December 2007 - KICTANet

Re: [kictanet] kictanet Digest, Vol 5, Issue 22
by A.K. Mahan 07 Dec '07

07 Dec '07

Dear all, I am new to this list and have been lurking. In addition to the Latin American and Caribbean study noted by Alice, the World Dialogue on Regulation also conducted a similar survey of Africa in 2003 - for which the Kenyan regulatory website was observed to be a best practice website. http://www.regulateonline.org/content/view/213/65/ As mentioned by Alice, there is a Consumer Center on the CCK website - which is an extremely useful feature. In addition to what kind of information is made available, we also need to think about how it is organised and presented. At the CCK site, the information on the Consumer Center page seems overly formal. The tone and language of that section could be a bit more user friendly with examples of complaints and the kind of documentation that would be required. For example, I bought a prepaid card last month that was supposed to have 20 minutes of time on it. And after carefully monitoring my time so that I have enough for two months, more than 30 days after I bought the card I find out that I could only make 15 minutes of calls. What do I do? Your site tells me that I have to exhaust all possibilities with the provider. Is that the person I bought the card from? If I call the number on the card and they take the complaint but say they can't help me, can I complain to the regulator? Or, I have subscribed to a broadband (yeah!!) service. But from noon until about 6pm it is really slow. I've called my service provider, but they say everything is fine. Can I measure this? How do I show it is too slow for what I am paying? Some websites post the complaints that are being reviewed by the regulator; other websites post yearly consumer complaint indicators. Also, an online feature to submit questions could be useful. In a recent study of the Uruguayan regulator, we found that attention to consumer affairs was lacking on all levels (by the regulators, consumers and the private sector) simply because there is no historical tradition of a consumer movement in the country. One of the reports recommendations was for the regulator to work with the local consumer advocacy groups to strengthen them and make them a better resource for consumers. Developing a strong relationship with the consumer advocacy groups would also serve to lessen the burden on regulators in terms of improving communication and disseminating information to consumers via these groups. Thanks for the great discussion thus far. Very useful. - Amy Mahan _______________________________________________ Amy Mahan, LIRNE.NET Coordinator Montevideo, Uruguay www.lirne.net www.regulateonline.org ________________________________________________ > The CCK recently unveiled the CCK service chatter that sets public > expectations Re: dealing with the Commission and its staff > interchangeably called the "The Customer Service Charter " it outlines > rights and responsibilities and the procedure to follow if CCK service > standards are not met. available at www.cck.go.ke > > Then there is a consumer center on the website, which includes some > useful links e.g how to make a complaint, what you need to know about > telecoms services, but is this enough? > I think the following benchmarks > (http://www.regulateonline.org/content/view/354/69/ ) for Latin American > and Caribbean Regulatory Authority Websites are rather useful > > best > alice > > above comments are personal and do not reflect any position of the organizations I am affiliated with > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > >

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Kenyans executing Identy Theft in the US!
by John Walubengo 07 Dec '07

07 Dec '07

Looks like the internet security challenge is already being practiced by Kenyans in the diaspora... check this out... Two Convergys employees arrested on ID fraud charges DAILY HERALD Two Convergys employees were arrested and charged with ordering thousands of dollars worth of cell phones and accessories using the identities of AT&T customers. Kechi Ezem, 24, of Provo, was arrested Tuesday and charged with one count each of identity fraud and theft, and 24-year-old Philista Oniango, of Orem, was arrested Wednesday and charged with one count each of theft and identity theft. Oniango is also being held at the Utah County Jail on an immigration hold. Both women are employees of Convergys, which handles calls for AT&T. According to court documents, Orem police went to Convergys after AT&T learned that a cell phone billed to one of its customers had been ordered by Ezem. Ezem told police that Oniango had her computer password, and a search of company records showed that she had confirmed the order of more than $50,000 worth of phones and accessories using AT&T customer accounts, court documents said. Most of the phones were sent to Oniango's home in Orem. the story continues at http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/245669/ walu. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

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nGOmobile competition
by alice 06 Dec '07

06 Dec '07

Hi All this may be interesting for some.... best alice -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [Apc.africa] nGOmobile competition Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2007 11:25:24 +0000 From: Abi Jagun <abi(a)apc.org> Reply-To: APC Africa list <apc.africa(a)lists.apc.org> To: apc.africa(a)lists.apc.org Dear APC Africa members and Team (Please see http://www.ngomobile.org/ for more information.) I recently came across this website and announcement and thought it might be of interest to those organisations interested in using mobile phones in their work. "nGOmobile is a text message-based competition aimed exclusively and unashamedly at grassroots non-profit organisations working for positive social and environmental change throughout the developing world ... The competition wants to encourage NGOs to think more about how mobile technology could be applied in their work ... NGOs from developing countries are invited to submit a short proposal outlining how text messaging could make their job easier ... What we are looking for is impact - a clear indication that winning an amazing prize, and gaining access to mobile technology, would revolutionise your work and turn mission impossible into mission accomplished." The prize includes the following: A brand new HP Pavilion laptop computer - To help you run your messaging campaign from anywhere you choose A GSM modem - Send messages through the mobile network without the need for the Internet Office software - Word processing, spreadsheets, email - everything to help you run your project more efficiently A top-of-the-range Nokia mobile phone (or two) - A couple of cool Nokia phones to help you take photos and videos (and talk!) FrontlineSMS - Software to run your text-messaging campaign. A little cash - One thousand dollars to help get your new project off to the best possible start! There will be FOUR winners and the deadline for proposals is 14th December. Please see http://www.ngomobile.org/ for more information. _______________________________________________ Apc.africa mailing list Apc.africa(a)lists.apc.org http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/apc.africa

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An ITWeb article from pauline@nordic.co.ke
by pauline＠nordic.co.ke 06 Dec '07

06 Dec '07

This article has been sent to you from pauline(a)nordic.co.ke as a courtesy of ITWeb. Comment: Too expensive!! Nigeria blacklists Siemens Nigeria has revoked its last contract with Siemens and suspended dealings with the industrial group pending a probe into allegations it gave 10 million euros ($14.6 million) in bribes, the government said yesterday.A German court fined Siemens 201 million euros on 4 October for bribes paid to Nigerian, Russian and Libyan officials by a former manager of one of the group's telecoms equipment units.Details were not made public at the time, but the Wall Street Journal reported details of the Munich court ruling last month. It said five Nigerian former ministers and senior officials were involved.President Umaru Yar'Adua, who took office on 29 May on pledges of zero tolerance for corruption, said he had ordered security agencies to investigate and take appropriate action.Information and communications minister John Odey said the government decided to cancel the 128.4 million naira ($1.08 million) contract for the supply of circuit breakers and other power generation accessories, as a first step towards blacklisting Siemens."Council today cancelled the contract bid won by Siemens Nigeria because of the current investigation against the company relating to corrupt practices," Odey told reporters after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Abuja."Government will not have any dealings with Siemens Nigeria in terms of contracts until the investigation is concluded and the company is exonerated or otherwise," Odey said.Several of the ex-ministers and top officials named in the German court ruling have denied they took bribes. The company has said it accepts the German court's judgment.The ruling, according to details reported by the Wall Street Journal, focuses on bribes paid between 2001 and 2004, ranging from 2 000 euros to 2.25 million euros, given to senior government officials in Nigeria, Libya and Russia. About 10 million euros went to the Nigerians, it said.The newspaper said Siemens sold telecoms equipment in Nigeria, but the ruling did not specify what contracts Siemens was seeking. It also did not say what, if anything, the recipients of Siemens' money did in exchange for it.Yar'Adua's anti-graft posture in one of the world's most corrupt countries has been undermined by a series of scandals.The speaker of the House of Representatives was forced to step down after being found to have improperly awarded contracts worth $5 million for the renovation of her official residence and that of her deputy.Anti-corruption police have charged five ex-state governors with embezzlement and have said they are investigating several others, though there has been no conviction. Posted: 12/6/2007 10:46:27 AM --------------------------------------------------- ITWeb - First with IT news. Every day. For more topical IT industry news, views and analysis, visit us at http://www.itweb.co.za ---------------------------------------------------

