Missing Links

Abstract

There are no doubts that the African telecommunication sector has grown and made significant strides the last three years. The level of progress is not a fluke. However, one of the greatest problems facing affordable telecommunication access in many parts of Africa is monopoly of access, links and inter-connectivity between operators. In many countries, this monopoly is controlled by incumbents, legacies of state owned telecommunication companies failing to realise when their job is done and when relinquishing their hold on national structures is more nationally productive. Often the links in question have been paid for with tax payers’ money before such companies are privatised or sold. This problem is significant across the African continent and has kept communication access in the continent very expensive.