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MPESA - Monopolies commission
by robert yawe 01 Oct '09

01 Oct '09

Hi, I have been monitoring the growth of MPesa and I am getting concerned that we shall soon be held ransom if its growth is not monitored and their none competitive activities stopped. We are more concerned about number portability yet this will only benefit a few foreign investors yet mpesa has become so pervasive yet the tax consuming regulators do nothing to protect the consumer. The success of safaricoms mpesa has been so meteoric that it has scollen their heads to the point that there officers have become more powerful than the dreaded mungiki. They determine who can open an outlet where and which outlet will be shutdown. On the other extreme is the terms that the agents are giving such as they cannot provide the services of a competing provider. Imagine if KCC or Elliots wher giving the power to determine who can ot cannot sell their products and also require that you do not sell a competing product where would the milk and bread industry be today. If even KBL realised that a retailer must be free to decide which products to sell and not be bullied into selling the products of a particular brewer. Competition is about a level playing field of which the money transfer business it not, why should a grandmother in Budalangi or Kangaita who has a Zaine line be denied the opportunity to receive funds from her grand children because the only shop keeper within a 5 KM radius of her home is not allowed to offer multiple money transfer products, yet he can sell Tuzo, Brookside, Fresha, Haifa or any other brand of milk. We are regressing very first and unless the regulators do what they are paid to do with our hard earned taxes then we soon shall be be cornered. This keeps looking like the mark of the demon that is quoted in the bible. Somebody stop this madness. Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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Fwd: Judge Orders Google to Deactivate Account
by Brian Munyao Longwe 30 Sep '09

30 Sep '09

Interesting debate on this issue..... Brian --Judge Orders Google to Deactivate Account (September 24 & 28, 2009) A US District Court Judge in California has ordered Google to deactivate the Gmail account of a user who was accidentally sent confidential bank information. An employee of Wyoming-based Rocky Mountain Bank sent the data to the account in error; the data include names, Social Security Numbers (SSNs) and loan information of more than 1,300 bank customers. Upon recognizing the mistake, the bank sent another email to the same address, requesting that the recipient destroy the previous email and contact Rocky Mountain Bank. After receiving no reply, the bank asked Google for information about the account holder. Google said that it would not surrender any information without a court order. The judge's order is controversial because it appears to violate the account holder's First Amendment rights. Additionally, deactivating an individual's Gmail account could have far-reaching effects. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=1142… http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/09/28/google_rocky_mountain_bank_suit_rol… [Editor's Note (Northcutt): I had to read this, drink a cup of hot tea, and read it again to comprehend how significant this case is. Please take the time to read the story. There are a couple of issues here. One is that the legal system follows technology by some number of years. Looking backward five years, you can sort of see Judge Ware's point of view, "It is just an email account, the person can get another one." Looking forward two or three years, in the words of Charlene Li, "In the future, two pieces of information will identify you, your email address and your mobile phone number". Bottom line, Judge Ware made a bad call.] -- 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 -- 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

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Economist.com: A special report on telecoms in emerging markets
by saidimu apale 30 Sep '09

30 Sep '09

On this week's print edition: The leader article: http://www.economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=14505519 The rest of the special report: http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14483896 Not very much is news, but an interesting read nonetheless. Saidi

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Internationalization of the Internet Marks Historic Agreement
by Brian Munyao Longwe 30 Sep '09

