April 2009 - KICTANet

Financial Crisis biting Kenya too Ouch.....Zain cuts 141 staff in Kenya
by alice 10 Apr '09

10 Apr '09

Zain cuts 141 staff in Kenya and looks at job cuts elsewhere in Africa Zain has cut 141 staff in Kenya as part of a group restructuring designed to help it weather the effects of the global economic downturn. It has also cut staff in Nigeria earlier in the year. Zain`s CEO for Africa Chris Gabriel announced the job cuts in Nairobi last Monday, but added it was too early to work out what the programme would cost or save Zain. Studies would be carried out in other countries to determine whether job cuts were required, he explained. However, Gabriel said the new business model would push the company into becoming a top 10 global mobile operator by 2011 with 110 million customers and over $6 billion in revenue. ``It is a very difficult decision to take, but it is all about creating efficiency by changing the way we operate,`` he told a press conference in Nairobi. Zain`s new business model, which is expected to inject a new lease of life in the company’s operations, involves downsizing, centralizing and merging certain key functions and outsourcing non-core functions. The strategy has been dubbed the `modular business model` is based on a successful implementation in Zain Saudi Arabia last year. The Kenya layoffs which targeted finance, sales, information technology, customer service and technical operations departments, come after the company`s ARPU went down to US$4 even before the full impact of the two new market entrants (Essar and Orange) have been felt. (Source: IPP Media)

1 0

Balancing Act: Satcom 09: Africa’s satellite providers find themselves looking at a less rosy future
by alice 10 Apr '09

