Why broadband is key to e-business

 The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, according to the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, is the fourth highest contributor to the nation’s GDP with eight per cent contribution.With the rate at which businesses are transacted online, availability and accessibility of broadband internet will further create a boom in e-commerce which is capable […]

 The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, according to the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, is the fourth highest contributor to the nation’s GDP with eight per cent contribution.
With the rate at which businesses are transacted online, availability and accessibility of broadband internet will further create a boom in e-commerce which is capable of positioning the country as a hub of online business in the Sub – Saharan African.
Speaking at the 2014 edition of the DigitalSense Internet Governance Forum and IPv6 Roundtable put together by industry experts and regulators to brainstorm on the way forward in the Nigeria ICT sector, the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah said the issue broadband and the economics of development have become intertwined because broadband Internet can facilitate all that we do around us today where they are truly available for instance health, educations, commerce, leisure, agriculture, environment and a host of other things too numerous to mention are possible within the framework of e-business.
He said, “Our efforts today is to ensure that Nigeria is among the committee of nations where e-business thrives in a facet of the national economy in such a way that the Gross Domestic Products, GDP, of our nation will continue to be positively affected.”
Juwah explained that this Open Access Model for broadband deployment strategy is a reflection of its transparency and fairness, both in the implementation and selection process of services providers at all levels and also in the provision of services.
The EVC noted that the objective of a strategy of this nature with its guiding principles is that it will not only lead to attraction of more investments to the economy, but will also lead to fast deployment of services while the inherent competition will lead to provision of qualitative and affordable services across the nation.
Juwah informed that the issue of internet governance is of particular interest to the commission considering it many issues where the global community has different views and interests in a technology platform.
He stated that while Internet Governance has become an issue of discussion over the years, it is yet to be seen if the world would gravitate to accept common laws regarding access and use of the Internet.
The regulatory agency boss made reference to some parts of the world approving the principle of net neutrality while in some other parts of the world, net neutrality does not apply.
He said, “But we all now know that criminal activities are abound on the Internet alongside the beauties and potentials that are available for the benefit of people across the world threat to lives and properties, terrorism, propaganda, false information, identity thefts, pornography, and a host of other crimes can be committed through close to six billion connected wireless and wired devices.”
This, he noted, makes it compelling for the different approaches to addressing issues through the evolution of cybersecurity measures as well as promotion of lawful interception of “harmful” communications.
He described the forum as a platform where some of these issues are looked into with a view to educating many Nigerians to know how to sift the chaff from the seeds.
Engr. Titi Omo-Ettu in a remark said, “Something tells me that those who changed the course of history by inventing the internet could not have imagined how much good they were doing to the world that we now live in and for those that will come after us. By improving the usable addresses from 3.7billion to several thousand billion available addresses per square millimeter of the planet, enough to meet the current demand of users and in the foreseeable future. It is for that reason that one expert says that ‘IPv6 is the natural planet’. The point really is that we are on the wee hours of a future that will use IP to solve human problems beyond current imagination.”
He noted that the #Bringbackourgirls hatch tag and the monumental assistance it has offered Nigeria, both government and citizens indicated that Nigeria has benefited from the internet more than any other peoples of the world.