Hallo Yawe I would be interested in the product. More information Jane On Wednesday, November 27, 2013 11:08 AM, James Kulubi <jkulubi@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Robert, I find your proposal interesting but also confusing. It is interesting because the base station is ten times cheaper and uses open source but it is also confusing because you are  proposing transmission in a frequency band that is not internationally recognized for GSM  (click here for second and third generation GSM details). Further, you appear to be emphasis  the Um interface and associated equipment while ignoring the Abis and A equipment and interfaces. How is does the Russian base station authenticate, switch, handle mobility and perform roaming functions and generally interface with the global environment that is full of legacy GSM systems? Will such interfaces impose additional costs? Please provide us with a link to this innovative system so we understand. Back to your last question, the CCK national radio frequency table can be found here… Regards James On Wednesday, 27 November 2013, 8:56, robert yawe <robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Hi Listers, I recently met a group of Russian developers who have a GSM base station that sells at a tenth of the mainstream ones as it is based on open source technology. The product could have a massive impact on many of Kenya's far-flung communities as it would allow them to set up community based communication networks especially where the ARPU is too low for the commercial operators to venture. For this to work we need to provide a license free GSM frequency such as the 2.5 ghz that is used for data networks, do you know if there is such a provision in the CCK regulations? Regards   Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jkulubi%40yahoo.co.uk The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/nnfeischools%40yahoo.c... The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

There is a great example of both Fairwaves and OpenBTS in Oaxaca, Mexico. A couple of news articles on it follow: Ignored by big companies, Mexican village creates its own mobile service http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-27/rest-of-world/4149621... The Mexican village that got itself talking http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-24450542 -Steve Song On 27 November 2013 10:28, robert yawe <robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

Hi,

You can get more information about the product on their website www.fairwaves.ru.

Regards

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

Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

On , Network of non- formal Educational institutions < nnfeischools@yahoo.com> wrote: Hallo Yawe I would be interested in the product. More information

Jane

On Wednesday, November 27, 2013 11:08 AM, James Kulubi < jkulubi@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Robert, I find your proposal interesting but also confusing. It is interesting because the base station is ten times cheaper and uses open source but it is also confusing because you are proposing transmission in a frequency band that is not internationally recognized for GSM (click here for second and third generation GSM details<http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/ni/3G/casestudies/GSM-FINAL.pdf>). Further, you appear to be emphasis the *Um *interface and associated equipment while ignoring the *Abis* and *A* equipment and interfaces. How is does the Russian base station authenticate, switch, handle mobility and perform roaming functions and generally interface with the global environment that is full of legacy GSM systems? Will such interfaces impose additional costs? Please provide us with a link to this innovative system so we understand. Back to your last question, the CCK national radio frequency table can be found here… <http://cck.go.ke/licensing/spectrum/freq_table.html> Regards James

On Wednesday, 27 November 2013, 8:56, robert yawe < robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Hi Listers,

I recently met a group of Russian developers who have a GSM base station that sells at a tenth of the mainstream ones as it is based on open source technology.

The product could have a massive impact on many of Kenya's far-flung communities as it would allow them to set up community based communication networks especially where the ARPU is too low for the commercial operators to venture.

For this to work we need to provide a license free GSM frequency such as the 2.5 ghz that is used for data networks, do you know if there is such a provision in the CCK regulations?

Regards

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

Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

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KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

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The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.

KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

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The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.

KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

-- Steve Song +1 902 529 0046 http://manypossibilities.net http://villagetelco.org

Even before we go Russian, how about using tried and tested OpenBTS and if you dont want the hustles of setting it up yourself, you could buy a 'box' from Range Networks http://rangenetworks.com/ that could handle 50 concurrent calls for about 5k USD? Waithaka Ngigi Alliance Technologies Nairobi, Kenya www.A1.io On 27 Nov 2013 11:06, "James Kulubi" <jkulubi@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

Robert, I find your proposal interesting but also confusing. It is interesting because the base station is ten times cheaper and uses open source but it is also confusing because you are proposing transmission in a frequency band that is not internationally recognized for GSM (click here for second and third generation GSM details<http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/ni/3G/casestudies/GSM-FINAL.pdf>). Further, you appear to be emphasis the *Um *interface and associated equipment while ignoring the *Abis* and *A* equipment and interfaces. How is does the Russian base station authenticate, switch, handle mobility and perform roaming functions and generally interface with the global environment that is full of legacy GSM systems? Will such interfaces impose additional costs? Please provide us with a link to this innovative system so we understand. Back to your last question, the CCK national radio frequency table can be found here… <http://cck.go.ke/licensing/spectrum/freq_table.html> Regards James

On Wednesday, 27 November 2013, 8:56, robert yawe < robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Hi Listers,

I recently met a group of Russian developers who have a GSM base station that sells at a tenth of the mainstream ones as it is based on open source technology.

