[kictanet] I have seen the future of the marine cable

Eric M.K Osiakwan emko at internetresearch.com.gh
Thu Dec 11 15:01:00 EAT 2008 

Though am a great believer in the ripple effects that the eventual  
availability of reliable and affordable bandwidth would have on the  
market and economy, i would not gamble with the strategic effort we  
need to put in to ensure the aggregation and generation of digital  
content.

In my view, we need for strategic effort in ensuring the uptake and  
strategic local deployment of content, otherwise the pipes would be  
going more upstream which would tilt the scale against us, not  
advancing the full benefits.

I wont take fiber for a given, is my point.

Eric here


On 11 Dec 2008, at 08:00, Barrack Otieno wrote:

> That is why we must stop being Consumers of Technology and become
> innovators, we have what it takes succeed once fibre lands, what is
> failing us is the policy angle, there is nothing to fear we only need
> to get rid of mediocrity. Bob you looked at it from a Narrow angle.
> That is my take
>
> On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 1:42 PM, P Gitau Githongo  
> <pgitau at githongo.com> wrote:
>> I believe the marine cable presents a far greater opportunity than  
>> a threat.
>> The fact that the choice of locating servers offshore/onshore  
>> exists can
>> only be beneficial.
>>
>> The challenge is to focus on ensuring that the trend is inwards  
>> and to our
>> benefit; and entails dealing with the root causes that would make a
>> corporation steer clear of our shores in chosing where to locate its
>> servers. These include price competitiveness, investment climate,  
>> simplified
>> regulatory frameworks, etc, when compared with other potential  
>> destinations.
>>
>>
>> Several of these areas have seen noteworthy government/private  
>> initiatives
>> aimed at doing away with bureaucratic red-tape and simplification of
>> investment procedures as well as improved connectivity and  
>> reduction of data
>> transfer costs.
>>
>> A critical area that has been ignored is the productivity costs of  
>> doing
>> business in Kenya - specifically Nairobi. Even before you factor in
>> unreasonably high office rental and utility costs, the direct and  
>> indirect
>> costs of getting workers to and from work has risen in recent  
>> years to
>> levels that are simply alarming.
>>
>> These are the actual costs of transportation and as well as the  
>> time taken
>> in the commute of workers to and from work. In a pilot survey  
>> carried out by
>> our firm on the urban commute of professional staff based within  
>> Nairobi's
>> CBD we established that only 58% of staff took less than an hour  
>> in their
>> daily commute to work. We intend in future to look at firm's  
>> outside the
>> CBD. 50% of those using public transport (in a 5-day working week)  
>> spent
>> more than US$ 40 every month on transport. A 2006 report by Sykes - a
>> leading South African outsourcing operator, showed that 80% of it  
>> workers
>> spent less than an hour commuting to work at a cost ranging from US 
>> $ 27 to
>> US$ 39. With escalating domestic rental rates in the areas close to
>> Nairobi's CBD climbing out of reach, this problem will only get  
>> worse - fast
>> - and only reduce worker productivity further.
>>
>> It is these factors that are undermining the tremendous gains made in
>> reduction of infrastructure costs and ease of investment and are  
>> more likely
>> the factors that led to the departure of the multinational Yawe was
>> referring to.
>>
>>
>> As an illustration
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: kictanet-bounces+pgitau=githongo.com at lists.kictanet.or.ke
>> [mailto:kictanet-bounces+pgitau=githongo.com at lists.kictanet.or.ke]  
>> On Behalf
>> Of John Walubengo
>> Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2008 12:26 PM
>> To: pgitau at githongo.com
>> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
>> Subject: Re: [kictanet] I have seen the future of the marine cable
>>
>> Yawe,
>>
>> I too shiver when I think about Kenya after the marine cable  
>> lands.  I see
>> two additional challenges: security and digital colonization.
>>
>> Security: With better and reliable telco-links into and out of  
>> E.Africa,
>> hackers based in developed economies would find a rich-haven to  
>> launch
>> attacks into and from within E.Africa where security for electronic
>> infrastructure (e.g. government, parastatal, banking and other  
>> websites) is
>> often an after thought.
>>
>> Digital colonization: similar to what you described as becoming  
>> one of the
>> "top 10 Clerical hub" of the world (no offense Kukubo and Co ;-).   
