Hi All,

It was quite interesting to read the comments by the UUNet managing director concerning the $500/- per month for 1 MB of as he rightfully put it IP service.

Two issues stick out from his statement

1. This price will only be achievable on the last mile

What is the last mile? It is the connection from your office, home or mobile device to your provider. Therefore even today, without the marine cable, if I log onto Telkom.co.ke or UUNet.co.ke I should pay not more than US$ 500/- per megabyte but how much do I pay US$ 4,300/-. In the US the internet is within the last mile thus the lower cost of Internet access there.

Even Safaricom has realised that localisation of tariffs is essential and they will soon be launching a service that charges less for calls between a set of BTS's. What this means is that when you are at Kisumu airport and you call your cousin who is in Kisumu CBD, so he can collect you, you will pay less than when you call your wife in Nairobi to tell her that you have arrived safely. Can we pickup on the same and provide similar charge differentials.

I was once active in an organisation called Junior Chamber International and they had a very interesting slogan for one of the International conventions

"Think global, act local"

With the creation of local content, 80% of us will have no need to connect beyond the boundaries of east africa. By looking at yahoo and facebook once you have the numbers the rest just falls into place. With high number of connected users the yahoos and googles of the world will have no choice but to either place servers within the region (our last mile) or pay for the marine cable.

2. "The charges would only fall marginally with the landing of the first submarine fibre optic cable in Mombasa", he said. (UUNet Managing Director)

Dr.Ndemo is not going to be selling bandwidth to the end user and CCK has clearly said that only registered opeartors read ISP i.e. UUNet & Wananchi. SO who do we believe on the expected price of Internet access costs once the marine cable lands. The wholesaler or the retailer?

In closing when do we expect the fiber to the district project to begin?

Regards

Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
KEnya

Tel: +254722511225

----- Original Message ----
From: Alex Gakuru <gakuru@gmail.com>
To: bitange@jambo.co.ke
Cc: robert yawe <robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk>; Jose Ngunjiri <ngunjirijnr@gmail.com>; ke-internetusers@bdix.net
Sent: Wednesday, 21 November, 2007 9:10:18 AM
Subject: Re: [ke-internetusers] Re: In Support of the Marine Cable

We shall be pleased to have your contribution upon your return to
office. Thank you.

Meanwhile, discussants may wish to read a relevant story appearing on
today's Business Daily "State projections on Internet costs queried by
players"
http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4419&Itemid=5847

On Nov 20, 2007 10:01 PM, <bitange@jambo.co.ke> wrote:
> These are good questions but unfortunately I need more time to make my
> contribution. I hope to do this when I am back in the office possibly on
> Friday.
>
> Asante Sana.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Nov 20, 2007 5:47 PM, robert yawe <robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> >>
> >> I ask do we really need the marine cable?
> >>
> > I wonder? Do we need Pentium or Penicillin? Marine cable Fibre or
> > remain on satellite but HR skills re-orientation first? Local content
> > or websites development and SEO optimisation education? Do we need the
> > government to lead us to connectivity Canaan or a watching, listening
> > and supportive one facilitating innovation for an organic ICT
> > development enabling environment? Oh, how I wonder?
> >
> > With so many competing needs choosing the priority undoubtedly is a
> > challenge BUT this is also an opportunity for "puzzle solvers" to map
> > a winning strategy that taps into all available resources, human and
> > material, to optimize on the results. Unfortunately not a single
> > entity, business, person (even the government) holds the key to the
> > answer.
> >
> > I beleive the password to success is honestly and openness in
> > multi-stakeholder collaboration despite the conflicting diverse
> > stakeholders interests. Certainly, the government must work for the
> > common good of the citizens because that is what they take oath of
> > office to protect. Citizens' concerns, businesses, welfare, etc.
> >
> > Adhoc projects Yawe is concerned about would not help much in this
> > scenario because citizens end up burdened with future loan repayment
> > burdens for unrealised project aspirations. All such projects must be
> > subjected to rigorous scrutiny by everyone and therefore government
> > should neither feel "harassed" or "untrusted" when someone questions
> > any public project. ( Note that I am not suggesting that this has
> > happened)
> >
> > Do we really need the marine cable? YES we do and a lot more. Internet
> > use education. I am talking teaching beyond how to send and receive a
> > couple of emails, visit friends' websites printed on business cards
> > (that never show up on Google index!) and "hard-wired" URLs
> > references.
> >
> > But since this kind of education is nobody specific obligation, then
> > nobody will do it and the danger is that in the end, the government's
> > marine cable risks ending up an attempted diagonal JOHARI window
> > transformation. i.e. trying to move "people who don't know and they do
> > not know that they do not know" TO "they know and they know that they
> > know" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_window
> >
> > In short, Free Flow of Information, readily available is prerequisite
> > to transforming Kenya into a knowledge society, prosperous economy
> > where everyone realises fruits of their innovation and work of their
> > hands. Opaqueness only breeds mistrust the sum total being mark-timing
> > development and globally uncompetitive countries.
> >
> > my two cents to this very interesting debate...
> > _______________________________________________
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> > ke-internetusers@bdix.net
> > http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers
> >
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> > "easy access to the world"
> >
> >
>
>
>