- KICTANet - KICTANet

Work in Dar es Salaam...
by Michael Kipsang Bullut 19 Sep '07

19 Sep '07

Please pass on... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ken Ndirangu <kendirangu(a)gmail.com> Date: 19 Sep 2007 14:36 Subject: [Skunkworks] Work in Dar To: skunkworks(a)my.co.ke Hi all. A friend is building a wireless ISP in Tanzania and would like to hire 1 or 2 techies with some experience in this. The job will mainly be to work on the ongoing rollout, maintenance, network management and support. If you are seriously interested please contact me. yahoo id: kendirangu(a)yahoo.com msn: kendirangu(a)hotmail.com Have a nice day, Ken _______________________________________________ skunkworks mailing list skunkworks(a)my.co.ke http://ole.kenic.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks Blog http://skunkworks-ke.blogspot.com -- "To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wildflower...hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour..." ~ William Blakeg. --

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Venting Data Vending
by Alex Gakuru 19 Sep '07

19 Sep '07

Hey Billy, M8 you look like you're really spilling it;-) http://article.wn.com/view/2007/09/14/Data_Vending_Hit_By_Poor_Internet_Con… Have y'self a nice day. Alex ____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for a deal? Find great prices on flights and hotels with Yahoo! FareChase. http://farechase.yahoo.com/

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Fwd: [Idlelo2] Africa Conference on FOSS and the Digital Commons - Idlelo 3. Call for Papers
by Judy Okite 17 Sep '07

17 Sep '07

FYI ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Nnenna <nne75(a)yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2007 03:25:52 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Idlelo2] Africa Conference on FOSS and the Digital Commons - Idlelo 3. Call for Papers To: African Information Society Initiative - Discussion Forum <aisi-l(a)lyris.bellanet.org>, ACSIS <africa(a)wsis-cs.org>, Governance <governance(a)lists.cpsr.org>, IDLELO <idlelo2(a)fossfa.net>, Nigeria List <wsisnigeria(a)yahoogroups.com>, Naija_IT_Professionals(a)yahoogroups.com, Language <language(a)fossfa.net> Apologies for crossposting Nnenna ** High Priority ** Call for Papers Paper submissions are invited for Idlelo3 Conference, which will be taking place on the 16-20 March , 2008 in Senegal. Delegates who wish to present papers, case studies and workshops are invited to access this link: http://floss.meraka.org.za/ocs/index.php/idlelo3/idlelo3 which will serve as a guidelines for submission Deadline Schedule Abstract Submission 15 October 2007 Peer Review Result 15 November 2007 Abstract Accepted 14 December 2007 Final Paper 15February 2008 Instructions for Presenters Presentation materials must accompany all papers. The presentation material should compliment your full paper. Failure to submit a full paper will result in speaker benefits being withdrawn. Speaker Benefits All Idlelo 3 speakers have their conference registration fee waived. Note that it is important that you get your papers in by the due dates we reserve the right to withdraw the free registration if you do not get it in on time. If you are having problems meeting the deadlines, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can work with you to figure it out. If you are a student, please make sure that we know it. We may offer prize(s) for the best student paper submitted. Submission Guidelines Proposals Your proposal must include: Name, affiliation and address of principle author Brief biographical note, which summarises your CV and explains relevance of your experiences to the topic of your Paper. Full title of the Paper Abstract of the Paper, including a description of what you expect to cover (Maximum length 250 words) Target Audience, namely, who your talk is likely to interest (keywords indicating categories) Preferred stream for presentation Names and bio information of any co-authors Proposals acceptance Authors will be notified of the acceptance of their proposals by the 14 December 2007. Whilst we encourage many proposals, the constraints of time, resources and space dictate that only a restricted number of proposals will be accepted for presentation. We suggest that you communicate any information regarding your individual local requirements with them as soon as possible to ensure a swift response. Paper Submission All presenters are required to submit presentation materials by the specified date. Failure to do so may result in loss of your speaking slot and speaker benefits. Your full paper should include an abstract, introduction, body and conclusion. Please ensure that grammar and spelling is corrected. Make sure your paper includes at the very least a brief introduction to your subject material and a list of further resources. We would prefer that papers for standard length talks (30 minutes) be no more than 5 A4 pages of 11point type with reasonable margins. Papers for long talks (60 minutes) should be not exceed 10 pages. Appropriate file formats include any file that can be read with Open Office (which includes plain text and HTML with minimal mark-up). Slides (even those accompanied by speaker notes) will not be printed in the proceedings. Please provide a good range of sample paper layouts. By submitting a paper to be published in the proceedings, you are agreeing to the FOSSFA terms and regulations. Review results All papers will be reviewed to ensure that papers are of a high quality. The purpose is not to identify spelling or grammatical errors or to test code snippets, although errors may be corrected during the review if found. It is recommended that the presenters should read their papers thoroughly before submitting. Once your paper has been reviewed, the presenters will receive their results in order to make the requested improvements for the published version. Proceedings version A final copy of your paper will be printed in the conference proceedings. Contact details If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Pumeza Ceza at pceza(a)csir.co.za or Vanessa Phala vanessap(a)dpsa.gov.za Please note: Submissions for the abstracts are strictly on the 15 November 2007 FOSSFA reserves the right to select papers for presentation. Abstracts received will be acknowledged and notification of acceptance or rejection will be by email by 15 December 2007 Abstracts of papers submitted to other congresses or previously published will not be considered. No more than three submissions are welcome per presenter We urge presenters to please read the submission requirements carefully as we expect a high volume of presentations --------------------------------- Need a vacation? Get great deals to amazing places on Yahoo! Travel. -- Judy Ann Okite, +254-721237507,+254-734252336 P.O. BOX 2228 00100, NAIROBI,KENYA. "Even if you are on the right track, you'll still get run over if you just sit there."

