Faced with internet challenges, Burundi government has sought the intervention of SpaceX to introduce high-speed internet services via satelite in a landlocked country of 13million people.
President Evariste Ndayishimiye on Tuesday announced that he had met and held discussions with a delegation from the SpaceX company.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launch service provider, defense contractor and satellite communications company headquartered in Hawthorne, California.
Burundi Agency of Telecommunication Regulation-ARCT said in its August report that around 10% of Burundi population (13,313,984 people) uses internet.
“Internet is expensive in Burundi,” says Christian Ntahondi a resident of Bujumbura. “The government should also reduce taxes imposed on smartphones, computers, etc. what can facilitate people to buy them at lower prices.”
Pierre Nduwayo, Chairman of the Burundian Association of Consumers-ABUCO notes “Telecommunication is part of human rights.”
According to Hermalas Nahimana, ARCT Acting Director, “The penetration rate of internet usage in Burundi is currently inferior to 10%”
For him, there are several challenges regarding the evolution of internet usage in Burundi. There are challenges over regulatory texts regarding the evolution of information and communication technology, he adds.
However, Nahimana says the government has created a universal service fund that will help the rural population to have access to the internet.
Source: Taarifa