[kictanet] Is Safaricom really dominant?

[Ali Hussein]

Listers

Apologies for cross posting.

Safaricom was again on the dock two days ago at the Senate that was sitting to discuss this issue. I don't have the full details of what transpired but I do know one thing (or two):-

We are wasting too much time discussing an issue which the market will address - sooner rather than later. Instead of Regulators and policy makers spending too much time debating on whether Safaricom is dominant or not I challenge them to create an environment that will ensure that such discussions are pointed in the right direction. For example:-

1. Do we have ubiquitous broadband in the country? When we talk about high speed internet do we mean Nairobi or Kenya? 

2. What is the Universal Access Fund doing? Where are the reports for us to interrogate? 

3. What is our definition of Net Neutrality and how will this affect the growth of critical infrastructure going forward? 

4. Are the Telcos collectively behaving badly? And what can be done to address this issue? I mean stuff like 'expired' bundles, Fair use Policy (whatever that means!), basic customer service etc.

5. What is our position on Privacy and Cyber Crime? 

6. Does the average Kenyan understand the pitfalls of freely sharing information online? And how can we protect them without curtailing their freedoms? 

7. In the wake of the GES Conference what next? 

My humble opinion is that this continuous talk of Safaricom being dominant is akin to Wagging the Dog.  

Ali Hussein
Hussein & Associates
+254 770 906375 / 0713 601113

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

"Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought".  ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi

Sent from my iPad
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