IDRC FUNDS PROJECT TO TEACH WIRELESS BUILDERS, PROGRAMMERS IN AFRICA

Plans To Educate Wi-Fi Implementers Via Organized Workshops, Documentation

Urbana, IL, July 3, 2004 - Following attendance at a European wireless conference, the Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN) worked closely with the Association for Progressive Communications, Ecole Supérieure Multinationale des Télécommunications, and wire.less.dk, a Dutch wireless consulting company, to draft a proposal designed to educate wireless implementers in Africa. The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has funded the proposal for $225,000 US over the period from July 2004 to June 2006.

CUWiN's involvement in this program is key to sharing our cutting edge technology and experience with trainers and technologists in developing African countries. A positive benefit of making this technical information available online to this target audience is that it will then be available to wireless implementers globally.

The program will be used to teach trainers in Africa how to build out wireless infrastructure and programmers adding features to existing software and those creating new software. The diverse population of Africa faces unique hurdles which this program will overcome through a variety of techniques:

-- Training: hands-on workshops in North, South, and West Africa;

-- Materials development: documentation collected and translated to
English, French, and Arabic; and

-- Distributed knowledge base: development and maintenance of the CUWiN
SourceForge development site to collect technical information of
interest to wireless implementers and programmers

Through projects such as this, the groundwork is being laid to establish lasting communities of wireless networking practitioners in Africa -- and across the world -- with a vision of holding future in-depth training sessions in greater numbers once this path-finding and the program itself are concluded.

About CUWiN

The Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN) has built a communications network using wireless networking equipment. This is essentially the same "WiFi" equipment used in homes and offices, but CUWiN puts it on rooftops to connect neighbors and form a high-speed community network.

CUWiN's three-part mission is to:

-- connect more people to Internet and broadband services;

-- develop open-source hardware and software for use by wireless
projects world-wide; and

-- build and support community-owned, not-for-profit broadband
networks in cities and towns around the globe.

CUWiN is a program of the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center. OJC Technologies is CUWiN's development home.

For additional information, contact:

Sascha Meinrath
Project Coordinator
Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network
(217)278-3933
sascha@cuwireless.net
http://www.cuwireless.net/

From 7-9 July, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) hosted a meeting in Geneva, bringing together government policy makers and regulators, representatives of Internet service providers, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) companies, academics, civil society organizations and others, in an effort to counter spam, a "modern day epidemic," and to standardize anti-spam legislation. At present, many countries have no such laws, making it difficult to prosecute spammers.

Robert Horton, head of Australia's Communications Authority, served as the Chairman of the meeting. According to the Chairman's report that emanated from the meeting, "unsolicited commercial communications" or so-called spam has grown into one of the major plagues affecting today's digital world. As much as 80% of all e-mail traffic is spam, compared to 35% a year ago, according to the ITU, with spammers sending hundreds of millions of messages per day. The estimated costs of spam to the global economy are approximately US$25 billion dollars per year. The problem is spreading also to cell phones. In Japan, nine out of ten junk e-mails come in the form of mobile telephone text messages.


Most speakers and participants seemed to agree that there is no "silver bullet," or consensus emerging on the right way forward, as no one solution alone will curb spam. A multi-pronged approach to solving the problem, involving all stakeholders, is clearly necessary. All actors need to engage in a concerted effort, linking the mandates and expertise of various international organizations, as well as the Internet Society, to support and progressively develop an international framework to combat the problem.

The Chairman's report states that spam is a major problem for developed countries, but perhaps is even worse for developing and least developed countries (LDCs), where, because of limited available Internet resources, many users rely on free web-based e-mail services with limits on free storage, which are particularly targeted by spammers. A number of participants highlighted that because of less effective security protection, computers on broadband networks are often compromised in order to hijack then to send spam.

In a session on multilateral and bilateral cooperation, international organizations, regional bodies, and a number of UN Member States presented a review of their initiatives to tackle spam and their views on possible future international cooperation. Acknowledging that the society and culture of each country is different, participants pointed out that it would be very difficult to employ the same anti-spam legislation everywhere. However, information sharing among different national authorities and a cooperative approach to anti-spam law enforcement were seen as fundamental.

Three initiatives were announced during the meeting in Geneva:
1) the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on mutural enforcement on commercial e-mail between enforcement agencies of Australia, the UK and the US, which will include a meeting in London in October 2004;
2) the establishment of an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Task Force on spam, which is likely to hold its first meeting in Busan (South Korea) in early September 2004, in conjunction with ITU Telecom Asia and the OECD's 2nd spam workshop;
3) the holding of a special session on spam at the ITU's Global Symposium for Regulators in December 2004.



NGLS

Source: http://www.un-ngls.org/wsis-spam-report.htm

The Punjab Information Technology Department also announced that it is hiring 'world class' IT professionals to implement its e-government vision.

According to Punjab Information Technology Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) will spearhead the development of a 'genuine e-government culture' through investment in infrastructure and key personnel.

