Niël Terblanché
The country’s national minimum broadband speed could soon increase tenfold, if proposals under discussion at a stakeholders’ meeting hosted by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology come to fruition.
The executive director, Audrin Mathe, spoke at the gathering in Windhoek on Wednesday, where he outlined the rationale for raising the country’s standard download speed from 2 Megabits per second (Mbps) to 25 Mbps and upload speed to 3 Mbps.
“The question before us is not whether these technologies can deliver the required performance, but rather how we can deploy them efficiently, equitably and affordably,” he said.
He acknowledged the technical and geographical challenges posed by legacy technologies like 2G and WiMAX but expressed confidence in the capabilities of 4G, 5G, fibre optics, and high-throughput satellite infrastructure.
The meeting was not just a policy consultation, but a decisive call to action for government, private industry, regulatory bodies and civil society.
“Broadband access and speed are critical catalysts for economic development and social equity. This engagement provides a platform for us to align our strategic objectives, share insights, and explore practical strategies to redefine the standards of connectivity in our country,” he said.
Mathe warned that, despite progress, Namibia still faces a wide gap between available internet speeds and the demands of modern society.
He added that faster broadband was essential for nearly every aspect of daily life, from education and healthcare to innovation and governance.
“The decisions we make in this room will shape the digital experiences of students in remote classrooms, entrepreneurs launching new ventures, healthcare providers serving rural communities, and families connecting with loved ones across distances,” he said.
He urged participants at the meeting to allow their decision-making to be guided by empirical data, technological innovation and the collective will to build infrastructure and policies that serve not just the country’s present needs, but those of generations to come.
