Expensive and slow internet connectivity in South Africa is hampering economic growth and job creation in the country, according to South African opposition party the Democratic Alliance (DA) shadow minister of trade and industry Wilmot James.
“We urge trade and industry minister, Rob Davies, and the minister of telecommunications, Siyabonga Cwele, to prioritise this crucial economic resource and work together to ensure its improvement and expansion,” James said.
The shadow minister said the recent release of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Information Technology report highlighted the “devastating decline” in South Africa’s IT infrastructure and the high price of connectivity.
According to the report, South Africa ranks 70th out of 148 countries surveyed in terms of internet connectivity.
James said there has been a drastic drop in speed – seven spots since 2013 – and accessibility.
“The Global IT Report is not the first to indict South Africa’s internet connectivity. Last year’s First Quarter 2013Akamai State of the Internet report confirmed that South Africa has one of the lowest average internet connection speeds in the world,” he said.
This year, thereport highlighted local internet speeds are far below that of the rest of the world, with South African ranked 97th worldwide in terms of internet speeds.
“At an average connection speed of 2.1 Mbps, South Africa is below the global average of 3.1 Mbps and far behind the top ten countries who all achieve average connectivity speeds between 8.2 and 14.2 Mbps,” James said.
“It is imperative that South Africa reach this standard in order to stimulate economic growth and job creation.”
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