10 Apr '09

Satcom 09: Africa’s satellite providers find themselves looking at a less rosy future Satcom is the African satellite industry’s annual get-together and this year’s was held this week. On the second day of the conference the West African Cable System announced the signing of an over-subscribed fundraising. And this is only one of half a dozen international fibre projects that will be built. At the conference itself, new satellite entrants announced services that were both innovative and cheaper. Russell Southwood looks at how all this will change things for a regional satellite industry that has more or less been the main provider of bandwidth for the continent. Guns to the left of them, guns to the right of them, it was not a comfortable conference for the more traditional satellite operators and resellers. On the one side, there was the ever-present story of the imminent arrival of much, much cheaper international fibre capacity. So although there are a number of new satellite launches (including Intelsat’s New Dawn) that in any other year would have held people’s attention, the spotlight kept drifting back towards the impact of the new fibre. As if that was not distracting enough for those wanting to get their message across, a number of new entrants were offering some combination of innovation and price drops. O3B, which launches its constellation of satellites in 2010, was offering carrier grade satellite capacity with low latency at fibre or near fibre prices. On a much smaller scale, Asia Broadcast Satellite was pitching satellite capacity for just above 03B’s prices for delivery in 2011. Based broadly on the US Wild Blue model, Yahsat was promoting its satellite broadband service YahClick for US$350 per site (FOB) at US$30 a month upwards for the user. And as Tata’s Head of Africa – Global Data Solutions said with a broad smile on his face:”It’s all good.” Intelsat’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel Phil Spector might respond that neither 03B nor Yahsat had operational satellites but somehow the blow intended failed to make much impact. Indeed the traditional satellite operators seemed strangely passive. Improvements in modulation or compression? That’s up to the manufacturers. (To be fair, Intelsat’s Regional VP Flavien Babachi mentioned putting a router on a satellite and we await the results of that with interest.) Any plans to provide keener pricing? That will only happen if there’s a glut in the market and that’s unlikely. Why no new satellite broadband services? Our operator customers aren’t asking for them. They will not be able to stick to this script over the next five years: something has got to change. Cheaper fibre and satellite prices will mean that operators and resellers will take their business elsewhere. Part of this is the natural transition that occurs when fibre arrives and national backbones begin to connect demand to the new international fibres. 90% of demand in most countries is found in their urban centres and these will soon be connected to landing stations. The process of doing this will by itself create a series of inter-country fibre connections. Both those with satellite and fibre were at pains to point out that they were complementary (which they are) but the scale of transition about to occur made this seem simply like an act of good manners that did not quite ring true. So what’s the upside for the traditional satellite operators faced with this transition? * Despite the economic downturn, there will continued above-average overall growth in bandwidth demand at least up until 2013. So some of the effects of the transition to fibre will be blurred by everyone wanting more of everything. * Fibre is new to Africa and some countries neither have the capacity to run it effectively nor is it always safe and secure. Ethiopia’s link to Sudan is a case in point which means that ETC is still a large purchaser of satellite bandwidth. Nevertheless the opening of the new route through Djibouti should improve matters. One operator was reporting that new fibre customers were signing up for 25% of their capacity on satellite as redundancy to cover these kinds of issues. 03B’s Greg Wyler made much of fibre outages in the Suez Canal. But with fibre routes up both sides of the continent, even that risk is to some degree mitigated. * According to GSMA figures, 66% of Africa’s population now has GSM coverage. This disguises a range of progress from Uganda with 90% of its population covered to countries that still have only 30-40% population coverage. Satellite cellular backhaul will continue to fill this demand but as these will be low ARPU locations, operators will be under considerable cost pressures and will look hard at all pricing. * Finally, many users have long-standing contracts (10-15 years) and it will be some time before the natural consequences of the transition are fully felt. But whilst this will be of some comfort in the short to medium term, it is not a long-term defensive position. A number of global satellite operators have significant parts of both their turnover and profitability coming from the continent: half of Intelsat’s fleet serves Africa. This is bound to change and the only question is by how much? Some snapshots of the exchanges at the conference give some idea of the shifting of the tectonic plates: * It’s pricing, stupid: Brian Herlihy, CEO of Seacom spoke about offering prices of between US$50-300 an mbps per month and whilst IRUs might add as much as 20% in interest payments, this is still much sunnier that the US$4-6,000 per mbps currently being charged for satellite. Better still, Seacom is promising this price wherever the capacity lands, whether in a coastal country or one inland. Paul Edwards, Chair of Nigeria’s largest CDMA operator Starcomms said he had been offered US$100 per mbps on one of the west coast fibres. In addition, O3B’s pricing is pitched fairly close to these numbers. The traditional satellite operators are stuck: they either have to take what’s left over or come up with something innovative technically which will improve their price offer. If they do, then it runs the risk of cannibalising existing revenues. (According to a report in an international industry paper, 03B has been in discussions with both SES New Skies and Intelsat. Read that how you will. Who’s courting who?) * Price elasticity provides massive increases: Tata’s Steven Van Der Lind described the process of transitioning customers from satellite to fibre. Three years ago, their assumption was that it would be a 1:1 replacement. As the likely fibre prices became more established, customers started asking for the equivalent of a 2:1 replacement. Recently he has signed contracts where the increase has been 10-15 times the original capacity being utilised. The arrival of fibre is also having an impact for those dealing with short-term satellite needs. Tom Omariba, Managing Director of UUNet Kenya (who have bought fibre capacity) said that they were “technology-neutral” in meeting their customers needs but increasingly it was leasing them satellite equipment. * Pushing to the edge of market: Vodacom DRC’s Alain Malanda, Head of Transmission, Data Planning and Optimisation is probably one of the candidates for satellite cellular backhaul as DRC has few roads, let alone. However, he told the conference that 50% of his national traffic was carried by microwave and fibre and 50% by satellite. And whilst he was clear that they were still pushing out coverage, they had undergone an optimisation exercise on its satellite capacity to get more for less. The DRC Government’s announcement of a fibre route to the coast and the likely connection of Lumumbashi will also eat into the 100% of international traffic currently going by satellite. Timescale: 2-3 years? * The 2010 bonus: Mashilo Boloka, Director: Broadcasting Policy at South Africa’s Department of Communications gave an update on preparations for the 2010 World Cup. He said that the fibre network between the 10 host stadiums and the International Broadcast Centre would be ready for the Confederation Cup in June 2009 and that a second teleport was being provide for outgoing links. The satellite industry has done the continent a tremendous service when no-one was thinking of building the scale of fibre now being undertaken and whatever happens, it will still be the only technology to reach widely dispersed populations. It’s also hard to believe that the global operators will not come up with some innovations to strengthen their positions. However, it’s fair to say that the industry has had its five years of feast and may be entering a period where food is in somewhat shorter supply.

