[kictanet] Eassy renamed The Nepad BroadbandInfrastructureNetwork

Thu Mar 1 19:42:09 EAT 2007

And another question.....remember NEPAD advocated and still advocates for
 greater participation in the world economy etc etc. So I ask, in view of 
the  recent developments Re; EASSy.....on whose terms?
alice
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Alex Gakuru" <alex.gakuru at yahoo.com>
> To: <alice at apc.org>
> Cc: "Kenya ICT Policy" <media at kictanet.or.ke>; 
> <civilsociety at kictanet.or.ke>
> Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 5:53 PM
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Eassy renamed The Nepad Broadband
> InfrastructureNetwork
>
>
>> Wow!
>> Q: So South Africa can unilaterally rename a Pan-African initiative 
>> alone?
>> Q: Was Kenya not to remain in the delay-prone project for redundancy?
>> Q: I also believed Kenya had stated we were building a regional TEAMS the
>> vast capacity?
>> Q: Is South African Freedom of Information really working properly for
>> their media?
>>
>> More questions than answers according to me...
>>
>> /Alex
>>
>> alice at apc.org wrote: (Apologies for cross posting)
>>
>> -----Original Message----- 
>> From:   Raymond Smith (R)
>> Sent:   Wednesday, February 21, 2007 2:19 PM
>> To:     Johan Meyer (JP); Prince Radebe (PJ); Peet Janse Van Rensburg
>> (HP); Kobus Stoeder (JF)
>> Subject:        Eassy renamed The Nepad Broadband Infrastructure Network
>>
>>
>> Cape Town | ITWeb, 20 February 2007 ] - Eassy (The East African
>> Submarine Cable System) has been renamed The Nepad Broadband
>> Infrastructure Network (NBIN), because Kenya has opted out of the South
>> African-led continental fiber optic backbone system, says communications
>> minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri.
>>
>> Speaking before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications
>> today, Matsepe-Casaburri gave a rundown on the structure of the network,
>> such as the special purpose vehicles (SPVs) that are being created to
>> manage, maintain, operate and fund the terrestrial and undersea
>> components of the system.
>>
>> According to the minister, the network will be controlled through a
>> "golden share" scheme, whereby African countries would be able retain
>> control of the various entities that are to be created to run the entire
>> network and keep it from falling into foreign hands.
>>
>> Matsepe-Casaburri says the ratification of the inter-governmental treaty
>> should appear before Parliament around June and that 12 out of 23
>> countries that had initially agreed to it had signed the treaty.
>>
>> The NBIN aims to provide a number of landlocked African countries,
>> mainly on the eastern side of the continent, access to two broadband
>> networks. One will run as backbone from South Africa through Botswana,
>> Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Uganda to terminate in the Rawandan capital
>> of Kigali. The second is an undersea cable that will run up the African
>> east coast and was supposed to land in Kenya. The new landing point has
>> not been announced as yet. Other countries that have signed up are
>> Lesotho, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritius, Namibia and
>> Madagascar.
>>
>> Special vehicles
>>
>> According to Matsepe-Casaburri, three types of special purpose vehicles
>> (SPVs) will be created to maintain, operate and finance the network. The
>> use of SPVs was recommended because they would be able to go and raise
>> the capital needed without having to resort to individual government
>> loan applications to international financial institutions.
>>
>> African governments to operate and maintain the terrestrial networks
>> will own the first type of SPV. The second type of SPV will be a hybrid
>> model that would include African governments and private companies that
>> are licensed to operate telecommunications networks. The third type of
>> SPV will operate and maintain the undersea system and this will allow
>> the participation of foreign-owned telecommunications operators,
>> although they would not be allowed to have controlling stakes.
>>
>> No foreigners
>>
>> Matsepe-Casaburri says the participation of foreign-owned firms in NBIN
>> will be limited to ensure that it remains an African-led project, and to
>> ensure the security of the network.
>>
>> She noted that the model developed is not what international financial
>> institutions such as the World Bank would have liked. However, she says,
>> it is based on an open access model with non-discriminatory pricing
>> meaning that anyone, whether a shareholder or not, would pay the same
>> fees.
>>
>> "We wanted to avoid the club-type situation we have had with the
>> (Telkom) SAT-3 undersea cable, but this did not sit well with a number
>> of other countries and institutions," Matsepe-Casaburri says.
>>
>> She wanted to elaborate on her comment, but then realised that the media
>> were present.
>>
>> South African companies that have already been identified as potential
>> partners in the project are Telkom, Sentech, MTN, Vodacom and Cell C.
>> However, Matsepe-Casaburri says the door is not closed on other
>> potential investors.
>>
>> ________________
>> Raymond Smith
>> Senior Specialist
>> International Market Development
>> Telkom Market Strategy and Development
>> Phone: +27 12 311 6478
>> Mobile +27 82 7750558
>> FAX: +27 12 311 7910
>>
>>
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