June 2011 - KICTANet

Fw: [AfriNIC-rpd] Remote participation and streaming for AF-14
by Walubengo J 08 Jun '11

08 Jun '11

Listers, Find below remote participation links for the ongoing AfriNIC meeting in Dar. Tune in when u can. walu. --- On Tue, 6/7/11, Hisham Ibrahim <hisham(a)afrinic.net> wrote: From: Hisham Ibrahim <hisham(a)afrinic.net> Subject: [AfriNIC-rpd] Remote participation and streaming for AF-14 To: announce(a)afrinic.net, rpd(a)afrinic.net Date: Tuesday, June 7, 2011, 4:41 PM Dear Community,For those of you that could not make it to our AfriNIC -14 meeting in Dar es Salam,we have organized two means to remotely follow and participate to the meeting. There are two audio streams; one in English and the other one in French. The audio streams are accessible at http://streaming.afrinic.net:8000 There is also a Jabber room called afrinic14(a)conference.afrinic.net that has been set up for remote participation.We are looking forward to your participation, see you onlineRegardsAfriNIC Communications team -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ rpd mailing list rpd(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/rpd

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Broadband Commission report seeks to bring high-speed connectivity to world’s poorest communities
by Alice Munyua 07 Jun '11

07 Jun '11

Dear All, This will be one of the issues on the agenda for both the IGF and the Pre-IGF high level ministerial forum upcoming taking place in September 27-30. Both UNESCO and ITU leadership will be at both events in Nairobi. Best regards Alice http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/new_broadband_… New Broadband Commission report seeks to bring high-speed connectivity to world’s poorest communities Advocates a mix of appropriate technologies, innovative financing models, and an emphasis on training and local, quality content Governments around the world need to formulate and implement national multi-sectoral broadband plans rapidly – or risk being seriously disadvantaged in today’s increasingly high-speed digital environment, according to a new report released today by the Broadband Commission for Digital Development <http://www.broadbandcommission.org/> during its third meeting at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Entitled /Broadband: A Platform for Progress/, the report advocates a coordinated, nationwide approach to broadband development that more closely resembles the development of national railway or electricity networks than the more laissez-faire, market-driven approach that has generally characterized the roll-out of mobile cellular technology. “To optimize the benefits to society, broadband should be coordinated on a countrywide basis, promoting facilities-based competition and with policies encouraging service providers to offer access on fair market terms . . . efforts should be coordinated across all sectors of industry, administration and the economy. Developing isolated projects or piecemeal, duplicated networks is not only inefficient, it delays provision of infrastructure that is becoming as crucial in the modern world as roads or electricity supplies,” the report says. For emerging economies and developing countries, wireless broadband looks likely to be the platform of choice, bringing services like micro-banking, telemedicine and fast sharing of information in local languages to communities, no matter how isolated. “Provided it is available to all and affordable for all, broadband-powered applications and content can be a powerful lever for achieving Education for All goals. Inclusive, universal and equitable broadband roll-out can be a tremendous accelerator for development and growth – one way to build Knowledge Societies and to share the wealth of the world’s cultural, linguistic and scientific resources,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova. “However, access to broadband is only one part of the picture – developing human capacity is absolutely vital, to ensure that individuals have the skills to make the most of new technologies,” she added. “This means education, it means media literacy, it means ensuring that all marginalized groups are included. All actors – national, international, private and public – must work together to these ends. The case for this has been made. Now we must make it happen.” The report makes a strong case for broadband as a driver of economic growth and new jobs, citing country case studies and reports by leading consultancies that point to increased employment opportunities, higher labour productivity and a strong stimulus to GDP. In low and middle income countries, for example, the report cites World Bank figures indicating a boost of 1.38 additional percentage points to GDP growth for every 10-percentage point increase in broadband penetration – and effect more pronounced than any other telecommunication service. “History has witnessed many ‘declarations of independence’. But in today’s interconnected world we might propose a new ‘Declaration of Inter-dependence’ – a recognition that the economic welfare of each individual country increasingly depends on access to the rest of the world through broadband Internet,” said ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré. “This new Broadband Commission report indicates that improvements in broadband penetration directly correlate to improvements in GDP. Basically, the more available and cheaper broadband access is, the better for a country’s economy and growth prospects.” Offering much more than faster access to web pages, broadband networks are a crucial element of the ‘Internet of Things’, by which ordinary inanimate objects communicate with one another using technologies like RFID, without the need for human intervention. Such networks are already revolutionizing inventory control and fleet management, and are set to play a growing