1 0

Fwd: Safcom Mobile Internet Charging Model
by Odhiambo Washington 10 Apr '09

10 Apr '09

FYI So let's cross our fingers. Our prayers might be answered. Quoting verbatim another Kenyan who uses Safaricom 3G (from another tech forum): <Begin Quote> My Beef with safaricom is the way they handle the unused MB's after 30days. if you have 512mb remaining after 30days it just dissappears. I called their customer care and they said the billing system can't be changed. To me, I believe it should be like airtime top up,the more u top up,the more MB's balance u have but alas. Thats not the case,we are just being ripped off! <End Quote> Thanks, MJ for listening. We hope you can also change the billing model. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Michael Joseph <MJoseph(a)safaricom.co.ke> Date: Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 9:36 AM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safcom Mobile Internet Charging Model To: odhiambo(a)gmail.com There is new pricing coming out soon. Take a look then and see if it is more interesting. Regards Michael Joseph CEO Safaricom Limited BlackBerry® powered by Safaricom ------------------------------ *From*: kictanet-bounces+mjoseph=safaricom.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke *To*: Michael Joseph *Cc*: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions *Sent*: Thu Apr 09 09:07:13 2009 *Subject*: Re: [kictanet] Safcom Mobile Internet Charging Model On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 8:34 AM, mike oketch <mikeoketch(a)gmail.com> wrote: > John > 1GB is Ksh 2499. > > The charging model is different from Zain. Zain uses E220 Huawei Modem and > Safaricom now has upgraded to the E160 though all are HSDPA (3G) modem. Zain > charges you Ksh 3999 (4k) per month for unlimited modem while you use GPRS > in most cases and edge in very few cases. So with Zain you have very low > speeds at cheep rate whil Safaricom has high speeds but at a great expense > of around Ksh 10 per mb. > > Safaricom has the same charge for pospaid and prepaid. You will not > restrict your budget with prepaid in Safcom. I met a guy who was complaining > that Safaricom charged him close to 35,000 for internet in a month. > Safaricom was right because they charged him per MB and the guy downloaded > all the Music and Softwares using Peer to Peer systems. > > Zain is good for the patient man out there. But Safaricom is best when you > want to control your budget as well as have a fast cconnectin and you are > the only one using thee modem. Otherwise, utalipa kwa mapua > Put another way. Based on the Orange data Ad that appeared in the media yesterday, I should think it's possible to rephrase the last paragraph, viz: Zain is for the very patient man out there. Safaricom is good when you want to control your budget as well as have a fast connection, but Orange EVDO is the way to go if you are keen on good pricing as well as good speeds. -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254733744121/+254722743223 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." -- Mark Twain ------------------------------ *Note:* The information in this email and any attachments is confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended only for the use of the named addressee. Emails are susceptible to alteration and their integrity cannot be guaranteed. Safaricom Limited does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this email if the same is found to have been altered or manipulated. The contents and opinions expressed in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Safaricom Limited. Safaricom Limited disclaims any liability to the fullest extent permissible by law for any consequences that may arise from the contents of this email including but not limited to personal opinions, malicious and/or defamatory information and data/codes that may compromise or damage the integrity of the recipient’s information technology systems. If you are not the intended recipient please notify the sender and immediately delete this email from your system.Unless expressly stated by a duly authorised officer of Safaricom Limited nothing contained in this email message shall be construed as being an offer to contract or an acceptance of an offer capable of constituting a contract between Safaricom Limited and any recipient(s) of this email. ------------------------------ -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254733744121/+254722743223 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." -- Mark Twain

9 13

Re: [kictanet] Safcom Mobile Internet Charging Model
by John Walubengo 09 Apr '09

