WWW/Internet - Portal do Software Público Brasileiro

IADIS International Conference WWW/Internet 2010Internet access is available through either 64/128/256 Kbps leased lines or through 64 Kbps dial-upaccounts (Ochara, et al, 2008). Home users in Kenya mainly choose either the dial-up accounts option or thewireless option because they are less expensive than leased lines. The leased line market is dominated by fourInternet Gateway and Backbone Operators (IBGOs). Data collected from the IBGOs indicate that they have7,637 customers on leased lines while 17,737 customers are on dial-up accounts (Ochara, et al, 2008). Thisproportion of users on dial-up accounts, as an indicator of customers using modems, representsapproximately 70 percent of the total Internet user population. While there are a number of corporatecustomers on more than 64Kbs bandwidth, the larger proportion of customers have connections of 32Kbs and64Kbs.Other technologies that can be used for access include XDSL, fixed wireless and Fibre access. At present,only Telkom Kenya Limited (TKL) has a fibre optic installation. The fibre optic installation providesjunction circuits between digital exchanges replacing the old copper pair junction routes. Demand forbroadband services is increasing and the TKL plans to install fibre optical cable networks to customerscountrywide. The coming of high-speed fibre optic cables, and at least two more expected to go live by 2010(BharatBook, 2009), will result in costs reduction and rise in connection speed, thus making technologyaffordable and accessible to larger segments of the population.3. METHODOLOGYThe research design used in this study is a descriptive survey that seeks to explore Internet usage and itsmotives. The methodology employed a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. The findingswere based on the results of questionnaires and interviews from the Kenya Internet service providers (ISPs),communication commission of Kenya (CCK) and general users.Several factors influenced the sample selection. For instance, only the people living in urban areas areconnected to electricity as compared to those living in rural areas. Therefore, users are highly concentrated inNairobi and are estimated to account for 80% of the country’s Internet subscriptions (Lilech, 2008). Nairobi,the national capital, is also known for its cosmopolitan nature, and is the commercial hub of the region. Itconsists of a large portion of the literate population, and is the main terminus of the region’s communicationinfrastructure, particularly the Internet. This city can, therefore, be seen as representing the country as awhole in terms of Internet access and usage, and will be the main focus of this exploratory survey.In order to obtain a truly random sample representative of Internet users in Nairobi, a complete list withcontact details of every Internet user was required. Such a list was not available and alternative methods hadto be followed. The following two methods of questionnaire distribution were, consequently, used: e-maildistribution of questionnaires and usual handing out of printed questionnaires. The e-mailed questionnaireswere sent to individuals at homes, companies, schools, and government departments. Their email addresseswere extracted from the personal address books of several colleagues. The printed questionnaires weredelivered by hand to various Internet cafes for customers to complete on a voluntary basis. In this way 500questionnaires were distributed. It is acknowledged that this was not a scientific way to obtain the sample,but giving a lack of sufficient resources and no access to required information, it was most suitable at thetime.Out of 500 questionnaires that were distributed, only 148 were returned, constituting a response rate of30%. Even though this return rate is low, it is similar to that conducted in other studies (Rivard, 2000).Although the scenarios obtained from this survey may be sufficiently accurate to describe general levels ofInternet usage by the respondents, the low sample size and the way the sampling was conducted requirecaution when using the data for strategic decision making and should, therefore, only be used as an indicativeguide for the industry in general.The questionnaires served to gather information relating to the access and use of the Internet in Kenya. Itaimed to determine the penetration of the Internet and the characteristics of a typical user in Kenya byinvestigating methods of accessing the Internet, reasons why people use the Internet, as well as how oftenand from where they access the Internet. Two separate questionnaires were designed, one to collectinformation from general users and one to collect data from the ISPs. Data collection took place duringDecember 2009.59