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IPv6 addresses: North American ISPs are now grabbing for them over IPv4
by alice＠apc.org 25 Oct '09

25 Oct '09

IPv6 addresses: North American ISPs are now grabbing for them over IPv4 By Carolyn Duffy Marsan Created 2009-10-19 02:29PM U.S. ISPs are requesting more IPv6 [1] addresses and fewer IPv4 addresses than ever before -- a sign that carriers are investing in the future amidst one of the deepest recessions[2] in modern history. The shift in IP address requests shows that North American carriers are getting ready for the long-anticipated upgrade [3] of the Internet's main communications protocol from IPv4, the current standard, to the next-generation IPv6. [ What U.S. businesses are missing [4] in their slow move to IPv6. | Despite businesses' faint interest, the shift to IPv6 [5] is seen as an inevitable | Keep up on the latest networking news with our Technology: Networking newsletter [6]. ] IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses and can support 4.3 billion individually addressed devices on the Internet. IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses and supports an inconceivably huge amount of devices: 2 to the 128th power. IPv6 also offers built-in security and enhanced network management features when compared to IPv4, which is expected to run out [7] of address space by 2012. In the first nine months of 2009, the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN [8]) received 300 requests from carriers for blocks of IPv6 address space. This compares to 250 requests received in all of 2008 and 2007. "We're seeing an uptick in IPv6 address space requests; it's a very significant growth rate," says John Curran, president and CEO of ARIN. "We've seen a slight slowdown in IPv4 address space requestsIt's probably dropped off 10 percent or 20 percent year over year." Curran says ARIN is beginning to see ISPs such as Comcast [9] and Verizon Wireless [10] put a great deal of effort into migrating from IPv4-based networks to those built using IPv6. "ISPs are asking for IPv6 addresses so they can make their networks IPv6-enabled so they are ready [for the future]," Curran says. "We give each ISP enough IPv6 addresses to support 4 billion networks, and each network can contain trillions and trillions of hosts." Curran says the recession is not hampering carriers' interest in IPv6. "IPv6 solves a problem that hasn't happened yet. So seeing any demand is surprising, and it means that organizations are planning ahead," Curran says. "The current weakness in the economyis not dampening down IPv6 demand significantly because IPv6 is right around the corner for ISPs. We may be two years away from the IPv4 free pool of addresses running out, but two years if you're an ISP is enough time to get one network deployed. Two years is within everyone's planning horizon." ARIN will detail the latest statistics about IPv6 address demand in North America at a policy meeting [2] that will be held this week in Dearborn, Mich. ARIN also will discuss several proposed policy changes related to IPv4 depletion and the push towards IPv6 adoption. These include: * Allowing ARIN to https://www.arin.net/policy/proposals/2009_8.html [11] ">reduce the size of IPv4 address space allocations to carriers as the industry gets closer to IPv4 address depletion. * Increasing access to IPv6 [12] address space by removing the requirement for carriers to first demonstrate that they have hundreds of customers. * Allowing carriers to run multiple, discrete IPv6 networks [13] that don't have to be connected to each other, such as community networks. * Reconsideration of a current policy that requires the regional registries including ARIN to evenly divide up any IPv4 space [14] they are able to recover. ARIN will hold elections at this meeting for several open board of trustees and advisory council openings. * Networking * IPv6 * Internet

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How does corruption affect women?
by alice 23 Oct '09

23 Oct '09

How does Corruption Impact Women? Although some may assume that corruption is gender-neutral in terms of its lack of ethics and resource-depleting impact, corruption compounds the discrimination women already experience on large and small scales. By Masum Momaya Read more<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102781086510&s=999&e=001grAt-vpz26lxjvSkK-hX9 rzTyimpf9LxRv_n6x-zB2aI-q5iXJSsx139tOs6-L2zxZaT9AkbG3UMunYMj2qeG3mewq7RA61wc wpquj2oq02ENRmewB-n7TyMkbCJik72YtVahcO6dSx2RnEQ68G1mQ9GHQro4ZgMGoVmzj_C7pIyo VH0sQ4pGMOrq9drjA8ZLdu4YM9XsIMBu5thtIK0Yw==>

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Fwd: Brazil Government's official position on the "Affirmation of Commitments"
by waudo siganga 23 Oct '09

23 Oct '09

Sorry for any cross-posting of this. Dear people, below is the official declaration of the Brazilian government regarding the post-JPA "Affirmation of Commitments" ICANN-USA. fraternal regards --c.a. ===================================================== The Brazilian Government’s Position on the Affirmation of Commitments between the U.S. Government and ICANN On September 30, 2009, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) released a new agreement entitled Affirmation of Commitments, which completes the transition of management of the Internet domain name and addressing system (DNS) from the U.S. government to the private sector by granting greater autonomy to ICANN and increasing international participation in the oversight of its activities. The Brazilian Government welcomes the approval of the Affirmation of Commitments, which provides for a set of important advances in the management and decision making processes of ICANN, consistent with the demands presented by Brazil, either at the ICANN itself or at relevant United Nations forums. Among the positive aspects included in the new agreement, it is worth highlighting the following: (1) increasing participation of other governments in the process of assessing and reviewing ICANN activities, with a greater role for the Government Advisory Committee (GAC), along with the ICANN Board; (2) ending the requirement to submit periodical reports exclusively to the U.S. government, requiring ICANN to release annual reports on its activities to all stakeholders; (3) reaffirming the principles of transparency, multistakeholder participation, public interest, interoperability and end-to-end innovation; preserving the DNS security and stability and maintaining one single global Internet; (4) introducing the notion of an enhanced decision-making process, through cross-community deliberations. Notwithstanding these positive aspects, the Brazilian government believes that there is still room for further improvements to be made to the global governance of the Internet, in light of the results of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The Affirmation of Commitments does not advance on the issue of ICANN’s institutional framework and the need to grant it international legal status. The DNS root zone continues to be managed under the supervision of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Affirmation of Commitments may be revoked at any time by either the Department of Commerce or ICANN, which may generate insecurity vis‑à‑vis ICANN’s relationships with other governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations that are not subject to the U.S. jurisdiction. The Brazilian government will continue to contribute to further improving the global governance of the Internet, towards full observance of the principles of multilateralism, transparency and democracy adopted at WSIS. -- Carlos A. Afonso CGI.br (www.cgi.br) Nupef (www.nupef.org.br) ==================================== new/nuevo/novo e-mail: ca(a)cafonso.ca ====================================

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(no subject)
by meshack emakunat 22 Oct '09

22 Oct '09

dear kictanet why cann't i send or post an item to the listers yet i receive a lot of items

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The East Africa Internet Governance Forum: Advancing the Internet Governance Debate for meaningful participation.
by alice 21 Oct '09

