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Ethiopia on International Optical Fibre!!!!!
by Brian Longwe 21 Nov '06

21 Nov '06

Hi all, You may not believe this but I am sitting in Addis right now and seeing latency of 120ms on a ping to BBC in the UK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apparently the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) did a deal with Sudan to get access by extending the national fibre optic between two towns close to the border. Interestingly enough this came about after another project to link Ethiopia via Eritrea stalled due to cross-border negotiations. At an estimated project cost of approx US$690,000 the country now has fairly good internet connectivity. The project was initiated in February this year and completed by August with 34 Mbps from Verizon. An invitation for bids to provide 155Mbps (STM-1) was also launched at the same time. This is a v. good example of how terrestrial networks can provide a quick alternative means of providing international connectivity. Regards, Brian

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KENYA BEGINS THE COUNTDOWN TO CHEAP INTERNATIONAL FIBRE
by alice＠apc.org 20 Nov '06

20 Nov '06

TOP STORY: KENYA BEGINS THE COUNTDOWN TO CHEAP INTERNATIONAL FIBRE from Balancing Act _____________________________________________________________________ It’s like waiting for a matatu. You wait for ages and none come along. But just when you’re about to give up hope, three come along at the same time, all trying to come to a screaming halt in front of you. Kenya now has three (or more) potential international fibre projects that could be complete within 12 months. Each one is loudly proclaiming that it will deliver cheap international bandwidth. Russell Southwood took the temperature in the market last week about what the impact of this bandwidth will be upon the market. The Kenya Government has signed an MOU to build a fibre link to Fujairah in the UAE currently costed at Ksh5.7 billion. The construction and supply contract will be awarded early next year and the project, dubbed The East African Marine System (Teams), will be ready by November, according to a joint statement issued by both parties from Dubai. Many in the sector believe that it will be more like 19 months or more before completion. The Kenya Government will have a 40 per cent holding in the project, Etisalat 20% and the remaining 40% will go to investors in the East African region. The Government has said it will organise an IPO on the Kenyan Stock Exchange. Several Kenyan companies have expressed interest and one said that the Government had told them it would “guarantee their loan”. The details of the finance package have not yet been settled but it is unclear where the Kenyan Government will raise its 40% from. Will the World Bank simply shift a portion of its EASSy funding to the new project as many think likely? The Government’s commitment to a 12 month schedule is a bold move but one that must lay them open to a certain amount of scepticism. The tender for expressions of interest was only issued 2 weeks ago and Government timetabling is notoriously slow compared to the private sector. Apparently the Private Secretary has been telling interested parties that the Government wants prices comparable to those to be found in India in 12 months time. This benchmark has been set in order that Kenya will be able to compete in the international outsourcing market. Apparently a number of interested parties said that they would put up all the money to build it if they could have a monopoly and he sent them away disappointed. But more worryingly one interested party told us that it could only get involved if it also allowed Telkom Kenya to be a shareholder. The next international fibre project is KDN’s and it has now signed its contract with Flag Telecom. Its link from Mombasa will terminate in an undersea junction in international waters off of the Yemen. It says the link will be fully operational in the first quarter of 2008, just 15 months away. The company believes that it will come to market with capacity at $500 per mbps pm but that the price of bandwidth will go up to those wanting to invest as time passes. In other words, for those who commit early prices will be lowest and for those who come in late, prices will go higher. It also stresses that its landing station at Mombasa will allow other carriers to co-locate there charging only electricity and services at cost. So this leaves the third project EASSy looking as if it will be the third runner. NEPAD appears to have made little more progress on persuading more African Governments to sign its political protocol. And whilst the members of the EASSy consortium (that still includes KDN and Telkom Kenya) are still moving things forward, there remains a disconnect between the political and commercial ends of the project. If both of the above projects go ahead, there is clearly much less need to build the Mombasa-Djibouti section of the route and it has to be said that both of the above projects have better international connection points. As if three were not enough, Ethiopia’s ETC has now had its international fibre connection working effectively for two months via Port Sudan and Saudi Arabia. But because it is landlocked and it had endless fruitless arguments with Djibouti Telecom over control of a possible fibre link, it wants to find a second international fibre connection. Therefore it is in serious conversations with both of Kenya’s fibre network operators about connecting to the Mombasa links when they are ready. If this goes ahead, both it and Kenya will then have two international fibre links. Because the process of getting the international fibre to Kenya has been both confusing and “on-off”, everyone in the market (including customers) have understandably not really grasped the impact of its arrival on their businesses. Until now ISPs and satellite resellers have largely been in the businesses of living on the margin they make between buying and selling bandwidth. These margins have been kept high as they have concentrated on selling to comparatively few customers. Ironically it has been a high-price, low volume business where their primary commodity – bandwidth – has always been in short supply, not least because some of them increased their margin by contending it as much as possible. This has meant that bandwidth quality is often variable at best for those not paying “top dollar” for a premium service. If you argue that international fibre prices should be low price, high volume, then the national business model changes: what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Bandwidth becomes cheap and plentiful at a sub $1000 threshold. The margins that can then be charged make it difficult for those who are not operating at volume to stay in business. However it does now open up opportunities for new services, content and applications that can be sold to customers who should now be paying European prices for real broadband connections (1-2 meg upwards) rather than the paltry 64 kbps they are currently receiving. There are at least 500,000 households in Kenya that are at an income level that make them potential targets for broadband. It would take only half of those households to sign up for there to be the beginnings of a very different market. The real sign that the market has not “got it” is that some key ISPs are not passing on the information about these soon-to-be cheap prices but are seeking to protect their high margins by telling customers higher prices. A heads-up, guys. The sector is a village and news will get round quickly and we’ll encourage the circulation of this price information. The market’s about to change, get ready to change with it. At the national level, there is now a third source of fibre capacity. Jamii Telecommunications has signed an agreement with the Kenya Light and Power Company (KPLC) to sell an STM1’s worth of its fibre capacity in Nairobi and Mombasa, with KPLC saying that it will triple its capacity shortly. Two other companies – CTN and Cable Vision – have been granted a licence to sell KPLC’s capacity and it is telling (in terms of the argument above) that both are in the video download and pay-TV business. Not so far afield, Tanzanian power utility TANESCO is currently building out fibre capacity and has invited bids to sell this capacity. Again KDN is poised to make a fibre connection to Tanzania. However a recent ping on the Kampala-Nairobi route shows that neither KDN nor Telkom Kenya has got its fibre route operational. KDN is promising it will be operational by the end of first quarter 2007 and that prices will be 20% cheaper. Elsewhere in the market, the new VoIP operators are finding it difficult to get interconnection agreements and to get proper service from interconnect service providers. Telkom Kenya is charging absurdly high prices but has at least reached interconnect agreements. Nevertheless the new fixed wireless operators – Flashcom and Popote – are having difficulties: customers are unable to receive or make calls to certain countries. Apparently anyone who calls a customer number of these fixed wireless operators from Germany gets a number unobtainable. Access Kenya’s Yello VoIP service has been aimed at corporates and has attracted 250 customers who generate 120,000 minutes a month. But it has had difficulty getting interconnection agreements with the mobile operators. It made a complaint to regulator CCK in April and became so frustrated that it said it would run an advertisement publicising the position. Safaricom came back to the table but Celtel refuses to enter discussions, saying that it will do so in its own time. Kenyan ISPs are under heavy pressure from all the new operators. Flashcom and Popote are taking more money from data than voice at the moment as customers are primarily signing up for cheaper Internet access. Also the introduction of EDGE services by Safaricom is eating into their high-end customers: one ISP’s CEO admitted privately that he was losing hundreds of customers a month to these new competitors. The challenge for everyone in the market will be whether they can take the soon-to-arrive cheaper international bandwidth and use it to transform the market. ____________________________________________________________________

