WIOCC is first to provide seamless low-latency network from Africa to Europe

Nairobi, Africa, 1^st December, 2011 – Africa’s carriers’ carrier WIOCC has entered into a strategic partnership with Cable&Wireless Worldwide, a global mission critical communications provider, to improve the reliability, performance and reach of international connectivity in and out of Africa. This initiative will enable WIOCC to provide the first truly seamless low-latency network from Africa to Europe and reinforces its position as the carriers’ choice for high-bandwidth, low-latency, EASSy capacity.

Through C&W Worldwide, WIOCC has invested in two new submarine cable systems – the Europe India Gateway (EIG) and West Africa Cable System (WACS). These additional investments enable WIOCC to create a unique, diversity-rich, high-capacity ring around Africa and into Europe, delivering the highest capacity at the lowest possible cost base – thereby extending its existing end-to-end managed regional and international services the length of Africa’s western seaboard.

WIOCC’s diversity-rich, high capacity ring around Africa provides connectivity between Africa and the rest of the world. Click to enlarge. {WIOCC}

“This strategic investment in new high-capacity submarine cable systems strengthens our existing ‘east+west coast diversity’ proposition and provides our carrier clients with even greater network resilience and redundancy. C&W Worldwide is an ideal partner as we share a similar vision of investing in strategic telecom infrastructure to support the growth of Africa,” said WIOCC CEO Chris Wood, who was recently named as one of the 100 most powerful people⁽¹⁾ in the global telecoms industry.

WIOCC already offers telcos and internet service providers (ISPs) affordable, reliable connectivity to over 400 locations across 20 southern and eastern African countries, utilising more than 50,000 km of shareholder and partner-owned terrestrial fibre. This new agreement will enable WIOCC to reach up to 10 additional countries on Africa’s west coast, extending its seamless end-to-end connectivity offering between Africa and Europe to maximise WIOCC’s EASSy investment.

C&W Worldwide Managing Director for Global Wholesale & Carrier, Diarmid Massey, added: “C&W Worldwide provisioned its first submarine cables in Africa more than 100 years ago and our commitment to this market has only increased over the years. We are committed to working with partners like WIOCC to foster the infrastructure needed for both international and local businesses to prosper in the burgeoning African market.”

 ###

⁽¹⁾ In the 4^th annual GTB Power 100, WIOCC CEO Chris Wood was the highest-ranked executive from an African business and rose to number 46 (up from 76 in 2010) in the publication’s list of the 100 most powerful people in the global telecommunications industry.

Contacts:

About WIOCC – www.wiocc.net

Nairobi-based WIOCC has firmly established itself as Africa’s carriers’ carrier, providing international and African telcos and internet service providers with unrivalled high-speed, resilient and diverse capacity into, within and out of Africa.

Operating exclusively as a wholesaler, WIOCC offers carriers affordable, reliable connectivity to over 400 locations across 20 southern and eastern African countries – utilising more than 50,000km of terrestrial fibre and 40,000km of submarine fibre-optic cable.

WIOCC’s international network reach currently extends to 100 cities in 29 countries in Europe and more than 700 cities in 70 countries globally.

WIOCC owns 30% of the 10,000km EASSy (East African Submarine System) fibre-optic submarine cable, which has landing points in every coastal country from South Africa to Sudan – as well as landings in Madagascar and Comores. At 4.72 Terabits per second, EASSy is the largest system serving Africa and represents two-thirds of all the international submarine cable inventory available to sub-Saharan Africa.

The rapid uptake of capacity since EASSy went live (at the end of July 2010) has led to an earlier and larger than expected upgrade which will be ready for service in January 2012.

EASSy has been the cornerstone for WIOCC creating a unique high-capacity ‘ring around Africa’, extending seamless regional and international services the length of Africa’s eastern and western seaboards and into Europe and North Africa.

An ‘east+west coast diversity’ proposition has been implemented to address customers’ immediate demands for improved resilience, and WIOCC continues to add diversity through strategic investments in new submarine cable systems.

WIOCC offers carriers a one-stop-shop solution that delivers seamless connectivity to Africa, within Africa and from Africa to the rest of the world. Its 24/7 Customer Service Desk provides end-to-end management of WIOCC services from customer site to customer site, and WIOCC customers can choose from a wide range of commercial terms.