21 Oct '09

The East Africa Internet Governance Forum: Advancing the Internet Governance Debate for meaningful participation. * * * *An East African broadband policy framework was the topic of discussion at the second East Africa Internet Governance Forum held in Nairobi in September 7-9^th 2009. Over 200 participants and observers from 15 countries representing private sector, civil society, Internet community, media, government, parliamentarians, regulatory authorities, development partners, United Nations agencies, consumer networks and academia came together to discuss local and regional Internet Governance (IG) issues. The main themes of the meeting were cybercrime, policy regulatory requirements, consumer issues, critical Internet resources, and access to broadband. In each thematic session, representatives of the five East Africa countries provided a national perspective, identifying key issues, progress and challenges, followed by discussion among all EA-IGF 2009 participants around developing recommendations and a way forward. A new addition to the EA-IGF was a session organised for East African members of parliament. The EA-IGF, first convened in 2008, aims to create a community of practice that will, in the long term, become a sustaining foundation for the meaningful participation of East African stakeholders in Internet public policy debates at the national, regional and international level. The EA-IGF model allows for informed participation, contribution and engagement of community members through research, sharing of experiences and skills, solving common problems, identifying challenges, and creation of new knowledge. The Forum follows a bottom up multi-stakeholder approach, which begins at the national level with mailing list discussions in each country, followed by national face-to-face IGFs, to continue discussions and debate, which go further to validate the issues identified and begin to explore recommendations and solutions. The national IGFs then form the building block for the regional East Africa IGF. During the 2009 EA-IGF, consensus emerged that access continues to be one of the most important issues for the region, with the most fundamental access issue being universal affordable access to broadband. Forum participants recommended the development of a regional broadband policy framework to enhance affordable universal access. Other essential issues included strengthening country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), developing national and regional policy and regulatory frameworks for spectrum management, cybercrime, and consumer protection, among others. The proposal to create an enabling environment for universal affordable access was supported by Kenya’s Permanent Secretary Ministry for Information and Communication Dr. Bitange Ndemo, who noted in his welcome speech that “the next billion Internet users would come from Africa. The Internet is about enabling access to the world's information and knowledge in all of its languages. We must therefore ensure that we localise the Internet to preserve our cultures and knowledge, and share our knowledge and cultures with the rest of the world.” He further added that African governments needed to develop Intellectual Property frameworks that would protect Africa’s rich heritage and resources from theft. *The 2009 EA-IGF recommendations:* On Policy and Regulation, there was consensus around the need to complete and approve an East African Communication policy, as well as development of additional policy frameworks covering broadband, spectrum management, cybercrime, consumer protection and intellectual property. The need for increased civil society advocacy for better quality of service, universal affordable access, and a legal framework for consumer issues including codes of conduct was also agreed upon. The provision of transparent and accessible complaint resolution channels and promotion of informed consumer choice by providing publication of statistics and information to empower consumer choice was also recommended. The session on critical Internet resources recommended strengthening country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), the creation of national and regional data centres, strengthening and protecting national and regional internet Exchange Points (IXP), and awareness raising on IPv6- transition. * * Discussing cybercrime, there was agreement on the need to establish national and regional* *Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) to coordinate and respond to issues of cyber security in the region. Participants also agreed on the urgent need to begin to address the specific needs of vulnerable groups like women and children and how they are affected by cybercrime. While adopting these recommendations, Forum participants acknowledged the need for sustainable means of following up on the issues with various activities, including encouraging further discussions, advocacy efforts, as well as development of necessary policy frameworks at national and regional levels. Participants also agreed that these issues needed to be presented at the global IGF, and discussions begun to explore ways in which they could be included and integrated within the IGF in future years. The EA-IGF will seek to contribute on how the IGF could achieve more practical and useful outcomes drawing on the local and regional lessons with greater consideration given to capacity building and other Internet governance needs the East African countries identified. The, Executive Coordinator for the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, Mr. Markus Kummer noted that while “much of the IGF discussions tended to focus on international factors the development of National and regional IGFs now have an even more important role of informing the global IGF". "The international level", he added, "Cannot work without national agreements and involvement as well as effective participation and commitment of all the stake-holders". *The Parliamentarian IGF session* The inclusion of members of parliament as a key stakeholder group in the meeting was unique to the 2009 EA-IGF. Recognising that parliamentarians have an important role to play in the Internet governance dialogue, the aim of the session was to begin to encourage essential contributions of members of parliament to the IG debate. The session hosted by Kenya’s Member of Parliament and Minister for Information and Communication, Hon. Samuel Porgishio and the Speaker of the Kenya National Assembly Hon. Kenneth Marende and was attended by members of parliament from Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya and United Kingdom. In his welcome speech, Hon. Kenneth Marende, noted, “The Internet governance process and debate is very important for the region, particularly now with the increase of access to broadband, which will result in greater benefits and opportunities as well as Internet governance related challenges.” On introducing Internet governance, Adam Peake, from the Centre for Global Communications (GLOCOM) noted that “the architectural principles of the Internet provides an open platform and network on which anyone, who has the skills, and will can provide services, content, and applications. This principle of openness is what makes the Internet so unique and provides the opportunities for social, economic, cultural and political benefits as well as innovation and entrepreneurship.” He therefore encouraged parliamentarians to engage in the Internet governance process in order to encourage their constituents to make use of the social economic development benefits offered by access to the Internet. ** Hon. Samuel Porgishio formally announced Kenya’s intention to host the 2011 IGF. The IGF mandate set by WSIS decisions will be reviewed after the fifth meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2010. While the EA-IGF does not attempt to mirror the global IGF, consensus emerged that the IGF is a very important and useful mechanism for continuing discussions and debate on Internet governance. As the only multi-stakeholder forum that discusses IG issues, it is important that stakeholders seek assurances of the global forum’s continuity. Acknowledging the importance of the process, Ugandan Member of Parliament, Hon. Nathan Nabeta Igeme announced Uganda’s commitment to host the 2010 East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EA-IGF 2010). Ambassador Nick Thorne noted that “Members of Parliament had a vital role to play in Internet governance processes and must consider themselves as a key stakeholder group in the national, regional and global processes. Representing their various constituents, parliamentarians are needed, and are best placed to put pressure on governments and resist unnecessarily restrictive legislation, which might stifle the benefits of the Internet as we have come to know it.” Applauding the EA-IGF, UK Member of Parliament Rt. Hon. Alun Michal encouraged all parliamentarians to engage and understand the process, from national, regional and international levels. "The EA-IGF is a success story", he said, "not because you are doing it right, but because you have set the pace for the rest of the world” The Parliamentarian session approved a declaration, which sought to support the development of regional policy frameworks on broadband access and cybercrime, among others. *Commonwealth Internet Governance Forum (CIGF)* Mark Carvell, from the UK Department for Business Innovation and Skills introduced the Commonwealth Internet Governance Forum (CIGF), which “seeks to encourage greater participation from Commonwealth member states on policy issues and discussions related to Internet governance with a view to coming up with informed solutions to address their needs.” He announced that the CIGF has launched a travel bursary for Commonwealth participants to attend the forth IGF meeting taking place in Egypt in November 2009. Kenya is a member of this initiative and the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is partner of the CIGF. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2009 EA-IGF was supported by the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Kenya’s Ministry for Information and Communication, the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), Kenyan Network information Centre (KENIC), AT&T, the Telecommunication Service Providers Association of Kenya (TESPOK), Kenya Internet Exchange Point (KIXP), Africa Network Information Centre (AfrINic), Kenya ICT Board, and the Centre for Global Communications (GLOCOM), International University of Japan, East African ICT for Development network and the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet). For more information about the EA-IGF Visit: www.eaigf.or.ke <http://www.eaigf.or.ke>

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Dropping the ties that bind how Africa can help itself to get lower bandwidth pric es
by emko＠internetresearch.com.gh 21 Oct '09

