Connectivity – Page 6

MTN Nigeria, Safaricom Kenya, and Vodacom SA are influential African telecom operators

It may come as no surprise that the majority of African telecom operators have Twitter accounts. To succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace, every companies must ensure a positive user experience. What better way to communicate with customers than through social media, most notably Facebook and Twitter? Twitter feeds can supply news and product information. In turn, consumers can act as PR vehicles. Moreover, no force in business is greater than the power of one – the consumer. Personal interaction between company and consumer not only spurs immediate user retention, but seeds word-of-mouth recommendation.

That said, some telecom operators in Africa are more involved in social media efforts. Not surprisingly, the most influential hail from Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa. All of these nations have substantial online user bases where customers are engaged with social media. Essentially, these companies have a greater chance of having their message spread and adopted throughout the Internet.

Klout believes that every person who creates content online has influence. Their goal is to understand what they are influential about and who they are influencing. Klout analyzes interaction among 10 networks including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, with more on the way. They look at how many people you influence (true reach), how much you influence people (amplification), and the influence of the people in your reach (your network). Then, the algorithm assigns a single score from 10-100 indicating how meaningful/trustworthy/awesome an account is.

Klout scores for African telecom operators, based on @oafrica/african-telecom-operators Twitter list. {Klout}

Using a Twitter list, sourced from the Wikipedia List of mobile network operators of the Middle East and Africa and a list of operators from Africa & Middle East Telecom Week, Klout is able to run each account through its algorithm to determine how strong of an influence the brand has across the Internet.

According to Klout, MTN Nigeria, Safaricom Kenya, and Vodacom SA are the most influential telecom operators in Africa. Impressively, Orange Kenya, Tigo Tanzania, and inwi Maroc all have Klout accounts. The PR teams at these telecoms are certainly ahead of the game in Africa, let alone globally. Also:

Nigeria: MTN leads with a score of 78. Etisalat and Glo are near equals in terms of influence (64 and 60, respectively), with Airtel and Starcomms behind (38 and 29, respectively)
South Africa: Vodacom leads with a score of 69. Cell C and MTN are nearly equal (59 and 55, respectively), with Virgin Mobile back at 41.
Kenya: Safaricom leads with a score of 71. Orange is at a healthy score of 57.
MTN clearly has a social media strategy in place. The company’s Twitter accounts for Uganda and Rwanda are considered influential (having a score over 40). Even more impressively, MTN Sudan yields a Klout score of 24 – very strong considering the small user-base of Sudanese Twitter users. The account only has 48 followers!
Less influential, but active accounts include Telecom Namibia, Airtel Tanzania, Malawi Telecommunications.
Other accounts have the lowest Klout score possible (10). Most of these were created but have sat dormant for at least a few months. They include Orange (Madagascar, Niger), Airtel (Niger, Uganda, Malawi), Comium (Gambia, Ivory Coast), and Sonatel (Senegal).
Orange Niger actively Tweets, but only has 16 followers, suggesting a lack of social media users in Niger.
Comium Gambia (3rd GSM operator in the country) Tweets a few times per month, and has 123 followers, but the influence appears nil.
MTL (Malawi) has fairly low influence (16) despite a decent number of followers given the prevalence of Internet in Malawi (170).

September 27, 2011/by actualize

Video: SEACOM cable upgrade

Standard Group Kenya’s KTN Business recently aired a video segment on Seacom’s planned upgrade of its undersea cable to cope with growing demand on the eastern seaboard of Africa. Mark Simpson, the new Chief Executive Officer at SEACOM, says that the advent of 4G services will mean that additional demand for broadband will flourish in the near future. He also adds:

a major challenge of SEACOM is reliability of the fiber-optic cable
partners must understand maintenance and security challenges of fibre
Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania government & private consortia should be watched closely – could be promising example for others

September 27, 2011/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Internet Connectivity Options and Status in Rural Kenya

I am David Scanell and I would like to describe the Internet access landscape in Kisumu and Nyanza from my personal experience. Now this just Western Kenya, so I can’t comment on the rest of rural Kenya, though I imagine it’s pretty similar.

There are a few terrestrial and wireless ISPs in Kisumu – KDN, Africaonline, Orange Telkom and Swift Global spring to mind. I think a few more may arrive soon once the fibre optic cable installation marathon that’s currently under way here is finished.

Right now, I know a couple of people using Orange ADSL and a few others using KDN’s WIMAX. I only know a single person (through their business) using fibre but I think quite a few more homes and business may switch to fibre soon; maybe even more will move to wireless services from resellers. I’m pretty sure that far more people will start use mobile data over the same time frame though – coverage in Kenya is very good and the spread of mobile ownership continues apace – and there are a few drivers for mobile growth that are no where near exhausted yet.

