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

Thu Jan 28 08:36:05 EAT 2010

Michuki,

I think you have hit the nail on the head. This is not a problem caused by
either the regulatory authorities (CCK) or the policy-making body
(ministry). This is simply a case of commercial interests gone bad. It
defeats my why the telcos and cellcos have such big egos that they can't
collaborate/work together - especially on issues where they are dealing with
a scarce resource.

Look how long the intfrastructure sharing debate went - till CCK had to come
in and flex muscle. And even now I'm not sure it is working entirely
smoothly.

This issue about a $25m frequency fee is being used as a smoke screen to
pull the wool over consumers eyes and shift the blame for lack of innovation
and quality of service from themselves to CCK/Ministry.

These cellcos/telcos need to wake up, smell the coffee, wipe their noses,
stop fussing and do what it takes to deliver service to Kenyans - or their
place will be taken by others - mark my words!

Regards,

Brian

On Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 9:01 PM, 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 <kictanet-bounces%2Bmkinyanjui>=
> 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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-- 
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
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