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ITU appoints first African Secretary General ....
by alice＠apc.org 15 Nov '06

15 Nov '06

Dear all http://allafrica.com/stories/200611130952.html An African, Mali's Hamadoun Toure, Friday became the new Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) after polling 95 votes over Germany's Mr. Mathias Kurth, who got 60 votes for the exalted position. Member states of the ITU elected Mr Touré of Mali as Secretary-General for a four-year term. The election took place in Antalya, Turkey during the 17th ITU Plenipotentiary Conference. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Francis and all I also congratulate Mr Touré for his election as Secretary general of ITU, and I'm happy for my African friends for them to have one of theirs at the head of this oldest UN Agency. However I'd be less enthusiastic as Francis for at least three reasons : - Mr Touré was the Director of the Development Bureau of ITU (ITU-D) during eight years, and during his mandate most of the insiders and observers admit that telecom development in Africa has got more "asymmetric" than ever. Whereas the mobile "market" grew substantially, especially in large metropolitan areas, managing even new generation wireless (so called 3G wireless) services to be deployed in these privileged areas, the villages and largest country areas of the continent still are waiting for their hypothetical connection to the ICT/telecom network. What’s more, some African countries have even declined in terms of telecom services to their population ( Central African Republic, DR Congo, etc) during these years. At last, the pan-African network Panaftel, established in the eighties for interconnecting African countries, steadily declined as did most of the fixed terrestrial networks in a large number of African countries. - Instead of network development, the priority of ITU-D during Mr Touré’s mandate was telecom sector “reform”, i.e. deregulation following –and in some cases even exceeding- the Worldbank credo and demand. So far this “sector reform” didn’t prove its efficiency. Moreover, it left some African countries in a more critical situation and demonstrated large collapses (Guinea, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, …). Who will ever try to appraise the huge amount of money lost in this process ? - As far as recent African network development is concerned, ITU is remarkably absent from both the design devising and the decision making processes. This is largely demonstrated in the SAT-3/WASC sub-marine cable, the EASSy project, Infinity project, EADTS, etc, but also in major countries’ ICT/telecoms Master Plans design (Cameroon, DR Congo, …). Here is the true place for ITU-D for proving its commitment and its competence for actual African telecoms development. Should I add that during the entire WSIS process, ITU wasn’t very “SC friendly” and failed to keep the leadership in large debates on how to bridge actually the digital divide and how to finance this profound injustice. Therefore; let’s keep cool and let the new SG take the most urgent and still awaited decisions such as real and concrete actions on bridging the “digital divide” ; more than twenty years after the Maitland’s Report it is highest time to awake in the (ITU) “ tower” ! And second, let the new SG take the appropriate decisions as soon as possible on an actual CS inclusive ITU, especially in the view of implementing the WSIS Action plan objectives and its follow-up on a real muliti-stakeholder basis. For both these issues, I simply recall the three proposals CSDPTT submitted to the ITU Council in January (in the view of the Plenipotentiary Conference), without any reaction nor response of ITU-D since then despite it was in the very centre of these proposals. Best Jean-Louis Fullsack CSDPTT - France > Message du 13/11/06 20:08 > De : "Dr. Francis MUGUET" > A : plenary(a)wsis-cs.org > Copie à : > Objet : [WSIS CS-Plenary] Mali's Hamadoun Toure, new Secretary-General of > the ITU > > [Please note that by using 'REPLY', your response goes to the entire list. > Kindly use individual addresses for responses intended for specific > people] > > Click http://wsis.funredes.org/plenary/ to access automatic translation of > this message! > _______________________________________ > > Dear friends > > ( un msg en français suit ) > > Since this excellent piece of news has not been seemingly posted > on the plenary list. > Congratulatiions to first African Secretary-General of the ITU, > who, coincidence or fate, belongs to the same country > as Adama Samassékou to whom WSIS Civil Society owes so much. > > --------------------- > http://allafrica.com/stories/200611130952.html > > An African, Mali's Hamadoun Toure, Friday became the new > Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) > after polling 95 votes over Germany's Mr. Mathias Kurth, who got 60 > votes for the exalted position. > > Member states of the ITU elected Mr Touré of Mali as Secretary-General > for a four-year term. The election took place in Antalya, Turkey during > the 17th ITU Plenipotentiary Conference. Mr Touré won the position with > 95 votes with 155 countries present and voting, and thus the required > majority for election was 78 votes. > > The majority emerged in the third round of voting, with Mr Mathias Kurth > of Germany receiving 60 votes. > > The election showed the deft diplomacy of Toure who had come to the ITU > conference last year in Abuja with one message from the Malian > government: "To support the country to run for the highest position at > the ITU." Every country-delegate present pledged to support Mali, and by > implication, Toure. But that development effectively killed the spirit > of every person who would have been eyeing that position and vouchsafed > it for Toure. Last weekend, he triumphed. > > Addressing the Conference after the results of the vote, Mr Touré told > the 1500 delegates from around the world that he would work with > transparency, objectivity and vigour to realize the two main objectives > that were central to his campaign: to eliminate the digital divide and > to ensure that cyberspace would become more secure. He said, "The > Millennium Development Goals that were endorsed by all the world's > leaders as well as the WSIS resolutions are the ingredients we need to > get down to work." > > Mr Hamadoun Touré holds a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from > the Technical Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications of > Leningrad and Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) from the University of > Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics of Moscow. After six > years at the Office des Postes et Télécommunications du Mali (OPT) Mali, > he joined Intelsat as Group Director & Regional Director in 1985 until > he became Director-General, Africa, of ICO Global Communications in > 1996. Elected Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau in > 1998, he was elected for a second term in 2002. > > In the election, Houlin Zhao of China was elected Deputy > Secretary-General in the first round with 93 votes. Carlos SÃ¡nchez of > Spain obtained 34 votes while T. Ayhan Beydoan of Turkey received 28. > John Ray Kwabena Tandoh of Ghana had announced the withdrawal of his > candidature prior to the start of the election. > > Thanking the members and, in particular, the People's Republic of China, > for placing their confidence in him, Houlin Zhao remarked that the post > of Deputy Secretary-General holds a strategic importance in the Union. > He said that he would do his best to assist the Secretary-General elect > and the three Directors as well as the membership to make ITU a more > dynamic organization that would contribute to the emerging global > Information Society. As outgoing Director of TSB, he said he was > confident that "ITU-T will meet the future challenges of ICT > standardization this century." > > Graduated from Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China > in 1975, Mr Zhao received a Master degree of Science in telematics, > University of Essex (United Kingdom) in 1985. From 1975 to 1986, he held > various engineering positions at Ministry of Posts and > Telecommunications, China. In 1986, he joined ITU as a staff member of > the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) until his election as > Director of the TSB in 1998. He was re-elected in his position at the > 2002 Marrakesh Plenipotentiary Conference. > > Outgoing Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi leaves behind him a more > efficient and effective organization, offering a wider portfolio of more > relevant services that led to a 19 per cent increase in private sector > membership and a recommitment of the private sector to the work of ITU. > His tenure was characterized by efficiency measures that led to savings > equivalent to CHF 75 million out of a total budget of CHF 335 million on > average per biennium as well as the introduction of operational > planning, results-based budgeting and time-tracking across the > organization, resulting in a substantial overhaul of the organization. > Along with cost recovery, these measures created new sources of revenue > that led to a reduction in the contributions to be paid by members, > despite growing demands and cost increases. > > From a strategic perspective, Mr Utsumi successfully refocused ITU as a > policy-oriented organization by introducing new issues to ensure its > continuing relevance, with the successful organization of the World > Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) which provides a common > understanding and vision as well as a clear roadmap to building the > Information Society by 2015. He also strengthened the role of ITU in the > coordination of policy issues among Member States. Through this process, > ITU has asserted its leading role in the broader domain of the > Information Society. > > > > -- > > ------------------------------------------------------ > Francis F. MUGUET Ph.D > > MDPI Foundation Open Access Journals > Associate Publisher > http://www.mdpi.org http://www.mdpi.net > muguet(a)mdpi.org muguet(a)mdpi.net > > ENSTA Paris, France > KNIS lab. Director > "Knowledge Networks & Information Society" (KNIS) > muguet(a)ensta.fr http://www.ensta.fr/~muguet > > World Summit On the Information Society (WSIS) > Civil Society Working Groups > Scientific Information : http://www.wsis-si.org chair > Patents & Copyrights : http://www.wsis-pct.org co-chair > Financing Mechanismns : http://www.wsis-finance.org web > > UNMSP project : http://www.unmsp.org > WTIS initiative: http://www.wtis.org > ------------------------------------------------------ > _______________________________________________ > Plenary mailing list > Plenary(a)wsis-cs.org > http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/plenary >

