"BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE"

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The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is pleased to announce its fifth Regional Telecommunications Exhibition and Forum for Africa, ITU TELECOM AFRICA 2001, to be held in Midrand (Johannesburg) from 12 – 16 November 2001.

AFRICA 2001 will encompass a Policy & Development Summit, an Infrastructure & Applications Summit and a Telecom Development Symposium, and will also include a Youth Forum.

The Forum at AFRICA 2001 will focus on the biggest challenge faced by Africa in the new millennium – interconnectivity between African countries and linking Africa to the rest of the world via telecommunications. The Africa region is still today the link in the global telecommunications chain facing the greatest challenges. 

Privatization, development and investment, along with a transparent regulatory framework, are necessary to improve the region’s communications infrastructure and essential, if economic and social growth are to accelerate. One of the major challenges remains rural connectivity and the provision of services to remote areas. Mobile telephone service is rising in many countries whereas most people still do not have access to basic fixed-line telephony. However, new forms of cooperation in the form of partnership agreements are helping to attract capital and investment to the more remote regions.

There has also been rapid growth in the number of Internet hosts and one or two countries now have sophisticated national IP capable networks where virtually 100 percent of their main lines are digital.

This is the beginning therefore of a real possibility of providing interconnectivity in Africa and of connecting Africa to the rest of the world.