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Determined to improve on the current low Internet penetration in the country, the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said it was poised to scale the hurdles to speed up the development of Internet through some new initiatives, deploying emerging information and knowledge technologies.

These initiatives include the State Accelerated Broadband Initiative (SABI) and Internet Exchange Points (IXPs).

Executive Vice Chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission, Engineer Ernest Ndukwe disclosed this at a media interaction organised by the commission to herald the First Digital World Conference in Africa billed to hold in Abuja next month.

Ndukwe explained that the major reasons for the slow development of Internet services in the country were the high cost of bandwidth, computers and Internet infrastructure as well as unreliable power supply. He however assured that the NCC would remain focused on its programme of enthroning an information society where every citizen enjoys the full benefits of the global information superhighway.

SABI, Ndukwe said, has been designed to encourage the private sector to build and run a broadband infrastructure with government support and incentive in all state capitals and selected major commercial cities in the country. The project is expected to take off by the third quarter of this year and aims to drive Broadband to home (B2H) at an affordable cost.

The SABI project entails the provision of wireless broadband services in Nigerian cities; stimulation of demand for Internet services and increase in usage; and stimulation and acceleration of opportunities in e-education, e-commerce, e-governance, and all electronic related services.

On the other hand, experts believe that the provision of Internet infrastructure such as IXPs will contribute to the growth and penetration of Internet services in the country.

According to Ndukwe, the NCC is working with operators in the information technology industry to deliver robust and reliable IXPs for Nigeria.

"The IXPs will be implemented in phases, starting with the Lagos Exchange expected to be commissioned soon.

Once established, the National Exchange will keep local traffic local, enhance and improve local Internet activities, reduce Internet access cost to both the ISPs and consumers, promote local content and enable empowerment initiatives," he stated.

Ndukwe observed that embracing information and knowledge is a must for every country.

while education (formal and non-formal) remained the key for fighting poverty, enhancing human development and achieving the various Millennium Development Goals.

"The NCC has indeed been in the forefront of efforts towards promoting ICT usage among youths in Nigeria as well as in the education sector of the country. The Commission's Digital Awareness Programme (DAP) assists secondary and tertiary educational institutions with computers and Internet facilities. Today, a total of 53 schools have benefited from the programme.

"In fact, this is in consonance with our vision which aims to create "an information rich environment" in the country. The Commission believes that preparing the future of Nigeria is to educate the young generation. Today, about seventy percent of the Nigerian population is younger than twenty-five years old, therein lays the richness of our country.

Technological developments now allow the introduction of ICTs and laptops in schools and their use signifies a big jump forward for preparing these youngsters for the future," Ndukwe said.

The Digital World Conference 2006 is expected to promote dialogue and action towards taking full advantage of ICT tools to address the challenges and requirements for education and development in Africa. It will showcase exciting developments such as the

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project

The Conference will combine plenary sessions, breakout session, Exhibition, Networking and Data Management. The conference promises to bring together wide experiences about the application of these technologies in the school system and to create awareness about their impact on the society.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), collaboration with the Growing Businesses Foundation (GBF) and the tt30 Club of Rome, is hosting the Conference, which has as its theme: "ICTs for Education and Development." Over 30 countries are expected to participate at the conference.

Delegates to the United Nations World Summit on Infomation Society (WSIS) held in Tunis last year ha identified Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as the main factor that will accelerate development considerably all over the world during the coming decades. They also highlighted that the use of these new tools will enhance the processes of educating young people in Africa and elsewhere.

This Day

This is a commendable effort. However, I have heard these sort of promises before made by ministers, and even by Obasanjo himself at a comference in Washington DC seven years ago, as well as repeatedly at tech conferences all over the country. Unfortunately, I'm yet to see anybody make a move on it.

In any event, this whole thing is a sham anyway. Nigeria is all talk. Brags a lot, gets little done.

My take on the whole tech development plan is that we're putting the cart before the horse. We often get a knee jerk reaction to everything we try, rather than spend time to discuss available options, and weight the pros and cons of each one of them.

What we really need first is a plan to bring a phone line into every home in Nigeria. With phone lines in place, anybody with a computer can then sit at home and dial-in to the Internet.

