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Leading technologist from Africa joins Internet Society staff
by Dorcas Muthoni 03 May '08

03 May '08

We are very proud of Michuki.. congratulations on this appointment. Keep flying the Kenyan flag high! * RESTON, VA, USA and GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - 30 April 2008 -* Michuki Mwangi, a leading figure in African Internet development and technical capacity building, has joined the staff of the Internet Society (ISOC) as Senior Education Manager. http://www.isoc.org/isoc/media/releases/080430pr.shtml -- Muthoni My Blog: http://rugongo.blogspot.com/ -------------------------------------------- Mahatma Gandhi once said:- First they ignore you, Then they laugh at you, Then they fight you, AND THEN YOU WIN!!!

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Are ICT issues drying up?
by Victor Maloi 03 May '08

03 May '08

Dear Members, Just like many projects in Kenya, I feel like we are going downhill yet there are many policy issues we should be discussing. This morning I perused through the Ministry of Information Website only to find there is all the important Bills that they have lined up. What is wrong with Bwana PS. Is there something you want to hide from us? The just concluded ICT conference at the KICC was sinply great. Missing in action was the ICT Board. They could not even bother to have somebody man their stand throughout. Was meeting Kenyans at the conference not important? Although the PS attended all the sessions, it was not enough because we needed his troops there to help the thousands of people who attended. Bwana PS we do not want the elitism in the Board to continue. These are people more known outside of Kenya than the people they pretend to help. Victor Maloi

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Part-Time UNIX System Administrator
by Moses Kemibaro 01 May '08

01 May '08

Part-Time UNIX System Administrator Dotsavvy is currently looking for a part time UNIX (primary) and Windows (secondary) system administrator, to assist us maintaining our offsite servers and potentially the ones we have in house as well. Qualifications. The applicant must possess the following skills . Experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. . Experience with securing UNIX systems (lockdown). . Expert in installing and configuring Apache, PHP, MySQL . Able to configure and maintain Postfix and SSH. . Ability to document your work. The applicant ideally has experience with the following skills. . FreeBSD administration. . Samba configuration. . Asterisk configuration and maintenance. . Windows server 2003 administration with Active directory configuration. The Work. At Dotsavvy you will be part of a young and dynamic team dedicated towards delivering industry leading web-solutions. We offer a flat organizational structure where everyone is encouraged to voice any issue in order for the company to improve as a whole. You will be responsible for making sure the Server(s) are running with as little problems at all possible. It will be expected that you are able to define and document your own procedures in respect to managing the servers. The position currently available is 2-6 days of work a month, which will most likely grow over time as the operations expand. We are looking to fill the position as soon as possible. Application. Applicants interested should send a CV / resume of experience to jobs(a)dotsavvyafrica.com right away. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ YOU ARE IN KAZI AFRIKA GROUP UNSUBSCRIBE: kaziafrika-unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com www.kaziafrika.com www.wananchiforums.com MPESA (for Adverts): 0726 034 530 FOR A VERY PEACEFUL KENYA -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

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Part-Time UNIX System Administrator
by Moses Kemibaro 01 May '08

01 May '08

Part-Time UNIX System Administrator Dotsavvy is currently looking for a part time UNIX (primary) and Windows (secondary) system administrator, to assist us maintaining our offsite servers and potentially the ones we have in house as well. Qualifications. The applicant must possess the following skills . Experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. . Experience with securing UNIX systems (lockdown). . Expert in installing and configuring Apache, PHP, MySQL . Able to configure and maintain Postfix and SSH. . Ability to document your work. The applicant ideally has experience with the following skills. . FreeBSD administration. . Samba configuration. . Asterisk configuration and maintenance. . Windows server 2003 administration with Active directory configuration. The Work. At Dotsavvy you will be part of a young and dynamic team dedicated towards delivering industry leading web-solutions. We offer a flat organizational structure where everyone is encouraged to voice any issue in order for the company to improve as a whole. You will be responsible for making sure the Server(s) are running with as little problems at all possible. It will be expected that you are able to define and document your own procedures in respect to managing the servers. The position currently available is 2-6 days of work a month, which will most likely grow over time as the operations expand. We are looking to fill the position as soon as possible. Application. Applicants interested should send a CV / resume of experience to jobs(a)dotsavvyafrica.com right away.

