•
Finalization of the concession negotiation with Cabo Verde Telecom (CVT). The
concession contract with CVT for the management, maintenance and commercialization
of the Public Infrastructure Network (PIN) will end Dec 31, 2020. The PIN infrastructure
consist of backbone, landing station and backhaul infrastructure. There is a need to consider
the option to open negotiations to reformat the concession contract to strengthen the
competitiveness of the telecommunications sector in Cabo Verde.
•
Adoption and implementation of a new governance option for managing public wholesale
broadband infrastructure. Due to increasing demand from private and public stakeholders,
the need for a sound and best class infrastructure wholesale network is clearly called from
all the stakeholders. Two options are currently being discussed: a structural separation and
a functional separation.
•
Adoption and enforcement of legal and regulatory remedies to manage perception of abuse
of dominance position, perceived anti-competitive behavior, unfair pricing treatment and
lack of transparency.
•
Implementation of open access regime for landing stations, international capacity and
shared infrastructure protocols in the metropolitan domestic market.
7.
Cabo Verde-as-a-Platform. Today, emerging digital technologies (e.g. IoT, AI,
Blockchain and edge cloud) and digital platforms (Amazon, Alibaba, Airbnb, and Uber) are
changing the nature of development. In this changing landscape, Cabo Verde needs to leverage
its current strengths to re-imagine its position as a digital platform.
8.
As more countries, businesses and entrepreneurs use Cabo Verde as a platform, further
Intellectual Property (IP) creators could find it more attractive to develop new services and
applications, and leverage its digital infrastructure, including both connectivity infrastructure and
data depositories. Enhancing supply and demand for such digital infrastructure can create an
outstanding demand for the country as a digital platform (i.e., an ICT Hub).
•
Increasing Supply through International Access – The team recognizes the progress
made so far to deliver on the planned submarine cable linking Brazil and Portugal via
landings at Cabo Verde, the Canary Islands and Madeira (so-called EllaLink). The project
will address the security and redundancy for connectivity in Cabo Verde given the current
reliance on sole WACS infrastructure. However, this project will also bring an additional
400 GB extra capacity which provides an opportunity for commercialization and financial
viability of the project, regionally and domestically.
Amilcar Cabral Investment: The team also recognizes that Cabo Verde has presented a
proposal to deploy a fiber-optic cable directly connecting all member countries of the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The so-called Amilcar Cabral
would connect Cabo Verde to the rest of the region via an undersea link to Guinea-Bissau
and the Mano River countries (Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea-Conakry). Based on our
discussions, no definite governance structure is yet in place to manage such key regional
project. Considering the expected Return on Investment (RoI) that this project can bring,
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