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Fwd: eLearning Africa 2008 News Service - Call for Papers Now Open!
by Judy Okite 17 Sep '07

17 Sep '07

FYI, ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: newsservice(a)elearning-africa.com Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2007 22:54:19 +0200 (CEST) Subject: eLearning Africa 2008 News Service - Call for Papers Now Open! To: judyokite(a)gmail.com To unsubscribe, please scroll to the end of this message. News & Information on the eLearning Africa conference, an annual event for developing eLearning capacities in Africa www.elearning-africa.com 1. Call for Papers Now Open The Call for Papers for the eLearning Africa 2008 conference programme is open. You can submit a proposal for a session, presentation, workshop or discussion. Please send us your proposal by December 7, 2008, using the online submission form submission at www.elearning-africa.com. Themes of eLearning Africa 2008 are: - Unleashing the Capabilities of Universities Through Information and Communication Technologies - Corporate eLearning in Africa and Beyond - Introducing eLearning into the School System - Designing and Delivering eLearning - Building the Infrastructure for Education in the 21st Century - Open Source and Open Content - eLearning in Medical Education and the Fight Against HIV and AIDS - Advanced Technology Developments - eLearning Supported by Development Partners - Empowering Women Through ICT and eLearning - Improving the Quality and Outreach of Technical and Vocational Education - Libraries as Access Providers to Resources and Expertise - Quality Development and Quality Assurance - Achieving Inclusivity Through eLearning - eLearning for the Public Sector - Policy Issues and Large-Scale Take-Up of eLearning More information 2. The eLearning Africa Video The eLearning Africa film crew was constantly on the go during the three conference days in Nairobi to get impressions and statements from speakers, participants and exhibitors. They have produced an entertaining five-minute film that captures the lively and inspiring atmosphere at the event... Watch the eLA Film 3. Exhibition & Sponsoring Opportunities eLearning Africa is accompanied by an exhibition and demonstration area where leading international eLearning manufacturers, suppliers and service providers present their latest products and services. Located centrally within the conference venue, the exhibition has a relaxed atmosphere that encourages cooperation initiatives. Participants value the exhibition as a central meeting point within the conference and an excellent opportunity to meet with the exhibiting companies and institutions. If your company is interested in meeting the participants of eLearning Africa, your presence at the exhibition is surely an excellent opportunity to: Promote your organisation and latest developments to a highly specialised audience Establish and strengthen valuable personal contacts Actively engage with a growing market represented by leading eLearning professionals from all over Africa Should you wish to become a sponsor and/or exhibitor at eLearning Africa's accompanying exhibition, please contact us at marketing(a)elearning-africa.com. Visit the event's website 4. Early Bird Rate - Register Now! Get the special conference rate prior to December 14! African Participants - 200 Euros (250 Euros from December 15) Non-Africa Participants - 490 Euros (590 Euros from December 15) African Students - 80 Euros (100 Euros from December 15) Non-African Students - 120 Euros (170 Euros from December 15) Fees & Registration ==================================== Please send any feedback, comments or suggestions to the eLearning Africa newsletter team at press-service(a)icwe.net. For more information about the event, please contact: ICWE GmbH Leibnizstrasse 32 10625 Berlin, Germany Tel.: +49 (0)30 310 18 180 Fax: +49 (0)30 324 98 33 www.icwe.net, www.elearning-africa.com E-Mail: info(a)elearning-africa.com ==================================== Click here to unsubscribe or to change your settings. -- Judy Ann Okite, +254-721237507,+254-734252336 P.O. BOX 2228 00100, NAIROBI,KENYA. "Even if you are on the right track, you'll still get run over if you just sit there."

