3G for Africa

Africa is set to enjoy the benefits of 3G mobile telephony technology next year. The city of Tunis (Tunisia) will be hosting the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) on
November 16-18, 2005 (http://www.smsitunis2005.org/). Tunis and Sousse plan to receive the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) (http://www.ericsson.com/technology/tech_articles/WCDMA.shtml) equipment which is necessary for the functioning of 3G. Delegates from all over the world are going to enjoy 3G services such as high-speed internet access, streaming media, video telephony, MMS, JAVA, WAP, data, full-motion video and CD-quality music.
3G network provide access to a wide range of telecommunications services at a speed of to up to 2 Megabits per second (MB/s).

Vodacom and MTN, the major mobile service providers in Africa, are also vying for 3G technology (http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/telecoms/2004/0406081229.asp?S=Cellular&A=CEL&O=FRGN#2 ). These service providers have a 3G test licence that was issued by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) in May this year. They are both looking forward to the super-speed and super-connectivity possibilities of the broadband generation.