Rwanda this week launched a high-speed (4G LTE) broadband network t0 improve connectivity in the East African country. Minister of Youth and ICT Jean Philbert Nsengimana was quoting in the media as stating that: “The usage of 4G LTE will boost job creation in Rwanda and provide new opportunities to deliver better services across the country.”
The launch coincided with GLOCAL Innovation Convention running from November 11 until today.
GLOCAL is an African Business & Innovation Startup convention that aims to foster local content development with global marketability among Africa’s budding technology entrepreneurs.
“The rapid deployment of high-speed broadband network in Rwanda will accelerate the Rwanda’s economic growth, create jobs, as well as help facilitate social and economic progress,” Minister Nsengimana stated.
The network has been established through an agreement between the Government of Rwanda and South Korea’s KT Corporation (formerly Korea Telecom), a global ICT convergence and 4G LTE technology provider. According to both parties, the network will cover 95 percent of the population by 2017.
KT made a cash investment worth US$140 million for rolling out the nationwide LTE access and core networks.
On the other hand, the government of Rwanda made in-kind investment (fibre-optic backbone, frequency, and licence) to serve the basic infrastructure for 4G LTE business.
As a result, based upon the idea of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), a company (Olleh Rwanda networks) was established exclusively for wholesale provision of universal mobile broadband.
The wholesale network service for mobile broadband will help to promote healthy competition for advanced retail services and solutions, and will benefit consumers, enterprises and the nation.
The PPP with the government of Rwanda to build the 4G LTE network for wholesale is a unique and innovative way to achieve an accelerated nationwide broadband coverage, a key foundation for Rwanda’s ICT development.
The PPP model of Rwanda and ICTis expected to be a role model for building broadband in developing countries.
Rwanda continues to be one of the fastest growing African ICT markets, from e-commerce and e-services, mobile technologies, applications development and automation to becoming a regional centre for the training of top quality ICT professionals and research.
With a population of 11,78 million people, Rwanda’s mobile penetration currently stands at 71,6 percent with internet penetration currently at 25 percent. — Wires.