Since I last lived here in 2007, there has been a noticeable influx of new, cheaper low- to mid-range phones to the market. Whereas before I saw high street shops full of second hand phones, today I see quite a lot more selling good looking branded phones from China such as Tecno – which has a broad range available here – as well as a Huawei and ZTE who also have a few products. There’s also a pretty high volume of KIRF stuff for sale here too. Lots of weird and wonderfully specced Noklas, Samesungs and the like.

Huawei’s IDEOS (android) phone has had a huge media push here of late, though it is still way, way out of the average person’s reach though at it’s current KSH7,999 price point. The Samsung brand seems to be going from strength to strength here and, as ever, Nokia has a big (though noticeably falling) high street presence.

Nearly all these companies offer mid level phones that have EDGE capability at least – some of them also have 3G (the cheapest one in Safaricom’s shop right now is KSH3,999). High level stuff is available here too – PhoneExpress have my Desire Z on sale – but the prices are as high as you’d expect with, for example, a Samsung Galaxy S (i9000) setting you back KSH42,999.

For a mobile 3G modem, prices range from KSH1,999 for the Huawei E173 to KSH12,199 for the Huawei E5 (which is a portable wifi hotspot) and most come with a bundle of free data.

As for mobile data coverage and pricing, there may not be much 3G outside of major towns just now, but EDGE seems to be almost everywhere else, at least in the parts of Nyanza, Western, Central and Coast I’ve traveled to in the last 9 months (including some very out of the way places around Lake Victoria here).

The end user cost is relatively low – standard unbundled MB price on Safaricom is currently KSH8 – and the bundled prices seem to be dropping all the time. The main players Safaricom, Orange and Airtel are cooking up new, lower-priced data bundles. There’s currently a new set of bundles being marketed by Safaricom as “affordable Internet for less”. These daily bundles are priced from 5MB for KSH5 up to 25MB for KSH20.

I’d say the number of Kenyan’s going online via mobile will continue to increase rapidly for a good while yet.

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September 26, 2011/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Cablegate on African broadband: 2007 (Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia)

Quite a few WikiLeaks cables deal with the behind-the-scenes of African broadband affairs. Using CablegateSearch.net we have listed the “juiciest” cables (if African broadband can be described as such), below. The U.S. was very interested in broadband, most notably ownership of the SEACOM fiber-optic cable and competing with Chinese investment.

{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

September 20, 2011/by actualize

Connectivity, Democracy & Governance, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Nigeria’s elections set new records in use of social media

In Nigeria, a study says, elections held last April brought the use of social media in the political field to new levels. UN Africa Renewal’s André-Michel Essoungou reports.

By André-Michel Essoungou

In 2008, then US presidential candidate Barack Obama broke new ground by using social media in ways never seen before. Yet it was Goodluck Jonathan, the recently elected president of Nigeria, who took the extraordinary step of announcing his bid for the highest office on Facebook. On Wednesday, 15 September 2010, he informed his 217,000-plus fans on the world’s most popular networking platform of his intent. Twenty four hours later, 4,000 more fans joined his page. By the day of the election, on 16 April 2011, he had over half a million followers.

Mr. Jonathan’s online campaign was only one illustration of the social media fever that gripped Africa’s most populous country (with around 150 million people) during its most recent presidential, parliamentary and local elections. A report by two researchers who helped track online traffic during the month-long polls argues that the country’s use of social media reached unprecedented levels.* “Nigeria set a new record for recent African elections in the number of reports tracked using social media,” it says. In addition to the approximately 3 million registered Nigerians on Facebook and 60,000 on Twitter, almost every institution involved in Nigeria’s elections conducted an aggressive social networking outreach, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties, candidates, media houses, civil society groups and even the police.

The report notes that between 10 March and 16 April 2011, the electoral commission posted almost 4,000 tweets, many in response to voter queries. Using Twitter, commission officials at polling stations around the country also were able to communicate among themselves, and even confirmed the death of one of their members who had been attacked. “Twitter ultimately proved to be the most efficient way to interact with INEC,” the document authors report. The commission’s use of social media led to its website receiving a record 25 million hits in three days during the presidential election. “By using social media to inspire voters, the electoral commission has redefined elections in Nigeria,” analyzed Punch, the country’s most circulated newspaper.

The boom in use of social media during elections also helped the media expand their readerships. Shortly before the polls, the Daily Trust newspaper had 32,000 fans on Facebook. A few weeks later, the number had more than doubled to 65,000, placing its online reach beyond its print distribution of 50,000. To build up its fan base, the newspaper also used social media in its reporting. Journalists solicited and used questions from Facebook fans for interviews with the chairman of INEC. Since the elections, the Daily Trust has further increased its Facebook presence, with 95,000 fans by July 2011.

