[kictanet] Day 5 - Statistics on Affordability - CCKInternetStudy Report
Alex Gakuru
alex.gakuru at yahoo.com
Fri May 4 18:46:51 EAT 2007
Hi all,
So many issues discussed while I was way, rather long even after trying so hard to be brief feel free to ask for details if need be. I have touched on
1. Local content.
2. Demand
3. Education
4. Infrastructure
5. Financing and Sustainability
6. WB (Development Sector)
7. Roles
8. Way Forward,
------------------------------------
1. Local content. Multi-pronged approach
a) Every government department to have a website in six months
update at least once/month
b) Companies without website to be given a "website dev. tax rebate"
(they go on line first?)
c) Every school to have a domain.
d) KENIC slashes domain name costs >> envisaged en-masse new
registrations justifies this
e) Pornography: Have any e-preparedness? Fatma shared a horrifying
perception encounter
2. Demand
a) Involve non traditional and enlist new communities of users(e.g.
religious faithful for verses)
b) CCK ensures users have "full" internet ( i.e. VoIP no crippled by
any provider).
c) MVoIP means cheap communication >> already in high demand
d) 45% of Europeans watch TV online
<http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/05/03/45-of-europeans-watch-tv-online/>
3. Education
a) Everybody avoids this, even their own staff skills>>poach from competitors>>
so introduce training levy collected from to all providers.
b) Levy funds common good education diverse outlets (e-media, print,
posters, big street adverts ...)
c) Consumer education>> trust foundation for continued use of services
(not a petulant expense)
d) Funds communication research
4. Infrastructure (PS captured my sentiments) and I believe government
works for common good of everyone. I add,
- MVoIP cheap communication >> sustainable smallNETs(my 22 March
presentation)
- Have we entered a new age of communication industry (google “P2P”, “joost”)
- Embracing “Open Access” is good because infrastructure dominance will
not withstand consumer choice freedom pressure.
5. Financing and Sustainability
a) I acknowledge sustainability challenges already exist
"FACING ECONOMIC REALITIES OF MUNI WI-FI"
<http://news.com.com/Facing+economic+realities+of+muni+Wi-Fi/2100-7351_3-6181058.html?tag=nefd.lede>
b) This does not take away UA obligations >> info access and communication is
a basic human right
c) Business now to think not out of the box, but above it. Think
about making just one (1) bob profit from every Kenyan every day>>
that company is shillings 30 million richer every day
6. WB (Development Sector)
- WB subsidy welcome. Was fast packaged delivered in 4months when they
usually take 18 months.
- Usually, development sector support in ICT comes too little too late,
nonetheless appreciated.
7. Roles
We all have contributory but different roles to play although market
dominance wrangles cloud vision. Consumers are yearning to participate!
8. Way Forward,
Government immediately forms a muti-stakeholder iCt strategy working
committee a lean, mean-working group (and lets say I am the CEO:-)
Parliament is already considering a separate ICT-specific committee>>
legislators value sector.
This is what we will achieve:-
- to develop local sensitive e-comm. framework (selfishly I'd like to shop
at "Uchumi online")
- get those satellite mounted tracks across Kenya educating
- set-up sustainable small rural community networks and underserved
urban areas>>residential
- Give free/help public institutions and schools with website templates
- Venture where no-one is looking (e.g. train senior citizens on ICTs use,
Create SME portal and lobby government for "Universal Access" to business
for small and disadvantaged businesses, say only 10% or shs 50 billion annual
budget>> change public procuments act?)
- User-centric, demand triggering active engagement with industry, government,
well-wishers....
Walu, do I have this hypothetical job?
thanks
Alex
Fatma Bashir <fbashir at cyberschooltech.com> wrote: Joan,
I dont have statistics but working in the education sector, I see what KDN
sees in the schools, schools will be the incubation ground for the demand
for ICT in the rural areas (60% of schools are in rural areas). In about a
year and a half years time the picture will start changing as high school
graduates will be computer savvy and naturally opt to continue pursuing
interests ranging from search of opportunities for enterpreneurship to
formal job hunting using the internet or just keeping intouch!.
Further more when we look at schools and their facilities, they can easily
become the information centres for the communities around them and also
offer affordable capacity building to the parents of the students nearby.
Then they will start to look for ways to make some money and the
international/local content picture will start to swing in our favor.
Imagine one day you will go online and order your chopped sukuma wiki and
packet of carrots from the local mama mbogo outside your estate, she will
deliver to your house you will pay her on your way back home or GOd knows
even online?. its the form form leaver who will have designed the website
for her and its the nearby school that will have taught her computer 101.
whats missing is the segment that should be dealing with Capacity Building
in an informal way or even sensitizing and awareness ( ie we dont have to
attend college proper we can just go to the neighbourhood place and learn
some basics) I think that this is where the Lag might be felt by the likes
of KDN...and others.
Fatma
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joan Walumbe"
To:
Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2007 10:26 AM
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Day 5 - Statistics on Affordability -
CCKInternetStudy Report
> Walu,
>
> I agree with you that affordablity is a factor especially for rural
> communities when it comes to access to the internet. But I think that lack
> of awareness is an even bigger factor. It's fine for the urban folk (who
> already recognise the benefits to the internet etc.) taking a short break
> in
> shags to have the internet access when back home, but it there is no
> demand
> for the internet among the residents what is the point?
>
> So does KDN enter a market and then hope to create demand or is their a
> market that demands the service or is it a little of both?
>
> I understand that Kai would not be venturing into the rural areas if it
> did
> not make any financial sense. Can anyone provide some info/statistics on
> demand for internet access in rural areas?
>
> Joan Walumbe
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Walubengo"
> To:
> Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2007 9:01 AM
> Subject: [kictanet] Day 5 - Statistics on Affordability - CCK
> InternetStudy
> Report
>
>
> 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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