The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) is providing grant funding for California-based certified woman-owned small business Global Resources to undertake a feasibility study to expand broadband infrastructure for 500 000 people in South Africa’s Western Cape province.

The study will assess the economic and technical viability of deploying new broadband infrastructure across the province, as well as potential ownership and operations models for future broadband deployments.

This is in line with the Western Cape government’s ambitions of connecting each town and village in the province to affordable high-speed broadband networks.

Improving broadband access, particularly in the most disconnected communities, is the real enabler of growth, and the feasibility study will guide government on how best to achieve this, explains Western Cape Premier Alan Winde.

“It marks yet another leap forward to freedom of connection to the world and its economy for our citizens. It is my hope that this investment will one day soon deliver greater ease for entrepreneurs to create and build their businesses, for jobseekers to pursue opportunities and work, and for learners to be able to study and thrive at school.”

Winde further adds that the signing of the agreement is testament to the strong bilateral relationship between the Western Cape government and its US counterparts.

“The US government’s support to expand broadband infrastructure in the Western Cape aims to create economic opportunities and promote mutual prosperity. These goals are the foundation of our trade and investment promotion partnership with the provincial government,” says Consul General Todd Haskell, noting that the commitment ensures that the US is the top foreign direct investor in the province and the province’s top export market with over $1.5-billion in bilateral trade a year.

“USTDA is proud to expand its portfolio of activities that advance South Africa’s digital transformation goals. Under our Access Africa initiative, USTDA is working with partners such as the Western Cape government to support planning for the deployment of critical broadband infrastructure,” adds USTDA director Enoh Ebong.

USTDA launched the Access Africa initiative in partnership with US industry in June 2019 to advance the development of high-quality information and communication technology infrastructure and services across sub- Saharan Africa.

Under the Access Africa initiative, USTDA, in April, also provided grant funding for feasibility studies in Nigeria and Kenya.

In Nigeria, the feasibility study grant funding will support the efforts of Content Oasis to expand Internet access to unserved and underserved areas across Nigeria.

Content Oasis selected Virginia-based Fraym to conduct the study, which will identify and select priority locations for deployments of 800 fixed wireless base stations to expand Internet access across the West African country.

The study will also include a review of technology solutions, final design configurations and estimated pricing, an economic analysis and recommended financing and implementation plans.

“USTDA’s assistance will support the expansion of last mile fixed wireless connectivity for more than a million Nigerians,” says Ebong.

Also in April, Kenya-based Internet service provider and telecommunications infrastructure company Mawingu Networks was awarded grant funding for a feasibility study to support the deployment of broadband services throughout rural and underserved areas in East Africa and develop an in-depth assessment of Mawingu’s potential for expansion into Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.