Interesting paragraph, "setting up of a Project Steering Committee to kick-start the implementation of the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network that includes the EASSy cable." Feels like the massage after a thorough diplomatic arm-twisting, thanks for the link.<br><br>- Planning setting up of *another* committee while TEAMS is working round the clock at delivering the cable. It would appear Kenya's impatience was justified.<br><br>- Is NEPAD a policy formulator or an implementor and could the conflict of role under this framework be the root cause of the delays?<br><br>- Shouldn't NEPAD should encourage all able countries to land complementary cables and share capacity with family?<br><br>-Like the rest of the world, contemporary Africa needs cheap internet and a couple more internet freedom fighters for that toto internet liberation.<br><br>This far, top-down having failed to realise the i-dream, vision not withstanding. Perhaps it is time "trickled up" internet
provisioning changed, not shifted, the internet delivery paradigm. Internet education <span style="font-style: italic;">en masse</span> is one true way to ensure the internet benefits everyone on the continent. <br> <br>/Alex<br><br><b><i>Alan Finlay <alan@openresearch.co.za></i></b> wrote:<blockquote class="replbq" style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"> The naming issue is complicated. See the last paragraph of:<br><br>http://www.newsfromafrica.org/newsfromafrica/articles/art_10802.html<br><br>Can anyone shed some light on this?<br><br>Alan<br><br><br><br>On 01 Mar 2007, at 6:42 PM, <alice@apc.org> wrote:<br><br>> And another question.....remember NEPAD advocated and still <br>> advocates for<br>> greater participation in the world economy etc etc. So I ask, in <br>> view of<br>> the recent developments Re; EASSy.....on whose terms?<br>> alice<br>>><br>>> ----- Original Message
-----<br>>> From: "Alex Gakuru" <alex.gakuru@yahoo.com><br>>> To: <alice@apc.org><br>>> Cc: "Kenya ICT Policy" <media@kictanet.or.ke>;<br>>> <civilsociety@kictanet.or.ke><br>>> Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 5:53 PM<br>>> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Eassy renamed The Nepad Broadband<br>>> InfrastructureNetwork<br>>><br>>><br>>>> Wow!<br>>>> Q: So South Africa can unilaterally rename a Pan-African initiative<br>>>> alone?<br>>>> Q: Was Kenya not to remain in the delay-prone project for <br>>>> redundancy?<br>>>> Q: I also believed Kenya had stated we were building a regional <br>>>> TEAMS the<br>>>> vast capacity?<br>>>> Q: Is South African Freedom of Information really working <br>>>> properly for<br>>>> their media?<br>>>><br>>>> More questions than answers according to
me...<br>>>><br>>>> /Alex<br>>>><br>>>> alice@apc.org wrote: (Apologies for cross posting)<br>>>><br>>>> -----Original Message-----<br>>>> From: Raymond Smith (R)<br>>>> Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 2:19 PM<br>>>> To: Johan Meyer (JP); Prince Radebe (PJ); Peet Janse Van <br>>>> Rensburg<br>>>> (HP); Kobus Stoeder (JF)<br>>>> Subject: Eassy renamed The Nepad Broadband Infrastructure <br>>>> Network<br>>>><br>>>><br>>>> Cape Town | ITWeb, 20 February 2007 ] - Eassy (The East African<br>>>> Submarine Cable System) has been renamed The Nepad Broadband<br>>>> Infrastructure Network (NBIN), because Kenya has opted out of the <br>>>> South<br>>>> African-led continental fiber optic backbone system, says <br>>>> communications<br>>>> minister Ivy
Matsepe-Casaburri.<br>>>><br>>>> Speaking before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on <br>>>> Communications<br>>>> today, Matsepe-Casaburri gave a rundown on the structure of the <br>>>> network,<br>>>> such as the special purpose vehicles (SPVs) that are being <br>>>> created to<br>>>> manage, maintain, operate and fund the terrestrial and undersea<br>>>> components of the system.<br>>>><br>>>> According to the minister, the network will be controlled through a<br>>>> "golden share" scheme, whereby African countries would be able <br>>>> retain<br>>>> control of the various entities that are to be created to run the <br>>>> entire<br>>>> network and keep it from falling into foreign hands.<br>>>><br>>>> Matsepe-Casaburri says the ratification of the inter-governmental <br>>>>