21 Oct '09

Dropping the ties that bind how Africa can help itself to get lower bandwidth prices In Kenya two international cables Seacom and TEAMS have arrived but a fierce row has broken out over pricing. On the Government-backed TEAMS cable, Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo has said loudly and publicly that rates should come down to nearer US$200 per mbps. The cables owners say they have to recoup their money and that there will plenty of time later for prices to come down. Russell Southwood looks at some of the blockages to the benefits the international cables might bring and how they might be overcome. By 2011, Africa will have eight international fibre cables connecting it to the rest of the world. New infrastructure is already delivering an eight to ten fold reduction in the prices formerly charged by the satellite companies. But the old African mindset of selling shortage at the highest price is not changing quickly enough to keep up with the new future of plentiful bandwidth. A number of blockages are emerging that need to be overcome if Africa is to take full advantage of its new fibre assets: * Holding bandwidth prices up We have sat in rooms with bandwidth providers in at least two countries where they have argued that the new international fibre will not make that much difference to the prices charged to their customers. Indeed, the first move of many of the providers was to simply increase (rather modestly) the bandwidth their customers were receiving, whilst keeping the price the same. So the new cable owners find themselves arguing what might be called the SAT position. When the cable is being built, all the rhetoric is about lowering prices but the moment the cable is implemented, it suddenly becomes about getting back the money as quickly as possible for their investment, despite the long-term nature of cable investment. Telkom SA claimed to have recouped its investment on SAT3 in eighteen months but it is unlikely with the new lower rates that cable investors will see a full return for a much longer period. Apparently CCK is so cross with this switchover from promising lowered bandwidth costs to trying to keep the price high that it will be investigating price levels on the TEAMS cable. However, all this price-hiking is short-term as with the arrival of EASSy and its WIOCC consortium, prices will fall sharply again. If that has not occurred WIOCC has a price-fall mechanism that will see bandwidth in the market fall to US$100 per mbps. In East Africa, there has been a lively debate over pricing but expect the same price-hiking tactics in West Africa where media coverage may not be as intense. * Not granting international landing station licences One of the major issues in West Africa has been the granting, or perhaps we should say the failure, to grant international landing station rights to those building the new international fibre cables. How can this be occurring when everyone at every level has been arguing for cheaper bandwidth? Well, its the old self-interests being more powerful than the forces for change and everyone behaving according to the old model of behaviour and protecting the incumbent. The most extreme example is Senegal where the regulator has delayed granting landing stations to the cables most likely to be first in the race to complete: Glo One and Main One. In more competitive East Africa, the independently-owned Seacom cable was able to either partner with another independent (KDN) or land using a licence in its own name in Tanzania. But life has not been made that easy in Senegal where Main One is seeking to partner with the only possible alternative to France Telecom-owned Sonatel, Expresso. There is no opportunity to have an independent licence because this might make it too easy to compete with the de-facto monopoly of Sonatel, which is involved in the France Telecom cable initiative ACE. But why blame the regulator when the real delay is coming from Government that takes all the decisions? The cynic might conclude that these delays will help Sonatel get ACE in place and keep out other cables for as long as possible. Of course, the speedy licensing of Glo One and Main One would prove the cynics wrong but dont hold your breath. * Rates between landlocked countries Once the new cheap bandwidth is at the landing stations, the trouble really begins. Operators do much teeth-sucking and say of course, you know thats not the real price. We have to charge for transit. In countries without a landing station, this leaves them in the hands of those accustomed to the old way of doing things. When incumbents dealt only with incumbents for cross-border transit, they both had an informal agreement that they would charge the same high price for each end of the transit. The net result is that prices for cross-border transit remain high. One country we visited recently, it was paying more for the transit to the landing station in a neighbouring country than it was for the onward transmission to Europe. In East Africa, this is less of a problem as some thought was devoted to the issue and solutions are on the table. With World Bank prompting, the EASSy partners came up with the East African Backbone System that delivers inland bandwidth at more or less the same priceas at the landing station. Seacom has also delivered on its promise of the same price inland as at the landing station for those countries where it has inland partner (Rwanda and Uganda). But the problem will be much harder to solve in West Africa as the main independent cable Main One has taken the view that its capacity will be delivered by the operators themselves, who will doubtless turn every trick in the book to ensure that prices remain high for the transit portion. What regulators should be encouraging is regional carriers carriers who can compete with the existing telcos who might seek to keep prices high. The West African and Southern African Power Pools have ample fibre capacity to make a reality of this ambition working with independent partners. * The high cost of national transit to reach the POP or the landing station If cross-border transit rates are a form of highway robbery, then national transit rates show many of the same symptoms. It is cheaper to go from Lagos to Sessimbra in Portugal than it is to go from Lagos to Abajua. If rates are based on distance, then the new international fibre cables have exposed the high rates charged for national backbone delivery. Not surprisingly, these national transit rates remain high where there are legal or de-facto monopolies. Without competition, it is hardly surprising that the old pattern of charging what you can get away with is maintained. But you cannot have competition at the international level, without it having knock-on consequences at the national level. National backbone operators will need to improve their efficiency levels or risk others building out their own backbones (where this is allowed). All operators know that in this circumstance they can cut between a third to a half off of the current rates being charged. The choice is a stark one: either you have a price-controlled monopoly with lower prices or you allow operators to compete and get lower prices. The sceptics will say But who wants all this new bandwidth? There arent the customers. (appropriate shrug of shoulders) This is Africa. The alternative to this old way of thinking is to have a low price, high volume strategy that is about creating volume markets at yes, you guessed it, commodity prices. Then you sell the new customers services and applications on top. In the mobile field, MPesa is the best example of how an Africa-targeted service can take off. Its not about relying on the same old, same old corporates but about addressing the residential middle classes with Internet in places like Nigeria and Kenya who will provide the critical mass for reaching out more widely. Its about bringing the small-scale companies and NGOs to the party and persuading them of the virtues of using the Internet to get things done more quickly. In short, it needs a strong dose of corporate vision rather than seeing the future through the rear-view mirror of history. nb: sorry for crossposting....

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Re: [kictanet] significance of the internet to business world?
by meshack emakunat 20 Oct '09

20 Oct '09

dear all who can share some of the significance of the internet to the world today? anyone!

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Reminder: The Amy Mahan Research Fellowship Program
by alice 20 Oct '09

20 Oct '09

Apologies for cross posting ------------------------------------------- Dear All This really is a great opportunity for an emerging researcher to get some valuable support (each fellowship may be awarded up to €22,000 and will have additional support through mentors) and either pursue an on-going research program or kick-start a new research agenda. The website for the Fellowship is very detailed - http://www.upf.edu/amymahan/ - and provides a lot of useful material to help candidates prepare their application. These include information on: 1. Eligibility - http://www.upf.edu/amymahan/criteria/ 2. *Sample research topics* - http://www.upf.edu/amymahan/topics/ that provide a sense of what types of research would be suitable for the fellowship; and very importantly 3. A facility to submit a topic query - http://www.upf.edu/amymahan/topic-query/topic-query_instructions.html; which enables the candidate to check that their proposed research topic falls within the scope of the fellowship. It is however worth noting that the option of submitting a topic query is only available until *30 November 2009*. Another reason for potential candidates to begin to explore the opportunities/benefits of the program as soon as possible. The deadline for submitting applications is Midnight Eastern Standard Time, *31 December 2009*. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions regarding the program. Regards Abi Jagun Regional Partner for the Africa and Middle East Region Research Associate, LINK Center, University of Witwatersrand -------------------------------------------------------------- > The Amy Mahan Research Fellowship Program is an eighteen-months project sponsored by Canada's International Development Research Center (IDRC) and managed by Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain, in collaboration with scholars from Universidad de San Andrés, Argentina and the University of the Philippines. The Program is the capacity building component of the Global Impact Study. It is named in honor of Amy Mahan, a distinguished colleague and dear friend who was a member of the Research Working Group of the Global Impact Study until her passing on 5 March 2009. > > The Program's objectives are to deepen and strengthen the capacity of emerging scholars in developing countries to carry out rigorous research in the area of public access to ICT, while simultaneously increasing the availability of high-quality research in the subject area coming from the developing regions of the world. The Program will award up to 12 Research Fellowships to emerging scholars from developing countries in Africa and the Middle East, the Asia Pacific region and Latin America and the Caribbean. Fellowships will provide research grant funding and specialized "mentoring" guidance to enable emerging researchers to carry out a new and original research study that addresses one or more critical research questions regarding the impact of public access to ICTs. Qualified researchers from developing countries in Africa and the Middle East, the Asia Pacific region and Latin America and the Caribbean are encouraged to submit their application in English, French, Portuguese or Spanish, no later than Midnight Eastern Standard Time, 31 December 2009. For more details follow this link - http://www.upf.edu/amymahan/ > -- >

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MPesa in afghanistan, tanzania
by michael Ouma 19 Oct '09

19 Oct '09

hi all: follow this link for Mpesa'S launch in tanzania, and afghanistan: http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/-/2560/673512/-/item/0/-/1836ux/-/… rgds. Michael Ouma Journalist Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +254-725-537823 / +254-0731-201729 Email: benomnta(a)yahoo.com "There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction," - JF Kennedy.

