[Kictanet] Re: [AfrISPA.Discuss] Notes from Kenyan ICT Conference
Florence Etta
feanywhere at yahoo.co.uk
Thu Mar 2 08:37:20 EAT 2006
Eric,
Good observations thats why vigilance is required. The
url did not work for me after several attempts. Please
cross check and resend.
Cheers,
FE
--- Eric Osiakwan <eric at afrispa.org> wrote:
>
>
> Dear Brian and all,
>
> The link to downloading Eme Essien's presentation is
> http://www.ictpark.com=
> /Presentations/_Eme%20Essien%20-%20EASSy.pps
>
> Am concerned that Eme's EA fiber backhaul picture on
> slide 9 in the ppt is =
> different from the NEPAD rationalised network which
> is "africa_eassy.png" a=
> ttached. The engineering argument is that
> "africa_eassy.png" is a better bu=
> ild, on the original "eassy_basic_route_config.jpg"
> attached due to the int=
> ervention of the E-Africa Commission of NEPAD at a
> meeting in June 2004.
>
> Question: why are we now seeing a different backhaul
> from IFC/WBG and if so=
> how are they going to finance EASSy seperately from
> the EA backhaul on sli=
> de 9?
>
> Eric here
>
>
>
> ---------- Original Message
> ----------------------------------
> From: Jim Forster <forster at cisco.com>
> Reply-To: Discuss at afrispa.org
> Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 15:36:40 -0800
>
> >Brian,
> >
> >Great info, thanks for sending...
> >
> >I will forward to some others...
> >
> > -- Jim
> >
> From: "Eric Osiakwan" <eric at afrispa.org>
> Cc:
> Subject: [Kictanet] Re: [AfrISPA.Discuss] Notes from
> Kenyan ICT Conference
> Reply-To: Kenya ICT Policy - kictanet
> <kictanet at kictanet.or.ke>
> To: Eric Osiakwan <eric at afrispa.org>
>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> -----
>
> Brian,
>
> The EASSy consortium as a matter of necessity must
> adhere to the principles=
> of Open Access as enshrined below so that KENET and
> the UbuntuNet alliance=
> who have money to invest in the project should NOT
> be asked to present an =
> international gateway license in order to be
> allowed. It is like i have mon=
> ey to invest in a good business and you say i need a
> license to invest; i d=
> ont know if this is a new rule in the VC world?
>
> Primarily, the rules for owership and investment in
> the cable should be as =
> open to all as the rules of access to the use of the
> cable for provision of=
> service by all the players along the value chain.
>
> If the argument is to do country specific
> arrangements then the investors f=
> rom those countries must have an equal say in how
> the landing station is st=
> ructured and managed without any favours towards
> incumbency. In which case =
> it is the interest of public policy that they give
> equal time and opportuni=
> ty to the non-incumbent operators and services
> projects to get on baord.
>
> Eric here
>
> NB: Send the ppt but more so i would like to know
> what the EASSy guys say t=
> o this?
>
>
> There is an urgent need for new approaches to
> financing and building out in=
> formation and communication infrastructure to
> address this large unmet dema=
> nd for information and communication services.
> Technological innovation hel=
> ps make these new approaches possible and more
> flexible approaches to finan=
> cing, service delivery and regulation will make them
> effective and sustaina=
> ble. One approach (or set of approaches) gaining
> increased visibility and c=
> redibility is increasingly referred to as the
> =93Open Access Model=94.
>
> The urgency, and the viability, of these new models
> are driven in part by t=
> he growing (and inevitable) move toward Internet
> Protocol (IP)-based commun=
> ication networks. This in turn implies the move
> toward a =93layered=94 mod=
> el of these networks, where there is a logical
> distinction between:
> =95 The physical layer (the actual physical
> infrastructure);
> =95 The logical layer (managing the connection
> between the physical infrast=
> ructure and higher layers);
> =95 The applications layer (which includes things
> such as the Web browser),=
> and
> =95 The content layer (voice, data or images
> conveyed by the network.)