role in key social sectors like healthcare, through e-health applications, education, through remote learning and teacher training, and environmental management through applications like smart grids, monitoring systems and smart buildings. The cost of broadband remains a problem in many nations. Recent ITU figures show that while in the top 21 most wired countries, broadband access costs less than 1% of an average monthly salary, in the least wired nations – which include the world’s poorest countries – access to broadband can cost double an entire month’s salary or more. That prohibitive pricing means that while advanced markets enjoy broadband penetration of over 30%, most of the world struggles with 5% penetration or less. *Prices falling, but most of the world remains unconnected* Positive findings released by ITU last week show that, on average, consumers are paying 50% less for high-speed Internet connections than they were two years ago. However, this fall is mainly due to price decreases in developing countries, with steep declines often reflecting the extremely high cost of broadband in the developing world. The top countries with the cheapest broadband prices relative to average national monthly income are all high-income economies: Monaco, Macau (China), Liechtenstein, the US and Austria. Customers in 31 countries – all of them highly industrialized nations – pay only the equivalent of 1% or less of average monthly GNI per capita for an entry-level broadband connection. At the other end of the scale, in 19 countries, a broadband connection costs more than 100% of monthly GNI per capita. And in a handful of developing countries the monthly price of a fast Internet connection is still more than ten times monthly average income. Despite encouraging trends, Africa continues to stand out for its relatively high prices. Fixed broadband Internet access in particular remains prohibitively high, and, across the region as a whole, still represented almost three times the monthly average per capita income. Only one out of ten people in Africa is using the Internet. *About the Broadband Commission for Digital Development:* The Broadband Commission for Digital Development was established in 2010 by UNESCO and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), with the support of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, to promote the adoption of broadband-friendly practice and policies. It is chaired jointly by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Carlos Slim Hélu, Honorary Lifetime Chairman of Grupo Carso. UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré serve as vice chairs. They are joined by top-level figures fromgovernment, industry and international agencies, as well as those concerned with the content that will be delivered through broadband networks, from education to entertainment. *About UNESCO* The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations. Established in 1946, UNESCO works for world peace and international understanding through its key programme areas: education, natural and social sciences, culture, and communication and information. UNESCO aims to create the conditions for dialogue and cooperation between the peoples of the world, based upon commonly shared values and respect for individual civilizations and cultures. Through diverse and extensive strategies and projects, UNESCO is actively pursuing the Internationally Agreed Development Goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, placing particular emphasis on initiatives which focus on eradicating poverty and promoting human rights; achieving universal primary education and eliminating gender disparity in education; helping countries to implement national strategies for sustainable development; preserving tangible and intangible cultural heritage and halting the loss of environmental resources. Promoting activities and mobilizing resources in favour of Africa is also a priority of the Organization. Through its standard-setting action, UNESCO works towards universal agreements on the ethical, normative and intellectual issues of our time. *About ITU* ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology. For over 145 years, ITU has coordinated the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoted international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, worked to improve communication infrastructure in the developing world, and established the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems. From broadband networks to new-generation wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, satellite-based meteorology and converging fixed-mobile phone, Internet and broadcasting technologies, ITU is committed to connecting the world. --

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Kenyan Content - Flintstones in Gikuyu
by Matunda Nyanchama 07 Jun '11

07 Jun '11

Very interesting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xftyTI5dKBs&feature=player_embedded#at=182 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matunda Nyanchama, PhD, CISSP; mnyanchama(a)aganoconsulting.com Agano Consulting Inc.; www.aganoconsulting.com; Twitter: nmatunda; Skype: okiambe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be prepared to face ICT Security failures & know how to respond when they happen! Call: +1-888-587-1150 or info(a)aganoconsulting.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk I have a workstation…" - Anonymous ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This e-mail, including attachments, may be privileged and may contain confidential or proprietary information intended only for the addressee(s). Any other distribution, copying, use, or disclosure is unauthorized and strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and permanently delete the message, including any attachments, without making a copy. Thank you.