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Finland makes fast broadband a legal right
by alice 17 Oct '09

17 Oct '09

Linking to the current discussion on Internet outage, I will use IDRC Outcome mapping lingua and say, what Finland is doing is an "I would Love to see" kind of scenario. best alice ---------------------------------------------------------- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/broadband/6337698/Finland-makes-fast-… Finland makes fast broadband a legal right The Finnish government has passed a law that entitles every person to a one megabit-per-second internet connection. By Claudine Beaumont, Technology Editor Published: 4:05PM BST 15 Oct 2009 Even the citizens of remote, rural parts of Finland will be legally entitled to a minimum broadband connection speed of one megabit per second, rising to 100 megabits ber second by 2015. Photo: GETTY IMAGES Finland's Ministry of Transport and Communications has committed to ensuring that every person in Finland can access the internet at a minimum speed of one megabit per second from July next year. The Finnish government had already committed to rolling out 100 megabits per second broadband connections across the country by 2015. It's the first country in the world to make universal minimum internet access speeds a legal requirement. The government said the move was aimed at improving broadband provision in rural areas. Telecoms companies across Finland will have to start rolling out high-speed services to all locations. But the Finnish authorities have stressed that this is merely an "intermediary step" ahead of the roll-out of superfast broadband within the next five years. "We think [the internet is] something you cannot live without in modern society," said Laura Vikkonen, a spokesman for the ministry. "Like banking services or water or electricity, you need an internet connection. "Universal service is every citizen's subjective right." Finland, which has a population of around 5.2 million, is already one of the most connected countries in the world, with 95 per cent of citizens already hooked up to some form of internet connection. Although other countries, such as France, have declared the concept of guaranteed web access a "human right", Finland is the first nation to recognise this in law. The British government and internet stakeholders will be keeping a close eye on Finland's plans. In the recent Digital Britain report, the government set a target of universal internet access of speeds of at least two megabits per second by 2012. But it remains unclear whether this target will be achieved, as rural and remote areas may still have to rely on mobile or satellite broadband, rather than fixed-line internet connections, for their web access. The Prince of Wales has added his voice to the debate, calling on the government and internet service providers to stop the countryside becoming a "broadband desert". "Access to the internet is increasingly becoming a necessity," he wrote in The Daily Telegraph at the weekend. "The lack of access to high speed broadband is putting many of those who work in rural communities at a severe disadvantage." BT recently announced that it was doubling the roll-out of its own next-generation, high-speed 100 megabits per second broadband network, making it accessible to 2.5 British households by 2012. However, most of those homes are expected to be concentrated in urban areas. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/broadband/6337698/Finland-makes-fast-…

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Internet Outage Tuesday Oct-13-2009
by Mwangi Wamae 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

All: Does anyone know what happened to the Internet service yesterday. We had no service from Telkom or Safaricom here and I have heard that Wananchi and Zain were down. Surely an Internet outage -- especially a generalized one -- should be news. The Internet is not a luxury ... someone somewhere should inform stakeholders. And if the networks, ISPs won't communicate then surely the Government should. -Mw

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Re: [kictanet] Internet Outage Tuesday Oct-13-2009
by Shah, SurajX 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