09 Apr '09

I am seeking to understand the above. I bought the safcom modem during their promotion in Feb09 @ 3000Ksh (free modem(had to be ;-) and access worth 3000Ksh for I think 1G of data.) After consuming less than 50% of the 1G (I use it mainly on weekends), the access was disabled and on enquiry i was informed that the 1G access was timed to be consumed within the 1mnth (4weeks). However, I was assured that the balance of access would be availed in my next purchase... I then opted to purchase the Ksh 2000 access (700Mb), given that I didnt manage to consume the previous 1G and hence saw no need to purchase the same. Furthermore, I expected current access volumes to be consolidated with the previous balance... But before I could consume 50% of the above 700MB, my 4weeks were over and access disabled. I have now purchased Ksh 1000 access (300MB) and from the trend you can predict that my access will be disabled before I consume it... Several questions arise: 1. How do I confirm that my balance of access is truly being forward and not "disappearing". 2. Is this the same charging model @ Zain, Orange? 3. Would post-paid be a better deal for me? 4. Why should Data-access be so restrictive (4wks) as compared to voice (which gives us almost 12wks grace period) walu.

3 8

Prequalifications of Suppliers
by James Kagwe 09 Apr '09

09 Apr '09

Morning, Find attached KIPPRA's newspaper announcement for application of prequalification for provision of various services just in case you are interested.... Please do not reply to this email unless it is absolutely necessary. Best Regards, James Kagwe If you judge people, you have no time to love them ********************************************************************* Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis Bishops Garden Towers Bishops Road P.O. Box 56445 Nairobi, Kenya Tel: (254) 20 2719933, 2719934, 2714714, 2714715 Fax: (254) 20 2719951 Confidentiality Warning ======================= The contents of this e-mail and any accompanying documentation are confidential and any use thereof, in what ever form, by anyone other than the addressee is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify admin(a)kippra.or.ke and delete it immediately from your system. Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis accepts no responsibility for losses or damage as a result of any viruses and it is your responsibility to check attachments (if any) for viruses.

1 0

How the Internet Got Its Rules --- RFCs' 40th anniversary
by Brian Munyao Longwe 09 Apr '09

