Gov’t banks on broadband to increase internet access

With the acceleration of broadband technology, the population will be in a position to access affordable and faster internet services, the Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana, said yesterday.He was attending the official launch of Broadband Systems Corporation (BSC Ltd), the service provider managing a national fibre optic backbone, Internet Data Centre, and Kigali Wibro.The company operating under Rwanda Development Board (RDB) promises to offer high quality fibre connectivity, broadband connectivity and data centre services to homes and businesses alike.“The introduction of this (broadband) technology will enable citizens to have more choice, accessibility and affordability to faster connections to communicate better with each other,” said Nsengimana.He stated that the initiative by BSC to provide broadband services means a lot to Rwandans across all sectors which include among others e-Government, e-Health, and education hence accelerating economic and social transformation.“The challenge, however, remains how to make connections better across all sectors in the country. We need to increase coordination to stimulate the growth of internet services,” he noted.The two-day event will also focus on discussing other key ICT areas like cloud computing, family lifestyle with broadband, rollout of broadband services among others.The minister underscored the need for better connections which will help the citizens enjoy the benefits of broadband services.“Our country will achieve the vision of being a knowledge-based economy and an ICT hub in the region if we utilise well the ICT infrastructure already in place,” he said.The government has laid 2,500-kilometre national fibre optic cable which is expected to enhance access to various broadband services in the country.A recent report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) indicates that affordability of broadband services remains a key obstacle, particularly in Africa, where fixed broadband access costs on average three times the monthly per capita income.According to Antoine Sebera, the acting CEO BSC Ltd, the company, will roll out broadband services across the country.The Wibro connection which is currently in use, charges a monthly fee of Rwf 20,000 for single users and Rwf30,000 for multiple users.

National

Gov’t banks on broadband to increase internet access