Too true Brian. Fiona you need to actually listen to the complaints of the members of this forum and take investigative action rather than telling us the mandate of the Kenya Internet Exchange Point. The members are not raising this issue simply for the heck of it - everyone was inconvenienced terribly by this outage and when the likes of Safaricom do not come up with a reasonable explanation nor a time estimate when the service will resume in the 6 hours they were out, it is un acceptable. Regards Suraj Shah Corporate Affairs Manager Intel Corporation | Kenya | Office: 7th Floor, Purhsottam Place, Westlands Road next to CfC Stanbic Bank, Nairobi | Tel: +254 20 3601724 / 3601727 | Mobile: +254 722 412277 | Email: surajx.shah(a)intel.com -----Original Message----- From: kictanet-bounces+surajx.shah=intel.com(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke Sent: 15 October 2009 19:55 To: Shah, SurajX Subject: kictanet Digest, Vol 29, Issue 47 Send kictanet mailing list submissions to kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://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: Internet Outage Tuesday Oct-13-2009 (Brian Munyao Longwe) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:57:22 +0300 From: Brian Munyao Longwe <blongwe(a)gmail.com> To: waudo siganga <emailsignet(a)mailcan.com> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Internet Outage Tuesday Oct-13-2009 Message-ID: <CE29BA66-92A5-41BA-9065-84495813C91A(a)gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"; Format="flowed"; DelSp="yes" Very true Waudo and I think that most important thing here is for the operators/service providers to COMMUNICATE. As long as customers/users have information, they will generally tend to cool off and give their supplier time to sort out whatever the problem is. Customer service is key! Brian Sent from my iPhone On Oct 15, 2009, at 7:35 PM, "waudo siganga" <emailsignet(a)mailcan.com> wrote: > I think what started this thread was an observation that a number of > disparate users, having disparate services providers, reported > Internet outage at roughly the same time. I for one know that my > service provider Wananchi (Zuku service) was down Tuesday morning, > something they confirmed when we contacted them. When a user is > down, they are down and they are entitled to ask questions without > being deflected because all they want is to be online with a > reliable service, the technicalities notwithstanding. > > Waudo > > > On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:17 +0300, "Fiona Asonga" > <tespok(a)tespok.co.ke> wrote: >> Hallo Brian >> >> >> >> Mwangi was not specific about what traffic he was referring to but >> in his remarks below: >> >> >> >> ?Does anyone know what happened to the Internet service yesterday. >> We had no service from Telkom or Safaricom here and I have heard >> that Wananchi and Zain were down. >> >> Surely an Internet outage -- especially a generalized one -- should >> be news. The Internet is not a luxury ... someone somewhere >> should inform stakeholders. And if the networks, ISPs won't >> communicate then surely the Government should.? >> >> >> >> In view of the license established for the KIXP by CCK we don?t ha >> ndle international traffic. However by expecting serious action su >> ch as a statement on there being no internet service while there w >> as be it from other operators just doesn?t add up. Being that I wa >> s out of the office most of Tuesday therefore access internet via >> modem as opposed to the office LAN I didn?t experience such a prob >> lem. That is why I again state; there are many factors that could >> affect connectivity at the last mile that must be considered. Am s >> ure Brian as a someone who has been in the industry a long time yo >> u must be aware of what some of these may be. There are also many >> more operators licensed to provide internet licenses and they can? >> t be ignore either. In other words, a blanket statement such as t >> he one quoted above would do more harm than good. >> >> >> >> I appreciate the comments that Eric gave: ?Are these not >> ?quality of Service Issues? that we should increasingly be >> paying more attention to?? >> >> >> >> The quality of service will improve a lot if we can avoid such >> blanket statement and contacting the specific operator when an >> issue arises so as to be sure where the problem is. Brian as long >> as the traffic is flowing through we assist the operators by >> letting them know so that they can check their other locations/ >> equipment. TESPOK is keen on addressing quality of service issues >> amongst the members and trying to get them to adhere to >> international best practices. Due to working as a team with the >> peering operators most technical teams are honest on where the >> problems are on their networks as they seek assistance is resolving >> some of the issues. However, the support of the end user by being >> clear on the issues affecting their experience is extremely >> important. >> >> >> >> I would propose that Mwangi clarifies what traffic seemed to have a >> problem. >> >> >> >> Fiona Asonga >> >> Chief Executive Officer >> >> Telecommunications Service Providers Association of Kenya/ >> >> Kenya Internet Exchange Point >> >> 14th Floor, Bruce House >> >> Standard Street >> >> >> >> Tel: +254 20 2245 036 >> >> >> >> >> >> ?Industry voice in Telecommunications, Providing Policy and Direct >> ion >> >> within the Industry and Government? >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> From: Brian Munyao Longwe [mailto:[email protected]] >> Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 5:42 PM >> To: Fiona Asonga >> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions >> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Internet Outage Tuesday Oct-13-2009 >> >> >> >> Hi Fiona, >> >> While all of what you have said is true, the only uptime that you >> can monitor from KIXP (based on how I originally designed it) is >> uptime for operators/providers/members on their link to KIXP. In >> other words, there is now way of determining if their upstream/ >> international connectivity is working or not. >> >> I believe that the initiator of this thread might have been >> referring to 'external' internet access as opposed to 'local' >> internet access. >> >> Best regards, >> >> Brian >> >> On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 5:27 PM, Fiona Asonga <tespok(a)tespok.co.ke> >> wrote: >> >> Hallo Conrad, >> >> >> >> The Telecommunications Service Providers Association of Kenya set >> up, runs and manages the Kenya Internet Exchange Point as one of >> the many services it provides to operators. At the Kenya Internet >> Exchange Point we are able to >> >> ? Monitor the levels of local internet traffic from connec >> ted members, >> >> ? Monitor downtime >> >> ? Can generate reports of how long a particular operator w >> as down and whether the down time is as a result of equipment at t >> he IXP or other operator location (Downtime of an operator at the >> KIXP implies that the local internet traffic is going out as inter >> national traffic then back into the country therefore some delay) >> >> ? Monitor user behavior in terms of what users are doing o >> nline locally and periods when local internet is most used >> >> >> >> We also provide shared value add services to peering members that >> translate to a better experience for the consumer such as >> >> ? Training members? technical staff on new peering standar >> ds and international best practices (We have a hands on training k >> it from one of our partners to facilitate this) >> >> ? We have recently introduced shared online security mon >> itoring tools for all peering members courtesy of a renown global >> online security experts >> >> ? Peering members get global recognition to enable them pe >> er directly to other IXPs such as London and Amsterdam >> >> ? We also house the .ke, .net, .com, J-root, F-root and I- >> root servers or mirror instances >> >> >> >> We currently have 28 operators, government departments running key >> services online that require access by the general public and the >> Academic network are connected at the KIXP. >> >> >> >> You may contact me if you have any specific queries you may need >> answered. >> >> >> >> Kind Regards >> >> >> >> Fiona Asonga >> >> Chief Executive Officer >> >> Telecommunications Service Providers Association of Kenya/ >> >> Kenya Internet Exchange Point >> >> 14th Floor, Bruce House >> >> Standard Street >> >> >> >> Tel: +254 20 2245 036 >> >> >> >> >> >> ?Industry voice in Telecommunications, Providing Policy and Direct >> ion >> >> within the Industry and Government? >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> From: kictanet-bounces+tespok=tespok.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> [mailto:[email protected]] >> On Behalf Of Rad! >> Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 3:34 PM >> >> >> To: tespok(a)tespok.co.ke >> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions >> >> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Internet Outage Tuesday Oct-13-2009 >> >> >> >> Come to think of it, is there some government body or other such >> entity, public or otherwise, that monitors this sort of thing? >> Internet uptime and connectivity is pretty much a national resource >> now -- disrupting the internet or the mobile telephone networks >> will definitely have an impact on the country and economy. Is there >> anyone monitoring this? >> >> On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 3:02 PM, Odhiambo Washington <odhiambo(a)gmail.com >> > wrote: >> >> >> >> On Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 2:12 PM, Fiona Asonga <tespok(a)tespok.co.ke> >> wrote: >> >> Hallo Mwangi, >> >> >> >> I am not sure where you got your information from but based on >> monitoring tools statistics at the Kenya Internet Exchange Point >> none of the service providers you have listed had any problems. >> >> >> >> Hi Fiona, >> >> >> >> Last night, while connected via Safaricom 3G, and working on a >> server hosted at KDN by one of the providers, I lost connection to >> that server at around 10-ish and could not even ping it, though it >> was and still is UP so there's some credibility to the allegation. >> >> >> >> -- >> Best regards, >> Odhiambo WASHINGTON, >> Nairobi,KE >> +254733744121/+254722743223 >> _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ >> "If you have nothing good to say about someone, just shut up!." >> -- Lucky Dube >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: conradakunga(a)gmail.com >> Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/conradakunga%40gmail.c… >> >> >> >> >> -- >> This message has been scanned for viruses and >> dangerous content by MailScanner, and is >> believed to be clean. >> >> >> >> __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus >> signature database 4509 (20091015) __________ >> >> >> >> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. >> >> >> >> http://www.eset.com >> >> >> >> __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus >> signature database 4510 (20091015) __________ >> >> >> >> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. >> >> >> >> http://www.eset.com >> >> >> >> __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus >> signature database 4510 (20091015) __________ >> >> >> >> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. >> >> http://www.eset.com >> >> >> -- >> This message has been scanned for viruses and >> dangerous content by MailScanner, and is >> believed to be clean. >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: blongwe(a)gmail.com >> Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/blongwe%40gmail.com >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Brian Munyao Longwe >> e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com >> cell: + 254 722 518 744 >> blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com >> meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com >> >> -- >> This message has been scanned for viruses and >> dangerous content by MailScanner, and is >> believed to be clean. >> >> >> >> __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus >> signature database 4510 (20091015) __________ >> >> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. >> >> http://www.eset.com >> >> -- >> This message has been scanned for viruses and >> dangerous content by MailScanner, and is >> believed to be clean. > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: blongwe(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/blongwe%40gmail.com

2 1

FCC seeks your view on Berkman Broadband Study
by emko＠internetresearch.com.gh 16 Oct '09

16 Oct '09

Folks, The FCC is calling for your views through http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/index.do?document=293955 on the just completed Berkman Centre study on Next Generation Broadband for the US @ http://www.fcc.gov/stage/pdf/Berkman_Center_Broadband_Study_13Oct09.pdf Eric here Sorry for crossposting

1 0

Kenya¹s Gakuru is Africa's rep in NCUC
by Harry Hare 14 Oct '09

14 Oct '09

FYI http://www.cio.co.ke/index.php/view-all-top-stories/214-kenyas-gakuru-is-afr ican-rep-in-ncuc.html Kindest regards Harry African eDevelopment Resource Centre eDevelopment House : : 604 Limuru Road Old Muthaiga : : P O Box 49475 00100 Nairobi : : Kenya T +254 20 3741646/7 : : C +254 725 650044 Training : : Research: :Consultancy: : Publishing