30 Sep '09

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anne-Rachel Inne <anne-rachel.inne(a)icann.org> Date: Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 5:02 PM Subject: [AfrICANN-discuss] FW: Internationalization of the Internet Marks Historic Agreement To: "africann(a)afrinic.net" <africann(a)afrinic.net> FYI *FOR RELEASE: *Immediate *MEDIA CONTACTS: *Mike Silber ICANN Board Member Bromhof, South Africa* *Ph. +27 82 773 1288 mike.silber(a)icann.org Anne-Rachel Inne ICANN Regional Manager for Africa Niger, Africa Ph. + 1 323 304 3420 anne-rachel.inne(a)icann.org *Internationalization of the Internet Marks Historic Agreement* * * *Washington, D.C… September 30, 2009… *ICANN has signed an historic Affirmation Agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce that confirms the effectiveness of the ICANN model of international multi-stakeholder and bottom-up governance of the global Internet addressing system. “This means that there can no longer be any doubt that the Internet belongs to the world and is not under the control of any single government or special interest group,” said Mike Silber, a member of ICANN’s Board of Directors. “The very fact that I, as a citizen of South Africa serve on ICANN’s board, along with representatives from around the world speaks to the international diversity of this very unique organization.” “This new Affirmation marks an exciting new stage in ICANN’s development as a truly international entity and it confirms once and for all, that the ICANN model of public participation works, and works effectively” said Rod Beckstrom, ICANN Chief Executive Officer. “One world, one Internet, everyone connected – this is our goal at ICANN. This agreement gives international stakeholders an even more powerful voice in our activities moving forward.” “The Internet is global and it is critical that its governance reflect its international nature,” said Peter Dengate Thrush, a New Zealander who serves as ICANN’s Chairman of the Board. “Now we can clearly say that a new era of the Internationalization of the Internet has begun.” “This historic agreement is only one part of this internationalization process,” said Mike Silber. “Soon because of ICANN’s Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) program, all portions of an Internet domain name may be made-up of characters from almost any language. This will lead to a huge increase in Internet users from regions in the world, such as the Middle East or Asia, where people may not be using computer keyboards with Latin-based characters.” ### To read the Affirmation Agreement go here: http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-30sep09-en.htm#affirmati… To read the reactions of various business and government leaders go here: http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-30sep09-en.htm#reaction To see a videotaped interview with CEO Rod Beckstrom on the Affirmation Agreement go here: http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-30sep09-en.htm#video To learn more about ICANN’s Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) program go here: http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/factsheet-idn-program-05jun09.pdf *About ICANN:* To reach another person on the Internet you have to type a domain name of IP address into your computer. It has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN coordinates these unique identifiers across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet’s unique identifiers. ICANN doesn’t control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesn’t deal with access to the Internet. But through its coordination role of the Internet’s naming system, it does have an important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet.* For more information please visit:** **www.icann.org*<http://www.icann.org/> *.* If you would rather not receive future communications from ICANN, let us know by clicking here.<http://ICANN.pr-optout.com/OptOut.aspx?523509x19831x2917x1x3696907x24000x6&…> ICANN, 4676 Admiralty Way Suite 330, Marina del Rey, CA 90292 United States _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann -- 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

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Re: [kictanet] [AfrICANN-discuss] FW: Internationalization of the Internet Marks Historic Agreement
by emko＠internetresearch.com.gh 30 Sep '09

30 Sep '09

Very loud applause..... Eric here > FYI > > [http://www.vocus.com/images/pr/icannheader2_logo.jpg] > FOR RELEASE: Immediate > > MEDIA CONTACTS: Mike Silber > ICANN Board Member > Bromhof, South Africa > Ph. +27 82 773 1288 > mike.silber(a)icann.org<mailto:[email protected]> > > Anne-Rachel Inne > ICANN Regional Manager for Africa > Niger, Africa > Ph. + 1 323 304 3420 > anne-rachel.inne(a)icann.org<mailto:[email protected]> > > > Internationalization of the Internet Marks Historic Agreement > > Washington, D.Câ¦ September 30, 2009â¦ ICANN has signed an historic > Affirmation Agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce that confirms > the effectiveness of the ICANN model of international multi-stakeholder > and bottom-up governance of the global Internet addressing system. > > âThis means that there can no longer be any doubt that the Internet > belongs to the world and is not under the control of any single government > or special interest group,â said Mike Silber, a member of ICANNâs > Board of Directors. âThe very fact that I, as a citizen of South Africa > serve on ICANNâs board, along with representatives from around the world > speaks to the international diversity of this very unique > organization.â > > âThis new Affirmation marks an exciting new stage in ICANNâs > development as a truly international entity and it confirms once and for > all, that the ICANN model of public participation works, and works > effectivelyâ said Rod Beckstrom, ICANN Chief Executive Officer. âOne > world, one Internet, everyone connected â this is our goal at ICANN. > This agreement gives international stakeholders an even more powerful > voice in our activities moving forward.â > > âThe Internet is global and it is critical that its governance reflect > its international nature,â said Peter Dengate Thrush, a New Zealander > who serves as ICANNâs Chairman of the Board. âNow we can clearly say > that a new era of the Internationalization of the Internet has begun.â > > âThis historic agreement is only one part of this internationalization > process,â said Mike Silber. âSoon because of ICANNâs > Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) program, all portions of an Internet > domain name may be made-up of characters from almost any language. This > will lead to a huge increase in Internet users from regions in the world, > such as the Middle East or Asia, where people may not be using computer > keyboards with Latin-based characters.â > > ### > > To read the Affirmation Agreement go here: > http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-30sep09-en.htm#affirmati… > > To read the reactions of various business and government leaders go here: > http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-30sep09-en.htm#reaction > > To see a videotaped interview with CEO Rod Beckstrom on the Affirmation > Agreement go here: > http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-30sep09-en.htm#video > > To learn more about ICANNâs Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) program > go here: > http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/factsheet-idn-program-05jun09.pdf > > > About ICANN: > > To reach another person on the Internet you have to type a domain name of > IP address into your computer. It has to be unique so computers know > where to find each other. ICANN coordinates these unique identifiers > across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn't have one global > Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit > corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping > the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and > develops policy on the Internetâs unique identifiers. ICANN doesnât > control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesnât deal > with access to the Internet. But through its coordination role of the > Internetâs naming system, it does have an important impact on the > expansion and evolution of the Internet. For more information please > visit: www.icann.org<http://www.icann.org/>. > > > > If you would rather not receive future communications from ICANN, let us > know by clicking > here.<http://ICANN.pr-optout.com/OptOut.aspx?523509x19831x2917x1x3696907x24000x6&…> > ICANN, 4676 Admiralty Way Suite 330, Marina del Rey, CA 90292 United > States > _______________________________________________ > AfrICANN mailing list > AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net > https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann >

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ICANN JAA
by alice munyua 30 Sep '09

30 Sep '09

To read the Joint Affirmation Agreement go here: http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-30sep09-en.htm#affirmati…. To see a videotaped interview with CEO Rod Beckstrom discussing the Affirmation Agreement go here: http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-30sep09-en.htm#video

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(no subject)
by alice munyua 30 Sep '09

30 Sep '09

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FW: [Ubuntunet-alliance-community] Vacancies
by Edith Adera 30 Sep '09

30 Sep '09

It may be of interest.

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US 'to loosen' grip on internet
by alice 30 Sep '09

30 Sep '09

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8275679.stm * The US government is expected to relax control over how the internet is run when it signs an accord with net regulator Icann on Wednesday.* The "affirmation of commitments" will reportedly give Icann autonomy to run its own affairs for the first time. Previous agreements gave the US close oversight of Icann - drawing criticism from other countries. Earlier this year, the EU called on the US to relinquish its control and Icann to become "universally accountable". "The US government is the only body to have had formal oversight of Icann's policies and activities since its inception in 1998," it said. "The Commission believes that Icann should become universally accountable, not just to one government but to the global internet community. "This is particularly relevant given that the next billion of internet users will mainly come from the developing world." The current agreement between the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) and the US Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration is due to expire on Thursday. *'Formal relationship'* Icann is a not-for-profit private sector corporation - set up by the US government - which oversees critical parts of the internet, such as the top-level domain (TLD) name system. Top level domains include .com and .uk. The body recently voted to relax the strict rules on TLDs, meaning companies could turn brands into web addresses, while individuals could use their names. Icann also agreed to introduce domain names written in Asian, Arabic or other scripts. The regulator has not yet released details of the new agreement with the US. However, a report - described as "accurate" by people familiar with Icann - in the Economist magazine says the new deal does not have a fixed term. It identifies a number of groups, including representatives of foreign governments, which will conduct regular reviews of Icann's work. The panels would specifically focus on competition among generic domain names, how domain-name registrants' data are handled, network security and transparency, and accountability and the public interest - the only panel on which the US will reportedly retain a permanent seat. A formal announcement about the deal is expected on Wednesday. However, it is unlikely that the new agreement will sever the links between the US government and Icann entirely. Rod Beckstrom, president and chief of the organisation, said in a letter to Congress last week that it would seek to maintain a "long term, formal relationship with the United States Government". The body also has a separate agreement with the US - to run the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) - that expires in 2011. The IANA oversees the net's addressing system.

