This is an issue that has troubled me as I’ve watched the debate over 3G licences.

Telkom and Essar have both indicated in public forums that they have already paid the fee.  I’m not sure about Zain. 

 

So that begs the question - why all the noise about 3G licences if three out of four players can afford it?

And if we are to compete in a fair and transparent manner – why shouldn’t they pay the fee?  Surely everyone should pay one price for the same licence?    When buying base stations – do these companies ask for different prices than their competitor because they happen to be placed fourth in the market?  I think not.

 

And is anyone else reminded of what happened when fibre landed by this 3G debate??  

 

It would be great if we could get to the bottom of the real issues in the industry. 

Yes there is a dominant player and yes CCK needs to work a lot harder to ensure companies provide affordable services.  But boycotting Ndemo and Njoroge can’t be a solution when we still have so far to go in ICT. 

 

In my view it’s defeatist to say that 80% of your productivity is wasted because of two mere individuals – it flies in the face of the gains being made on a daily basis by those who work hard for their money.  And what’s that about keeping your enemies close?

 

As always, this is purely my personal opinion and does not reflect that of my employer.

 

Kenya is in dire need of investment in technology. That is why I am angry that the factors hindering growth are actually "policy" related to this sector, and not due to lack of innovators or investors. There are many innovators and investors willing to take the challenge of helping Kenya come out of the dark ages of narrowband and into the grace of broadband.   The problem rises from the differences between the Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) and other 3G service providers. There seems to be a great cloud of varying information which hardly gets to the man on the street. The unclear issues include the following:   Stroy continues @ http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/634/850014/-/view/asBlogPost/-/pjyirj/-/index.html walu. Disclaimer: views expressed here belong purely to the author and are not necessary endorsed by me ;-)