About Cable&Wireless Worldwide

Cable&Wireless Worldwide (LSE: CW.) is a leading global telecoms company providing a wide range of high-quality managed voice, data, hosting and IP-based services and applications to large multinational companies, governments, carrier customers and resellers across the UK, Asia Pacific, India, Middle East & Africa, Continental Europe and North America. Established in the 1860s, Cable&Wireless Worldwide helps more than 6,000 organisations deliver their goals. The Group’s vision is to be the first choice for mission critical communications.

Reaching 20,500km in length, Cable&Wireless Worldwide owns the UK’s largest fibre network dedicated to business users of telecoms, and provides ubiquitous nationwide access through a combination of fibre, digital, microwave, radio and leased circuits. The network has presence in over 400 towns and cities in the UK, with 864 unbundled exchanges covering 56% of the population.

Internationally, Cable&Wireless Worldwide’s global next-generation network (NGN) stretches to more than 425,000km, including interests in 60 global cable systems, enabling connectivity to more than 150 countries. The Group’s IP-based Multi-Service Platform operates at the core of our NGN, offering a single environment on which voice and data applications can be converged to drive business efficiencies. Cable&Wireless Worldwide’s network is uniquely designed with inbuilt resilience.

With more than 6,000 colleagues globally, Cable&Wireless Worldwide is committed to delivering exceptional customer service and developing long term partnerships with its customers

To find out more, visit www.cw.com

• important to put the right on every national agenda
• not meeting the 2015 Millenium Development Goals is not a question
• won’t be able to meet MDGs without universal broadband (ie. government services)
• government/private/consumer need to be at the same level (are complementary)
• recent summit in Geneva brought delegates from nations together
• Arab Spring: communication is a powerful tool in the hands of the people.  it is too late to have governments take away this right – there are too many mobile phones.

Of course, providing the option of broadband to every citizen by 2015 is unlikely. Such a monumental effort requires unprecedented levels of coordination among investors, governments, corporations, and consumers. Providing broadband capacity is one thing, but last-mile connectivity at reasonable rates is another. Perhaps 2025 would be a more realistic goal than 2015 to actually fulfill this need.

Read more at Forbes.

• The average user spends 45 hours each month using the service, yet MXit is still working on improving their platform. To reach a slightly older demographic and to increase UX, the company plans to release an app for smart devices in April 2012. Additionally, the company will focus on African markets. Knott-Craig even goes as far to say that Africa has more mobile innovators than America, but lacks media exposure.

Many individuals have multiple mobile subscriptions

• TechZim reminds us be careful when analyzing mobile penetration statistics. Mobile owners with dual, triple, or quad SIM cards skew mobile penetration data that is based purely on number of subscriptions divided by total population.

Does Africa have 4G?

• The widely-circulated article on African 4G for 2012 is based on a quote from the head of Ericsson, SSA stating that Africa currently lacks 4G service. However, YooMee, launched this year in Cameroon, claims 4G service. The discrepancy? YooMee appears to use WiMAX, but Ericsson is referring to LTE networks. Wikipedia has a decent explanation of the 3G/4G nuances.

Ethiopian Blogosphere

• Thanks to efforts to encourage online discussion, the number of Ethiopian bloggers has grown substantially in the past few months. Still, the authors of an effort to catalog the Ethiopian bloggers claim fewer than 100 bloggers located in Ethiopia who are blogging in English.

Challenges in rural Uganda

• 87% of Ugandans live in rural communities. In many rural villages, nearly everyone has a mobile phone. However, most residents don’t know a thing about the Internet. Although 1% of telcoms’ gross profits head to efforts to increase global access, vandalism still plagues rural infrastructure development. Airtel, for one, claims the cost of running a generator is 10x higher than a year ago. Higher operating costs translate to higher call tariffs.

Smartphones in Sudan

• Mobile use is on the rise in Sudan, although rural areas are still a few years behind in terms of adoption. Perhaps the statistics cited in this article should be taken with a grain of salt (see TechZim post above), but the voice of this article is superbly positive. No longer do people need to visit an Internet cafe to use the Web.

Calculating actual broadband speeds

• Playing with numbers to find why a South African download from a South African server can reach 26Mbit/s but a download from USA will only reach 1.7 Mbit/s. TCP window size and latency both contribute to throughput (capacity per packet). Maximum throughput can be increased by using a download manager (easy) or by increasing the TCP window size (a bit tricky).