28 37

Zain Blackout
by Shah, SurajX 14 Oct '09

14 Oct '09

Safaricom's data service was completely down today from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. Customer Service had no idea why or when service would resume. Is this even acceptable in this day and age? Is there no backup strategy? Or are they becoming like the good old KPLC? I agree with Benson Mbugua's suggestion. Regards Suraj Shah Corporate Affairs Manager Intel Corporation | Kenya | Office: 7th Floor, Purhsottam Place, Westlands Road next to CfC Stanbic Bank, Nairobi | Tel: +254 20 3601724 / 3601727 | Mobile: +254 722 412277 | Email: surajx.shah(a)intel.com -----Original Message----- From: kictanet-bounces+surajx.shah=intel.com(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke Sent: 13 October 2009 17:09 To: Shah, SurajX Subject: kictanet Digest, Vol 29, Issue 38 Send kictanet mailing list submissions to kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://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. Zain Blackout (Benson Mbugua) 2. Re: Zain Blackout (Gichuki John Chuksjonia) 3. use of freephone numbers in Kenya (waudo siganga) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:03:53 -0700 (PDT) From: Benson Mbugua <mbugz(a)yahoo.com> To: John Kariuki <ngethe.kariuki2007(a)yahoo.co.uk> Cc: kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke Subject: [kictanet] Zain Blackout Message-ID: <218996.4895.qm(a)web82404.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Yesterday I was not able to go online with my zain post paid modem. After a call to the customer service I was notified that their systems were down. If my memory serves me right, when jambonet was the only internet backbone/provider in the country, they were fined a huge sum of money for a similar incident. Is there any provision or consumer protection that could liase with Zain to credit users for the loss of service for a whole day or at least put a red flag for such an oversight. Ben ________________________________ From: John Kariuki <ngethe.kariuki2007(a)yahoo.co.uk> To: mbugz(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Sat, October 10, 2009 8:45:02 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Call Drops & Regulatory Action Eric, Call drop is a measurable parameter which is one item in a broad array of measurements in what are often called "QUALITY OF SERVICE" in telecommunications.KCA 1998 has a provision on quality of service and consequently is of regulatory interest in accordance with the law. Just my opinion Eng.J.N.Kariuki --- On Sat, 10/10/09, Eric Aligula <jairah(a)KIPPRA.OR.KE> wrote: >From: Eric Aligula <jairah(a)KIPPRA.OR.KE> >Subject: [kictanet] Call Drops & Regulatory Action >To: ngethe.kariuki2007(a)yahoo.co.uk >Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> >Date: Saturday, 10 October, 2009, 9:47 AM > > > > >Dear All: > >I am looking for any information / studies out there in respect of call drops and regulatory action. Specifically I am looking for information on any studies measuring the economic impact of call drops and regulatory action to deal with the same. > >Look forward to your feedback. > >Kind regards > >Eric Aligula Magolo, PhD >Senior Analyst >Infrastructure and Economic Services Division >Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) >P.O. Box 56445, 00200 Nairobi, Kenya >Telephone: +254-20-2719933/4 >Fax: +254-20-2719951 >E-mail: jairah(a)kippra.or.ke >URL: www.kippra.org > > >Proudly Kenyan >?In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility???.I welcome it.? >John F. Kennedy >"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." >Edmund Burke >"Far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory, nor defeat." >Theodore Roosevelt >"Ex Africa semper aliquid novi" > >-----Inline Attachment Follows----- > > >_______________________________________________ >kictanet mailing list >kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > >This message was sent to: ngethe.kariuki2007(a)yahoo.co.uk >Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/ngethe.kariuki2007%40y… >

2 1

Call Drops & Regulatory Action
by Eric Aligula 13 Oct '09

13 Oct '09

Dear All: I am looking for any information / studies out there in respect of call drops and regulatory action. Specifically I am looking for information on any studies measuring the economic impact of call drops and regulatory action to deal with the same. Look forward to your feedback. Kind regards Eric Aligula Magolo, PhD Senior Analyst Infrastructure and Economic Services Division Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) P.O. Box 56445, 00200 Nairobi, Kenya Telephone: +254-20-2719933/4 Fax: +254-20-2719951 E-mail: jairah(a)kippra.or.ke <mailto:[email protected]> URL: www.kippra.org <http://www.kippra.org/> Proudly Kenyan "In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility..........I welcome it." John F. Kennedy "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke "Far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory, nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt "Ex Africa semper aliquid novi"

6 5

use of freephone numbers in Kenya
by waudo siganga 13 Oct '09

13 Oct '09

Does anyone know if there is a policy in Kenya on the use of freephone numbers (0800 etc) in Kenya? Are these services banned? Freephone numbers allow callers to phone the subscriber free of charge with the subscriber paying the bill. Recently I was on an international conference call where the other participants had been provided with freephone numbers for their countries but none for Kenya. When I enquired I was informed that there is a problem with freephone services in Kenya, "apparently with local telecom services". Waudo

1 0

Safaricom's low dividend payments
by michael Ouma 13 Oct '09

13 Oct '09

Hi all: just wondering: would it make more sense for safaricom to just 'sambaza' airtime amounts equivalent to the dividend payments for those with less than say 2,000 shares (which translates to a dividend of khss 200), as i believe this would save them (shareholders) from having to incur the MPESA transaction fees of Kshs 30? what do others think? thanks. Michael Ouma Journalist Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +254-725-537823 / +254-0731-201729 Email: benomnta(a)yahoo.com "There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction," - JF Kennedy.

6 5

TEAMS an open circuit
by robert yawe 11 Oct '09

11 Oct '09

Hi, I finally got a chance to look through the presentation you sent me concerning the marine cable issue, which was comprehensive. My suggestion is that you call all the ISPs and give them this presentation so that they can stop, once and for all, passing the buck for failing the Nation and keeping us in the stone age of connectivity. From the presentation it is clear that the marine cable on its own was not the panacea for high internet charges and slow connectivity, we did not understand that the model for Internet access in the US cannot be applied in countries outside that continent as the bulk of the content is resident in the US. For a long time, over 12 years ago when I wrote an article for an IT magazine that was called Micro Computer Guide, I was called the village madman for advocating about the need to develop local content. I was incensed by the action by the then Karisa Communications (Makatiani & Ngeno) later AfricaOnline to shut down their bulleting board based service to provide us with the so called Internet connection yet we where on the right track as we created local content out of necessity. Today I believe I stand exonerated as ISP’s finally confirm that the marine cable is not going to bring down the cost of Internet access, you wonder why we have wasted the past 3 years singing its praises. I say PS Ndemo, in his personal capacity and on behalf of all the agencies under his ministry (ICT board, e-government, CCK & other), owes the country an apology for taking us on a wild goose chase. PS Ndemo the creation of local content falls smack in your docket and I have said this before all the government has to do is digitize all those reports in their possession beginning with the constitution, sessional papers, census, exam results, list of village polytechnics and the presidents diary then we can all move from their. Again thanks Walubengo. Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