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Books
by Dorcas Muthoni 17 Sep '07

17 Sep '07

Dear All, If you happen to have any IT/Computer Science (programming, networking, Internet, Web Development, Databases, AI, Computer Architecture etc) reading materials (books, journals, magazines etc) that you can donate to a school, please get in touch with me. LinuxChix Kenya will be holding an event for girls´ high schools under our mentorship program for young women on 29th September at Catholic University at which we shall donate the books together with others donated to us by NSRC (http://www.nsrc.org/) You are also welcome to the event, Muthoni

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retreat update, spaces available
by Rebecca Wanjiku 17 Sep '07

17 Sep '07

hi, just to let you know that the retreat is still on course, the retreat will take place between the 27-29 of September at the lake Elementaita lodge. we leave on 27th afternoon, at about 5 and get back on 30th, the program will be sent soon by our lead consultant,in attendance will be another prof. who is an expert in the field, we still have space, for those interested in participating, for those who will not make it, you can still forward your contributions for consideration, regards becky Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ --------------------------------- Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games.

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ICANN Los Angeles meeting
by alice 17 Sep '07

17 Sep '07

Dear All, For those planning to attend the LA meeting, the schedule has been posted at: http://losangeles2007.icann.org/schedule See below. Schedule and Agendas Sort by Committee / Organization Starts Ends Event Room Saturday, 27 October, 2007 - 00:00 Saturday, 27 October, 2007 - 17:00 GNSO Council Working Session <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/76> Saturday, 27 October, 2007 - 14:00 Saturday, 27 October, 2007 - 18:00 GAC Working Group on IDNs (CLOSED) <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/30> Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 00:00 Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 10:00 GAC Working Group 1: IDNs in gTLD Space (CLOSED) <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/31> Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 00:00 Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 10:30 Fellowship Participants Orientation <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/32> Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 09:00 Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 16:00 GNSO Council Working Session <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/81> Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 10:00 Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 11:00 GAC Working Group 1: Follow-up to Whois and New gTLDs (CLOSED) <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/37> Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 11:15 Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 13:00 GAC Working Group on IDNs (CLOSED) <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/33> Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 13:00 Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 14:00 ICANN Board / GAC Joint Working Group (CLOSED) <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/34> Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 14:00 Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 15:30 IANA Workshop: IPv6 <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/36> Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 14:00 Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 15:45 GAC Working Group 2&4: Meeting w/ ccNSO Council (CLOSED) <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/50> Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 16:00 Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 17:30 IANA Workshop Part II: IPv6 <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/38> Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 16:00 Sunday, 28 October, 2007 - 18:00 Joint GAC/GNSO Council Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/39> Monday, 29 October, 2007 - 00:00 Monday, 29 October, 2007 - 17:00 ccTLD Technical Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/40> Monday, 29 October, 2007 - 00:00 Monday, 29 October, 2007 - 00:00 Fellowship Participants Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/41> Monday, 29 October, 2007 - 09:00 Monday, 29 October, 2007 - 09:45 Welcome Ceremony <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/42> Monday, 29 October, 2007 - 10:30 Monday, 29 October, 2007 - 11:00 ICANN Public Forum: President's Report and Comments <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/43> Monday, 29 October, 2007 - 11:00 Monday, 29 October, 2007 - 12:30 Workshop: GNSO Review <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/44> Monday, 29 October, 2007 - 11:00 Monday, 29 October, 2007 - 12:30 DNSSEC Workshop <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/77> Monday, 29 October, 2007 - 13:00 Monday, 29 October, 2007 - 19:00 GNSO Public Forum on New gTLDs <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/45> Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 00:00 Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 00:00 Fellowship Participants Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/46> Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 00:00 Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 17:00 gTLD Registries Constituency Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/47> Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 00:00 Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 18:00 Registrars Constituency Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/48> Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 00:00 Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 17:00 Non-Commercial Business Users Constituency <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/49> Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 00:00 Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 10:30 GAC Working Group 7: GAC Reforms (CLOSED) <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/60> Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 00:30 Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 17:00 ccNSO Members Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/51> Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 10:00 Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 12:00 Cross Constituency Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/52> Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 11:00 Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 11:45 GAC Working Group 7: Discussion of Input on Accountability (CLOSED) <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/79> Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 11:45 Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 13:00 SSAC Briefing for GAC and ccTLD Operators on DNSSEC <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/53> Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 14:00 Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 16:30 GAC Plenary (CLOSED) <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/54> Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 14:00 Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 17:00 Intellectual Property Interests Constituency Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/55> Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 14:00 Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 17:00 Internet Service and Connectivity Providers Constituency Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/56> Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 14:00 Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 16:00 Commercial and Business Users Constituency Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/57> Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 16:45 Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 18:00 GAC Meeting with the ICANN Board (OPEN SESSION) <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/80> Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 19:30 Tuesday, 30 October, 2007 - 23:00 GALA Event @ Sony Studios including Official Tribute to Vint Cerf <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/58> Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 00:00 Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 00:00 Fellowship Participants Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/59> Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 00:00 Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 10:30 GAC Plenary (CLOSED) <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/62> Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 00:00 Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 12:00 ccNSO Members Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/63> Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 00:00 Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 00:00 ccNSO Council Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/69> Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 00:30 Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 10:00 GNSO Council Meeting & Public Forum <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/61> Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 10:30 Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 12:00 GNSO Council Meeting and Public Forum Continued <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/64> Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 13:00 Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 14:00 Workshop: Internet Governance <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/65> Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 13:00 Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 15:00 SSAC Open Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/78> Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 14:00 Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 15:00 Workshop: ICANN Translation Policy <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/66> Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 14:00 Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 18:00 GAC Plenary (CLOSED) <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/67> Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 15:30 Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 17:00 Workshop: Registrar Accreditation Agreement <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/68> Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 17:00 Wednesday, 31 October, 2007 - 18:30 Workshop: ICANN Nominating Committee Review <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/70> Thursday, 1 November, 2007 - 00:00 Thursday, 1 November, 2007 - 00:00 Fellowship Participants Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/71> Thursday, 1 November, 2007 - 00:00 Thursday, 1 November, 2007 - 00:00 GNSO Council Discussion of Input from Meetings <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/73> Thursday, 1 November, 2007 - 00:30 Thursday, 1 November, 2007 - 10:00 ICANN Public Forum <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/72> Friday, 2 November, 2007 - 00:00 Friday, 2 November, 2007 - 00:00 Fellowship Participants Meeting <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/74> Friday, 2 November, 2007 - 00:30 Friday, 2 November, 2007 - 13:00 Meeting of the ICANN Board <http://losangeles2007.icann.org/node/75>

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Public comments on GNSO Council's WHOIS outputs invited
by Alex Gakuru 17 Sep '07

