Connectivity drives innovation. Africa is enjoying a surge in content production, delivery and consumption. What’s driving this growth?
Another promising sign of the benefits of connectivity is dramatic growth in the African content and application creation industry. More and more content is being produced locally, across the whole continent. This could not have happened without the provision of efficient communications networks, so it’s yet another example of the positive impact of enabling more coverage.
Today, it’s simplistic to think just in terms of basic telephony services. Connectivity, particularly higher-speed mobile broadband, brings a host of benefits that are not immediately obvious if investment is considered on a simple model of subscriptions and ARPU. Instead, connectivity is itself an enabler that unlocks innovation by providing the means to link production, delivery and consumption. And, it’s also important to note that innovation is not just confined to smartphones – there is also a growing community of developers that provides applications for feature phones, helping to reach even more users.
As such, the investment returns need to be considered against the needs of the economy as a whole, not as a business case for a specific operator. We’ve written this time and time again: the key to unlocking connectivity – and to capitalise on latent innovation opportunities – is to consider the ecosystem and stakeholders as a whole. It’s not just minutes and data, but the knock-on effects of enabling access that matter.
It’s exciting to see so much innovation but it’s only to be expected. Build networks and the latent potential can be realised. Put in a pipe and data will flow. We look forward to seeing innovation spread, as more and more people are brought within reach of coverage – which will benefit the economy and create a thriving market for content and applications.
If you haven’t yet had the chance, please take part in our Rural Connectivity Survey, we’d love to hear your thoughts!
