WWW/Internet - Portal do Software Público Brasileiro

ISBN: 978-972-8939-25-0 © 2010 IADIS2. BACKGROUND2.1 History of the Internet in KenyaMweu (2000) asserts that the Internet first became available in Kenya in 1993. As with many other Africanstates, Internet development in Kenya was primarily led by Kenyans returning from overseas studies,Western expatriates and personnel of Inter-governmental Organizations (IGOs) and Non-GovernmentalOrganization (NGOs). Individuals in these groups had been exposed to the Internet and upon their return toKenya demanded Internet access (Centre for International Development and Conflict Management, 1998).Initially, access to the Internet was achieved through a Gopher service, which was text-based. Theconnectivity was made possible through either international leased lines or X.25 connections (Mweu, 2000).The African Regional Centre for Computing (ARCC), an NGO based in Nairobi, became the first provider ofWeb-based Internet services, based on the Mosaic browser. The connection to the global Internet backbonewas via an analogue leased line. The first commercial ISP, Form-net, began operating in 1995, and with theentry of three other ISPs, competition soon increased. Today, there are over 50 ISPs operational in Kenyaoffering different services (Communications Commission of Kenya, 2008a).2.2 Regulation of the Internet Service in KenyaThe Kenya Communications Act – KCA (No. 2 of 1998) provides the framework for regulating thecommunications sector in Kenya (Waema, 2007). The Act was enacted by Parliament in 1998, to givelegislative teeth to the Postal and Telecommunications Sector Policy Statement, issued by the Ministry ofTransport and Communications in January 1997 and updated both in 1999 and 2001.The Policy Statement defines the policy for the telecommunications operation and provides a frameworkfor the introduction of structural changes in the sector. The Policy Statement was set out against a deliberatemove by the government to optimise the sector’s contribution to national development by ensuring theavailability of efficient, reliable and affordable communication services throughout the country.The Act unbundled Kenya Post and Telecommunication into five separate entities including Telkom, thefixed line operator; the Postal Corporation of Kenya (Postal); the Communications Commission of Kenya(CCK) and the National Communications Secretariat (NCS). It also created an Appeals Tribunal for thepurpose of arbitration in cases where disputes arise between parties under the KCA. The national regulator,CCK, issued a statement in September 2004 containing/introducing a new licensing framework. The generalgoal of this framework was “to ensure that the regulatory environment in the sector is friendly to investmentin and conducive to the provision of modern communication services - Internet” (Waema, 2007).The specific objectives of the new licensing framework were to ensure that Kenya has a more dynamicand competitive Internet environment, improved access to Internet infrastructure and services and choice inthe provision of communication services to meet the socio-economic needs of the society.2.3 Available Technology Choices for Internet AccessAccess to the Internet service in Kenya is not widely spread as compared to other services e.g. mobilephones, despite the liberalization of the sector (Communications Commission of Kenya, 2008b). This isbrought about by among other things, high costs of bandwidth. Kenyans have the option of accessing theInternet using either modems with dial-up connections or leased lines. Dial-up connections are availablethrough both fixed telephone lines as well as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology introducedin Kenya in late 2005.Three operators provide CDMA wireless access technology: Telkom Kenya, Popote Wireless andFlashcom. Other operators plan to offer a wireless option as a business strategy to remain competitive in theincreasingly liberalized telecommunications market. By some estimates 400,000 new Internet users will relyon the wireless option in the first half of the year 2008 (Kinyanjui, 2009). Many Kenyans opt for CDMA asequipment costs drop and coverage extends throughout the country. Currently, the coverage by Telkom islimited to 50 kilometres of the major urban centres of Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Mombasa, andNyeri.58