The online networking platforms reflected popular interest. Unsurprisingly, social media use reached its peak during the presidential election on 16 April. On that day, a total of 33,460 text messages and 130,426 posts on Twitter and Facebook were sent by some 65,000 voters.

The content was mixed, the authors point out. “Social media, especially Twitter, was used to report occurrences [of fraud] — truthful as well as fabricated.” Yet, they add, it played a mostly constructive role during the post-election violence by exposing unfounded rumours.

“Social media tools,” the report concludes, “revolutionized the efficiency of election observing by increasing coverage and reporting, while minimizing costs…. They changed how information was disseminated in Nigeria. Citizens accessed information directly and more accurately, resulting in unsurpassed participation in politics during the 2011 elections.”

That upbeat assessment, however, needs to be put in context: An estimated 70,000 people posted contents online during Nigeria’s polls, but they were just a tiny fraction of the registered 73 million voters. Still, a new trend appears to have begun.

___

Africa Renewal www.un.org/africarenewal

September 18, 2011/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Cablegate on African broadband: 2008 (Senegal, South Africa, Uganda)

Quite a few WikiLeaks cables deal with the behind-the-scenes of African broadband affairs. 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.

{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

September 13, 2011/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Cablegate on African broadband: Apr-Jun 2009 (Tunisia, Kenya, South Africa)

Quite a few WikiLeaks cables deal with the behind-the-scenes of African broadband affairs. The various dialogues regarding the telecoms situation in Africa are surprisingly detailed and often proceed for well over a dozen paragraphs. Essentially, the United States routinely monitored the economic prospects in each country and provided updates to Washington.

{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
9/18/11: Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Kenya
9/19/11: (2006) Kenya, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia

September 10, 2011/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

ICASA collaborates with tech universities

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has pledged to work with higher education institutions in the country to enhance wireless technology research and collaboration, and facilitate policy development and rule making.

ICASA, the regulator of South Africa’s telecommunications industry, last week announced a joint venture with the University of Pretoria, in South Africa on a spectrum research programme.

The development is part of ICASA’s Research Collaboration Programme.

“The programme was initiated by the Engineering and Technology Division of Icasa to facilitate wireless technology research and forecast, and to enhance policy development and rule making,” said ICASA spokesperson Paseka Maleka.

Last week, an ICASA delegation toured University of Pretoria, South Africa to view a research setup at the institution.

During the tour, Prof Roelf Sandenbergh, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Pretoria reiterated Icasa’s commitment to research and interaction with academia. He explained strides made by the faculty to extend their reach to all communities.

Prof Sunil Maharaj, acting head of the Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering Department and also Director of the Sentech Research Group, presented the research output from the collaboration.

Icasa said currently the focus areas of the collaboration were benefits from emerging technologies such as cognitive radio, development techniques on spectrum management to bridge the rural-urban divide, facilitation of regional and international harmonisation in radio frequency planning, standardisation and equipment development to reduce the cost of communication.

Stewart Chabwinja

September 5, 2011/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Internet Snapshot: Equatorial Guinea

According to 2010 estimates, Equatorial Guinea generates a GDP of nearly $37,000 per capita – a sum 74 times greater than that found in Zimbabwe. Therefore, why does Equatorial Guinea, a nation with one of the highest GDP’s per capita in the world (and the highest in Africa) have some of the worst levels of Internet connectivity?

{Majestic Malabo Harbour. Flickr via Podknox}

For one, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President for over 30 years and one of the wealthiest heads of state is not known for thrift. Despite the discovery of oil in 1996, relatively little of the eventual profits have found their way toward infrastructure development. Expensive press releases are utilized to bolster international reputation. Case in point: an August 23, 2011 release titled “Equatorial Guinea Excels in Infrastructure Development” touts efforts to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure by the end of the decade. A bold statement, for sure, but to Equatorial Guinea’s credit, the nation has seen major relative advancements since 2008.

In the news:

World Bank backbone program to give $215 million to a variety of African nations, including Equatorial Guinea. The goal is to strengthen regional broadband backbones and reduce the cost of ICT services in Central Africa. {AfricaNews, 10/21/09, http://www.africanews.com/site/C_Africa_215m_for_internet_development/list_messages/27537}
The nation does not have an active Internet censorship, but news of North African uprisings was limited in early 2011. {afrol News, 2/11/11, http://www.afrol.com/articles/37303}
- Media was also censored ahead of the AU Summit in June 2011.
In late 2009, Huawei had plans for WiMAX to serve Malabo. {WiMAXmaps.org, 7/29/11, http://wimaxmaps.org/}

Statistics:

