Botswana's Information Technology Landscape
Overview
Domestic Market
ICT Policy
Telecomms
Regulatory
IT Diffusion
  : stakeholders
   : analysis
E-Business
E-Gov
ICT Production
IT Workforce
IT Geographics
IT Financing
Legal
Analysis
 

Information Technology Diffusion

A receptionist at the BTA

The diffusion rate of IT into the Botswana home is low from the viewpoint of all stakeholders. Internet subscription rates are less than 1% of the population, IT technologies are limited and affordable by those fortunate to have access or extremely rich. The internet, for example, is accessed in three major locations

  • Internet Cafes
  • Schools and universitites
  • Businesses
  • Research institutions

The primary individual interaction with telecommunications technology is through the telephone and mobile telephone. Fixed to Mobile density is just under 2:1, to give a total of 9.27% (fixed) and 16.65%(mobile). Most businesses using ICT technology provide internet and email access through the workplace.(10,)

Historical stimulus for growth of IT in Botswana has been a combination of curiosity and research as most access orginiated primarily in learning institutions. Current stimulus for IT growth and diffusion is the desire to become a contributing member to the regional and global communities as well as to further develop Botswana as an information society.

Individual Access

Some internet cafe's in Gaborone report an average of 150 customers a day between the 50 to 60 000 internet users in the country. Some potential reasons for this low usage includes:

  • Low penetration of electrical services in the home
  • High cost of internet connectivity
  • High cost of basic computing hardware
  • Little local content creation

Business Access

The cost of bandwidth is tremendously high in Botswana. A 512 kBit access line costs BWP 64000 per month, the cost of a T1 line in the United States a few years ago. There are still very few content providers in Botswana, but the country continues to encourage innovation and development of such content. Most businesses use the Internet primarily for collaboration purposes with the most widespread applications being for collaboration(10).

Government Access

Government use of IT is particularly visible through the central goverment site. Most, if not all ministries, have websites linked through the central entry point. Unfortunately, it is not clear if there is any agency or policy arm that aims to provide a consistent face to the external world.