Nigeria joins Alliance for Affordable Internet

Nigeria has joined the Alliance for Affordable
Internet, an organisation that aims to make
the Internet more affordable in developing
countries where the cost of access remains
a barrier for majority of the populace.

The alliance, which was inaugurated in
Nigeria at the ongoing 2013 Annual
Conference of Commonwealth
Telecommunications Organisation, says the
aim of the association is to bring down the
cost of Internet access so that two-thirds of
the world’s population can also enjoy
broadband Internet.
The Minister of Communications Technology,
Mrs. Omobola Johnson, represents Nigeria in
the alliance, which has global technology
companies such as Cisco, Microsoft,
Google, Alcatel and Intel as members.
Countries that have signed up for
membership of the alliance include the United
Kingdom, the United States, Sweden and
Kenya.
The Global Technology Policy Leader at
Cisco, Dr. Robert Pepper, who spoke to
journalists after the inauguration of the
alliance, lamented that broadband Internet
could take as much as 30 per cent of a
household’s income in some African
countries.
Pepper said the average cost of broadband
Internet in most advanced countries was 1.7
per cent, adding that the alliance aimed to
bring down the average cost of access to five
per cent of households’ monthly income.
Quoting the International
Telecommunications Union, Pepper said
achieving this target could make universal
access a reality and connect two-thirds of
the world that was currently without Internet
access.
He said, “One of the most important steps
the government and business leaders in
Africa can take to encourage social and
economic transformation is to focus on
delivering universal broadband access.”
On Cisco’s involvement in the project,
Pepper said the company, through its long-
term commitment and investment in Africa,
had been helping governments, businesses
and citizens to build an economically
sustainable future through intelligent
application of information technology.
In a keynote presentation, Johnson said
technology had permeated all aspects of life
and without access, it would become difficult
to be part of the modern society.
She said, “If we extrapolate based on current
trends in the adoption and assimilation of
technology, and in particular, Information and
Communication Technologies, our conclusion
would be that our future will be technology-
enabled.
“In the future, people who do not have
access to ICTs, and who do not have the
capabilities to utilise them, will have
significantly limited experiences and
lifestyles to people with access and the
capacities to make use of technology.”
The minister said the Federal Government
was making an effort to connect all Nigerians
to the information superhighway, adding that
by addressing infrastructure deficit, the
government aimed to bring the much needed
connectivity to Nigerians in an affordable
manner.

Source: Punch