[kictanet] Online discussion on State of Broadband in Kenya

Wed Apr 24 13:10:54 EAT 2019

Kivuva and all

Let's start with the definition so that we are on the same page.  Besides a
'Kenyan Translation' let's agree first what Broadband is. Because a car is
a car but there are Mercedeses, Teslas, Toyotas, and the thing that some
Governor in Kenya displayed some weeks back.

According to Wikipedia, Broadband is:-

*Broadband* is wide bandwidth
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandwidth_(signal_processing)> data
transmission <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_transmission> which
transports multiple signals and traffic types. The medium can be coaxial
cable <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable>, optical fiber
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_fiber>, radio
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio> or twisted pair
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twisted_pair>. In the context of Internet
access <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_access>, *broadband* is used
to mean any high-speed Internet access that is *always on and faster
than** dial-up
access <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dial-up_Internet_access> **over *
traditional analog
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_old_telephone_service> or ISDN
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISDN> PSTN
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_switched_telephone_network> services.

Based on the definition above what is the broadband coverage in Kenya and
what is the Universal Service Fund
<https://ca.go.ke/industry/universal-access/purpose-of-the-fund/> of the
Communications Authority doing to ensure Kenyans are not disenfranchised?
My own thumb suck estimation is that Broadband coverage in this country
stands at less than 10%. And I'm being generous.

Most of us know this. Beyond the major towns, there is almost no
connectivity to speak of. How is this impacting citizens? We know for
example that today you can hardly transact with the govt without online
services. Most Kenyans don't have access to computers let alone Smart
Phones. And when you have a Smart Phone try connecting to eCitizen. A visit
to the dentist is less painful.

According to the latest Communications Authority Statistics, </> The
data/Internet market in the country remained vibrant during the period
under review. As at 31st December 2018, the total number of active
data/Internet subscriptions stood at 45.7 million of which 47.9 percent
were on broadband. Consider those numbers and then consider the population
of this country. And then ask yourself how reliable these statistics are. I
leave it here.

The impact of accessibility or lack thereof of Broadband in today's world
cannot be gainsaid. We must have an executable plan in this country to
ensure the disenfranchised are brought on board.

*Ali Hussein*

*Principal*

*AHK & Associates*

Tel: +254 713 601113

Twitter: @AliHKassim

Skype: abu-jomo

LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
<http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim>

13th Floor , Delta Towers, Oracle Wing,

Chiromo Road, Westlands,

Nairobi, Kenya.

Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely
mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the
organizations that I work with.

On Tue, Apr 23, 2019 at 8:36 AM Mwendwa Kivuva via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

> Dear Listers,
>
> As notified last week, we are conducting an assessment on the state of
> play and impact of broadband in Kenya, broadly looking at the
> socio-economic impact on consumers, businesses and various sectors like
> agriculture, education, healthcare, finance and government.
>
> We are looking at real life examples of impact of broadband, challenges we
> face in increasing impact of broadband and recommendations on interventions
> needed to address the challenges identified.
>
> For this discussion, we define broadband as any fast internet. Fast enough
> to serve your intended purpose. We can have an extended definition through
> the discussion.
>
> Some of the questions we should answer are:
>
>    1. What is the current state of broadband in Kenya? What is the
>    current coverage of broadband in Kenya? Do you have broadband internet in
>    your area? How affordable is the available broadband?
>    2. What barriers are there in increasing impact of broadband in Kenya?
>    3. What recommendations can counter the barriers identified in
>    increasing impact of broadband?
>
> Looking forward to a grrat debate.
> Sincerely,
> ______________________
> Mwendwa Kivuva
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