And, in honor of its 20th anniversary, the first ping to Sub-Saharan Africa:

rain:/home/randy> ping 146.231.64.2
146.231.64.2 is alive
rain:/home/randy> date
Tue Nov 12 00:44:47 PST 1991

Estimates of the actual magnitude of broadband impact on GDP vary.

Just one caveat: officially, that 1.4% could be as little as 0.24% or as high as 1.50%. In reality, the percentage is impossible to pin down. The popular 1.38% comes from a 2009 global ICT study co-authored by Christine Zhen-Wei Qiang, an economist at the World Bank. A few minutes of digging through the report shows the statistically valid result is based on average broadband penetration for middle- and low-income countries between 1980 and 2006. The question remains – does such a result hold true in Africa, and if so, from the year 2011 and beyond?

Plus, what if a 10% increase in broadband results in a 2-3% increase in GDP instead of only 1%? Although a GDP range of 1% seems small, even the smallest African economies are generating around US $1 billion in net GDP. The margin of error is in the tens of millions of dollars.

Analysts are quick to point out the need for complementary investments or policies in other sectors in order to utilize the benefits of broadband. Some extremely under-developed areas need low-tech solutions, however. Broadband may not contribute much to basic needs, and consequently GDP, in these places. For example, broadband can provide tele-medicine, but it cannot directly bring basic medical supplies (although it can shorten the supply-chain).

Additional notes regarding the possible GDP benefits from a 10% increase in broadband penetration:

• Internet alone (vs. broadband) brings 1.12% increase in GDP in developing nations
• the 0.24% to 0.26% range is based on Germany
• 0.60% to 0.70% is based on 5 non-African nations from 2003-2004
• 1.10% is based on mobile broadband in India
• 0.90% to 1.50% is based on OECD countries
• Dial-up and broadband in China will potentially contribute 2.5% to GDP growth
• Wireless broadband should increase South Africa’s GDP by 1.8% by 2015

Data: Broadband Strategies Handbook, The World Bank / infoDev, 3-5.

{WikiLeaks}

Next up are four cables from 2007. The main themes are Ghana’s ICT initiatives, Kenyan fiber projects (which will succeed – SEACOM, TEAMS, or EASSy?), and fiber investment in Ethiopia (via U.S. or China?) :

Ghana

• Summary: As of 2006-7, Ghana has multiple ICT projects underway that should vault the nation into a regional leader. Further privatization is needed, as is rural connectivity, but mobile growth and ICT training facilities look promising.
• U.S. viewpoint: Ghana’s ICT sector is promising but faces challenges in privatization, regulatory gaps, power supply, and general business climate. Government projects should have positive results for the private sector.

Notes:

• 60% of investment in ICT has failed since 1992.
• ICT contributed 6% to the GDP in 2005 versus 1.8% in 2000.
• In 2003, >50% of fixed lines were in the Accra area. Only 10% of the Ghanaian population lives here.
• Four mobile operators all offer broadband as of 2006.
• Internet cafes charge US $0.45 – $1.60 per hour.
• Ghana is extending an existing 600km fiber optic cable ring connecting Accra, Tema, Kumasi, and Takoradi.
• Broadband over power-line was explored.
• E-government, m-banking and e-agriculture intiatives were discussed.
• Run-down of 7 education initiatives.
• Link: Ghana’s ICT Development: Is The Glass Half Full?, October 11, 2007

Kenya

• Summary: Numerous (3 or 4) fiber-optic services are ready to undergo construction. Last-mile solutions are not far behind.
• U.S. viewpoint: High-speed broadband will allow East Africa to connect with opportunities for job growth and a global marketplace starting in 18 months. The upside is enormous.

Notes:

• SEACOM expects their undersea cable to be live by March 2009. (was eventually July 2009)
• The perception of progress on EASSy is a distraction that has caused potential customers to delay in committing to SEACOM.
• Link: Kenya And East Africa: A Step Closer To Fiber Optic Connectivity, August 13, 2007

Ethiopia

• Summary: Ethiopia plans on purchasing 14,000km of fiber cable from China. Negotiations to connect via Djibouti have been flat for 3 years.
• U.S. viewpoint (adopted from Ethiopian Minister’s comments): Ethiopia needs approximately ten years to transform its ICT sector. There is debate whether to use Chinese or American companies as examples or investors. State-owned ETC must lower rates in order to accelerate development.

