Transcript Broadband affordability - East Africa Internet Governance Forum

ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY TO
BROADBAND IN KENYA
PRESENTATION BY LOIS KERUBO BOSIRE
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, ICT
MINISTRY OF INFOMARTION AND
COMMUNICATIONS –KENYA
CONTENT
 OVERVIEW OF MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND
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COMMUNICATIONS
ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEPLOYMENT
BROADBAND ACCESS OBJECTIVES
IMPACT OF BROADBAND ACCESS
CHALLENGES FACED
KEY LESSONS LEARNT
GOVERNMENT OF KENYA INTERVENTIONS
OVERVIEW OF MOIC
VISION
 To make Kenya a world class centre of excellence in
Information Communications Technology (ICT)
MISSION
 To develop Kenya as a globally competitive and
prosperous nation by creating an enabling
environment that encourages and enhances the
development, expansion and use of Information
Communication Technologies (ICTs).
MINISTRY OBJECTIVES
 Contributing to making Kenya a middle level economy through
development and promotion of Business Process Outsourcing
and development of local digital film and information content;
 Improving universal access to ICT services to the public by
developing the appropriate infrastructure, establishing digital
villages, Rural Resource Centres and Multimedia Technology
Parks, and facilitating the availability of affordable ICT hardware
and software.
 Building capacity within the ICT sector through establishment of
ICT training centres , skills transfer and entrepreneurship
programmes and provision of high capacity bandwidth to
learning institutions ; and
 Enhancing Citizen Service Delivery through ICT.
ICT INFRASTRUCTURE DEPLOYMENT
 TEAMS submarine cable –PPP with MOIC
 National Optic Fibre Backbone -terrestrial cables
 Last mile technologies i.e. WIMAX (Worldwide
Interoperability for Microwave Access)
 Government Common Core Network–interconnecting
government ministries
 EASY, SEACOM –Private Sector
The East Africa Marine System (TEAMS)
 The Cable Route
Mombasa -to – Fujairah
 Capacity
 2 fibre pairs
 120Gbps initial capacity
Fujairah
 Equipped for 1.2Tbps
Mombasa
NOFBI MAP
BROADBAND ACCESS INITIATIVES
BY MOIC
 Resource centres -30 by KNA
 Digital villages –by KICT Board, target of 1 per
constituency done in PPP model
 Internet for colleges i.e. KENET
 OPEN DATA web portal www.opendata.go.ke
BROADBAND ACCESS OBJECTIVES
 REDUCED COST: Reduce the cost of communications and thus
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increase the universal access to ICT services as envisaged in the
Millennium Development and Vision 2030 Goals
CONNECTIVITY: Facilitate widespread connectivity that will
ensure universal access to ICT for sustainable development
throughout the country
COMPETITIVENESS: Enhance Kenya’s economic competitiveness
through utilization of abundant human resources in Business
Processing Outsourcing (BPO)
KNOWLEDGE BASED SOCIETY: Develop a knowledge-based
society and thereby enhance the quality of life for the people of
Kenya
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES: Strengthen Kenya’s learning
opportunities and develop capacity to meet future technological
challenges.
Objectives Cont
 ICT HUB: Increase Kenya’s competitiveness both as high
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bandwidth and an investment destination as well as a trade and
communication hub.
RURAL URBAN MIGRATION: Achievement of universal
access will lead to the opening up of rural areas to economic
activity thus reducing rural urban migration incidents.
ONLINE APPLICATION SERVICES: Facilitate online
application services like e-commerce, e-education, mobile
banking etc.
COSTS: Facilitate provision of cable bases bandwidth for
internet applications, telephony and broadcasting, hence
savings on costs and frequency spectrum usage.
GDP: Contribution to economy’s GDP growth
IMPACT OF BROADBAND ACCESS
 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES: The cost of bandwidth has come down by at least six
times (from KShs 6000 to less KShs 1000 per MB) therefore increasing affordability and
enabling more people access to the Internet especially schools, SMEs and low income
groups and individuals. It has also enabled new services and products not possible
before due to bandwidth restrictions e.g. BPOs and Call Centres
 DATA AND DISASTER RECOVERY CENTRES: The rate of establishing data centres has
increased with the landing of the TEAMS. More investments are coming up in the
financial sector. Notably, a number of foreign banks have set up backup and restore
offices in Kenya, creating employment to the local population and increasing capacities
in the banking sector.
 TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS: Universities, through the Kenya Educational Network
(KENET) have had a project to prepare for the cable bandwidth. They have connected
with each other and created fibre infrastructure for local access (last mile).
 E-GOVERNMENT SERVICES: Use of the cable has improved the e-government service
provision through use of Government Common Core Network that is linked to the cable.
The citizens are also able to access the e-government services better due to faster speed
and affordable internet costs. For example Internet Protocol Telephone System at MOIC,
online recruitment and Integrated Financial Management systems
Cont
 REDUCED UNIT COSTS: Capital and operational for global
connectivity, leading to increased profits
 REDUCED OUT PAYMENTS: to foreign telecommunications (satellite)
facility providers by using of the direct routes through own
infrastructure
 TRADE EXPANSION: Expansion in international trade, facilitated by
better communication in the region.
 E-LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES: With fast, increased and affordable
bandwidth many institutions are implementing e-learning
programmes enabling their courses to be accessed by Kenyans from
wherever they are. This promotes wider access to education. The
Kenyans also have an opportunity to create content and sell it to others
globally, thus reducing unemployment.
cont
 VPN
-For corporate customers like financial institutions
with branches in different locations
 COURTS TELEPRESENCE
-Reduced travel cost, saves office time
-High courts Mombasa and Nairobi online
 CALL CENTRES
- Client based Voice and web based services delivered
through call/contact centres e.g. Disaster response
Cont
 Mobile applications –MPESA, MBANKING,
MHEALTH,
 Integrated Service Delivery initiative by MOIC, eGOVT and office of the Prime Minister
CHALLENGES FACED
 COMPETITION FROM SERVICE PROVIDERS: The infrastructure faces the risk of
competition in the pricing of its products and services from other providers using
different medium like satellites. While such competition has the potential of
adversely affecting the operations of the infrastructure, this could also lead to
efficiency and hence improved and affordable services for the consumers.
 ICT AWARENESS: Though the infrastructure is already in place and connected,
there is still limited country wide ICT awareness that hinders cultural and
attitudinal change which is required for ICT use to spread. This hinders optimum
utilization of opportunities offered by the same e.g TEAMS.
 ENERGY: The high cost and availability of energy in the country has hindered access
to Internet and utilization of infrastructure. For Kenya to fully utilize the benefits
that come with use of fibre optic cable, there is need to address other sectors such as
energy/electricity.
 CABLE INTERFERENCES: The cable is susceptible to interferences in the sea by
fishing trawlers, anchors and even shark bites leading to cut off communication
with the rest of the world and business losses.
ROADS CONSTRUCTION: Cable cut due to expansion of roads
KEY LESSONS LEARNT
 BANDWIDTH COSTS: The cost of bandwidth and internet connections took long to
reduce and is still not to the expected level after the landing of the cable. This is
because the private partners in the project who were majorly Internet Service
Providers interested in profit making argue that they still retained the satellite
connectivity as redundancy measure incase of breakdown with TEAMS. The
Partners also feel they have not fully recovered their capital costs, hence continue
charging relatively high prices. Whereas the government motives were to reduce
costs immediately to benefit the citizens.
 CONTENT: Whereas the telecommunication sector may optimally utilise the cable
investments through voice and data, the video content etc has not been exploited.
Though the cable is able to do a lot more, it’s underutilised due to insufficient digital
content. It is hoped that the proposed switch from analogue to digital broadcasting
will result in more video content being uploaded.
 ICT POLICIES: To fully exploit the affordable internet and opportunities that arise,
there should be adequate ICT policies in place to facilitate the utilization of the
infrastructure. The ICT policies in Kenya need to be revised and diversified to
adequately address the utilisation of the opportunities arising.
GOK INTERVENTIONS
 National Infrastructure sharing policy – draft in place,
developed by operators, service providers, key
ministries e.i. Roads, Transport, Local government
 Presidential directive to MOIC to ensure lower
internet costs led to discussions with operators who
have since lowered prices
 Public Key Infrastructure Framework in progress
 Ministry of energy initiatives –UMEME pamoja
THE DREAM –KONZA ICT
TECHNOPOLIS
KONZA ICT TECHNOPOLIS