China and Africa: Alternative Telecommunication Policies and Practices
Date
2016-08-15
Authors
Sutherland, Ewan
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Publisher
LINK Centre, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg
Abstract
The Beijing Consensus is said to be a win-win for China and Africa. China has
become a major force in global telecommunications markets, as a manufacturer, a
content provider and in delivering services to its citizens. While the relationship
between China and Africa has been explored in many areas, telecommunications
has been ignored, despite its strong domestic performance, as well as the presence of
Chinese equipment in African networks and in the hands of consumers. China has
not exported its domestic model of competing state-owned operators, nor have those
operators followed the “going out” strategy. However, manufacturers have benefitted
from the Washington Consensus model of oligopolistic markets. In countries with
higher risks, they have been aided by Chinese development banks and intergovernmental
agreements. In a new policy model, for the Comoros and Ethiopia, Chinese
firms have taken on outsourcing of network functions for the state-owned operators.
Additionally, manufacturers have found several channels to supply feature-phones
and smartphones at low prices, helping to widen access. Absent from African markets
are the providers of Internet content and apps. There is very little evidence of
spillover effects, with little knowledge being transferred. China has won from hardware
sales in Africa, while Africans have won wider access to telecommunications,
including states rejecting the Washington Consensus model.
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Citation
Sutherland, E. (2016). China and Africa: Alternative telecommunication policiesand practices. The African Journal of Information and Communication (AJIC), 17,165-195. https://doi.org/10.23962/10539/21624