The FTTH (Fibre-to-the-Home) Council Africa announced that it will be expanding the organisation’s footprint from South Africa into the rest of the African continent.
”We live on the continent that gave birth to the concept of the ‘Digital Divide’ and today we have seven submarine cables serving sub-Saharan Africa. Currently we see the deployment of long-haul and metro high-capacity terrestrial fibre networks taking this capacity to landlocked countries and towns,” says Council CEO, Juanita Clark.
“The industry has created a substantial amount of job opportunities and we are hardly touching the tip of the iceberg. Without effective policy and regulation we will not see international investment. We need to create a landscape that is conducive to investment if we are going to see global players enter the market and tap the widespread potential and subsequent benefits of this industry for Africa.”
Richard Came, FTTH Council Africa President states “We believe the timing is right to reach out to the rest of Africa and provide them with the support that we have, to date, mostly provided to South African companies regarding the rapid expansion of fibre-optic networks.
“We need to create a platform for dialogue if governments across Africa are going to understand the true potential of fibre for the continent. One such platform is the ‘first of its kind’ conference which we will be hosting in November in Cape Town.
“Here we hope to connect regulators with private sector and service providers who all have a vested interest in fibre-optic telecommunications from across Africa. This will also lay the foundation for dialogue and discussions on how we, as the FTTH Council Africa, can support them and their individual requirements.”
The FTTH Council Africa, an industry group that supports fibre-optic companies and operators with standards and best practices, re-emphasised the benefits of the industry. It ranges from soft issues such as job creation, to that of economic development and ultimately, a continent that can compete with global markets.
“The industry is still in its infancy on the African continent and it faces tremendous challenges in unregulated environments. We understand these challenges,” said Clark. “It is important to note that the industry and the continent is vastly different to the rest of the world.
“Being a member of the International Global Alliance Group of Fibre Optic Councils means FTTH Council Africa has access to best practises and standards from our sister organisations throughout the world who are substantially ahead of us in deployment rates and technologies.
“We have developed a Standard for Civils which we would like to share with regulators across Africa. These can easily be adapted to unique ‘in-country’ conditions. We believe that, ultimately, the foundation for deployment remains the same,” Clark concluded.
The FTTH Council Africa has extended an invitation to all industry participants to join it on council level as a member, or on discussion level at the conference in Cape Town on 12 and 13 November.
For more information visit www.ftthcouncilafrica.com
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