPA+ to be 3.9G. Airtel’s country pages all include a brief description of how they define 3.75G. Sierra Leone’s page states:

3G has evolved through several updates, leading to the very latest release, HSPA+, which is referred to as 3.75G, now available on airtel. 3.75G technology operates at dazzling speeds of up to 14.4 MB/s downlink and 5.7MB/s uplink.”

However, the 3.75G page for Zambia lists a 3.75G top download speed of 21Mbps, thus making Airtel’s cited 3.75G technology speeds incongruous. We deduce that either Airtel is offering 3.75G (HSPA) at a maximum of 14Mbps, they are offering 3.9G (HSPA+) at a maximum of 21Mbps, or they are simply changing out download speed since the handsets sold in Sierra Leone might not have the same chipset as those sold in Zambia.

Either way, the HSPA+/3.75G terms are used solely for marketing purposes. The same goes for the 4G versus LTE versus WiMAX debate. Mobile operators endure fierce competition to attract customers (who drive profits).

Although 3.9G is better than 3.75G and 3.75G is by all means technically superior than 3.5G, there will not be a noticeable transfer speed difference for most customers. Factors like signal strength and coverage mitigate any advertised speeds. African 3G users aren’t about to experience anything higher than even 10Mbps. But, since 21 Mbps speeds are technically possible, they are allowed to be used for advertising purposes.

Often, 3.75G is the first form of 3G service available in a country. Accordingly, the mobile operator skips mention of just “3G” and goes straight to using “3.75G” due to the potential marketing benefits.

In Nigeria, Etisalat was quick to describe the move to 3.75G as a major innovation. They also claimed it was the fastest 3G network in Nigeria. However, reading on, it becomes apparent that the move was mainly impressive since it replaced a 2.5G network with true 3G. It just so happened that the 3G platform was of the 3.75G release.

However, when 3.75G arrived in Congo-Brazzaville in October 2011, Airtel used plain 3G terminology in their news release announcing the arrival of 3G service in the country. There was no mention of 3.75G. Similarly, there is no mention of 3.75G in Airtel’s video spot promoting 3G service beginning in January 2012 (although Airtel’s social media never fails to mention 3.75G).

Mobile competition has increased remarkably in Africa since that time, and 3G operators (mostly Airtel) have begun to increase their efforts to secure customers.

However, customers should be focused on how the latest mobile technologies can ease the strains of life rather than exact technical specs. Bragging rights can be enjoyable, but what matters is not the benchmarks “3.75G” and “14Mbps” or whether 3.75G is really considered HSPA+. Important instead are that 3G is available and that costs are becoming more reasonable. What matters is that 3.75G (or 3.9G) enhances mobile health efforts and provides new educational opportunities.

A rough comparison of recent 3GPP releases and basic features. {Sayy 365}

Despite the hope that six African markets could have LTE service by the end of 2012, most will not. In fact, as of mid-2011, 21 African nations lacked 3G coverage (mostly Central Africa and parts of West Africa). Many of these nations will have 3G service in urban areas before the year is out, but 3G is still not in sight for Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Somalia, to name a few.

Even nations with 3G service boast relatively few Internet users. A recent national survey in Nigeria found that more than 95% of Nigerians have no Internet access and no region could boast more than 17% of its population with access.

Smartphones still cost at least $50 and service charges put 3G out of reach for most, even if the service is technically available. LTE, therefore, will be out of reach for 99.9% of Africans (maybe 98% in South Africa). Although new technology carries certain benefits, it’s detrimental to become obsessed with the latest craze. Instead, most regions would benefits from focusing on enhancing 2G service – now considered the bread-and-butter of the telecommunications world. 2G requires less investment, devices and service plans are cheaper for consumers, and governments already allow for the spectrum. The most beneficial mobile services – health, payments, and text messaging – can run just fine on 2G bandwidth. Most importantly, 2G is far more useful than nothing at all.

• The average user spends 45 hours each month using the service, yet MXit is still working on improving their platform. To reach a slightly older demographic and to increase UX, the company plans to release an app for smart devices in April 2012. Additionally, the company will focus on African markets. Knott-Craig even goes as far to say that Africa has more mobile innovators than America, but lacks media exposure.

Many individuals have multiple mobile subscriptions

• TechZim reminds us be careful when analyzing mobile penetration statistics. Mobile owners with dual, triple, or quad SIM cards skew mobile penetration data that is based purely on number of subscriptions divided by total population.

Does Africa have 4G?