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Re: [Kictanet] [Fibre-for-africa] Re: [AfrISPA.Discuss] Ethiopia on Internatio nal Optical Fibre!!!!!
by Brian Longwe 13 Nov '06

13 Nov '06

On Nov 13, 2006, at 4:30 PM, Mark J Elkins wrote: > Brian Longwe wrote: >> Hi all, >> >> You may not believe this but I am sitting in Addis right now and >> seeing latency of 120ms on a ping to BBC in the UK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! > How about a Traceroute? Traceroute from Germany to Ethiopia Traceroute www.inka.de -> 213.55.93.57 traceroute to 213.55.93.57 (213.55.93.57), 30 hops max, 40 byte packets 1 fe2-gw-user.z2.cix.ka-ip.net (193.197.184.18) 0.723 ms 0.388 ms 0.36 ms 2 Karlsruhe2.belwue.de (129.143.166.161) 0.553 ms 0.475 ms 0.466 ms 3 Karlsruhe1.belwue.de (129.143.166.137) 0.614 ms 0.501 ms 0.502 ms 4 Stuttgart1.belwue.de (129.143.1.7) 1.833 ms 1.728 ms 1.724 ms 5 Frankfurt1.belwue.de (129.143.1.26) 5.881 ms 5.875 ms 5.82 ms 6 ffm-k88-i1-geth1-2.telia.net (213.248.79.41) 5.878 ms 5.89 ms 5.863 ms 7 POS3-1.BR2.FFT1.ALTER.NET (146.188.67.85) 5.963 ms 6.063 ms 5.939 ms 8 so-0-2-0.TR2.FFT1.ALTER.NET (146.188.6.113) 6.392 ms 6.149 ms 6.212 ms 9 so-6-0-0.TR2.LND2.ALTER.NET (146.188.8.157) 20.908 ms 20.836 ms 21.076 ms 10 so-6-0-0.XR1.LND2.ALTER.NET (146.188.7.225) 20.865 ms 20.734 ms 21.156 ms 11 POS3-0.CR1.LND5.alter.net (158.43.233.241) 21.011 ms 20.837 ms 20.716 ms 12 fe0-0-0.gw13.lnd5.gbb.uk.uu.net (158.43.157.13) 21.048 ms 20.887 ms 21.107 ms 13 w0p45516.uk.customer.alter.net (158.43.48.250) 123.479 ms 123.987 ms 120.112 ms 14 213.55.90.204 (213.55.90.204) 120.539 ms 120.423 ms 120.434 ms 15 213.55.89.7 (213.55.89.7) 120.35 ms 121.031 ms 120.996 ms 16 213.55.90.162 (213.55.90.162) 135.938 ms 129.45 ms 143.033 ms

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Final Reminder - JKUAT IT SECURITY CERTIFICATE
by Bill Kagai 13 Nov '06

13 Nov '06

JKUAT CERTIFICATE IN IT SECURITY ETHICAL HACKING: SECURITY VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT, DETECTION AND PREVENTION – 20th November – 1st December 2006 [Full-Time - 8.30am to 5.00pm] VENUE JKUAT e-Government Academy- Juja Campus http://www.jkuategovacademy.ac.ke/itsecurity COURSE CONTENT This is a unique, authoritative, high-value, hands-on practical course which will provide participants with essential understanding of the tools, methodologies and vulnerabilities that hackers/intruders could employ to exploit the IT systems of their organisations. Most organisations now realise that in order to defend themselves against the threat of attack by hackers, crackers, and indeed any individual intent on causing disruption to their IT systems, IT staff must have an informed and current understanding of the present-day methodologies, tools, and vulnerabilities which allow these exploits to happen. This Ethical Hacking course is designed to educate IT professionals in order to allow them to defend systems against hacking attacks. During this course, participants will learn about the hacker mindset and become familiar with the tools and methodologies that are used to attack systems. Using state-of-the-art classroom setups, delegates work with LINUX/UNIX and Windows systems, and associated server software. A wide range of hacking tools and security auditing tools are used during the course. COURSE OBJECTIVES This course fulfils two vital objectives for anyone working in IT systems administration, IT security or IT support roles: 1.The course builds a strong awareness of the wide range of risks and threats now faced even by organisations which believe they have strong security solutions in place. 2.The course provides delegates with a solid understanding of the control measures that need to be put in place in order to limit an organisation's vulnerabilities and risk of attack. By the end of this course, the participant will have learnt about: -The tools, techniques and methodologies employed by hackers in a dedicated lab environment. -How hackers can collect and assimilate information about an organisation's infrastructure whilst avoiding detection. -How information may be used to assess your IT systems' weaknesses and subsequently launch an attack against target systems. -The techniques that are typically used to gain access into a system. -The types of tools that are used to elevate access on a system. -The techniques used by hackers to conceal their tracks and the methods via which access to a target system may be maintained. -The limitations of security firewall systems and the tools used to bypass them. -How hackers bypass Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS). -Measures that you can employ to secure and protect information against hacker attacks. COURSE SPECIAL FEATURES -Targeted Tracks: You will benefit from the expertise of industry front-runners, learn from real-world case studies and leave with everything you need to know to safeguard your wireless networks and devices -Tangible Take-Aways will be given to you including useful documents, guidelines and checklists that you can use as a springboard to your own initiatives. -Optimum networking opportunities are available through breaks, receptions, and luncheons. You will have the opportunity to talk shop with information security professionals and you will return to the office with new ideas and fresh contacts. -Transport (From KICC in Nairobi to the Academy in Juja and Back, Lunch and Teas -Obtain materials in 2 easy ways: -At the Training you will receive bound volumes of the conference materials -After the Training: download the materials you want from the web with a special access code and burn on your CDs WHO SHOULD ATTEND Information Security Officers, Directors and Managers; Information Technology Auditors, Managers and Staff Network Security Managers and Administrators; Local Area Network Administrators Technical Support Staff; System Administrators; Others charged with mobile and wireless security responsibilities COST – Kshs 35,000 inclusive of Transport, Lunch and Teas TRANSPORT - JKUAT e-Government Academy will avail transport from KICC at 7.20am and from the JKUAT e-Government Academy at 5.20pm. HOW TO REGISTER - Please register by 15th November 2006. Application forms can be obtained from the contacts provided below or from the JKUAT e-Government Website www.jkuategovacademy.ac.ke Ngahu Kanyingi Technical Manager Circuits & Packets Communications Ltd P. O. Box 20311-00200, Nairobi Tel: 20-2728332 Fax: 20-2726965 Email. info(a)circuitspackets.co.ke Joel Kimilu Training Manager JKUAT e-Government Academy Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology P. O. Box 62000-00200, Nairobi Tel: 067-52420 /0736 524200/ 0724 256 696 Email. jkuates(a)jkuates.jkuat.ac.ke

