[kictanet] Day 5 - Statistics on Affordability - CCK Internet Study Report

[mucheru at wananchi.com]

Like many other commodities internet is also packaged based on consumer
pockets ranging from Ksh 1 per minute in a cyber cafe to Ksh 20,000 for a
dedicated home connection. Fiber is the backbone, service providers should
then take it and package it for the users depending on their locale and
pockets. The GSM operators have provided a blanket coverage of Internet
access in the country. The same can be said of the satellite providers.
Consider all these networks like the national power grid. How the user
connects to it is the key. The main obstacle today are.

COST of ..
- The Modem/card/satellite dish
- The Computer
- Set-up/Installation Costs (in some cases over Ksh 70,000with masts etc)

tend to be the main factors. The more users that get into the Internet,
the lower the monthly/usage prices will be based on economies of scale and
competition.


> Day 5- Statistics on Affordability.
>
> I acknowledge an interesting thread filtering in on Trust relationships
> b/w IGOs/ISPs...feel  free to continue contributing on that as well as on
> today's theme on affordability (multi-tasking
> encouraged by internet technologies ...)
>
> and just to pick up from Kai's projection of KDN fiber hitting Bungoma in
> early August 2007.  This would be quite a welcome and timely development,
> but at what cost to the consumer? To  what extend will the (internet)
> services be affordable to the rural/average communities?
>
> Affordability is a subjective term gven that what is considered cheap by
> the Bill Gates of  this world is probably not so for the average Kenyan on
> the street.  In trying to get an  objective measurement for affordability,
> the Report pegged it on the national average  incomes.  In other words, if
> the monthly average income in Kenya is around 100USD and if the  average
> monthly cost for internet access is also around 100USD then obviously the
> average  Kenyan will not bother with accessing the Internet - it just
> becomes way beyond their means  or too expensive or not affordable.
>
> The report indicated that access through the more convenient Internet
> Dial-up/Desktop  services costed over 200% the average incomes (too
> expensive), while the same access through  mobile phones was costing just
> 8% of the average incomes (quite affordable).  What needs to  be done in
> order to make Internet Services more afforable to Kenyans?
>
> 1 day deliberation on this one.
>
> walu.
>
>
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