The product could have a massive impact on many of Kenya's far-flung communities as it would allow them to set up community based communication networks especially where the ARPU is too low for the commercial operators to venture.

For this to work we need to provide a license free GSM frequency such as the 2.5 ghz that is used for data networks, do you know if there is such a provision in the CCK regulations?

Regards

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

Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

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The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.

KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

Thank you for the nice diagram that shows how to provide backhaul for voice, data and internet on Open BTS. From a policy perspective the key concerns with community-owned Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) as correctly mentioned by Robert will start with (a) frequencies but there are also issues of  (b) cost  (c) security.  I will try to discuss each of them briefly below. (a)    Frequencies: The traditional unlicensed frequencies used to serve the public in telecommunications and broadcasting  have been the Citizen band and the ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) Band. Citizen band is a short-wave communication band consisting of 40 channels in the 26-28 MHz frequency range. In Kenya, the ISM band is as follows: 433.050-434.790MHz (Subject to approval), 2.400-2.500 MHz; 5.725-5.875 GHz, 24.000-24.250 GHz. Both citizen and ISM  bands were established long before the major developments that have revolutionized telecommunications leading to convergence and more recently 3G and 4G technology. In this regard, Island BTS may use the ISM band with while conforming to other existing CCK guidelines like transmitted power. (b)   Cost: Open BTS appears has very low start-up cost. In a way it appears as cheap as setting up a PBX system in a small organization. However, a public communication system tends to have some characteristics that are different from those of a PBX. First, the demand for services grows rapidly after the system is installed. This requires frequent upgrades both at the mobile-BTS (Um Interface) and at the backhaul end. Secondly the number of customers served can radically increase for instance when there is a baraza or market day, the population can more than double in a remote rural area. So you require a system that can be increased dynamically and yet retain the same functionality. Classical GSM scores higher here since cells can be added with ease to one BTS but island systems like Open BTS may require replacing the whole system including mobile terminals in order to just double capacity. (c)    Security:Generally classical GSM are designed to fit in the national security and emergency preparedness plan as follows: calls and SMS are logged; cells can be remotely enabled or disabled; all conversations in GSM systems are encrypted; call tracing is inbuilt, community specific communication is possible through cell-broadcasting covering any number of cells – just to name a few. Island systems like Open BTS will require manual intervention by operators to, for instance, log calls. The small size of the Open BTS systems accompanied by their ease of deployment also means that criminal groups and enemy forces can easily set up communication systems. It is partly because of this that the law requires each communication system entering the county to be type-approved and frequencies to be assigned to operators and reviewed on annual basis.   Lastly, the issue of universal access is a problem in many countries including developed countries like USA. The usual solution is to set up a universal service fund. The Kenya Information and Communications Act of  2008 set up this fund as follows: 84J. (1)There is hereby established a fund to be known as the Universal Service Fund which shall be managed and administered by the Commission. (2) The object and the purpose of the Fund shall be to support widespread access to, support capacity building and promote innovation in information and communications technology services. (3) There shall be a universal service levy (in this Part referred to as the “levy”) that shall be charged by the Commission on the licensees under this Act for purposes of the Universal Service Fund.   The objectives of the fund have further been clarified in a CCK framework as:   a)Promote communications infrastructure and services rollout in rural, remote and under-served areas; b) Ensure availability of communication services to Persons with Disabilities, women and other vulnerable groups; c) Support the development of capacity building in ICTs and technological innovation; d) Support expansion of communication services to schools, health facilities and other organizations serving public needs; and e) Facilitate development of and access to a wide range of local and relevant content. The fund has been operationalized this year.   Listers may wish to comment on why we should go ahead to give free community Open BTS telecommunication frequencies after operationalizing the USF fund. Prof. James Kulubi On Monday, 2 December 2013, 10:45, Anthony Kiarie <kiarietony@gmail.com> wrote: Good morning The concept of Openbts has been under development and discussion for some time; http://openbts.org/ http://rangenetworks.com/solutions/technology One would still need transmission backhaul though On Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 8:55 AM, robert yawe <robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Hi Listers,

I recently met a group of Russian developers who have a GSM base station that sells at a tenth of the mainstream ones as it is based on open source technology.