• The widely-circulated article on African 4G for 2012 is based on a quote from the head of Ericsson, SSA stating that Africa currently lacks 4G service. However, YooMee, launched this year in Cameroon, claims 4G service. The discrepancy? YooMee appears to use WiMAX, but Ericsson is referring to LTE networks. Wikipedia has a decent explanation of the 3G/4G nuances.

Ethiopian Blogosphere

• Thanks to efforts to encourage online discussion, the number of Ethiopian bloggers has grown substantially in the past few months. Still, the authors of an effort to catalog the Ethiopian bloggers claim fewer than 100 bloggers located in Ethiopia who are blogging in English.

Challenges in rural Uganda

• 87% of Ugandans live in rural communities. In many rural villages, nearly everyone has a mobile phone. However, most residents don’t know a thing about the Internet. Although 1% of telcoms’ gross profits head to efforts to increase global access, vandalism still plagues rural infrastructure development. Airtel, for one, claims the cost of running a generator is 10x higher than a year ago. Higher operating costs translate to higher call tariffs.

Smartphones in Sudan

• Mobile use is on the rise in Sudan, although rural areas are still a few years behind in terms of adoption. Perhaps the statistics cited in this article should be taken with a grain of salt (see TechZim post above), but the voice of this article is superbly positive. No longer do people need to visit an Internet cafe to use the Web.

Calculating actual broadband speeds

• Playing with numbers to find why a South African download from a South African server can reach 26Mbit/s but a download from USA will only reach 1.7 Mbit/s. TCP window size and latency both contribute to throughput (capacity per packet). Maximum throughput can be increased by using a download manager (easy) or by increasing the TCP window size (a bit tricky).

And, in honor of its 20th anniversary, the first ping to Sub-Saharan Africa:

rain:/home/randy> ping 146.231.64.2
146.231.64.2 is alive
rain:/home/randy> date
Tue Nov 12 00:44:47 PST 1991

However, the tens of millions of dollars needed to create broadband infrastructure begin to seem affordable given Burundi’s strong GDP growth over the past few years. Plus, the local telecoms regulator says there were more than 1.6 million mobile subscriptions in 2010, up substantially from the previous year. A mobile penetration rate of roughly 20% is set to double in a matter of years. With these facts in mind, the investment cost doesn’t seem so daunting. And, high-speed Internet access will strengthen and create e-health and e-government opportunities.

Edris Kisambira neatly anticipated Burundi’s Internet future in a May 2011 article published by Computerworld Uganda:

Burundi is currently laying a 1,300-km cable at a cost of $10.5 million, using a grant from the World Bank. The cable will cover key entry points — two on the Rwandan border and one on the Tanzanian side. The cable will also cover the capital, Bujumbura, and all the 17 provinces…The cable is also expected to reduce the cost of Internet access by more than 70 percent.”

Well, the cable connecting Bujumbura to the Burundi-Tanzania border (which then connects with the EASSy undersea cable landing at Dar es Salaam) appears operational. In July 2011, Econet, one of four licensed telecom operators in Burundi, began offering 3G mobile Internet in Bujumbura. Data was priced as low as 53-BIF ($0.04 USD) per megabyte.

Last month (October 2011), U-com launched a 3G service under the subsidiary leo™. Thanks to Burundi’s membership in WIOCC and the aforementioned cable connecting Burundi and Tanzania, the cell towers are able to connect to the EASSy fibre cable in Dar es Salaam. More than 50 3G sites across a handful of Burundian cities were to be active by the end of the month. According to leo™’s Facebook page, 3G plans seem to start at $17 US per month, but an unlimited data plan seemingly costs $81 US per month. These are high prices, for sure, but at least there is 3G competition within the marketplace.

The promotional video for leo™ 3G strives to appeal to all types of urbanite: auto owner, businessman, young couple, and mother and child. Due to the lack of rural infrastructure (and high access costs) there is no need to market to rural areas. Only one grip with the video: the mother is using an Apple computer. You certainly don’t see one of those very often in Burundi.

"Experience the high-speed Internet via WIOCC/EASSy fiber optic cable" {leo™ Burundi Facebook page}

Currently, interest in AR within Africa is limited by 3G availability and the ability to own a current smartphone. Only South Africa produces enough search volume to rank on Google Insights for Search for the term ‘augmented reality’. What’s more, the search interest over time has remained flat since enough data was available two years ago. That ignorance is about to change. Earlier this year Qualcomm released an AR developer kit. Layar, an Android AR app with 100+ layers that each provide AR functionality, is based in Cape Town, South Africa.

