IGF 2022 Lightning Talk #6 5G and Africa's GenZ

Time
Tuesday, 29th November, 2022 (13:40 UTC) - Tuesday, 29th November, 2022 (14:10 UTC)
Room
Speaker's Corner

Emerging Youth initiative
Gabriel Karsan, Emerging Youth Initiative & YouthIGF, Youth Stakeholder, Africa Edinam Lily Botsoye, Ghana Youth IGF, Youth, Africa Innocent Adriko. ISOC, Youth, Africa Vallerie Iyega, Bowmans law, Youth, Africa

Speakers

Jackline Akello, YouthIGF, Civil Society, Africa Milton Cabral, Ministry of ICT Cape verde, Technical & Government, Africa Yawri Carr, Youth IGF, Academia, South America Catherine Kimambo, African Child Project, Civil society, Africa Hewing Dorvellus, Haiti Youth IGF, Technical community, America

Onsite Moderator

Edinam Lily Botsoye

Online Moderator

innocent Adriko

Rapporteur

Vallerie Iyega

SDGs

17.8

Targets: SDG 4,8,9,10,11,17 Under the assumptions we have prepared labor from access to digital doctrines and skillsets that form quality education to understand, localize and make local use cases for 5g penetration, we shall reduce digital divisions from access to infrastructure and its utility for industry that can promote diversification of industry and lead to economic growth. 5G is part of new infrastructure that will improve data delivery and access to realtime innovation from cloud to IOT needed for formation of smart sustainable cities and communities, when all goals partnered the blue print of SDGs is close to its achievement

Format

Round table gathering.

Duration (minutes)
30
Language
English
Description

The recent GSMA report shows the deepening division brought by 5G penetration with estimates showing its western ubiquity with single digit penetration across subsaharan Africa, without understanding valid local use cases for 5G we are battling a connectivity blockade whilst we have not as of yet gained 3G ubiquity, is it a telecom issue? regulations that are unfriendly? or at the basic element do the users understand the potency of 5G and can derive meaningful use-cases in day to day activities. Our Lighting talk collects informed and diverse insights from the top talent of young professionals and internet champions journeying with the audience in a narrative simple conversational panel the potency of 5G and why its a necessity for Africas digital transformation. 5G as many of the emerging technologies are intertwined and complement one another with successful deployment of local operational models, 5G can speed up the transfer and meaningful access for data share, computational share and interconnected digital ties across regions, from transfer of trade data to telemedicine. 5G will speed access and improve bandwidth to enable cloud and edge computing highly dependent on smart hybrid industry and post-pandemic work and labor culture. 5G is a bedrock for consumerism 3.0 with meaningful access to resources , digital assets, Payment systems process, flow of trade data and importantly access to IOT connectivity that will literally give mother nature a voice, Crops that are can talk, share real time data for fast sustainable progress. 5G fundamentally is a stepping stone to a more connected future but it has its barriers of entry especially in Africa even though we can leverage its infrastructure prevalence to catapult more digital economies and interconnected reasoning. With more fast meaningful connected local areas networks and ISPs consolidated in a real-time equal access 5G backbone with billions of digitally connected devices the deeper ties will make it harder for internet fragmentation and Spit-net to occur and 5G has a key role in supporting this connected revolution. Our lighting talk with African Youth Independent Coalition and friends will reimagine the potency of 5G for the future of Industry, Adept labour force, Superstructure culture ties to boost connectivity to the unconnected, local use-cases Skillsets and access to new innovative frontiers in the GenZ era of empowered and connected digital democracies.

Having over 4 experiences as participants, speakers and organizers, Our methodology is devised on the simplistic user centric delivery that puts the audience first with valid story telling and exemplary annotations that build a two way understanding between audience and panels. We are question oriented and panelists authentically challenge themselves with opposing views in aim of consolidating a similar purpose. Our simple youthful rhetoric uses elements of online participation with realtime feedback collection from online polls, online speakers and audience equal time slots and digital reactions on social media with valid report links and curated multimedia content on the topic to have the audience hooked after the session.

Key Takeaways (* deadline 2 hours after session)

Academia is falling behind in teaching connectivity and what it means to society, Prof. Noll argued and universities now more than ever should accelerate their role in connecting youth

MIMO (Multiple Input and multiple output) algorithmic standard of 5G should be encourage governments to reserve spectrums to connects schools where most youth and implement GulfStack a comprehensive model for offering digital public goods and services at an inclusive and accessible manner that incentivizes youth participation in development and shaping of the 5G Standard

Call to Action (* deadline 2 hours after session)

Dedicated spectrum of 5G should be used for a freemium model for accessing basic text and imagery that serve a public interest

5G development implementation through community living labs with an inclusive society model , people centered and decentralized to the people beginning with affordable access and development of infrastructure and devices

Session Report (* deadline 26 October) - click on the ? symbol for instructions

There goes a parable in the technical community that all the cellular networking technologies haven’t lived their full potential, 1G and 3G with their drawbacks compared to their counterparts 2G and 4G in embedding deeper autonomy and service to people who are connected, Prof Noll opened the talk with a challenging question to the audience what is the fate of 5G? And how do we counteract this vicious circle by using 5G as a tool to push for internet as a public good with a people centered cause. 

Richest 10% contribute to 49% of waste produced, The ones deeply connected produce the most negative impacts we need to reform this with accountability and global access, building a people centered internet that is solves the challenges of this Generation. Being connected is a solution and 5G offers a solution for connectivity for connecting Africa due to its vast distances that will be more challenging with cables. 
But the purpose of connectivity is important, Prof Noll stated how Academia doesn't teach connectivity and what it means to society.
With a clear purpose the infrastructure is easily deployed as the people will have literacy with a clear goal for them and how they use the technology for building local innovations. 

An example of Norways strategy for Connecting All people the Nordic means of inclusive society was a pillar that was mirrored in society and aided in localization of 5G as a social benefit technology with affordable prices of producing 1MB as cheap as 17$ , because people, policy and plans were in-order and it’s important that connectivity to the new generation has these fundamental pillars for ease of penetration and universal availability. 

Universities should help us in connecting the young society with an example of an impact scheme of academia 
ARUA - research for a digital society build a digital competence center has pushed for reaching new ways of connecting local societies and these university networks for research should aid in connecting young people to 5G infrastructure so they benefit from its services and empower their abilities to build on the infrastructure. 

For the infrastructure Multiple input multiple output technical standard of 5G should be deployed and have the Spectrum from Mobile operators more accessible with governments supporting the reservation of part of the 5G bands for public benefits, and example is 
Gulf stack and digital public goods where governments are Pushing for digital Government service delivery, Them Governments should work closely with the technical community, Multistakeholder approach and mobile operators to ensure the 5G spectrums bands for education, text and images for public benefits are reserved and easily accessible for all, especially young society. 

There should be a demand for standard of Africa connecting cross borders with 5G at fore front to reach new use cases and opportunities of breaching the digital divide, we should challenge prices of connectivity across the globe with a decentralized internet to the people benefiting without polarity of price to get connected. 

A business model of digital pedestrians who can use the road of 5G connectivity should be implemented where access is free and inclusive, interoperability and openness built on the core people centered pillars with accountable and transparent participation, When all actors are on board using the 5G backbone networks with a purpose for universal connectivity as a standard and cellular technology we breach the divide and empower youth to benefit from active online participation in shaping digital institutions.

Affordability of infrastructure and its availability are potent for all digital pedestrians to have the rights to use and built on 5G Infrastructure.
The cost of 5G devices should complement equity and 5G shouldn’t fall on the curse of exclusion but it should empower deeper meaningful connectivity