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Tomorrow is World IPv6 day
by Louisa Kadzo 07 Jun '11

07 Jun '11

Some 400 plus governments, corporates and university websites including popular sites like Yahoo, Facebook, Bing and Google will make the switch to IPv6 during the World IPv6 Day trial for 24 hours tomorrow, Wednesday June 8. The test is intended to see how ready technology companies are to handle IPv6 addresses as well as what to expect when Websites are obliged to enable IPv6 in the future. There could be glitches but the Internet Society (ISOC) estimates that 99.95 percent of all users worldwide will not notice anything at all this Wednesday. The trial IPv6 day is sponsored by the Internet Society to discover any problems with IPv6 before it is widely deployed. With regards, Louisa Kadzo Chief Editor CIO East Africa eDevelopment House, 604 Limuru Rd. Old Muthaiga, Nairobi. PO Box 49475 00100 Nairobi, Kenya Cel +254 722 757811 www.cio.co.ke <http://www.cio.co.ke/> New-email-sign

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Re: [kictanet] Safaricom abhors open systems
by Okech 06 Jun '11

06 Jun '11

Robert, This a splendid advise both to parents, teachers, industrialist and students. However, I tend to believe that the idea is not new. The question is why are people glued to vendor specific courses, Cisco has conquered the world through a superb marketing strategy. To oust them thus requires a radical strategy that I leave for the listers to deliberate on On Fri Jun 3rd, 2011 6:07 AM PDT robert yawe wrote: >Hi Listers, > >I have always said that it is wrong to train IT students on proprietary system >as is happening with Cisco training that is being offered as a career path. > Switching and routing principles are based on an open standard so students need >to have an appreciation of the technology and not a brand. > >I have been having an interesting exchange with Safaricom on setting up a >connection to their SMSC where their engineers insist that the solution can only >be implemented using a Cisco router. > >From this experience it is clear that most of the engineers at Safaricom have >been trained on vendor specific and proprietary standards which has denied them >the flexibility to work with none Cisco equipment. > >Safaricom has been a proponent of open systems by being open to various >handsets, so it is shocking that as they move towards becoming a data service >provider they are opting to close their systems. > >This attitude by Safaricom reminds me of Orange and their Livebox fiasco that >totally killed their broadband service yet all they had to do was allow any DSL >compliant equipment to be used on their network and used the funds tied in >equipment on advertising and any other activity. > >I hope this is just a hiccup in their transition and that we shall see a more >open minded organisation as they move towards being a serious contender in the >corporate data provision service. > >For those of you with children or relatives basing their carriers >on proprietary technologies please advice them to acquire generic education as >well otherwise they might find opportunities passing them by, its the principles >that matter. > Robert Yawe >KAY System Technologies Ltd >Phoenix House, 6th Floor >P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 >Kenya > > >Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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Dragon News Bytes
by Ian Cook 04 Jun '11

04 Jun '11

All Team Cymru hosts a Security News Mailing list called Ian's Dragon Newsbytes which a privately run list that distributes Information Security News articles. If you want to subscribe please email me at outreach(a)cymru.com Thanks Ian -- Ian C Cook Security Evangelist Team Cymru 'To communicate simply you must understand profoundly' Work +1 630 230 5441 Mobile +44 (0) 797 773 1246 Home Office +44 (0) 189 266 2653 Skype ID togglergi PGP Fingerprint: D4CE 9F0D 77E7 3A66 83A6 3133 CBF4 E590 _ //` `\ _,-"\% // /``\`\ ~^~ >__^ |% // / } `\`\ www.team-cymru.org/News/secnews.rss ) )%// / } } }`\`\ http://twitter.com/teamcymru / (%/`/.\_/\_/\_/\`/ www.linkedin.com/in/ianccook ( ` `-._` \ , ( \ _`-.__.- %> /_`\ \ `\ \." `-..- ` ``` /_/`"-=-``/_/ ``` ``` Subscribe to my Security News mailing list at: https://cymru.com/mailman/listinfo/ians_dragon_newsbytes

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Of Vision 2030 and Misplaced Priorities
by Barrack Otieno 04 Jun '11