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The day your Phone-Number becomes a web address]
by alice 06 Dec '07

06 Dec '07

The day your Phone-Number becomes a web address (http://area.phone.num.com/) the reality will hit home. Neustar enum: http://www.enum.org/index.html?CFID=428983&CFTOKEN=13613274 Personal devices: ipods, psp, cell phone, pvp, pda whatever your plugged into, will innerconnect to the internet. You'll be your own little Utility Co. Yep that day is coming. Neustar: http://www.neustarultraservices.biz/ TWM Solicitors Selects NeuStars Managed Internal DNS Service: http://www.neustarultraservices.biz/news_events/articles/070810.html Demo: http://www.neustarultraservices.biz/technology/portal.html NeuStar National Pooling Website: http://www.nationalpooling.com/ NeuStar extends UltraDNS Network Infrastructure to Australia and China: http://www.domainnews.com/general/2007112805/neustar-extends-ultradns-netwo… nfrastructure-to-australia-and-china/ -- ____________________________________________________________ You received this message as a subscriber on the list: governance(a)lists.cpsr.org To be removed from the list, send any message to: governance-unsubscribe(a)lists.cpsr.org For all list information and functions, see: http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance _______________________________________________ secretariat mailing list secretariat(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/secretariat This message was sent to: alice(a)apc.org Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/secretariat/alice%40apc.org

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Fwd: [AfrICANN-discuss] Nii Quaynor receives the prestigious Jon Postel Award
by Eric Osiakwan 06 Dec '07

06 Dec '07

Dr. Nii Narku Quaynor has laboured as a General in the ICT Army in Africa over two decades providing leadership, vision, foresight, strength and the best of field commandship - in his own words, "a strike against techno-colonialism. A lot of us have learnt from his fortitude, tenacity and sense of commitment to cause that sometimes is not as well recognised but yet the only hope for generations to come. Nii'a efforts has resulted in great strides not only in the technical community but in the other disciplines and stakeholder manifestations across board. It is important to underscore his great work as one of the pioneers also of the building of institutions for the knowledge economy in Africa of which AfriNIC is a classical example of great gain. Not to talk about his building of systems, people, spaces and opportunity. Please join me in congratulating a five star General, Nii which means in our local dialect, Chief..... Eric here Begin forwarded message: > From: "Dawit Bekele" <bekele(a)isoc.org> > Date: 6 December 2007 05:09:37 GMT+03:00 > To: <africann(a)afrinic.net> > Subject: [AfrICANN-discuss] Nii Quaynor receives the prestigious > Jon Postel Award > Reply-To: bekele(a)isoc.org, africann(a)afrinic.net > > Hi all, > > > > I am happy to announce to you that, today, this year’s prestigious > Jon Postel award has been awarded to Nii Quaynor. Lynn St.Amour, > CEO and President of ISOC handed the presentation crystal of the > award to Nii Quaynor at the IETF meeting in Vancouver, where more > than 1,000 participants were present. > > > > You all know how much Nii has contributed for the development of > Internet in Africa, which is why we are all happy that he has be > given this award that he fully deserves. > > > > To know more about the Jon Postel award please see http:// > www.isoc.org/awards/. > > > > Best regards, > > > > > > Dawit Bekele > > Manager, African Regional Bureau > > Internet Society (ISOC) > > bekele(a)isoc.org > > Tel: +251 911 22 13 33 > > > > > Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.14.11/1084 - Release Date: > 10/21/2007 3:09 PM > > _______________________________________________ > AfrICANN mailing list > AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net > https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann Eric M.K Osiakwan Executive Secretary AfrISPA (www.afrispa.org) Tel: + 233.21.258800 ext 2031 Fax: + 233.21.258811 Cell: + 233.244.386792 Handle: eosiakwan Snail Mail: Pmb 208, Accra-North Office: BusyInternet - 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North Blog: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/eric/ Slang: "Tomorrow Now"

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Tell me the future
by alice 05 Dec '07

