Prepared by: Eng. Gideon Lebi Mwakatobe
African Telecommunications Union
Kenya
atu@attmail.com

1. Introduction

A Modern African Information Infrastructure (MAII) is a dynamic process of building information pipes that will deliver information services required by A frican population at a given period of time. The evolution of MAII since early 1960's has been as follows:

(i) Implementation of the Pan African Telecommunications Network (PANAFTEL).
(ii) Implementation of the African Telecommunications Union (AFRITEL)
(iii) Implementation of the current generation of the African Information Infrastructure.

The objective of the PANAFTEL network was to inter-connect African countries in such a way that no intra-African traffic is routed outside the continent. Telephone traffic was then the dominant merchandise of the time. The network was predominantly analogue.

The objective of the AFRITEL network was similar to that of the PANAFTEL except that the technology for the network was to be all digital. Telephone traffic is the dominant merchandise in the network.

The objective of the current generation of African Information Infrastructure is similar to that of AFRITEL except that the emphasis is now on convergence of services in one network using Internet Protocols. Data traffic will be the prominent merchandise. In addition, mobile traffic will more than fixed traffic. That is to say Internet traffic will be predominantly in the mobile.

2. Strategies for building MAII

The following strategies are proposed for building the MAII:

(i) Each African country should prepare a comprehensive National Master Plan for its ICT infrastructure.

(ii) Regional organizations should also prepare their own master plans for ICT infrastructure.

(iii) The continental organization should prepare its master plan for the region's ICT infrastructure.

(iv) African countries/Subregional organizations /Regional organization should support the following initiatives and where possible participate in their implementations:

• Africa One
• RASCOM
• African interconnectivity study and its implementation
• IMT-2000
• COMTEL
• East African optical fibre transmission network

(v) Each country should establish separate institutions for:

• Policy makers
• Regulator
• Operators
• Service providers

(vi) A Steering Committee comprising of major ICT project initiators should be established to coordinate the implementation of MAII

3. Suggested Recommendations

It is proposed that the Conference should adopt at least he following recommendations on building the Modern African Information Infrastructure:

(i) A recommendation on the preparation of national, regional and continental ICT Master Plans.

(ii) A recommendation on the establishment of separate national entities for:

• Policy Makers
• Regulator
• Operators
• Service Providers

(iii) A recommendation for supporting and participating in continental and regional ICT projects.

(iv) A recommendation on the establishment of national, regional and continental information centres.

(v) A recommendation on promoting mobile networks that will be the predominant carriers of the future Internet traffic.

(vi) A recommendation for establishment of the Steering Committee for building MAII.