04 Jun '11

Dear Listers, I wonder whether i have used the right title for this post. I have had an interesting month and i thought i should share some of my experiences from the Bundus and the City as well. Three weeks ago i visit Ebuyangu Village somewhere between Gem and Emuhaya to look for my childhood football coach, while combing the area i meet one resident by the name Harambee who gleefully agrees to help me find my former coach. I asked him some of the challenges they are facing and was taken aback by his answer 'Watu wanakufa sana, sijui ni nini' (Translated There are too many deaths, i don't know what is happening) I tried squeezing more information from him and realised the problem is Malaria and waterbone diseases (of course there is River Yala in the hood), it is common knowledge that this are Malaria prone areas and many of us who hail from the region take preventive measures before travelling but it appears this information is simply not readily available to the villages, how can we prevent this unnecessary and avoidable deaths through ICT? do we have developement partners and or government agencies prepared to invest in e-health initiatives that will reverse this trends? or better still are all this noble initiatives and flagship projects targeting Nairobians (where the real Kenya is?) no wonder everyone is fleeing the countryside to be close to the city, we might end up building Malili Technolopolis and lack customers for the same as has been the case in the past, it is good we are boasting and fighting about Mobile money, 3G and the rest which is good but i guess the greatest wealth a nation can ever have are healthy citizens. On 1st of June i find myself in another weird situation involving health facilities we have an emergency case which several health Facilities say they cannot handle but instead of advising on what we should do they advise us to run around and look for options, the saddest bit is this are respected health facilities that have 'professional' Doctors and Nurses, to cut the long story, proffessionals hoarding information on what we should do so that we can do something (what a shame on this great republic), i was left wondering where does the poor man go, he may as well just die in his little hut because he doesn't know what to do. When i looked at the bill and compared it to the service rendered your guess is as good as mine. I wonder whether its a high time we channeled the same effort and investment we have made in Mobile Money, BPOs and Fibre into Electronic Health, anyone with successfull case studies to start us off, othewise we might all be swept away by an epidemic before we Vision 2030 materialises. -- Barrack O. Otieno Afriregister Ltd (Kenya) www.afrire <http://www.afriregister.com>gister.bi, www.afriregister.com<http://www.afriergister.com> <http://www.afriregister.com>ICANN accredited registrar +254721325277 +254-20-2498789 Skype: barrack.otieno

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Job Description - Anti-Counterfeit Agency
by James Muendo 03 Jun '11

03 Jun '11

Hi people, http://www.aca.or.ke/careers/chief-ict-officer/ <http://www.aca.or.ke/careers/chief-ict-officer/>All the detail are there. Regards, -- James M. Muendo P.O Box 28016 - 00200, Nairobi. Mobile: +254725567508 skype:tim.rick | Twitter: Mmuendo | gtalk: timrick<http://muendoshead.blogspot.com/>

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Safaricom abhors open systems
by robert yawe 03 Jun '11

03 Jun '11

Hi Listers, I have always said that it is wrong to train IT students on proprietary system as is happening with Cisco training that is being offered as a career path. Switching and routing principles are based on an open standard so students need to have an appreciation of the technology and not a brand. I have been having an interesting exchange with Safaricom on setting up a connection to their SMSC where their engineers insist that the solution can only be implemented using a Cisco router. From this experience it is clear that most of the engineers at Safaricom have been trained on vendor specific and proprietary standards which has denied them the flexibility to work with none Cisco equipment. Safaricom has been a proponent of open systems by being open to various handsets, so it is shocking that as they move towards becoming a data service provider they are opting to close their systems. This attitude by Safaricom reminds me of Orange and their Livebox fiasco that totally killed their broadband service yet all they had to do was allow any DSL compliant equipment to be used on their network and used the funds tied in equipment on advertising and any other activity. I hope this is just a hiccup in their transition and that we shall see a more open minded organisation as they move towards being a serious contender in the corporate data provision service. For those of you with children or relatives basing their carriers on proprietary technologies please advice them to acquire generic education as well otherwise they might find opportunities passing them by, its the principles that matter. Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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Of Vision 2030 and Misplaced Priorities
by Mark Mwangi 03 Jun '11

