The efficacy of e-learning relies heavily on computing hardware and software;  but more importantly on the underlying network infrastructure. In the African context, infrastructure is a necessary condition to embark upon e-learning.
 

The prefix “e” in the term e-learning figuratively represents the media that education is transmitted into, i.e. inter-network connectivity. According to Canadian Recommended E-learning Guidelines, the term “e-learning” is used to mean learning using both a computer and the Internet. Among various attributes of e-learning products or services, there are few that are of interest in the African context: Very inexpensive or free of charge, consistent with public education tuition; and really effective or of superior quality.
 

Bandwidth constraint within a Local Area Network (LAN) can easily be dealt with at a nominal cost and with less technical issues. Technical issues of content distribution within a LAN or a campus network are usually within the technical and financial bounds of the information technology management of the particular institution. On the other hand, content distribution to the public, through Wide Area Network (WAN) or over the Internet is dependent upon the available bandwidth and network services offered by the Internet Service Provider (ISP).
 

We are in an era of transmission of information in terabits per second using fiber optics, satellite and wireless communication tools. Many African countries do not have a resilient and robust network infrastructure that the information revolution lives on. Access to information depends on an uninterrupted flow of information on the super highway.
 

Take for instance the available bandwidth of Kenya and Ethiopia; the limitation and scarcity is a clear obstacle to any attempt to promote and foster e-learning in Africa.
 

The Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) is the sole and only telephone, telegraph and Internet backbone provider. There appears to be no plan to have other Internet backbone providers in the foreseeable future. Its EthioNet Internet Services has two Satellite Internet links (both out bound and inbound) provided by two vendors:  2Mbps 8Mbps from NSS (Netherlands) and 4Mbps 16Mbps from Intelsat of the United States. In total, EthioNet has 6Mbps 24Mbps.
 

In the context of the general lack of backbone bandwidth for Internet connectivity, the cost of ‘available’ bandwidth is very expensive for a pervasive e-learning initiative for Africa. A comparison with an ISP provider in the United Kingdom is starkly revealing.
 

British Telecom (BT), a former state monopoly, supplies a router, which connects to a computer via an Ethernet or USB port. In addition to offering ‘virtual’ unlimited calls in the UK, its business broadband connection provides a 2mbps (40 times faster than dial-up) broadband connection, of 14.99 pounds a month (240 Br) for the first three months, and 17.99 pounds (288 Br) subsequently, with no cost to the subscriber during set-up.
 

The ETC offers ADSL on a leased line, although it said it has “introduced a new type of Internet Service coined as ‘Shared DSL’, which could fall in between the Leased Line and Dial-Up Internet services”. It charges 905 Br per month for a not-so-bad 256Kbps connection service. The cost of a 2mbps broadband connection from the ETC, a state monopoly, is 41,479 Br a month without including the set-up cost of 103,406 Br Although these are two different societies with wide gap in their developments, this comparison between Ethiopia and the United Kingdom helps to draw an objective picture of affordability and availability of Internet connectivity for e-learning for poor African countries.
 

The alternative for affordable delivery of e-learning is the use of other content delivery media such as CD-ROMs and broadcast TV. Notwithstanding the viability of e-learning with other content delivery mechanisms, the Internet is the medium of choice and the main transport mechanism for all forms of e-contents. Whether it video, audio or text data, the Internet has become the de-facto media and transport mode.
 

The Internet has changed everything. It provides the pleasures that CD-ROM could only dream of, like physical and material interaction between learners and tutors. Nobody wants to burn stacks of CD-ROMS and bother with the logistics of shipping and handling. Nobody seems to want to make learning applications that ran as executable files on CD-ROMs or from hard drives; everyone wants content delivery through an Internet browser.
 

Moreover, e-learning content providers output their data in the form of massive files in various proprietary formats. One cannot expect every computer to be pre-loaded with all sorts of plug-ins and add-ons. Such updates are assumed to be downloaded from a vendor’s website. Nevertheless, most of these downloads are huge files that require a significant bandwidth. Thus, without adequate bandwidth, e-learning results in an odious user experience.
 

Thus the concept of e-learning without any consideration of an affordable as well as a robust, reliable and redundant network infrastructure would be unimaginable. Since the choice of delivery of content is via Internet browsers, with severe bandwidth difficulties in the African continent, e-learning becomes a nightmare.

Even if one can afford expensive African network connectivity cost, the bandwidth constraint would surrender to undesirable e-learning user experience.