East Africa was the world’s last region without submarine fibre-optic broadband internet access, and until the summer of 2009 had been forced to rely on slow and costly satellite connection for access. However, the region as recently been connected via fibre-optic cable, in theory, allowing much greater speeds at much lower prices.
This rapid transformation in the region’s connectivity has prompted politicians, journalists, academics, and citizens to speak of an ICT-fuelled economic revolution happening on the continent. However, while some research has been conducted into the impacts of ICTs on economic processes and practices, there remains surprisingly little research into the impacts of changing connectivity on economic processes and practices in East Africa.
Here we summarise research examining the effects on this changing connectivity in the Rwandan tea sector.