>
> Each layer has a set of functional rules that allow
> it to interface with th=
> e other layer and for information to flow over the
> network. Any player, in=
> cluding new players, can use different elements of
> the network, or the enti=
> re network, to provide services. The IP-based
> architecture of the network =
> makes it possible for services to be provided, and
> innovation to occur, at =
> any point on the network, including, notably, the
> edges, where the network =
> can be further =93grown=94 as well.
>
> Different segments of the market =96 and different
> layers of the network --=
> will naturally have different structures, and will
> attract players with di=
> fferent business models. For example, in most
> countries and regions, it wi=
> ll not be feasible or logical to have more than one
> or two providers of bac=
> kbone infrastructure. The key issue in an Open
> Access model is to assure t=
> hat no player in one of the layers can block access
> to another layer or to =
> the rest of the network through having dominant
> market power in one or anot=
> her layer.
>
> Key Principles
> This suggests a number of key principles of Open
> Access networks.
>
> 1. Anyone can play
> Particularly because of the potential for
> locally-provided services and net=
> work growth =93at the edges=94 made possible by
> flexible technology and ope=
> n network models, Open Access models should assure
> that any provider willin=
> g to play by the rules can =93plug and play=94 in
> the network.
>
> 2. Technological neutrality
> Regulation should be technology-neutral, taking into
> account the cost and p=
> hysical properties of the technologies themselves.
> No one should be stopped=
> from using a particular technology and indeed a
> progressive regulator woul=
> d encourage cost reduction through technology
> innovation.
>
> One needs to recognize that in future a wide range
> of applications will req=
> uire higher bandwidth. But there may be no
> significant (order of magnitude)=
> improvements in the performance of fibre,
> particularly its installation. H=
> owever with wireless there will be significant
> improvements in performance =
> and cost/capacity ratio and therefore wireless
> solutions will become more a=
> ttractive in local distribution applications.
>
> 3. Fair and non-discriminatory competition at all
> layers
> Competition should be fair and non-discriminatory.
> There should be no preda=
> tory pricing, cross-subsidisation or aggressive
> cross-ownership. Regulators=
> will need to be capable of dealing with a range of
> competition issues to e=
> nsure a genuine level playing field, and to prevent
> market strength in one =
> layer from creating unfair competitive advantage at
> another layer. For all =
> services at a given layer, there ought to be at
> least two providers and whe=
> never there are not 4-5 providers of a particular
> service, issues of compet=
> itive position would need to be examined.
>
> What is true for countries at a national level holds
> true at a regional and=
> international level. Ideally any country should
> have a choice of at least =
> two providers to connect to neighbours and the rest
> of the world. The EU co=
> mpetition policy formulation of =93significant
> market power=94 provides a u=
> seful benchmark against which competitive position
> might be examined.
>
> 4. Transparency to ensure fair trading within and
> between layers
> Competitive markets thrive on transparent
> information about market prices a=
> nd service. Internal accounting processes in
> companies need to be sufficien=
> tly transparent to enforce fair trading. If there is
> tradable bandwidth =
> =96 particularly at an international level =96 it
> will allow clear comparis=
> ons to be made between different providers. There
> needs to be greater level=
> s of consumer information to allow comparisons
> between =93offers=94, includ=
> ing offers at the interface between layers.
>
> The different roles of players need to be
> transparent. In order to create t=
> rust in the market, infrastructure providers need to
> be clear that they wil=
> l not enter service markets to compete with their
> customers. The regulator =
> exists to encourage competition rather than restrict
> it but to do so in a w=
> ay that genuinely encourages increased investment
> and lower access costs to=
> communications technology. Where appropriate,
> regulation becomes =93light-=
> touch=94 rather than prohibitive or restrictive.
> Government exists to creat=
> e the legal framework through which competition
> issues can be mediated.
>
> 5. Everyone can connect to everyone else at the
> layer interface.
> In order for a competitive market to function,
> everyone must be able to con=
> nect to everyone else. Service providers would be
> able to get access to inf=
> rastructure from the local to the international
> level, whether they were sm=
> all or large entities.