17 Sep '07

http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-14sep07.htm Public comments are invited via email until 00:00 UTC (17:00 PDT) on 30 October 2007 on the GNSO Council's WHOIS reports and recommendations. Submit comments to: whois-comments-2007(a)icann.org. View comments at http://forum.icann.org/lists/whois-comments-2007/. Background In March, 2007, a WHOIS Task Force convened by the GNSO Council in June, 2005 completed its final report. The Task Force was asked to address important questions related to WHOIS. Key questions included the purpose of WHOIS service, which information should be available to the public, how to improve WHOIS accuracy and how to deal with conflicts between WHOIS requirements and relevant privacy laws. In the final report, a simple majority of members of the WHOIS Task Force endorsed a proposal called the "Operational Point of Contact" (OPOC). Under OPOC, every registrant would identify a new operational contact and the technical and administrative contact details would no longer be displayed. The final WHOIS Task Force Report of 12 March, 2007 is posted at http://gnso.icann.org/issues/whois-privacy/whois-services-final-tf-report-1…. Following completion of the Task Force Report and public comment period, on 28 March the GNSO Council issued a resolution creating a WHOIS Working Group to examine three issues and to make recommendations concerning how current policies may be improved to address these issues: 1. to examine the roles, responsibilities and requirements of the OPOC, and what happens if they are not fulfilled; 2. to examine how legitimate interests will access unpublished registration data; and 3. to examine whether publication of registration contact information should be based on the type of registered name holder (legal vs. natural persons) or the registrant's use of a domain name. The Whois Outcomes Working Group Report was finalized on 20 August, 2007. It is posted at http://gnso.icann.org/drafts/icann-whois-wg-report-final-1-9.pdf [PDF, 213K]. On 6 September 2007, the GNSO Council approved a resolution which, among other things, establishes a schedule for consideration of the WHOIS Task Force Report and the WHOIS Working Group Report. This schedule includes solicitation of further public comments and culminates in a public Council discussion and vote on 31 October 2007 during the Los Angeles ICANN. In addition, the resolution calls for ICANN staff to prepare a type of "draft final report" that references the Task Force Report, the Working Group Charter and the Working Group Report and which includes an overall description of the process. The following document, entitled, Staff Overview of Recent GNSO WHOIS Activity [PDF, 77K], has been prepared in response to the Council Resolution. It contains the full text of the GNSO resolution and the schedule for GNSO Council consideration of the reports. Again, further public comments are invited via email until 00:00 UTC (17:00 PDT) on 30 October 2007 on the GNSO Council's WHOIS reports and recommendations referenced above and summarized in the Staff Overview of Recent GNSO WHOIS Activity [PDF, 77K]. Submit comments to: whois-comments-2007(a)icann.org. View comments at http://forum.icann.org/lists/whois-comments-2007/. -- Glen de Saint Géry GNSO Secretariat - ICANN gnso.secretariat[at]gnso.icann.org http://gnso.icann.org ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396545469

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URGENT: Anyone Attending the Internet Governance Forum in Rio?
by Janet Feldman 16 Sep '07

16 Sep '07

Dear Friends, Please see this urgent message, and contact Michael Gurstein directly, at gurstein(a)gmail.com. Thanks and best wishes, Janet (Feldman, kaippg(a)earthlink.net) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: michael gurstein gurstein(a)gmail.com Date: Sep 16, 2007 7:05 AM Subject: [gta] URGENT: Is anyone from this group (or in associated groups) likely to be attending the Internet Governance Forum in Rio? As most of you know the major follow-on activity to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is the Internet Governance Forum which met last year in Athens and is meeting this year in Rio de Janeiro. http://www.intgovforum.org Civil society is a quite active player in this forum and has the opportunity to nominate speakers for various of the sessions which will be held. I've been fairly vocal in arguing that those such as folks involved with the Telecentre movement i.e. with grass roots experience and interests should have a role to play in these discussions and I've now been roped into being on the Civil Society (actually the CS Internet Governance Caucus) nominating committee for CS participation in the forum. A major problem and one that I and others have been complaining about quite strenuously is that there is NO funding for participation by CS in the IGF. What I'm asking is whether any of you folks (or people that you know as Telecentre