At a specially-convened meeting with the Punjab Secretary for IT Saeed Alvi, the Rector of the Virtual University Naveed Malik, Dr Qaiser Durrani, Khalid Ahmad Khan of Project Management and Kaiwan Khawaja of Technologic, the IT Minister laid out his spending plans and gave the green light to a series of internal initiatives at the Information
Technology Department.

Minister Khan made it clear that the government planned to develop and modernise the IT department on modern lines for the purpose of improving internal civil service efficiency, and bringing in good governance in the practical sense. Various prospects of improving performance of Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) were also discussed in the meeting.

The meeting decided to advertise the posts of Chief information Officer and Chief Technology Officer for PITB in the local and international media.

The meeting agreed to hire IT professionals of International calibre and experience, capable of promoting IT vision in the province. The minister announced that the government was encouraging local and international IT companies to set up IT Parks in the province and in this regard, special incentives would be offered to the serious
investors.

The IT Minister also encouraged the public to share their ideas and recommendations with the Government through the Punjab Government Portal Service.

Source:http://www.pstm.net/article/index.php?articleid=192

An integrated training programme to set up technical service centres in support of education in African schools

Johannesburg, 22 June 2004

Building technical and managerial capacity among a community of African schoolnet practitioners linked to the local establishment of technical service centres as facilities for ICT access, refurbishment, deployment, maintenance and teacher training for their educational use in schools, forms the essence of SchoolNet Africa’s Campaign for One Million PCs for African Schools according to its Executive Director, Ms Shafika Isaacs-Bardien. “Once we have an established management and support system in place at local level, will we be able to process large volumes of computers and related ICTs for use in schools”, she adds.

SchoolNet Africa, http://www.schoolnetafrica.net/, an African-led NGO which promotes learning and teaching through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in African schools has just concluded the development of its training course entitled Technical Service Centre Manager’s Course in partnership with the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA). This comprehensive course, available in English and soon in French, covers the spectrum of activities from sourcing and procuring PCs ( particularly second-hand PCs), to setting up technical service centres as maintenance and support centres, to the environmentally-responsible disposal of end-of-life PCs, from an African perspective. It contains a wealth of reference materials and case studies on the African experience and integrates issues of gender equality, making it the first of its kind in Africa.

The first 15 of a targeted 200 schoolnet practitioners has commenced their online training on this course on Monday 14 June which will be followed by a hands-on face to face training programme for one week on 12-16 July 2004 in Johannesburg. The training will lay the basis for the set-up of schoolnet-based technical services centres in an estimated 10 African countries, starting with Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. “We will do more than just refurbish PCs. We will offer education solutions to schools, provide maintenance and support, engage in teacher training and educational content development”, says Payton Sondashi from Computers For Zambian Secondary Schools who is one of the programme’s participants.


The course is available at http://www.schoolnetafrica.net/fileadmin/1MillionPCsTraining/Index.htm

For more information contact Ms Sara Kyofuna at s.kyofuna@schoolnetafrica.org


-Communiqué de Presse-

Un programme intégré de formation en vue de la mise au point des centres d’assistance technique dans l’éducation dans les écoles africaines.

Johannesburg, le 22 Juin 2004

Établir la capacité technique et gestionnaire parmi une communauté des praticiens africains de SchoolNet liés à l'établissement des centres d’assistance technique en vue de faciliter l’accès aux TIC, la rénovation, le déploiement, l’entretien du matériel et la formation des enseignants pour leur usage éducatif dans les écoles, forme l'essence de la Campagne de SchoolNet Afrique pour Un million d’Ordinateurs pour les écoles africaines selon son directeur exécutif, Mme. Shafika Isaacs-Bardien. Et elle ajoute: "Une fois que nous aurons un système établi de gestion et de soutien en place au niveau local, nous serons alors capables de procéder à la distribution de grands volumes d'ordinateurs et des TIC relatives pour l'usage dans les écoles."

SchoolNet Afrique, (www.schoolnetafrica.net), une O.N.G. africaine qui promouvoit l’apprentissage et l’enseignement par l'utilisation des Technologies de l'Information et de Communication (TIC) dans les écoles africaines, vient juste de conclure le développement de son cours de formation intitulé Cours de Formation du Directeur de Centre d’Assistance Technique en association avec l'Institut de Société Ouverte pour l'Afrique Australe (OSISA). Ce cours complet, disponible en anglais et bientôt en français, couvre un ensemble d’activités allant de l'approvisionnement et l’obtention d’ordinateurs (en particulier les ordinateurs d'occasion), à la mise sur pied des centres d’assistance technique comme centres d'entretien et d'assistance, au débaras d’une manière responsable sur le plan environnemental des ordinateurs qui ne peuvent plus être utilisés, selon la perspective africaine. Il contient une richesse des documentations de référence et des études de cas sur l'expérience africaine et comprend aussi des sujets sur l'égalité de genre (homme et femme), lui faisant ainsi le premier de sa sorte en Afrique

