[kictanet] Should we worry over the impending Telkom Collapse

[Ali Hussein]

Mwendwa

I agree. But then I think that the county's are basically on their own and they should do all they can to bring themselves into the 22nd Century.

Ali Hussein

+254 770 906375 / 0713 601113

Twitter: @AliHKassim
Skype: abu-jomo
LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
Blog: www.alyhussein.com

"I fear the day technology will surpass human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots".  ~ Albert Einstein

Sent from my iPad

> On Dec 22, 2014, at 2:20 PM, Mwendwa Kivuva <Kivuva at transworldafrica.com> wrote:
> 
> Ali, proper implementation of USF will save us from the poor speeds
> you are experiencing in Lamu.
> 
> As for Telkom, a complete exit by the government would do the trick.
> If it's made a parastatal, it will be another conduit for the
> executive to reward political cronies and siphon taxpayers money.
> 
> Kencel/Zain/Airtel has survived the tough landscape as investors try
> to keep afloat their capital. This would be the case if Telkom was
> completely privatised.
> 
> Let market forces, regulation, and policy decide the fate of the
> industry, but we should do everything possible to keep Telkom afloat.
> 
>> On 21/12/2014, Ali Hussein via kictanet <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>> Listers
>> 
>> Happy Holidays.
>> 
>> Interesting story in the Sunday Nation on the above. It's especially
>> poignant for me as I sit in Lamu trying to send an email for the last two
>> hours with no success. I have both Orange and Safaricom and both have failed
>> me dismally. I'm left wondering:-
>> 
>> What National Broadband Strategy if we can't get the key county headquarters
>> connected even with decent reliable connectivity. Maybe it's because it's
>> the season of Kaskazi which is interfering with connectivity.
>> 
>> Anyway, back to the Telkom issue:-
>> 
>> Clearly, the government is yet to think through a clear strategy on how to
>> handle  the impending exit of France Telecom  from the shareholding of
>> Telkom Kenya - even as the country's third mobile operator in terms of
>> subscribers sinks deeper  into financial distress.
>> 
>> The uncertainty around the fate of what was once one of the largest state
>> corporations with a workforce of more than 23,000 employees is captured in a
>> recent letter by Information and Communications Secretary, Dr Fred
>> Matiang'i, to President Uhuru Kenyatta.
>> 
>> Writing in October, Dr Matiang'i argued that the insolvency of Telkom Kenya
>> was bound to affect negatively the government's plans in the ICT sector.
>> 
>> According to Dr Matiang'i, Telkom Kenya's dwindling fortunes will put the
>> success of the national broadband strategy, including  the plans to roll out
>> Huduma Centres at risk.
>> 
>> Read on:-
>> 
>> http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/Why-State-should-worry-over-impending-collapse-of-Telkom/-/440808/2564164/-/11c8wxk/-/index.html
>> 
>> Question(s)
>> 
>> 1. I hope Dr. Matiang'i was misquoted because for the life of me I can't see
>> how the collapse of one company can put the whole country's Broadband
>> Strategy at risk. Can someone please explain this to me? I doubt this is the
>> case. Was the management contract for NOFBi so skewed to favour Orange
>> Telkom that we are now unable to extricate ourselves?
>> 
>> 2. Are we serious about connecting the country? By now we should expect at
>> least the same level of connectivity as Nairobi. We now know that the myth
>> of our country's GDP coming majorly from Nairobi is just that. A myth.
>> Again, when are we going to get the Universal Access Fund working? At this
>> rate we might as well call it a Phantom.
>> 
>> 3. Why are we wasting so much energy on Telkom Kenya? I do commensurate with
>> the current Government because they really were saddled with this albatross.
>> But now it's time to put it out of its misery. This may sound callous but
>> Orange is going nowhere. Even the staff know it. If we want to save Kenyan
>> jobs then let's step in and revert it back to being a parastatal because
>> clearly the French have funked it.
>> 
>> Ali Hussein
>> 
>> +254 770 906375 / 0713 601113
>> 
>> Twitter: @AliHKassim
>> Skype: abu-jomo
>> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
>> Blog: www.alyhussein.com
>> 
>> "I fear the day technology will surpass human interaction. The world will
>> have a generation of idiots".  ~ Albert Einstein
>> 
>> Sent from my iPad
> 
> 
> -- 
> ______________________
> Mwendwa Kivuva, Nairobi, Kenya
> twitter.com/lordmwesh
> 
> The best athletes never started as the best athletes.
> You have to think anyway, so why not think big? - Donald Trump.
> "You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take." - Wayne Gretzky.
> Tackle the biggest frog first.
> I will persist until I succeed - Og Mandino.
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