Michuki,<br><br>I think you have hit the nail on the head. This is not a problem caused by either the regulatory authorities (CCK) or the policy-making body (ministry). This is simply a case of commercial interests gone bad. It defeats my why the telcos and cellcos have such big egos that they can't collaborate/work together - especially on issues where they are dealing with a scarce resource.<br>
<br>Look how long the intfrastructure sharing debate went - till CCK had to come in and flex muscle. And even now I'm not sure it is working entirely smoothly.<br><br>This issue about a $25m frequency fee is being used as a smoke screen to pull the wool over consumers eyes and shift the blame for lack of innovation and quality of service from themselves to CCK/Ministry.<br>
<br>These cellcos/telcos need to wake up, smell the coffee, wipe their noses, stop fussing and do what it takes to deliver service to Kenyans - or their place will be taken by others - mark my words!<br><br>Regards,<br><br>
Brian<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 9:01 PM, Michuki Mwangi <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:michuki@swiftkenya.com">michuki@swiftkenya.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Interesting article, But a thought occurred to me - what regulation<br>
prohibits the 3 operators to buy a single license and provide the 3g/4G<br>
on a shared infrastructure built under this license?.<br>
<br>
Basically a third party organization leasing its 3G infrastructure to<br>
mobile operators or any license ISP for data services.<br>
<br>
Assuming this was possible and it should be since 02 and Vodaphone are<br>
sharing 3G infrastructure in the UK. Then it means building and<br>
providing affordable access via 3G network should not be that far out of<br>
reach.<br>
<br>
But then again i dont have all the facts so i could be missing something.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Michuki.<br>
<div><div></div><div class="h5"><br>
Marie-Anne Kinyanjui wrote:<br>
> This is an issue that has troubled me as I’ve watched the debate over 3G<br>
> licences.<br>
><br>
> Telkom and Essar have both indicated in public forums that they have<br>
> /already/ paid the fee. I’m not sure about Zain.<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> So that begs the question - why all the noise about 3G licences if three<br>
> out of four players can afford it?<br>
><br>
> And if we are to compete in a fair and transparent manner – why<br>
> shouldn’t they pay the fee? Surely everyone should pay one price for<br>
> the same licence? When buying base stations – do these companies ask<br>
> for different prices than their competitor because they happen to be<br>
> placed fourth in the market? I think not.<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> And is anyone else reminded of what happened when fibre landed by this<br>
> 3G debate??<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> It would be great if we could get to the bottom of the real issues in<br>
> the industry.<br>
><br>
> Yes there is a dominant player and yes CCK needs to work a lot harder to<br>
> ensure companies provide affordable services. But boycotting Ndemo and<br>
> Njoroge can’t be a solution when we still have so far to go in ICT.<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> In my view it’s defeatist to say that 80% of your productivity is wasted<br>
> because of two mere individuals – it flies in the face of the gains<br>
> being made on a daily basis by those who work hard for their money. And<br>
> what’s that about keeping your enemies close?<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> As always, this is purely my personal opinion and does not reflect that<br>
> of my employer.<br>
><br>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
><br>
> *From:* kictanet-bounces+mkinyanjui=<a href="http://nation.co.ke" target="_blank">nation.co.ke</a>@<a href="http://lists.kictanet.or.ke" target="_blank">lists.kictanet.or.ke</a><br>
> [mailto:<a href="mailto:kictanet-bounces%2Bmkinyanjui">kictanet-bounces+mkinyanjui</a>=<a href="http://nation.co.ke" target="_blank">nation.co.ke</a>@<a href="http://lists.kictanet.or.ke" target="_blank">lists.kictanet.or.ke</a>]<br>
> *On Behalf Of *Walubengo J<br>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, January 27, 2010 11:21 AM<br>
> *To:* Marie-Anne Kinyanjui<br>
> *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<br>
> *Subject:* [kictanet] The broadband mess in Kenya - and I’m so angry<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> Kenya is in dire need of investment in technology. That is why I am<br>
> angry that the factors hindering growth are actually "policy" related to<br>
> this sector, and not due to lack of innovators or investors. There are<br>
> many innovators and investors willing to take the challenge of helping<br>
> Kenya come out of the dark ages of narrowband and into the grace of<br>
> broadband.<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> The problem rises from the differences between the Communication<br>
> Commission of Kenya (CCK) and other 3G service providers. There seems to<br>
> be a great cloud of varying information which hardly gets to the man on<br>
> the street. The unclear issues include the following:<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> Stroy continues @<br>
><br>
> <a href="http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/634/850014/-/view/asBlogPost/-/pjyirj/-/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.nation.co.ke/blogs/-/634/850014/-/view/asBlogPost/-/pjyirj/-/index.html</a><br>
><br>
> walu.<br>
> Disclaimer: views expressed here belong purely to the author and are not<br>
> necessary endorsed by me ;-)<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
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</div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Brian Munyao Longwe<br>e-mail: <a href="mailto:blongwe@gmail.com">blongwe@gmail.com</a><br>cell: + 254 722 518 744<br>blog : <a href="http://zinjlog.blogspot.com">http://zinjlog.blogspot.com</a><br>
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