09 Apr '09

FYI - a very refreshing read and a reminder of the power of human networking and the strength of consensus based approach. Regards, Brian ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anne-Rachel Inné <annerachel(a)gmail.com> Date: Tue, 7 Apr 2009 20:10:15 +0100 Subject: [AfrICANN-discuss] How the Internet Got Its Rules --- RFCs' 40th anniversary To: africann(a)afrinic.net http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/opinion/07crocker.html?_r=1 How the Internet Got Its Rules By STEPHEN D. CROCKER Published: April 6, 2009 TODAY is an important date in the history of the Internet: the 40th anniversary of what is known as the Request for Comments. Outside the technical community, not many people know about the R.F.C.’s, but these humble documents shape the Internet’s inner workings and have played a significant role in its success. When the R.F.C.’s were born, there wasn’t a World Wide Web. Even by the end of 1969, there was just a rudimentary network linking four computers at four research centers: the University of California, Los Angeles; the Stanford Research Institute; the University of California, Santa Barbara; and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. The government financed the network and the hundred or fewer computer scientists who used it. It was such a small community that we all got to know one another. A great deal of deliberation and planning had gone into the network’s underlying technology, but no one had given a lot of thought to what we would actually do with it. So, in August 1968, a handful of graduate students and staff members from the four sites began meeting intermittently, in person, to try to figure it out. (I was lucky enough to be one of the U.C.L.A. students included in these wide-ranging discussions.) It wasn’t until the next spring that we realized we should start writing down our thoughts. We thought maybe we’d put together a few temporary, informal memos on network protocols, the rules by which computers exchange information. I offered to organize our early notes. What was supposed to be a simple chore turned out to be a nerve-racking project. Our intent was only to encourage others to chime in, but I worried we might sound as though we were making official decisions or asserting authority. In my mind, I was inciting the wrath of some prestigious professor at some phantom East Coast establishment. I was actually losing sleep over the whole thing, and when I finally tackled my first memo, which dealt with basic communication between two computers, it was in the wee hours of the morning. I had to work in a bathroom so as not to disturb the friends I was staying with, who were all asleep. Still fearful of sounding presumptuous, I labeled the note a “Request for Comments.” R.F.C. 1, written 40 years ago today, left many questions unanswered, and soon became obsolete. But the R.F.C.’s themselves took root and flourished. They became the formal method of publishing Internet protocol standards, and today there are more than 5,000, all readily available online. But we started writing these notes before we had e-mail, or even before the network was really working, so we wrote our visions for the future on paper and sent them around via the postal service. We’d mail each research group one printout and they’d have to photocopy more themselves. The early R.F.C.’s ranged from grand visions to mundane details, although the latter quickly became the most common. Less important than the content of those first documents was that they were available free of charge and anyone could write one. Instead of authority-based decision-making, we relied on a process we called “rough consensus and running code.” Everyone was welcome to propose ideas, and if enough people liked it and used it, the design became a standard. After all, everyone understood there was a practical value in choosing to do the same task in the same way. For example, if we wanted to move a file from one machine to another, and if you were to design the process one way, and I was to design it another, then anyone who wanted to talk to both of us would have to employ two distinct ways of doing the same thing. So there was plenty of natural pressure to avoid such hassles. It probably helped that in those days we avoided patents and other restrictions; without any financial incentive to control the protocols, it was much easier to reach agreement. This was the ultimate in openness in technical design and that culture of open processes was essential in enabling the Internet to grow and evolve as spectacularly as it has. In fact, we probably wouldn’t have the Web without it. When CERN physicists wanted to publish a lot of information in a way that people could easily get to it and add to it, they simply built and tested their ideas. Because of the groundwork we’d laid in the R.F.C.’s, they did not have to ask permission, or make any changes to the core operations of the Internet. Others soon copied them — hundreds of thousands of computer users, then hundreds of millions, creating and sharing content and technology. That’s the Web. Put another way, we always tried to design each new protocol to be both useful in its own right and a building block available to others. We did not think of protocols as finished products, and we deliberately exposed the internal architecture to make it easy for others to gain a foothold. This was the antithesis of the attitude of the old telephone networks, which actively discouraged any additions or uses they had not sanctioned. Of course, the process for both publishing ideas and for choosing standards eventually became more formal. Our loose, unnamed meetings grew larger and semi-organized into what we called the Network Working Group. In the four decades since, that group evolved and transformed a couple of times and is now the Internet Engineering Task Force. It has some hierarchy and formality but not much, and it remains free and accessible to anyone. The R.F.C.’s have grown up, too. They really aren’t requests for comments anymore because they are published only after a lot of vetting. But the culture that was built up in the beginning has continued to play a strong role in keeping things more open than they might have been. Ideas are accepted and sorted on their merits, with as many ideas rejected by peers as are accepted. As we rebuild our economy, I do hope we keep in mind the value of openness, especially in industries that have rarely had it. Whether it’s in health care reform or energy innovation, the largest payoffs will come not from what the stimulus package pays for directly, but from the huge vistas we open up for others to explore. I was reminded of the power and vitality of the R.F.C.’s when I made my first trip to Bangalore, India, 15 years ago. I was invited to give a talk at the Indian Institute of Science, and as part of the visit I was introduced to a student who had built a fairly complex software system. Impressed, I asked where he had learned to do so much. He simply said, “I downloaded the R.F.C.’s and read them.” Stephen D. Crocker is the chief executive of a company that develops information-sharing technology. _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann -- Sent from my mobile device Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 714 222 863 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

1 0

Re: [kictanet] Safcom Mobile Internet Charging Model
by wesley kiriinya 08 Apr '09

