As the developed world nears digital maturity, Africa remains a Wild West of sorts when it comes to ICT. Vast geographical distances, underdeveloped infrastructure, huge rural communities and a critical lack of access to government funding mean that – while certainly on the rise – African economies can only go so far until an affordable and practical solution for connecting the whole continent can be found. ADSL connectivity presents bandwidth limitations and relies on copper infrastructure that is almost entirely absent in large swathes of the continent. Mobile connectivity is prohibitively expensive for millions. Businesses and governments are, perhaps understandably, at a stalemate as to what infrastructure would best serve the populace.

Compared with North America (88.1% penetration), Europe (77.4%), and even mostly still developing Asia (45.2%), Africa’s internet penetration rate remains low, currently hovering around the 28% mark. And while this represents the strongest rate of growth on the planet (a more than 7 000% increase between 2000 and 2017), widespread poverty and tight government budgets still present a massive stumbling block to faster, more inclusive progress.