Notes:

• A massive US $158 million project will bring fiber transmission backbone, mobile services in 9 cities, plus hundreds of thousands of wireless phone lines. The goal of completition is September 2007.
• Plans are in the works to connect to cables in Kenya, Sudan, and Djibouti.
• Ethiopia needs major human capital over the next 5-8 years.
• The ICT Minister has traveled to India, Egypt, and China. He has plans to visit Silicon Valley.
• Link: Ethiopia: Laying Groundwork For Development Through Fiber Optics, May 3, 2007

Kenya

• Summary: U.S. firms, along with Kenya, are racing to give East and Southern Africa broadband connectivity to the rest of the world. SEACOM look to be completed within two years.
• U.S. viewpoint: Kenya must decide whether it will merge with SEACOM or go ahead with its TEAMS cable. Additionally, the U.S. strongly favors the SEACOM cable over TEAMS or EASSy, writing how, “the good news is twofold: first, that at least one of the three cables is moving towards fruition; and second, that the current frontrunner will be owned, managed, and built by U.S. companies.”

Notes:

• Payment and signed contracts have secured SEACOM in the global queue of fiber cables.
• The government of Kenya has promised an operational fiber system by 2008. They may feel that TEAMS can be completed before SEACOM due to its shorter length.
• Some feel that EASSy’s monpolistic ownership structure will preclude cheap bandwidth delivery, and even if it success there, it may not return profits given the competition with SEACOM.
• Link: U.S. Companies In Lead To Bring Fiber Optic Connectivity To East And Southern Africa, April 20, 2007

Tentative Post Schedule:
9/8/11: (2009) Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia
9/9/11: South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania
9/10/11: Tunisia, Kenya, South Africa
9/12/11: (2008) Senegal, South Africa, Uganda
9/14/11: (2007) Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya
9/19/11: Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Kenya

{WikiLeaks}

Next up are three cables from 2008. The main themes are Ethiopian efforts to develop its monopolistic ICT sector, Rwanda’s drive for tech in East Africa, and Kenya as African broadband leader:

Ethiopia

• Summary: Ethiopia’s telecoms sector remains in a state of monopoly.
• U.S. viewpoint: Government policies will prevent development in the ICT sector, despite efforts to bolster infrastructure. E-government applications are promising, as are plans for an IT park. There remains to be incentives for foreign investors.

Notes:

• In 2006, Kenya had 18 times as many mobile subscribers per capita as Ethiopia. Somalia had 6x as many.
• In 2006, Ethiopia had one Internet subscriber for every 3,330 people. Kenya had one for every 200 and even Somalia had one for every 900 citizens.
• Goal of 85% GSM coverage by the end of 2010. 3G service to begin “soon”.
• ETC also is eyeying “universal coverage,” or the presence of one phone within 5km walking distance.
• VOIP is illegal, but an estimated 100 cyber cafes offer the service. ETC loses an estimated USD 9 million annually in revenue from clandestine VOIP.
• Broadband costs $10,000 US for set-up and $5,000 monthly for a 2MB line. Moreover, the connection isn’t true broadband speed.
• Many opposition websites blocked after 2005 elections.
• 4,000km of fiber optic cables exist in Ethiopia, with six times that amount in the works. As of 2007, ETC is in talks with SEACOM and EASSy.
• Link: Ethiopia: Telecommunications Sector Update – Part I Of II – Infrastructure, December 10, 2007

Rwanda

• Summary: The well-attended 2007 Connect Africa Summit proved to kick-start infrastructure development in Africa. Multiple donors committed US $50 billion. Paul Kagame effectively painted Rwanda as a technological force.
• U.S. viewpoint: Rwanda’s goals are a mixed bag of emotions. Paul Kagame and Rwanda have made a name for themselves and have succeeded in attracting technology investment and unifying African leaders to focus on ICT. It remains to be seen if the promises introduced at the summit (for all nations) will materialize.

Notes:

• Summit was attended by Presidents of Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Djibouti, Senegal, and Burundi.
• Dr. Craig Barrett, Chairman of Intel Corporation and the Global Alliance for ICT and Development, estimated that an increase of 10 percentage points in mobile penetration could increase the annual growth rate of GDP by up to 1.2%.
• Debated broadband infrastructures, rural connectivity solutions, business-friendly policies and regulatory environments, an ICT skilled workforce, and the right balance between private and public investment.
• More than 70% of Internet traffic within Africa is routed internationally.
• 0.07% Internet penetration rate in Burundi, according to President Nkurunziza.
• Rwanda has goal of Internet backbone by the end of 2008. (This goal was not met on time.) The nation also set sci/tech spending at 1.6% of GDP.
• Microsoft, World Bank Group, AfDB, Huawei, Carnegie Mellon, and ITU all made commitments or investment promises.
• Link: IT For Africa: Rwanda Leads The Way, November 16, 2007