It is promising for South Africa to be on par with global AR trends, but less can be said for the rest of Africa. 3G service is still in its infancy in most nations. A recent Gallup survey with data from 2010 found that fewer than 10% of the population in 10 African nations has accessed the Internet in the past year and owns a mobile phone. In all likelihood, AR will not be commonly used outside South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, parts of North Africa for the next 10 years or so. Technophiles and aid organizations will have reasonable access to this technology much sooner, but again, AR is confined to 3G or 3G+ areas.

In a BusinessDay article from August 2011, Jay Srage, the president of Middle East and Africa at Qualcomm, is quoted as saying the two types of augmented reality applications – GPS-based and vision-based – require a smartphone. 2G phones lack the network connectivity speed, processing power and display capabilities to support Augmented Reality applications. Even 3G feature phones do not have the processing speed to support Augmented Reality effectively.

As Fred Roed of Ideate points out, the tablet will be a major driver in AR adoption. People are seeking to interact with data more than ever. Of course, the limitation is also with data – its cost, its production, and its ability to appear on the hardware (via the software). A practical AR device need be lightweight, have a GPS sensor, touchscreen, multiple cameras, and dual-processors. Even then, the physical steps needed to experience AR stand in the way. Interaction needs to become passive rather than active (think seeing the world via special glasses instead of looking “through” a tiny screen).

Perhaps the most useful applications for AR are crisis mapping and commerce. Appfrica wrote a great post on AR for NGOs a couple of years back. The author explores how the latest technologies can be applied to team efforts in the field. Ideas range from adding an AR layer to GIS products for crowdsourced data to knowing the medical history of an entire village based on residence. The ultimate scenario will be when facial recognition technology can pull someone’s detailed life history (with permission, of course).

In the meantime, a handful of apps offer superimposed restaurant reviews, menu items, or prices layered over a streetview. In addition to Layar, Google Goggles, TripWolf (travel guide), and Aurasma (visual browser) offer AR functionality.

• Djibouti Telecom will introduce a 3G network with mobile broadband capability:
  Djibouti Telecom selects Ericsson to introduce the country’s first 3G network {Ericsson}

Ghana

• Alcatel-Lucent aims to drive 4G expansion in the Ghanaian market, but their progress hinges on government approval:
  Alca-Lu keen to ensure Ghana leads Africa’s LTE deployment {TeleGeography}

Ivory Coast

• 3G licensing will begin later this year, accompanied by government investment in fibre optic cable to connect rural areas:
  Ivory Coast to grant 3G telco licences by year end {Reuters Africa}

Kenya

• Kenya’s joint 4G licensing is a far cry from how it handled 3G licensing. What are the consequences for managing 4G spectrum in this manner?
  Joint 4G licence will reduce costs {The East African}

Malawi

• There are rumors that Vodacom is interested in buying a large take in Telekom Networks Malawi, which currently covers 3/4 of the nation:
  Vodacom shopping in Malawi? {TechCentral}

South Africa

• On whether LTE constitutes 4G in South Africa even though the technology is often considered such around the world:
  Should LTE be called 4G? {MyBroadband}

• More than 10 million Vodacom customers have some sort of data plan. The company wants this number to double by 2013 – but can it?
  Those 8-million smartphones are just the beginning {memeburn}

• The company hopes to improve customers’ Internet experiences:
  MTN seeks additional mobile Internet partnerships {IT News Africa}

Zimbabwe

• Reasons why two large ISPs in Zimbabwe, YoAfrica and ZOL, should focus more on mobile broadband:
  Why we need YoAfrica, ZOL and Aptics to do mobile broadband {TechZim}

Africa

• Bharti will roll out 3G or expand 2G services in seven African nations, including Madagascar, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Congo:
  Airtel inks pact with Nokia Siemens in Africa {NDTV}

• Attendees to the Capacity Africa 2011 hold mixed views on whether now is the time for telecoms to be pushing mobile data:
  Mobile broadband data is king to telcos {Computerworld}

• A summary of devices, developers, and mobile distribution in Africa. The full report costs over £2000:
  Mobile Apps in Africa (2011 Report) {WhiteAfrican}

• There will be over 6 billion global mobile connections by the end of 2011. Most are still GSM, but HSPA is gaining ground. In Africa, the continent with the fastest annual growth of 18%, 648 million connections are expected:
  Global mobile connections to surpass 6 billion by year-end) {Wireless Intelligence}

In addition to the tables of global rankings, however, are pages of analysis and notes. Recent data hails mostly from 2010 with 2008 used as a reference. Below are some of the nuggets we found useful for painting a picture of how African nations are progressing in terms of Internet adoption:

• The ITU revised the definition of wireless-broadband subscriptions in 2010 and group it into three indicators: satellite broadband, terrestrial fixed wireless-broadband, and terrestrial mobile wireless. Terrestrial mobile wireless subscriptions include (a) standard mobile subscriptions with use of data communications at broadband speeds (i.e. mobile-cellular subscriptions with advertised data speeds of 256 kbit/s or greater and which have been used to set up an Internet data connection) and (b) dedicated mobile data subscriptions at broadband speeds. (9)
• Approximately 63% of the ICT Development Index is based on 6 factors: International Internet bandwidth per Internet user, Percentage of households with a computer, percentage of households with Internet access, Percentage of individuals using the Internet, fixed-broadband Internet subscriptions per inhabitant, and active mobile-broadband subscriptions per inhabitant. (10)
• Kenya has seen a 28% change in IDI value since 2008, making it one of the fastest growing Internet markets. The reason: large cellular subscription growth and an increase in Internet bandwidth capacity (especially from 2009-2010). As of December 2010, Kenya had 10.2 million Internet users, or 26% of the population. (17)
• Morocco has witnessed nearly a 300% increase in international bandwidth since 2008. Internet penetration rates are up nearly 50% in thanks to the adoption of mobile broadband, which has gone from 2.3% to 10% penetration over the past two years. Fixed broadband growth is flat, however, in part due to Maroc Telecom’s monopoly. (18)
• Comoros saw bandwidth increase 1000% after connecting to a submarine cable in 2010. Madagascar now has over 10x the International capacity it did in 2008. (30)
• Mobile broadband subscriptions have doubled globally between 2008-2010. At least 150 nations have 3G mobile broadband networks as of 2010. Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Togo, and Zimbabwe did not have 3G as of 2010. (35,42)
• The number of fixed broadband subscriptions decreased in Kenya from 2009 to 2010. Kenya’s Internet penetration rate, as reported by CCK, was 9% in 2008. (37)
• All African nations apart from Angola, Gabon, Mauritius, Nigeria, Seychelles, and South Africa have less than 5% of households connected to the Internet. Only Cape Verde, Mauritius, Seychelles, and South Africa have a broadband penetration rate greater than 1%. (41)
• Djibouti and Mauritania saw little progress in terms of international connectivity. Djibouti is one of the few nations with under 20% mobile penetration. (43)
• Broadband Internet costs 112% of gross national income in developing countries as opposed to 1.5% in developed countries. The monthly cost for Internet in Guinea, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia is >10x the average monthly income. (71)
• Broadband prices dropped by 96% in Burkina Faso, 51% in Malawi, 61% in Ethiopia, 92% in Nigeria, 47% in Swaziland, 90% in Uganda, 81% in Mozambique, 77% in Kenya, but only 8% in Guinea. The African (non-Arab state) average is 55%. (74,76)
• Kenya’s international bandwidth has grown from 829 Mbit/s in 2008 to 202,000 Mbit/s in 2010. (76)
• Broadband definition now is 4 Mbps download, 1 Mbps upload. (86)
• 36% of Ghana’s population is covered by 3G. (87)
• Terrestrial backbone networks’ length grew from 466,000km to 646,000km from July 2009 to Q1 2011. 4.4% of the population lived within 25km of a submarine cable landing point. 31% lived within the same distance of a backbone access point. Senegal has a high percentage, and Gabon soon will too. (100)
• 7% of African nations collect household data on Internet usage habits. (108)
• Internet usage is strongly correlated with income. In Botswana (2008), 2% of people in the bottom 75% of income levels accessed the Internet. 19% of people in the upper 25% income bracket accessed the Internet. (113)
• In Namibia, 81% of Internet users use a social network. 17% of mobile owners access social networks via mobile application. 23% of mobile owners used their phones to access the Internet. However, only 13% of the population actually uses the Internet. Most using it for the first time still do so on a computer or laptop. (125)
• No broadband (fixed or mobile) as of 2010 in: Chad, Comoros, DRC, Guinea, Niger. 1-in-1000 broadband users in Burkina Faso, Swaziland, Togo, Zambia. (154-5)

Also, be sure to read TechZim’s summary of the ITU report’s findings on Zimbabwe. Ghana Business Review wrote an insightful article on how Ghana’s global ICT ranking has changed (actually dropped) since 2008.

Note: Unfortunately, much of the African household survey data is from 2007/2008 when Research ICT Africa conducted extensive research. So, although most of the trends are probably still true, the exact numbers used in the later sections of the report have undoubtedly changed greatly.

• General Salou Djibo has over 1,200 Facebook fans (by no means a small number)
• In 2010, AVG ranked Niger as one of the safest web-surfing nations in the world (the lack of available Internet connections probably keep computers safe)
• Recently, it was announced that a Libyan telecom will hold a 51% share in Sonitel and Sahel Com for 10 years.