colleagues or collaborators) either will be attending the Rio conference or could attend the Rio conference even in the absence of any financial support. If there are such persons on this list or that you know of I need to have an indication of your/their interest in participating more or less immediately (the committee is meeting starting late tomorrow for two days) to come up with a list of names to send forward to the IGF Management Committee. If you do send an indication of interest please also include a brief resume and if possible a statement of what areas would be of particular interest/expertise for you to contribute on. The subject matter areas on which sessions will be held are as follows: Critical Internet Resources: Starting point for the discussion is the definition contained in the WGIG report (Para 13 a): "Issues relating to infrastructure and the management of critical Internet resources, including administration of the domain name system and Internet protocol addresses (IP addresses), administration of the root server system, technical standards, peering and interconnection, telecommunications infrastructure, including innovative and convergent technologies, as well as multilingualization." The session will use a baseline approach, taking into account WSIS principles. The purpose of the discussion is to bring out information and opinion. There will be a balanced panel of five to seven experts, including the major players, reflecting a range of views Access: - Special connectivity problems faced by Africa, land-locked, island and least developed countries. - Access challenges in rural areas. - Skills development, training and capacity building in the use of technology. - Low cost access solutions. - Mobile and wireless access. - International infrastructure reliability, connectivity policy and costs. - Local and regional interconnection and cross-border regulation. - Economic impact of access. - Issues related to net neutrality. Diversity: - Building support and stimulating demand for locally developed content. This includes content that is not commercially viable, software support and the role of audio-visual communication. - The role of open standards in promoting diversity. - The involvement of language communities in developing internationalized domain names (IDN) and in developing multi-lingual content, including content in indigenous and minority languages. - Technologies, policies, and capacity building to reduce illiteracy and to provide access and accessible content for marginalized and vulnerable groups of society, including older persons and persons with disabilities. - Public policies concerned with user generated content. Openness: - Freedom of expression and the role of governments to protect that right. - Protection of privacy and its relation to freedom of expression. - The relationship between national regulations on freedom of expression and the border-free Internet. - The relationship between private enterprise, human rights, and compliance with national law. - The balance between citizens' rights, and the rights of IPR holders. - Innovative business models, made possible by the Internet, for dealing with digital content and their application in development. - Open source software, proprietary software and open standards. - The challenges to access to information and knowledge and what can be done to overcome them. - Maximizing access to content. Security: - Security threats to countries, companies, and individuals as users of the Internet and to the Internet itself - The definition of security threats, international security cooperation, including such issues as cybercrime, cyber-terrorism and cyber-warfare. - The relationship between national implementation and international cooperation. - Cooperation across national boundaries, taking into account different legal policies on privacy, combating crime and security. - The role of all stakeholders in the implementation of security measures, including security in relation to behaviour and uses. - Security of internet resources. - Authentication and identification - Authentication and identification and their role in fostering trust online and their relation to the protection of privacy. - Challenges to privacy in a security environment. - Respecting freedom of expression. - Privacy and identity. - Privacy and development. - Security issues related to the protection of children. - Protecting children from abuse and exploitation in the online environment. Emerging issues - Emerging pervasive nature of the Internet in a political, economic, and social context. - Policy implication of rapid spread wireless and mobile Internet. - Policy implications of user generated content. - Implications of competition policy. Best, MG Michael Gurstein, Ph.D. Centre for Community Informatics Research, Training and Development Ste. 2101-989 Nelson St. Vancouver BC CANADA v6z 2s1 http://www.communityinformatics.net tel./fax +1-604-602-0624