4 5

Re: [kictanet] TEAMS and Open ended circuit
by Walubengo J 10 Oct '09

10 Oct '09

Robert, I am glad you liked the predictions I made last year about internet service costs. I am sure you might also like my suggested price-reduction mechanisms I am making this year @ http://www.strathmore.edu/pdf/ict09/affordable_ict.pdf Unfortunately nobody listens to Academicians in these parts of the world - no wonder most lecturers abandon classroom to become politicians...so that someone can listen to them ;-). What's more I get worried when I look at some of the approaches and strategies the regulator CCK has proposed as a way of containing Tariffs (including internet pricing?) from Operators (Licensees). But since I am not an Operator, I will leave it for the Operators to present their case...but they will be hard-pressed to explain whey they should not be considered biased...cant wait for that stakeholders meeting. As for the PS to apologise...he is of age to decide for himself. But he could learn from that Politician who had promised us a Constitution in 100days. He didnt deny it - he just clarified that the days were not consecutive days ;-). And so it is the same with the internet costs. Prices will indeed come down as promised. But obviously not tomorrow. regards. walu. --- On Thu, 10/8/09, robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: From: robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> Subject: Re: [kictanet] TEAMS and Open ended circuit To: "Walubengo J" <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Thursday, October 8, 2009, 12:27 PM Hi, I finally got a chance to look through the presentation you sent me concerning the marine cable issue, which was comprehensive. My suggestion is that you call all the ISPs and give them this presentation so that they can stop, once and for all, passing the buck for failing the Nation and keeping us in the stone age of connectivity. From the presentation it is clear that the marine cable on its own was not the panacea for high internet charges and slow connectivity, we did not understand that the model for Internet access in the US cannot be applied in countries outside that continent as the bulk of the content is resident in the US . For a long time, over 12 years ago when I wrote an article for an IT magazine that was called Micro Computer Guide, I was called the village madman for advocating about the need to develop local content. I was incensed by the action by the then Karisa Communications (Makatiani & Ngeno) later AfricaOnline to shut down their bulleting board based service to provide us with the so called Internet connection yet we where on the right track as we created local content out of necessity. Today I believe I stand exonerated as ISP’s finally confirm that the marine cable is not going to bring down the cost of Internet access, you wonder why we have wasted the past 3 years singing its praises. I say PS Ndemo, in his personal capacity and on behalf of all the agencies under his ministry (ICT board, e-government, CCK & other), owes the country an apology for taking us on a wild goose chase. PS Ndemo the creation of local content falls smack in your docket and I have said this before all the government has to do is digitize all those reports in their possession beginning with the constitution, sessional papers, census, exam results, list of village polytechnics and the presidents diary then we can all move from their. Again thanks Walubengo. Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 --- On Fri, 2/10/09, Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> wrote: From: Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] TEAMS and Open ended circuit To: robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Friday, 2 October, 2009, 8:32 AM McTim, Kai, I can bet you have confused more than shedding light on this issue. But I cant blame you. It's not something one can explain in two or three emails. Typcially its a full-semester course issue... but here could be some highlights. http://www.strathmore.edu/pdf/ictc-08/internet-interconnection-model.pdf walu. --- On Fri, 10/2/09, McTim <dogwallah(a)gmail.com> wrote: > From: McTim <dogwallah(a)gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] TEAMS and Open ended circuit > To: jwalu(a)yahoo.com > Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Date: Friday, October 2, 2009, 10:28 AM > Hi Robert, > > On Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 8:48 AM, robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> > wrote: > > > > For a while I wondered why the TEAMS cable has not > gone hot yet it landed over 2 weeks ago, yesterday I got the > answer. > > > > The headline in the newpaper story indicated that > Jamii, a partner in the TEAMS project had finally connected > to Europe from Fujaira, which sounded a little strange. > Where did the fibre cable terminate to when it got to > Fujaira? > > > > SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 and FLAG all land in > Fujiarah. I assume > there is a central landing station, with links to EMIX at > that > physical location. > > > > > > What this statement would suggest is that the > termination in Fujaira does not actually connect into the > Internet backbone but is actually an "open end" from where > the providers must find a carrier, read IPOP, to get them > onto the Internet. > > > > That's what I got from the newspaper articles as well. > > > > > > Maybe I do not understand this Internet connectivity > issue, but taking an analogy that if Kenya Power connect > electricity to my house (before which hopefully I had > already wired the inside of the house for lights, sockets > and cookers) the minute then the minute I flick a switch a > light will come on (subject to power rationing schedule and > having bought and installed an energy saving bulb). > > The analogy is flawed. The power company is a service > provider, the > submarine cables are not providing Internet connectivity as > such. > > Power flows down a power line to your house,that's what you > consume. > > light flows down glass (Layer 1 and 2). Internet > Packets (Layer 3 and > higher) are encoded in this light. > > > > > Can someone out there familiar with fibre optic cable > termination shade some light on this issue for my benefit > and also many others out there. > > TEAMS cable carries light waves. The investors in > TEAMS have the > right to this capacity. ISPs have to buy transit > (their Internet > access) from other providers(or peer with lots of other > players). As > an ISP on TEAMS, one has to either buy transit at some > location > (London, Amsterdam, New York, Hong Kong, wherever) and haul > it to > Fujairah, OR buy it in the UAE. > > Have no coffee in the house, so this might be confusing, > sorry. > > -- > Cheers, > > McTim > "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where > it is. A > route indicates how we get there." Jon Postel > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: jwalu(a)yahoo.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com > _______________________________________________ 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.…

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Re: [kictanet] Consumer Protection - Safaricom
by alice＠apc.org 10 Oct '09

10 Oct '09

I agree with P.S Ndemo. We need to not only make reference to the draft/proposed regulations but also in this case the specific consumer provisions. But while, the draft regulations have specific consumer provisions, technological developments and convergence provide some challenges that may not necessarily be fully addressed by the specific consumer provision, so would offer to suggest that we look at all of the regulations including e-transactions, etc. I also think we may need to think about additional laws and regulations that are focused on consumer protection matters generally and not only the in the ICT sector. Best alice p.s: views expressed are personal and not a reflection of any of the institutions/organisations I am affiliated with. > Mr. Mwangi, > The Government has published consumer regulations and sort comments from > consumers. How comes that you are not making reference to those > regulations with respect to this case? The Government can only deal with > broad policy reforms not case by case. We need your comments on the way > forward. > > > Regards > > Ndemo. > > > > > >> Wamuyu et al >> >> I've been reading this email trail and I too am surprised that we don't >> have >> anyone from the government making any comments. From the CCK, Ministry of >> Information, CBK nor or esteem lawyers. >> Last time I checked there was a division in the CCK that was created for >> consumer protect the interests of consumers of communications services in >> Kenya will be better protected, following the creation of a Consumer >> Affairs >> Division at CCK. The new division will be responsible for strengthening >> the >> Commission's capacity to discharge its consumer protection roles. The >> creation of the division has been necessitated by the increase in the >> number >> of players in the communications sector, incidences of non-compliance to >> licence conditions and violation of the rights of consumers. " >> here is what there say on thier site >> http://www.cck.go.ke/consumer_center/ >> >> "The Commission also comes to the aid of consumers by helping them resolve >> long-standing complaints or disputes with their service providers. The >> Commission does this on those instances where the consumers have made >> several attempts to have them resolved, but have either received no >> response >> or have not received a satisfactory response. The Commission is exploring >> ways of assisting consumers that opt for litigation. You can get more >> information, including the procedure for filing complaints, through the >> useful links provided below." >> >> Cheers >> Steve >> On Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 10:40 PM, Sam Gatere <sam.gatere(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Wamuyu, >>> >>> Very interesting Consumer issue you bring up. It brings to mind when >>> Zain >>> started off as KenCell they would charge you for topping up! remember >>> the >>> 40bob that you would have to part with when you load a Kes 300 voucher? >>> That >>> small problem was corrected by the market! It appears this "loan" >>> facility >>> as Nyaki puts it may be corrected by competition. Once another provider >>> offers something similar at no Charge then you will see that Charge >>> disappear! However I think a your question needs an answer that I would >>> love >>> to hear.... where does one really complain for this type of customer >>> related >>> issue.... >>> >>> >>> SammyG. >>> >>> On Sun, Oct 4, 2009 at 3:50 PM, Wamuyu Gatheru >>> <wamuyulearn(a)yahoo.co.uk>wrote: >>> >>>> Dear Listers, >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Am a Consultant in Public Sector Governance who finds this list a most >>>> informative one ...a good example of how to dialogue for policy making. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> I have a question. Where do I complain about Safaricom charging a Kshs >>>> 5 >>>> fee for their Kshs 50 credit advance service. Is this common in >>>> pricing? - >>>> For a company to charge a fee on a payment made to them? >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> regards, Wamuyu >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> kictanet mailing list >>>> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >>>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>>> >>>> This message was sent to: sam.gatere(a)gmail.com >>>> Unsubscribe or change your options at >>>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/sam.gatere%40gmail.com >>>> >>>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> kictanet mailing list >>> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>> >>> This message was sent to: smwngi(a)gmail.com >>> Unsubscribe or change your options at >>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/smwngi%40gmail.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" >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke >> > > > > ---------------------------------------------- > This message has been scanned for viruses and > dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is > believed to be clean. > --------------------------------------------- > "easy access to the world" > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: alice(a)apc.org > Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/alice%40apc.org >

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Re: [kictanet] Consumer Protection - Safaricom
by alice＠apc.org 10 Oct '09