Les 15 premiers de 200 praticiens visés de schoolnet ont débuté leur formation en ligne sur ce cours le lundi 14 juin ; et cette formation sera suivie d’un programme de formation pratique et individuelle pour une semaine partant du 12 au 16 juillet 2004 à Johannesburg. La formation établira la base pour l'installation des centres d’assistance technique de schoolnet dans environ 10 pays africains, commençant par la Mozambique, Le Malawi, La Zambie et le Zimbabwe. "Nous ferons plus qu’un simple recyclage des ordinateurs. Nous offrirons des solutions d'éducation aux écoles ; nous fournirons la maintenance, l'entretien et le soutien ; et nous nous engagerons dans la formation des enseignants et le développement d’un contenu éducatif ", dit Payton Sondashi (de Computer For Zambian Secondary
Schools) qui est l'un des participants du programme.

Le cours est disponible sur http://www.schoolnetafrica.net/fileadmin/1MillionPCsTraining/Index.htm

Pour de plus amples informations, veuillez contacter Mlle. Sara Kyofuna à
l’adresse: s.kyofuna@schoolnetafrica.org

Department of Policy and Business Practices

Commission on E-Business, IT and Telecoms

Task Force on the Internet and IT services


Deploying the next generation Internet:
ICC statement on the introduction of IPv6
http://www.iccwbo.org/home/electronic_commerce/IPv6.asp

Introduction

ICC is uniquely positioned to encourage business and governments around the world to promote the benefits of a smooth transition from IPv4 to IPv6. Representing Internet users and service providers globally, ICC endorses the rogressive introduction by business of IPv6 and advocates for increased awareness among business and governments on the benefits of IPv6.

IPv6 is the acronym for Internet Protocol version 6. IPv6 is the ‘next generation’ Internet Protocol designed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (www.ietf.org) to coexist ith and ultimately replace the current version Internet rotocol, IP version 4 (“IPv4”). Internet Protocol (IP) is a set of technical rules governing how information travels around and can be found on the Internet. IP lets different computers communicate with each other over the communications networks that comprise the Internet.


Every network interface on the Internet has a unique IP number. These numbers are called IP addresses and they can be typed directly into a browser or linked to a named web address such as www.yourcompany.com

IPv4

Today, the Internet relies mostly on IPv4, the version of the Internet Protocol that was specified nearly twenty years ago. IPv4 is still robust, but it supports a relatively limited number of IP numbers. Several factors are driving increased demand for IP numbers:

The number of Internet users increases significantly each year, creating more and more demand for IP addresses. While IPv4 allows for four billion computers on the whole network, IPv6 allows for upwards of 35 trillion interconnected networks.[1] As developing countries work towards bridging the digital divide and increasing their access and connectivity to the Internet, the demand for IP addresses will continue to grow.

Future Internet application developments such as wireless communications, mobile computing and next generation elephony will further increase demand for IP addresses.

The increasing popularity of mobile devices such as mobile phones, portable devices and laptops will also greatly drive demand for IP addresses. Cars and household appliances may also be assigned IP numbers as they too become communications devices.

The availability of IP addresses using IPv4 has been increased through the deployment of dynamic address translation. Furthermore, the integration of IPv6 and the coexistence of IPv6 and IPv4 will be facilitated since new technologies and applications using IPv6 may actually “free-up” some IPv4 addresses as earlier technologies and applications are replaced. The transition from an IPv4-only environment, which began a number of years ago, may continue for an undetermined period of time.

The benefits of IPv6

The new version of the Internet Protocol, IPv6, will enable new capabilities beyond IPv4, including providing greatly increased availability of IP addresses.

The benefits of IPv6 include:

The number of IP addresses available with IPv6 is enormous - 3.4 X 10^38 (i.e. 10 to the power of 38) – and will not be exhausted in the foreseeable future

IPv6 improves the efficiency of the Internet. Simplified packet header information allows for more straightforward and efficient routing of Internet packets. Shorter routing tables are possible because most Internet service providers can receive address space in adjacent blocks, offering greater convenience to their clients and also allowing for a more efficient structure in the Internet’s core routing tables.

IPv6 creates opportunities for new types of services that prioritize Internet traffic flows. It is ‘auto-configurable’, meaning devices like laptops, PDAs and Mobile phones can be given their own unique IP addresses easily and without delay. This will simplify the installation and maintenance of home, vehicle and small office networks.

IPv6 improves security by facilitating network-level security. It has security services at the IP-layer as a ‘native’ feature (i.e. IPSec includes the following capabilities: data origin authentication, rejection of replayed packets, and encryption). Also, allowing each communications device to have its own unique IP number facilitates ‘end-to-end security’, meaning that an entire communication session can be conducted securely rather than just the parts that use a virtual private network.