No national ICT policy.
14,400 Internet users as of Jun/10, 2.2% of the population, per ITU. http://www.internetworldstats.com/africa.htm
12,540 Facebook users on August 10, 2011. http://www.socialbakers.com/facebook-statistics/
32 total domains. http://www.webhosting.info/domains/country_stats/?pi=3&ob=TOTAL&oo=DESC
Full Internet access in 1997 via France. http://www.nsrc.org/db/lookup/provider.php?id=890201863083:497423456&fromISO=GQ
Satellite Internet access still very common. http://www.satsig.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=ivsat-af;action=display;num=1292763927
In 2008, a report suggested that 2% of Internet users accessed the web via iPhone. {CNN Fortune, 2/2/08http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2008/02/02/the-iphones-of-equatorial-guinea/}
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo does not have an official Facebook page. {Facebook, 8/11/11, http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Teodoro-Obiang-Nguema-Mbasogo/107293592634173}

A 2010 supplement to Foreign Policy (PDF) provides some insight into where Equatorial Guinea is heading:

Minister of Transport,Technology & IT Vicente Ehate Tomi says that although EG’s telecommunications sector is still in its baby stages.
Further initiatives are underway such as the installation of a national backbone cable and connection to the ACE network that connects South Africa with Europe.
Mobile operator Hits entered the country after the 2008 telecommunications law opened the door to new operators,breaking the monopoly of the country’s single operator at the time, Getesa.
- This competition has since seen Getesa, the country’s first operator, drop its prices at least three times and launch its first marketing campaign in 20 years.
- Goal of Hits is 80% penetration rate in 3 years.

Equatorial Guinea has the financial resources and geographical location to have a high level of Internet penetration. The “Horizon 2020″ plan will further strengthen infrastructure, health/social services, and education. Increasing telecoms competition will help bring mobile services to the country. However, successful development hinges on an opaque government. An October 2010 video of President Obiang speaking to Equatorial Guinea’s 2020 developmental goals does little to suggest the nation will no longer be considered an emerging nation in nine years.

August 25, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Asia, Connectivity, Mobile, Originally posted on the GBI Portal, Where we work

3 million impoverished to gain mobile numbers

U.K. startup Movirtu has announced plans to help 3 million or more people in developing countries gain access to mobile services by giving them personal phone numbers – not phones. Movirtu plans to work with a U.N.-affiliated initiative called Business Call to Action (BCTA) to offer the numbers which will be called “mobile identities”.

The service will be called Cloud Phone and will be offered through commercial carriers in developing countries in Africa and South Asia. The name Cloud Phone should not be confused with cloud computing which operates through the internet.

Movirtu is aiming to get 3 million people to use their mobile service for the pilot phase. Movirtu expects about 75 percent of its users to be women, because women in Africa and South Asia are statistically far less likely than men to have their own phones according to Ramona Liberoff, executive vice president of marketing at Movirtu.

The pilot phase will take place in Madagascar through the carrier Airtel. “Madagascar is a perfect market for Movirtu, because Airtel has built an extensive network but many people in the country can’t afford to buy a phone,” Liberoff said.

Owning a mobile identity as opposed to owning a personal mobile phone can save money for the users. For those living at poverty levels, affording a mobile phone may be impossible. A mobile identity allows users to use mobile services without having to purchase a phone.

Also, according to Liberoff, “the cost of prepaid service from a carrier typically is less than what consumers in those countries pay someone to borrow a phone. The average savings from using regular prepaid service instead is estimated at about $60 per year.”

Users can get a mobile identity by going to one of the mobile carrier’s shops. When the user wishes to borrow a mobile phone, the user enters a shortcode for the Movirtu service and then punches in their individual phone number and a personal identification number.

After that, the temporary user can access all the services available through the phone, as well as a personal carrier home page where they can manage and replenish their prepaid account. The system works on any GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) phone, using USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data), a GSM protocol for communicating with a service provider’s computers.

Following the pilot in Madagascar, Movirtu plans to open up the Cloud Phone service in at least 12 markets in Africa and South Asia by early 2013, reaching at least 50 million potential users. “The two regions were chosen because they are home to about 1 billion of the 1.3 billion people in the world who rely on borrowed phones,” Liberoff said.

If successful, these mobile identities will allow mobile services to be physically and financially accessible to the poorest of the poor. This will greatly benefit aid parties since according to Liberoff, “In many cases, there are great NGO programs that can’t reach 80 percent of their base because those people don’t have their own phones.”

The overall goal with Cloud Phone should be to bring the impoverished out of poverty by giving them access to a brand new set of tools.

Giving rural populations and women access to mobile services will empower them, and get them involved economically and socially. It will enable them to enter a mobile world which billions of others have already tapped into, opening up many opportunities for development.

August 22, 2011/by actualize