Stakeholders to dialogue on broadband for Nigerians

Nigerians may soon join Finland in the bid to provide broadband access to all its citizens if all goes according to plan.
 
A forum organized by the Nigeria Information Communications Technology (ICT) Forum of Partnership Institutions, Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Fantsuam Foundation and Telecom Answers Associates, are set to meet in Abuja on July 28, 2010 to brainstorm on best possible ways to make this a reality.
 
The main discussion being how to “have broadband, with speed of at least four megabit per second (Mbps), that is accessible, affordable and dependable to citizens and consumers in Nigeria.”
 
The forum dubbed, Broadband for Nigeria (BB4NG), will dialogue with a broad spectrum of stakeholders to fashion a broadband policy for Nigeria. Stakeholders to participate in the forum include Civil Society Organizations made up of Consumer Advocacy and Protection Groups, Development Agencies and Donor Organizations, Financial Institutions, Private Sector Organizations and the Business Community, Infrastructure Providers, Internet Service Provider, Telecom Operators, Submarine Fibre Consortia, Multilateral Institutions; Government Ministries, among others.
 
The recent law by Finland which makes it a legal right for its citizens to have access to broadband connections to the internet has been herald by all as a welcome development other countries should emulate.
 
The Finland new broadband law makes it mandatory for telecommunications companies to provide all citizens with broadband lines that can run at a minimum of one megabit per second (Mbps). Furthermore, the government pledged that by 2015, the entire population will enjoy a 100Mbps connection.