Broadband – Infrastructural Deficit and ICT Growth Potentials in Cross River State, Nigeria

The study examined Broadband infrastructural deficit and the growth potentials of Information and Communications Technology in Cross River State of Nigeria, by using three–to-five scale closed-ended questionnaires. Cross River State has a population of about 3,104,446; yet by 2014, it was estimated that mobile Broadband connections in Cross River State was below 50,000 subscribers. Government statistics put Internet penetration in Nigeria at 28 per cent. Out of these, only less than 9 per cent were Broadband-based. Key indicators of the result showed that Broadband penetration constituted a major problem to ICT service delivery {X2 calculated (8.66) was less than X2 tabulated (9.488)}. The impact of Broadband infrastructure as an antidote to revolutionize ICT service delivery indicated X2 calculated (4.25) to be less than X2 tabulated (9.488). A synergy was arrived at between speedy Broadband growth and advancement of technology; when X2 calculated (0.07616) was less than X2 tabulated (9.488). The study further noted that 90 per cent of Cross River State Internet subscribers were served by mobile GSM service providers. This poor state of service delivery can be improved if fixed-line networks are deployed as the active driver of Broadband access.