IPv6 provides the basis for continued technical innovation in communications technologies.

Challenges in IPv6 deployment

As with the upgrade of any network, computer or related technology, deploying IPv6 generates costs, interoperability and resource issues for Internet stakeholders.

Network routing and related Internet architecture equipment will need to be upgraded or modified to accommodate IPv6 128 bit addressing (as compared to 32 bit for IPv4).

Although the number of IPv6-enabled Internet applications is constantly increasing, not all applications are presently engineered to work in an IPv6 environment.

Having both protocols coexist in Internet architecture as IPv6 continues to be deployed generates integration and interoperability costs and challenges.

These issues may require Internet stakeholders to prioritize and concentrate their continued IPv6 implementation where it is most needed and will have the greatest benefit.

The path forward

It is in the interests of all Internet users that the Internet continue to evolve and thrive. IPv6 is an important step in this regard.

The integration of IPv6 does not have a hard deadline like, for example, the system changes forY2K did. IPv6 will coexist with IPv4 for a number of years. However, it is still essential that IPv6 deployment be prioritized to ensure that it occurs and that interworking of IPv6 and IPv4 be accommodated.

Governments should not mandate IPv6 transition. Rather, this transition will occur in gradual stages that allow consumers, business and governments to adopt IPv6. Businesses and governments each have an important role to play in ensuring a smooth and timely evolution with IPv6.

Recommended business actions

In order to continue forward progress in the transition to IPv6, minimize deployment costs, and enable innovative new applications to be developed, it is essential that business and governments understand the benefits and challenges of IPv6. First priorities should include analysis, testing and planning initiatives to ensure the interoperability of IPv4 and IPv6 during a period of smooth coexistence and transition.

Business should take advantage of scheduled equipment and software upgrades and develop a timeline, programme and procedures to upgrade Internet servers and relevant devices to IPv6, recognizing that the upgrade will require costs and impose burdens. This demonstration of leadership by business will encourage other Internet stakeholders and underline the value IPv6 brings to the Internet.

Business must recognize that the security and stability of the existing network is an essential requirement in the transition period when IPv4 and IPv6 will coexist.

Business should continue its efforts to improve government and consumer awareness of the importance and benefits of IPv6, for example, through initiatives such as the IPv6 Forum (http://www.ipv6forum.org/), a consortium of vendors, which organizes information events around the world to increase awareness and promote the adoption of IPv6.

Business should continue to provide expert input into the technical coordination bodies responsible for developing and overseeing IP and its related protocols, particularly the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). This input will help ensure that as new technologies develop, they are compatible with and take advantage of IPv6.

Recommended government actions

Private sector leadership in the technical coordination of the Internet has been responsible for its continued and successful global development. Governments are encouraged to take action to support IPv6 deployment, recognizing that market forces, not government intervention, should be the main driving force for deploying IPv6.

Imposing government-mandated standards or timelines would be an unhelpful approach since this might inhibit targeted deployment efforts or result in inefficient use of limited resources. Government initiatives supporting industry efforts to overcome implementation challenges and increase awareness and prioritization of IPv6 are likely to be more productive and in accordance with the principle of technological neutrality.

Governments should work to increase awareness of IPv6 and its benefits.

Governments should support the integration of IPv6 and the coexistence of IPv4 and IPv6 to address user needs, including planning initiatives.

Governments should avoid mandated standards or legal requirements, and ensure that their policies on IPv6 implementation do not impose deadlines.

Governments should continue to promote technology neutrality and choice, allowing Internet stakeholders to use new and existing technologies and applications of their choice.

Governments should support relevant research and development to ensure a smooth and effective integration of IPv6 and associated technologies.

Conclusion

The deployment of IPv6 requires a significant planning and awareness-raising effort by business and governments in the medium term. The benefits of the introduction of IPv6 will accrue to all Internet users well into the future. ICC encourages business and governments to maximize and coordinate their efforts so that all Internet users will benefit from the increased efficiency and opportunities IPv6 offers.

* * * * *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Source: ‘IBM Vision for IPv6 in the era of e-business on demand’, July 2003

* * * * *

About ICC - http://www.iccwbo.org/

ICC is the world business organization, the only representative body that speaks with authority on behalf of enterprises from all sectors in every part of the world. ICC promotes an open international trade and investment system and the market economy. Business leaders and experts drawn from the ICC membership establish the business stance on broad issues of trade and investment, e-business, IT and telecoms policy, as well as on vital technical and sectoral subjects. ICC was founded in 1919 and today it groups thousands of member companies and associations from over 130 countries.

Please note on your agenda, the following conferences in Mauritius:

The first conference is the ICT Stakeholders Forum from the 7th to 9th July 2004 to be held at Pointe aux Piments, Mauritius. This conference is organised by the Commonwealth Business Council, hosted by the Government of Mauritius with the full support of the e-African Commission, the ITU and the Commonwealth Secretariat. The ICT Stakeholder Forum is aimed at bringing stakeholders together to examine concrete projects, proposals and models that will help integrate least developed countries into the global economy through the effective deployment of information communication technologies (ICTs). The Forum will bring together decision makers from stakeholder organisations and engage them in fruitful discussions that will hopefully lead to commitments that can be implemented on the ground.

