Dear Alice, I would like to introduce a member of the MOA Mr Linus Gitahi to the Kictanet Network forum. Mr Gitahi is also the CEO of the Nation Media Group, and he has taken a keen interest in these discussions and would like to be an active participant. Trust that you will all be Happy to have him on board. With Regards. Kanja Waruru. --- "A. Wanjira Munyua" <alice@apc.org> wrote:
Dear Listers,
A short note here to draw your attention to some
have recently been uploaded on the Fibre for Africa website (www.fibreforafrica.net), which provides information about international bandwidth in Africa, its costs and the existence of monopoly access to it:
1) Question and Answer Interview with Dr Edmund Katiti, Policy and regulatory Advisor for the NEPAD eAfrica Commission. He speaks about the plans for forming the Special Purpose Vehicle to develop, own, operate, and maintain the regional ICT broadband network for Eastern and Southern Africa; moves toward engaging consultants to attract shareholders in the network; and how the Commission views cables being
such as Kenya and South Africa. 2) Question and Answer Interview with Mr Edmond Nyakairu, chairman of the finance committee of the EASSy Memorandum of Understanding signatories: On the operators current feelings about the NEPAD eAfrica Commission; on the Commissions continued use of the name EASSy; the impact which building EASSy would have on proposed Kenyan and South African cables; on whether EASSy makes commercial sense; and the way forward in delivering cheaper and more accessible bandwidth to east and southern Africa. 3) Article on the cables planned for the East Coast of Africa: This resource lists the various initiatives to build cables that are parallel to EASSy and questions whether this will not render EASSy less competitive or even unviable. But how viable will these cables
they planning on embracing Open Access principles? 4) Paper on Enabling Open Access through Universal Access: This paper makes the case for Open Access Infrastructure in addressing Africas connectivity headaches; it examines flaws that are common in some of the connectivity (including Universal Access)
concludes that regional infrastructure undertakings like EASSy require Universal Access to be correctly implemented and to address demand in order for Open Access principles to prevail.
EASSy appears to be at crossroads, with operators and the Commission maintaining major disagreements. It is not clear when the champagne bottles will be popped for its ground-breaking ceremony, or even who the investors in it will be. The clock is ticking. Debate on what needs to be done to secure a win-win situation not just for
of the new resources that planned by countries themselves be, and are programmes on the continent; and the NEPAD and the
telcos but importantly as well for the users who endure slow service at exorbitant prices, needs to be sustained at this time.
Wakabi
============== Wairagala Wakabi Research Associate CIPESA Plot 22 Bukoto Street, Kamwokya P.O Box 26970 Kampala, Uganda Tel. +256 41 531899 Cell: +256 772 406 241 Email: wakabi@cipesa.org www.cipesa.org
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