http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?a=77135&i=15736
East Africa: Regional Countries Discuss Sharing Internet Infrastructure
By Collins Mwai, 28 May 2014
Eastern Africa member countries are currently deliberating on how they can
put up regional internet exchange points to contain local Internet traffic
and reduce costs associated with traffic exchange between Internet Service
providers.
In a weeklong forum jointly organised by African Union Commission, East
African Communications Organisations, The East African Community and
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the 11 partner states
are focused on ensuring that internet traffic is routed locally, which
according to experts will help improve Internet service providers
efficiency.
The countries present include; Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Mauritius,
Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea.
Currently internet traffic across the region is routed via Europe, making
it costly for the local internet service providers who in turn pass down
the cost to clients. Routing through Europe at times causes inconveniences
such as slow internet speeds.
Mwangi Michuki, Internet Society's senior development manager for Africa
and the Middle East said with the growing need for communication between
countries in the region, it is necessary to ensure that internet traffic is
maintained within the region.
"Business across the region is growing and there is increasedneed for fast
and instant communication. It is this that has compelled us to question the
viability of sending Eastern Africa Traffic via Europe when it can be
cheaper and convenient if we routed it within the region," Michuki said.
He added that they were planning to put up more than one exchange point so
as to reduce chances of interference during breakdown.
"We plan to have multiple regional exchange points to ensure that a
breakdown at one point does not jeopardise communication. To achieve this,
we need to create an environment where every country in the region is a
potential hub," Michuki said.
The initiative according to Michuki will facilitate exchange of research
work and educational material between universities as well as business
communication within the region.
It will also create an opportunity for innovation as providers have access
to a wider market beyond their countries.
Robert Muratirwa from Airtel, one of the local internet service providers,
said consumers are likely to benefit since operating costs for the
providers will go down.
Minister for Youth and ICT Jean Philbert Nsengimana, said the region was
losing money due to inadequate interconnection between internet service
providers and telecommunication operators.
"It is time we captured those funds lost due to unmanaged flow of internet
traffic," Nsengimana said.
He noted that one of the immediate targets of the Northern Corridor of the
East African Community (Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Southern Sudan) is to
implement a regional Internet Exchange Point by July 2015.
"For this to happen, national internet exchange points need to be fully
operational," he said.
The four countries of the Northern Corridor also have plans to make the
area which has about 130 million people a single area network as far as
telecommunications is concerned. The move will enable people moving across
the region to make calls at regular rates and not be charged as roaming
rates.
The minister said the Rwandan government was committed to supporting all
the initiatives.
"We need to do more in terms of regional and continental integration for
the wellbeing of our people. We should have a vision of a unified Africa,
where internet traffic flows seamlessly," the minister said.
Moctar Yedaly, Head of Information Society Division of the African Union
said his organisation was building an ecosystem for ICT to ensure that
Africa relies less on the western world.
Received on Wed May 28 2014 - 08:01:55 EDT