Hon. Paul Raymond Bérenger GCSK, Prime Minister of Mauritius will deliver the keynote address. Hon. Deelchand Jeeha, Mauritian Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications will open the conference.

The Forum will include a mixture of plenary and multi-stakeholder roundtables. On the first day there will be a "ministerial" session drawing on the experiences and challenges facing LDCs; launch of a publication on market opportunities in least developed countries' ICT sector; a scene setting session; a private sector roundtable. The second day will focus primarily on discussing ICT projects and on donor perspectives. Please goto http://www.cbcglobelink.org/cbcglobelink/events/ICT04/index.htm for further details.



The second conference is on the sixth annual African Computing & Telecommunications Summit (ACT 2004) and will be held at the Ebene Cybercity in Mauritius over 7-9 September 2004 – providing the African ICT community with a unique opportunity to participate in this Africa's leading computing and telecommunications event. The theme of the Summit is "Building partnerships to mainstream Africa's ICT sector" The combined conference and exhibition is being organised by AITEC under the auspices of the Act ICT Industry Alliance of Mauritius. Other key supporting organizations include:

Ø Intelsat, which is sponsoring the gala dinner for the event. Ø The Global VSAT Forum which is hosting the Telecom Operators Forum Ø The UK Government's Catalysing Internet Access for Africa (CATIA)programme. Ø The Canadian government's Connectivity Africa programme, which is hosting a Forum on GSM Applications for Development Ø The UN Economic Commission for Africa, which is hosting the African eGovernment Forum at the Summit.

Go on AITEC web site at http://www.aitecafrica.com/act2004/index.htm
for full details.

Momentum grows for the continent’s key ICT partnership event: ACT 2004 in Mauritius over 7-9 September 2004

Key industry players have committed support for the sixth annual African Computing & Telecommunications Summit (ACT 2004), to be held at the impressive new CyberTower currently being occupied by BPO companies from a range of countries.

The combined conference and exhibition is being held under the auspices of the Act ICT Industry Alliance of Mauritius. Other key supporting organizations include:

Ø Intelsat, which is sponsoring the gala dinner for the event.

Ø The Global VSAT Forum which is hosting the Telecom Operators Forum

Ø The UK Government’s Catalysing Internet Access for Africa (CATIA) programme.

Ø The Canadian government’s Connectivity Africa programme, which is hosting a Forum on GSM Applications for Development

Ø The UN Economic Commission for Africa, which is hosting the African eGovernment Forum at the Summit.

Over 400 delegates will attend from throughout Africa and beyond: telecom operators, resellers, solution providers, policy-makers, regulators, users and innovators. This is a unique opportunity to share knowledge and business ideas with colleagues involved in Africa’s computing and telecommunications transformation. Over 30 industry leaders have already confirmed conference presentations. For full details see http://www.aitecafrica.c om/act2004/index.htm

Special flight and hotel accommodation packages are available. For more information on the ACT Summit, to receive a conference brochure or to make bookings please contact:

IN SOUTH AFRICA:
International Trade Projects (ITP)
Tel: +27-(0)11-486-0585
Contact: David Graham
david@tradeprojects.co.za

ALL OTHER COUNTRIES:
AITEC UK
Tel: +44-(0)1480-495595
info@aitecafrica.com

I look forward to seeing you at ACT 2004.
Yours sincerely,

Sean Moroney
sean@aitecafrica.com

Mauritius CyberCity selected as venue for ACT 2004 7-9 September 2004 The sixth annual African Computing & Telecommunications Summit (ACT 2004) is to be held at the impressive new CyberTower being constructed in Mauritius as the key element of the island state's drive to become an ICT development hub for Africa and the Indian Ocean. AITEC has been invited by the Act ICT Industry Alliance of Mauritius to hold the next ACT Summit in Mauritius due to the attendance it will attract from ICT professionals and managers from throughout Africa, as well as other international participation, thus promoting the country's position as a supplier of ICT services and expertise. The theme of the Summit will be "Developing Partnerships to Mainstream Africa's ICT Industry." Welcoming AITEC's decision to hold the Summit in Mauritius, Viv Padayatchy, Chairman of the Association of Internet Service Providers (FAIR) and Secretary of the Mauritius ICT Alliance, called on industry counterparts across Africa to use the Summit as an opportunity to pool knowledge and experience to promote the continent on the international stage. "Although some of us may land up competing for the same outsourcing work, the potential market is huge and expanding. We will all benefit from increased skills levels across the region, as well as improved perceptions of the continent's ICT capacity. I'm confident that companies attending ACT 2003 will find that co-operation and alliances, rather than competition, will be the order of the day." AITEC will hold the event in partnership with Publi-Promo, the leading exhibition company in Mauritius. The following will be the key streams within the Summit: Ø Business Process Outsourcing Forum Ø Knowledge Sharing Ø The African Open Source Forum, is associate with the Free & Open Source Foundation for Africa Ø eGovernment Forum in association with the UN Economic Commission for Africa Ø ICT Policy & Telecoms Regulation Ø Telecommunication Operators Forum Ø ICT for Development The ACT Summit has been held in the UK, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria in previous years. Over 2,000 African ICT professionals, managers, resellers, innovators and policy-makers have benefited from the Summit's intensive knowledge-sharing platform. For further details of ACT 2004, contact

