Internet Solutions joins global alliance to connect billions to
Internet Solutions joins global alliance to connect billions to
Internet Solutions, a Convergence Partners investee, has joined the Alliance for Affordable Internet, an organisation that aims to bring the Internet to billions of unconnected people across the globe, Internet Solutions said on Thursday.
Siyabonga Madyibi, regulatory director at Internet Solutions, said the initiative offered a platform for the company to make a “meaningful difference and contribute to progress towards the goal of bridging the digital divide”.
Internet Solutions will be involved in the alliance’s lobbying efforts, specifically across Africa.
“These efforts aim to involve governments and incumbent network operators in an attempt to create open, efficient and competitive broadband markets through policy and regulatory reform,” said Mr Madyibi.
He said Internet Solutions had valuable insights to share with the alliance, as it had successfully operated in many countries across the continent that were still developing their regulatory and policy environments.
According to Internet Solutions, in a recent report released by the Alliance for Affordable Internet, it is estimated that broadband still costs more than half of the monthly income of millions of people around the world, further entrenching the digital divide.
“For the large number of people still unconnected, entry-level broadband costs, on average, 40% of their monthly income, and in many countries this figure exceeds 80%, according to the report. As a result, billions cannot afford to get online, which constrains economic and social progress,” said Mr Madyibi.
Internet Solutions also strongly supports the alliance’s belief that pricing Internet access out of reach for the majority of people is neither socially nor economically efficient, he said.
“We also agree that well-rounded, forward-looking policies and regulatory environments that consider broadband access as a tool for socioeconomic development are crucial. These policies need to focus on increasing both the supply and demand for broadband in order for the ideal of ‘internet for all’ in our lifetime to be realised,” said Mr Madyibi.