Internet speed in Namibia ranked 146th globally
‘Adopting new technology should not be a government-driven initiative’
An expert argues that Namibia's tech sector could be enhanced by government making it less difficult to adopt modern technologies.
In light of Namibia’s drop in the Ookla Speedtest global ranking for fixed broadband speed, Rowland Brown of Cirrus Capital believes there is no single solution that will propel Namibia to the forefront – or even the midpoint – of digital development.
Namibia ranked 143rd last year, compared to 146th this year.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to priorities. As a country, are you open to technological development, or are you focused on maintaining what is already in place?" he said in an interview last week.
“For example, there are all sorts of arguments against Starlink, and many of those arguments indirectly acknowledge that the technology we currently have is inferior,” he explained.
Regarding policymakers’ authority over which technologies Namibians can use, Brown added: “The real issue here is something far more fundamental – the government has the power to decide where you can source products and services.”
Rumours about Starlink’s licensing in Namibia have gained momentum over the past year, but the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) maintains that Starlink must hand over 51% of its shares in Namibia to a local partner.
The information and communication technology minister, however, has the power to exempt Starlink from this requirement. No such decision has been announced yet.
Right to decide
Currently, a partnership between Starlink and Paratus Namibia appears to be a possibility.
Paratus CEO Barney Harmse said in September last year that Paratus already sells Starlink hardware in other countries and that this type of technology “can connect every square kilometre in Namibia to the internet.”
However, Brown believes that a local partner would add very little value to Starlink.
“What value would a local partner bring, other than enabling licensing? Namibia has a small addressable market.
“Starlink has ceded a controlling stake in countries like India [where it handed over 70% of shares to two Indian companies], but that’s because there is a massive addressable market. As Namibia, we have no bargaining power,” Brown said.
He underlined that Namibians should have the right to decide which technology they want to use.
“What does this have to do with CRAN? If Starlink is too expensive for the average Namibian – assuming there is a single price point that every Namibian can or cannot afford – those who can afford it should still be able to use it.
“By that logic, we should ban many other things simply because they are too expensive for the average Namibian,” he added.
“Adopting new technology should not be a government-driven initiative. If the government simply made it less difficult to adopt modern technology, the country would move forward. But right now, we are somewhat on the back foot because our instinct is to regulate first,” Brown said.
– [email protected]
Namibia ranked 143rd last year, compared to 146th this year.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to priorities. As a country, are you open to technological development, or are you focused on maintaining what is already in place?" he said in an interview last week.
“For example, there are all sorts of arguments against Starlink, and many of those arguments indirectly acknowledge that the technology we currently have is inferior,” he explained.
Regarding policymakers’ authority over which technologies Namibians can use, Brown added: “The real issue here is something far more fundamental – the government has the power to decide where you can source products and services.”
Rumours about Starlink’s licensing in Namibia have gained momentum over the past year, but the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) maintains that Starlink must hand over 51% of its shares in Namibia to a local partner.
The information and communication technology minister, however, has the power to exempt Starlink from this requirement. No such decision has been announced yet.
Right to decide
Currently, a partnership between Starlink and Paratus Namibia appears to be a possibility.
Paratus CEO Barney Harmse said in September last year that Paratus already sells Starlink hardware in other countries and that this type of technology “can connect every square kilometre in Namibia to the internet.”
However, Brown believes that a local partner would add very little value to Starlink.
“What value would a local partner bring, other than enabling licensing? Namibia has a small addressable market.
“Starlink has ceded a controlling stake in countries like India [where it handed over 70% of shares to two Indian companies], but that’s because there is a massive addressable market. As Namibia, we have no bargaining power,” Brown said.
He underlined that Namibians should have the right to decide which technology they want to use.
“What does this have to do with CRAN? If Starlink is too expensive for the average Namibian – assuming there is a single price point that every Namibian can or cannot afford – those who can afford it should still be able to use it.
“By that logic, we should ban many other things simply because they are too expensive for the average Namibian,” he added.
“Adopting new technology should not be a government-driven initiative. If the government simply made it less difficult to adopt modern technology, the country would move forward. But right now, we are somewhat on the back foot because our instinct is to regulate first,” Brown said.
– [email protected]
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