IN MAURITIUS: Didier de Senneville, MD, Publi-Promo Tel 208-3873; Mobile: 255-7677 ppromo@intnet.mu

INTERNATIONAL: Sean Moroney, AITEC Africa, Tel: +44-1480-495595 sean@aitecafrica.com 

From Rachel Engel
Sent by: The DIGITALDIVIDE discussion group

Given the current media swirl in the US relating to the FCC decisions on VoIP and the WiFi issue in Africa, bridges.org have written a short commentary looking at the benefits of this technology in relation to the developing world. We thought you might be interested in this.

If you would like any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.

RESTRICTING VoIP AND WiFi COSTS SOUTH AFRICA ITS POSITION AS A TECHNOLOGY LEADER IN AFRICA

25 May 2004
Commentary written by bridges.org in collaboration with the East and Southern Africa Centre for International ICT Policy (ESA-CIP)

South Africa is celebrating ten years of democracy -- a period during which the country has shown progressive leadership, including explicitly targeting information and communications technology (ICT) as an enabler of socio-economic development. In its re-election campaign this year, the Government promised to focus on poverty alleviation and job creation. But, ironically, the Government's legislative efforts affecting new technologies like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) are actually working against the development goals it seeks to achieve.

On one hand, the South African Government has taken unparalleled steps in forming national and international advisory councils to advise President Mbeki on how to extend the benefits of ICT to all citizens. However, existing telecommunications and convergence policies are not keeping pace with technological progress, and communications costs remain high as a result. Moreover, the Government has failed to provide a coherent legislative framework for ICT. Unless the Government aligns its intentions and actions it may undermine the country's position as a technology leader in Africa.

One example is South Africa's strategy to create jobs by enticing international call centres to the country. These centres -- common in places like India -- provide outsourced services using high bandwidth connections and VoIP platforms. VoIP converts calls to data and carries them like messages on any data network (including the Internet), which lowers costs, but can threaten the earnings of traditional telecommunications providers. Call centres provide telephone support services to developed countries from their bases in developing countries where labour is cheap, bringing cash to local economies. VoIP can also support socio-economic development more generally by bringing the benefits of efficient data network use and lowered call costs to individual consumers, small businesses, government agencies, and community organisations. Yet existing legislation that limits the use of VoIP in South Africa stifles advances in this area.

South African law also inhibits the use of WiFi technologies that could help bring the Internet to under-serviced communities. WiFi creates a high-bandwidth network using certain radio frequency transmissions that cover short distances. It is cheap to implement, largely because it does not require traditional wire infrastructure, and can be used to extend the reach of telecommunications and "backbone" Internet connectivity at low cost. And this in turn offers an effective channel for the delivery of many development services to under-serviced and rural communities. But it also jeopardises telecommunications profits.

Developing countries and communities with low telephone penetration stand to benefit the most from the introduction of new technologies like VoIP and WiFi. Gone are the days of voice traffic over traditional copper wire (which is often stolen), and separate cabling for data transmissions. There are huge cost savings to be gained in under-serviced communities by rolling out technologies that allow for both voice and data services on a single, combined, cost-effective network. Moreover, until recently VoIP and WiFi were only available to people with access to personal computers, but technology advances are extending this reach. For example, WiFi can be used to connect handheld devices to the Internet. And instead of requiring a computer with VoIP software, now people can use a regular telephone handset to dial to an intermediate computer connected to the Internet that will convert their call to VoIP.

Across the continent, other African countries are moving to the forefront. Algeria, Mauritius, Mali, Nigeria and Kenya have legalised VoIP and WiFi. For example, the Algerian Government recently approved several Internet Service Providers to use VoIP to legally compete on international calls. Prior to this, only the incumbent telecommunications operator was allowed to offer international call services, costing six times more. These progressive governments are boldly embracing new technologies to gain the long-term benefits of ICT, despite potential short-term losses in revenue as incumbent telecommunications providers restructure their approaches.

