That makes the opportunity presented by 5G particularly significant. But with 6G already on the technology horizon, Africa faces another question: should it invest heavily in 5G or prepare to leapfrog directly to the next generation?

According to the State of Broadband in Africa 2025 report from the International Telecommunication Union and UNESCO, only 1.2 % of Africans currently have access to 5G networks, compared with a global average of more than 20 %. For a continent of 1.24 billion people, that disparity illustrates both the digital divide and the opportunity ahead.

Africa has leapfrogged infrastructure generations before. Mobile communications allowed many markets to bypass extensive fixed-line deployment, while mobile money transformed financial inclusion without requiring traditional banking infrastructure. It is tempting to imagine 6G producing a similar leap.

Jeevan Thankappan Managing Editor

But waiting for 6G would be a mistake.

Commercial 6G remains years away, while Africa’ s connectivity requirements are immediate. More importantly, 5G investment can establish much of the fibre backhaul, data centre capacity, spectrum strategy, cloud infrastructure and technical expertise that future 6G networks will require.

The opportunity also extends far beyond faster smartphones. 5G can provide the foundation for fixed wireless access, AI-enabled agriculture, remote healthcare, smart manufacturing, education and digital public services. Combined with edge computing and AI, it could bring sophisticated digital services to communities where fixed broadband remains economically difficult to deploy.

Africa should therefore think beyond individual generations of mobile technology. The objective should not simply be to‘ catch up’ on 5G before beginning another expensive transition to 6G. Operators and governments should build infrastructure today that provides immediate 5G benefits while remaining adaptable to tomorrow’ s networks.

That requires affordable spectrum, infrastructure sharing, investment-friendly regulation and greater harmonisation across markets. It also requires affordable devices and substantial investment in skills spanning network engineering, cybersecurity, cloud and AI.

Africa’ s opportunity is not to skip 5G. It is to avoid building 5G infrastructure that must be replaced when 6G arrives.

If the continent approaches 5G as the foundation of a longer-term connectivity architecture rather than the destination, it can address today’ s digital divide while positioning itself to participate in 6G from the beginning rather than catching up once again. www. intelligentcio. com

INTELLIGENT CIO AFRICA

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