Sub Saharan African broadband connections are to rise four-fold in three years, a report by the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, in collaboration with Ericsson says.

According to the report, mobile broadband connections are expected to increase almost four times from 2012 to 2016 to over 160 million in Sub-Saharan Africa, adding that mobile broadband has been driving financial inclusion through mobile banking and mobile money across the continent while supporting new ways of delivering healthcare in many countries.

The Broadband Commission for Digital Development is a joint initiative of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The task force which delivered the report was led by Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of Ericsson.

The report, “Transformational solutions for 2015 and Beyond looks at several aspects of broadband and its positive effects on people, environment and society while analyzing national broadband plans for 138 countries.

“As the post-2015 sustainable development agenda process evolved, we felt an urgent need to see action. We see so many opportunities for broadband to transform all aspects of society.  Technology evolves faster than policy, and we wanted to make a concerted effort to do everything we could to raise awareness of the potential,”

said Hans Vestberg. read more