Currently, the provision of VoIP services in South Africa is only allowed in areas where less than five percent of the population have access to a telephone. The Government maintains that such restrictions will encourage companies to provide telephone service to these outlying regions and thereby rectify the imbalance in technology access between modern, urban hubs and under-serviced and rural communities. WiFi is also restricted to use by individuals or organisations within the confines of their own premises. So "hotspots" are okay, but connecting offices across town is not. In South Africa, it appears as if Government policy-makers either do not understand the development potential offered by these technologies, or they are just not ready to let go of the entrenched revenue streams from Telkom's stranglehold on the market.

Nonetheless the use of these effective, cheap technologies is growing in South Africa -- albeit illegally -- including in different spheres of government. For example, local government agencies are connecting remote departments with WiFi networks that are well-suited to carry VoIP calls. Their existence is no secret, with public tenders in the local media calling for the installation and maintenance of these systems.

Removing restrictions and allowing competition to thrive in the communications sector will lead to greater choice, lower prices, and the proliferation of innovative services. This will in turn benefit the development needs of under-serviced and rural communities, where communication services are prohibitively expensive, as well as the corporate needs of businesses wanting to enter the value-added network market. All that is holding back the unlimited provision of VoIP services in South Africa is the public announcement of a date, at the Minister of Communication's discretion, from which VoIP will be legal. This is a seemingly easy step, yet one not taken. Consequently, business leaders, development practitioners and the ordinary consumer alike are suffocating under an artificial constraint on telecommunications growth.

And in the meantime the South African Government, with all its right intentions, is increasingly losing its position at the technological forefront in Africa. An apparent reluctance to embrace new technologies must not be allowed to hinder the creation of jobs and wealth for the people of South Africa. Every citizen should understand the socio-economic development potential of new technologies, and call upon the Government to drive the changes needed to allow their widespread use. Unless the South African Government alters its course in this area, during the next election voters may well be asking why the Government has not delivered on its promises.

ENDS

CONTACT DETAILS
Name: Ewan McPhie, Policy Director
Tel: +27 (0)21 465 9313
Fax: +27 (0)21 465 5917
Email: media@bridges.org
URL:http://www.bridges.org
South Africa: PO Box 715, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
United States: PO Box 53099, Washington DC 20009-9099

ABOUT BRIDGES.ORG
Bridges.org is an international non-profit organisation based in South Africa with a mission to promote the effective use of ICT in developing countries to improve people's lives. One area of focus is informing policy decisions that affect people's access to and use of ICT. Bridges.org also conducts technology research and provides social consulting services to ground level projects using ICT, helping with project planning and evaluation and relaying lessons learned. It brings an entrepreneurial attitude to its social mission, and is committed to working with, instead of against, government agencies and the business community. For more information please go to :
http://www.bridges.org

ABOUT ESA-CIP
The East and Southern Africa Centre for International ICT Policy (ESA-CIP) is a regional non-profit organisation based in Uganda dedicated to increasing the capacity of East and Southern African stakeholders to participate in international ICT policy-making. The Centre forms part of the broader Catalysing Access to Information and Communications Technologies in Africa (CATIA) programme, which aims to enable poor people in Africa to gain the maximum benefit from the opportunities offered by technology and to act as a strong catalyst for reform. It is being supported by the UKs Department for International Development (DFID). For more information, see
http://www.catia.ws


Rachel Engel
International Media and Relations Manager

Tel: +27 21 465 9313
Fax: +27 21 465 5917
email: rachel@bridges.org
South Africa: P O Box 715, Cape Town 8000 South Africa
United States: P O Box 53099, Washington, DC 20009-9099

http://www.bridges.org

The International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) invites you to the 8th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries.

The conference will be held in Abuja, Nigeria on May 25-28, 2005.

Source: International Federation for Information Processing  (IFIP)

Postponement of the Mauritius International Meeting

"The High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Mr. Anwarul Chowdhury, in his capacity as the Secretary-General of the Mauritius International Meeting on small island developing States, announced today that the Government of Mauritius has requested postponement of the International Meeting and has proposed that the Meeting be held from 10 to14 January 2005 (preceded by informal consultations on 8 and 9 January 2005). Steps are being initiated to have the matter considered by the United Nations General Assembly for a decision regarding the new dates." -- UN Journal, 13 May 2004

Funding Opportunity:

The Five College African Scholars Program

Details of the fellowship, including the amount, eligibility and deadline are given below.

Title: The Five College African Scholars Program
Sponsor: Five College African Scholars Residency Program
Sponsor type: Academic Institution
Deadline note: Deadline annually in summer. Check website for details.
Amount note: Resident scholars are provided with round trip air fare, a stipend of $3,000 per month, a laptop computer, housing or a housing allowance, health insurance, and a modest research allowance.
Eligibility: Eligibility for Residencies is limited to junior and mid-level African scholars employed by and teaching at African universities who intend to return to their institutions in Africa upon completion of their residencies. Academic leave authorization must be certified by the applicant's home institution at the time of application, as well as the right of the Resident to return to his or her position upon completion of the Residency. Applications are welcome from scholars in all disciplines and may be comparative in nature with an African focus.
Citizenship or Residency: Africa
Activity location: United States
Abstract: The Five College African Scholars Residency Program works to strengthen intellectual capacity in African universities and to enrich Africa-focused scholarship at the Five Colleges and internationally. It does so by bringing junior and mid-level African scholars, employed by and teaching in African universities and with active research projects with an African focus, for 5 and 10 month research residencies at Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, neighboring institutions associated in the Five College Consortium centered in Amherst, Massachusetts.

