Comments on: Highway Africa Post 1: The EASSY Project http://www.kenyanpundit.com/2006/09/12/highway-africa-post-1-the-eassy-project/ Opinions, commentary, na kadhalika Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:58:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Black River Eagle http://www.kenyanpundit.com/2006/09/12/highway-africa-post-1-the-eassy-project/#comment-6876 Black River Eagle Sat, 16 Sep 2006 15:14:39 +0000 http://www.kenyanpundit.com/?p=218#comment-6876 I found another really interesting article about the ESSAY Project over at Cisco Systems News. Looks as if the ESSAY consortium has already shot itself in the foot re: funding from the World Bank and others. Here is the URL to the May 31, 2006 News@Cisco feature article: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2006/ts_053106.html P.S. Cisco has a great 5MB PDF map download of the proposed ESSAY network. O.K., I'm gone. Ciao. I found another really interesting article about the ESSAY Project over at Cisco Systems News. Looks as if the ESSAY consortium has already shot itself in the foot re: funding from the World Bank and others. Here is the URL to the May 31, 2006 News@Cisco feature article:
http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2006/ts_053106.html

P.S. Cisco has a great 5MB PDF map download of the proposed ESSAY network. O.K., I’m gone. Ciao.

]]> By: Black River Eagle http://www.kenyanpundit.com/2006/09/12/highway-africa-post-1-the-eassy-project/#comment-6875 Black River Eagle Sat, 16 Sep 2006 15:04:05 +0000 http://www.kenyanpundit.com/?p=218#comment-6875 Thanks for the email answer to my question re: ESSAY and SAT-3 communications networks. Obviously, putting a single company or entity in charge of the ESSAY project would be a big mistake, as is already apparent with SAT-3 (SA Telekom). I see a lot of problems in getting 28 countries to work together and agree on policies, costs, revenues etc. for the ESSAY project. All you have to do is review how these countries have handled their own respective telecommunication monopolies, and you can see the recipe for a nightmare. One way to do it is to get some big non-profit organization or coalition of businesses to finance and manage the ESSAY project for the 1st 5-8 years, turning over control to an independent governing body on the African continent whose sole responsibility would be to provide low-cost and reliable access to the millions of users. However, the various governments and private telecom companies would scream bloody murder as they would be missing out on revenues and taxes and stuff. That's probably one reason Africa One died. Thanks for the email answer to my question re: ESSAY and SAT-3 communications networks. Obviously, putting a single company or entity in charge of the ESSAY project would be a big mistake, as is already apparent with SAT-3 (SA Telekom).

I see a lot of problems in getting 28 countries to work together and agree on policies, costs, revenues etc. for the ESSAY project. All you have to do is review how these countries have handled their own respective telecommunication monopolies, and you can see the recipe for a nightmare.

One way to do it is to get some big non-profit organization or coalition of businesses to finance and manage the ESSAY project for the 1st 5-8 years, turning over control to an independent governing body on the African continent whose sole responsibility would be to provide low-cost and reliable access to the millions of users. However, the various governments and private telecom companies would scream bloody murder as they would be missing out on revenues and taxes and stuff. That’s probably one reason Africa One died.

]]> By: Black River Eagle http://www.kenyanpundit.com/2006/09/12/highway-africa-post-1-the-eassy-project/#comment-6825 Black River Eagle Fri, 15 Sep 2006 11:22:33 +0000 http://www.kenyanpundit.com/?p=218#comment-6825 Hi Ory! It's great to learn that you are in attendance at the Highway Africa Project conference this year. My comment below was posted first to Ethan's blog, but you may be in a better position to answer some of my questions when you can find the time. Ciao and good luck with all your endeavors ***************************************** It sounds as if that conference down in South Africa will be very interesting Ethan, and its great to hear that high-profile African bloggers, media industry and government figures from the continent are also involved. But I'm a little confused about something. The SAT-3 high bandwidth telecommunications cable and the ESSAY project to bring better communications to the continent (East-South-West) should have been completed years ago, oder? SAT-3 was described in a well-known article written by Hiawatha Bray and published on page 1 of the Boston Globe newspaper on July 22, 2001. The 7 page (printed) article is titled "The Wiring Of A Continent". Is SAT-3 up and running for West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and 5 other countries)? The Globe article also described the Africa One project by Massachusetts telecoms consultant Patricia Bagnell that was to construct a high-bandwidth fibre optic telecom ring around the entire continent. What happened, she couldn't raise the estimated $1.8 billion dollars needed to carry out the plan? And whatever happened to South Africa's Eskom Enterprises (SA utility giant) initiative to build a vast network of electric power transmission stations & high-bandwidth communications lines from Cape Town to Cairo? Hi Ory!
It’s great to learn that you are in attendance at the Highway Africa Project conference this year. My comment below was posted first to Ethan’s blog, but you may be in a better position to answer some of my questions when you can find the time.

