[Chapter-delegates] Press release: INET Africa speaks to critical need for African interconnection

[Gerard Ross]

Hello

For your information, here is another press release we will be issuing  
shortly.

Regards
- Gerard

--
Gerard Ross
Senior Communications Manager
Internet Society
Email: ross at isoc.org


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Press release
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INET AFRICA SPEAKS TO CRITICAL NEED FOR AFRICAN INTERCONNECTION
- Stakeholders come together to determine if interconnection is the  
key to African Internet revolution.

RABAT, MOROCCO - 8 July 2008 - More than 120 Internet stakeholders in  
Africa joined the Internet Society (ISOC) in June 2008 to explore the  
role that regional interconnection might play in reducing the cost of  
local and regional communications in the region and whether it could  
enhance research and education collaboration, promote local content,  
and eventually lead to an increase in Internet penetration in the  
region. The discussions were held in Morocco as part of the Internet  
Society's INET Africa Regional Conference.

Addressing this year's theme, "African Interconnection - The Value  
Proposition", leaders from industry as well as regional experts  
explored the challenges faced by the region and looked for ways to  
stimulate interconnection in an effort to increase Internet usage and  
growth in coming years. A significant part of the discussion described  
the need to create affordable regional and international connectivity,  
which is vital to the growth and sustainability of university Research  
and Education Networks as well as to the ability of the region to  
achieve social, economic, and scientific advancement.

"I once heard someone say that there are two island continents on the  
map of the Internet world," said Karen Rose of ISOC. "The first is the  
Pacific region, where countries and networks are separated by vast  
expanses of physical distance and water, and the second is Africa,  
where countries and networks are separated by lack of  
interconnectivity."

As a result, Rose explained, the price per megabyte of transit traffic  
in the African region ranges from US$3,000-5,000, and is often subject  
to satellite latencies, regardless of whether the traffic is traveling  
to a neighboring country. "As these costs must be incorporated into an  
access provider's operational model," she said, "it has an enormous  
impact on levels of affordability for Internet users."

Speaking to the challenges, Mustapha Mezghani of 2CW pointed to the  
lack of regional interconnection and a subpar national terrestrial  
infrastructure as well as an inefficient distribution system to  
countries that have access to submarine fiber. "There is a need to  
harmonise the regional interests in order to achieve interconnection  
as all countries have different priorities," said Mezghani.

In terms of localising Internet traffic in East Africa, Eng. James  
Kilaba of TCRA described Tanzania's and EARPTO's (The East Africa  
Regulatory, Postal and Telecommunications Organization) regulator- 
driven approach to promote national and regional interconnection. The  
approach, said Kilaba, led to an awarding of a contract to a carrier  
in the East Africa region to provide transit interconnection between  
the three IXPs. At the same time, the Tanzanian government is  
facilitating the building of IXPs in the major towns that will be  
interconnected with the aim of lowering local access costs.

As part of its new Enabling Access initiative, ISOC has identified a  
number of factors that impact access, particularly in developing  
regions. Through the initiative, ISOC is exploring technical capacity  
and knowledge, economic and market factors, and the role of telecoms  
and Internet regulations.

For more information:

   http://www.isoc.org/isoc/mission/initiative/access.shtml
   http://www.isoc.org/isoc/conferences/inet/08/


About the Internet Society
The Internet Society is a non-profit organisation founded in 1992 to  
provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and  
policy. With offices in Washington, DC, and Geneva, Switzerland, it is  
dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the  
Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world.

For further details
Gerard Ross
Senior Communications Manager, Internet Society
E-mail: ross at isoc.org
Telephone: +41-228-071-444 x2261
4, rue des Falaises
CH-1205-Geneva
Switzerland