Joan,
I dont have statistics but working in the education sector, I see what KDN sees in the schools, schools will be the incubation ground for the demand for ICT in the rural areas (60% of schools are in rural areas). In about a year and a half years time the picture will start changing as high school graduates will be computer savvy and naturally opt to continue pursuing interests ranging from search of opportunities for enterpreneurship to formal job hunting using the internet or just keeping intouch!.
Further more when we look at schools and their facilities, they can easily become the information centres for the communities around them and also offer affordable capacity building to the parents of the students nearby. Then they will start to look for ways to make some money and the international/local content picture will start to swing in our favor.
Imagine one day you will go online and order your chopped sukuma wiki and packet of carrots from the local mama mbogo outside your estate, she will deliver to your house you will pay her on your way back home or GOd knows even online?. its the form form leaver who will have designed the website for her and its the nearby school that will have taught her computer 101.
whats missing is the segment that should be dealing with Capacity Building in an informal way or even sensitizing and awareness ( ie we dont have to attend college proper we can just go to the neighbourhood place and learn some basics) I think that this is where the Lag might be felt by the likes of KDN...and others.
Fatma
----- Original Message ----- From: "Joan Walumbe" <jwalumbe@globalnetcorps.org> To: <fbashir@cyberschooltech.com> Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2007 10:26 AM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Day 5 - Statistics on Affordability - CCKInternetStudy Report
Walu,
I agree with you that affordablity is a factor especially for rural communities when it comes to access to the internet. But I think that lack of awareness is an even bigger factor. It's fine for the urban folk (who already recognise the benefits to the internet etc.) taking a short break in shags to have the internet access when back home, but it there is no demand for the internet among the residents what is the point?
So does KDN enter a market and then hope to create demand or is their a market that demands the service or is it a little of both?
I understand that Kai would not be venturing into the rural areas if it did not make any financial sense. Can anyone provide some info/statistics on demand for internet access in rural areas?
Joan Walumbe
----- Original Message ----- From: "John Walubengo" <jwalubengo@kcct.ac.ke> To: <kictanet@kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2007 9:01 AM Subject: [kictanet] Day 5 - Statistics on Affordability - CCK InternetStudy Report
Day 5- Statistics on Affordability.
I acknowledge an interesting thread filtering in on Trust relationships b/w IGOs/ISPs...feel free to continue contributing on that as well as on today's theme on affordability (multi-tasking encouraged by internet technologies ...)
and just to pick up from Kai's projection of KDN fiber hitting Bungoma in early August 2007. This would be quite a welcome and timely development, but at what cost to the consumer? To what extend will the (internet) services be affordable to the rural/average communities?
Affordability is a subjective term gven that what is considered cheap by the Bill Gates of this world is probably not so for the average Kenyan on
street. In trying to get an objective measurement for affordability,
Report pegged it on the national average incomes. In other words, if
Thanks Fatma, Much appreciated. Joan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fatma Bashir" <fbashir@cyberschooltech.com> To: "Kenya ICT Action Network - KICTANet" <kictanet@kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 1:31 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Day 5 - Statistics on Affordability -CCKInternetStudy Report the the the
monthly average income in Kenya is around 100USD and if the average monthly cost for internet access is also around 100USD then obviously the average Kenyan will not bother with accessing the Internet - it just becomes way beyond their means or too expensive or not affordable.
The report indicated that access through the more convenient Internet Dial-up/Desktop services costed over 200% the average incomes (too expensive), while the same access through mobile phones was costing just 8% of the average incomes (quite affordable). What needs to be done in order to make Internet Services more afforable to Kenyans?
1 day deliberation on this one.
walu.
_______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@kictanet.or.ke http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
Please unsubscribe or change your options at
http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/fbashir%40cyberschooltech.com
---------------------------------------------- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. --------------------------------------------- "easy access to the world"