05 Dec '07

Dear all Very interesting reads below re; the internet. And yes yes again fiber/infrastructure is critical to increase penetration, access etc best alice > > > http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/dec/03/mondaymediasection.internet > > > Tell me the future > > We asked the godfather of the net to tell us where the technology will > take us. He emailed his address book > > * The Guardian <http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian> > * Monday December 3 2007 > > When we asked Vint Cerf, chief evangelist at Google, to guest edit > MediaGuardian, we expected him to bring us some luminaries of the web > who we don't often get to hear from. His choices transform an > often-asked question ("what's the future?"), into an insight into the > thinking of innovators and pioneers. It's no coincidence that three of > them are founders of some of the biggest web names. > > Their specialist fields (from search, to advertising, video streaming > to social networking) represent what Cerf believes to be the most > exciting areas of development on the web and in the world; notably > Steven Huter and Adiel Akplogan, who have pioneered the internet > infrastructure in Africa. > > Finally, each one has had, and will continue to have, a profound > impact on the future of media. > > *Developing world* > *Steven Huter and Adiel Akplogan* > *Research associate, University of Oregon Network Startup Resource > Center; CEO, Regional Registry for Internet Number Resources for Africa* > The first full internet connection to the African continent was > established in Tunisia in October 1991. Over the next 15 years, the > transition from store-and-forward email networks to full internet > connectivity in capital cities all over Africa progressed steadily, > with Eritrea being the last to join the global internet in November 2000. > > While most of the continent's internet connections are via satellite > today, the transition to fibre over the next five years will take off > as one or more of the undersea cables currently competing to service > eastern and southern Africa become operational. However, penetration > to rural communities will continue to be limited due to the lack of > infrastructure, and the cost of a personal computer is typically more > than what the average person in a village can afford. > > Consumer broadband services via DSL are becoming available in an > increasing number of countries; however, service costs depend greatly > on the pervasiveness and reliability of local infrastructure. Wireless > solutions will continue to evolve as the dominant service for "last > kilometre" access due to the lack of local infrastructure. Given that > national scale fibre build-outs are not a major focus of the five-year > budget plans for most governments, most service providers will > continue to deploy a combination of wireless and leased line > infrastructure from telecommunications companies for providing > internet access. Overall progress will occur, but realistically, the > limited or unavailable national infrastructure (power and fibre) will > make it difficult to attain economies of scale, which will limit > pan-African internet development between now and 2012. > > The explosion in mobile telephony that has turned Africa into the > fastest-growing market in the world, at more than twice the > international average growth in subscriber numbers, will continue to > drive locally-fuelled innovations. A number of SMS and voice-enabled > applications are already in use in numerous African markets, providing > financial, agricultural, health, and other information services. > Network services via mobile devices will accelerate as mobile > operators upgrade infrastructure, and cheaper and more sophisticated > handsets lower the bar for innovation. > > The rise of a youthful, entrepreneurial and well-educated vanguard of > Africans will lead this overhaul of the continent's communications > services. Countries that are embracing information technology today > and harnessing the power of wireless networks, mobile telephony and > low-cost technology for the end-user, along with establishing > regulatory environments to foster entrepreneurship, will evolve > rapidly over the next five years. Countries that establish and promote > internet exchange points will help to cultivate the localisation of > African internet traffic, and stimulate the creation and distribution > of more local content. > > To take full advantage of the power of the internet, African leaders > must give rise to regulatory and political environments that remove > cumbersome barriers, encourage competition by opening up markets to > engage more access providers, and capitalise on these positive forces > that ultimately will be the dynamic impetus to propel Africa forward. > > *Social networking* > *Chris De Wolfe* > *CEO, co-founder MySpace* > In only a few years, social networks have become a staple in the > internet landscape as the social networking phenomenon allowed people > to "put their lives online". A person's profile became a > representation of who they really were in the offline world, and > allowed them to transfer their offline world online. > > More than ever, social networks are blurring online and offline > worlds, evolving into social destinations that are driving the > direction of the larger web and affecting industries like advertising, > music and politics. > > Predicting the future of social networks exclusively misses the larger > point - these evolving online social destinations are laying the > groundwork for the new social web which we believe is becoming > infinitely more personal, more portable, and more collaborative. > > First, as we expand these social destinations to all corners of the > world, we must always think in terms of the individual. With millions > of people using social websites, there's an increasing demand to make > everyone's web experience personal. In the same way a home or office > is your physical address, we expect your personal, online social > profile to become your internet address. When I give out > www.myspace.com/chrisdewolfe <http://www.myspace.com/chrisdewolfe> to > friends and colleagues, everyone knows where to find me online. > > We expect aspects of all socially-based sites to become increasingly > portable. In terms of mobile, we expect to have relationships with > every carrier and device-maker in the world and we expect that half of > our future traffic will come from non-PC users. > > Social activity is happening everywhere and we expect applications and > features to be more fluid, based on the online population that want > content where they want it, when they want it, and how they want it. > Social activity should be portable and we expect the industry will > continue to move in that direction. > > Lastly, online social destinations work best when creativity and > development are collaborative concepts. From personal profiles, to the > widget economy, to the OpenSocial standard - the future of the social > web will harness the savvy of the masses to produce more relevant and > meaningful social experiences, ultimately pushing the larger industry > to be more innovative and progressive. > > Lowering the barrier to entry for a new generation of developers will > lead to a more collaborative and dynamic web and directly affect the > tools and feature sets available on socially-based sites. Supporting a > more collaborative web creates a more global and participatory > internet experience for everyone. > > The evolution of social networks is kick-starting a broad global shift > for how people, content and culture collide on the web. Right now > we're looking at the tip of the iceberg for what the social web will > look like in the future. Fundamentally, all social destinations must > expand while staying personal, they must engage users while empowering > portability, and they must work with up and coming innovators and > major web leaders to both collaborate and contribute to the larger web > community. > > *Video* > *Chad Hurley* > *CEO, co-founder YouTube* > In five years, video broadcasting will be the most ubiquitous and > accessible form of communication. The tools for video recording will > continue to become smaller and more affordable. Personal media devices > will be universal and interconnected. People will have the opportunity > to record and share video with a small group of friends or everyone > around the world. > > Today, eight hours of new video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. > This will grow exponentially over the next five years. Our goal is to > allow every person on the planet to participate by making the upload > process as simple as placing a phone call. This new video content will > be available on any screen - in your living room or in your pocket - > and will bring together all the diverse media which matters to you, > from videos of family and friends to news, music, sports, cooking and > more. > > In the next five years, users will be at the centre of their video > experience, you will have more access to more information, and the > world will be a smaller place. > > *Advertising* > *Maurice Lévy* > *Chairman and CEO, Publicis Groupe* > Five years is an eternity in technology, but from our vantage point a > few things are clear about what the internet and internet advertising > will look like in 2012. One, virtually all media will be digital, and > digital will enable almost all kinds of advertising. Two, online > advertising will depend more than ever on the one element which has > always been at the heart of impactful advertising, both analogue and > digital: creativity. The explosion of media channels means this is a > glorious time to think and act creatively. In art history terms, we > are at the dawn of the Renaissance after the Dark Ages. > > Just as the Renaissance broke down the distinctions between sacred and > profane art forms and between individual and community, so we are > seeing a similar exciting blurring today - and this will only > intensify. Linear media is fast giving way to liquid media, where you > can move seamlessly in and out of different settings. Prescribed time > - the 7 o'clock news, the Friday night out at the cinema, etc - is now > becoming multitasking time. People are no longer willing to put up > with interruptions for a commercial break during their entertainment > experience, and so we have to find incredibly creative solutions to > interact with them and engage them in genuine and honest ways. This > implies a brave new world of engagement and involvement between > marketers and consumers and will also mean co-production between > marketers and media owners. Scale will be critical: in five years' > time, around 2 billion people will be constant internet users and > mobile internet computing will be ubiquitous. What a great time to be > in the business! > > *Mobile* > *Biz Stone* > *Co-founder, Twitter* > As we increasingly realise the web as a vital social utility and > important marketplace we cannot ignore an even bigger potential. The > power of the internet is not limited to the PC. Twitter has emerged to > create a seamless layer of social connectivity across SMS, IM, and the > web. Operating on the simple concept of status, Twitter asks one > question: "What are you doing?" Friends, family and colleagues stay > connected through short responses. > > The potential for this simple form of hybrid communication technology > is strong. For example, a person in India may text "Follow Biz" and > get online via Twitter over SMS in a matter of seconds. Biz might be > updating from the US on a PC. Nevertheless, the updates are exchanged > instantly. > > Our future holds in store the promise of increased connectivity to a > powerful social internet which truly extends to every little spot on > our Planet Earth. We're all affected by and defined by each other's > actions. What are you doing? > > *Search* > *Peter Norvig* > *Director of research, Google * > Yale librarian Rutherford Rogers said "We're drowning in information > and starving for knowledge." The internet is an ocean of information > and in the near future we'll speed through it effortlessly and > intuitively, like a tuna. No, I don't mean you'll have fins. > > If you haven't been searching for [tuna tail vortices] recently, you > may not know that a tuna's body creates small vortices in the water > that are then channelled by the tuna's tail to create additional power. > > This symbiosis of tuna and watery environment forms a more efficient > propulsion system than anything designed by human engineers. > > In the future, a similar symbiosis of searcher and computational > environment will allow us to move faster through the internet than we > would have thought possible. We will not just be typing in keywords > and getting back a list of 10 web pages. > > Instead, our interaction will be more fluid, our computers will accept > our requests in many forms, and will scan our environment proactively, > looking for ways to provide us with additional power. We will get back > web pages, yes, along with existing books and videos, but also custom > tables, charts, animations, databases, and summarisations created > on-the-fly in response to our specific needs. > > Today, nobody says "I need to connect to a megawatt power station" - > instead we assume that electricity will be available on demand in > almost every room of every building we visit. Edison could see that > this would be useful, but could not foresee the range of appliances, > from food processors to mp3 players, that this availability would > enable. So too will information flow freely to us in the future, and > be transformed by as-yet-unforeseen information appliances. > > *Archive* > *Bruce Cole* > *Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities (US)* > At the National Endowment for the Humanities, we believe the internet > and other information-age tools, such as digital archiving, will help > us understand the world more deeply, broadly, and creatively. For > humanists just as much for scientists, the ability to mine, analyse, > and understand data, simulate complex environments, and combine > information from a wide variety of sources, is critical to > 21st-century discovery and innovation. > > The exciting new tools of the digital age also present unique > challenges. With digital technologies, we can comb through information > in seconds versus years, and assimilate knowledge from a much broader > array of sources for new insights. But the wellbeing of the > infrastructure itself demands new time-frames. Information in books > can be preserved for centuries before transfer to new "media" is > needed. Information on disks, thumb drives, and other digital media > has a lifespan measured in years or even months rather than centuries > before transfer to the next generation of media is required. > > Just as physical infrastructure is a foundation for modern life, > digital infrastructure (data storage, computers, networks, etc.) is > foundational infrastructure for the information age. Attention to the > health and support of this infrastructure is critical to ensuring that > born-digital knowledge is preserved and passed on for the benefit of > future generations. > > > _______________________________________________ > AfrICANN mailing list > AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net <mailto:AfrICANN@afrinic.net> > https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann Eric M.K Osiakwan ICT Integrator Internet Research www.internetresearch.com.gh emko(a)internetresearch.com.gh <mailto:emko@internetresearch.com.gh> 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North Tel: +233.21.258800 ext 2031 Fax: +233.21.258811 Cell: +233.24.4386792 _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann

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Communication Methods: History Repeats Itself
by Alex Gakuru 05 Dec '07

05 Dec '07

I wish to take a historical perspective re-looking the continuing fibre debate to prove why we cannot resist change and win. I learnt this morning that Mombasa had a submarine cable connection in 1895 to the rest of the world! After Marconi invented the radio in 1900,that became the "new" communication method and served the time well. HF still in use in ships and today CCK still licenses radio hobbyists <http://www.qsl.net/oh2mcn/5z4.htm> 1950s saw arrival of the satellite, better and cheaper than substituting long range radio. In the 1970s came fibre for communication used in conjunction with satellites, has been serving us thus far. The first documented article on local use was in 1983 on the Kenya Engineer magazine written by Eng. John Kariuki. This fibre connected Westlands, City Centre, Southands and Embakasi. Twenty years later, can we really afford to argue against fibre connectivity? Shall we stall it and wait for 10 years to be dumping sites for "old" fibre technology after the new type of connectivity PS mentioned is broadly deployed out there? Developed countries, such as Canada, are now delivering 1 Gigs to to home through FTTH projects. Let us also remember that PS Ndemo still has a order pending complete execution. <http://www.statehousekenya.go.ke/speeches/kibaki/ feb06/2006280201.htm> Regards, Alex For the record, I differ with a separate post calling for list information gatekeeping allowing only deemed "useful content" since if that principle were extended to radio, TV, this list would be flooded with claims of broad censorship:) I believe the current debates will seasonate settle fizzle out sooner or later. But should one be uncomfortable with another's postings, just press DELETE without ever opening the messages:) Personally I am happy to read every post because I always learn new things. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

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Re: [kictanet] Fibre Optic
by robert yawe 05 Dec '07

05 Dec '07

Alex, You again still have not justified the landing of the marine cable. 1. Of the US 500 Million spent on satellite connectivity 80% is none productive traffic such as porn, spam and chat (you and me both in Nairobi but chatting on MSN). Reducing costs is not necessarily the only way to resolve an issue most of the times it is easier to increase your income so that the expense as a percentage is lowered. 2. Lets not replace the world bank loans with diaspora remittances, let us become productive and more ingenious, lets take advantage of our position as the most advanced economy in sub Saharan Africa. We need to lay fiber to the neighbouring countries so that we can pick out sourcing contracts from Europe and America but set up the call centers in the neighbouring countries. That way we utilise our higher value personnel to look for high value outsourcing. 3. Dream on . . . 4. Log onto a locally hosted site and experience true high speed Internet, stop browsing foreign sites and the fiber ceases to be essential. I know Dr. Ndemo says we cannot be an Island, is it being an Island when you are faithful to one partner. Certain things can be shared such as a hand shake or a conversation but certain activities are best kept within. Lets not over stretch ourselves bringing high speed garbage when we can use technology to improve our lives, locally. 5. Charity begins at home and so does B2B and B2C 6. Out sourcing what??? Have a good day. PS. Delay fiber or perish Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 KEnya Tel: +254722511225 ----- Original Message ---- From: Alex Gakuru <alexgakuru.lists(a)gmail.com> To: robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Friday, 30 November, 2007 6:25:46 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Fibre Optic Robert: I cannot rationally argue against fibre connectivity, but on processes yes. Of course, I will argue hypothetically since if I responded seemingly with insider information then I would be misleading consumers. And you know my issues... On Nov 30, 2007 4:46 PM, robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > > Explain one issue to me, how will the marine cable increase the remittances > from the diaspora, they are sending 3.9 billion over slow, expensive > satellite links why should we reduce this by spending 7 billion to land the > fiber? 1. AfDB data shows that in total Africa spends US$ 500 million (shs 30 billion) every year on transit satellite bandwidths.( i.e. 5 TEAMS projects). That would be a saving! 2. Back to your question, since it would be (promised very) cheap to call them, then we shall call them day and night "convincing" them how they have neglected mother Africa, poetically narrating Wanjiku's financial sufferings back home, her kiosk that needs only one-off stocking and her anguish will ease. They are only human. They will dig deeper into their pockets, miss a few lunches, tighten their belts, or speak nicely to their bosses on their urgent need to alleviate home poverty. If we collude and do this nationally for just one year, then we could quadruple remmitances to 16 billion shillings or at worst double it to 8 billion-enough to build a cable that will benefit us for the next 25 years:) That was on a light note though I am paraphrasing real comments attributable to *130* "Please call me" to diasporans. 3. Imagine starting a movie company. Be it a comedy, folk tales, Flora and Fauna, or like developing video games like Wesley Kiriinya's, "Adventures of Nyangi" http://www.sinc-studios.com/. The fibre gives one a potential 1.2 billion internet users customer base. Because THEY can play quality demo videos clips fast many are bound to purchase and if, say 10,000 buy a product at US$10 that would be Kshs 6 million. Such opportunities are lost every day we are not connected by fibre. 4. We have 2.7 million internet users. For how long does each one take tapping their fingers on the desk waiting for a slow web page to load? Multiply each one's lost productivity by 365 days/year then by 2.7 million and compute the national productivity loss caused by slow, yet very expensive internet. Based on these mathematics OECD countries have put up a nifty graphic showing broadband rankings of member countries, but which also include average price of broadband and average throughput here http://www.fiberevolution.com/2007/11/us-lags-in-grap.html, pointer courtesy Bill St. Arnaud http://www.canarie.ca/. I would be interesting to have Dr. Ndemo's expected consumer prices to compare. 5. Consumer/Busineses costs saving would be the most apparent benefit. I need not dwell on that since we all feel them pretty well. 6. I also skip outsourcing. > Alex, all I ask is can you give me a logical reason why we should spend 7 > billion to land this fiber? Are above logical enough reasons sufficiently compelling justification to support the international fibre? But like I said, remember SAT3 West Africa cable cost nearly the same as satellite because of Bandwidth cartels. So should be assured they have no space in TEAMS to clog broadband to consumers, but that is somebody's job. We are only asking for assurance it will not turn out to be a white grey elephant project:) > > I am aware this discussion is academic but it should not stop us from > questioning the rational. > That's the spirit! We keep Ndemo on his toes, always.... Thanks, Alex __________________________________________________________ Sent from Yahoo! - the World's favourite mail http://uk.mail.yahoo.com

