Mobile and internet use in Africa continues to grow at a rapid pace. Business Day reports that in 2000 South Africa accounted for a massive 74% of Africa’s mobile connections. This figure has since dropped to around 19%.
Reliable web hosting and internet service access are increasingly in demand as Africa’s online community displays encouraging progress.
However, this technological development should be considered in perspective: while Africa comprises 14% of the world’s total population, Africans still only make up 4% of the global online community.
African businesses and individuals are increasingly looking to create a strong internet presence and more firmly establish themselves within this market. Developing a website and finding a suitable host can be a puzzling process for the not entirely technically savvy ordinary man on the street.
Here are a few important but commonly misunderstood terms to bear in mind when starting up a website.
Hosting: a website needs somewhere to stay. All the web page files which make up the website should be stored together on a secure and constantly operating computer so that it is always live and accessible. This host computer is called a hosting server. Large organizations sometimes opt to store their own websites but most people prefer to purchase a web hosting package from hosting company. Basically this is the renting of space on a hosting company’s servers.
Domain name: this is the generally simple and recognizable address which users type into internet browsers to access a website on a computer or mobile phone, for example www.domainname.com. Domain names need to be original and registered. Often the cost of registering a domain name is included in a web hosting package.
IP (internet protocol) address: Also known as internet number, this is a unique identifying number given to every computer that accesses the internet. Each active registered domain name receives its own IP address which looks something like this: 41.185.110.38. These numbers represent the network to which a computer belongs, as well as the individual host computer on that network.
Setting up a website can and should be a hassle-free process with so many internet service provider and hosting companies open for business and ready to assist. On top of this, players in the telecoms sector are working hard at increasing Africa’s broadband capacity to ensure that internet penetration in Africa continues to grow exponentially.
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