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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Twenty years ago, countries in south
Asia were faced with similar problems of connectivity that most of <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> faces today. That time, there was no government
commitment, whether longsighted or myopic.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Then, a group of individuals
decided to lay the cable. They got minimal staff and divers to do the work and
the connected most of the countries. For them, it was a question of meeting
demand and providing it at an affordable cost. That time, no one had looked at
issues their way but they knew of a future market.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The story, was told by Brian
Longwe- a reknowned ICT expert, and as he argued, the southern part of <st1:place w:st="on">Asia</st1:place>
is one of the most connected and has various cables, laid by individuals,
companies and government consortia. Internet costs there as well as
connectivity to other vital services have been considerably reduced.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">�So what stops me and my friends
from laying our own cable and selling it to willing buyers?� Longwe asked Dr. Bitange
Ndemo, Permanent Secretary at the ministry of Information and communication. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Dr. Ndemo replied that there is
nothing stopping any group from laying their own cable, provided they do not
become a monopoly.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">�There is no law blocking anybody
from laying the cable. The government does not want to promote monopolies,� he
added.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The debate took place at the
workshop discussing the Optic Fibre Cable and the various models that the
country may adopt to bridge the digital divide. The workshop was a conclusion
of the two week-long online discussion on OFC.</p>
<div> </div>Rebecca Wanjiku,<br>journalist,<br>p.o box 33515, <br>Nairobi.00600<br>Kenya.<br><br>Tel. 254 720 318 925<br><br><span>blog:<a target="_blank" href="http://beckyit.blogspot.com/">http://beckyit.blogspot.com/</a></span><div><br></div></div><br>
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