>
> There will be inevitable interconnection rate issues
> where the interests of=
> the infrastructure provider in keeping re-investing
> in the network need to=
> be weighed against the opportunities that can be
> created for greater level=
> s of new business.
>
> 6. Devolved rather than centralised solutions
> It is important to ensure that the
> =93intelligence=94 in the network is to =
> be found at the edges of the infrastructure rather
> than at its centre. In o=
> ther words, the infrastructure provider should not
> be allowed to reserve fo=
> r itself all of the functions that create value in
> the market.
>
> In practical terms, it should be possible to create
> a local entity that can=
> operate on the small or medium-scale and can
> =93plug into=94 the network w=
> ithout needing to cede control over its activities
> to the infrastructure pr=
> ovider. Local operators need to be able to own and
> control a significant le=
> vel of =93intelligence=94 in the system (eg billing,
> features, etc) to enco=
> urage open access.
>
> NB: This note draws from a study prepared for the
> WorldBank through InfoDev=
> on =93Leveraging New Technologies and Open Access
> Models: Options for Impr=
> oving Backbone Access in Developing Countries (with
> a focus on sub-Saharan =
> Africa=94, by a team consisting of Anders Comstedt,
> Russell Southwood and E=
> ric Osiakwan, under the auspices of the consulting
> firm Spintrack
>
>
>
> >
> >On Feb 28, 2006, at 5:01 AM, Brian Longwe wrote:
> >
> >> Hi all,
> >>
> >> Here are my notes from a presentation that has
> just been given by
> >> Eme Essien of the World Bank/IFC
> >>
> >> i will forward the powerpoint presentation as
> soon as I can get
> >> hold of it...
> >>
> >> -----------------------------------------
> >>
> >> EASSY Presentation from World Bank
> >>
> >> Eme Essien, Senior Investment Officer, IFC/World
> Bank
> >>
> >> Shared Objectives:
> >> - provide more affordaclbe ICT access
> >> - meet demand for high speed boradbankd
> connectivity in the region
> >> - spur followon ICT investment in region
> >> - provide cheaper alternative to satellite
> >> - encourage greater connectivity and integration
> within region
> >> - ALL CAPITALS AND MAJOR CITIES IN E & SA SHOULD
> BE LINKED TO
> >> GLOBAL NETWORK
> >>
> >> 10 Landing points
> >> - Sudan
> >> - Djibouti
> >> - Somalia
> >> - Kenya
> >> - Tanzania
> >> - Mdagascar
> >> - Mozambique
> >> - South Africa
> >>
> >> Eastern Loop
> >> Northern Loop
> >> Southern Loop
> >>
> >> World Bank Group Role
> >> - assist parties deliver on shared objectives
> >> - facilitate reduction of risks
> (policy/regulatory) to increase
> >> private sector participation
> >> - Conditionalities
> >> - liberalisation of international segment - Open
> Access
> >> - non-discriminatory access to regional
> infrastructure to all
> >> operators
> >> - identify funding gaps
> >> - build capacity in relevant regional
> organisation
> >>
> >> Conditions for Success
> >> OPEN ACCES
> >> - maximises project's development impact
> >> - clised club deal SAT3 structures have had
> limited impact on
> >> traffic, pricing, development
> >> - capacity should be accessible to all parties,
> fixed line
> >> operators etc....
> >>
> >> Challenges
> >> - 30-ish members
> >> - Telcos, parastatals, regulators, private
> operators, incumbents
> >> - countries with differing progress on reform
> agenda
> >> - differing levels of economic development,
> infrastructure, ICT
> >> needs etc
> >> - no single champion to establish common
> interests
> >>
> >>
>
> --
> Eric M.K Osiakwan
> Executive Secretary
> AfrISPA (www.afrispa.org)
> Tel: + 233.21.258800
> Fax: + 233.21.258811
> Cell: + 233.244.386792
> Handle: eosiakwan
> Snail Mail: Pmb 208, Accra-North
> Office: BusyInternet - 42 Ring Road Central,
> Accra-North
> Blog:
> http://afrispa.skybuilders.com/users/Eric/blog.html
> Slang: "Tomorrow Now"
> --
>
> > _______________________________________________
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