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Read This! Does High Tech Require High Fiber? (TIME Europe magazine)
by Brian Longwe 12 Nov '06

12 Nov '06

http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/ 0,13005,901061023-1546311,00.html

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Fw: [DigAfrica] Stop infighting over EASSY
by alice＠apc.org 11 Nov '06

11 Nov '06

Hi all Is this a case of a good private sector initiative gone bad because of government interference or is it the other way round? best alice http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/14/531243 Stop infighting over EASSY Thursday, 9th November, 2006 THE arrival of an underwater optic fibre cable in East Africa has been delayed by infighting between governments and telecom companies. Yet the East African Submarine System's proposed 9,900 km of underwater cable between Port Sudan and Mtunzini in South Africa could do more to transform East African economies than any other single infrastructure project of equivalent cost. Today all East Africa's connections to the Internet and international broadband go by satellite. The rest of the world is connected by optical fibre cables that run between continents. These are faster and cheaper than satellite connections. Once EASSY arrives in East Africa, the cost of Internet and telephone connections will drop by an estimated 65 per cent which will make East African companies more efficient and more profitable. EASSY was supposed to arrive in 2007 but now it is delayed because no- one can agree who is in charge. Originally the big telecom companies across southern and eastern Africa were building it but in 2005 NEPAD and the World Bank decided that EASSY should be run on an `open access' basis to allow service operators access to the cable at cost. This is a beautiful idea in theory but who is going to pay? Big telecom companies like MTN and UTL are now obviously reluctant to pump in money if they are not going to get a commercial return. East African operators are now considering an alternative underwater cable connection to Fujairah in the Emirates yet this would retard the cause of African commercial integration. It is time for the infighting to stop. The telecom companies have got the financial muscle to make EASSY happen immediately. If governments are worried about open access, let them insist that the telecom companies provide it with a modest profit margin of, say, 10 per cent. But let's delay no longer. EASSY is something that East and Southern Africa needed yesterday. http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/14/531243

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Wireless Broadband Africa - Discount Rate for KictanetMembers
by A. Wanjira Munyua 11 Nov '06

11 Nov '06

Dear Sean and all Thank you for the 25% offer to KICTAnet members. However, I would like to request some free slots for KICTAnet members (at least 6 ) interested in attending especially those coming from the public sector and civil society. Any member wishing to use this mailing list to announce commercial events should have given KICTAnet slots/chance to have a role that does not require any payments. Given that network is not for profit. This is not targeted at AITEC but we do need to set a policy/ precedence to ensure that members can advertise for events that benefit KICTAnet and its members as a network. Thank you and best regards alice ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sean Moroney" <seanm(a)aitecafrica.com> To: <alice(a)apc.org> Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006 7:36 PM Subject: [Kictanet] Wireless Broadband Africa - Discount Rate for KictanetMembers > Dear Colleagues, > > > > AITEC is pleased to offer Kictanet members a 25% discount on the delegate > fee for the Wireless Broadband Conference we are holding at Hilton Hotel > over 29- Nov - 1 Dec. In addition, the first 50 delegates that register for > the main conference qualify to attend practical implementation workshops on > wireless technologies and CDMA free of charge. > > > > See our web site for the full programme - www.aitecafrica.com > <http://www.aitecafrica.com/> > > > > Please phone AITEC Kenya on 020-675-0802/020-2011233 to register. > > > > I look forward to seeing you at the conference. > > > > Regards, > > > > > > > > > > Sean Moroney > > AITEC Africa > > <mailto:seanm@aitecafrica.com> seanm(a)aitecafrica.com > > UK Tel: +44-(0)1480-880774 > > UK Fax: +44-(0)1480-880765 > > UK Mobile: +44(0)7973-499224 > > SA Mobile: +27(0)72-610-7153 > > Kenya Mobile: +254(0)721-845674 > > Skype: seanmoroney > > <http://www.aitecafrica.com/> www.aitecafrica.com > > > > > > > > > > > > For the detailed programme and to register as a delegate, log on to > www.aitecafrica.com > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/ki -- A. Wanjira Munyua National Coordinator, Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa (CATIA) Association for Progressive Communications (APC) alice(a)apc.org http://www.apc.org http://www.catia.ws Cell: +254 733 731074

