CATIA: Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa

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CATIA Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa

• www.catia.ws

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What is CATIA ?

• A three year programme of DFID other donors
• A partnership of a range of stakeholders
• A practical response to demands from Africa and
  the G8 DOT Force recommendations
• 9 small scale but strategic activities that seek
  to improve access to ICTs in Africa from the
  Internet to community radio
• A regional programme working across southern,
  eastern, central and western Africa

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What are the aims of CATIA?

• to enable poor people in Africa to gain maximum
  benefit from the opportunities offered by ICT
• to act as a strong catalyst for reform
• to improve affordable access to the full range of
  ICTs
• to address the need for ICTs to address social
  and economic development issues
• to build capacity across Africa to achieve
  sustainable change

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How is CATIA being delivered?

• CATIA is being managed by ATOS KPMG Consulting
  (AKC) and delivered by a strong, predominantly
  African consortium
• CATIA is working in close coordination with the
  Canadian governments Connectivity Africa
  initiative
• CATIA has an independent assessor and an
  implementation methodology which builds in
  measurable impact from the start

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What will CATIA do?

• The AKC consortium is delivering on 6 components
  aimed at

• 1. Low-cost satellite Internet access widely
  available across Africa (TRASA, WATRA, EARPTO,
  GVF, Mike Jensen)
• 2. Robust African Internet backbone with exchange
  points at the core and strong African ISP
  Associations (AfrISPA)
• 3. Well-informed, lively and inclusive policy
  debates across Africa, shaping the local policy
  environment (APC)

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What will CATIA do?

• 4. An African-led network of institutions,
  actively strengthening the African expertise
  involved in setting ICT related policy
  (NetTel_at_Africa, hosted at Makerere)
• 5. Increased capacity for African developing
  countries to participate in international ICT
  decision making
• 6. Low-cost computer and open source software
  being developed and tailored to the African
  market

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What will CATIA do?
The other three CATIA components are aimed at

• 7. Positive policy environments for radio
  broadcasting across Africa led by Panos
  Institute in partnership with AMARC Africa
• 8. Stronger network of community radio, FM and
  public service radio stations across Africa,
  offering good pro-poor radio programmes led by
  Amarc Africa in partnership with Panos and
  OneWorld
• 9. A thriving African-based Open Knowledge
  Network (OKN), catalysing the creation and
  exchange of local content led by OneWorld

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Component 1a Low Cost Satellite and Terrestrial
Wireless Technologies

• Access to Internet by end users and rural poor,
  SMEs is key for national development, regional
  integration and participation in information
  society
• Minimal access to infrastructure is crucial to
  achieve (MDG)
• Information sharing and communication could
  uplift the poor out of poverty
• Awareness of information society issues has
  increased need for infrastructure
  (e-education,e-health and e-business - low cost
  Internet a key

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Background to problems

• But
• Limited rural infrastructure
• Limited per capita buying power
• Limits on high speed connection in urban areas as
  bandwidth continue to be shared among users
• High fixed cost of infrastructure spread over
  limited number of users
• Limited competition to allow private sector to
  deliver the services

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Requirements

• Rapid deployment of infrastructure particularly
  to rural areas, end users
• Scalable infrastructure that address private
  sector entry into the market and make bandwidth
  available but affordable
• Improved content delivery through advanced
  network- POTs are not capable of delivering most
  of the content
• Regulation to facilitate rapid deployment of
  infrastructure

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VSAT Networks could respond in short term

• VSAT refers to a small fixed earth station
  directly linked to satellites to offer data
  transmissions and voice communication
• VSAT Network Composed of
• space segment geostationary satellite,
  amplifying and changing reception frequencies,
  providing bandwidth and power electromagnetic
  resources
• central station or Hub and remote VSAT Terminals
• Hub- centralizing, switching, and adapting
  communications and managing satellite resources
  by means of fixed allocation, or on demand
  communication channels, generating network
  signaling, network supervision and control,
  remote station configuration, statistical
  accounting and generation of reports
  corresponding to the access, traffic, alarms,
  maintenance parameters
• Terminal - Outdoor Unit with antenna and a feed
  system Indoor Unit consists of a modem is used
  to convert the data, video, or voice generated by
  the customer application for transmission over
  satellite.

