[Chapter-delegates] IMAGINE Africa mailing list (was: Satellite based Internet for the developing world (video))

[Fred Baker]

Thanks for the pointer. I have taken the liberty of forwarding it to  
folks within Cisco that build space-based networks or are  
collaborating with African networking interests; some of them are  
likely to take an interest in the project.

There are a number of folks looking at interconnecting Africa in  
various ways. Much of Africa today uses satellite communications,  
often C band in equatorial areas and Ku/Ka band north of +5 degrees  
and south of -5 degrees. There are several suboceanic cables down the  
west coast and in places on the east coast; cable consortia like  
EASSY are trying to complete that circle, and companies like Egypt  
Telecom are driving fiber into the interior to places that make sense  
to them. The big reason people don't use the suboceanic cables has to  
do with the prices their owners charge; a quick review on the web  
will reveal a level of finger-pointing around that which is simply  
breathtaking. There are at least two sets of folks trying to build  
educational networks, and are asking companies like mine for  
donations of ten gigabit backbone equipment. The "global" solution  
discussed five minutes into the talk by the University of Michigan  
student looks a lot like what Teledesic wanted to deploy commercially  
about a decade ago. She's right; it didn't get deployed for a list of  
reasons one of which is economic.

The big issues are money and power, and the reason those are issues  
come down to some combination of "there isn't any", "regulatory  
issues", and "that which exists is poorly managed, so that even if  
there is some, there isn't any that is within reach of those who  
would like to lease/buy it." There are strong political issues; MTN,  
national telecoms, and companies like them have little incentive to  
help a competitor get going, and that is how they perceive these  
networks. There is also the issue of business and technical with-its  
necessary to operate the network; expertise exists in Africa, but  
nowhere near as much as in other parts of the world.

A strategic comment... there are any number of projects that have  
happened in Africa where some well-meaning westerner plunked down  
investment and made something happen. When the westerner leaves, in  
many cases the project falls into disuse or mismanagement and  
eventually falls apart. It's part of the syndrome I relate to  
neocolonialism; if colonial powers kept their colonies helpless and  
neocolonial powers kept it that way - and it can be easily argued  
that some have done that - african former colonies also are guilty of  
remaining unnecessarily helpless when they could do otherwise. What  
you Really Want To Do is find someone in Africa who wants to do this  
as part of a larger project, and make them successful; having done  
that, you leave behind someone who thinks it was at least in part his/ 
her idea and has a strong incentive to keep it alive and useful.

On Apr 28, 2008, at 2:33 PM, WWWhatsup wrote:

> I just spoke with Prof. Zurbuchen on the phone. He tells
> me that they are seriously intending to try and push the
> project through. He was, until I contacted him, unaware
> of the existence of ISOC  but, after i gave him a little info,
> was very happy to interact with members to discuss and
> further this project, and enthusiastically welcomed my suggestion
> that I form a mailing list expressly for that purpose - with the
> caveat that certain technical details are covered by non-
> disclosure agreements.
>
> Thus I have set up a list at
> http://lists.isoc-ny.org/listinfo.cgi/imagine_africa-isoc-ny.org
> and enrolled Prof Zurburchen and Joan Ervin, one of
> the students involved in the project.
>
> Please subscribe there and feel free to fire away with
> questions or other helpful info.
>
> The powerpoint slides used in the google presentation will
> be made available.
>
> Joly
>
> http://isoc-ny.org
>
>
>
>>>
>>>>> On Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 6:57 AM, Alejandro Pisanty
>>>>> <apisan at servidor.unam.mx> wrote:
>>>>>> Joly,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  have you already watched this?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Is there a way that seems clear to you in which we could  
>>>>>> connect this
>>>>>> to
>>>>>>  ISOC's effort in general, and to chapters, both in developing  
>>>>>> countries
>>>>>>  and in those that want to assist?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Many of our members are already involved in satellite- 
>>>>>> Internet work.
>>>>>> Have
>>>>>>  any of you, or the members in your chapters who are involved,  
>>>>>> watched
>>>>>>  this, and formed any opinions?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Yours,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Alejandro Pisanty
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>
>>>>>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ordGzTC1Fzg
>>>>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>>>              WWWhatsup NYC
>>>  http://pinstand.com - http://punkcast.com
>>>  ---------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> "Those who do not create the future they want must endure the  
>> future they get."
>> ~Draper L. Kaufman, Jr.
>> --
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>              WWWhatsup NYC
> http://pinstand.com - http://punkcast.com
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
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