Violence slows down high speed Internet project
Consumers of Internet services will have to wait much longer for faster and cheaper access that was to come through the National Fibre Optic Backbone. Industry insiders said construction of the terrestrial fibre optic cable that was commissioned last year is running behind schedule as a result of political skirmishes that followed the December 27 presidential election raising the prospect of delayed launch.
Mwenda Makathimo, the chairman of Institution of Surveyors Kenya (ISK), said the 18-month deadline previously set by the Ministry of Information could not be realised because of political unrest. Kenya degenerated into political turmoil on December 30 after the Electoral Commission of Kenya declared Mwai Kibaki the winner of a highly contested presidential poll. Other than insecurity, he said, it will be difficult for surveyors to do their part of the job such as processing the acquisition of land and routing of the cables.
The terrestrial network was expected to be complete ahead of next year’s landing of the undersea fibre optic cable in the port city of Mombasa. High speed Internet connection is expected to help spur the growth, penetration and access to Internet services at reduced cost. “A number of risks have slowed down the project, including personal safety of professionals who come from different communities,” said Mr Makathimo.
He gave the example of the damage that the Kenya-Uganda Railway line has suffered since the outbreak of post-election violence as some of the challenges that infrastructure operators have to face in the new political dispensation. “The cables have to pass either on government or private land and its security must be assured,” said Mr Makathimo.
“Lack of goodwill from communities residing in any locality will only lead to vandalism or prompt very costly security operations.” Last year the Government commissioned the Sh3.5 billion project to three different companies namely, Sagem Communications, Huawei Technologies and ZTE corporation to cover various parts of the country including Nairobi, Narok , Kericho, Rongo , Isibania, Kisumu, Kakamega, Webuye. Thika, Murang’a Nyeri, Embu, Meru, Nanyuki, Nyahururu, Nakuru, Matuu, Mwingi, Garissa, Tala ,Kitui Kajiado, Namanga, Garsen, Lamu, Isiolo, Wajir. Marsabit, Moyale and Mandera.
Construction of the terrestrial fibre optic cable was to last 18 months. Many parts of the country still don’t have internet connection and according to latest survey on Internet connectivity in the country there are only 2.5 million people out of the total population who have access to the Internet.
Out of this number majority are mainly found in the major towns of Nairobi and Mombasa.
The survey was commissioned by the regulator Communication Commission of Kenya CCK last year to find out the factors affecting the Internet penetration in the country , it found out that out of the 23 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) less than ten are active with two dominating the sector but mostly offering services to corporate users.
Other related initiatives of rolling out a metro and the East Africa backhaul system are being done by Telkom Kenya and Kenya Data Network.
The two companies have already networked Nairobi through their Metro-optic fibre project and are in the process of linking the Coast of Mombasa with the Uganda border. These connections should link up with similar projects from the neighbouring countries.
Business Daily
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