[kictanet] Fwd:[AfrICANN-discuss] 'The Future of Internet is African' dixit Goran Marby

Tue Feb 14 17:47:21 EAT 2017

Listers,

For your Information.

Best Regards
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Dandjinou Pierre" <pdandjinou at gmail.com>
Date: Feb 7, 2017 3:42 PM
Subject: [AfrICANN-discuss] 'The Future of Internet is African' dixit Goran
Marby
To: "africann at afrinic.net" <africann at afrinic.net>

Dear All,

Please find below an interview by Goran Marby, during his first trip in
Africa (Kenya and Ethiopia) two weeks ago, as President & CEO of ICANN !

Pierre

http://media.reelforge.com/player/index.php?storyid=32368819
6&encryptid=f2twbs517jn3vzhmk8cxp69yr400dq

And the print edition is below:

https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/article/2001228504/
the-future-of-internet-is-african

*‘The future of Internet is African’ By Frankline Sunday | Updated Tue,
February 7th 2017*

Depending on whom you ask, the future of the Internet is one of three
things. It is either a dystopia ruled by corporate giants, a utopia where
artificial intelligence has solved the majority of humanity’s challenges,
or a mix of the two. As it is today, computing and networking technologies
are evolving at a pace that has left Internet users trapped in a
near-infinite cycle of adoption. And this is expected to accelerate in the
future. According to Göran Marby, the head of the Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), while it is impossible to predict the
future of the Internet, sub-Saharan Africa will play a large part in
bringing it all together. ICANN co-ordinates the Internet’s naming system.
“The fascinating thing about the Internet – which also makes me somewhat
nervous – is that you never know what is coming next,” he said in an
exclusive interview with Business Beat during his first visit to Kenya.

Grossly misunderstood Indeed, in a best-selling book 10 years ago, renowned
computer scientist Ray Kurzweil noted that human beings have grossly
misunderstood the pace of technological advancement owing to a relatively
short-sighted perception of the past and present. “An analysis of the
history of technology shows that technological change is exponential,
contrary to the common-sense ‘intuitive linear’ view. So we won’t
experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century – it will be more like
20,000 years of progress,” he wrote. The result, as described by Mr
Kurzweil, sounds like something of a science fiction film – machine
intelligence will surpass human intelligence in the next few decades. This
will lead to ‘The Singularity’ – technological change so rapid and profound
it represents a rupture in the fabric of human history. “The implications
include the merger of biological and non-biological intelligence, immortal
software-based humans, and ultra-high levels of intelligence that expand
outward in the universe at the speed of light,” he wrote.

In the decade since Kurzweil published his mind-boggling book, advancements
in mobile, wearable devices, autonomous cars and home appliances have
progressed exponentially.

Technology researchers believe that after the first three digital
revolutions – broadband, mobile connectivity and social networking – the
Internet of Things comes fourth, significantly changing the way human
beings interact with themselves and their devices. Mr Marby, 53, has worked
in the telecommunications sector for more than two decades, and was the
director general at Sweden’s regulatory body, Swedish Post and Telecom
Authority (PTS), prior to his appointment at ICANN last March. He is
confident that the future of the Internet relies largely on how communities
innovate and apply the resource’s functionalities. “No one has been on the
Internet for a long time, and the Internet today is not what it used to be
five or so years ago and will not be the same in the next five years,” he
said. “Getting people online changes everything and levels the playing
field. There could be someone in a garage in Nairobi right now who will be
the one to reveal the next big solution.” Equal opportunities This is
possible because of net neutrality – the Internet-governing principle that
allows equal access to anybody, anywhere. This means, for example, that if
two people from opposite ends of the earth log onto the same webpage, the
flow of data packets from their two devices is treated equally.

This is important because it allows equal opportunities to software and
hardware developers from all over the world to innovate. It is, therefore,
crucial for sub-Saharan African governments and ICT regulators to
participate in global discussions on issues like net neutrality and digital
security for the benefit of the more than one billion potential users in
the region. “Africa’s engagement will help to form the new Internet,” said
Marby. “Participating in the developing of the Internet through the
different forums will allow the region to ensure that it also caters to
specific regional needs.” In the recent past, however, this has also seen
governments and regulators in sub-Saharan Africa resort to heavy-handed
techniques in a bid to control Internet access, fearing its use to fan
discontent among netizens. Mass Internet shutdowns have become more
frequent, with the governments of Gambia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda and
most recently Cameroon conducting large-scale shutdowns in the last year.
However, a study by the Brookings Institute found that 81 short-term
Internet shutdowns in 19 countries in 2015 cost them $2.4 billion (Sh249.4
billion). Some of the countries that suffered huge losses include India,
Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Iraq, with the losses expected to be higher since
tax losses and loss of investment had been excluded.

Marby added that while the Internet is a global resource, the business
application of it is still local in nature, which will require governments
to develop legislation that is specific to the needs of local stakeholders.
“Many of these discussions are local, as it should be because it is the
government and regulators that set the laws within a specific
jurisdiction,” he said. “The Internet is global, but the localisation of
data is essential in bringing about an investment opportunity. Think local
grocery stores, local municipalities, local news.” Marby noted that another
advantage working for the region is the adoption of mobile, where
sub-Saharan Africa leads other regions in the world, providing a large pool
of users to drive uptake. “The Internet is like love. If you share
information, you increase the value of information, just like it is with
love.” fsunday at standardmedia.co.ke

-- 
Pierre Dandjinou
Cotonou - 229 90 087784 / 66566610
Dakar 221 77 639 30 41
www.scg.bj
skype : sagbo1953

_______________________________________________
AfrICANN mailing list
AfrICANN at afrinic.net
https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/africann
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/attachments/20170214/b01eaad6/attachment.htm>