Acelera Net was launched this Tuesday, 19th in Luanda, a program that aims to boost small internet service providers outside the province of Luanda, on the initiative of Angola Cables.

The program aims, among other objectives, to boost the business of small internet service providers outside the country's capital with specialized technical training, training in business management and the provision of financing packages.

The CEO of Angola Cables, Angelo Gama, said that the launch of Acelera Net is a way to boost, increase competitiveness and “a window of opportunity” for small operators to enter the market. The official relies on a 2020 study, which shows that an increase in mobile internet users by 10% could increase Africa's GDP by up to 2.7%.

In terms of expectations, he said that it is expected that the increase in the number of internet users in Africa could generate 180 million dollars by 2025 and another 700 million dollars by 2050, driven by the rapid appreciation and increase in the number of mobile internet utilities. , values ​​of a digital economy, which he said could contribute to the real economy.

“Another interesting fact is that if we increase the number of internet users up to 75% in Africa, we could be creating up to 44 million new jobs, which will be generated directly with this increase in internet users”, he predicted. .

Regarding the objectives of Acelera Net, the CEO of Angola Cables pointed out the contribution to increasing telecommunications users in Angola and making the country one of the largest telecommunications HUBs in Africa and Latin America, where Angola Cable also operates.

However, he said he hopes that the small Startups to be benefited, once selected, will be able to respond efficiently to the needs of Angolans.

The Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Information Technologies, Mário Oliveira, said that Acelera Net “represents a stone in the construction of the digital Ecosystem and a major development towards fulfilling one of the objectives of the entire telecommunications ecosystem in the country, of taking internet service for all citizens”

In addition to potentiating, the increase in job offers was also highlighted by the governor, as advantages that come from the Acelera Net program, launched this Tuesday.

Mário Oliveira also believes that the program could also contribute to increasing digital literacy in the education and business sectors, by making it possible for services and activities to benefit citizens “in the most remote areas of the country, with the perspective, however, of that the country is moving towards the development of the digital economy, which is now a reality in many public services”.

In relation to the prices charged in the country at the sector level, the Secretary of State said that there is a set of services associated with the price. He informed that the Angolan executive has carried out an analysis at the level of the southern region of the continent, where, according to him, Angola has the lowest prices for pay television services, while in mobile telephony “we are in the middle of the table”.

The gradual reduction in prices in Angola, according to the government official, should be influenced by the country's economic development and the improvement of infrastructure.

He considered, on the other hand, the emergence and subsequent development of the Acelera Net project as an indicator “to look at prices from a different perspective”.

Parallel to the launch of Angola Cables' Acelera Angola project, a conference was held divided into three panels. The first, focused on 'the context of the digital economy in Angola', brought together young entrepreneurs from the ICT sector, namely Cláudio Silva, from Luanda Nghtlife; Lisa Videira, from Nzoji Academy; João Baptista, from Hanormals, Kendaz da Mbawa and Lurinela Mendes.

The second panel, which addressed 'the regulatory panorama for ISPs and the financing of their activity', brought together Elsa Matias, from Banco BAI, who said that her financial institution is working to start financing initiatives that prove to be viable within the scope of Acelera Net, Engineer Dimonokene Ditutala, from the AAPSI Advisory Council, also Enginheiro Joaquim Muhongo, from INACOM and Júlio Gonçalves from UNITEL.

The third panel of the day brought together experts linked to Angola Cables, Infrasat, INACOM and Angola Telecom, who discussed the process surrounding the Acelera Net program.