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Internet Service Providers Record Rise in Earnings in Kenya
by alice 16 Sep '07

16 Sep '07

From Balancing Act Internet Service Providers Record Rise in Earnings in Kenya Local Internet service providers are earning higher revenues signalling increased use of the web among consumers, industry statistics show. The data indicate that average revenue per user (ARPU), a measure of how each user spends on internet access, has risen to an all time high of $600 in some segments of the market, up from an average of $500 last year. Globally, ARPU is used as a measure of how much money a service provider makes from the average user and enables the ISPs to make revenue projections as well as determine which products are earning most revenues. It also provides an accurate picture as to what services and products are popular with consumers in certain segments of the market. "Most ICT firms, however, have indicated application of cost leadership strategies, resulting in lower ARPUs with the intention of raking in higher subscriber number," said Shida Mutuku, the group head of marketing at Africa Online. The pan-African ISP, which is changing focus from being a pure ISP services company to a supplier of comprehensive IT services, says demand for ICT products is rising across the board. ISPs can maximise on their resources by using ARPU data to their advantage. ARPU can also be used as a measure of how successful a company is in moving users to new services that are regarded as strategically important. Citing steadily increasing revenues from its broadband product, AccessKenya Group hopes to realise its projected revenue target from customers looking for better speed and capacity from their internet connection. Last week, AccessKenya said it was on track to realising an ARPU average of $540 owing to increased number of large customers coming on board and many existing customers upgrading their bandwidth. The ICT company, which recently announced that it had realised its customer target of 1,720 four months ahead of schedule, says its current ARPU is underpinned by the strength of its Broadband Max 2 leased line solution that has become popular with the corporate market. "Broadband Max 2 offers a quadruple downlink coupled with high reliability evidenced by a 99.8 per cent Service Level Agreement," said Jonathan Somen, the managing director of AccessKenya. "We are the only ISP offering this sort of solution in the Kenyan market and have realised significant increase in demand over the past six months," he said. Somen said AccessKenya had set a new target of enrolling a minimum of 1,900 leased line customers by the end of the year, and has been reinvesting some of its profits from increased customer numbers to build up sales and customer service teams. Africa Online refused to reveal its current ARPUs but said it was targeting ARPU of $1,000 per use by the end of the year. The ambitious target is based on increased demand for corporate leased line solutions and increased take up in the residential user market of the wireless broadband product, Infinet. (Source: Business Daily)

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