Although streaming video online is possible in many parts of Africa, most areas still do not have sufficient bandwidth to provide a great user experience. Costs – for both operator and consumer – are a key factor that hinders adoption of the platforms needed to sustain broadband video. An upcoming conference in Zambia aims to discuss how to enable sustainable broadband so that Africans everywhere can enjoy online video content.

The following is a press release from the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information:

COLUMBIA INSTITUTE FOR TELE-INFORMATION ANNOUNCES CONFERENCE IN ZAMBIA ON INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

Broadband as a Platform for Video in Africa

The Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (CITI) announces its first conference on the topic of Broadband as a Platform for Video in Africa, on May 22nd and 23rd, 2012 in Lusaka, Zambia. CITI is a research center, based at Columbia University in New York, focusing on strategy, management, and policy issue in telecommunications, computing, and electronic mass media.

This conference examines the role and prospects of broadband in Africa as a video platform – the strategies and building blocks for deployment and advancement. According to the World Bank, the growth of international internet connectivity in Africa has outpaced the global average by nearly 2 to 1. The conference will discuss a new challenge in Sub Saharan Africa: the deployment and financing of next-generation broadband networks capable of video applications. Columbia University is joined by corporate sponsors AT&T and Liquid Telecom, and academic partners such as Gordon Institute of Business Science, Research ICT Africa/University of Cape Town. The Keynote Speaker is Brahima Sanou, Director, ITU Telecommunications Development Bureau.

To view the Program: http://www.citi.columbia.edu/Africa/agenda.html
To register: https://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/citi/events/africareg

Columbia Business School
3022 Broadway
Uris Hall, Suite 1-A
New York, NY 10027
Phone: (212) 854-4222