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December 18, 2024

2024 Broadband Development Congress whitepaper launch highlights AI’s role in sustainable fixed networks

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Cape Town, 29th November: The 2024 Broadband Development Congress: Cape Town, hosted by the World Broadband Association (WBBA) during Africa Tech Festival 2024, brought together global industry leaders and stakeholders from the operator, technology, ministerial, and banking sectors to address the critical challenges and opportunities in expanding broadband access across Africa.

In addition to showcasing broadband adoption success stories, a highlight was the launch of a whitepaper, The Role of AI in Fixed Networks Sustainability. This informative document explores how AI-enabled solutions improve operational efficiencies, reduce energy consumption, and lower carbon emissions while supporting sustainable and resilient fixed broadband infrastructure.

With broadband subscriptions up by 22% in the past year, and broadband service revenues forecast to grow 45% to $6.7 billion in 2029, the conference emphasised the importance of partnerships and innovation.

Collaborative solutions to Africa’s broadband challenges

With over 130 global members and a growing African membership, the WBBA is a multilateral, industry-led association providing leadership for digital broadband innovation. The organisation’s objective is to overcome industry challenges and support the drive toward the provision of broadband networks and services for all. The 2024 Broadband Development Congress: Cape Town provided the perfect platform to achieve these goals.

Key discussions and expert insights

Delivering the event’s opening address, Dr. Li Zhengmao, Chairman of the World Broadband Association, discussed broadband’s transformative role in Africa’s digital landscape, highlighting the continent’s rich resources and bright digital future. Nfaly Sylla, Chief of Staff at Guinea’s Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Digital Economy, reinforced this message, showcasing initiatives like the National Data Centre and its role in digital growth.

Ke Ruiwen, Executive Director, Chairman, and CEO of China Telecom, outlined the evolution of telecom companies into ‘techcos’ and Africa-focused investment strategies. Reflecting on the whitepaper theme, Norbert Prihoda, Deputy CEO of Tunisie Telecom, emphasised AI’s impact on broadband deployment.

Dr. Sunil Piyarlall, Network Architecture and Modelling Executive at Openserve, called for equitable digital infrastructure access, and Pieter Viljoen, CEO of Yangtze Optics Africa Cable, explored scalable fibre production models for Africa.

A dynamic panel addressed critical themes like investments, regulatory frameworks, and financing models, with experts from Omdia, Gambia Telecom, Africa Cyber Defense Forum, MTN, Standard Bank, and ZTE Corporation discussing practical steps to accelerate broadband deployment.

Tebogo Moloi, Head of Cloud Engineering at Standard Bank Group, highlighted the role of digital infrastructure in supporting banking services and enhancing customer experiences across Africa. Kim Jin, Vice President and CMO of Huawei’s Optical Business Product Line, presented on the company's initiatives to support broadband expansion in Africa, suggesting African carriers consider monetisation models to drive digital economy and revenue growth.

In the closing address, WBBA Director General Martin Creaner discussed the concept of smart sustainability and how AI is transforming broadband through smarter network planning, optimisation, and management. He elaborated on the key themes of The Role of AI in Fixed Networks Sustainability whitepaper, reiterating that the biggest challenge identified – ensuring data availability and quality – is a call to action for operators aiming to maximise AI’s benefits.

Get the whitepaper The whitepaper, The Role of AI in Fixed Networks Sustainability, is now available for download on the WBBA website. It provides essential guidance for industry leaders navigating the path toward a sustainable, digitally connected Africa.

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Key Messages
Key Messages
Recommendations
Recommendations
The Importance of Greater Broadband Investment​
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Key Messages