During their time in the USA, Residents will be expected to complete scholarly projects with the goal of publication either by the end of the residency or shortly thereafter.

Contact name: Ralph Faulkingham
Contact email: asp@fivecolleges.edu
Contact address: Five College African Scholars Program
Herter Hall, University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003, United States
URL for more information: http://www.fivecolleges.edu/asp/

ICT Stakeholders Forum
7th, 8th and 9th July 2004
Port-Louis, Mauritius

Hosted by the Government of Mauritius and with the full support of the
e-African Commission and the ITU, on the first day there will be a
"ministerial" session drawing on the experiences and challenges facing
LDCs; a scene setting session; roundtables. The second day will focus
entirely on discussing ICT projects. There will be up to four speakers
each speaking for not more than 10-12 mins on projects at differing
levels of advancement. The projects will cover projects successfully
completed; projects that have made some headway but need support from
additional stakeholders; and proposals for new projects. The projects
will have been identified well in advance of the Forum.
Date/Time
July 07, 2004 - July 09, 2004 , all day (GMT +4:00)

Location
Global Event

Event Cost
TBA

RSVP Information
Name: Mr. Shondeep Banerji
URL: http://www.cbcglobelink.org/cbcglobelink/events/ICT04/index.htm
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7024 8229
E-mail: shondeep.banerji@cbcglobelink.org

Writing Contest

“Giving Youth a Voice” – ICTs for rural youth livelihoods in ACP countries

Will Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) change life in the rural areas of countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP)? Will they make village life more attractive for young people? Or are they just not appropriate, too expensive, or not available at all?
CTA, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU, invites you to share your vision of an ICT-enabled future in the rural areas of ACP countries.
If you are a national of an ACP country[1],
are between 18 and 30 years old,
are a member of an organization active in rural youth development issues,
have ideas on how ICTs can help to improve youth livelihoods in the rural areas of your country,
then participate in CTA’s writing contest. Tell us what you would like to achieve to make life better in the villages of your country, especially for young people, and how ICTs could help you to reach your goal.
The Prizes
1st – 3rd prize:
Three winners will be invited to participate in CTA’s ICT bservatory meeting on “Giving Youth a Voice”, to take place 28-30 September 2004 in Wageningen, The Netherlands. CTA will pay for the air ticket, hotel accommodation and per diem for the duration of the meeting.
4th – 10th prize: Seven ‘runners-up’ will receive subscriptions to Spore and CTA publications.
All winning entries will be published on CTA’s website.
Contest Rules
Submissions can be in English or French
should not exceed 2,000 words
must be typed
should include your name, age, organisational affiliation and full contact information (home address, telephone number, e-mail address, if available)
Deadline for submission of entries: 11 July 2004. All entries must be received on or before that date.
Winners will be announced on 30 July 2004.

You can e-mail (preferred), fax or mail your work to
Dr. Gesa Wesseler
CTA
Postbus 380
6700 AJ
Wageningen
The Netherlands
Fax:(+31-317) 460 067
e-mail: youth2004@cta.int

Only successful candidates will be notified. For more information on the Observatory meeting, and to receive news on the writing contest, kindly refer to CTA’s website (http://www.cta.int).

ANNEX:
ACP member countries[2]

Southern Africa
Angola, Botswana, Lesotho,Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia.

Central Africa
Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo,Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sao Tome and Principe.

East Africa
Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles,Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda.

West Africa
Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d´Ivoire, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sénégal, Sierra Leone, Togo.

Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize,Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago.

Pacific
Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands,Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.

[1]For a list of ACP countries, see the end of this message / the last page of this letter

[2]Signatories to the Cotonou Agreement between the EU and the ACP Group of States. Cuba is an ACP country but not a signatory to the Cotonou Agreement

1-3 June 2004
Accra International Conference Centre, Accra, Ghana

The Eighth Annual West African Information and Communications Technologies Conference and Exhibition (AITEC 2004) is jointly organized by Ghana's Ministry of Communications and Technology and AITEC Ghana under the theme "Building Public- Private Partnership and Creating Opportunities Through ICT".

As part of the event, the two day conference is designed as an intensive knowledge-sharing platform to provide key decision-makers with a better understanding of the latest market trends, product demands and enable them acquire information and knowledge required for their day-to-day operations and strategic planning.


Lesley Millar, AITEC UK

Tel: +44-1480-495595

lesley@aitecafrica.com