The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ericsson to help fast track roll out of technology across the continent.
According to ATU, a specialised agency of the African Union in fostering the growth of ICT in Africa, the MoU will support the growth of ICT as a critical infrastructure for the 21st century and help set the foundation for social and economic progress in the continent.
In the understanding, the two organisations look towards promoting global and regional coordination and harmonisation of spectrum usage to encourage economies of scale and maximize the affordability for all users in Africa.
Secretary general of the ATU, Mr John Omo said, “Our collaboration with Ericsson is geared towards connecting, innovating and transforming the continent into a knowledge economy.”
Mr Omo who spoke during the signing of the MoU in Nairobi, Kenya further noted that it is imperative for economies across the continent to become more competitive, agile, open and innovative in order to leverage on ICT innovations to transform African nations into smart economies.
Lauding the partnership with ATU, Mr Fadi Pharaon, president of Ericsson Middle East and Africa, said: “Our collaboration with the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) will focus on spectrum management strategies.
“Leveraging our global experience working on spectrum management, we aim to share global best practices that will ensure efficient use of scarce resources and allocation of new spectrum. This will yield societal benefits that will enable a more connected and knowledge-based society in Africa.”
This move comes at a time when Africa continues to experience an unprecedented growth in mobile broadband, with traffic, subscriptions, and ownership of devices growing at exponential rates. The continent has emerged as one of the strongest adopters of innovation, with a rapid rise in usage of technology and smartphones.