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Re: [Kictanet] Re: India's Weaknesses
by Eric Osiakwan 11 Nov '06

11 Nov '06

Please permit me to send through Prof. Wilson's response since he is not on the list but he gives some insighful directions to the discussion. Point of correction, i meant "Quad" not "Squad". ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: "Ernest Wilson" <ewilson(a)cidcm.umd.edu> Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 15:59:15 -0400 >Eric- > >Excellent idea! > >There is an initiative with the World Bank Institute, led by their VP Frannie Leautier (a Tanzanian), and the Mandela Foundation to launch a series of Sci & Tech institutes in Africa. They've been fund raising etc etc. Might be worth refering to that. > >But it isnt clear that the WBI initiative has really seized the necessity of co-locating good firms and good universities and good govt support together. I think the first project for a 'ctr of excellence' is in Arusha. The indian IIT's are also involved in that project. > >Close cooperation across govt-pri-research-ngo is certainly much of the reasons for success, as you know, in Silicon Valley, plus Cambridge, Beijing, Sao Paulo, and of course Bangalore. (SEE new study by Harry Broadman "The New Silk Road: Chinese and Indian Initiatives in Africa", available on line thru the World Bank, where HB works.) > >Now it's Africa's turn to accelerate cross sector partnerships, and start co-locating and >developing these "Quad" relationships. > >cheers > > >Ernie > >Dr. Ernest J. Wilson III >Center for International Development and Conflict Management >University of Maryland >0145 Tydings Hall >College Park, MD 20742 >Tel: (301) 314-7711 >Fax: (301) 314-9256 >Email: ewilson(a)cidcm.umd.edu >http://www.cidcm.umd.edu >>>> "Eric Osiakwan" <eric(a)afrispa.org> 10/25/06 1:10 PM >>> > >Waudo said "Perhaps something could be done now before we find ourselves in India's >position" > >We all know that one of the demons that has held back Africa's rise is the DE-LINK between >industry and academia (research) and also with governments. Prof. Ernest Wilson's (of >Maryland University) squad model makes the argument that you need a constant interaction >between these constituencies for growth and innovation to take place. He argues that Silicon >Valley is a clear example. > >My proposition therefore as a way to answer the question above is to leverage the BPO >opportunity. Most African governments are at least on board the BPO wagon so my idea is, >lets establish the BPOs in the University environment given the current public policy >favouring. The BPO companys can take advantage of cheap but good student labour whiles >they build the real estate for their operations using university land on a "build operate and >handover basis". > >The Universities then get real estate which they use for their long term expansion of physical >infrastructure. The BPO companies get their work done cheaply and when they migrate in the >long term, much value would have being gained. The University students get work >experience for the long term job market entry and also interim cash to support their >University education. This also gives the non-computer related students some basic skills >and exposure and for the CS, EE etc students, they build their internal capacity not only to >take calls and do word processing but more technical stuff. They would soon be writing >software for those BPO companies. Mostly importantly this becomes the nucleus of the >government/academia/private sector LINKINING which would grow into other areas. > >Hence the value proposition of the BPO banwagon is, it gives us a foot into the door but we >must move up the value chain very quickly or we would end up doing the low end jobs which >would make us less competitive in the Knowledge economy. > >When I proposed this to my Ghana Cyber Group friend (Yaw Owusu, leading the way with a >private TechPark in Ghana) whom i have cced on this mail, he said, then the Tech Parks (BPOs >+ more) should be in the University/Research Environment and his example of been able to >acquire land from the Ghana CSIR which is close to the University of Ghana would be a good >prototype. > >This is the story am going to be telling at the the first University Leaders Forum in Cape >Town to which governments, academic leadership, private sector and Civil Society has being >convened. > >Eric here > > >---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- >From: waudo(a)signet.co.ke >Reply-To: Kenya ICT Policy - kictanet <kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke> >Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 09:53:47 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time) > >>Thanks to PS Ndemo for bringing this out. As for Wafula's question, the >>work force survey undertaken by the CSK earlier this year revealed that >>there is very little linkage between what the ICT training institutions >>(including Universities) are producing and the requirements of the >>industry either now or in the foreseeable future. Certainly there appear >>to be no mechanisms to facilitate such linkage. Perhaps something could be >>done now before we find ourselves in India's position. >> >> >>Kind Regards >>Waudo Siganga >> >>On Wed, October 25, 2006 9:22 am, TONY WAFULA wrote: >>> Good lesson , though wonder whether as a country we are ready to address >>> manpower shortage in this area. Just the other day Safaricom's Micheal >>> Joseph was lamenting about the same...are we checking what our >>> Universities are offering in relation to our projected needs? >>> >>> Regards >>> >>> Wafula >>> >>> bitange(a)jambo.co.ke wrote: >>> Hi Edith, >>> You must have been blogging. >>> >>> Regards >>> >>> >>> Ndemo. >>> >>> >>>> Certainly, a great lesson to learn from. >>>> >>>> Thanks for sharing the article! >>>> >>>> At / * 12:56 PM 10/24/2006, bitange(a)jambo.co.ke wrote / a *crit: >>>>>Dear All, >>>>>I think there are good lessons to learn from the article below. >>>>> >>>>>Regards >>>>> >>>>>Ndemo. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>October 17, 2006 >>>>>Skills Gap Hurts Technology Boom in India >>>>>By SOMINI SENGUPTA >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>TIRUCHENGODE, India >>>>> >>>>> As its technology companies soar to the outsourcing skies, India is >>>>>bumping up against an improbable challenge. In a country once regarded >>>>> as >>>>>a bottomless well of low-cost, ready-to-work, English-speaking >>>>> engineers, >>>>>a shortage looms. >>>>> >>>>>India still produces plenty of engineers, nearly 400,000 a year at last >>>>>count. But their competence has become the issue. >>>>> >>>>>A study commissioned by a trade group, the National Association of >>>>>Software and Service Companies, or Nasscom, found only one in four >>>>>engineering graduates to be employable. The rest were deficient in the >>>>>required technical skills, fluency in English or ability to work in a >>>>> team >>>>>or deliver basic oral presentations. >>>>> >>>>>The skills gap reflects the narrow availability of high-quality college >>>>>education in India and the galloping pace of the country's >>>>> service-driven >>>>>economy, which is growing faster than nearly all but China's. The >>>>> software >>>>>and service companies provide technology services to foreign companies, >>>>>many of them based in the United States. Software exports alone expanded >>>>>by 33 percent in the last year. >>>>> >>>>>The university systems of few countries would be able to keep up with >>>>> such >>>>>demand, and India is certainly having trouble. The best and most >>>>> selective >>>>>universities generate too few graduates, and new private colleges are >>>>>producing graduates of uneven quality. >>>>> >>>>>Many fear that the labor pinch may signal bottlenecks in other parts of >>>>>the economy. It is already being felt in the information technology >>>>>sector. >>>>> >>>>>With the number of technology jobs expected to nearly double to 1.7 >>>>>million in the next four years, companies are scrambling to find fresh >>>>>engineering talent and to upgrade the schools that produce it. >>>>> >>>>>Some companies are training faculty members themselves, offering courses >>>>>tailored to industry needs and improving college labs and libraries. >>>>> They >>>>>are rushing to get first choice of would-be engineers long before they >>>>>have completed their course work. And they are fanning out to small, >>>>>remote colleges that almost no one had heard of before. The country's >>>>> most >>>>>successful technology concerns can no longer afford to hire only >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>_______________________________________________ >>>>>kictanet mailing list >>>>>kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >>>>>http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>>>> >>>>>Please unsubscribe or change your options at >>>>>http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/eadera%40idrc.or.ke >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> kictanet mailing list >>>> kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >>>> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>>> >>>> Please unsubscribe or change your options at >>>> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> kictanet mailing list >>> kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >>> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>> >>> Please unsubscribe or change your options at >>> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/twaf78%40yahoo.com >>> >>> >>> >>> WITH COMPLIMENTS OF ANTHONY WAFULA >>> >>> --------------------------------- >>> All-new Yahoo! Mail - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done >>> faster._______________________________________________ >>> kictanet mailing list >>> kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >>> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>> >>> Please unsubscribe or change your options at >>> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/waudo%40signet.co.ke >> >> >> >>_______________________________________________ >>kictanet mailing list >>kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >>http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >>Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/ >kictanet/eric%40afrispa.org >> > >-- >Eric M.K Osiakwan >Executive Secretary >AfrISPA (www.afrispa.org) >Tel: + 233.21.258800 >Fax: + 233.21.258811 >Cell: + 233.244.386792 >Handle: eosiakwan >Snail Mail: Pmb 208, Accra-North >Office: BusyInternet - 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North >Blog: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/eric/ >Slang: "Tomorrow Now" >-- > > > -- Eric M.K Osiakwan Executive Secretary AfrISPA (www.afrispa.org) Tel: + 233.21.258800 Fax: + 233.21.258811 Cell: + 233.244.386792 Handle: eosiakwan Snail Mail: Pmb 208, Accra-North Office: BusyInternet - 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North Blog: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/eric/ Slang: "Tomorrow Now" --

