[kictanet] The broadband mess in Kenya - and I'm so angry

Wed Jan 27 22:17:49 EAT 2010

There are many solution permutations to the problem it would seem. The
one I would prefer is - since the license is a barrier to entry and to
the services being offered, do away with the license fee altogether (
and refund SFC their $25m) or at worst charge a small token fee for the
license. Let the players come on board and then impose an excise tax on
the service to make up for the "lost" revenue from the license. 

Waudo

On Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:01 +0300, "Michuki Mwangi"
<michuki at swiftkenya.com> wrote:
> Interesting article, But a thought occurred to me - what regulation
> prohibits the 3 operators to buy a single license and provide the 3g/4G
> on a shared infrastructure built under this license?.
> 
> Basically a third party organization leasing its 3G infrastructure to
> mobile operators or any license ISP for data services.
> 
> Assuming this was possible and it should be since 02 and Vodaphone are
> sharing 3G infrastructure in the UK. Then it means building and
> providing affordable access via 3G network should not be that far out of
> reach.
> 
> But then again i dont have all the facts so i could be missing something.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Michuki.
> 
> Marie-Anne Kinyanjui wrote:
> > This is an issue that has troubled me as I’ve watched the debate over 3G
> > licences.
> > 
> > Telkom and Essar have both indicated in public forums that they have
> > /already/ paid the fee.  I’m not sure about Zain. 
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > So that begs the question - why all the noise about 3G licences if three
> > out of four players can afford it?
> > 
> > And if we are to compete in a fair and transparent manner – why
> > shouldn’t they pay the fee?  Surely everyone should pay one price for
> > the same licence?    When buying base stations – do these companies ask
> > for different prices than their competitor because they happen to be
> > placed fourth in the market?  I think not.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > And is anyone else reminded of what happened when fibre landed by this
> > 3G debate??  
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > It would be great if we could get to the bottom of the real issues in
> > the industry. 
> > 
> > Yes there is a dominant player and yes CCK needs to work a lot harder to
> > ensure companies provide affordable services.  But boycotting Ndemo and
> > Njoroge can’t be a solution when we still have so far to go in ICT. 
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > In my view it’s defeatist to say that 80% of your productivity is wasted
> > because of two mere individuals – it flies in the face of the gains
> > being made on a daily basis by those who work hard for their money.  And
> > what’s that about keeping your enemies close?
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > As always, this is purely my personal opinion and does not reflect that
> > of my employer.
> > 
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > 
> > *From:* kictanet-bounces+mkinyanjui=nation.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> > [mailto:kictanet-bounces+mkinyanjui=nation.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke]
> > *On Behalf Of *Walubengo J
> > *Sent:* Wednesday, January 27, 2010 11:21 AM
> > *To:* Marie-Anne Kinyanjui
> > *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> > *Subject:* [kictanet] The broadband mess in Kenya - and I’m so angry
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Kenya is in dire need of investment in technology. That is why I am
> > angry that the factors hindering growth are actually "policy" related to
> > this sector, and not due to lack of innovators or investors. There are
> > many innovators and investors willing to take the challenge of helping
> > Kenya come out of the dark ages of narrowband and into the grace of
> > broadband.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > The problem rises from the differences between the Communication
> > Commission of Kenya (CCK) and other 3G service providers. There seems to
> > be a great cloud of varying information which hardly gets to the man on
> > the street. The unclear issues include the following:
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Stroy continues @
> > 
> > http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/634/850014/-/view/asBlogPost/-/pjyirj/-/index.html
> > 
> > walu.
> > Disclaimer: views expressed here belong purely to the author and are not
> > necessary endorsed by me ;-)
> > 
> >  
> > 
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