10 Oct '09

Hello Rad, Great observations and suggestions. Urging all to please look at the regulation and not just the specific consumer provisions but all to ensure we take into consideration all the consumer issues. thank you best alice p.s views expressed are personal and not a reflection of any of the institutions/organisations I am affiliated with. --------------- > In this era of real time cheque clearing, electronic payment and broadband internet such a token attempt at customer service boggles the mind. > > It is in everyone's best interests, including the CCK to completely automate this procedure. This should be something done completely online Users would then: > > 1. Browse to the complaint section > 2. Enter their information (In my dream world one day all goverment databases will be integrated so I can just provide my PIN) > 3. Select from a list of providers (Currently I have to do extra work to find out the provider's details) > 4. Select from the type of complaints > 5. Provide commentary and upload supporting documents > 6. Be assigned a case number that they can use as a reference to track status online > 7. Be able to browse providers by complaints -- suitably anonymized, perhaps just the complaint types and unsettled issues and make informed decisions > 8. Providers can even be granted logins to the portal or the data can be sent to them via email or RSS for action > 9. Be able to get some metrics (both from CCK as well as end user perspectives) as to > 1. How quickly providers close issues > 2. Which providers are complained about the most > 3. What are the most common complaints across providers > 4. Which sector raises the most issues > > > > > On Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 11:46 AM, Solomon Mburu <solo.mburu(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > I also have the same query regarding the complaints. As we wait for > the regulations to be passed and be part of the existing laws, where > will the suffering subscribers really take their complaints? > If CCK could offer a clear 'ad hoc' place where such complaints could > be sent and acted upon, it would be grateful as there is nothing right > when people complain and there is no place to take a complaint. > > Maybe Dr. Ndemo can shed some light on this. > > My little thoughts > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: alice(a)apc.org > Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/alice%40apc.org

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Re: [kictanet] [ke-internetusers] Anyone lost their Orange bundle?(been sorted)
by Judy Okite 09 Oct '09

09 Oct '09

Hi All, just to let you know that I have just been sorted(6.15pm)....it is indeed very sad if it has to take the 'big guy' to cough for issues to be sorted...what of those who do not have any way of reaching him? in the recently concluded EA-IGF.... consumer issues were numerous...from wrong biling, to skewed marketing to lack of well informed CC.... however two things stood out; consumers are ignorant(barely know their rights) and service providers DO NOT share their complaints data....hence making it very difficult for anyone to know the type of complaints and whether they have been attended to. for things to change we all have a role to play....find yours and play it... thanx to all who felt me :-) and those who made phone calls behind the scene,coz someone surely did. Kind Regards, On Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 8:30 PM, Alex Gakuru <gakuru(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Judy, I'll send you their MD's email, off-list. regards. > > On Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 8:18 PM, Judy Okite <judyokite(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > Dear All, > > I thought to share this and stop suffering alone, coz someone may be on > the > > same boat....... > > on friday night, I had 157MB of bundle on internet everywhere > > modem......33minutes of processing email, it disconnects...checking my > > balance,i have 7.17MB of bundle... and of course the same story...were > > looking into it....were looking into it....we will call you....... > > so by Sunday nigh....I got to do some stuff so I load with 870 to buy 250 > > bundles and I had 16.50 ksh remaining.....this was at 11.03pm. at 11.15pm > it > > disconnects and what happens I have 6.75MB. > > so on monday am to call........talked to everyone.....some supervisor by > the > > name Lou...very rude guy........besides the point...by Monday evening > > nothing had been done,no phone call....nothing! > > > > Tuesday, I was at GPO 2nd floor at 11am...left at 3pm.......what did I > leave > > with there? > > Some Manager by the name of Mark...assuring me that it will be sorted > before > > 5'oclock...there system had a problem between friday night and sunday > > night....so they are rebating as guys report......so I took his number > and > > left. > > Wednesday, I call Mark at 10am..".what is happening"? "I am not in the > > office let me call you when I get there".................so I call him at > > 3pm...24hrs later after I was in his office...... > > "I have forwarded your complain,with the others.....so I will call > > you...when I get a response".......Sir youre talking like am in your > > office....its 24hrs later....you have forwarded? > > so I call Mark 5mins to 5...he does not pick his phone...for obvious > > reasons.....the whole day thursday...he is not answering his phone....I > do > > not have my bundles................what a frustration! > > > > I havent seen this on the media.......which is > > very unfortunate.........because I was hoping that they could have > > apologised to their consumers.....our systems were down.so if you lost > > bundles,then get in touch. nothing ! > > my conclusions; either someone is completely incompetent or this is the > way > > to thiefery....hoping that you will be exhausted calling and following > > up...and they call it a day! > > Does anyone have a contact of someone I should visit tomorrow....to get > this > > sorted? > > Kind Regards, > > > > -- > > "When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in > the > > first place." > > > > _______________________________________________ > > ke-internetusers mailing list > > ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net > > http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers > > > > > -- "When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place."

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Off Topic: water company contacts (was Re: Consumer Protection - Safaricom
by McTim 09 Oct '09

09 Oct '09

On Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 1:34 PM, <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> >irresponsibility all around us. That is why employee theft is a >major threat to our progress. Speaking of ...does anyone have the email address of the CFO or CEO at Nairobi Water? I had a guy come to my house today with the dodgiest looking water bill in history, methinks it's an employee scam. Their website is badly broken and info@ gives me no love. -- Cheers, McTim "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how we get there." Jon Postel

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Call for Nominations "Breaking Borders Award"
by alice＠apc.org 09 Oct '09

09 Oct '09

Call for Nominations "Breaking Borders Award" On November 3rd 2009, Google and Reporters without Borders will hold an event entitled "Breaking Borders" to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. We'd like to take this opportunity to highlight the importance of free expression around the world and send a clear message to repressive regimes that censor content both online and offline by honoring outstanding individuals or groups, who have shown courage, energy and resourcefulness in using the internet to promote freedom of expression, ensure that diverse political viewpoints are heard and stand up to those who censor information. Therefore Google and Reporters without Borders invite you to nominate candidates for the Breaking Borders Award. We encourage you to share this Call for Nominations with others who might wish to submit a nomination. Nomination & Selection Procedure Please send your nominations until the 20th of October to breakingborders(a)google.com. As part of your nomination please send us the name (contact if possible), references (URLs or attachments), as well as at least one other person who can assess the nominee's work. Nominations will be forwarded to the designated Award Committee consisting of selected experts from Reporters without Borders and Google. Background Information Breaking Borders Event Twenty years ago, the fall of the Berlin Wall became a striking symbol for freedom and self-determination far beyond the borders of Germany. But in many places around the world today, people are still struggling take hold of the right to express their thoughts and beliefs freely and openly. Dissidents and journalists remain under severe pressure, and their voices are all too often silenced by force. Google and Reporters without Borders have partnered to celebrate and advocate for the importance of freedom of expression and the role the internet plays in allowing each and everyone to freely participate in our global discourse. Today, the Internet continues to be an increasingly populous and powerful medium for spreading opinions across the spectrum throughout the globe. The estimated number of blogs has grown to 110 million last year from fewer than two million in 2004. Expression through online video has become so popular that 20 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and hundreds of millions of videos are watched on the site everyday. Even in countries where governments engage in heavy censorship, the Internet has nevertheless proven to be an effective tool for sharing information and promoting political change. --------------------------------------- Dr. Max Senges Multistakeholder Cooperations Unter den Linden 21 10117 Berlin mobile: +49 1622122755 office: + 49 30303986362 www.maxsenges.com (google internal http://go/maxsenges) AG Hamburg, HRB 86891 Sitz der Gesellschaft: Hamburg Geschäftsführer: Nikesh Arora, John Herlihy, Graham Law, Lloyd Martin, Kent Walker

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