As things stand right now, whereby everybody would be equipped with computers, it is clear that such computers would do little good, if people still have to visit crowded Internet Cafes to access the Internet.

So, whoever the brain is behind this plan should rethink his strategy. Phone lines first, then computers.

The other alternative would be to build infrastructure for wireless Internet access. Many cities around the world now have city-wide Internet access. All you need is a wifi card in your computer, and you can get online anywhere anytime within the city limits.

Although the wireless idea is great and easier to implement than first having phone lines in every home, I still think we should go with the phone line option. First, building a wireless system would be a lot more costly. Secondly, the phone line option accomplishes two goals: people would now have regular phone lines in their homes, as well as be able to dial-in to their ISP 24/7.

We can make things better in Nigeria. But please plan to succeed by thinking carefully about what you're doing.

[quote="admin"]This is a commendable effort. However, I have heard these sort of promises before made by ministers, and even by Obasanjo himself at a comference in Washington DC seven years ago, as well as repeatedly at tech conferences all over the country. Unfortunately, I'm yet to see anybody make a move on it.

In any event, this whole thing is a sham anyway. Nigeria is all talk. Brags a lot, gets little done.

My take on the whole tech development plan is that we're putting the cart before the horse. We often get a knee jerk reaction to everything we try, rather than spend time to discuss available options, and weight the pros and cons of each one of them.

What we really need first is a plan to bring a phone line into every home in Nigeria. With phone lines in place, anybody with a computer can then sit at home and dial-in to the Internet.

As things stand right now, whereby everybody would be equipped with computers, it is clear that such computers would do little good, if people still have to visit crowded Internet Cafes to access the Internet.

So, whoever the brain is behind this plan should rethink his strategy. Phone lines first, then computers.

The other alternative would be to build infrastructure for wireless Internet access. Many cities around the world now have city-wide Internet access. All you need is a wifi card in your computer, and you can get online anywhere anytime within the city limits.

Although the wireless idea is great and easier to implement than first having phone lines in every home, I still think we should go with the phone line option. First, building a wireless system would be a lot more costly. Secondly, the phone line option accomplishes two goals: people would now have regular phone lines in their homes, as well as be able to dial-in to their ISP 24/7.

We can make things better in Nigeria. But please plan to succeed by thinking carefully about what you're doing.[/quote]

You're obviously not tech orientated!!!! You can do more without wires than wires these days! And whoever told you laying copper/fibre to every home is cheaper than wireless needs some form of brain surgery!!! No offence, wireless is much, much cheaper than wires!

I understand the natural cynicism that we can develop over time because of false promises and aspirations regarding Nigeria but my view is that why dont you try to make a change?

We stand at a very important crossroad because we can look back and spend hude amounts of technology that is dated and is limited in its service delivery or look forward and invest in tomorrow's technology today and leave the nightmare (waiting half a day for a ring tone on NITEL land lines circa late 1980s) of yesteryears behind us...

You have to look at what services a technology can deliver as opposed to what the end service is... This is a better way of approaching development... There's no point installing copper or fibre to the home when 70% of Nigeria is rural!!! And yes, 70% are under the age of 25 years old too! We have to find the correct solution at the right cost to deliver the services we need...

What's the ratio of mobile lines to fixed lines? What's the average cost per subscriber of delivering of mobile lines vs. fixed lines? What do most subscribers prefer, mobile or fixed, even in developing countries?

I think there's a very good argument for wireless technologies and recent advances in radio technology have resulted in wireless being able to hold its own against copper or fibre technologies. Consider cost and data throughput and wireless technologies and developing countries are a match... Time to market is faster; and you can deliver a bouquet of services to subscribers as efficiently as other competing technologies...

I dont believe in Metro-WiFi (yet) for Africa because of the cost of laptops etc that each subscriber will need to connect to the service. If small entrepreneurs open cyber-cafes at the corner of every street so customers can browse and send email, I think that's better than not having access at all... If there are queues forming around the block at one cafe, then it stands to every entrepreneur that this is a good business to go into... (Shouldnt you be investing?)