The product could have a massive impact on many of Kenya's far-flung communities as it would allow them to set up community based communication networks especially where the ARPU is too low for the commercial operators to venture.

For this to work we need to provide a license free GSM frequency such as the 2.5 ghz that is used for data networks, do you know if there is such a provision in the CCK regulations?

Regards

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

00200

Kenya

Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet

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KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

_______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jkulubi%40yahoo.co.uk The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

Hi all, It is always helpful to have information from the horses mouth and I was fortunate to share a panel yesterday with Peter Bloom, one of the founders of Rhizomatica, at an event here in Cape Town. I had the opportunity to ask him a bit more detail about the technology and spectrum they are using. They are mostly using Fairwaves/OpenBSC technology and have found it scales pretty well. They are not using ISM bands but rather the same GSM (850MHz) band that is the standard in North America, which means that anyone can use a standard handset. They currently serve roughly 1000 customers. They managed to get access to a small amount of spectrum that wasn't currently licensed by any of the existing MNOs. Peter had this to say about gaining access to the spectrum. "The spectrum being available made it easier for them to meet our demands for spectrum which were based on two things. First, the constitution which says that an indigenous community has the right to own and operate its own media infrastructure. And second, on the Telecom law which has an article that states that whenever a frequency is not being used in a specific area by the concession holder, that the ministry has the right and duty to assign that frequency for social coverage purposes, or find other available and relevant spectrum. So we went to the regulator with a letter signed by 30+ indigenous communities demanding spectrum and were asked to submit a formal technical proposal for an experimental license to use the un-assigned block of frequencies in the 850mhz band (8mhz total)." Regards... Steve On 4 December 2013 16:28, robert yawe <robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

@James,

Yet again my faith in the tech community in Kenya has been re-enforced all because of your comprehensive contribution without the requirement for a per de em.

When fax machines were introduced in the country one needed to apply for a special fax line and the reasons put forward were similar to those mentioned in your contribution.

Later it was found out that the whole objective was to allow the security apparatus to know who owned which fax line so as to make snooping easier which seems like the same case here.

I believe that if the government through the regulator had a genuine need to see the masses connected they would put in place the mechanism to make it possible.

Today I can go to China and purchase 100 satellite phones and bring them in for use in any clandestine activity alternatively all we need is to setup a soft switch somewhere online and install a SIP client on smart phones creating a private and reasonably secure network. How different is this from me putting up an antennae to provide communication over a 20 km radius?

I believe you say the map I shared earlier that shows the penetration of the GSM network in the country and from it it is clear that a majority of the country is un-served.

In the same way that SACCOs came up to meet a need for those deemed unprofitable to the large retail and commercial banks I feel that implementing the same model in communications will provide a similar impetus to better services for all.

I am looking at a situation where a tea factory in Tharaaka can set-up a GSM network for use by its members in communicating with each other, this would result in a better standard of living and increased security in the region.

Know that James has outlined the requirements as per the status quo can someone take it up from there and map a coherent way forward?

Regards

PS. James, I had no intention of trying to proof that I can contribute as much as you did.

