Very-high broadband promotion strategy

Stake

As part of its national connectivity program aimed at increasing the geographic coverage of very-high broadband networks and lowering the costs of communications services, the Government of an African country wanted to develop a strategic analysis to lay the foundation for broadband deployment based on population concentration and territorial accessibility. Indeed, the challenge of achieving universal coverage in countries with a high proportion of rural populations and where deployment costs are high (due to geography) requires a strategic analysis of the choice of networks and possible financing methods.

The government’s objectives through this development were twofold :

• increase coverage and available throughput for all,
• developing a knowledge-based economy to reduce poverty.

Our experts have carried out technical-economic analyses to :

• define a national strategy for the promotion of broadband, taking into account the sociology and geography of the country,
• propose the most appropriate financing methods for each network segment (access, collection, transmission),
• turn this strategy into an operational action plan.

Methodology

Our experts in Strategy and Regulation structured the mission in 3 stages:

Step 1: Technico-economic inventory:

• of digital infrastructures throughout the territory, which enabled us to know the areas not covered, partially covered and well covered,
• of demand and a prospective analysis of it to enable us to define the needs in terms of networks on a 15-year horizon.

This first step identified areas of profitability for broadband, areas requiring investment support and white areas requiring a clear Universal Service policy.

Step 2: Evaluation of the different modalities and capacities for financing broadband through the Universal Access Fund and private investment. The different types of investment were segmented by type of area (white, grey, dense) and by network segment (access, collection, transport)

Step 3: Elaboration of the National Strategy for the Promotion of Broadband and definition of the associated operational action plan.

Result

By proposing concrete actions addressing both supply and demand and by establishing a general framework for broadband development policy, the government of this country has a clear, detailed strategy comprising very concrete, operational and prioritized actions over time to:

• contribute to the economic and social development of the country,
• reduce the digital divide through training measures, creation of incubators, etc.,
• developing services and applications for the information society and the digital economy by setting up an appropriate regulatory framework,
• encouraging the development of broadband services in unprofitable areas, financed by the Universal Fund.