Business Daily (Nairobi)
Kui Kinyanjui
16 October 2007
A look at many of the major occurrences in the ICT sector in the last year would leave little doubt over why the latest industry buzz word is 'lobby'.
In June, debate over the issue of taxation on mobile phone airtime made most of the telephony firms make unusual public appearances where they sang from the same hymn book.
Later, the verbal sparring got even more heated as Telkom Wireless became a reality - and a real thorn in the flesh of the mobile phone firms.
Outside the arena dominated by the spotlight hogging mobile phone firms however, other issues lurked unresolved. Computer firms wanted further cuts on taxes for certain parts and software; and infrastructure firms dreamed of the day when there would be zero-rated charges on their in-demand equipment.
To the groups who were being petitioned - Cabinet ministers , the industry regulator and the tax man - the desperate voices must have resembled those heard at the Tower of Babel.
It was no surprise then, when in August, the country's once virulent and sole telecommunications lobby brushed off its dusty laurels and prepared to unite the voices into a single chorus.
The Telecommunications Service Providers Association (TESPOK) awoke from a two-year hibernation to take on the challenges posed by a more converged and evolutionary industry.
"We hope today to send a very clear signal that we are here for all ICT stakeholders. Our first challenge is to reposition the organisation to become an all-inclusive industry body," said Mr Jonathan Somen, the new chairman of the renewed and revitalised industry lobby group at its launch.
The seven-year- old TESPOK's most notable achievements include its conceptualising of a local Internet exchange point (IXP), which allowed local Internet traffic to be routed within the country's network, creating cheaper pricing and faster service to be extended to Internet users.
KIXP has driven an increase in local Internet traffic of over 100 per cent in the years since its launch - a success story for many of the Internet Service Providers who made up its early members.
In an attempt to woo the new powerhouses of the industry, TESPOK announced that it would be actively seeking the involvement of the mobile telephony companies.
TESPOK's new board now includes ISPs, Local Loop Operators (LLO) and the members of the growing Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, which is slated to drive economic growth in coming years.
But just weeks after the country's main telecommunications lobbying body announced its resurrection, the industry has witnessed the birth of yet another body also promising to champion the rights of the downtrodden in the industry.
The new cross industry lobby group, which comprises a similar cast as TESPOK's, has raised rivalry fears. The group has managed to bring on board the mobile phone companies Safaricom and Celtel.
Known as the Telecommunications Network Operators Forum (TNOF), the board was quick to dispel fears that they intend to rival TESPOK.
"We are not competing with TESPOK. That organisation was set up to represent ISPs. We have issues which are not covered by that body but we will compliment each others initiatives for the good of the industry. I do not see any rivalry," said Mr Joshua Chepkwony, the group's chairman.
TNOF says it unites the telecommunications companies that have an interests in or own infrastructure, hoping to tackle such salient issues as sharing infrastructure, not the business and operational issues TESPOK will be tackling.
"Despite representing nearly 90 per cent of the industry, as a group we have not had any representation. We largely tackled issues on our own and we were not making headway. This is the group that will directly address our issues," said Mr Chepkwony.
The group comprises Jamii Telecom and Kenya Data Networks who represent the data carriers, Popote Wireless and Flashcom who represent the local loop or CDMA operators, Telkom Kenya, the fixed line providers and finally Safaricom and Celtel Kenya, representing the interests of the mobile phone networks.
Mr Chepkwony said they wanted to bring third mobile phone provider, Econet, into the body. Most of TNOF's members are facing increasing network roll-out challenges as the landscape becomes increasingly saturated by base stations.
At the moment, TESPOK appears to have more comprehensive representation; with its membership skimming across the ICT sector, representing ISPs, LLOs, Public Data Network Operators and the budding Business Process Outsourcing industry.
But some companies, such as Kenya Data Networks, Flashcom and Popote Wireless hare members of both bodies.
And while TNOF says it will differentiate itself by tackling issues facing mainly to do with infrastructure, it also hopes to engage dialogue on consumer issues uch as taxation on airtime.
"The distinction is still very unclear. For consumers, the most powerful body will be the one that fights for them," said an industry insider who declined to be named.
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