08 Apr '09

How do I confirm that my balance of access is truly being forward and not "disappearing". The operator may give you the option of checking your balance similar to checking credit on phone. What does customer care say? (If you will get through 8~)) Is this the same charging model @ Zain, Orange? I hear Zain is different. From today's advert, you have to pay a 10K refundable deposit for Zain + 3K monthly (or somthing like that). My wise grandmother once said: "Always read the terms and conditions of services from IT companies!". That advice has never let me down. Would post-paid be a better deal for me? Don't know. I've read a few complaints about post-paid services. However I was told post-paid guys are given priority in bandwidth. Why should Data-access be so restrictive (4wks) as compared to voice (which gives us almost 12wks grace period) I think it's because the revenue from voice and SMS can allow 12 wks risks. I believe the higher the number of people that use data, the more flexible the terms might become. O_O --- On Wed, 4/8/09, John Walubengo <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> wrote: From: John Walubengo <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safcom Mobile Internet Charging Model To: kiriinya2000(a)yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 12:33 PM I am seeking to understand the above. I bought the safcom modem during their promotion in Feb09 @ 3000Ksh (free modem(had to be ;-) and access worth 3000Ksh for I think 1G of data.) After consuming less than 50% of the 1G (I use it mainly on weekends), the access was disabled and on enquiry i was informed that the 1G access was timed to be consumed within the 1mnth (4weeks). However, I was assured that the balance of access would be availed in my next purchase... I then opted to purchase the Ksh 2000 access (700Mb), given that I didnt manage to consume the previous 1G and hence saw no need to purchase the same. Furthermore, I expected current access volumes to be consolidated with the previous balance... But before I could consume 50% of the above 700MB, my 4weeks were over and access disabled. I have now purchased Ksh 1000 access (300MB) and from the trend you can predict that my access will be disabled before I consume it... Several questions arise: 1. How do I confirm that my balance of access is truly being forward and not "disappearing". 2. Is this the same charging model @ Zain, Orange? 3. Would post-paid be a better deal for me? 4. Why should Data-access be so restrictive (4wks) as compared to voice (which gives us almost 12wks grace period) walu. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: kiriinya2000(a)yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/kiriinya2000%40yahoo.c…

1 0

Fw: Re: Safcom Mobile Internet Charging Model
by John Walubengo 08 Apr '09

08 Apr '09

shared - with permission. walu. --- On Wed, 4/8/09, karuoth consult <karuoth.consult(a)gmail.com> wrote: > From: karuoth consult <karuoth.consult(a)gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safcom Mobile Internet Charging Model > To: jwalu(a)yahoo.com > Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 3:21 PM > 1. SMS the word 'balance' to 450. This will give you the remaining balance. > > 3. Postpaid would work the same way as you purchase the MBs > in bundles. Unless you use the kawaida internet access which > costs 8 bob per MB. > > 4. Safaricom must have changed their model as the balance > is not carried forward to the next month. I experienced this last > month. Previously they were carrying forward. > > In my opinion this model is a reap off as I do not think it > is fair to pay for what you have not used. > Ogutu > On 4/8/09, John Walubengo <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > I am seeking to understand the above. I bought the > safcom modem during > > their promotion in Feb09 @ 3000Ksh (free modem(had to > be ;-) and access > > worth 3000Ksh for I think 1G of data.) > > > > After consuming less than 50% of the 1G (I use it > mainly on weekends), the > > access was disabled and on enquiry i was informed that > the 1G access was > > timed to be consumed within the 1mnth (4weeks). > However, I was assured that > > the balance of access would be availed in my next > purchase... > > > > I then opted to purchase the Ksh 2000 access (700Mb), > given that I didnt > > manage to consume the previous 1G and hence saw no > need to purchase the > > same. Furthermore, I expected current access volumes > to be consolidated > > with the previous balance... > > > > But before I could consume 50% of the above 700MB, my > 4weeks were over and > > access disabled. I have now purchased Ksh 1000 access > (300MB) and from the > > trend you can predict that my access will be disabled > before I consume it... > > > > Several questions arise: > > 1. How do I confirm that my balance of access is > truly being forward and > > not "disappearing". > > 2. Is this the same charging model @ Zain, Orange? > > 3. Would post-paid be a better deal for me? > > 4. Why should Data-access be so restrictive (4wks) as > compared to voice > > (which gives us almost 12wks grace period) > > > > walu. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > kictanet mailing list > > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > > > This message was sent to: karuoth.consult(a)gmail.com > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/karuoth.consult%40gmai… > >

