Hotels, lodges, guest houses and campsites in Botswana are being pressured to have internet connectivity by August next year.

The Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) has challenged the country's hospitality industry to meet its set-out internet guidelines.

According to BOCRA, the guidelines provide a framework that govern provision of quality broadband internet in hospitality facilities.

The guidelines prescribe minimum bandwidth to be acquired by various facilities, network security and monitoring measures, maintenance and upgrading of networks, availability of information technology personnel and universal internet coverage in the facilities.

"BOCRA will closely monitor compliance to these guidelines to ensure that communication services are available at desirable standards in line with compliance and consumer protection requirements," said Aaron Nyelesi, BOCRA's spokesperson.

BOCRA has also recommended various bandwidth requirements for three star to five star facilities with rooms ranging from five to 250 and above.

Apart from prescribed minimum bandwidths, hospitality facilities are also expected to employ trained ICT personnel to help respond to guest inquiries and network faults.

BOCRA; though, says hospitality facilities may design pricing structures that would encourage usage of internet by guests.

Tourism is a key sector for Botswana as it contributed 3.2% to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) last year, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).