I havent supported everything this administration has done in 8 years of being in power but the liberalisation of the telecommunications industry in Nigeria has brought a net POSITIVE to that country.

Broadband access for all is truly ambitious - very few countries have succeeded in doing this (perhaps South Korea and only her); broadband access availability nearby for all in Nigeria is achieveable...

Anyway, I prefer wireless...

[quote]You're obviously not tech orientated[/quote]

I am. That's my whole life.

1. Wireless tech is a line-of-sight tech. It's affected by a lot of things such as bad weather, tall buildings/trees, distance, etc. Also, since it's satellite based, it'd be more expensive to implement than laying fibre cables to every home. BTW, I don't advocate copper cables as you suggested. Fibre is the way to go.

2. Having phone lines in homes is important. While wireless tech is convenient, it's inherently insecure. Connection is erratic. Many people in developing countries own cellphones, instead of landlines. This is wireless technology that you're suggesting. Each time I call somebody on a cellphone, I often don't have a pleasant conversation, as the line continuously breaks, and you have to be practically screaming at the top of your lungs for somebody to understand you.

3. [quote]We stand at a very important crossroad because we can look back and spend hude amounts of technology that is dated and is limited in its service delivery or look forward and invest in tomorrow's technology today and leave the nightmare (waiting half a day for a ring tone on NITEL land lines circa late 1980s) of yesteryears behind us... [/quote]

You think wireless tech is tomorrows technology? I don't know of one ISP that operates on a wireless system. Ask yourself why that is so.

In my view, we need both wireless and wired. But wired is more important than wireless.

We need a solid wired system in Nigeria. With fibre optic cables, you can carry video, sound, data, etc all on a single tiny cable. That is like killing ten birds with one stone. However, the wireless tech you're advocating is highly limited in a lot of ways.

My cable company for examle, has one line coming into my home. That single line carries my phone, cable tv, and Internet access. Why would you say no to something like that?

Wired is quality. Wireless is quantity. Agree?

Keep wireless service in rural areas. But implement wired systems in urban areas.

[quote]I dont believe in Metro-WiFi (yet) for Africa because of the cost of laptops etc that each subscriber will need to connect to the service. If small entrepreneurs open cyber-cafes at the corner of every street so customers can browse and send email, I think that's better than not having access at all... If there are queues forming around the block at one cafe, then it stands to every entrepreneur that this is a good business to go into... (Shouldnt you be investing?) [/quote]

You're advocating a quick fix to the problem of Internet access in Nigeria. I am giving you a real long term solution. Having phone lines in every home may seem like a dream, but how did the rest of the world do it?

As a computer programmer, there is no way I can do my work effectively using Internet cafes around the corner. I have to be online within the convenience of my home/office. That's why we need communication lines in individual homes. It can be done if your government starts using your resources judiciously rather than divert them to foreign banks.

[quote="admin"][quote]You're obviously not tech orientated[/quote]

I am. That's my whole life.

1. Wireless tech is a line-of-sight tech. It's affected by a lot of things such as bad weather, tall buildings/trees, distance, etc. Also, since it's satellite based, it'd be more expensive to implement than laying fibre cables to every home. BTW, I don't advocate copper cables as you suggested. Fibre is the way to go.

I'm sorry I shouldnt have said tech-guy... I should have said you're not a radio guy... You can do up to 300Mbps in a point to point near-line-of-sight configuration over 200km today... Radio technology is moving forward bro... Why invest zillions of dollars to wire rural or semi urban areas, using fibre or copper? Waste of money in my opinion. Did you know that 70% of Nigerians live in rural areas? Or that 75% are under the age of 25?

I dont know who told you wireless has to be satellite based because that is a complete falsehood. Fibre has its role in this design as does copper... Fibre for backhaul and copper where it's feasible so service providers can provide adsl and its variants... (By the way, I'm willing to bet that where you live is wired using copper not fibre...)

Furthermore, let's talk about the Nigerian end user. Who will use broadband access and more importantly who will buy it? How much of their monthly income will they spend on it? You're probably from Lagos (as I am) but Lagos is not even Africa, metaphorically speaking. Now, let's look at the rest of the country. So who will buy broadband access: businesses, schools, hospitals, small and medium sozed entrepreneurs who will provide cybercafe services. Sure there will be homes but they will be the 10% of Nigerians who are rich - most of them (70%) are in Lagos. So, think about why you should invest in wired technologies today.

