Rates of access to the Internet are low in Africa and growing slowly. High prices and limited availability are key reasons for the sluggishness of this segment of the ICT market, compounded by undeveloped fixed-line networks and limited use of computers. A shortage of high-capacity backbone infrastructure able to carry traffic between fixed points in the network constrains the development of broadband Internet.
Mobile operators do not require high-capacity backbones to carry voice traffic and have typically developed their own networks using wireless technologies. But broadband Internet backbone networks need much greater capacity, typically using fiber-optic cables.
Many African countries maintain both implicit and explicit regulatory constraints on the development of the type of infrastructure required to handle broadband Internet traffic. Countries that have fully liberalized the market for backbone networks have seen rapid growth in competition. In Nigeria, at least four of the major operators are developing high-capacity fiber-optic cable networks capable of supporting high-bandwidth services. These networks are concentrating on major urban areas and on interurban links where the majority of customers are found. If high-capacity backbone networks are to extend beyond these areas, some form of public support is likely to be needed, preferably in partnership with the private sector.