May 2013 - KICTANet

Is Accra the New Rome? (IBM's Rome that is..)
by Ali Hussein 06 May '13

06 May '13

Listers An interesting article on Smarter Cities. Home <http://www.idgconnect.com/?region=africa> > Blog Abstract Kathryn Cave (Ghana) – Accra: IBM’s New Rome? Posted by Kathryn Cave Company IDG Connect 04/24/2013 "The sick die here because they can't sleep - it costs a lot merely to sleep in this city! That's why everyone's sick: carts clattering through the winding streets, curses hurled at some herd standing still in the middle of the road." This could describe a modern African city, but in fact it comes from the satirist Juvenal in the early second century... and is about the city of Rome. This is not how people picture Rome; the benchmark of a beautiful city. Yet the cliché that Rome was not built in a day holds true. The Coliseum was built about 30 years before Juvenal wrote his satire and the Pantheon around 20 years later. Chronic sleeplessness was caused by building supplies transported at night. But like many modern cities in Africa, Rome was in the necessary state of chaos it took to create all those monumental buildings, bath houses, sewage systems and aqueducts. Perhaps comparisons could be made with Ghana's capital Accra? Read on http://www.idgconnect.com/blog-abstract/889/kathryn-cave-ghana-accra-ibm-s-… Regards *Ali Hussein* *CEO, 3mice interactive media ltd* *Partner, Telemedia Africa Ltd * Tel: +254713601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim<http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim> Blog: www.alyhussein.com Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the organizations that I work with.

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Reviewing Kenya ICT Board Performance- You can write a guest post
by Rebecca Wanjiku 06 May '13

06 May '13

Some days back, I visited the ICT Board to chat with Victor Kyalo about the digital villages project. I remember when I wrote about the launch in 2008, there was so much hype and I wanted to find if the hype was still there. I found that there has been challenges, from recipients buying cars, investing in other things to success. I also found out one nice thing; women recipients showed more commitment, which was good for women in ICT. I must admit that lending people Ksh 800,000 to 2 million is a great idea but if the business case isn't proven, you cant blame the people who felt it was better to buy a car for public image, or even to operate as a taxi. Why wouldn't such loans be given to thriving businesses that lack capital to finance projects? You can imagine Victor gave me a long winding answer that seemed to say that such a project is in the offing. I am writing a review of the board's performance in the various areas, according to my knowledge and experience. If you have views of how the board has performed, whether positive or negative, please share by giving me a blog post. I gave Paul Kukubo and his team a chance to write weeks ago but he declined or is yet to keep his promise or (insert your excuse here). Topics that come to mind: 1. BPO 2. Chipuka 3. Ease of doing business, how has the board improved government processes in the last six years? 4. Tandaa grants 5. Pasha 6. Silicon Savannah/ Silicon Kelele, depending on which side you are 7. Government telephony, interconnection, I hear Dimension Data got a contract or Ksh 32 million or $ 32 million (ksh 270 million) depending on who you talk to. If you know anything, please share. 8. Most exotic place that board has gone to present about Kenya's success- this is a humour piece. 9. Most outrageous promise made or achieved 10. An open letter to the next board CEO Send your contributions to rebecca(a)wanjiku.co.ke http://www.wanjiku.co.ke/2013/04/reviewing-the-ict-board-six-years-later-gu…

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Fw: Digital Apartheid
by Matunda Nyanchama 05 May '13

