Rwanda Telecommunications Sector Performance Review 2007

Rwanda
Duplication of networks can create excess capacity due to the limited
number of customers, design limitations and the cost of management,
maintenance and repairs, which may make service unit costs high.
Unused capacity increases the cost of providing network services in two
ways: (1) investment takes place above the level necessary to meet consumer
demand, increasing the capitalisation of the sector (and lowering
the overall rate of return on capital), and (2) by reducing the potential
business available to each network below the level used to justify the
investment. Both of these effects increase the real cost per unit of transmission
and limit the scope for price reductions.
TELEMEDICINE NETWORK
Telemedicine Network is a backbone network linking national referral
hospitals and laboratories throughout the country. Development of the
telemedicine network is included in the NICI plan II with the objective of
expanding accessibility to health services and enabling unlimited
exchange of data between different hospitals. Institutions affected
include:
University Central Hospital of Kigali;
University Central Hospital of Butare;
King Faysal Hospital, Kigali;
Cyangungu Hospital;
National Pharmaceutical Laboratory;
Ruhengeri Hospital.
RWANDA EDUCATION AND RESEARCH NET-
WORK
The Rwanda Education and Research Network is a high capacity network
over mainly fibre optics linking local area networks of various
higher learning institutions and research centers for common internet
connectivity, general research exchanges, administration and e-learning.
The first phase affects public higher learning institutions and
research centres as follows:
National University of Rwanda (NUR), Southern Province;
Kigali Institute of Education (KIE), Kigali;
Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Kigali;
Kigali Health Institute (KHI), Kigali;
Higher Agriculture and Veterinary Institute (ISAE), Northern
Province;
School of Finance and Banking (SFB), Kigali.
In addition, there are two research centres which are:
Institute of Agricultural Science of Rwanda (ISAR), Southern
Province;
Institute of Research in Science and Technology (IRST), Southern
Province.
Private higher learning institutions (about 10) spread across the country
are also being considered for inclusion in the second phase of the
Rwanda Education and Research Network.
32 2007 Telecommunications Sector Performance Review