[kictanet] Coming Soon: Free Internet to Rural Areas (There is never a free ride)

[Ali Hussein]

James

The bigger issue is why aren't the rural areas connected? This is where most economic activity happens. We keep on deluding ourselves that most economic activities happen in the cities.

The other issue is that there really is nothing free in this world. Facebook needs eyeballs to drive their business model. And that model is primarily advertising. How do we encourage local content of all that is available on the 'free internet' is Facebook driven content? 

More importantly what happens to the Ma3Racers of the world if the market is skewed against them because they don't have the war chest of Facebook to enter into deals with telcos to offer zero-rated services?

This Net Neutrality issue needs to be addressed by all stakeholders exhaustively otherwise the perception that the Regulator and Policy Makers either:-

1. Don't care about this issue
2. Or have no clue about what it is

will continue to persist. And I will continue to be the Mad Man in the village. :-)  

Ali Hussein
Principal
Hussein & Associates
+254 0713 601113 / 0770906375

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

> On 18 Nov 2015, at 8:52 AM, James Kagwe <kagwejg at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Looking at it from the other side of the fence, the truth is that Internet service providers in Kenya including the Telcos have maintained the price of internet quite high even for the middle class living in urban areas. Most of us can only enjoy reliable internet in the office only. This is even after Kenya connected to at least 4 undersea cables.
> 
> Given the prevailing circumstances there's no hope for reliable and affordable Internet to the rurals in the near future. This is with the benefits of Internet as demonstrated by research not withstanding. I don't see anything wrong with what they're doing. In any case we in Nairobi and other urban areas will continue paying the unreasonable costs as we have been doing in the past.
> 
> James
> 
>> On Nov 18, 2015 8:16 AM, "Ali Hussein via kictanet" <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>> Listers
>> 
>> I'm really concerned about the continued silence of the Regulator regarding Zero-Rating of certain services bundled by telcos in this country in partnership with the big boys and girls of the Internet. Are we not clear how this continued silence and tacit approval of this practice that had basically been outlawed in their home countries is going to impact our nascent Internet economy?  
>> 
>> http://www.nation.co.ke/business/Free-Internet-to-rural-areas/-/996/2960730/-/10o59uez/-/index.html
>> 
>> We deserve some action from the Communication Authority. 
>> 
>> Ali Hussein
>> Principal
>> Hussein & Associates
>> +254 0713 601113 / 0770906375
>> 
>> 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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