When Hamadoun Toure, the Malian General Secretary of the International Telecommunication Union, recently visited Angola he stated that the country would soon become the African point of reference in the field of telecommunications.
Yes, that was his conclusion upon discovering the developments taking place in Angola. We invited him here to witness the Executive’s efforts in developing this sector. He visited the Infrasat Project and was briefed on public/private participation, legislative advances and the installation of undersea cables.
I would also like to point out that since 2006, the state has invested $800 million in infrastructure, aimed to deliver different services while providing quality and affordable prices to everyone.
What is the purpose of the White Book of Telecommunications and what has changed since its creation? And what is the role of broadband in achieving leadership in this sector?
Legislation is one of the three major areas we are working on. If we want a balanced market where any of the actors in the sector can have and provide quality services, we need a regulated market. The White Book contemplates the Government’s policies and objectives for the development of the Information and Communication Technologies (TIC) sector from 2011 to 2015.
To implement those policies, we created the Law of Electronic Telecommunications and Services of the Information Society. Two new regulations that control this law act like two large Bibles which any individual or person wanting to invest in the TIC sector can consult.
Our objective is to modernize the legislation and open up the Angolan sector to any potential investors. The General Secretary’s visit confirmed that we are acting in accordance to the International Telecommunication Union’s guidelines.
Angola is about to link into a fibre optic network, we are currently investing in infrastructure to bring broadband to our people. I presume that in 2 years we will begin to feel the outcome of the State’s efforts.
What do you think will be the impact of technological infrastructure on the country and its people?
New technologies are having a huge impact. There are already millions of users, which clearly demonstrates the impact of new technologies within the population. Our goal today is that everyone in Angola have access to telecommunications.
In fact, we are developing actions to increase the capacity of our human capital which we consider our most important feature. New infrastructure is being prepared; an Institute of Information Technologies is under construction, with a pedagogical part already ready. A training center for professionals is also underway and in the near future, universities will offer related courses.
We are opening the market for more investors, seeking private partnerships to fulfill our challenges. Infrastructure will include satellites. The first, second and maybe even fourth will probably be using Russian technology. However, the fifth, which will probably be launched in 40 years, must have Angolan personnel.
What is the Media Library Project?
Our goal is to have 25 throughout the country to provide people with access to information so they can increase their knowledge and develop their business.
How would you describe the connection between higher education, science and technology and the Ministry of Telecommunications?
Our ministries have cross-cutting actions. We are currently developing a project with the Ministry of Science and Technology to bring internet to schools.
We also need to concentrate on lighting, which is a problem, particularly in areas outside Luanda. We are also looking to pitch software development to universities. So, to accomplish these projects we must of course have a solid institutional relationship with the Government and Higher Education Ministry.
The UK has around 35 million fixed lines and 55 million lines in the mobile network. What do you think is the potential for partnerships with UK companies and what contributions can they bring to Angola?
The UK is one of the major internet connection points in the world, along with the U.S. and Brazil. Naturally, Angola, as an emerging country in this sector, is interested in working with advanced countries. Most of the cables that reach us terminate in the UK so in terms of infrastructure, I think this relationship has to be exploited. We are adapting our legislation to attract investors to the Angolan TIC sector.
What is your evaluation of the 2011 Angola Telecom (AT) framework?
AT is currently in a critical state due to past management issues, so we are developing a restructuration program to modernize the company and make it the incumbent operator.
Can you tell us more about InfraSat?
Infrasat is a business unit of AT. It manages the infrastructure that allows telecommunications to reach remote areas via satellite, and provides support to different operators in terms of infrastructure.
What would be your message to the readers and potential private investors seeking partnerships in this sector of Angola?
I hope they continue reading this sort of publication that includes updates on markets like ours. Our sector is opening up so we invite them to invest and participate positively in the process of reconstruction as defined within our set of regulations.
Angola is keen and devoted to developing its services and expertise. We want to leave our complicated past behind and concentrate on rebuilding our future.
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