Internet ubiquity: An online chance for all

The internet population could soon be welcoming African consumers en masse. O3b Networks, a telecommunications company based in the Channel Islands, is attempting to connect Africa’s developing areas with inexpensive, high-speed internet access.

Currently only 5% of Africa’s population is online, with just 1% accessing via broadband services, which cost on average $366 per month. Backed by Google and HSBC, O3b’s ambitious plan is to connect parts of Africa with satellite internet connections by the end of 2010. Several other organisations are also exploring internet communication on the continent, such as the development of a 10,000km fibre optic line linking 21 African countries.

The proliferation of the internet in Africa could present vast opportunities for brands to connect with a new group of consumers previously too remote to be targeted.