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JOB OPENING-KU CONFERENCE CENTRE
by charles nduati 20 May '13

20 May '13

hi All, Kindly ask your contacts to apply before Friday 24/05/13 for food and beverage manger and food and beverage controller as per attached job requirements. Charles CHARLES N. NDUATI DIRECTOR, REVENUE GENERATION AND ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT -KENYATTA UNIVERSITY MOBILE:254-722728815 EMIAL:[email protected],[email protected],

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Re: [kictanet] Would sorting out physical addressing lead to exponential growth in Nairobi?
by Ali Hussein 20 May '13

20 May '13

Andrea Yup. I agree with you. Thats a case of businesses operating DESPITE the Government. Very ingenious rather. However, if you really really want to scale your business unfortunately this needs to be with infrastructure in place working to assist businesses. And in this case physical addressing and (yes) Postal Services for fulfillment is not substitutable. Amazon and ebay would have been dead as dodos by now if those were not in place. Or maybe not...Maybe they would have found a way around it. I don't know. It would however increase the cost of doing business as it is in Africa. Regards *Ali Hussein* *CEO, 3mice interactive media ltd* *Partner, Telemedia Africa Ltd * Tel: +254713601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim<http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim> Blog: www.alyhussein.com Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the organizations that I work with. On Mon, May 20, 2013 at 1:02 PM, Andrea Bohnstedt < andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com> wrote: > Ask the people who deliver things? > > Naked Pizza and Hashmi have stored my address with my phone number - and > yes, it contains my formal street address plus the details on how to find > it. When I place an order, they reconfirm that I'm still at the same > address. Plus their delivery person usually has my phone number with him > just in case he gets lost (yay for technology - and pizza, obvs). > > I think it's a bit more tedious the first time you order when you have to > give detailed directions - but if a company is smart and saves those, then > that cuts down on processing time with each additional order. > > On 20 May 2013 12:49, Andy G <andy.gesora(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> So Nairobi is the most advanced city in East and Central Africa.... So JP >> Morgan has just been granted a licence to setup a rep office in Nairobi.... >> So most of the iNGO's and corporates have set up in Nairobi.... So Nairobi >> is the pioneer in alternative payment systems aka mPesa.... >> >> But does the lack of a physical addressing system stifle the potential in >> Nairobi? CCN previously tried address most buildings in town, but no one >> ever quotes the "22 Kimathi Street" when corresponding. >> >> A majority of tech startups in Kenya today are web based, with mobile >> technology (payment systems) providing an overwhelming support system. A >> friend once quoted as saying 95% of his online payments were on mobile >> money. We have lots of tech companies that have tried building solutions to >> make it easier for Nairobi's consumers.... from ordering food online, to >> shopping, to casual labour, to ticketing... name it. But the achilles heel >> always remains addressing. Where do i as a tech startup owner send your >> goods to in Buruburu once you have bought? Or if i have a party and order >> for drinks online, how does someone deliver in some flats named "Pearl >> apartments" deep in langata on a nodescript dirt road? >> >> Would perhaps naming of streets and physical addressing help solve lots >> of issues in Nairobi as well as create many mid level startups and thus >> jobs that we are so desperately seeking? >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/andrea.bohnstedt%40ra… >> >> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform >> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and >> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT >> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. >> >> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors >> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, >> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do >> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. >> > > > > -- > Andrea Bohnstedt <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/andreabohnstedt> > Publisher > > www.ratio-magazine.com > www.africa-assets.com > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/info%40alyhussein.com > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform > for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. > > KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, > share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do > not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. >

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Taxation of IT equipment
by Edith Adera 20 May '13

20 May '13

Listers, Does anyone know if tax is levied on used IT equipment - for this case Wireless Antennas? Pls let me know. Edith

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Re: [kictanet] [mediaeditors] Safaricom's Super Profits
by Edith Adera 20 May '13