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Source Maral VSAT communications
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VSAT Technology

• Bands C-band (4-6 GHz), Ku-band (10-20 GHz) and
  Ka-band (20-30 GHz) that require different
  licensing approaches.
• Entities
• a) the Space Segment operator b) the satellite
  network operator, who operates one or more
  Gateway Stations or Network Control Stations
  (HUBs) or other ground stations c) the Satellite
  Service Provider d) the subscriber who uses
  individual VSAT equipment
• Types Oneway DTH and Two/way
• Connectivity Point to Point (Mesh), Point to
  Multipoint (star, hub at centre), Multipoint to
  multipoint (hybrid)

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Source Maral
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Satellite Technology Presents an Opportunity in
short, medium terms

• Reaching out to Africas inaccessible terrain
• Rapid roll-out compared to traditional
  technologies
• Good track record in reliability (99.5)
• Scalability, speed and ease of bandwidth upgrade,
  one stop shop for voice and data
• Asymmetry up/down link
• Internet connectivity where there is no other
  high bandwidth infrastructure
• Over 200 satellites to cover the planet
• 69 countries with 60 of the population depend on
  Satellite
• Cost not related to distance
• building demand for terrestrial infrastructure
• Terrestrial wireless extension of Satellite (e.g
  WiMax, WiFi) seamless connetion

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Applications and issues

• A snap-shot of typical VSAT services includes
• Internet Via Satellite,Distance Learning
• Rural Telecommunications, Telemedicine
• Disaster Relief,Government Closed User Groups
• National and Multi-National Networks, Broadband
  Data Communications
• Multicast VSAT Services, Intergovernmental and
  Corporate Applications
• PSTN Infrastructure Extension
• Aeronautical Links
• Land Mobile Communications
• Maritime Services,News Distribution

• Start up costs hubs
• Lack of adequate coverage in some parts of the
  world
• Severe regulatory restrictions
• Latency 500 ms due to 36,000 KM
• Rain fade
• Skill issues

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VSAT A Consistent Performer
160,000
140,000
120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
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EvolutionRevolution of IP Satellite
1980 1990
2002 1st Generation
10-20K,
2nd Generation 5-10K,
3rd Generation
(1-10K, up 40 mbps,
Multimedia)
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Regulatory Issues addressed by CATIA

• Policies improve the use of low cost wireless
  technologies (unclear, restrictive)
• Licensing fees -to reflect admin and other costs
  frequency fees, customs charges
• Lengthy process for licensing terminals
  equipment, by requiring individual equipment
  license, even though equipment configured to meet
  a technical, safety criteria
• Skills, understanding of VSAT and wireless
  technologies for development is limited

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Component 1a Proposed Areas of Interventions

• adoption policies that allow access to
  innovations in wireless and satellite
  technologies
• A framework for mutual recognition agreement
  type-approvals
• The creation of a one-stop-shop (OSS) for
  satellite service providers as a single point of
  contact to provide information about licensing

• Policies, high licensing, customs duties (closed
  skies)
• Lack of regional approach to Satellite/terrestrial
  wireless licensing, requirements for equipment
  type approvals
• Logistical difficulty that satellite based
  service providers for licensing, non transparency

Capacity Building
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Example - Blanket licensing, mutual recognition
of type approval in Europe

• Regional consensus reached to allow terminals
  that meet the following criteria
• health and safety requirements, 500m from
  airport, 2W, antenna 3.8m, emit 50db, spectrum
  not at risk
• Issue single blanket license for identical
  terminals used in Europe
• Benefits to Europe
• Services pertaining to social and economic
  development are provided at lower cost with
  higher choice
• Harmonization of regulation at regional levels
  improves rapid deployment of low cost VSAT

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E.g. One Stop Shop in Europe

• Deal with time consuming application procedure
• Provide applicant with a one stop point for
  different national license (satellite operator,
  service provider, subscriber)
• Central place for posting information
• Provide electronic information and advice
• Uphold sovereignty
• Does not prevent applicant from direct contact of
  regulator
• Not transfer sovereign rights
• NRAs in charge of their data
• Use electronics and paper formats
• Generate a combined Application Form (CAF) by
  harmonizing needs of different countries
• Provide of model regulations and licensing forms
• Standardization of terminologies
• Supports regulatory harmonization

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CATIA activities (southern, eastern, west Africa)

• Promote harmonization in licensing and
  regulation Regional guidelines
• Improve understanding the role of different
  wireless technologies and how this affect
  Internet for development on ongoing basis
  workshops and background docs, courseware
• Create a process for building the capacity of
  African institutions to deal with emerging
  regulatory issues that require regional consensus
  economy of scale and scope- infrastructure and
  technology, spectrum, competition, universal
  service, privacy and security issues, etc.

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Conclusion

• CATIA is working to
• Catalyse access to ICTs in Africa
• Address the need for ICTs to address social and
  economic development issues
• We seek to work collaboratively (e.g. ARICEA) to
  help build capacity across Africa to achieve
  sustainable change