03 Jun '11

The problem stems from making healthcare a business where now falling sick becomes a monetary affair. The American model is not the ultimate model to be followed as we see everyday people being detained for not clearing fees. How is this not illegal imprisonment and where does this leave our new constitution? On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 10:29 PM, Edith Adera <eadera(a)idrc.or.ke> wrote: > Very sad indeed! > > I was faced with the same problem in March and the poor lady died right > before our eyes - her relatives called me when it was too late and they did > not have a cent to take her to hospital, so they feared even going there > without money! I was surprised to learn that even Kenyatta hospital does not > take any patient without money! > > > > I was so sad to face the reality that you can die just because you are poor > and not because there's no treatment for your illness. > > > > In his recent experience with cancer, Hon. Anyang Nyongo drove this point > home! BUT - if a Minister for Health can say this, what chance does a mere > mortal have to live? > > > > There are many examples of eHealth initiatives that have saved lives e.g. > Uganda Health information Network, Mozambique Health Information > Network, pulsa plus HIV/AIDs project in South Africa using cellphones, cell > life in South Africa etc > > > > Edith > > *________________ * > > *Edith Ofwona Adera * > > Senior Program Specialist > > ICT4D Program and Climate Change & Water Program > > International Development Research Centre | Centre de recherches pour le > développement international > > Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa > > Tel: +254202713160 | Fax/Téléc: +254202711063 | Skype: edithadera > > eadera(a)idrc.or.ke | www.idrc.ca | www.crdi.ca > > ------------------------------ > *From:* kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke[kictanet-bounces+eadera= > idrc.or.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Barrack Otieno [ > otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com] > *Sent:* 02 June 2011 13:22 > *To:* Edith Adera > *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions > *Subject:* [kictanet] Of Vision 2030 and Misplaced Priorities > > Dear Listers, > > I wonder whether i have used the right title for this post. I have had an > interesting month and i thought i should share some of my experiences from > the Bundus and the City as well. Three weeks ago i visit Ebuyangu Village > somewhere between Gem and Emuhaya to look for my childhood football coach, > while combing the area i meet one resident by the name Harambee who > gleefully agrees to help me find my former coach. I asked him some of the > challenges they are facing and was taken aback by his answer 'Watu wanakufa > sana, sijui ni nini' (Translated There are too many deaths, i don't know > what is happening) I tried squeezing more information from him and realised > the problem is Malaria and waterbone diseases (of course there is River Yala > in the hood), it is common knowledge that this are Malaria prone areas and > many of us who hail from the region take preventive measures before > travelling but it appears this information is simply not readily available > to the villages, how can we prevent this unnecessary and avoidable deaths > through ICT? do we have developement partners and or government agencies > prepared to invest in e-health initiatives that will reverse this trends? or > better still are all this noble initiatives and flagship projects targeting > Nairobians (where the real Kenya is?) no wonder everyone is fleeing the > countryside to be close to the city, we might end up building Malili > Technolopolis and lack customers for the same as has been the case in the > past, it is good we are boasting and fighting about Mobile money, 3G and the > rest which is good but i guess the greatest wealth a nation can ever have > are healthy citizens. > > On 1st of June i find myself in another weird situation involving health > facilities we have an emergency case which several health Facilities say > they cannot handle but instead of advising on what we should do they advise > us to run around and look for options, the saddest bit is this are respected > health facilities that have 'professional' Doctors and Nurses, to cut the > long story, proffessionals hoarding information on what we should do so that > we can do something (what a shame on this great republic), i was left > wondering where does the poor man go, he may as well just die in his little > hut because he doesn't know what to do. When i looked at the bill and > compared it to the service rendered your guess is as good as mine. > > I wonder whether its a high time we channeled the same effort and > investment we have made in Mobile Money, BPOs and Fibre into Electronic > Health, anyone with successfull case studies to start us off, othewise we > might all be swept away by an epidemic before we Vision 2030 materialises. > > -- > Barrack O. Otieno > Afriregister Ltd (Kenya) > www.afrire <http://www.afriregister.com>gister.bi, www.afriregister.com<http://www.afriergister.com> > <http://www.afriregister.com>ICANN accredited registrar > +254721325277 > +254-20-2498789 > Skype: barrack.otieno > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mwangy%40gmail.com > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for > people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. > > KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, > share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do > not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. > -- Regards, Mark Mwangi http://mwangy.posterous.com -- Regards, Mark Mwangi http://mwangy.posterous.com

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