20 May '13

Alison, This provides some interesting insights. To what extent is consumer behaviour a factor in the equation here? Kenyans seem to be very peculiar. For e.g. the Ghanaian market seems to have different consumer behaviour resulting in very vibrant tariff offerings lowering prices compared to Kenya and consumers move to other networks when unsatisfied, we simply don't, why? So in Ghana you have MSPs tripping over each other offering all sorts of incentives - so you have a semblance of true competition. I wonder what your RIA results for Ghana show over the past decade? RIA may want to explore a qualitative study (if you haven't already done so) to accompany your current analysis to explain the numbers and trends with a human face. Indeed, I look forward to the results of your study on Kenya (with some comparative analysis) and the face2face interaction. I do hope you will have a structured debate on KICTANET once you study results are out. Edith From: Alison Gillwald [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: May 18, 2013 10:11 PM To: Ali Hussein Cc: Edith Adera; KICTAnet - Media Editors Forum; alice(a)apc.org Munyua; Christoph Stork; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions; Margaret Nyambura Subject: Re: [kictanet] [mediaeditors] Safaricom's Super Profits Interesting discussion! In response to Ali's comments I would point out that infrastructure industries are by nature imperfect markets because of the bottleneck facilities or natural monopoly elements in them. That is why we need effective regulation of them. It is true that privatisation turned the old PSTN around, but it was also able to exploit its incumbency. The dominance of historical incumbents of the backbone facilities or even just the significant market power that Safaricom has leveraged off that in the mobile market makes it very difficult to compete in any of these markets, especially when Safaricom is able further to leverage its scale in the marker to extend it scope with new services and applications - especially killer applications such as Mpesa, as mentioned - and not very attractive for new market entrants. Competitors really require their strategies to be disruptive if they are going to succeed in such entrenched markets, but even then this is very difficult as it requires the competitor to do something that the dominant operator cannot simply emulate. Celtel/Zain tried this with the one network, which was good for consumers in that it ended roaming charges across East Africa (and indeed their extended networks into central and west Africa) and had it worked might have given Zain's mobile money offering at the time the step up it needed to compete in the early days of Mpesa, but Safaricom responded to this threat by joining forces with the dominant operators in Uganda and Tanzania to offer free roaming across their networks and the rest, as they say, is history. Bharti Airtel tried to disrupt the market with its low cost mobile business model across its African markets as it had done successfully in India, but even the significant call termination (monopoly element) rate reductions did not enable it to do so (and the moratorium on rate reductions did not help). Yet our RIA data shows that although Safaricom's mobile prices remain the most expensive, there has been considerable competitive pressure on them and they have reduced their prices significantly during the period of the glide path. And though there marketshare is marginally down, their traffic and profits are up (despite all the complaining)! (In Nigeria as someone mentioned, MTN's dominance of the market and pricing, without as significant interconnection regulation, has not been shaken at all and Airtel has not been able to disrupt that market with their low cost mobile model and is now very marginal there, while MTN too enjoys super-profits). On that score, I don't think super-profits of dominant players send positive signal to investors in regulated 'competitive' markets, especially if some players are close to exiting the market. I think it sends messages that the regulator or competition authority are not able to adjust the dominant ( possibly anti-competitive) behaviour of the incumbent and create a level playing field for new entrants for them to see a return on the investments within a reasonable period. And all that being said, what we are seeing in our analysis of price trends is a need to examine voice and data offering and pricing in relation to each other... in South Africa for example MTN has not entered into the price war on voice (other than through MTN zone, but their standard rates remain unchanged, while Vodacom is trying to undercut, CellC and 8ta) but they are very competitive on their data offerings, and their revenues streams are showing this - but of course even this is very difficult to measure externally as people are buying airtime for voice and loading it for data. We are working with our Kenyan network partners on an analysis on voice and data prices and regulatory implications, which they will be releasing shortly and should shed some light on this. And just to add that the regulator can only do what it can do in terms of implementing the law. If the solution lies in increasing competition (which probably won't address Safaricom's dominance on its own) or structural separation of the incumbent into a open access common carrier, with separate service offering, which is more likely to - but would raise all the risk of dismantling the economies of scope and scale (with the associated nework effects) of vertical integration that has enabled Safaricom's success in offering high value services to consumers - then policy makers will need to act, not the regulator (though they if they have a view I guess they could be more active in advising Government). Enough. Alison Alison Gillwald (PhD) l Executive Director: Research ICT Africa l 409 The Studios, Old Castle Brewery, 6 Beach Road, Woodstock, Cape Town 7925l l Tel: +27 21 4476332 Fax: +27 21 4479529 l Box 228, Green Point 8051 l Adjunct Professor UCT Graduate School of Business, Management of Infrastructure Reform and Regulation. See www.researchICTafrica.net<http://www.researchICTafrica.net/> for details on latest publications On 18 May 2013, at 7:14 PM, Ali Hussein <ali(a)hussein.me.ke<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Edith I don't believe this is a case only for the regulator. What happens when in a few years a new player becomes dominant again? The market isn't perfect but its the best we have. Regulation is part of this equation. But I don't think it should be used to break up companies or restrict them from operating because the competition proved too weak to compete. What do we think the monopolies commission in this country will do? Do we have any example of what they have done to curb so called monopolies? I'm not really so sure that this is a mandate of CCK to deal with. How does the CCK enhance competition? In this I think CCK is executing as well as they can. It is now upon the market to correct the inconsistencies and inefficiencies. In my unfinished post I meant to say for every Microsoft there is a Google lurking somewhere. What regulation and Government fails to correct the market surely will. Have we forgotten that Kencell at some point was leading the