From:
Wainaina Mungai <wainaina@madeinkenya.org>
To: John Maina
<j.maina@ymail.com>; picta-kenya@yahoogroups.com;
ke-internetusers@bdix.net; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
<kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Sent: Wednesday,
December 3, 2008 5:34:03 PM
Subject: Re:
[kictanet] Satement by Brian Longwe from Panel on Access in Main
Session of Internet Governance Forum, Hyderabad, India 3rd Dec 2008
FYI John et al.
Brian may as well be called "Mblayo"...He's a Mkamba if that helps
qualify him as a real Kenyan...Munyao to be exact. As for mixed
heritage, you may give him the same positive recognition as
OBAMA...except that he's worked tirelessly for years now building our
ICT standing on the planet.
Have an informed day ;-)
On 12/3/08, John Maina <
j.maina@ymail.com>
wrote:
> KICTANET
>
> Why is a Malawian representing Kenya at the IGF? Do we lack enough
Kenyans
> to sit on Kenyan boards and also represent Kenya abroad? This is
disgusting
> and the earlier the masqueraders like Brian Longwe and the bunch
of foreign
> attack dogs are told off the better.
>
> JM
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Brian Longwe <
blongwe@gmail.com>
> To:
j.maina@ymail.com
> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <
kictanet@lists.kictanet..or.ke>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 3, 2008 3:15:20 PM
> Subject: [kictanet] Satement by Brian Longwe from Panel on Access
in Main
> Session of Internet Governance Forum, Hyderabad, India 3rd Dec 2008
>
>
> Brian Munyao Longwe – Main Session on Access (Development
Perspective)
>
> Traditionally teledensity has been used as a measure of access or
the extent
> to which communication technologies have pervaded a community.
>
> In the past Africa as a region has recorded extremely low
fixed-line
> teledensity of below 1% that is less than 1 line per 100 people.
Believe it
> or not this is still the case!
>
> However, when one incorporates mobile lines in a teledensity
analysis - the
> results are not only incredible, they are amazing. as of 2007,
Africa's
> mobile teledensity stood at an impressive 23% or 23 lines per 100
people.
> There was a recorded growth in mobile users from 128 million in
2006 to over
> 215 million subscribers by 2007. This represents an annual growth
of over
> 46%. We have just heard that India's mobile network is growing at
an
> incredible rate of over 10 million new connections per month!
>
> Given the fact that most operators around Africa have rolled out
GPRS/EDGE
> coverage across most of their networks as well as deployment of 3G
access
> across their larger markets it is entirely feasible that mobile,
not
> broadband may present the opportunity for increased access for
developing
> countries. MOBILE and not BROADBAND is the silver bullet.
>
> Another key element crucial to the growth of access in developing
countries
> is a suitable environment for the dispersion of relevant content
and
> applications that meet the day to day needs of the populace.
Internet
> Exchange Points are the primary critical ingredient needed to
create these
> conditions. By keeping all locally originated and requested
traffic local,
> Internet exchange points serve a crucial role in enhancing the user
> experience, lowering operational costs and providing a suitable
framework
> for the growth and development of the Internet in general.
>
> While many developing countries have adopted policies and
regulations that
> encourage and promote competition in the mobile sectors, which has
resulted
> in continued growth in the numbers of users, the establishment of
IXPs has
> received a relatively low priority - despite the significant
impact that
> such simple infrastructure presents to the community.
>
> Access enhances the interface between government and the citizen
at a
> transactional level. The Kenya Revenue Authority last year
suggested that
> the Kenya Internet Exchange Point receive "critical
infrastructure" status
> with 24-hour armed guard due to the fact that 100% of all
import/export
> declarations and documentation transit the IXP via the revenue
authority's
> web-based platform.
>
> Going back to mobile, Safaricom, a Kenyan mobile operator
introduced a money
> transfer service called M-Pesa less than two years ago. M-Pesa now
has over
> 4 million subscribers (within 1 year - the service signed up more
users than
> Kenya's entire banking industry signed up within a century!)
Safaricom
> reported that over half a Billion US dollar had been transacted
over the
> platform within less than 18 months.
>
> Key policy lesson? The financial services and communications
regulator in
> Kenya decided not to subject m-pesa to punitive obligations through
> treatment as a bank but rather chose to perceive m-pesa a non-bank
payment
> service. That decision has today affected and continues to affect
millions
> of lives.. Regulators can either promote innovation, access &
development or
> hinder it.
>
> In East Africa communications regulators have completely opened up
the
> communications sector; fully liberalizing every area, but providing
> structure through unified licensing regime that separates
facilities,
> services and content In Kenya this has spurred investments of over
half a
> Billion USD over the past 2 years.
>
> Key stakeholder lesson: relevant content drives demand -
Safaricom's m-pesa
> met a basic and everyday need, this has driven the increased use
of their
> mobile platform by touching the lives & livelihoods of both
urban & rural
> citizens.
>
>
> --
> Brian Munyao Longwe
> e-mail:
blongwe@gmail.com
> cell: + 254 722 518 744
> blog :
http://zinjlog.blogspot.com
> meta-blog:
http://mashilingi.blogspot.com
>
>
>
>
--
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