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South Africa's Telkom snaps up Kenyan Internet service provider
by McTim 30 Sep '09

30 Sep '09

South Africa's Telkom snaps up Kenyan Internet service provider Sep 29, 2009 The local Internet scene could be headed for major realignments as South Africa's largest fixed-line phone operator, Telkom, silently sneaks into a territory it has long been yearning for. A complex web of share-purchase transactions among telecom operators in Africa's richest nation, has ended up with the acquisition of a local satellite data transmission services company, Afsat Communications Limited. After failing to secure a 51 per cent stake in Telkom Kenya late 2007, Telkom SA Ltd opted to court an Internet Service Provider, MWEB Africa, a subsidiary of South African media and communications conglomerate Naspers for a take-over bid. Interestingly, the deal was successfully concluded in April this year, with the firm paying a massive 63m US dollars (4.7bn shillings) for 100 per cent and 75 per cent shareholding in MWEB and MWEB Namibia respectively. The value of the transaction, which ostensibly excluded the South Africa's MWEB unit, has since been kept underwraps. Incidentally, MWEB, the Internet solutions arm of Naspers - the company that also owns Multichoice Africa and popular magazine arm Media 24 - had bought Afsat Communications, including its subsidiaries in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria and Zambia in October 2007. This implies the local Internet firm, Afsat Communications, is now part and parcel of Telkom South Africa. "AFSAT is now fully part of Telkom South Africa," Mr Job Ndege, General Manager, Afsat Services Ltd told The Financial Journal Last week. "This is an implied acquisition," he said. So far, South African Telkom owns Nigeria's Multi-Links and Kenya's Africa Online, with plans to aggressively fund both units. The latest acquisition is part of the company's strategy aimed at reducing dependence on domestic revenues, while expanding further into Africa to offset dwindling profits at home. It is widely argued that the acquisition, together with the company's investment in Africa Online will increase the value proposition of its product and service offerings to all customer segments in Sub-Saharan Africa. The acquisition gives Telkom South Africa a foothold in 28 African countries, making it the biggest satellite-based ISP on the African continent. "We think our value preposition is so powerful that the current terrestrial services cannot match," says Ndege. He says the value prepositions of the company's products and services include reliability, consistency, speed, availability, cost effectiveness and strong support. Afsat Communications offers direct satellite access services to its clients by utilizing all communications requirements such as backbone access, backhole access and last mile access. In Kenya, Afsat is known for its satellite Internet connectivity solutions to residential and business customers. It also supplies corporate and state owned customers with reliable and secure corporate data network solutions. This service is provided through VSAT connectivity using the popular iWay brand, which has its regional headquarters in Nairobi. "The response in the market for our products has been very good. We have had an unprecedented growth," says Ndege. Amongst the company's main competitors and who are hoping to utilise the fibre optic cables to provide international Internet connectivity include Access Kenya Ltd, Kenya Data Network and UUNET Kenya. "The fibre optic will provide much capacity. The demand for capacity is growing, but there have not been enough satellite capacity to provide international connectivity," says Ndege. Kenya's average Internet usage grew by 230 per cent to 700MB last year from the previous years 304 MB. The fibre optic networks are expected to supplement satellite in boosting the capacity, since satellite bandwidth demand in Africa far outstrips the supply from the highly consolidated satellite fleet operator industry. Indeed, Afsat Communications has announced a five-year (2010-2014) strategic pan aimed at improving and expanding its infrastructure within East Africa, with a view of ensuring steady and reliable supply of its products and services. The next phase of the company's growth will involve setting up additional hub infrastructure to cover the region of the Sub-Saharan Africa between 2011 and 2015. Already, the company has built five satellite hubs in Africa. Afsat serves Kenya through a distributor network of ISP's such as Callkey Networks and Virtualsat, by providing last mile connectivity to remote locations such as Lokichoggio, Mandera, Lamu, Homa Bay, Garissa, Dadaab, Wajir and Namanga. The company also has a large number of VSATs in Nairobi. There are over 485 iWay VSAT terminals in Kenya. iWay services are available in 28 countries in Africa, and its partnership network consists of 32 distributors, with four subsidiaries in East Africa and Nigeria. Afsat Communications was formed in 1992 to offer communication solutions to corporates in East Africa. In 2001, the company changed its focus with the re-launch of iWay Brand targeting the whole Sub-Saharan Africa. Telkom SA Limited aims to become a Pan-African integrated service provider that offers international communications and Internet connectivity, hosting and managed data services, as well as wireless voice and mobile broadband solutions. Over the long term, it plan to provide international data connectivity to major cities in Africa through regional hubs. It also seek to position Telkom as a wholesale facilities and infrastructure enabler for regional incumbents. With regards to existing subsidiaries, Telkom SA is focusing on achieving strong growth through both organic and acquisitive business development strategies, as well as by leveraging synergies across the Group. For Africa Online, this includes leveraging its available international capacity to deploy satellite based Internet access, and using Africa Online as the main vehicle in which Telkom will deliver Internet services outside of South Africa. Source: The Standard website, Nairobi, in English 29 Sep 09 -- 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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