treaty<br>>>> should appear before Parliament around June and that 12 out of 23<br>>>> countries that had initially agreed to it had signed the treaty.<br>>>><br>>>> The NBIN aims to provide a number of landlocked African countries,<br>>>> mainly on the eastern side of the continent, access to two broadband<br>>>> networks. One will run as backbone from South Africa through <br>>>> Botswana,<br>>>> Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Uganda to terminate in the Rawandan <br>>>> capital<br>>>> of Kigali. The second is an undersea cable that will run up the <br>>>> African<br>>>> east coast and was supposed to land in Kenya. The new landing <br>>>> point has<br>>>> not been announced as yet. Other countries that have signed up are<br>>>> Lesotho, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritius, Namibia <br>>>> and<br>>>>
Madagascar.<br>>>><br>>>> Special vehicles<br>>>><br>>>> According to Matsepe-Casaburri, three types of special purpose <br>>>> vehicles<br>>>> (SPVs) will be created to maintain, operate and finance the <br>>>> network. The<br>>>> use of SPVs was recommended because they would be able to go and <br>>>> raise<br>>>> the capital needed without having to resort to individual government<br>>>> loan applications to international financial institutions.<br>>>><br>>>> African governments to operate and maintain the terrestrial networks<br>>>> will own the first type of SPV. The second type of SPV will be a <br>>>> hybrid<br>>>> model that would include African governments and private <br>>>> companies that<br>>>> are licensed to operate telecommunications networks. The third <br>>>> type
of<br>>>> SPV will operate and maintain the undersea system and this will <br>>>> allow<br>>>> the participation of foreign-owned telecommunications operators,<br>>>> although they would not be allowed to have controlling stakes.<br>>>><br>>>> No foreigners<br>>>><br>>>> Matsepe-Casaburri says the participation of foreign-owned firms <br>>>> in NBIN<br>>>> will be limited to ensure that it remains an African-led project, <br>>>> and to<br>>>> ensure the security of the network.<br>>>><br>>>> She noted that the model developed is not what international <br>>>> financial<br>>>> institutions such as the World Bank would have liked. However, <br>>>> she says,<br>>>> it is based on an open access model with non-discriminatory pricing<br>>>> meaning that anyone, whether a shareholder or not, would pay the
<br>>>> same<br>>>> fees.<br>>>><br>>>> "We wanted to avoid the club-type situation we have had with the<br>>>> (Telkom) SAT-3 undersea cable, but this did not sit well with a <br>>>> number<br>>>> of other countries and institutions," Matsepe-Casaburri says.<br>>>><br>>>> She wanted to elaborate on her comment, but then realised that <br>>>> the media<br>>>> were present.<br>>>><br>>>> South African companies that have already been identified as <br>>>> potential<br>>>> partners in the project are Telkom, Sentech, MTN, Vodacom and <br>>>> Cell C.<br>>>> However, Matsepe-Casaburri says the door is not closed on other<br>>>> potential investors.<br>>>><br>>>> ________________<br>>>> Raymond Smith<br>>>> Senior Specialist<br>>>> International Market
Development<br>>>> Telkom Market Strategy and Development<br>>>> Phone: +27 12 311 6478<br>>>> Mobile +27 82 7750558<br>>>> FAX: +27 12 311 7910<br>>>><br>>>><br>>>> _______________________________________________<br>>>> kictanet mailing list<br>>>> kictanet@kictanet.or.ke<br>>>> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet<br>>>><br>>>> Please unsubscribe or change your options at<br>>>> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/alex.gakuru% <br>>>> 40yahoo.com<br>>>><br>>>><br>>>><br>>>> ---------------------------------<br>>>> We won't tell. Get more on shows you hate to love<br>>>> (and love to hate): Yahoo! TV's Guilty Pleasures list.<br>>><br>>><br>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------- <br>>>
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