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

Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

On Wednesday, 4 December 2013, 10:58, James Kulubi <jkulubi@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Thank you for the nice diagram that shows how to provide backhaul for voice, data and internet on Open BTS. From a policy perspective the key concerns with community-owned Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) as correctly mentioned by Robert will start with *(a)* frequencies but there are also issues of *(b)* cost *(c)*security. I will try to discuss each of them briefly below. (a) *Frequencies:* The traditional unlicensed frequencies used to serve the public in telecommunications and broadcasting have been the Citizen band and the ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) Band. Citizen band is a short-wave communication band consisting of 40 channels in the 26-28 MHz frequency range. In Kenya, the ISM band is as follows: 433.050-434.790MHz (Subject to approval), 2.400-2.500 MHz; 5.725-5.875 GHz, 24.000-24.250 GHz. Both citizen and ISM bands were established long before the major developments that have revolutionized telecommunications leading to convergence and more recently 3G and 4G technology. In this regard, Island BTS may use the ISM band with while conforming to other existing CCK guidelines like transmitted power. (b) *Cost*: Open BTS appears has very low start-up cost. In a way it appears as cheap as setting up a PBX system in a small organization. However, a public communication system tends to have some characteristics that are different from those of a PBX. First, the demand for services grows rapidly after the system is installed. This requires frequent upgrades both at the mobile-BTS (*Um Interface*) and at the backhaul end. Secondly the number of customers served can radically increase for instance when there is a baraza or market day, the population can more than double in a remote rural area. So you require a system that can be increased dynamically and yet retain the same functionality. Classical GSM scores higher here since cells can be added with ease to one BTS but island systems like Open BTS may require replacing the whole system including mobile terminals in order to just double capacity. (c) *Security*: Generally classical GSM are designed to fit in the national security and emergency preparedness plan as follows: calls and SMS are logged; cells can be remotely enabled or disabled; all conversations in GSM systems are encrypted; call tracing is inbuilt, community specific communication is possible through cell-broadcasting covering any number of cells – just to name a few. Island systems like Open BTS will require manual intervention by operators to, for instance, log calls. The small size of the Open BTS systems accompanied by their ease of deployment also means that criminal groups and enemy forces can easily set up communication systems. It is partly because of this that the law requires each communication system entering the county to be type-approved and frequencies to be assigned to operators and reviewed on annual basis.

Lastly, the issue of universal access is a problem in many countries including developed countries like USA. The usual solution is to set up a universal service fund. The Kenya Information and Communications Act of 2008 set up this fund as follows: *84J. **(1)* There is hereby established a fund to be known as the Universal Service Fund which shall be managed and administered by the Commission. *(2)* The object and the purpose of the Fund shall be to support widespread access to, support capacity building and promote innovation in information and communications technology services. *(3) *There shall be a universal service levy (in this Part referred to as the “levy”) that shall be charged by the Commission on the licensees under this Act for purposes of the Universal Service Fund.

The objectives of the fund have further been clarified in a CCK framework as:

*a)* Promote communications infrastructure and services rollout in rural, remote and under-served areas; *b)* Ensure availability of communication services to Persons with Disabilities, women and other vulnerable groups; *c)* Support the development of capacity building in ICTs and technological innovation; *d)* Support expansion of communication services to schools, health facilities and other organizations serving public needs; and *e) *Facilitate development of and access to a wide range of local and relevant content. The fund has been operationalized this year. Listers may wish to comment on *why we should go ahead to give free community Open BTS telecommunication frequencies after operationalizing the USF fund.* Prof. James Kulubi

On Monday, 2 December 2013, 10:45, Anthony Kiarie <kiarietony@gmail.com> wrote: Good morning The concept of Openbts has been under development and discussion for some time; http://openbts.org/

http://rangenetworks.com/solutions/technology One would still need transmission backhaul though [image: Technology diagram]

On Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 8:55 AM, robert yawe <robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk>wrote:

Hi Listers,

I recently met a group of Russian developers who have a GSM base station that sells at a tenth of the mainstream ones as it is based on open source technology.

The product could have a massive impact on many of Kenya's far-flung communities as it would allow them to set up community based communication networks especially where the ARPU is too low for the commercial operators to venture.

For this to work we need to provide a license free GSM frequency such as the 2.5 ghz that is used for data networks, do you know if there is such a provision in the CCK regulations?

Regards

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

Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

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KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

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KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

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The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.