Ciao and good luck with all your endeavors

*****************************************

It sounds as if that conference down in South Africa will be very interesting Ethan, and its great to hear that high-profile African bloggers, media industry and government figures from the continent are also involved. But I’m a little confused about something.

The SAT-3 high bandwidth telecommunications cable and the ESSAY project to bring better communications to the continent (East-South-West) should have been completed years ago, oder? SAT-3 was described in a well-known article written by Hiawatha Bray and published on page 1 of the Boston Globe newspaper on July 22, 2001. The 7 page (printed) article is titled “The Wiring Of A Continent”. Is SAT-3 up and running for West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and 5 other countries)?

The Globe article also described the Africa One project by Massachusetts telecoms consultant Patricia Bagnell that was to construct a high-bandwidth fibre optic telecom ring around the entire continent. What happened, she couldn’t raise the estimated $1.8 billion dollars needed to carry out the plan? And whatever happened to South Africa’s Eskom Enterprises (SA utility giant) initiative to build a vast network of electric power transmission stations & high-bandwidth communications lines from Cape Town to Cairo?

]]> By: Shiroh http://www.kenyanpundit.com/2006/09/12/highway-africa-post-1-the-eassy-project/#comment-6710 Shiroh Wed, 13 Sep 2006 12:52:32 +0000 http://www.kenyanpundit.com/?p=218#comment-6710 I will read on that project. How is it going down there? I will read on that project. How is it going down there?

]]> By: …My heart’s in Accra » Checking in from Highway Africa http://www.kenyanpundit.com/2006/09/12/highway-africa-post-1-the-eassy-project/#comment-6703 …My heart’s in Accra » Checking in from Highway Africa Wed, 13 Sep 2006 09:48:18 +0000 http://www.kenyanpundit.com/?p=218#comment-6703 [...] support it via their local stations. Kenyan Pundit is here and blogging - she’s got an excellent piece on yesterday’s panel on the SAT-3 and EASSy cables, which I was sorry to miss, partic [...] [...] support it via their local stations. Kenyan Pundit is here and blogging - she’s got an excellent piece on yesterday’s panel on the SAT-3 and EASSy cables, which I was sorry to miss, partic [...]

]]> By: StackOfStiffys http://www.kenyanpundit.com/2006/09/12/highway-africa-post-1-the-eassy-project/#comment-6666 StackOfStiffys Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:33:34 +0000 http://www.kenyanpundit.com/?p=218#comment-6666 Thank you for this. I have been closely monitoring the ongoings on the EASSY project and I dare say that Kenya has valid concerns. The level of investment involved is well worth it. Kenyan investors, notably KDN, are keen to jump on board with the Government and lay the cable. However, despite the cabinet having given an approval, I spoke to someone Senior at the Ministry of Finance yesterday and I learnt that the Minister is reluctant to fund it unless it is accompanied by a proper e-government framwework so that proper benefits can be felt. Thank you for this.

I have been closely monitoring the ongoings on the EASSY project and I dare say that Kenya has valid concerns. The level of investment involved is well worth it. Kenyan investors, notably KDN, are keen to jump on board with the Government and lay the cable. However, despite the cabinet having given an approval, I spoke to someone Senior at the Ministry of Finance yesterday and I learnt that the Minister is reluctant to fund it unless it is accompanied by a proper e-government framwework so that proper benefits can be felt.

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