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The dynamics of mobile operator-subsidized laptops
by alice 01 May '08

01 May '08

* http://www.arcchart.com/blueprint/show.asp?id=462 The dynamics of mobile operator-subsidized laptops *printer friendly articles <http://www.arcchart.com/blueprint/print.asp?id=462> 2 Apr 2008 /by: Matt Lewis/ *Last weekend, a friend was showing off his shining new laptop – an HP machine with Intel processor, 1GB of memory, DVD burner and a large 15.4” display. Not amazing specs, but it had an amazing price – it was free! After checking to see if the serial number had been filed off, I learnt the laptop was free from AOL UK, which is now owned by the Carphone Warehouse. The broadband provider has a promotion which bundles 8Mbps broadband with unlimited local and international calls for $50 a month. Oh, and they throw in a free HP laptop as well. What’s the catch? Well, there isn’t really much of one. The deal locks the customer into a two-year contact: a prison sentence for someone like me, but manageable for a typical consumer, particularly one that doesn’t already own a PC or is looking to upgrade their old one, as was the case with my friend.* Giving away a free laptop allows a broadband service provider to achieve three key objectives in a developed market like the UK, which is highly competitive and where household internet penetration is flat-lining. Firstly, it provides a differentiated service offering, distracting consumer attention away from the price versus speed comparison. Secondly, it opens up a new constituency of consumers who have a desire for internet access but for whom the affordability of a PC is beyond their means. Finally, a free laptop sweetens the two-year contact, making consumers more willing to lock themselves into an operator for such a long period of time. Wholesale, I estimate the laptop probably costs AOL about $550. The operator will amortise that over the two-year period, but is unlikely to be making any margins from the laptop itself, especially when the associated distribution and logistics costs are taken into consideration. As a bundled offering, margins will come from the plain vanilla broadband and VoIP telephone services. However, as the terminal provider, unlike its competitors, AOL is in a position to pack the laptop full of content, features and services which has the potential to take their customers’ monthly ARPU well over the $50 mark. If these economics sound vaguely familiar, they certainly should. The terminal-subsidy-content-and-services-premium model is an established aspect of the mobile phone industry. As newer, more powerful and feature-rich handsets have come to market, operators proved willing subsidizers (often down to zero dollars) in order to proliferate these devices across their subscribers base in the hope of reaping bigger rewards from the take-up of premium services. From last year, laptops started shipping with embedded mobile broadband modules –initially for EV-DO networks and subsequently for HSPA. Now, all the big laptop vendors have mobile broadband devices on their roadmaps and many will be shipping products in 2008. Apart from this, the industry has seen a jump in the take-up of 3G data-cards (primarily used with laptops) on the back of aggressive promotional activity over the last 12 months from mobile operators – particularly those in Europe. It is now possible to get a USB data-card and 3G broadband for less than $20 a month, with an 18 month lock-in. By now I’m sure you see where I’m going with this. Now that laptops are becoming mobile broadband enabled, does it make sense for cellular operators to start subsidising the cost of the laptops as they are already doing with handsets, and as some fixed broadband operators, like AOL, have started doing? On one hand, the raw economics make sense. For example, the wholesale cost of a Nokia N-series devices or a high-end Samsung phone is higher than most basic laptop models. There is also more opportunity to pass on support costs to the laptop vendor, something not possible with handsets. From the end-user’s perspective, a laptop destined for home use will have its value spread across all family members (unlike a phone which is only used by one person), augmenting the perceived value and increasing the potential for lock-in periods of longer than 18 months. The opportunity for service bundling which includes laptop, handset, broadband and voice is also compelling. However, while all this is a powerful service differentiator for a mobile operator trying to grab consumer mindshare in a market where all operators have identical network capabilities, the ability to boost ARPU through a subsidised laptop offering is more challenging and will only be achievable by certain cellular providers. Going back to the Nokia N-series phone; an operator will be inclined to generously subsidise such a device since the multimedia (music, video, camera etc.) and navigation features mean a user is more likely to consume data and premium content. The same cannot be said for a notebook unless the operator, like AOL, has a portfolio of online collateral which it can channel the laptop user towards. A few mobile operators do have such collateral – Orange is perhaps the best example and has resulted from the France Telecom ownership of the pan-European Wanadoo ISP which has now been completely re-branded as Orange. It will be interesting to see how the operator laptop subsidy plays out. T-Mobile toyed with such an offering last year in Germany, and discussions with two other mobile carriers show they’re not averse to such a concept. One scenario is that mobile operators which also have an ISP business in a local market (e.g. Deutsche Telekom/T-Mobile in Germany, Orange in France and the UK, Telefonica in Spain and TIM in Italy) adopt the laptop-subsidy model primarily to keep their ISP business competitive. However, as a result, competing mobile operators may feel compelled to offer a similar laptop-subsidy package to remain competitive. Such an eventuality would speed the day when consumers no longer pay – or expect to pay - for any of their terminal devices, be it a set-top box, WiMAX router, laptop, mobile phone or gaming console.