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Free Internet Centre Established
by Alex Gakuru 05 Dec '07

05 Dec '07

[Telcos' "Corporate Social Responsibility" programs could borrow from this wonderful initiative--AlexG] Kenya and Korea to offer free Internet training Written by Okuttah Mark December 5, 2007 Groups within Nairobi and its environs will benefit from free Internet training and access courtesy of an initiative between the Kenyan and Korean governments. Schools with no Internet connectivity and computers, informal sector, children homes and slum dwellers will benefit from the venture. The centre is also open to other organised groups and individuals for Internet use at a fee. The initiative intends to bridge the digital divide facing the country. <http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content &task=view&id=4693&Itemid=5847> ____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping

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Re: [kictanet] Kenya's Peculiar Business Environment
by Claire RUTO 04 Dec '07

04 Dec '07

I am sorry guys; I have kept quiet as I have watched this debate go on. But now it is bordering on sub-judice and defamation, given the implications some are making. I would ask that we keep this site to comments on policy and information that would enrich us as practitioners in ICT. It takes away from our discussions when we start to makes comments that have no basis on fact and which we really know nothing about. Having said that I must say that when facts have been used well, I have benefited a lot from the information given here and even from some of the criticism and suggestions made. Clare Ruto -----Original Message----- From: kictanet-bounces+ruto.c=ke.celtel.com(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+ruto.c=ke.celtel.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of badru Ntege Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2007 9:58 AM To: Claire RUTO Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Kenya's Peculiar Business Environment Bill Kagai wrote: >> So the lawyer's reason must have been genuine, not a pretext. >> I've seen some calculations on the amounts the country loses as a >> result of the traffic jams. >> The figure, per year, was more than the 2bn taxman is chasing! >> > > Blimey....Man..r u serious??!!! For a 2 billion brief..I would stay at > Intercontinental 2 nights in advance if traffic were to mess me up!!! > This joke has to stop. Its killing me. > Man i have very little trust in lawyers though in my darkest moment i know they might be the only rescue. However one could have another look at the situation in that the gains for one party were obviuosly understandable 2 Billion and all the other party had to do was not turn up. Could there have been some agreement ?? What time did the lawyer set off for court ?? How long has he been doing that journey ?? was there something unusual that morning that the traffic was too much ??? In these days of ICT did the lawyer call ahead and inform court of his problem ?? If he so did why was the case still thrown out ?? I'm sorry i just think this is too obvious that if we just let it be we allow ourselves as Africans to be ridiculed for corruption and incompetence. No lawyer is that dump or are they ??? Or do they think we are all too dump and stupid that we let it go. Guys I'm sorry but i smell a FAT ROTTEN RAT. I don't buy the traffic storry pull the other one matey. My 2 cents _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: ruto.c(a)ke.celtel.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/ruto.c%40ke.celtel. com This e-mail contains confidential information or information belonging to Celtel Kenya Limited and is intended solely for the addressee. The opinions therein, explicit or implied, are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Celtel Kenya Limited as a company. The unauthorized disclosure, use, dissemination or copying ( in whole or in part) of this e-mail, or any information it contains, is prohibited. E-mails are susceptible to alteration and their integrity cannot be guaranteed. Celtel KenyaLimited shall not be liable for this e-mail if modified or falsified. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, please delete it immediately from your system and notify the sender of the wrong delivery and the e-mail deletion.

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Re: [kictanet] Faith in local web hosting
by bitange＠jambo.co.ke 04 Dec '07

04 Dec '07

Dear Yawe, In my view you are failing to understand. I sent an e-mail to you stating the efforts we have put in place to have a local broadband network. I also stated that we need the international broadband network to enhance our common strategy on business processing outsourcing that now employs up to 3,000 Kenyans and has a potential of employing many more. Besides all this I have also stated that access to connectivity will spur innovation and create cheaper linkages to all Kenyans wherever they may be in the globe. We are simply creating an enabling environment. This where many opportunities will arise from. Digital TV is one of the many opportunities that we want our rural folks to utilize. Local content developers will need the networks to sell their content. Educational institutions will need these networks to provide e-learning services. E-commerce shall flourish. Tourissts accessing local services, flower farmers linking cheaply to their customers etc. This is all about economic growth. I sense you are not in agreement with us on why we need the Fibre Optic. You will do us a lot of good if you had an answer. In all your writing, you seem to be complaining and not offering any sugestions. Yet this forum is for sharing of ideas. Can you for once share what you are up to. You may greatly help this country if what we are doing is not justifiable. You are right about TKL Fibre that is not terminated and we are doing something about it. In fact the problem is local content which the Government is soon churning out and will need the FO. The greater problem though is that we have far too many activists than we have entrepreneurs. Innovative people cannot complain about idle capacity of such a factor of production. It is criminal that you who is aware of what ICT infrastructure can do to the country that you sit there to complain that it is idle instead of raising awareness to the public and utilizing that asset. Regards Bitange Ndemo. > Kagai, > > Like all the rest we are misplacing the importance of the marine cable and > it is unfortunate that Dr. Ndemo is also unable to provide us with the > logical reason for why we need to land this fiber cable. > > Your issue of digital TV has nothing to do with whether we have the marine > cable or not as our transmission is local and thus what we need is a fiber > network within the country. I have been listening to that story of > digital TV being echoed by many a so called IT gurus. All that the fiber > will do is create so much competition for our local stations before they > have enough time to adopt or recoup their investments which will result in > massive layoffs. If we can negotiate for the delay i

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Voter Registration
by Claire RUTO 04 Dec '07

04 Dec '07

"Are you registered to vote this Election? To know your status, simply send an SMS with your ID number to 5872. Celtel Making Life Better" This e-mail contains confidential information or information belonging to Celtel Kenya Limited and is intended solely for the addressee. The opinions therein, explicit or implied, are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Celtel Kenya Limited as a company. The unauthorized disclosure, use, dissemination or copying ( in whole or in part) of this e-mail, or any information it contains, is prohibited. E-mails are susceptible to alteration and their integrity cannot be guaranteed. Celtel KenyaLimited shall not be liable for this e-mail if modified or falsified. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, please delete it immediately from your system and notify the sender of the wrong delivery and the e-mail deletion.

