Minister of Communications and Transport Geoffrey Lungwangwa said the introduction of fibre optics in Zambia is one measure that is aimed at easing the use of ICTs.
He was speaking at the Fibre Optics Association (FOA) seminar held at Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka on Friday.
He said Government is in full support of the use of fibre optics and that it will make sure all parts of the country are interconnected.
“Government also aims at better connecting the nation to the rest of the world by keeping abreast of what is going on.
It is for this reason that the government went into an agreement with Zamtel and Zesco Limited to develop the backbone communication infrastructure by installing fibre optics in all districts,” he said.
He said the use of fibre optic networks makes it easy and cheaper to connect Zambia to other African countries and the rest of the world.
He said the use of ICTs has contributed favourably to the growth of gross domestic product adding to national output.
“These new technologies contribute significantly to our economic growth by lowering the cost at which we do business,” he said.
He said the use of ICTs should provide services to both urban and rural dwellers respectively.
“As Government, we are on the verge of rolling out e-government services which will of course ride on the network of the operators, therefore creating the traffic for the operators to roll out their services to rural areas,” he said.
Zambia Information Communication Technology (ZICTA) acting director general Susan Mulikita said the use of fibre optics is cost effective and a swift means of connecting communities which are far from business centers.
She said the use of fibre optics networks is beneficial not only to users but also to the economy.
“As ZICTA we are pleased that the ICT sector has continued to make significant contributions to the growth of the economy even during the recent recession,” he said.
Mr Mulikita, however, urged all stakeholders to speed up technological advancements required to make a positive impact on communication.
And ICT Resource Centre executive director Ernest Kamanga said the centre has trained 175 students, who are both technicians and design specialists. They will be the FOA certified technicians.
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Quelle/Source: Lusaka Times, 24.05.2011
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