Network coverage and quality continue to increase on the continent. However, a report about the State of Internet Connectivity shows that Sub-Saharan Africa is lagging behind when it comes to downloading speed on the internet.

It indicates that the region’s download speed was at 9.5 Mbps last year, with 83 per cent coverage by 3G (third-generation technology), 58 per cent of 4G, and one per cent of 5G.

Mbps are units of measurement for network bandwidth. They are used to show how fast a network or internet connection is.

Each Mbps represents the capacity to transfer 1 million bits each second, or roughly one small photo per second, while Gbps represents one billion bytes per second and it is a measurement of peripheral data transfer or network transmission speed.

"Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where the cost of 1GB of data as a percentage of monthly GDP per capita exceeds two per cent,” the report states.

In a digital era, internet speed has crosscutting impacts on economic activities in almost all sectors and it becomes a setback, especially for a country like Rwanda that is shifting to a digital economy, experts say.

Recently, Rwanda announced plans to leapfrog to 5G technology. It is a network that can provide speed of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) in urban and suburban areas and up to 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps) in hotspot applications.

Michuki Mwangi, Senior Director of Internet Technology and Development at Internet Security, recently told The New Times that for Africa to improve its competitiveness and innovation in the global arena, it needs good and affordable internet.

"For that to happen, Africa needs to rely on local internet rather than international links.”

While the cost and affordability of data are improving overall, for the majority of mobile internet users, data consumption remains relatively low, according to the report.

"This highlights that even when connected, many people use mobile internet only in a limited way. It is important to address this consumption gap alongside the usage and coverage gaps to ensure people are not limited in their ability to use the mobile internet to meet their needs.”

Rwanda’s outlook

The latest Mobile Connectivity Index by Global Systems Mobile telecommunications Association shows that Rwanda has 61.5 per cent internet infrastructure, 30.3 per cent affordability, and 42.1 consumer readiness.

According to data from Rwanda Utility and Regulation Authority, the international bandwidth capacity in Rwanda almost tripled from the first quarter of 2020 to 2022, with 63 Gbps and 156 Gbps respectively.

International internet bandwidth capacity refers to the average traffic load of international fiber-optic cables and radio links for carrying internet traffic.