[kictanet] Eassy renamed The Nepad BroadbandInfrastructureNetwork

Alex Gakuru alex.gakuru at yahoo.com
Fri Mar 2 19:00:37 EAT 2007 

Interesting paragraph, "setting up of a Project Steering Committee to kick-start the implementation of the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network that includes the EASSy cable." Feels like the massage after a thorough diplomatic arm-twisting, thanks for the link.

- Planning setting up of *another* committee while TEAMS is working round the clock at delivering the cable. It would appear Kenya's impatience was justified.

- Is NEPAD a policy formulator or an implementor and could the conflict of role under this framework be the root cause of the delays?

- Shouldn't NEPAD should encourage all able countries to land complementary cables and share capacity with family?

-Like the rest of the world, contemporary Africa needs cheap internet and  a couple more internet freedom  fighters for that toto internet liberation.

This far, top-down having failed to realise the i-dream, vision not withstanding. Perhaps it is time "trickled up" internet provisioning changed, not shifted, the internet delivery paradigm. Internet education en masse is one true way to ensure the internet benefits everyone on the continent. 
   
/Alex

Alan Finlay <alan at openresearch.co.za> wrote: The naming issue is complicated. See the last paragraph of:

http://www.newsfromafrica.org/newsfromafrica/articles/art_10802.html

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Alan



On 01 Mar 2007, at 6:42 PM,  wrote:

> 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" 
>> To: 
>> Cc: "Kenya ICT Policy" ;
>> 
>> 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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