[kictanet] Mobile vs Broadband?

Thu Dec 4 10:02:30 EAT 2008

Brian,

Am not against your gospel according to Mobile Broadband, am just saying
there are other forms that broadband comes and loosing sight of that for
the current state of play can be dangerous.

For examples, you can get broadband through cable, iBurst technology
delivers broadband, WiMax is also for broadband, etc, etc, etc. New
technologies and platforms are evolving everyday that deliver broadband,
the most interesting is the effort to deliver broadband on wifi even over
long distances, am personally involved in one such research at tier
(http://tier.cs.berkeley.edu/wiki/Home)

I think you should be less propelling on your argument "we can actually
argue that mobile IS broadband - when 3G and EDGE capabilities are
available." Also your title "Mobile vs Broadband" can be misleading.
Broadband can be delivered through mobile and other forms and for Africa
we cannot stick it on Mobile alone.

As a techie, you know very well that it is not acceptable for one to stick
it out for one technology because tomorrow something new and better would
be in the offering.

My point is Africans need broadband in our homes and offices in order to
advance our cause in the knowledge economy. Actually, the future is
brighter with more options not just one.

Eric here

> THanks for the input Eric - but I beg to differ. Today you can obtain
> 5-7Mbps on a 3G-capable mobile phone (tested in Kenya on Safaricom's
> network
> by Aki & the local tech group Skunkworks). EDGE network can offer up to
> about 470Kbps.
>
> If we take the generally accepted parameters for broadband as anything
> above
> 512Kbps then we can actually argue that mobile IS broadband - when 3G and
> EDGE capabilities are available.
>
> This issue has actually been taken up by the W3C consortium and they have
> recognised the huge disruption potential that the mobile phenomenon in
> Africa has to usher in a new era of human/computer/network interface - to
> this end they are holding an even in Mozambique in April 2009 aimed at
> bringing together thought leaders, technologists, policy makers etc to
> take
> a better look at the subject.
>
> The future is bright!
>
> Brian
>
> On Wed, Dec 3, 2008 at 10:41 PM, <emko at internetresearch.com.gh> wrote:
>
>> Dear Brian and all,
>>
>> While i totally agree with you on the mobile success and how it propels
>> Africa to the forefront, i would caution that we need to move beyond
>> that
>> and see the need for broadband in African homes and offices as a basic
>> utility in the knowledge economy.
>>
>> Sometimes the temptation to be caught in your success can blind you from
>> engaging new frontiers. Lets not get caught in semantics because MOBILE
>> is
>> mobile and BROADBAND is broadband, if the later gets delivered through
>> mobile platforms then fine but the elements are different. It is
>> important
>> to keep in mind also that broadband can come in many forms and we should
>> be open to exploring the whole grail.
>>
>> You are right on spot with content and the need for local, national,
>> regional and Africa wide interconnectedness.
>>
>> Eric here
>>
>>
>>
>> > Brian Munyao Longwe – Main Session on Access (Development Perspective)
>> >
>> > Traditionally teledensity has been used as a measure of access or the
>> > extent
>> > to which communication technologies have pervaded a community.
>> >
>> > In the past Africa as a region has recorded extremely low fixed-line
>> > teledensity of below 1% that is less than 1 line per 100 people.
>> Believe
>> > it
>> > or not this is still the case!
>> >
>> > However, when one incorporates mobile lines in a teledensity analysis
>> -
>> > the
>> > results are not only incredible, they are amazing. as of 2007,
>> Africa's
>> > mobile teledensity stood at an impressive 23% or 23 lines per 100
>> people.
>> > There was a recorded growth in mobile users from 128 million in 2006
>> to
>> > over
>> > 215 million subscribers by 2007. This represents an annual growth of
>> over
>> > 46%. We have just heard that India's mobile network is growing at an
>> > incredible rate of over 10 million new connections per month!
>> >
>> > Given the fact that most operators around Africa have rolled out
>> GPRS/EDGE
>> > coverage across most of their networks as well as deployment of 3G
>> access
>> > across their larger markets it is entirely feasible that mobile, not
>> > broadband may present the opportunity for increased access for
>> developing
>> > countries. MOBILE and not BROADBAND is the silver bullet.
>> >
>> > Another key element crucial to the growth of access in developing
>> > countries
>> > is a suitable environment for the dispersion of relevant content and
>> > applications that meet the day to day needs of the populace. Internet
>> > Exchange Points are the primary critical ingredient needed to create
>> these
>> > conditions. By keeping all locally originated and requested traffic
>> local,
>> > Internet exchange points serve a crucial role in enhancing the user
>> > experience, lowering operational costs and providing a suitable
>> framework
>> > for the growth and development of the Internet in general.
>> >
>> > While many developing countries have adopted policies and regulations
>> that
>> > encourage and promote competition in the mobile sectors, which has
>> > resulted
>> > in continued growth in the numbers of users, the establishment of IXPs
>> has
>> > received a relatively low priority - despite the significant impact
>> that
>> > such simple infrastructure presents to the community.
>> >
>> > Access enhances the interface between government and the citizen at a
>> > transactional level. The Kenya Revenue Authority last year suggested
>> that
>> > the Kenya Internet Exchange Point receive "critical infrastructure"
>> status
>> > with 24-hour armed guard due to the fact that 100% of all
>> import/export
>> > declarations and documentation transit the IXP via the revenue
>> authority's
>> > web-based platform.
>> >
>> > Going back to mobile, Safaricom, a Kenyan mobile operator introduced a
>> > money
>> > transfer service called M-Pesa less than two years ago. M-Pesa now has
>> > over
>> > 4 million subscribers (within 1 year - the service signed up more
>> users
>> > than
>> > Kenya's entire banking industry signed up within a century!) Safaricom
>> > reported that over half a Billion US dollar had been transacted over
>> the
>> > platform within less than 18 months.
>> >
>> > Key policy lesson? The financial services and communications regulator
>> in
>> > Kenya decided not to subject m-pesa to punitive obligations through
>> > treatment as a bank but rather chose to perceive m-pesa a non-bank
>> payment
>> > service. That decision has today affected and continues to affect
>> millions
>> > of lives. Regulators can either promote innovation, access &
>> development
>> > or
>> > hinder it.
>> >
>> > In East Africa communications regulators have completely opened up the
>> > communications sector; fully liberalizing every area, but providing
>> > structure through unified licensing regime that separates facilities,
>> > services and content In Kenya this has spurred investments of over
>> half a
>> > Billion USD over the past 2 years.
>> >
>> > Key stakeholder lesson: relevant content drives demand - Safaricom's
>> > m-pesa
>> > met a basic and everyday need, this has driven the increased use of
>> their
>> > mobile platform by touching the lives & livelihoods of both urban &
>> rural
>> > citizens.
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > Brian Munyao Longwe
>> > e-mail: blongwe at gmail.com
>> > cell:  + 254 722 518 744
>> > blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com
>> > meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > kictanet mailing list
>> > kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
>> > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
>> >
>> > This message was sent to: emko at internetresearch.com.gh
>> > Unsubscribe or change your options at
>> >
>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/emko%40internetresearch.com.gh
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> kictanet mailing list
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
>>
>> This message was sent to: blongwe at gmail.com
>> Unsubscribe or change your options at
>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/blongwe%40gmail.com
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Brian Munyao Longwe
> e-mail: blongwe at gmail.com
> cell:  + 254 722 518 744
> blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com
> meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com
>