Kenya

• Summary: The Kenyan government and private sector is pushing for infrastructure reform as elections near. Projects include the privatization of Telkom Kenya, a public sale of 25% of Safaricom, Kenya’s first 3G license, a 3rd mobile provider, two fiber-optic cables by mid-2009, and a fiber backbone.
• U.S. viewpoint: East Africa will benefit from affordable broadband Internet if all projects go according to plan. Kenya rightfully sees itself as a telecoms leader in Africa.

Notes:

• In 2000, industry analysts estimated that Kenya would have 400,000 users within five years, but Kenya instead has 8.1 million after seven.
• Kenya’s call center industry pays $3,000 per megabyte per month vs. the global norm of $300-600.
• Kenya’s satellite capacity will max out in July 2008.
• Limited interest in a continental terrestrial broadband network outlined in August 2006.
• Telkom Kenya completed a 310 mile fiber cable linking Mombasa to Nairobi in July 2006.
• Link: Kenya’s Big Push For Ict Reform And Infrastructure, October 25, 2007

Tentative Post Schedule:
9/8/11: (2009) Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia
9/9/11: South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania
9/10/11: Tunisia, Kenya, South Africa
9/12/11: (2008) Senegal, South Africa, Uganda
9/14/11: (2007) Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya
9/19/11: Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Kenya

{WikiLeaks}

Next up are three cables from 2008. The main themes are greater competition in Senegal’s mobile market, broadband in South Africa ahead of World Cup 2010, and Ugandan President Museveni’s views on ICT challenges:

Senegal

• Summary: Sudatel, reportedly an independent, private firm, will begin operation as Senegal’s 3rd mobile operator in October 2008. Over the next fifteen years, the company will invest US $500 million. The arrival of Sudatel will increase competition, especially in the mobile market.
• U.S. viewpoint: Sudatel’s plan sounds ambitious. However, Senegal’s mobile market is rapidly expanding and Sonatel is losing its fixed-line monopoly. Effective ICT policies and decent infrastructure bode well for growth. 3G and Blackberry service are modernizing the telecommunications sector. The main concern is privacy, especially among customers of government-backed operators.

Notes:

• Will create more than one thousand jobs.
• The number of mobile users is expected to increase by 1 million by 2011.
• Sudatel represents 60% of transactions on the Khartoum, Sudan stock market.
• 650,000 registered Internet accounts as of September 2007 (96% are Sonatel ADSL)
• Unfortunately, the US $200 million license fee paid by Sudatel was spent on a March 2008 OIC summit instead of on ICT infrastructure.
• Link: Sudatel Should Bring A New Dynamic To Senegal’s Ict Sector, July 2, 2008

South Africa

• Summary: The SEACOM undersea fibre cable will be operational in advance of the 2010 World Cup. The South African government still needs to understand the cable’s ability to deliver sufficient bandwidth.
• U.S. viewpoint: SEACOM is a close ally of the United States and the 2010 cable will mark the beginning of U.S. ICT standards in Africa. The company has sought the help of the U.S. Embassy to promote their new cable. Additionally, SEACOM will provide low-cost bandwidth for USAID projects. And, there is potential need for U.S. businesses to install land-based infrastructure.

Notes:

• SEACOM needs better marketing to consumers. Most publicity has been on finance and management, but not academic initiatives.
• Link: SEACOM Only Undersea Fiber-optic Cable Project Slated To Be Online In Advance Of 2010 Fifa World Cup, June 12, 2008

Uganda

• Summary: President Museveni recently criticized the East African Community IT infrastructure, urging political leaders to solve the problem.
• U.S. viewpoint: Museveni’s proposed solutions to East African infrastructure problems are shortsighted. “Museveni’s public jibing at his two ministers present at the meeting might suggest that he expects action, but his continued tolerance of the incompetent and corrupt Public Works Minister belies his words.”