Still, there is positive news from Niger these past couple of days: 3G service is in the pipeline. Reuters reports that Niger’s communications ministry, out of a desire to establish a 3G mobile phone network, is inviting firms to apply for the country’s first two licenses. That said, mobile subscription data doesn’t currently support 3G as a viable standard. Reuters cites a mobile penetration rate near 16% (2.5mm out of 16mm citizens own mobile devices). Business Monitor International put the number of mobile subscribers near 3.75 million at the end of 2010, for a Nigerien subscription rate of 23%.

Either way, the data suggests that relatively few Nigeriens use 2G mobile, let alone have devices capable of accessing high-speed services. In all likelihood, demand for 3G would appear if operators brought the service to Niamey today. However, the service would interfere with economic growth as citizens purchase new devices and overspend on data plans with costs driven up due to the lack of sufficient international fibre connections. Plus, fewer than 1-in-10 Nigeriens reside in the capital city, so rural areas would remain underserved.

Finally, not to be negative, but a long road remains even once the communications ministry assigns 3G licenses. Still, once licenses are granted, a variety of entities must update regulatory policy, build infrastructure, sell devices, and complete 3G tests. Who knows if the often financially-troubled, but state-run Sonitel wins a 3G bid…

Either way, 2G will undoubtedly suffice during the next couple of years. There is plenty of room for the growth of local content and improvements to the business environment. A lack of 3G does not mean tech cannot flourish. Sure, it means that Niger may lack in the African apps race, but tech-minded youth and entrepreneurs should use this news as motivation to hone their skills for when 3G arrives.

Niger mobile at-a-glance. Click to enlarge. {Data through 2010: Reuters & BMI}

Note: Finding news from Niger requires extra work. The reason? The term ‘Niger’ is included in ‘Nigeria’, so a simple Google search for “Niger ICT” brings up articles on both nations.

Telecommunication services, including mobile phones, play a crucial role in facilitating trade between countries and are an essential component of regional economic integration. However a key obstacle to ensuring that mobile phones achieve the full potential stated above is the unavailability of roaming agreements between countries. Roaming support is essential for providing uninterrupted connectivity for users who are moving from one country to another. As it stands, most mobile operators in West Africa do not allow cross-border roaming on their networks, especially if the user has a pre-paid subscription. A few years ago, GSM standards were discussed and implemented by ECOWAS. At the time, the organization acknowledged the importance of mobile and the need for roaming agreements between nations:

Telecommunication services, including mobile phones, play a crucial role in facilitating trade between countries and are an essential component of regional economic integration. However a key obstacle to ensuring that mobile phones achieve the full potential stated above is the unavailability of roaming agreements between countries. Roaming support is essential for providing uninterrupted connectivity for users who are moving from one country to another. As it stands, most mobile operators in West Africa do not allow cross-border roaming on their networks, especially if the user has a pre-paid subscription.”

With roaming addressed, the next step would be to focus on the wireless spectrum. However, forums held by the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), had remained superficial, touching on the harmonization of national telecommunication codes and affordable roaming services, but falling short of deeper issues such as regional spectrum management and administrative structures, and strategies for efficient harmonization. In 2009, Harmonization of the ICT Policies in Sub-Sahara Africa (HIPSAA) sponsored a series of roundtables to support ICT harmonization in SSA. Topics covered include cyber-security, universal service and access, and statistical data collection. Again, no official regional spectrum policy was adopted.

Years later, the latest mobile technology is posing new challenges for regional harmonization. For example, a pre-paid 3G dongle user in Ghana cannot necessarily travel to Kenya and have immediate web access – even if the same mobile operator is available in both nations. Conflicting standards prevent the service. Recently, James Munn, Vice President of Qualcomm in South Africa, verbalized his goal to harmonize regional 3G/4G/LTE standards. It’s not the standard that matters, per se, but the fact that the region agrees to adhere to it. He recently told memeburn how regional standarization can lower access costs:

Imagine you’re a handset procurer for a major telecom provider operating in dozens of countries. You want handsets that will work seamlessly for all your markets. A lack of standardisation makes technology more expensive for everyone, including customers”

Undoubtedly, mobile spectrum standardization is a far-sighted step that will make access easier. Governments may have to overcome political agendas. Telecoms operators may be accused of greed. When the dust settles, however, the benefit is in the hands of the consumer. The combination of cheaper handsets and the potential increase in cross-border competition will only further drive down costs. These plans, of course, are contingent on sufficient bandwidith…

{ECOWAS}