“IMPROVEMENT in fixed and wireless broadband
services will boost the demand for personal computers (PCs) over the next few
years, opening up a new window of opportunity for local equipment
manufacturers”, Austin Okere, Group CEO, Computer Warehouse Group has said.
He stated that the Nigerian market for PCs is
already growing rapidly, and the draft information communication technology
(ICT) plan has projected a growth rate of 21.5 percent per year between 2009
and 2014, with a significant shift to laptop sales.
“The main driver for acquisition of computers
by the broader population will be broadband penetration,” Okere said.
Speaking at the second meeting of the
National Council on Communications Technology (NCCT) in Akure, Ondo State,
recently, Omobola Johnson, minister of communications technology, said the
Federal Government was working assiduously to promote the student computer
ownership scheme in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
“We are continuing with various initiatives
to connect schools to the internet. We are working on the Nigeria research and
education network, which would connect universities to the internet and each
other via fibre optic,” Johnson said, adding that there were also plans for the
deployment of additional public access venues.
Concrete steps are being taken to remove
bottlenecks hindering the speedy roll out of broadband infrastructure, the
minister said, saying “we have collaborated with the Federal Ministry of Works
to streamline and standardise the processes and pricing of Right-of-Way (ROW)
on federal highways across the country.”
According to her, it has been adopted by the
National Council of Works and is now applicable to state highways as well.
“The National Economic Council last month
formally endorsed these guidelines and have also committed to streamlining and
standardizing the levies that are charged on telecoms infrastructure,” the
minister disclosed.
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