Advanced cloud technology together with superior end-to-end connectivity can enable a wider and more sophisticated range of applications that can in turn drive greater innovation, efficiency, and wealth.
Both enterprises and broader industry ecosystems are actively looking at broadband’s role in enabling their digital transformation. Most respondents to the WBBA’s Thought Leadership Enterprise Survey stated that they need faster and more reliable internet to run their business applications.
Certainly, in the short to medium term, xDSL, cable modem, fixed-wireless access (FWA), and satellite are all expected to have a role in the delivery of broadband services. However, full-fiber access will always deliver the optimum experience and remains the most sustainable and cost-efficient option.
There is a danger therefore for governments to base their cost-benefit analysis on a national economic view. However, such analysis will miss all the social benefits, as well as the more local economic benefits, that advanced broadband networks can bring. Governments must take all benefits into account, including more localized ones, when creating national broadband policies.
However, future applications will not only need ultra-high-speed services but also ultra-low latency and jitter, with high levels of reliability and consistency if they are to function properly. Countries with networks that are not capable of meeting such criteria will be left behind as the world moves to the next phase of internet applications such as the “metaverse.”
Fiber networks are significantly more environmentally friendly than equivalent copper-based networks, and can help support other green initiatives such as greater working from home, the use of advanced videoconferencing, etc. Fiber-based networks also require less maintenance due to there being less active equipment in the field, and can therefore reduce operators’ operational costs.
With rollout of new access technologies like 5G and Fiber, IPv6 reached more than 30% penetration worldwide (APNIC) and is rapidly growing. IPv6 Enhanced technologies, including segment routing over IPv6, per flow monitoring and AI, enable a multitude of objects and people to be flexibly connected to the proper services, granting end-to-end quality of experience.
Based on the responses from the WBBA Thought Leadership Survey, respondents believed, on average, this coverage could be expanded to approximately 70% through private investment. It is clear that government support will be needed to get to 100%.
However, a lack of data on the available infrastructure, access to key infrastructure such as ducts and in-building networks, and a lack of understanding both internally and externally are also key barriers to further investment.
Respondents to the WBBA survey stated that a reduction in regulatory barriers, greater flexibility in partnership arrangements, copper switch-off regulations, and setting out minimum service standards for network installations, would all take priority over financial support.

Recommendations

All countries must look to maximize the potential of broadband. This means creating long-term national broadband plans that evolve around three basic phases of broadband adoption:

  • Phase 1: Fast deployment of basic connectivity (most likely focusing on wireless technologies)
  • Phase 2: Continued rollout of fixed-broadband access to 100% of premises
  • Phase 3: Continued investment in advanced broadband technologies to move to gigabit societies and beyond.

In order to help facilitate this evolution to advanced broadband networks, government organizations and regulators must consider:

  • Implementing regulatory flexibility, including the removal of outdated or non-essential regulation
  • Introducing flexibility in partnership arrangements; for example, allowing agreements between players, such as co-financing, collaborative models, public-private partnerships, etc.
  • Facilitating deployment through municipality approvals, using existing resources (government buildings, streetlights, ducts, etc.) and sharing infrastructure and facilities, including in-building networks. This should also include other types of utility infrastructure where possible
  • Providing financial assistance through investment support, incentives, and subsidies; e.g., universal service funds
  • Improving access to telecom facilities and physical infrastructure; improving procedures for rights of way and accessing public infrastructure, as well as broadband mapping.
Making the Recommendations a Reality

Operators, enterprises, vendors, regulators, and policy-makers should seek to create a collective voice, to evangelize, advocate, co-create, and partner in the drive toward the provision of ultra-broadband networks and services for all. Organizations such as the WBBA can help by influencing key stakeholders through discussion, education, and promotion. Specifically, the WBBA should aim to:

  • Set out the importance of greater broadband investment, not just for the good of the service provider but for countries as a whole
  • Promote regulatory, legislative, public relations agendas that help advance the interests of members through WBBA publications and live events, highlighting best-practice business models from around the world to remove any “lack of understanding at boardroom level”
  • Influence through research, discussion, and promotion of new potential marketing or naming concepts for fixed broadband to ease mass-market understanding of the different generations of broadband access – hiding technical jargon such as “Mbps,” “latency,” and “jitter” from the customer
  • Through thought leadership, media activity, and live events, continue to make the case for what governments need to recognize and do to close the industry innovation, socioeconomic, and environmental benefit gaps through infrastructure investment
  • Explore through new research the challenges and opportunities arising from changes in the industry structure, addressing its impact on the business and the standardization landscape. This includes aspects of fiber wholesale, the move toward horizontal industry structure with separation of infrastructure and services, and the change of customer relationship to digital
  • Work with stakeholder partners to understand and promote the potential of future applications that will bring new benefits to broadband customers and wider society
  • Develop in-depth thought-leadership research on the new revenue opportunities advanced networks can provide to service providers in both the consumer and enterprise markets
  • Develop and highlight best-practice investment models that show the true return on investment of a full-fiber rollout to both private companies and government organizations
  • Champion the needs of its members to highlight barriers to future investment, creating a platform to enable open discussion between different types of stakeholder to encourage greater cooperation and new partnerships.