market and thought that the mobile phone was only for the elite? That Safaricom was part of the KP&TC (for those of you who don't remember that's Kenya Posts & Telecommunications Corporation) and that if you wanted a top up you had to go to a hole in the wall at Telecoms House to pay and then wait for a few hours for the airtime to be updated to your phone? Safaricom was unleashed through privatization and reinvented itself. Another one is lurking in the corner to eat Safaricom's lunch and that I will bet will not be any government regulation. It will be you and me who will finally vote with our wallets when we finally get a better alternative. Meanwhile, we continue to suffer - but clearly not in silence. :) Ali Hussein CEO | 3mice interactive media Ltd Principal | Telemedia Africa Ltd +254 713 601113 "The future belongs to him who knows how to wait." - Russian Proverb Sent from my iPad On May 18, 2013, at 7:33 PM, Edith Adera <eadera(a)idrc.ca<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Well articulated Walu!! Time to hear from CCK? Wangusi? Matano and co? Edith From: kictanet [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Walubengo J Sent: May 18, 2013 5:20 PM To: Edith Adera Cc: KICTAnet - Media Editors Forum; Christoph Stork; Alison Gillwald; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] [mediaeditors] Safaricom's Super Profits True that, Ali, I also share your view in that ill-informed Regulatory intervention can cause more problems than what it expects to solve. For example, I would be uncomfortable with CCK slapping the internet market with Price controls similar to what we are seeing in the Energy sector. This could be counterproductive since the investors in the telco industry may suddenly feel the sector is no longer attractive. What I expect the Regulator to do instead is to enhance competition - which obviously exists only on paper - given Safaricom close to 75% market share. I recall the former Safcom CEO, MJ saying they should not be punished for working their way to the top of the industry but still dissect the implications of a dominant, almost monopolistic player to the overall economy. Perfect competition is known to have the highest social dividend in that users can move freely between suppliers, suppliers compete on price and so must be extremely efficient in their operations by being innovative, the move to the untapped markets (the unconnected) etc. A monopoly tends to do the opposite and dictates pricing since it knows you are going nowhere... Am really not sure what the Regulator should do to fix a market failure - which I think is what we have in the internet sector. But that is why we pay the DG and his Directors good money to tell us what they intend to do or are already doing to address this elephant in room. walu. ________________________________ From: Ali Hussein <ali(a)hussein.me.ke<mailto:[email protected]>> To: jwalu(a)yahoo.com<mailto:[email protected]> Cc: KICTAnet - Media Editors Forum <mediaeditors(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:[email protected]>>; Christoph Stork <christoph.stork(a)googlemail.com<mailto:[email protected]>>; Alison Gillwald <agillwald(a)researchictafrica.net<mailto:[email protected]>>; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:[email protected]>> Sent: Saturday, May 18, 2013 2:41 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] [mediaeditors] Safaricom's Super Profits Edith and all Super profits and all I think that Safaricom is reaping from a field where others are blind (the analogy bring that it is the one eyed king). Safaricom is definitely extremely sensitive to product innovation and working towards engaging their customers more. However my suspicion is that they haven't even started scratching the surface. Quality issues aside if they really really started monetizing their most critical asset (real time customer information and habits) and started putting them to use they will easily double the super profits. Safaricom is 'suffering' from the Network effect. Loosely defined is the lethargy and lack of incentive for customers like you and I to move to another network even as we complain about it's arrogance. They have been so successful in keeping you in their gilded garden that for you to move means that you are literally pushing yourself out of n ecosystem that works reasonably week. I'm not sure whether this is a regulator issue as it is a Market issue. Or maybe a combination of both? That is a case study waiting to be written. The history of regulation is littered with Governments attempts and ultimate failure to break up monopolies created not out of Government action but by sheer entrepreneurial and management chops. Cases that come to mind include:- 1. The Anti Trust Laws of the late 1890s in the US that broke up Standard Oil into bits and pieces. It took less than 50 years for the offspring of that juggernaut to dominate again. 2. The attempted and almost successful break up of Microsoft by Government. It took the market to make Microsoft irrelevant. Google, Facebook, Amazon anyone? 3. Recent noi Ali Hussein CEO | 3mice interactive media Ltd Principal | Telemedia Africa Ltd +254 713 601113 "The future belongs to him who knows how to wait." - Russian Proverb Sent from my iPad On May 18, 2013, at 1:23 PM, otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com<mailto:[email protected]> wrote: + 1 Walu, Speaking from an Internet Society perspective whose mission statement is the Internet for all, I think the Universal Access fund has to be used to create the right balance, I think too many Telcos are focusing on slicing Safaricoms Market share instead of venturing into the untapped and unprofitable market segments in the Bundu's, IMHO, therein lies the problem, we want to see whether the Universal Access fund board itasema, na itende. Best Regards Sent from my BlackBerry(r) -----Original Message----- From: Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com<mailto:[email protected]>> Sender: "kictanet" <kictanet-bounces+otieno.barrack=gmail.com(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:[email protected]>>Date: Sat, 18 May 2013 03:16:11 To: <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com<mailto:[email protected]>> Reply-To: Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com<mailto:[email protected]>> Cc: KICTAnet - Media Editors Forum<mediaeditors(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:[email protected]>>; Christoph Stork<christoph.stork(a)googlemail.com<mailto:[email protected]>>; Alison Gillwald<agillwald(a)researchictafrica.net<mailto:[email protected]>>; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:[email protected]>> Subject: Re: [kictanet] [mediaeditors] Safaricom's Super Profits _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:[email protected]> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/otieno.barrack%40gmai… The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:[email protected]> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/info%40alyhussein.com The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:[email protected]> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:[email protected]> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/info%40alyhussein.com The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