1 0

Kenya IGF Review Forum
by Vincent Ngundi 08 Apr '09

08 Apr '09

Dear Members, The Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC), in conjunction with the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet), invites to a half-day face-to-face public forum to review the 2008 East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF) and to set the agenda for the 2009 Kenya Internet Governance Forum (Kenya IGF) and EAIGF. The forum will be held at the Jacaranda hotel on Wednesday the 15th of April 2009 starting 09:00am and will be graced by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communications, Dr. Bitange Ndemo. The agenda will include: * Keynote Address by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications, Dr. Bitange Ndemo * IGF Background * Review of the 2008 EAIGF * Setting the Agenda for the 2009 Kenya IGF and EAIGF * Way Forward Kindly confirm attendance via rsvp(a)kenic.or.ke, RE: Kenya IGF Review Forum, to facilitate logistical arrangements. Kind Regards, ----------- Vincent Ngundi Administrative Manager KENIC - The Kenya Network Information Centre http://www.kenic.or.ke vincent(a)kenic.or.ke [T] +254 20 4450057/8 [C] +254 20 2398036 [M] +254 733 790073 [F] +254 20 4450087 ³dot KE for Every Name in Kenya!² -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

3 2

Internet records to be stored for a year
by alice 07 Apr '09

07 Apr '09

Internet records to be stored for a year Details of every email sent and website visited by people in Britain are to be stored for use by the state from tomorrow as part of what campaigners claim is a massive assault on privacy. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/technologynews/5… By David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent Last Updated: 3:20PM BST 05 Apr 2009 A European Union directive, which Britain was instrumental in devising, comes into force which will require all internet service providers to retain information on email traffic, visits to web sites and telephone calls made over the internet, for 12 months. Police and the security services will be able to access the information to combat crime and terrorism. Hundreds of public bodies and quangos, including local councils, will also be able to access the data to investigate flytipping and other less serious crimes. It was previously thought that only the large companies would be required to take part, covering 95 per cent of Britain's internet usage, but a Home Office spokesman has confirmed it will be applied "across the board" to even the smallest company. Privacy campaigners say the move to force telecoms companies to store the data is the first step towards the controversial central database at the heart of the Home Office's Intercept Modernisation Programme, which will gather far more detailed information on Britain's online activities. Simon Davies, director of Privacy International, said: "I don't think people are aware of the implications of this move. It means that everything we do online or on the phone will be known to the authorities. "They are using this to produce probably the world's most comprehensive surveillance system. "This is a disgraceful example of the covert influence that Brussels has across our freedoms and liberties. The entire episode has been marked by a litany of secret dealings, vicious political games and a complete absence of transparency." Phil Noble of privacy group NO2ID, said: "This is the kind of technology that the Stasi would have dreamed of. "We are facing a co-ordinated strategy to track everyone's communications, creating a dossier on every person's relationships and transactions. "It is clearly preparatory work for the as-yet un-revealed plans for intercept modernisation." Another EU directive which requires companies to hold details of telephone records for a year has already come into force, and although internet data is held on an ad hoc basis this is the first time the industry has faced a statutory requirement to archive the material. Information held includes the details of who contacted who, and when, but does not involve the content of emails being stored. The taxpayer will reimburse internet service providers and telecoms companies for the costs associated with storing the billions of individual records. Thierry Dieu of ETNO, the European telecoms networks operators association, said: "We regret that the legislation has been put through without real consultation with the players in the market. "The UK is the only country which has decided to reimburse the cost of retaining all the data. It remains to be seen whether this will cover all the costs." A Home Office spokesman said: "It is the Government's priority to protect public safety and national security. That is why we are completing the implementation of this directive, which will bring the UK in line with our European counterparts. "Letters will go out to communication service providers telling them that it is coming into force. We are talking across the board, to all communication providers." He said communications data played a "vital part" in a wide range of criminal investigations, such as the hunt for the killer of Rhys Jones, the 11-year-old schoolboy shot dead in Liverpool in 2007, and the prevention of terrorists attacks. "Without communications data, resolving crimes such as the Rhys Jones murder would be very difficult if not impossible. "Access to communications data is governed by Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act which ensures that effective safeguards are in place and that the data can only be accessed when it is necessary and proportionate to do so," he said. A European deal on storing data was first pursued by Charles Clarke when he was home secretary in 2005. At the time, a Home Office spokesman confirmed that a major mobile phone company which had previously stored its data for just two days had agreed to retain the information for a year in exchange for £875,000 in taxpayers' money. A report compiled by ETNO in 2004 said that a large internet service provider would need to store between 20,000 and 40,000 terabytes of data - of the equivalent of 40 trillion emails - if it was required to keep all traffic data for 12 months. _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann

2 1