The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) has disclosed that Ethiopia succeeded in implementing the Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs) technology as an alternative approach to reach out to remote areas of the country.
The technology helps in the promotion of education, health, citizen e-participation and other services where territorial fiber network is impossible to reach.
The ministry mentioned school-net and woreda-net technology as the most successful initiatives which put Ethiopia as a role model in Africa.
“Ethiopia has found it important to invest in science and technology, as well as in Information and Communication Technologies believing that development of both areas can clearly be a major contributor to the implementation of GTP,” remarked Dr. Debretsion Gebremichael, Minister of Communication and Information Technology.
Speaking today at the opening of a three days "Future –Sat Africa Summit 2016", Dr. Debretsion who is also Deputy Prime Minister for Finance and Economic Cluster said Ethiopia uses the potential of ICTs to catalyze development, including in areas such as health, agriculture, education and transport.
"Satellite can support terrestrial networks to fill gaps and provide affordable access solutions to sparsely populated areas," the minister said.
“We all need to believe that Satellite plays an essential role in Africa’s digital communication strategy and how it integrates with the content’s wider communications mix.”
The minister cited studies made by the World Bank which estimates that economic growth rises by 1.3 per cent for every increase of 10 per cent in high speed internet connections.
He encouraged neighboring countries to see Ethiopia as a partner in ICTs which can support and provide connectivity solutions to the region and hence accelerate the realization of the ICT global developmental agenda.
Ethiopia has also been taking initiatives to utilize the space technology advantage as part of the second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP-2).
Participants from 38 nations including experts on various fields of satellite technology and ICT are attending the summit staged under the theme “Digital Skies –Everyone Connected.”
The summit will provide an opportunity for African nations to share their best practices in the field of satellites and ICT.
Seyoum Bereded, President of the Ethiopian Information Communication Technology Association on his part said the summit will help Ethiopia learn from the best practices of countries which are well experienced in the field of Satellite.
Kenya, Algeria, Nigeria, Morocco, South Africa and Egypt built own satellite facilities while many countries in Africa purchase such services, the President said.