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Secrets of Safaricom’s Sh25bn profit and huge market share
by Grace Githaiga 18 May '13

18 May '13

N SUMMARYSmall investors hold a 25-per cent stake in the company, Vodafone Plc of the United Kingdom has 40 per cent and the Kenyan government owns 35 per centThe company’s total revenue stood at Sh124 billion (from Sh107 billion in 2012), meaning it has an average daily income of Sh336 million. This is the biggest daily turnover in Kenya and the region, according to Safaricom chief executive Bob CollymoreSafaricom was launched as a department of Kenya Posts & Telecommunications Corporation based on an analogue network http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/Secrets-of-Safaricoms-super-profit/-/…

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ICT summit to chart way for digital services in county govts
by Grace Githaiga 18 May '13

18 May '13

Stakeholders in the ICT industry converge in Mombasa next week to take stock of Kenya’s developments in the technology scene and develop a strategy to deepen digitisation of government operations. http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate-News/ICT-summit-to-chart-way-f…

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Why I have a gripe with dishing out of Cabinet responsibilities
by Grace Githaiga 18 May '13

18 May '13

IN SUMMARYI would have preferred the ICT docket to remain under someone who was not nominated but had become synonymous with the sector, outgoing PS Bitange Ndemohttp://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/I-have-a-gripe-with-Cabinet/-/440808/1856480/-/hst1qmz/-/index.html

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Safaricom's Super Profits
by Edith Adera 18 May '13

18 May '13

Listers, Making or breaking records is fine (I've no problem with that). But what does it say when a company makes "super profits" as it's termed in economics? Are we getting the consumer price right? Is this the case of "market position and market power<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_power>"? Despite regulation, competition and trying to level the playing field etc, the Kenyan telecom market is still not right! It requires further research to unearth the sticky issues! why are consumer prices still so high? What's so "PECULIAR" about Kenyans as Michael Joseph once remarked? Reflective Edith

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FW: Safaricom's Super Profits
by Edith Adera 18 May '13

