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This fiber is exciting me...:-)




I am excited that Three Fiber cables are landing in East Africa..super!

So, all schools may be linked to fiber and we can have virtual classes (make it a plasma screen) and even connect with schools abroad..super!

But what priorities does the government have to actually use these cables and expand modernity to villages and other rural and "hard to reach places?"

Last week I spoke with Afsat(iway Africa) CEO, Salim Suleman, and he asked this one question.

"If tomorrow, you Nairobi youngling is transfered to ..say Olkejuado for a 2 year period, what are the odds that you will try to say no?"

See, urbanisation is only taking place in urban areas, and the things I like to have or experience in Nairobi for Instance, I will not find in Olkejuado. (Applebees or liddo's don't apply here.)

If I move out of Nairobi to work, I will want a Good Hospital, a Good school for my baby, nice mall to shop, A fantastic night life ..a real disco..and good internet connection (and the same kinda crowd as well)

So there's more to these cables than we are looking at, apart from BPO's cashing in on cheaper & faster bandwith..we can actually now urbanise our centres.


I am from a place called Kibomet in Kitale, our shopkeeper has always been waweru in his kiosk next to Makunga primary school.
If that cable goes as far as he is ,and the school gets linked to the world, maybe Waweru will open a cyber cafe next to his kiosk, employ one kijana to run it, the village gets the internet experience and a whole new world will then be opened to those in Kibomet.

The cyber cafe business model should now be an ISP one, seeing as the one bob a minute thing will not be sustainable. That's an opportunity to grow entrepreneurs and maximize the potential of cable.


I am dreaming again? I hope it will come true.:-)
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Comments

  1. bankeleleMay 2, 2009 at 1:32 PM

    great write - fibre is not going to transform rural kenya - it's but one spoke of the wheel;

    but i fear the cyber cafe may be on its way out - a gprs phone that costs 7,000 ($90) is a more viable option for a kid than spending 1/= per minute

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