Google Africa official bemoans ‘lack of status’ as reason for weak ISP investment in Senegal

Agence Ecofin quotes Tidjane Deme, the operations manager for Google Africa (Francophone West), as saying that the ‘lack of status of ISPs [internet service providers]’ in Senegal is acting as a bar to investment in the country’s telecoms sector. At a meeting with ISPs on 27 November, Deme argued that the fact that local laws do not allow ISPs to deploy their own infrastructure – state telecom laws do not once mention the word internet and as such, ISPs are classed as providers of value added services (VAS) – means no investment, and in turn, no competition. He points to the fact that in 2009 there were nine active ISPs in the country, and today there remain only two. The Google Africa official has questioned the government of Senegal on the need for a better internet policy and to redress the situation of one firm – Sonatel – having a dominant position in the market.