Africa races to fill telecoms ‘not spots’

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The economics of rolling out connections to the most rural parts of Africa presents a hefty challenge for the hopes of many in the telemedicine world. Data compiled by M-Lab, an open source project backed by Google and various universities, shows that Madagascar is the only African country with broadband speeds anywhere close to those available in Europe and Asia, as a submarine cable lands on the island. Most other African nations rely on 3G and 4G signals, or long-distance WiFi technology Wi-Max. Six of the 40 African countries included in the M-Lab data connect at average speeds of less than 1 Mbps compared with 54 Mbps in the UK. Slow connection speeds and “not spots” — areas devoid of mobile coverage — are significant barriers for telehealth in the developing world. Regulation and problems transporting data over wireless networks designed for public use also pose problems.


Africa races to fill telecoms ‘not spots’