The Challenges of Bringing Internet Access to African Schools

According to InternetWorldStats.com, only 10.9% of the population of Africa uses the Internet, and according to the charity organization Digital Links, 90% of students in Africa have never even touched a computer. Clearly there is a dearth of Internet access in African schools, but why is this? What are the obstacles of bringing Internet access to African schools, and how can we overcome these challenges?

Out of all the continents in the world (except Antarctica), Africa has the fewest radios, televisions, computers and Internet users. This gap between those with access to information and communications technologies (tools used to transmit information and knowledge, also known as ICTs) and those that don't is known as the "digital divide." The digital divide is most prevalent in Africa, and it widens even more in Africa's rural areas and countryside where there is a larger absence of telephone lines and even electricity.

How can this Digital Divide be Eliminated?

While Africa has made significant improvements in telecommunications over the past few years, very few African countries are connected to or utilizing submarine fiber-optic cables. Satellite Internet is the best option for most areas in Africa given that terrestrial internet backbones are expensive, unreliable, difficult to install and have high damage risks.

Satellite telecommunications are making leaps and bounds in eliminating digital divide by offering satellite Internet access to areas of Africa that were previously unable to access the Internet. Providing last mile single hop wireless connection and requiring only a clear view to the sky and electricity source to operate, nearly all of Africa's international bandwidth is provided by satellite. African countries have a very high dependency on satellite Internet, with the majority of these countries' international traffic carried by satellite.

African satellite Internet service is in very high demand today as an efficient, reliable and technologically advanced platform for any IP connectivity requirements. From point-to-point circuits to private networks and hubs, satellite Internet providers have made a huge difference in eliminating the digital divide all over the continent of Africa.

Despite the Internet's importance in helping improve health and education on the continent, Africa is still way behind on the telecommunications front. But there is a way to overcome this challenge. By bringing more VSAT systems to Africa teamed up with wireless satellite Internet networks, we can bring Internet access to more African schools.

What is a VSAT System?

A VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) communications system is a small fixed dish providing a link to a satellite-based communication network. VSAT satellite dishes can connect schools, homes and business locations regardless of distance, thereby presenting a cost-effective solution for those who want to connect to the Internet from remote locations such as Africa.

Using a satellite VSAT system as the primary backbone for a rural Internet hot spot, satellite-based network solutions bypass terrestrial last mile gridlock, providing homes, businesses, corporations or schools - no matter where they're located - with always-on, wireless satellite Internet access. VSAT communications deliver all the benefits of high speed IP networking without the constraint of landlines.

By combining satellite Internet with VSAT communications systems, it IS possible to bring Internet access to more schools in Africa, thereby bringing more of the educational benefits of the Internet to these remote areas. Find a satellite Internet provider today, and help connect African schools to the 21st century.

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