18 May '13

Listers, See response below from Dr Alison Gilwald who has been leading the studies I referred to in multiple African countries (about 25 countries) - I think we are onto something interesting here in trying to unearth what is going on in the Kenyan telecom market. See her email below. I'm glad that a lot of the people we know and are members of the list are involved in these comparative studies. Walu/Grace, I think we need a structured debate once the team has released the Kenyan study and policy brief (I hope they will have a face2face meeting in Kenya too). We need to have this debate and the new Cabinet Secretary clearly has his job cut out! We need to address this market imperfection that keeps consumer prices too high! Edith From: Alison Gillwald [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: May 18, 2013 6:55 PM To: Edith Adera Cc: alice(a)apc.org Munyua; Margaret Nyambura; Prof. T. Mwololo Waema; Christoph Stork; Enrico Calandro Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safaricom's Super Profits Dear Edith You are absolutely right. The dominance of Safaricom (biggest market share of any competitive market in Africa I'm sure) and its ability to leverage for its mobile money services, allows it to extract these near-monopoly rents. Though our research does demonstrate the positive effects of mobile termination rate reductions in Kenya which have allowed smaller players to put pressure on it. We were putting together a policy brief on pre-paid mobile and broadband pricing (which we are finding increasingly need to be examined in relation to each other) with Alice Munyua and Margaret Nyambura in Cape Town last week at our research workshop, but it was not finalised before they left. Will follow up with them and Tim (we were expanding the pricing section in the Kenyan country report with Nyambura - and thought we could launch the report with the pricing policy brief), but perhaps we should fast track that. As more people move onto data services and the Internet, quality of service becomes a much greater issue. QoS is really the flip side of pricing. We are doing a pilot test in SA which is showing that no operators are delivering what they advertise and customers are paying for. We are hoping to roll this out to five more countries and are liaising with Michuki Mwangi at internet Society on this. Will keep you posted. Warm regards Alison Alison Gillwald (PhD) l Executive Director: Research ICT Africa l 409 The Studios, Old Castle Brewery, 6 Beach Road, Woodstock, Cape Town 7925l l Tel: +27 21 4476332 Fax: +27 21 4479529 l Box 228, Green Point 8051 l Adjunct Professor UCT Graduate School of Business, Management of Infrastructure Reform and Regulation. See www.researchICTafrica.net<http://www.researchICTafrica.net/> for details on latest publications On 18 May 2013, at 11:35 AM, Edith Adera <eadera(a)idrc.ca<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Barrack and Ngethe, I think otherwise. The super-profits seem to arise NOT from "real productivity gains" or "reward from entrepreneurship" but from monopolizing access to the market (e.g. mpesa has tied people to Safaricom; consumer behavior of not shifting despite number portability or poor quality of service as Barrack points out or high price of service or the availability of other money transfer options - etc etc etc). Here is where the "PECULIAR" behavior of Kenyans needs to be unearthed - We need to "peel off the mask" if I can borrow those words. So this has created some ARTIFICIAL "exclusivity" of Safaricom products creating monopolistic or oligopolistic tendencies in the Kenyan telecom market. So you cannot entirely blame Safaricom for this state of affairs, we need to get to the "kernel" of the issue to understanding why the Kenyan market seems to be so unique and consumer prices are just not coming down!! (maybe Kenya is not alone?) I would really like to hear from Research ICT Africa who have been carrying out consistent research studies (for the last 10 years or more) comparatively examining over 22 telecom markets in Africa (including Kenya) under the title "Telecommunication Sector Performance Reviews" (http://www.researchictafrica.net/publications.php) - our own Prof. Waema, Muriuki Mureithi, Dr Adeya have been leading the Kenyan studies. I have also copied Christorph Stork and Alison Gilwald, why Kenya is different? Would also be great to hear from Matano (CCK)? Edith -----Original Message----- From: ngethe.kariuki2007(a)yahoo.co.uk<mailto:[email protected]> [mailto:[email protected]<http://yahoo.co.uk>] Sent: May 18, 2013 11:48 AM To: Edith Adera; kictanet Cc: KICTAnet - Media Editors Forum; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safaricom's Super Profits Edith,Listers, Interesting questions raised.The results are not entirely unexpected and that is why,inter alia, CCK and Competition Authority were established. John Kariuki Sent from my BlackBerry(r) -----Original Message----- From: Edith Adera <eadera(a)idrc.ca<mailto:[email protected]>> Sender: "kictanet" <kictanet-bounces+ngethe.kariuki2007=yahoo.co.uk(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet-bounces+ngethe.kariuki2007=yahoo.co.uk@lists.kictanet.or.ke>> Date: Sat, 18 May 2013 08:38:42 To: <ngethe.kariuki2007(a)yahoo.co.uk<mailto:[email protected]>> Cc: KICTAnet - Media Editors Forum<mediaeditors(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:[email protected]>>; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:[email protected]>> Subject: [kictanet] Safaricom's Super Profits _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:[email protected]> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options athttps://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/ngethe.kariuki2007%40yahoo.co.uk The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

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Why are companies in Africa - From Telcos to Big Ticket Retailers - blind to the immense possibilities of BigData?
by Ali Hussein 18 May '13

18 May '13

There is a lot of talk about Big Data but in Africa we are playing at the fringes of this immense opportunity. From Telcos to Big Ticket retailers to National Postal Services with immense customer information on behavioral trends we seem to just stop there. What is hindering us? Is this too much Mumbo Jumbo? What can we do to unlock this mindset and tap into the treasure trove awaiting us on the other side? Ali Hussein CEO | 3mice interactive media Ltd Principal | Telemedia Africa Ltd +254 713 601113 "The future belongs to him who knows how to wait." - Russian Proverb Sent from my iPad

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