[kictanet] Eassy renamed The Nepad Broadband Infrastructure Network

[Dorcas Muthoni]

Well, we just just elected Dedan Kimathi's monument. We all know in honor of
what. Why reinvent the wheel?

On 3/1/07, alice at apc.org <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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