>> But it
>> could be true, the submarine cable will definately leap-frog us  
>> into the
>> 21st Century faster than we shall be able to exploit it.  And so  
>> those who
>> are able, will use the cable to damp their "goods" as it were.  
>> Think of it
>> in terms of the proliferation of TV sets before our local capacity to
>> produce content matured - end result? Enough 3rd rate soap operas  
>> from
>> Mexico, West-africa, etc became our staple diet.
>>
>> And so it will be with the cable. I am not saying the cable  
>> shouldnt come, I
>> just think we should have plans to ride the cable at the top  
>> rather than at
>> the bottom of the Internet value-chain.
>>
>> walu.
>> --- On Tue, 12/9/08, robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> From: robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk>
>>> Subject: [kictanet] I have seen the future of the marine cable
>>> To: jwalu at yahoo.com
>>> Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions"  
>>> <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>>> Date: Tuesday, December 9, 2008, 11:42 AM
>>> Today I saw the future of Kenya after the fiber land and I
>>> feel duty bound to share the experience.
>>>
>>> For many years my business has provided server solutions to
>>> multinationals for groupware, our main selling point for
>>> having servers located locally was always the unreliable
>>> internet links.
>>>
>>> Today one of my clients, a multinational company has moved
>>> their servers to Europe and are using thin client technology
>>> to connect the desktop user.
>>>
>>> I saw a similar scenario when multinationals where allowed
>>> VSAT terminals, as many technical activities got
>>> consolidated either at head office in Europe/USA or regional
>>> processing centers in India.  What we were left with was
>>> clerical and other none core activities.  With the downturn
>>> in the world financial markets expect more centralised
>>> control of corporate activites and offshoring of currently
>>> local functions.
>>>
>>> I assure the advocates of BSP and call centers that they
>>> will achieve their objective of turning Kenya into a
>>> clerical hub for the rest of the world.  Which is
>>> historically what Kenya's role was always meant to be
>>> within the British Empire.  We are soon to become a nation
>>> of overqualified call center operated involved in an
>>> activity that does not provide skills transfer.
>>>
>>> Come January I will have lost a prime revenue earner as all
>>> that will
>>> be expected from us will be blowing the computers and
>>> offering 1st
>>> level support on productivity applications and printing
>>> issues.  This
>>> will mean that I have no need to retain high skilled
>>> personnel.
>>>
>>> What use is it then for us to be setting up Universities
>>> all over the country yet all we shall need are large armies
>>> of fellows with good spoken english, maybe french or chinese
>>> with an average IQ and basic level of education.
>>>
>>> Am I an alarmist? I do not think so I am a realist, I am
>>> reengineering to meet the challenge but can someone provide
>>> a condusive environment.  Ndemo can we get collocation
>>> centers made available, the newly redressed ISPs are not
>>> about to add value in this direction.  Can the government
>>> take the lead in outsourcing its activites, we are ready to
>>> setup a call centre for the Government in ISIOLO or at RIAT
>>> in Kisumu, I dare you to give me the challenge.
>>>
>>> Have a god filled christmas & a proserous new year
>>>
>>>  Robert Yawe
>>> KAY System Technologies Ltd
>>> Phoenix House, 6th Floor
>>> P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
>>> Kenya
>>>
>>>
>>> Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>       _______________________________________________
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>>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
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>>>
>>> This message was sent to: jwalu at yahoo.com
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>>> 40yahoo.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
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>
>
>
> -- 
> Barrack O. Otieno
> ISSEN CONSULTING
> Tel:
> +254721325277
> +254726544442
> +254733206359
> www.issenconsult.com
> http://projectdiscovery.or.ke
> To give up the task of reforming society is to give up ones
> responsibility as a free man.
> Alan Paton, South Africa
>
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Eric M.K Osiakwan
Director
Internet Research
www.internetresearch.com.gh
emko at internetresearch.com.gh
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