[kictanet] Day 5 - Statistics on Affordability -CCKInternetStudy Report

[jamesrege at africaonline.co.ke]

Walu, Your concern on affordability of internet access by rural communities
is justified.  I don't think fibre optics 
(being a point-to-point) network can benefit a majority of rural
communities economically unless there is a seriously 
subsidized provision of the last-mile network. Thousands of schools and
Government offices which are situated far 
away from the fibre optics paths will never sniff the benefits of broadband
communications supplied through fibre 
optics pipe. Fibre optics, microwave and satellite media always complement
each other, especially for restoration 
purposes.  Kenya is lucky to have them all. Can Walu's concern be addressed
in all the cases?



On 5/3/07 9:01 AM, "John Walubengo" <jwalubengo at kcct.ac.ke> wrote:

> 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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