MINISTER MOLEFHI LAUNCHES FIBRE NETWORKS The establishment of Botswana Fibre Networks (BoFiNet) company is expected to improve competitiveness in the downstream telecommunications. Speaking during the launch of BoFiNet in Gaborone on October 4, Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Nonofo Molefhi said BoFiNet sought to ensure that telecommunications operators experienced substantial growth in capacity requirements. BoFiNet, Mr Molefhi said, would ensure satisfaction of end user demand for traffic, which was expected to grow significantly due to the implementation of the national broadband and e-government strategies. He said its formation was aimed at using the existing infrastructure as effectively as possible. “We also aim to solve the apparent market failures, as highlighted by the gap in broadband connectivity that is supposed to enable all other sectors in the economy,” he said. Despite all government and private sector efforts in investing in the information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, Mr Molefhi said, Botswana had been doing badly in the ICT Global Competitiveness rankings. That, he said, was attributed to failures or shortfalls in broadband penetration, business usage of ICT and individual usage. “These failures are heavily affecting other sectors of the economy such as mining, travel and tourism as well as delivery of public services using ICTs in areas such as health, transport, education and social services,” he said. For his part, BoFiNet board chairperson, Mr Ratsela Mooketsi said the organisation was ready to deliver on its mandate in line with government’s policies of ensuring the development of a robust and competitive telecommunications sector in fulfilling national socio- economic objectives as a country. Mr Mooketsi said the fulfillment of the organisation’s mandate would be dependent on the forging of effective and mutually beneficial partnerships with all stakeholders. That, he said shall remain a central feature of interactions. He said the launch of the organisation stood poised to re-define the socio- economic growth path of the country by re-claiming and re-positioning ICT as central to Botswana’s economic growth and diversification. BoFiNet is a 100 per cent government owned wholesale services and backbone infrastructure provider established in 2012. The company would provide national and international wholesale services as well as the development of local access infrastructure which currently is a bottleneck. The creation of BoFiNet follows the vision of government through the Ministry of Transport and Communications to establish a special purpose vehicle that would become a national cloud service provider as well as regional cloud service provider. The company is a precursor to the privatisation of Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited (BTCL) and the privatisation exercise aimed at selling up to 49 per cent of the BTCL shares to Botswana citizens through an Initial Public Offering listing at the Botswana Stock Market. BOPA
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 07:35:07 +0000
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