Rwanda needs to set up 840 connectivity towers in the next three years for it to be able to increase the proportion of its total area covered by internet from the current 75 per cent to 97 per cent, according to the Minister of ICT and Innovation. Paula Ingabire provided the update in Parliament on Thursday, March 13, while presenting a plan on the availability of ICT infrastructures to citizens. ALSO READ: Rwanda's 4G subscription surges eight-fold in a year Ingabire said that Rwanda currently has 1,760 connectivity towers which enable internet coverage on 96 per cent of its inhabited area (populated coverage), and 75 per cent of its total area (geographic coverage). She said a study showed that for the country to achieve the 97 per cent of the country’s total area, at least 2,500 connectivity towers, the number which is higher compared to the already available ones. She said some 840 connectivity towers are needed in order to improve internet coverage without causing congestion that may stem from a very huge number of such infrastructure, but at the same time ensuring efficiency. “We are working with different telecommunication companies to consider together how many of the 840 connectivity towers a company could install based on the licences it has,” the minister said. ALSO READ: ICT Minister on why making smartphones in Africa is not competitive The government, Ingabire added, will use money from a fund managed by Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) to which telecommunication companies contribute 2 per cent of their annual revenues, to set up some connectivity towers. She indicated that contribution from telecommunication companies to the fund is meant to support the installation of connectivity towers in areas where the companies are not interested in investing in such infrastructures because they realise they cannot get a return. However, she said, the money in that fund is limited and can help set up about 60 connectivity towers. “That means that if we have a plan to put up 840 connectivity towers, it can take us over 10 years to achieve that with the use of that fund. That is why we carried out the study to be able to look for investors who can help us to get enough funds to set up all the towers,” she said. The minister noted however that while 75 per cent of Rwanda’s total area was under internet coverage, only 22 per cent Rwandans were using internet. Such a disparity, she said, is due to challenges including internet inaccessibility in some remote areas. She said that the move, coupled with efforts to lower internet prices and scaling up access to the required electronic gadgets including smartphones and computers, will help expand access to all Rwandans.
