[kictanet] NCA Board member gives its price target as an E1 for US$100-500

[Eric M.K Osiakwan]

Kai,

The Central Bank as the regulator of the financial sector in every economy sets prime rates and other industry indicators based on their calculation of the market forces as they interplay with demand and supply. i dont see why you sense danger with the regulator of the coms industry setting "prime rate" based on the commoditized calculation.....

You generate a lot of weight in your submission below on the private sector factors as a basis to slap the need for regulatory intervention in a market situation that has held the industry back for a very longtime.  Am a private sector spice like you but if there is any lesson for us to learn from the current global financial crisis, it is that, we need regulatory interventions in the market theatre as markets have mood and are by that extension in perfect. 

My comment is, all the factors you have enumerated are great but they dont negate the need for regulatory intervention to bring artificially high prices down for the masses to have access, a market expansion mechanism. 

Eric here



On 29 Nov 2009, at 17:59, kai wulff wrote:

> Eric,
>  
> This is exactly the type of statement that is dangerous. It is a little bit like deflation …
>  
> Because everybody expect cheaper prices nobody moves .. And because of this, uptake is below the potential, usage of the cable is sub optimal and prices don’t come down … Result: People will wait longer ..
>  
> I still don’t understand why we are so set on the E1 price (actually we should talk about 2M duplex and not old school) for a BPO .. Quality is what matters ..
>  
> With a good quality compression you can push more than 256 calls at any given time. So in an 8 hour shift you could have 122880 call minutes with 256 agents .. Assume 70% load, this makes 86016 minutes. Surely, you will have to terminate them into a network. Assume 0.02USD per minute.
>  
> So my question: What is your staff cost? Let’s argue 700KSH per day and person? Electricity? KSH 20 per day and person? Rent KSH 50 per day and person (assuming you work 2 shifts, 7 days a week).
>  
> Add software, overheads …..
>  
> So now, what is the cost of communication?
>  
> Currently an E1 in Kenya costs 1200 USD (not using the free offer) list price. So we said 2 shifts, 30 days, 70% load ..
>  
> 5160960 call minutes a month
>  
> That makes 0,0174 KSH per minute (took a rate of 75 to the USD) for the submarine portion!
> We add KSH 2 for termination = 2,0174 KSH communications per minute
>  
> Salaries: 1,45 KSH per minute (and this includes the idle ones or KSH 2,08 per minute at 70%
>  
> You see the contribution of the pure Submarine portion .. It is NEXT TO NOTHING.
>  
> Any comments?
>  
> Kai
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
> Von: kictanet-bounces+kai.wulff=kdn.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+kai.wulff=kdn.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] Im Auftrag von Eric M.K Osiakwan
> Gesendet: Sunday, November 29, 2009 20:35
> An: kai.wulff at kdn.co.ke
> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> Betreff: [kictanet] NCA Board member gives its price target as an E1 for US$100-500
>  
> A two day workshop called “Fiber Optic Undersea (Submarine) cable”, in collaboration with West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), the German Technical Group (GTZ) and also the National Communications Authority (NCA) at the La Palm Royal Hotel.
> The workshop offered WATRA members the guidance regarding the regulation of access to new undersea cables and also come up with adoptable guidelines for issuance of undersea cable licenses and landing rights agreement. This would ensure the transparency in deployment and pricing of undersea cables.
> A Member of the Board of Directors of NCA, Solomon Quandzie has observed that the availability of international bandwidth, coupled with NCA’s plans for licensing additional terrestrial fiber optic cables systems, and also wireless broadband access (through things like WiMAX) operators would finally set the deployment of broadband networks throughout the country and further lay the foundation for rapid economic growth in the ICT sector.
> He said, application of Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs) and Government’s decentralization program would enhance various e-government packages which would increase the social-economic development of the citizenry in a manner never witnessed in this country over the past several years.
> 
> Quandzie said that the NCA is committed to opening up the market base of the telecommunication industry by offering an additional fiber optic cable operator (WACS), which would add more capacity to the existing one, all within a 24 month period.
> 
> According to Quandzie, the current SAT 3 cable systems provides an estimated three gigabytes capacity of international bandwidth to the country at approx systems to become operational, adding that “They will be adding respectively, for a total of 1,920 gigabytes or 640 fold increase to the current capacity of international bandwidth in the country”.
> 
> Quandzie said that NCA expectation of a supply bandwidth a price goal of $100-500 per E1 should be possible within the very near future which would provide the necessary framework for the attainment of such an outcome.
> 
> He concluded that with the right regulatory framework established, reliable and affordable broadband networks, coupled with low cost of available international bandwidth can be provided through undersea fiber optic cables.
> (Source: The Ghanaian Chronicle)
>  
>  
> Eric M.K Osiakwan
> Director 
> Internet Research
> www.internetresearch.com.gh
> emko at internetresearch.com.gh
> 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North
> Tel: +233.21.258800 ext 7031
> Fax: +233.21.258811
> Cell: +233.24.4386792
>  
> 
> 
> 
>  

Eric M.K Osiakwan
Director 
Internet Research
www.internetresearch.com.gh
emko at internetresearch.com.gh
42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North
Tel: +233.21.258800 ext 7031
Fax: +233.21.258811
Cell: +233.24.4386792




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