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eDiscussion Report on Regulators' eCommunication Strategies-Final Copy
by Rebecca Wanjiku 04 Dec '07

04 Dec '07

hi, Here is the final report of the online discussion on eCommunication strategies for regulators. please forward comments. regards Becky ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better pen pal. Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See how. http://overview.mail.yahoo.com/

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Kenya's Peculiar Business Environment
by Bill Kagai 04 Dec '07

04 Dec '07

http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4642&Item… KRA moved to the appellate after High Court judge Onesmus Mutungi dismissed its Sh2 billion tax demand on KenCell Communications (now Celtel Kenya) on technical grounds after the taxman's lawyer failed to attend court, citing transport problems. I rest my case!!!! -- -- Bildad Kagai MD - MediaCorp Limited Nairobi Stock Exchange [NSE] - Authorised Information Vendor Suite B2 Tetu Apartments StateHouse Avenue P. O. Box 20311-00200 Tel. 254 20 272 8332 Fax. Rendered Obsolete URL. www.mediacorpafrica.com --

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Institutional Assessment Workshop Report
by Rebecca Wanjiku 03 Dec '07

03 Dec '07

Hi, Please read the report and forward your comments. The exercise was calculated to strengthen KICTANet and to design strategies that guarantee its continued participation in all areas of ICT. Your quick response will be highly appreciated. Best regards, Becky Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better sports nut! Let your teams follow you with Yahoo Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/sports;_ylt=At9_qDKvtAbMuh1G1SQtBI7ntAcJ

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The Marine Cable
by bitange＠jambo.co.ke 03 Dec '07

03 Dec '07

Dear Yawe, The problem with virtual discussion is that one does not know the audience. Let me assume that you have similar interests as many of those I have met do. Allow me then to take the discussion on Fibre Optic to another level. The East African region is the only place on earth that is not served by these links (see attached networks). The East African region lags behind those countries with multiple cables. When you read Tom Friedman, The World is Flat, you find that Accessibility to cheaper bandwidth spurred growth in India and that ICT is a great leveler. The far East which indeed had more shanties in 1965 that we (East Africans) had, have used ICTs to flatten their region so that the waters of foreign investment can flow there. Indeed the Far East has experienced the fastest growth in morden history. It is therefore prudent to develop an hypothesis along this line - Lack of cheaper connectivity and entrepreneurialism contributes to underdevelopment in our part of the world. There are other secondary hypotheses such as the role of academicians in underdeveloping Africa through endless debates when indeed we know what others did to liberate their people from poverty. In the past 10 years China moved 300 million out of poverty while we remained stagnant. Perhaps we need a forum to square up this matter. It is key that we are all on one page in terms of helping our region to develop. Asante sana. Bitange Ndemo.

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Faith in local web hosting
by robert yawe 03 Dec '07

03 Dec '07

Kagai, Like all the rest we are misplacing the importance of the marine cable and it is unfortunate that Dr. Ndemo is also unable to provide us with the logical reason for why we need to land this fiber cable. Your issue of digital TV has nothing to do with whether we have the marine cable or not as our transmission is local and thus what we need is a fiber network within the country. I have been listening to that story of digital TV being echoed by many a so called IT gurus. All that the fiber will do is create so much competition for our local stations before they have enough time to adopt or recoup their investments which will result in massive layoffs. If we can negotiate for the delay in opening our markets to sugar maybe we need the same team to look at the pros and cons of the fiber cable landing. Note that the signal sent out by MNet and other satellite channels is digital yet I can watch it on my Greatwall TV which is as analogue as you can get, even come 2010 all that will happen is that set top boxes will be so cheap that there will be no need to replace our TV's. Alternatively look behind your DVD player and tell me how many analogue and digital inputs you have? Just for information purposes do you know that Telkom Kenya has fiber optic cable laid to most high rise building in the city but only 2 or so locations have actually had the fiber terminated onto equipment? I ask anyone to challenge me on this point this includes Eng. Waweru and Mr. Kirui all of who have been party to this wasteful actions. We are being totally wasteful with our resources what makes us think that the landing of the fiber optic cable will change our habits. Kagai, I ask again why do we need to land the fiber optic cable and how will it change your life, leave alone mine? Have an analogue weekend Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 KEnya Tel: +254722511225 ----- Original Message ---- From: Bill Kagai <billkagai(a)gmail.com> To: robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> Cc: info(a)mediacorp.co.ke; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Thursday, 29 November, 2007 10:19:51 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Faith in local web hosting On Nov 28, 2007 8:24 AM, robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > End user ---> Telkom ---> ISP ---> KDN --> ISP --> Telkom --> end user > > Do the math Yawe, you probably need to look at this cable beyond internet. The kind of technology we use today for broadcasting TV is being phased out in Europe by August 2008. TV is now being broadcast on cable or ADSL specifically for beyond quality purposes. You need to ensure that commercial components reach the right people. For instance, that is why CNBC opted to pull out its channel from DSTV bouquet to local stations like KBC with a wider reach. 'Measurement of reach' is capable through adsl/cable connected to the international fibre network. ADSL via optic fibre reinforces the copper that we are not about to do away with anyway in the near future. Copper is not obsolete yet. Optic fibre allows u freeview channels where internet becomes secondary to primary data and voice transmission...and most of all...things we have learned to leave with..such as attenuation distortion...become an old way of life for us in the Africa north of the limpopo but south of of the sahara. Another way of looking at it...when they tell you that computers are down in a bank..most of the times they mean the link to the server is unsteady since they need to ensure that you don't withdraw twice or thrice on the same transaction..satellite does not give you redundancy [read back-up] channels as cable would. With cable, you are able to re-wind live tv instead of having a local disk imersed in your decorder...thanks to the cable. In essence, if u look at the submarine cable minus the copper telephone system and electricity grid then u will not see much. If u look at it in terms of how it adds value to the existing infrastructure, then you will see...how significant albeit small....the hole the international link plus the terrestrial cable needs to fill to sort out our big problems. Bill... __________________________________________________________ Sent from Yahoo! - the World's favourite mail http://uk.mail.yahoo.com

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Of...ICTs, Appeals and Transport Probrems
by Bill Kagai 03 Dec '07

03 Dec '07

http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4642&Item… KRA moved to the appellate after High Court judge Onesmus Mutungi dismissed its Sh2 billion tax demand on KenCell Communications (now Celtel Kenya) on technical grounds after the taxman's lawyer failed to attend court, citing transport problems. I rest my case!!!! Bill

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3rd Global Knowledge Conference (GK3) Malaysia 11-13 December 2007
by alice 03 Dec '07