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Kenya IXP reduces connectivity costs, Internet speeds
by Rebecca Wanjiku 30 Apr '08

30 Apr '08

Kenya IXP reduces connectivity costs, Internet speeds The cost of Internet connectivity in Kenya has been significantly reduced and speeds have improved since 2000 when the Kenya Internet Exchange Point (KIXP) was set up, according to a Wananchi Online executive. KIXP acts as a junction between multiple points of Internet presence. Local peers are able to directly connect to each other to exchange local Internet traffic. "About 20 to 30 percent of most ISP's traffic could be classified as 'local' within Kenya. Mostly, this might be e-mail traffic. International bandwidth costs about $5,000 per megabyte and the local megabyte costs about $500-1,000 -- it is a significant change," said Riyaz Bachani, chief technical officer of Wananchi. http://computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/04/29/kenya-ixp-reduces-connectivi… Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

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Account Manager
by Moses Kemibaro 30 Apr '08

30 Apr '08

Dotsavvy is looking to recruit an Account Manager to assume responsibility of managing service delivery to our clients as well as identifying new business opportunities. This position will entail the following responsibilities. - Acting as a principle business contact to a selection of our clients. - Taking ownership of client relationships - Responsible for identifying opportunities within client accounts sto improve customer service and minimize cost - Project co-ordination The skills required to be successful in the Account Manager position include the following: - Strong communication and influencing skills along with the ability to drive and co-ordinate projects. - Account management experience is essential - Direct operational experience within a ICT and/or marketing environment. - Flair for ICT and excellent presentation skills - Service orientation with a natural instinct to take ownership - 2+ years in operational and client management experience - Preferably Degree/Diploma level education (Equivalent as a result of work experience can be considered adequate). If you meet these criteria, kindly send your CV to jobs(a)dotsavvyafrica.com. The deadline for applications is 15th May 2008. ---

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Business Developer
by Moses Kemibaro 30 Apr '08

