The debate about the model that should be adopted for EASSy often fails to look at the reasons why the companies that are signatories to the EASSy Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) are strongly against what is termed as open access. Is it because they do not want customers to enjoy lower prices? Is it because they are not interested in taking services to the furthest corners of the countries they operate in? Or is it simply because they have greed and therefore their eyes are glued on super-profits the cable promises to deliver?

[Special Report on CATIA Project. By Vincent Bagiire, CEO CIPESA]

 

As the Catalyzing Access to ICTs in Africa (CATIA) program comes to an end this August, the issue of infrastructure needs to be debated with the priority it deserves. Catalyzing access has a lot to do with availability of the required infrastructure. Indeed CATIA through its several components tries to address this issue although ultimately the deployment remains in the hands of the telecom operators for both the Internet and telephone services. It is for the above observations that CIPESA recounts the state of infrastructure in Africa below.