| The
International Connection
"India
and Africa have pursued mutual benefits through a consultative process
… India believes in extending non-intrusive support to Africa”
Shashi Tharoor, India's Minister of State for External Affairs
South-South
trade continues to expand, and we see the BRIC countries (Brazil,
Russia, India and China) increasingly making their mark on the continent.
Foreign Direct Investment has increased from US$10 billion a year
(1993 – 2003) to $121 billion by 2008, primarily led by these
emerging markets, much of it in Africa.
Although the BRIC nations were first identified (in Goldman Sachs' 2003 report "Dreaming with BRICs: The path to 2050",) as the emerging nations likely to be dominant over many developed economies by 2050, the relationships between those in Africa and the US, Europe and Australia are also strong - whether it be the burgeoning Diaspora calling home, or mining companies trading assets, these relationships are all driven by telecommunications - it is all about the connection.
The ability to exchange international traffic on a bilateral basis is significant for business opportunities in and out of Africa with other markets. At Gateway, we pride ourselves on our international reach, quality of service, as well as scale and cost-efficiency, but we never stop looking ahead, as we know that the future of Africa telecommunications has to include global connectivity.
The BRIC nations are large markets with big populations, leading to high demand for international connectivity. Take India, for example, where the third largest mobile operator, Vodafone Essar, has 66 million subscribers.
An interconnect agreement between Gateway and
Vodafone Essar will improve the quality of calls for the ever-expanding
base of mobile phone users across Africa and India. Gateway will
send traffic originating in Africa to Vodafone Essar in India, which
in turn will send voice traffic going from India to Africa to Gateway
through the exchange.
The
telecommunications market itself is a key interest and investment
area on the continent, but as a facilitator, it is absolutely essential
to any businesses working with and moving into Africa. The need
to communicate with global offices, run systems and processes on
reliable, high speed, secure connections, cannot be underestimated. |
Belgium