<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Moses</div><div><br></div><div>Ethiopia is a special case and I dare say that their handling of the ICT Sector will be hugely detrimental to the country going forward.</div><div><br></div><div>Pundits say that Ethiopia's stance vis a vis Kenya's in the ICT sector can be seen in how the two countries compare in the development of the sector.</div><div><br></div><div>Access to information cannot be substituted with anything else. Not even Totalitarian Government. <br><br><div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.231373);"><b>Ali Hussein</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.231373);"><b>Principal</b></span></div><div><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hussein & Associates</b></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">+254 0713 601113 / 0770906375</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Twitter: @AliHKassim</span></p><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font></font></span><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Skype: abu-jomo</span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">LinkedIn: <a href="http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim" target="_blank">http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim</a></span></p><font><br></font></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><br></span></div><div>"Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought". ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi</div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.231373);"><br></span></div>Sent from my iPad</div></div><div><br>On 4 Apr 2016, at 3:15 PM, Mose Karanja via kictanet <<a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"><div class="">Jambo! </div><div class=""><br class=""></div>Ethiopia’s only telco, Ethiotel, has announced it will be charging for VOIP services considering they are loosing revenue to the Vibers and WhatsApps of these world. <div class="">They floated a Request for Information on the supply of Policy and Charging Control (PCC) and Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) mid last year: <a href="http://www.ethionet.et/sites/default/files/bid/RFQ-3209012.pdf" class="">http://www.ethionet.et/sites/default/files/bid/RFQ-3209012.pdf</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">It seems the set up is complete and they will go ahead with implementation (<a href="http://www.addisinsight.com/ethio-telecom-charge-services-like-viber-whatsapp/" class="">http://www.addisinsight.com/ethio-telecom-charge-services-like-viber-whatsapp/</a>). There have been network disruptions since last week on VOIP apps and some basic probes I did pointed to IP address blocking but whatever it is they are doing notwithstanding, this raises some issues here. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The fight back from telcos against OTTs in the name of revenue/tax/infrastructure costs seems to have moved beyond policy. Technical capacity implies that debate is closed on their end. Ethiotel is a special case considering it is fully owned by the government and it is the only telco in Africa’s second most populous country (around 95Million people). It is easier for them to make decisions. For countries with more liberalised markets, and where government is a regulator not a service provider, could it be that the only impediment to adopting such technical capacities is government regulation and oversight? Could it be that Kenyans, for example, are charged to use WhatsApp but at a very negligible fee that no one notices? </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">This moves beyond the market - it is a human rights issue. Consumers should not be punished for adopting innovations. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Moses. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="">
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><font size="1" style="font-family: arial; widows: 1; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">---</font></div><div class=""><font size="1" style="font-family: arial; widows: 1; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Moses Karanja | </font><font color="#93c47d" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; widows: 1; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><a href="https://twitter.com/Mose_Karanja" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-size: x-small;" class="">@Mose_Karanja</a><span style="font-size: x-small;" class=""> | </span></font><font color="#000000" style="widows: 1; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: x-small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">PGP: </font><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); widows: 1; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0.28px; line-height: 34px; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><a href="https://pgp.mit.edu/pks/lookup?op=index&fingerprint=on&search=0x1529552F" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);" class=""><font color="#6aa84f" class="">0x1529552F</font></a></span></div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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<br class=""></div></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>kictanet mailing list</span><br><span><a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a></span><br><span><a href="https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet">https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet</a></span><br><span></span><br><span>Unsubscribe or change your options at <a href="https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/info%40alyhussein.com">https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/info%40alyhussein.com</a></span><br><span></span><br><span>The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.</span><br><span></span><br><span>KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.</span></div></blockquote></body></html>