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AfNOG 2007 Workshop on Network Technology - Application for Admission
by Dorcas Muthoni 10 Nov '06

10 Nov '06

AfNOG 2007 Workshop on Network Technology - Application for Admission Please see <http://www.afnog.org/afnog2007/workshop/> for information about the AfNOG 2007 Workshop on Network Technology. If you have questions regarding this announcement and application, they may be addressed to: <workshopinfo(a)afnog.org <http://mail.openworld.co.ke/src/compose.php?send_to=workshopinfo%40afnog.org>> Where to Apply - You can you can fill in an application on line, at <http://www.afnog.org/afnog2007/workshop/online-application.html> - You can download a copy of the application form from <http://www.afnog.org/afnog2007/workshop/application-form.txt>, or request a copy via email to <applications(a)afnog.org <http://mail.openworld.co.ke/src/compose.php?send_to=applications%40afnog.org>>. Then fill it in off-line, and email it to <workshop-apply(a)afnog.org <http://mail.openworld.co.ke/src/compose.php?send_to=workshop-apply%40afnog.…>>. The "Subject" line of the message should contain your surname or family name in the following format: Subject: AfNOG Workshop Application: <your-family-name> When to Apply Application forms must be submitted no later than 30 November 2006. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance to the program and the amount of financial aid available (if any) on or about 8th January 2007. Information to be included on your application Please ensure that all of the contact information you submit is and accurate, or we will not be able to contact you. Please give detailed answers to the questions about your work and your experience. If your are applying for financial assistance from AfNOG, please do not forget to answer the questions about other funding sources available to you. A. Personal data FAMILY NAME (LAST NAME, SURNAME) ONLY: Full Name: Employer/Organization: Position/Title: Business Address: Business Telephone: Alternate Telephone: E-mail address: Fax: Date of birth: Nationality: Name as it appears on passport or other travel document: Passport number: Country issuing passport: Date passport was issued: Date of passport expiration: Knowledge of English: Please rate your knowledge in these categories: Listening/comprehension: minimal / fair / good / excellent Reading: minimal / fair / good / excellent Speaking: minimal / fair / good / excellent Writing: minimal / fair / good / excellent Please indicate with an asterisk (*) the most reliable addresses and telephone/fax numbers above which can be used to reach you. B. Course of Instruction Instructional track applied for (Please select only one track; the tracks will run concurrently): [ ] Track E0 - UNIX SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION [ ] Track E1 - SCALABLE INTERNET SERVICES [ ] Track E2 - SCALABLE NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE [ ] Track F2 - INFRASTRUCTURE RESEAUX (French Track - equivanent to E2) Please indicate your specific interests within the area you have chosen: C. Technical Skills 1. Are you a UNIX user? How much have you used it? 2. Have you been a UNIX system administrator? Describe your experience (length of time, versions, etc.). 3 Have you used/administered TCP/IP networks? Describe. 4. Have you set up and/or administered any of the following? Please give details. - bind or any other nameservers - sendmail/smail/exim/postfix - majordomo/mailman or other list manager - apache/IIS web systems 5. Have you configured or otherwise managed any of the following? Details, please. - routers - switches - network monitoring - noc D. Description of Role in National Networking Activities Bearing in mind that this information will be used to determine whether to admit you to the workshop, please provide in the format of your choice the following information about yourself. Please be sure that it is sufficiently clear, well organized and adequate for this purpose. 1. A description of your current employer, your position, your duties and responsibilities, and how they relate to current and future data networking activities in your country. 2. A brief description of your computing and networking environment (operating systems, networking software, modems, etc.), including the connectivity of your organization to the Internet and your country's connectivity to the international Internet. 3a. Scope of your institution (check all categories that apply): [ ] Commercial Network Provider [ ] Academic Network Provider [ ] NGO Network Provider [ ] Other (Specify)______________ 3b. Approximate number of full time staff at your institution:________ 4. How your training and current work prepare and qualify you for the track you wish to attend. 5. How you expect to use the knowledge you gain at the workshop after you return to your country. 6. If you have previously attended AfNOG/INET Workshops for Developing Countries, a. Year and track you attended: b. A precise description of how you have used the training you have received in the past: c. The significant advances in networking which have occurred in your country specifically because of your knowledge and effort: E. Financial Information ------------------------- Your application must contain the following complete information if you wish to be considered for financial support to attend the workshop. The Workshop fee is US$1,600. This includes accommodation and meals. Applicants are usually expected to provide their own funding (from whatever sources). However AfNOG or its sponsors may make a limited financial assistance available to deserving candidates. Even if you request financial assistance you might not receive any, and your acceptance into the Workshop will be conditional on your ability to provide all or most of the funding yourself. Although you may be well qualified and in great need of financial assistance, the maximum funds AfNOG or its sponsors may provide is US$1,000 in financial assistance for BOTH WORKSHOP FEES AND AIRFARE. Payment for the workshop may be made by funds transfer, bank / certified cheque or in cash. Further details will be provided in the admission letter to successful candidates. NOTE : YOUR ACCEPTANCE INTO THE WORKSHOP MAY BEPEND ON YOUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE SOME OR ALL THE WORKSHOP FEES. 1. Are you are requesting financial aid from the AfNOG Workshop for attending the workshop and meetings? [ ] Yes [ ] No 2. If you are requesting financial aid to cover the workshop fee, please provide a complete list of funding sources in the following form. The list should contain all sources of funds that are available to you for payment of the workshop fee. The amounts should total U.S.$1,600. 1. Your Institution -- U.S.$ __________ 2. Your Government -- U.S.$ __________ 3. From international organizations -- U.S.$ __________ 4. Your personal contribution -- U.S.$ __________ 5. Amount you ask from AfNOG -- U.S.$ __________ (less than $1,000) _________________________________ TOTAL Income = U.S.$1,600.00 (PLEASE SELECT ONLY ONE - WORKSHOP FEES OR AIRFARE) 3. Will you need financial assistance for airfare? If so, how much will you or your institution be contributing? [ ] No, assistance for airfare not needed. [ ] Yes, assistance needed. (less than $1,000) Amount of your contribution: U.S.$_________ 4. If you are requesting financial support for airfare, please provide a good estimate of round trip, lowest economy excursion airfare between your place of residence and Abuja, Nigeria, in April 2007. 1. Airfare: 2. Airline: 3. Type of fare: 4. City of departure: 5. Source of your estimate: Signature (your name as you would sign it): __________________________ Date:___________________ -- DRAFT - Issued by the AfNOG 2007 Programme Committee 17 August 2006

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