FINAL WORD
Reducing Africa ’ s digital divide with fixed wireless access
Fixed wireless access emerges as an instrument to bridge Africa ’ s digital divide and regulators should release frequencies for 5G fixed wireless access quickly and affordably writes Chafic Traboulsi at Ericsson .
Today , the global digital divide persists , with around 1 billion households without fixed broadband . Projections indicate that approximately 30 % of households worldwide may still lack broadband connectivity by 2028 , according to an Ericsson analysis . At the same time , 3GPP technologies , including LTE and 5G , are poised to offer extensive coverage , reaching over 95 % of households globally for LTE and around 85 % for 5G by 2028 .
This widespread household coverage presents a unique avenue for mobile operators to deliver fixed wireless access , fixed wireless access services on top of their existing mobile broadband offerings . Within Africa , we expect these figures to be significantly lower as the region starts from a lower level of broadband penetration compared to other global regions . Therefore , the question is how the unconnected households and businesses can be effectively and quickly covered to close the digital divide ?
The solutions for home broadband can be gathered into three main categories : fixed-dedicated line solutions like fibre or DSL , satellite-based solutions and finally fixed wireless access . xDSL and cable require low investments , particularly if preexisting infrastructure is available . In contrast , the appeal of fibre lies in its capacity to provide high speeds .
However , limitations in xDSL and cable , related to speed and distance , can curtail future-proofness . Meanwhile , the extensive upfront investment associated with fibre ,
74 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com