Africa-Press – Mauritius. Government is doing its best to create a smart and connected island by placing innovation at the centre of its socio-economic agenda. Operators like Orange Business Services (OBS) are striving to support the vision of the Government with their professionalism and expertise.
The Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Mr Darsanand Balgobin, made this statement yesterday in Ebène on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of OBS in presence of the Ambassador of France to the Republic of Mauritius, Mrs Florence Caussé-Tissier, and the Director of OBS in Mauritius, Mr Jean-Michel Chaduc.
Minister Balgobin underlined that despite the difficulties faced at the socio-economic level during the past two years, the ICT sector in Mauritius has been resilient with robust growth rates.
The sector, he said, has been growing at a fluctuating rate between 4.9 and 6.5 percent and provides continuous employment opportunities to the youth More than 30 000 persons are employed in the ICT sector, he indicated.
He pointed out that the country is currently connected to three submarine cables adding that international connectivity will be strengthened by a fourth cable, the T3, by mid-2023.
As regards domestic connectivity, Mauritius has achieved 100% Fiber to the Home deployment in all homes since 2017 and mobile coverage (3G/4G) stands at 99%.
“The country is fully covered by fiber and mobile network and we expect 5G to be rolled out across the island in the near future”, he stated.
In addition to consolidating local and international connectivity, the Minister highlighted the need to improve delivery of ICT services and encourage innovation through the optimal use of emerging technologies.
He urged more operators of the calibre of OBS to further advance the ICT sector and support Mauritius in its ambition to become a digital hub in the Indian Ocean and African region. He congratulated OBS for their remarkable contribution to the Mauritian landscape and the ICT sector since 15 years.
Ambassador Caussé-Tissier pointed out that despite the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of visibility for business activities, there has been a rapid transformation of digital services in Mauritius.
The expertise and professionalism of the Ministry and the operators like OBS have been very useful in dealing with challenges of an accelerated transition in the ICT sector, she stressed.
She rejoiced that the OBS employs around 1500 employees in Mauritius and is working hard to consolidate a strong foundation for further development of business activities and digital services.
For his part, the Director of OBS indicated that since 2007, Mauritius has undergone significant development in the ICT sector which has boosted Orange Group’s growing confidence in local expertise.
“With a diversified network of submarine cables and a complete mobile and optical fiber coverage on the island, Mauritius is one of the most advanced territories in the digital world”, he said.
He expressed gratitude to the Ministry and Mauritius Telecom for their continuous collaboration in enhancing digital services and the French Embassy for further reinforcing the fraternal ties between Mauritius and France.
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