Completing the Revolution: The Challenge of Rural Telephony in Africa

Published by Panos London, this report, 'Completing the Revolution - the Challenge of Rural Telephony in Africa', says that while most African governments are committed in principle to universal access, as they see the development benefits it could bring, they are not taking the necessary steps to achieve it.

Using case studies from Uganda, Senegal, Burkina Faso and Zambia, the report questions the level of real commitment to universal telephone access in Africa and asks fundamental questions about the telephone revolution: should it be left simply to market forces or should governments introduce new regulations to improve the communications in rural Africa?

Based on the results from these case studies, Panos argues that policy-makers should pay more attention to the challenge of providing telephones to rural people in Africa. "If they do not, the development benefits of the information revolution will by-pass many of the world's poorest people."