Notes:

• Museveni decried how Asian economies are taking off but African ones have been relatively stagnant for 40 years. He does not blame bad governance for Africa’s woes.
• Energy remains a challenge, with Uganda only having 400 MW capacity and needing 48 MW additional per year to keep up with demand.
• Museveni acknowledged the need for broadband, and in turn, data processing centers.
• Link: Ugandan President Decries Eac’s Infrastucture Needs, April 29, 2008

Tentative Post Schedule:
9/8/11: (2009) Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia
9/9/11: South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania
9/10/11: Tunisia, Kenya, South Africa
9/12/11: (2008) Senegal, South Africa, Uganda
9/14/11: (2007) Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya
9/19/11: Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Kenya

{WikiLeaks}

Using CablegateSearch.net we have listed the “juiciest” cables (if African broadband can be described as such), below. Many of the cables are extremely telling of what goes on behind closed doors and how the U.S. viewed African telecoms prospects from at least 2006-2009. The sentiments within the U.S. government probably still ring true today.

Summaries and notes will be listed in approximate reverse chronological order. Next up are three cables from April-June 2009. The main themes are censorship, undersea cables (SEACOM), and political engagement with social media:

Tunisia

• Summary: Despite a global economic crisis, Tunisia’s IT sector continues to grow and contributes 10% of the GDP. Telecoms privatization is on the increase, but the Internet remains censored.
• U.S. viewpoint: In general, Tunisia is moving in the “right direction.” Economic growth from domestic demand and the fact that Tunisia is close to meeting Internet goals are promising. However, quality of service still has weaknesses and government restrictions and censorship will potentially limit Internet penetration.

Notes:

• The number of mobile phones surpassed the number of fixed line subscribers in 2003.
• 2.3 million Internet users as of August 2008, but only 365,000 subscribers.
• ADSL connections  expected to double from 2008 to 2009.
• 6,500 Tunisian websites by December 2008 (up 12% YoY).
• Many coastal areas have broadband, but interior areas are behind.
• 2008: Goals set for one e-mail address for each citizen, 1 million computers by 2009, one public Internet center in each village by 2010.
• Link: Tunisia’s It Sector Growing, But Some Challenges Remain, June 16, 2009

Kenya

• Summary: The Seacom broadband cable will improve Internet access across East Africa. Competition will increase, access costs will decrease by 80%, and a knowledge-based society will be one step closer. Foreign investment will hit $10 billion.
• U.S. viewpoint: Broadband is poised to arrive at Kenya in a hurry, with three fibre-optic links set to begin within a year. With a sound national ICT policy in place, along with a good BPO environment, Kenya is poised to become a global destination for business. E-government and e-learning will also blossom. Challenges are lack of trained personnel, lack of equipment, and the hard fact that many areas will still not have immediate access to the national fiber network.

Notes:

• Seacom’s 1.28 terabits per second capacity will increase the average ISP bandwidth by 1000%.
• The government has essentially completed a 5,000km national system to deliver the international bandwidth.
• 1Mbps costs $4,400-$5,000 but actual throughput is less.
• Prices should decline, but will still exceed the international average rate by 33-66x.
• Increased tax revenue can be invested in other sectors.
• Link: Kenya’s New Broadband Infrastructure Promises Growth, May 15, 2009

South Africa

• Summary: Political parties in South Africa are using the Internet to reach voters in advance of elections. Only 10% of the population is online, however, so the efforts may not be effective just yet. Mainstream parties have large Facebook presences, but reflect their community bases.
• U.S. viewpoint: Obama’s 2008 election campaign caused South African political parties to focus more effort on appearing modern. However, these sites or social media feeds will not likely alter the outcome of the election. Little attention has been paid to mobile campaigns, for example. Still, privatization, broadband, and the 2010 World Cup  will contribute to the adoption of online political movements.

Notes:

• 90% mobile penetration, 10.5% Internet penetration (grew 12.5% in 2008).
• The ANC website lacks current election information.
• The Democratic Alliance has a more substantial web presence, including blogs and Facebook activity.
• Other parties have sites with varying levels of interaction.
• U.S. follows South African political Twitter accounts.
• Link: South African Political Parties Have Embraced Social Media, But Is Anyone Listening?, April 20, 2009

Tentative Post Schedule:
9/8/11: (2009) Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia
9/9/11: South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania
9/10/11: Tunisia, Kenya, South Africa
9/12/11: (2008) Senegal, South Africa, Uganda
9/14/11: (2007) Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya
9/19/11: Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Kenya

{WikiLeaks}

Using CablegateSearch.net we have listed the “juiciest” cables (if African broadband can be described as such), below. Many of the cables are extremely telling of what goes on behind closed doors and how the U.S. viewed African telecoms prospects from at least 2006-2009. The sentiments within the U.S. government probably still ring true today.