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James,Listers I have carefully read your explanation and both Open BTS and the USF are not in conflict.One is a technology,the other a fund.There is so much need that USF will not be adequate to meet all the needs. I would wish to see one of our universities doing a feasibility of setting up the Open BTS and if feasible establish one as a campus network and use the lessons learned to roll it out to other universities or remote areas.Regulatory and policy challenges should not be cast in stone if there is compelling technological advantage. John Kariuki On Wednesday, 4 December 2013, 11:08, James Kulubi <jkulubi@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Thank you for the nice diagram that shows how to provide backhaul for voice, data and internet on Open BTS. From a policy perspective the key concerns with community-owned Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) as correctly mentioned by Robert will start with (a) frequencies but there are also issues of  (b) cost  (c) security.  I will try to discuss each of them briefly below. (a)    Frequencies: The traditional unlicensed frequencies used to serve the public in telecommunications and broadcasting  have been the Citizen band and the ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) Band. Citizen band is a short-wave communication band consisting of 40 channels in the 26-28 MHz frequency range. In Kenya, the ISM band is as follows: 433.050-434.790MHz (Subject to approval), 2.400-2.500 MHz; 5.725-5.875 GHz, 24.000-24.250 GHz. Both citizen and ISM  bands were established long before the major developments that have revolutionized telecommunications leading to convergence and more recently 3G and 4G technology. In this regard, Island BTS may use the ISM band with while conforming to other existing CCK guidelines like transmitted power. (b)   Cost: Open BTS appears has very low start-up cost. In a way it appears as cheap as setting up a PBX system in a small organization. However, a public communication system tends to have some characteristics that are different from those of a PBX. First, the demand for services grows rapidly after the system is installed. This requires frequent upgrades both at the mobile-BTS (Um Interface) and at the backhaul end. Secondly the number of customers served can radically increase for instance when there is a baraza or market day, the population can more than double in a remote rural area. So you require a system that can be increased dynamically and yet retain the same functionality. Classical GSM scores higher here since cells can be added with ease to one BTS but island systems like Open BTS may require replacing the whole system including mobile terminals in order to just double capacity. (c)    Security:Generally classical GSM are designed to fit in the national security and emergency preparedness plan as follows: calls and SMS are logged; cells can be remotely enabled or disabled; all conversations in GSM systems are encrypted; call tracing is inbuilt, community specific communication is possible through cell-broadcasting covering any number of cells – just to name a few. Island systems like Open BTS will require manual intervention by operators to, for instance, log calls. The small size of the Open BTS systems accompanied by their ease of deployment also means that criminal groups and enemy forces can easily set up communication systems. It is partly because of this that the law requires each communication system entering the county to be type-approved and frequencies to be assigned to operators and reviewed on annual basis.   Lastly, the issue of universal access is a problem in many countries including developed countries like USA. The usual solution is to set up a universal service fund. The Kenya Information and Communications Act of  2008 set up this fund as follows: 84J. (1)There is hereby established a fund to be known as the Universal Service Fund which shall be managed and administered by the Commission. (2) The object and the purpose of the Fund shall be to support widespread access to, support capacity building and promote innovation in information and communications technology services. (3) There shall be a universal service levy (in this Part referred to as the “levy”) that shall be charged by the Commission on the licensees under this Act for purposes of the Universal Service Fund.   The objectives of the fund have further been clarified in a CCK framework as:   a)Promote communications infrastructure and services rollout in rural, remote and under-served areas; b) Ensure availability of communication services to Persons with Disabilities, women and other vulnerable groups; c) Support the development of capacity building in ICTs and technological innovation; d) Support expansion of communication services to schools, health facilities and other organizations serving public needs; and e) Facilitate development of and access to a wide range of local and relevant content. The fund has been operationalized this year.   Listers may wish to comment on why we should go ahead to give free community Open BTS telecommunication frequencies after operationalizing the USF fund. Prof. James Kulubi On Monday, 2 December 2013, 10:45, Anthony Kiarie <kiarietony@gmail.com> wrote: Good morning The concept of Openbts has been under development and discussion for some time; http://openbts.org/ http://rangenetworks.com/solutions/technology One would still need transmission backhaul though On Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 8:55 AM, robert yawe <robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Hi Listers,

I recently met a group of Russian developers who have a GSM base station that sells at a tenth of the mainstream ones as it is based on open source technology.

The product could have a massive impact on many of Kenya's far-flung communities as it would allow them to set up community based communication networks especially where the ARPU is too low for the commercial operators to venture.

For this to work we need to provide a license free GSM frequency such as the 2.5 ghz that is used for data networks, do you know if there is such a provision in the CCK regulations?

Regards

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

00200

Kenya

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_______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jkulubi%40yahoo.co.uk The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/ngethe.kariuki2007%40y... The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.