30 Apr '08

Dotsavvy is looking to recruit a Business Developer to assume the responsibility of generating new business for our offerings. This position will entail the following: - Generate new business for existing and prospective clients. - Identifying and developing opportunities. - Take part in varied, stimulating and challenging projects throughout East Africa - Work as part of an elite Business Development team - Be self motivated and a first class communicator with a professional and articulate manner. The key skills and experience required for the role of Business Developer include: - 2+ years sales and marketing experience. - University Degree or Diploma Level Education (or the equivalent in work experience) - Excellent sales skills, including experience of establishing need, objection handling, negotiation, closing - Superior proposal writing skills and the ability to make compelling business presentations. - A tenacious and organized approach to business development tasks. - Proven ability to build business relationships - Proven track record of working within a target driven environment and achieving these targets consistently - Commercial acumen - ICT literate. If you meet these criteria, kindly send your CV to jobs(a)dotsavvyafrica.com for consideration. The deadline for applications is 15th May 2008

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Graphic Designer
by Moses Kemibaro 30 Apr '08

30 Apr '08

A great opportunity has arisen for a Graphic Designer at Dotsavvy. You should have a good portfolio demonstrating creative flair. This should show examples of the following: . Excellent Layout and Typographical Skills . Interactive Flash Design . Corporate Design . Commercial Design The candidate would work within the production team covering a wide range of day to day activities. . Ability to articulate and communicate to client's creative concepts effectively and passionately . Take primary responsibility for the development of design solutions in response to client briefs . The ability to juggle a number of projects at one time whilst offering support and advice to the rest of the design team . Liaise with all in-house staff to ensure that the best possible design solutions are offered . Take part in client meetings and conference calls offering advice and solutions . Create innovative and exciting design solutions and have an eye for detail with excellent conceptual skills Of the above points, the following two are key: . Ability to articulate and communicate to client's creative concepts effectively and passionately . Create innovative and exciting design solutions and have an eye for detail with excellent conceptual skills As well as: . Outstanding conceptual and creative designer (High level) . Excellent Flash, Photoshop, After Effects skills . Minimum 2+ years industry experience . Be able to demonstrate a strong and varied portfolio of work . Mature, level headed, honest and hard working Qualifications: A degree/qualification in Graphic Design/Multimedia, or Graphic Design related subject will help, but is not essential. It is essential that candidates are able to demonstrate their creative, innovative abilities through an online portfolio. Links to previous websites that have been designed or worked on must be included. Drawing/illustration/photographic/video/audio skills would be advantageous as well as the ability to create written concepts. General Requirements: The successful candidate should be self-motivated, enthusiastic, have experience in working to deadlines and willing to learn in order to progress within the organisation. Good communication skills and the ability to work in a team are essential. If you meet these criteria, kindly send your CV to jobs@dotsavvyafrica,com for consideration. The closing date for applications is 15th May 2008.

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[Fwd: [APC Forum] Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use]
by alice 30 Apr '08

30 Apr '08

Apologies for cross-posting! We are pleased to announce the release of a new report on Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use - http://mobileactive.org/wireless-technology-social-change-trends-ngo-mobile… Mobile technology is transforming the way advocacy, development and relief organizations accomplish their institutional missions. This is nothing news to readers of MobileActive.org, of course! The recent report Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use, released today by the United Nations Foundation and The Vodafone Group Foundation, brings this point home. Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use was written by Sheila Kinkade (ShareIdea.org) and myself, and commissioned by the United Nations Foundation-Vodafone Group Foundation Technology Partnership. The report examines emerging trends in “mobile activism” by looking at 11 case studies of groups active in the areas of public health, humanitarian assistance and environmental conservation. The link again: http://mobileactive.org/wireless-technology-social-change-trends-ngo-mobile…. Please feel free to pass on to other interested parties, and thanks! Best, Katrin Katrin Verclas Co-Founder and Editor MobileActive.org katrin(a)mobileactive.org <mailto:katrin@mobileactive.org> + 1 413 687 9877 MobileActive.org: A global resource for people using mobile phones for social impact. ======================================= APC Forum is a meeting place for the APC community - people and institutions who are or have been involved in collaboration with APC, and share the APC vision - a world in which all people have easy, equal and affordable access to the creative potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve their lives and create more democratic and egalitarian societies. _______________________________________________ apc.forum mailing list apc.forum(a)lists.apc.org http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/apc.forum

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