Namibia lagging in the technology race

NAMIBIA is lagging behind other emerging economies in the development and usage of telecommunications technologies, studies have confirmed.

The Namibia Economic Policy and Research Unit (Nepru) says in its latest report that compared to other lower- to middle-income countries, Namibians are not fully utilising Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The report says only 11,63 per cent of Namibians are cellular phone subscribers, compared to 33,29 per cent in other lower- to middle-income countries.It says although mobile phone usage has increased considerably, the digital divide between the urban rich and rural poor was a cause for concern.For instance, the survey concluded that only 4.6 per cent of households in Namibia had a computer and only 1.66 per cent of households had an Internet connection, all of them in urban areas.In major urban areas, 5,93 per cent of households surveyed have an Internet connection and only 3,61 per cent in smaller towns.None of the rural people in the survey used the Internet.Women seem to be using the Internet more than men – 64,7 per cent of the respondents were female and only 35,3 per cent male.The report concluded that the cost of communication technology had increased disproportionately to the rise of disposable income in Namibia.Making technology more affordable was a major challenge, because the small size of the local market did not stimulate the development of a bigger and more competitive ICT sector.Researcher Christoph Stork said the proposed Telecommunications Bill would be a big step forward in regulating the industry.At the moment, two different ministries are responsible – the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting supervises the Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC), while the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication regulates Telecom Namibia.The new bill, which has been stalled for a couple of years, would create a single authority responsible for the entire sector.The report says only 11,63 per cent of Namibians are cellular phone subscribers, compared to 33,29 per cent in other lower- to middle-income countries.It says although mobile phone usage has increased considerably, the digital divide between the urban rich and rural poor was a cause for concern.For instance, the survey concluded that only 4.6 per cent of households in Namibia had a computer and only 1.66 per cent of households had an Internet connection, all of them in urban areas.In major urban areas, 5,93 per cent of households surveyed have an Internet connection and only 3,61 per cent in smaller towns.None of the rural people in the survey used the Internet.Women seem to be using the Internet more than men – 64,7 per cent of the respondents were female and only 35,3 per cent male.The report concluded that the cost of communication technology had increased disproportionately to the rise of disposable income in Namibia.Making technology more affordable was a major challenge, because the small size of the local market did not stimulate the development of a bigger and more competitive ICT sector.Researcher Christoph Stork said the proposed Telecommunications Bill would be a big step forward in regulating the industry.At the moment, two different ministries are responsible – the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting supervises the Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC), while the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication regulates Telecom Namibia.The new bill, which has been stalled for a couple of years, would create a single authority responsible for the entire sector.