03 Dec '07

Dear all The 3^rd Global Knowledge Conference brings together "visionaries, innovators, practitioners and policy makers, all geared to sharing knowledge and building partnerships on a platform created by and for stakeholders from every sector - private companies, governments, international institutions and civil society groups" (http://www.gkpeventsonthefuture.org/gk3/) The GK3 sessions will address the convergence of emerging people, markets and technologies and will provide a space for debate, showcasing of innovative concrete solutions and knowledge sharing; discussion on latest lessons, effective methods and approaches. The theme «Emerging People, Emerging Markets, and Emerging Technologies» relates well to what Kenya is currently experiencing. We are considered a pioneer in many ways from our private sector activity, MSP ICT policy processes, liberalisation of the ICT sector, etc. Read article from Balancing act titled “Africa’s competition laboratory Kenya is the one to watch” . Some of us will attend and share some of these experiences... -Kimathi Centre presenting during the Young social entrepreneur’s sessions from Tuesday 11th -Hello regulator session on Thursday 13th 14.00-15.30 Other Kenyans attending and presenting? For the full GK3 programme see: *http://www.gkpeventsonthefuture.org/GK3/dsp_page.cfm?pageid=492* best alice -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Generate ideas to create a world of entrepreneurs! Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2007 14:25:06 +0800 (GMT+08:00) From: GK3 Registration <gk3(a)gkps.org.my> To: alice(a)apc.org Dear Alice, Global Knowledge Partnership and BrainStore are collaborating in running a live IdeaProduction process at the GKP Event on the Future, Third Global Knowledge Conference (GK3) from 11 to 13 December 2007 on the topic of «A world of entrepreneurs - 20 ideas to make it happen by 2020». As a GK3 conference participant, you have a range of opportunities to contribute actively to the process. The first part of the IdeaProduction process has already started where inputs are gathered to fill up our IdeaPot with a great number of inspirations on the topic. Your participation is key! Your insight on «Emerging People, Emerging Markets, and Emerging Technologies» is a valuable knowledge resource and your experience and reflections can serve as a great foundation for developing fresh initiatives and approaches in addressing the topic. We invite you to share your perspective today by participating in an online IdeaInterview. Please login at http://www.GKPEventsOnTheFuture.org/GK3registration and complete a short questionnaire by Tuesday, 4 December 2007. On 12 December at the GK3 IdeaFactory - Creative City Exhibition, your contribution will be presented anonymously together with results drawn from other sources. On 13 December at the GK3 Closing Plenary, you will have an opportunity to provide final input by helping to select THE 20 ideas that will create a world of entrepreneurs by 2020. Thank you in advance for your time. See you at GK3! Your IdeaFactory team Quick Links: Conference Navigator: http://www.GKPEventsOnTheFuture.org/navigator Full Programme: http://www.GKPEventsOnTheFuture.org/GK3programme Speakers: http://www.GKPEventsOnTheFuture.org/GK3speakers Register: http://www.GKPEventsOnTheFuture.org/GK3registration Announcements by RSS: http://www.gkpcms.com/GK3/rss/GK3Announcements.xml

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Africa’s competition laboratory Kenya is the one to watch
by alice 03 Dec '07

03 Dec '07

From Balancing Act Africa’s competition laboratory Kenya is the one to watch No regulation regime is perfect but the three East African countries – Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda – are leading the way in terms of breaking down many of the old barriers to competition. Of these, Kenya is interesting because it was the pioneer and many of the things that are happening there will in time be seen elsewhere in some form. Russell Southwood explains what’s happening in Africa’s competition laboratory. Outside of the large Sub-Saharan markets like Nigeria and South Africa, Kenya stands out because it has both the population level and a density of private sector activity to be different. In other words, it’s big enough to be relevant for the ten or more countries of a similar scale. In addition, since Moi left the stage, the economy has been moving at a fast clip to catch up: last year economic growth was 7%. With the dead hand of inertia removed, Kenyans have felt more confidence in setting up new businesses. The pointers it provides are as follows: - Even with a liberalised regime, it is incredibly hard for small independent companies to challenge the incumbent in the fixed line sector. Kenya was slow to introduce an interconnection regime designed for competition between many players and its two independent fixed wireless operators have suffered as a result. Fixed wireless is, as the mobile companies are discovering, far from fixed. - Between them, Kenya’s fixed wireless operators Flashcom and Popote Wireless do not have much more than 10,000 subscribers and in the case of Popote, it’s making 80% of its revenues from data. Both use CDMA and are focused on the capital Nairobi, with Flashcom having a larger number of base stations . Subscribers can actually use their phones more or less anywhere in the city. Neither have yet started a wider geographic roll-out. Despite this lack of current success in the voice market, Popote’s Eric Muthi believes that there is still considerable growth potential. Meanwhile there are others waiting to offer more retail voice competition: in one case, simply as a voice service and in others as part of a wider offer. - Meanwhile incumbent Telkom Kenya has adopted the strategy of India’s Reliance and has used its CDMA fixed wireless product as a proxy mobile service. It is said to have 400,000 subscribers based on its cheap KS5.50 a minute national rate. Subscribers have had what for all intents and purposes has actually been a mobile service and Telkom Kenya has wriggled this way and that to suggest otherwise. - With the France Telecom take-over of Telkom Kenya, the country’s two operators, Safaricom and Celtel, will have some serious competition for the first time and may have to begin to address their quality of service shortfalls. Competition should also mean prices will begin to fall for as one person told us:”Competition in this market is really only on price.” Telkom Kenya’s strategy has been very savvy in that it starts operating with an existing base of subscribers before having to invest in paying for its mobile licence. Rumour has it that France Telecom will simply rip out the CDMA network and put in GSM. As a new entrant, it will have a clear CAPEX advantage. Econet is supposed to have cleared the hurdles it had and will be investing soon but on past evidence, don’t hold your breath. - Even without a fibre connection, the country’s bandwidth requirement has grown rapidly as the economy has expanded. It is now approaching the 1 gbps mark and this is all being paid for at satellite prices. The broader message in this is that an expanding economy will drive use both at a corporate and retail level. And rapid growth will come from economies that are coming out of war or unfavourable political circumstances where there’s a “one-off” bounce that might turn into above-average growth in the mid-term. As Bill Clinton’s electoral team used to say, it’s the economy, stupid. Messages on satellite bandwidth costs are mixed. Most operators buying in volume say that prices are coming down but a small number of those we spoke to said because of he shortage of C-Band prices were going up. (Interestingly Altech has been in talks to buy Sameer ICT, which includes KDN.) - The market is readying itself for the arrival of much cheaper bandwidth. Seacom and TEAMS are both seen as credible projects. EASSy is perceived as still being in the game but its credibility has been undermined in the eyes of operators by the confusions over the rival NEPAD project. TEAMS has almost all its financing in place and says it has a ship booked to start. Depending on their investment, operators have been offered 1 mps for between US$2-300 a month. This is only to Fujirah but an onward solution is said to be not too far away and will cost about the same amount to the United States. The price will be higher than the headline figures suggest but nevertheless will be low enough to be market changing. The recent public disagreement between UUNet and PS Bitango Ndemo illustrates that not all operators have understood this changing world. It will no longer be about making money from selling over-priced bandwidth. The game moves to retail services and applications. - A “triple play” combination of voice, Internet and TV will probably be offered by at least two operators next year. France Telecom is likely to roll out its LiveBox product as the Kenyan market has considerable potential. Jamii Telecom is rolling out a PONS network and wants to be offering “triple-play” over its new STM64 fibre metro network. Industry estimates of potential retail broadband subscribers vary between 300,000-500,000. Expect bundled offers at almost European levels and download speeds starting at 512 kbps. The existing Government if re-elected wants to provide subsidised bandwidth to universities and colleges. - In the meantime, the retail independent retail ISP as it used to exist has all but disappeared and those remain are not in the best of health. Where have all the retail subscribers gone? Well, some have stayed with ISPs like Africa Online under its new owners but many more have either defected to the fixed wireless operators, or are using Telkom Kenya’s phone-in number or at the top-end of the market are using the data services of the two mobile operators. Only the state of Telkom Kenya’s copper and its distracted management focus mean that it has failed to harvest what might have been an extensive market. Incumbents need to know that if the don’t have a “low –price, high-volume” strategy for DSL then the mobile operators will take this business away from them. - Apple may say that it has no plans to roll-out in emerging markets like China but the market has a life of its own. Apparently a shipment of iPhones has already reached East Africa and we saw one in the hands of someone we visited. He hadn’t yet got it working but he was working on it. Another early adopter told us that he was surprised to discover that it worked on his Celtel account immediately and just as well when he visited Someone in Uganda who used one to e-mail to confirm our meeting clearly had better luck. It will be interesting to see whether this grey market in the latest desirable phone will survive Apple’s attempts to exclude untied users through software fixes. European competition law is already being upheld in Germany where T-Mobile must sell the device independent of a network package and even a hefty price tag does not appear to be a sufficient disincentive to stop sales. It would be unfair to say that all was rosy in the garden that is Kenya but in terms of competitive markets, it has got a great deal right and others might learn from what is happening there. Report banner <http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/375/178471/2/0/>

