Cheap Internet in sight as operators agree to share infrastructure

Individualistic tendencies towards infrastructure development has  been blamed for stalemate in the ICT sector. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]

By Frankline Sunday

Kenya has made a step closer towards affordable Internet. This is after the Government and service providers agreed on key provisions to share broadband infrastructure.

Stakeholders from the Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK), Telecommunication Service Providers Organisation of Kenya and the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) agreed to have the cost of putting up broadband infrastructure reduced.

The move signals the end of years of wrangles between KeNHA and telecommunication service providers concerning the laying down of cable ducts along major roads and highways. Telecom firms have routinely accused KeNHA of damaging underground cables during road constructions. But telcos have been accused of not building their passages in accordance with the pre-established road network.

Losing cash

 The result has been confusion and a web of trenches alongside roads in most urban areas. This is as each service provider either tries to lay down a new duct or relocate one that has been damaged.

“As operators, we have lost a lot of money because we have had our cables along the roads cut by KeNHA during road constructions,” explained Eng Andrew Kemosi, from Orange Kenya.  “KeNHA knows where our cables are and we are asking for collaboration, not to cut the cables. We would even appreciate if ducts were built together with the road network being constructed,” he stated. But the roads agency states that it is open to negotiations with the telecoms and telecom service providers as long as they approach the authority in good time.  “At KeNHA, there are some requirements we give to telcos when they submit their plans and one of them are ‘as-built’ drawings which show exactly where the cable will pass, at what level and the points of origin and destination,” explained Eng John Otatio from KeNHA.

 “We always try as much as possible to allow one meter on either side for provision of broadband infrastructure,” he said “If we get the requirements from the telcos in the planning stages, the ducts will be put in place at no extra cost.”

 “However, if you come when the road is already built, then the sector players who require the ducts will meet the costs of those conduits.”  This tussle between the Government and the private sector has slowed down the development of a robust broadband infrastructure that would enable more parts of the country connected to affordable Internet. According to a recent study by the CCK, 16 per cent and 88 per cent of sub-locations do not have access to voice and data services respectively.

This translates to about 4.48 million Kenyans without access to any mobile network and an additional 29 million who cannot access the Internet either through broadband or through mobile phones.

Broadband connectivity

The State says it requires $169 million (Sh14 billion) and a further $687 million (Sh57 billion) to set up base stations to provide voice and data services to locked-out areas.

 The achievement of universal broadband connectivity would nearly be impossible without a shared infrastructure model since government lacks the finances to execute this plan. Luise Otieno, a corporate affairs director at Microsoft says the stalemate is as a result of an individualistic attitude in the private sector towards infrastructure development. “People are driven by their own motivation and as long as there is a referee in the form of a regulator, there will be less concern about who is going to finance a particular project,” he stated. At the 2014 edition of the Connected Kenya summit held in Mombasa last week, however, the Government and private sector service providers seemed to reach an amicable solution.

“We can’t provide an all-round duct for one person because there are very many service providers along the road networks and we need to have solutions for all of them,” explained Eng Otatio.   “The ICT sector needs to come up with one standard duct, give it to us and we cost it and look at the logistics of providing it.” But the Association of Kenya, through its Chief Executive Fiona Asonga said this has already been done.

 “We have a standard duct suggested and the specifications are available only that we have not had an avenue to present it to KeNHA which we shall be doing moving forward,” she said.