Summaries and notes will be listed in approximate reverse chronological order. Next up are three cables from September-November 2009. The main themes are privatization, Seacom, and end-user cost-reduction:

South Africa

• Summary: More operators are allowed under the Zuma administration (compared with the Mbeki administration) and liberalization is improving ICT capacity. However, parastatals like Telkom will be around for years to come.
• U.S. viewpoint: The pace of liberalization is encouraging for the entry of new foreign operators who will increase the level of service. Medium and small businesses will soon be able to have e-commerce services. There is great potential to connect rural areas and create large-scale ICT training systems. However, service quality will suffer until privatization is complete.

Notes:

• Many policies of Telecommunications Act of 1996 didn’t get implemented for nearly 10 years.
• Neotel began operations in 2005 as the second fixed-line operator. The company supported SEACOM and last-mile projects.
• Although very real, piracy concerns may have been used politically to conceal the delay of the SEACOM project. (The language used in the cable is “politcally expedient.”)
• Financial incentives will be needed to encourage rural infrastructure and would be unprofitably at the start.
• Link: Foreign Operators And Privatization Increase Competition In Ict Sector, Sag Still Favors Parastatals, November 9, 2009

Nigeria

• Summary: ICT growth is expected to take off by 2011. As bandwidth is expected to triple, companies will need efficiently deliver the data via 3rd parties (and wireless).
• U.S. viewpoint: ICT regulations are needed. Nigerian telecoms wish for multiple companies to share cell towers and for a new ISP to afford new fiber services like Main One and Glo. Internet access will benefit from WiMAX until fiber can reach rural areas.

Notes:

• Main One cable expected in Lagos around March 2010 and Glo is expected around that time. (These were on time)
• Only 20% of fibre network is actively used as of late 2009.
• Telecoms operator IHS is eying “dark fiber” (fiber with no light).
• Each cell tower uses 60 liters of diesel per week which, in turn, costs 6,000 naira.
• Solar and wind power are hindered by high tariffs on batteries. Solar lacks a national grid to support it.
• Potentially 3-5 years of profit-making until the telecoms market matures.
• 5% Internet penetration and 45% cell phone market penetration.
• 30 million youth who will want a new handset every 6 months.
• Link: Nigeria’s Ict Network: Build It And They Will Come, October 15, 2009

Tanzania

• Summary: The Seacom undersea cable made its landing in mid-2009 amid great fanfare. However, distribution and regulatory challenges remain. The government’s anti-competitive approach only keeps costs inflated and prevents broadband from reaching inland areas.
• U.S. viewpoint: Seacom and EASSy can transform the ICT landscape in Tanzania but must be properly managed. In all likelihood, parastatal TTCL will prevent the nation from enjoying these benefits.  In essence, Tanzania needs better economic planning. rogress has been slow because of bureaucratic, regulatory and policy hurdles.  Tanzania appears unlikely to take advantage of the correlation between broadband penetration and GDP growth. Additionally, areas outside of Dar es Salaam are extremely under-served. Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda are leaving Tanzania far behind by building numerous publicly and privately funded terrestrial fiber networks at national and municipal levels.

Notes:

• Prior to the Seacom cable, the east coast of Africa was the “longest populated coastline on Earth without access to a fiber-optic cable.”
• 1Mbps satellite connection cost $3000-6000/month (should be $50).
• Seacom promised 80% lower broadband prices thanks to open access pricing.
• Unconfirmed publicly and without NDA, but Seacom reportedly needs US $4-5 million minimum for a 20-year lease to the cable, with an extra $56,000 annually.
• Bandwidth costs may not decrease until ISP satellite contracts expire, but ISPs agree that quality of service will at least increase.
• TTCL charges US $130,000 per year for access to their infrastructure (vs. $4,800 in Kenya for the equivalent).
• Rumor that the government declined a private offer of those with EASSy to build a national backbone with free access to the Tanzanian government.
• China International Telecommunications Company was contracted in 2007 to build a fiber backbone, but the offer was inflated by 20%. Either way, the 10,000km project will connect all districts by 2012…
• TTCL considered slow rather than greedy.
• 3G and WiMAX will likely be alternatives to TTCL’s high prices, but bandwidth here is lacking too.
• Rwanda, for one, would like Tanzania to quick its broadband adoption pace so that it can reap the benefits of a high-capacity international gateway.
• Link: Stifled Potential: Fiber-optic Cable Lands In Tanzania, September 4, 2009