05 May '13

----- Forwarded Message ----- From: ICT Africa <info(a)ictafrica.info> To: mnyanchama(a)aganoconsulting.com Sent: Sunday, May 5, 2013 12:45 AM Subject: Digital Apartheid May 4, 2013 Digital Apartheid According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2013 Global Information Technology Report released on April 10, South Africa's cellular mobile prices are among the highest in the world. Our own comparison of mobile broadband costs of South Africa and selected African countries shows South Africa's costs significantly higher. We believe that the South African pricing structure for mobile services and many other ICT services may be impacted by the Apartheid legacy. Read more... South Africa Mobile Broadband is one of the Fastest in the World A CISCO Systems study commissioned by Bloomberg has ranked South Africa mobile Internet speed among the 20 fastest in the world. South Africa was ranked 12th, ahead of Russia, China, Brazil, India and four others. Read more... Julian Assange, Baba Jukwa and Cyberpunks Cyberpunks are revolutionary advocates of change through the use of the Internet. They typically use cryptography (encryption of communications) to maintain privacy as they interact with one another on the Internet. Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder used to be a leading cyberpunk back in the 1980s. In a new book, Cyberpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet, Assange and other cyber-activists examine the future of the Internet and human freedoms. Their analysis has a lot of relevance to the growing use of the Internet and human rights in Africa. Read more... ICT Africa Announces a One Stop Web Page for All ICT Related Events in Africa "If an ICT event happens in Africa, you will find it on the ICT Africa event page" Read more... Uncertainty Over Telecel's Indigenisation MYSTERY surrounds Telecel Zimbabwe's indigenisation proposals amid indications that government is not satisfied with the company's plans submitted more than two weeks ago. Read more... Upcoming Events Itweb Security Summit, Sandton, South Africa A gathering of information security specialists LTE MENA, Dubai, UAE With LTE deployments in the MENA region gathering place it is an incredibly exciting time for the industry. Now in its 3rd year, the LTE MENA 2013 event will be looking to the future of LTE in region Corning Optical Fiber Seminar, Nairobi, Kenya A one day training workshop on optical fiber optics Mobile Money Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa An unbeatable forum for mobile money professionals wanting to succeed in Africa The Broadcast Show Africa, Sandton, South Africa The Broadcast Show Africa is Africa\'s largest and most holistic power and energy business event: an exhibition, series of seminars, and strategic conference But the show is much more than this Submarine Networks World Africa, Sandton, South Africa Submarine Networks World Africa is about the opportunities that the outlay in fibre projects has presented to the African continent. SATCOM Africa, Sandton, South Africa SatCom Africa is the largest satellite communication conference and exhibition focusing specifically on the needs of the African continent. IP Networks Show Africa, Sandton, South Africa The IP Networks Show Africa is a technology showcase event. The IP Networks Show brings together businesses hungry to profit from the power of IP networks. e-Learning Africa 2013, Nairobi, Kenya e-Learning Africa is the Continent's largest gathering of high-level policymakers, decision makers and practitioners from education, business and government. IST-Africa 2013 Conference & Exhibition, Nairobi, Kenya IST-Africa 2013 Conference & Exhibition is hosted by the Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Higher Education Science and Technology. Featured Job IT Manager, Nairobi, Kenya Management and maintenance of the IT infrastructure required to deliver the agreed level of IT services to the business Don't miss any important ICT information or events in Africa Register for our weekly newsletter for updates Stay Connected Forward this email This email was sent to mnyanchama(a)aganoconsulting.com by info(a)ictafrica.info | Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. ICT Africa| 85 Rowan Martin Road| Harare| 01001| Zimbabwe

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Technology on trial
by Harry Hare 04 May '13

04 May '13

Here is an interested read from Peter Muya arguing that the issues that led to the "systems failure" during the March 4, General Elections had nothing to do with technology, read hardware and software. http://bit.ly/ZGD0qL Kindest Regards Harry Hare Director | African eDevelopment Resource Centre PO Box 49475 00100 | Nairobi, Kenya Tel +254 20 4041646 | Cel +254 725 650044

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Re: [kictanet] SPAM/OPT IN/OPT OUT MARKETING FROM THE TELCOS - DEATH BY SMS
by Matunda Nyanchama 04 May '13

04 May '13

Advertisements (as in newspapers, TV, etc.) provide the primary course of revenue for these businesses. Safaricom and other telcos need to demonstrate that they are offering services as below par prices and hence need to recoup/make a profit through ads. There is no justification for bombarding individuals with ads when they are not getting a cut in airtime rates. CCK should step in and advise accordingly. Regards. Message: 1 Date: Fri, 3 May 2013 13:16:13 +0300 From: William Warero <wwarero(a)gmail.com> To: Ali Hussein <ali(a)hussein.me.ke> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: Re: [kictanet] SPAM/OPT IN/OPT OUT MARKETING FROM THE TELCOS - DEATH BY SMS Message-ID: <CAA1AGAex+18ovzkn0b7-_BqtUELfS4zeSNuN5ciQGoWs+sqAjg(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Well, from the network's perspective it is not spam. When you purchase a SIM card or enter into a contract for use of a line, it remains the network's property. Similar to the TV model, the advertisement slots are a secondary revenue stream and a mode of directing traffic one way or the other, particularly for networks other than Safaricom. However, in the interest of retaining their clients they monitor the frequency of the messages sent to subscribers in slots, just as the media companies do. The "Do Not Disturb" lists do exist I believe, and should be effected upon request to their respective customer care options. With over 16 million Kenyans being online and growing,the majority accessing the internet by phone, I believe we will be seeing more and more mobile phone targeted advertising. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matunda Nyanchama, PhD, CISSP; mnyanchama(a)aganoconsulting.com Agano Consulting Inc.; www.aganoconsulting.com; Twitter: nmatunda; Skype: okiambe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be prepared for ICT security failures & know how to respond when they happen! Call: +1-888-587-1150 or info(a)aganoconsulting.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The best revenge is massive success" - Frank Sinatra----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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Jobs at Loghorn includes E-Publishing
by Matunda Nyanchama 03 May '13

