Digital Divide Issues for RE Networks in Africa

International ICFA Workshop onHEP Networking, Grid & Digital Divide

Issues for Global e-Science

Tues, May 24 2005Daegu, Korea

Mike JensenInternational Development Research Centre (Canada)mikej@sn.apc.org

Sources: ESRI, GSM Association/Coversoft , ITU, Mike Jensen

Population,Teledensity &

IP POPsin Africa

Wireless GSM Coverage

International & National Backbones

Lake Chad

Lake Tana

Lake Turkana

Lake Albert

Lake Victoria

Lake Tanganyika

Lake Nyasa

Libya

Niger

Chad

Sudan

EthiopiaNigeria

Cameroon

Djibouti

SomaliaCentral African Republ

KenyaUganda

CongoGabon

Rwanda

Eritrea

Congo, DRCBurundi

Tanzania

Angola

Zambia Malawi

Juba

Many systemic factors:Electricity,

Import duties,Skills

Capacity of Connection: Averagen=82

537.4128

7168

769.1728

7168

0.00

1000.00

2000.00

3000.00

4000.00

5000.00

6000.00

7000.00

8000.00

Average Minimum Maximum

Kbps

Uplink Downlink

African Tertiary Institution Connectivity Survey (ATICS.INFO)

Average Cost per Kbpsn=70

0.00

36.33

5.46

0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00 40.00

Minimum

Maximum

Average

Bandw

ith

Cost/Kbps

Service Provider Typen=82

VSAT Company

18%

National

Telecom

34%

Other

20% Private ISP

28%

Users per networked computers by regionsn=66

11

171

50

63

15

55

0 50 100 150 200

Southern Africa

Central Africa

East Africa

West Africa

North Africa

Average

Regions

Average number of users per networked computer

Bandwidth per networked computern=73

0.32

36.57

3.36

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Minimum Maximum Mean

Mean Kbps per

networked computer

Campus Networks Utilizing Fibre Technology in Surveyed Institutions

n=83

Without Fibre in

Network

52%

With Fibre in

Network

48%

Do you manage your bandwidth in any way?N=83

limited

5%

no

54%yes

41%

Average hours link is down/month by type of connectivityn=82

0.151.65 1.08

10.63

1.330.08

2.62

0.00

6.50

0.000.00

2.00

4.00

6.00

8.00

10.00

12.00

fibre wire radiolinkwireless

VSAT dialup

Connectivity type

Hours

per m

onth

Average Hours/Month link Down

Average Hours/Month link Down due to electricity cuts

Satellite Regulation

Restrictive Regulatory Environment - The Key Barrier

- State owned monopolies still dominate- Some foreign investment in monopolies in return for continued exclusivity- Mauritius trying to buy out its monopoly

- Limited introduction of competition - 1 or 2 additional fixed line players in a few

countries

- Use of satellite, and wireless data (Wifi/Wimax etc) restricted in most countriues

Other Considerations- No benefit in Africa from Dot-Com/ bubble burst- Little use of alternative infrastructure- No access to dark fibre - Few peering points (SA, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique)- V little capacity to design, implement and manage

networks- E-Rate only in a few countries – Senegal and South

Africa - Few NRENS as yet- Most institutions are fairly isolated, v limited skills- Human networks are undeveloped- No access to commodity Internet via Geant/NSF

EASSy project plus backhaul links

East African Regional Network Plans

EASSy project plus backhaul links

Plus SRII projectPlus Comtel projectPlus other infrastructure

R&E Support Activities● African Virtual University (AVU) – 24 campus links● Partnership for Higher Education in Africa – b/w

purchasing consortium● International Network for Availability of Scientific

Publications (INASP) b/w management workshops● Advanced Institute for Mathematical Sciences

(AIMS) in SA with Department of Science and Technology developed NEPAD proposal for connectivity to 20 African tertiary institutions

● WB funded AVU to survey 100 R&E agencies in 50 African countries (atics.info), WB Africa desk also discussing other options

● Millenium Science Initiative (MSI) initiatives planned in Uganda, Cameroon, Botswana and Namibia and Tanzania

Support Activities (2)● UN University (UNU) developing a proposal in

collaboration with the ITU to establish an African Universities Network (AUN)

● USAID supports the development of Internet connectivity for some African Universities as part of the Leland Project

● World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organisations (WAITRO) is assisting in building the capacity of its 48 members in 25 countries comprising all the major research and technology organisations (RTOs) on the continent. CSIR in South Africa is African focal point.

● Initiatives to provide electronic content identify need for better b/w: INASP, Eifl.Net, National Academies Press, AGORA /TEEAL, HINARI, Jstor

Support Activities (3)French/Canadian government projects:

The Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) hosts the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) in charge of project cooperation between universities. The AUF have a variety of university support programmes such as the Campus numérique and ADEN

Scientific and Technical Information System (SIST) promotes integration of African research in the international scientific networks, develops tools for sharing S&T info to encourage African production of S&T data

RESAFAD (Réseau Africain de Formation à Distance) will foster use of ICTs in the education systems of ten French -speaking African countries, provide distance learning for ICT trainers + support for pilot projects with civil society

Projets COMETES & MADSUP: training trainers in the field of ICTs, developing tools for sharing S&T info and institutional support, interconnect Universities in Madagascar and Cameroon

Support Activities (4)● NSF/IEEAF in the US supporting initiatives to bring better

bandwidth African institutions● GEANT provides link to South Africa via SAT-3● The Georgia Institute of Technology has developed the

NectarNet project to support the development of high speed links to key points in Africa, most notably South Africa and points in West Africa including Senegal

● The EU supports EUMEDCONNECT and EMISPHER Projects - Euro-Mediterranean Internet-Satellite Platform for Health, Medical, Education and Research co-ordinated by DANTE, project connects NRENs in North Africa to GEANT

● IDRC promotes information exchange, research on networks and human networking - sponsors events and participation - via PAREN project – Promoting African Research and Education Networks

Support Activities (5)● The Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM)

research network Mimcom supported by the US National Institutes of Health, providing connectivity to a variety of African medical research organisations

● The International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) has been assisting with capacity building for improved Internet connectivity in a variety of African Universities

● Global University System (GUS) aims to establish a worldwide e-learning system for higher education -Ethiopia (U’s of Addis, Bahr Dar and Debub), Nigeria (OAU), Uganda (UNCST), and Malawi (U of Malawi)

● India in talks with African Union to build a satellite for academic and health networks in Africa

African Stakeholder Activities ● Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Tanzania and

most of North Africa now have NRENS which could help consolidate bandwidth requirements and provide capacity building

● The Southern African Regional Universities Association (SARUA) has been tasked by the SA Dept of Science and Technology to look at the feasibility of establishing a Southern African Research and Education Network

● At its 11th AGM in Feb ‘05, the African Association of Universities (AAU) decided that b/w is a priority issue and is carrying out a strategy planning process leading to WSIS event / announcement

Questions?