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Re: [kictanet] Fibre Optic
by robert yawe 02 Dec '07

02 Dec '07

Dr. Ndemo, Thank you for the information, but my feeling is that none of this initiatives seems to be getting publicized so that entrepreneurs like me can begin to plan for the opportunities. It would be good to know that we are looking at other areas other than BPO. Again, thank you for taking the time to respond more exhaustively to my question Regards Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 KEnya Tel: +254722511225 ----- Original Message ---- From: "bitange(a)jambo.co.ke" <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> To: robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> Cc: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Wednesday, 28 November, 2007 9:28:52 AM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Fibre Optic Dear Yawe, I am sorry for assuming that you were aware of the National Optic Fibre Broadband network that is being built by Sagem, Huaweii and ZTE. The project will be finished by August next year. The Digital Village project will benefit from this network that is to link all District HQs. The netwotk shall be run by the operators and hopefully take control of it if they see a business case in it. Otherwise this was basically the Government wide area network. We are now hoping that operators would come up with the last mile solutions. Phase two of our plans is to partner with the private sector to build data centers and disaster recovery centers. This will ensure cheaper local hosting capability. The biggest challenge is going to be local content. On the Government side, by June next year we should have tons of content online. We need to pass the Freedom of Information Bill for the public to benefit from most of GoK data. We shall still need the international Fibre optic for research to both ends, that is, the rest of the world and our own research. We cannot develop on a cocoon. I hope I have responded to your questions. If you are not satisfied, please let me know. Asante sana. Bitange Ndemo. > Dr Ndemo, > > You have not answered our concern yet on why we need the marine cable to > bring us high speed Internet yet as a country we do not have a cost > effective national high speed network? > > The diaspora makes up less than 5% of the population and many of them add > no value to us, yet you are more concerned about how we can communicate > with them instead of how to make it possible for my children to talk and > see their grandmother in Mbita point without requiring to make the trip. > > As a democracy I believe our interest should be to serve the greater > population than a few out there. > > I have been looking at the cost of AGM's for listed companies and it is a > major drain on this organisations, if you and your team could concentrate > on a fiber link to all provincial head quarters we can have the next > Kengen AGM held virtually with participants in centers closest to them, to > me this would be a greater utilisation of connectivity than being able to > talk cheaply to my sister in the US who none the less is too busy working > 3 jobs to have time to talk to me regularly irrespective of cost. > > So Dr. Ndemo gives us a more compelling reason for the fibre optic cable. > > Robert Yawe > KAY System Technologies Ltd > Phoenix House, 6th Floor > P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 > KEnya > Tel: +254722511225 > > ----- Original Message ---- > From: "bitange(a)jambo.co.ke" <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> > To: robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Sent: Monday, 26 November, 2007 9:13:57 AM > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Fibre Optic > > Dear Yawe, Gakuru, > I promised to respond to the question as to whether we indeed need > Fibre > Optic Cables. Yes indeed we need them for the time being (Intel shall > be > commecializing [in 10 years time]a chip with the capability to send > data > at high speeds without any cables)(see NY Times summary article below). > > In as much as I do not like cables for connectivity I think they are a > necessary infrastructure at the moment. The benefits are immense as I > look forward to greater linkages with our increasingly important > relatives > in the diaspora. > > With efficient connectivity, there we create opportunities such as > localised news that is accessible to anyone everywhere; we shall enable > innovation and more importantly create jobs for our youth. The > difference > here is that some may see entrepreneurial opportunities that come with > this infrastructure and unfortunately some will simply watch as events > unfold. Fortunately, you only need a few (Steve jobs, Bill Gates etc) > to > innovate and exploit the opportunity once access to technology is > availed. > > Our role is to facilitate our people to reach their fullest potential. > This is what leadership is all about. > > > Bitange Ndemo. > > > > A Chip That Can Transfer Data Using Laser Light > New York Times: > > The advance will make it possible to use laser light rather than wires > to > send data between chips, removing the most significant bottleneck in > computer design. > > A Tiny Laser on a Silicon Chip As a result, chip makers may be able to > put > the high-speed data communications industry on the same curve of > increased > processing speed and diminishing costs â€” the phenomenon known as > Mooreâ€™s > law â€” that has driven the computer industry for the last four > decades. > > The development is a result of research at Intel, the worldâ€™s largest > chip > maker, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. Commercializing > the new technology may not happen before the end of the decade, but the > prospect of being able to place hundreds or thousands of data-carrying > light beams on standard industry chips is certain to shake up both the > communications and computer industries. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/robertyawe%40yahoo.co.… > > > > > > > > ___________________________________________________________ > Yahoo! Answers - Got a question? Someone out there knows the answer. Try > it > now. > http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/ > ---------------------------------------------- > This message has been scanned for viruses and > dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is > believed to be clean. > --------------------------------------------- > "easy access to the world" > > ___________________________________________________________ Support the World Aids Awareness campaign this month with Yahoo! For Good http://uk.promotions.yahoo.com/forgood/

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Validate your voter status- safaricom 5872
by robert yawe 02 Dec '07

02 Dec '07

You can validate your voter status by sending an SMS with your ID number to '5872'- safaricom pass on the message to others. __________________________________________________________ Sent from Yahoo! - the World's favourite mail http://uk.mail.yahoo.com

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Uruguay buys first $100 laptops
by Jose' 01 Dec '07

01 Dec '07

The news come from BBC [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7068084.stm] showing that Uruguay has ordered 100,000 units and is planning to acquire 300,000 more. The XO Laptop has been conceived as an affordable computer for children in developing countries. The company also has a programme caled G1G1 [Give one get one], in which costumers can buy a laptop for themselves and at the same time donate one to a child at a developing country. This might be an exciting opportunity for social business or social/environmental organizations linked to ICTs. --------------------------------- Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.

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