03 May '13

Wananchi This was circulated on the Kenya Publishers Association (KPA) mailing list and circulated as an FYI in case anyone is interested. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matunda Nyanchama, PhD, CISSP; mnyanchama(a)aganoconsulting.com Agano Consulting Inc.; www.aganoconsulting.com; Twitter: nmatunda; Skype: okiambe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be prepared for ICT security failures & know how to respond when they happen! Call: +1-888-587-1150 or info(a)aganoconsulting.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The best revenge is massive success" - Frank Sinatra----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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Kenya ICT Board Learns Tough Lessons from Digital Villages Project
by Rebecca Wanjiku 03 May '13

03 May '13

"The Pasha fund was created to provide seed capital to entrepreneurs interested in setting up businesses in the 210 constituencies. The people would receive funds ranging from Ksh. 850,000 to 2 million (US$10,000 to $25,000). They would then set up the business, provide value addition and allow the business to sustain itself with time and repay the loan. There was a rigorous application exercise but we assumed several things; that the people applying had studied their areas and found the kind of services that would work, that the people had entrepreneurship skills, that business mentorship was easily available and that government services would be digitized fast enough to allow the businesses to thrive." http://www.pcworld.com/article/2036710/kenya-ict-board-learns-tough-lessons…

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Re: [kictanet] SPAM/OPT IN/OPT OUT MARKETING FROM THE TELCOS - DEATH BY SMS
by andrea.bohnstedt＠ratio-magazine.com 03 May '13

03 May '13

Yes, Kenya does, but I don't want to switch operators. I want my current providers to stop spamming me. ---------- Sent from my Nokia phone ------Original message------ From: Adam Nelson <adam(a)varud.com> To: "Andrea Bohnstedt" <andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com> Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Thursday, May 2, 2013 2:04:27 PM GMT+0200 Subject: Re: [kictanet] SPAM/OPT IN/OPT OUT MARKETING FROM THE TELCOS - DEATH BY SMS On a related note, does Kenya have phone number portability so that people can just switch carriers. I personally think structural solutions like that are better than regulatory ones like banning SMS alerts (although I would certainly be in favor of that too). In the US, one can switch a phone number to another carrier in under an hour. https://twitter.com/varud https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcnelson On Thu, May 2, 2013 at 1:48 PM, Andrea Bohnstedt < andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com> wrote: > I have - slightly laboriously - managed to get myself unsubscribed from > Airtel's permanent (and sometimes badly spelled and edited) text messages > by contacting someone in the firm I knew. But since then, Safcom's > messaging has really picked up, so if there's anyone on this list has a > contact (or an automated mechanism) to opt out, I'd also like to know. > > Plus any way of preventing the Safaricom dongle from automatically opening > their bundles website? > > > On 2 May 2013 14:38, Ali Hussein <ali(a)hussein.me.ke> wrote: > >> Listers >> >> If you are like me you must by now be going out of your mind with useless >> SMS messages from the different players in the Telco sector. >> >> Is there some rule somewhere that CCK can dust off and ask them to stop >> sending these SMSs to 'abused' subscribers like myself. >> >> Or at the very least could you at least give us an option to Opt Out of >> this deluge of useless (in my opinion) SMSs? >> >> In my case I am specifically referring to Safaricom. I know that >> Safaricom has sophisticated Mass Customisation tools and if they use their >> Analytic Tools they would have known that for a Muslim (assuming in the >> majority of cases they would make deductions by name usage) a message that >> reads:- >> >> *'Watch Pastor Tim's Sunday Sermon...' * >> >> is particularly useless for a Muslim. If I were a Conspiracy Theorist >> (Luckily I am not. :-)) I may start making assumptions that Safaricom wants >> to convert me to a Christian. >> >> Dear Safaricom, please give me an option to opt out of your SMS deluge.. >> >> Death by SMS :-) >> >> >> *Ali Hussein* >> >> *CEO, 3mice interactive media ltd* >> >> *Partner, Telemedia Africa Ltd >> * >> >> >> >> Tel: +254713601113 >> >> Twitter: @AliHKassim >> >> Skype: abu-jomo >> >> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim<http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim> >> >> Blog: www.alyhussein.com >> >> >> Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely >> mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the >> organizations that I work with. >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/andrea.bohnstedt%40ra… >> >> 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. >> > > > > -- > Andrea Bohnstedt <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/andreabohnstedt> > Publisher > > www.ratio-magazine.com > www.africa-assets.com > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/adam%40varud.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. >

