Failure to invest sufficiently in broadband and ICT services will prevent countries from benefiting from IoT, big data, AI and augmented reality.

This was the warning issued to delegates attending the 2017 Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) ICT Forum held in Maputo last week.

Shola Taylor, secretary-general of the CTO told national ICT policy makers from across Africa and other parts of the world that they need to work toward broadening access to these new technologies.

"With the Internet of Things, we have a new environment conducive of opportunities for new forms of digital entrepreneurship or public service delivery. There are still far too many without access to the internet, who are unable to take advantage of the opportunities and benefits digital technologies have to offer."

Taylor urged CTO member states to investigate and invest in new options to provide broadband including low-orbit space solutions.

"To achieve this, more investment is essential. Of course, universal service funds must continue to invest and deliver on increasing access. Countries must invest in services for their citizens, and in the infrastructure to support the delivery of these services, or they will miss out on the benefits of IoT, Big Data and augmented reality technologies,"

Carlos Agostinho do Rosário, Prime Minister of CTO ICT Forum 2017 host country Mozambique echoed Taylor's call for universal access to the internet and related technologies.

"It's important for us to continue developing infrastructures as well as information and communication technology services in order to ensure greater availability and coverage of online services."

Malcolm Johnson, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) called for a concerted effort by the ICT industry across the globe.

"Access is front and centre; it is the first step towards a digital nation. Big Data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and 5G will all shape our digital future. They are important steps on the journey towards a digital nation and we need to bring together technologists, regulators and policy makers, not only from the ICT sector, but all the sectors that will increasing depend on the technology, in order to address these challenges,"

The three-day 2017 CTO ICT Forum was organised under the theme Digital Nations, Digital Wealth with ICT industry participants that include ICANN, Facebook and Huawei.

Among the African ICT regulators attending the event were South Africa's ICASA, the Uganda Communications Commission and the Information and Communication Technologies Authority of Mauritius (ICTA).

The latest Liquid Telecom African IoT Report for 2017 found that Africa's challenges and IoT solutions are different to those from other regions. More than 630 million people in Africa live without access to electricity, while an estimated 40 billion hours a year are spent fetching water in the sub-Saharan region as a whole, according to the report.

The Report proposes IoT as a solution that can help deliver clean water, better protect endangered species, make roads and streets safer while providing useful information to farmers and other entrepreneurs.