Tentative Post Schedule:
9/8/11: (2009) Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia
9/9/11: South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania
9/10/11: Tunisia, Kenya, South Africa
9/12/11: (2008) Senegal, South Africa, Uganda
9/14/11: (2007) Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya
9/19/11: Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Kenya

{WikiLeaks}

The cables had been distributed via the closed U.S. SIPRNet, the U.S. Department of Defense’s classified version of the civilian Internet. Many contain information relating to terrorism, UN Security, and human rights. Activists, whistleblowers, Iraq, Kuwait, and Egypt are all hot topics. However, the vast majority focus on more mundane political relations and internal government affairs. The rest examine economic conditions.

Quite a few deal with the behind-the-scenes of African broadband affairs. Upon interacting with local businesses and gauging the domestic scene, the respective U.S. Embassy would send a summary and supporting paragraphs to Washington, D.C. Typical recipients were the Department of Commerce and the State Department.

Using CablegateSearch.net we have listed the “juiciest” cables (if African broadband can be described as such), below. The total number of cables is surprisingly high; 119 contain “africa broadband”, 398 have “africa ict”, and a whopping 2,097 contain “africa internet” in some form. All of these cables except for two regarding Ethiopia (due to touchy foreign investment views & political climate) were unclassified, meaning that their contents were not life or death. Still, we find all cables extremely telling of what goes on behind closed doors and how the U.S. views African business.

Summaries and notes will be listed in reverse chronological order, beginning with three cables from September-December 2009:

Kenya

• Summary: Kenya Data Networks (KDN) suffered 153 fibre cuts in just 3 months of 2009. The company feels the majority were the result of sabotage.
• U.S. viewpoint: Kenya needs cheap and reliable Internet access. Greater redundancy will alleviate the effects of sabotage. Major operators should cooperate to achieve this goal. In the process, smaller operators will be driven out of business.

Notes:

• Cuts negate potential benefits from SEACOM and TEAMS cables.
• Satellite backup service is 15% of fibre capacity.
• Link: Fiber Cuts Undermine Growth Of Ict Sector, December 16, 2009

Zambia

• Summary: As of 2010, Zambia’s telecoms sector is under-developed but with less than 1% fixed-line penetration has great room for growth. Privatization will help, but high infrastructure costs, and state control over international gateways and electricity post challenges.
• U.S. viewpoint: An improved licensing system, prospects for the privatization of ZAMTEL, and efforts to improve international fibre connections will lead to greater economic growth. Costs and last-mile connections pose challenges. Don’t expect rates to lower yet.

Notes:

• 75% of ZAMTEL to be privatized by June 2010, but corruption involving the sale could delay such a move.
• Mobile penetration at 32%; fixed-line Internet less than 1%.
• Most fibre networks are via Namibia, but ZAMTEL connects via microwave in Botswana and has plans to connect to Tanzania’s EASSy line.
• Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) laid 1,700km of cable in 2008-09 and plans on an additional 5,000km via Botswana and DRC starting in 2010.
• 9 domestic ISPs.
• ZICTA (regulator) will build network of telecentres linked to domestic fibre networks.
• Link: Dialing Up Zambia’s Telecommunications Sector, November 17, 2009

Ethiopia

• Summary: In 2009, Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) CEO Amare Amsalu told Embassy officials that ETC would stay state-owned. He deflected questions about poor telecom services in Ethiopia and instead focused on foreign investment.
• U.S. viewpoint: ETC’s CEO should be exposed to the U.S. business environment so that he brings potentially large profits to U.S. companies instead of the Chinese.
• Ethiopian viewpoint: The United States should invest more like the Chinese and build infrastructure.

Notes:

• Ethiopian praise for the Chinese & Seacom
• ETC admits to mistakes incurred through trial-and-error
• ETC claimed 60km of cable to connect Ethiopia to Djibouti would be completed by the end of 2009
• “Despite having his own Apple iPhone with limited functionality, Amsalu seemed unfazed of the poor quality of telecom services in Ethiopia.”
• Link: Telecom Ceo Toes The Ethio-china Party Line, September 15, 2009

Tentative Post Schedule:
9/8/11: (2009) Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia
9/9/11: South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania
9/10/11: Tunisia, Kenya, South Africa
9/12/11: (2008) Senegal, South Africa, Uganda
9/14/11: (2007) Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya
9/19/11: Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Kenya