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Legislated Responsibilities of a Government CIO
by S.M. Muraya 03 May '13

03 May '13

Some interesting links... www.ok.gov/OSF/documents/CIOSolicitation_AppendixA.doc http://fcw.com/articles/2013/04/23/dod-directive-cio-role.aspx The US even has a "Paper Work Reduction" Act.... (very long) http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_a130_a130appendix_iv Would be very interesting to know how much we spend on paper vs software. Time wasted filing papers, burning out filing clerks who refuse to cooperate unless they are paid to do boring filing work, time wasted by millions of Kenyans waiting to be served.

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Re: [kictanet] kictanet Digest, Vol 72, Issue 8
by Michael Bullut 03 May '13

03 May '13

** *@* *Evans:* Why not go further a nd implement o pen source thin clients? On 2 May 2013 07:39, <kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > Send kictanet mailing list submissions to > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > You can reach the person managing the list at > kictanet-owner(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of kictanet digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: SPAM/OPT IN/OPT OUT MARKETING FROM THE TELCOS - DEATH BY > SMS (Brian Ngure) > 2. Re: SPAM/OPT IN/OPT OUT MARKETING FROM THE TELCOS - DEATH BY > SMS (andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com) > 3. Re: SPAM/OPT IN/OPT OUT MARKETING FROM THE TELCOS - DEATH BY > SMS (Peter Owino) > 4. Spain's Extremadura starts switch of 40, 000 government PCs > to open source (Evans Ikua) > 5. Digital TV Migration: Local stations turnoff digital > transmission (robert yawe) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Thu, 2 May 2013 15:17:17 +0300 > From: Brian Ngure <brian(a)pixie.co.ke> > To: Ali Hussein <ali(a)hussein.me.ke> > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] SPAM/OPT IN/OPT OUT MARKETING FROM THE TELCOS > - DEATH BY SMS > Message-ID: > < > CAJbJWJ1CAuqQcs7DQyRMv_xVcF1v6_F9__VbFXtMJqwEs0cpxw(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Hi, > > I have just received Safaricom's advice to watch Pastor Tim this Sunday :) > > I have written quite a number of emails to Safaricom customer care asking > to be removed from whatever mailing list they are using but have not > received a single response. Tried calling but could not past the IVR. > Surely, I should be asked first if I want to receive these sms messages, > yes? It is one of the requirements for the new SDP system they are making > PRSPs implement after all. Why should they break their own rules? > > Perhaps CCK could implement a "Do Not Call" registry like in the USA ( > https://www.donotcall.gov) > > > > On Thu, May 2, 2013 at 2:38 PM, Ali Hussein <ali(a)hussein.me.ke> wrote: > > > Listers > > > > If you are like me you must by now be going out of your mind with useless > > SMS messages from the different players in the Telco sector. > > > > Is there some rule somewhere that CCK can dust off and ask them to stop > > sending these SMSs to 'abused' subscribers like myself. > > > > Or at the very least could you at least give us an option to Opt Out of > > this deluge of useless (in my opinion) SMSs? > > > > In my case I am specifically referring to Safaricom. I know that > Safaricom > > has sophisticated Mass Customisation tools and if they use their Analytic > > Tools they would have known that for a Muslim (assuming in the majority > of > > cases they would make deductions by name usage) a message that reads:- > > > > *'Watch Pastor Tim's Sunday Sermon...' * > > > > is particularly useless for a Muslim. If I were a Conspiracy Theorist > > (Luckily I am not. :-)) I may start making assumptions that Safaricom > wants > > to convert me to a Christian. > > > > Dear Safaricom, please give me an option to opt out of your SMS deluge.. > > > > Death by SMS :-) > > > > > > *Ali Hussein* > > > > *CEO, 3mice interactive media ltd* > > > > *Partner, Telemedia Africa Ltd > > * > > > > > > > > Tel: +254713601113 > > > > Twitter: @AliHKassim > > > > Skype: abu-jomo > > > > LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim< > http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim> > > > > Blog: www.alyhussein.com > > > > > > Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely > > mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the > > organizations that I work with. > > > > _______________________________________________ > > kictanet mailing list > > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > > > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/brian%40pixie.co.ke > > > > 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 > > Brian Ngure >

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