2. Having phone lines in homes is important. While wireless tech is convenient, it's inherently insecure. Connection is erratic. Many people in developing countries own cellphones, instead of landlines. This is wireless technology that you're suggesting. Each time I call somebody on a cellphone, I often don't have a pleasant conversation, as the line continuously breaks, and you have to be practically screaming at the top of your lungs for somebody to understand you.

Phone lines - Disagree. The game is not phone lines. It's broadband. This is the tool to provide other services including voice. I bet your voice service is fee. Tell me who wants to invest in a telephone line that will be free soon. WHy can GSM operators charge higher (much higher)? Theys ell not just voice but also the mobility, reachability that comes with owning a mobile line. You have to look at it as what it provides a customer.

Security - Disagree. With AES and DES encryption and a plethora of other proprietary security techniques. Wireless technology is inherently secure. It uses the same techniques as wired technologies. At the end of the day, anyway, everything is breakable!

Bad quality - that argument doesnt wash friend. You should notify your GSM operator that you have bad connections. I use GSM and I have to say that it suffices for what I need it for. Maybe you should buy a new handset. Otherwise there wouldnt be more mobile subscribers than fixed/wired subscribers in the world today.

3. [quote]We stand at a very important crossroad because we can look back and spend hude amounts of technology that is dated and is limited in its service delivery or look forward and invest in tomorrow's technology today and leave the nightmare (waiting half a day for a ring tone on NITEL land lines circa late 1980s) of yesteryears behind us... [/quote]

You think wireless tech is tomorrows technology? I don't know of one ISP that operates on a wireless system. Ask yourself why that is so.In my view, we need both wireless and wired. But wired is more important than wireless.We need a solid wired system in Nigeria. With fibre optic cables, you can carry video, sound, data, etc all on a single tiny cable. That is like killing ten birds with one stone. However, the wireless tech you're advocating is highly limited in a lot of ways.

Metro WiFi (I dont like 802.11 by the way in its present form i.e.b/g because of its limitations but its 802.11n variant which i'm yet to test now has QoS to differentiate between voice and data packets and with newer protocols such MIMO, it even looks like it'll give WiMAX a good fight) networks are being built all over the world today especially in the USA. Many municipalities, business parks etc are building wireless IP networks. Even in Morocco there's pay-as-you-go Wi-Fi coverage in the centre of Marrakech. The plethora of ISPs providing broadband access using wireless solutions in remote, rural and urban areas is multiplying at an increasing rate. The promise of WiMAX is also an important factor. Already pre-WiMAX equipment is available and deployed all over the world. In fact, WISP (wireless ISPs) are using tomorrow's technology today!

Here are some links: http://www.wirelessphiladelphia.org/index.html

This one you'll really like: http://www.w2idigitalcitiesconvention.c ... usion.html (Jigawa State Govt won many international awards for providing broadband wireless access in the state)


My cable company for examle, has one line coming into my home. That single line carries my phone, cable tv, and Internet access. Why would you say no to something like that?

That's not the issue. The issue to be addressed is this: How do you provide broadband access to an underdeveloped nation that has scarce resources and limited users (at the beginning) because of the digital divide that we're trying to overcome? Look at it this way and you'll understand why wireless technologies - note that wireless includes more than GSM - is the way forward.

Wireless broadband access can provide voice services too using VoIP; TV by using streaming technologies; and data for internet browsing. As I mentioned before, the game is broadband access similar to what you've mentioned that you're getting at home.

Wired is quality. Wireless is quantity. Agree?

No I dont. It's actually the other way around especiallly if you're talking about quantity. Fibre delivers the most bandwidth. Fibre is very very very expensive. $15k - $20k per km to install without terminal equipment. Copper is dated because you can only provide high capacity the nearer the subscriber is to the exchange. And it's as expensive to install as fibre but doesnt provide the capacity of fibre. Wireless technologies are much cheaper to install. Today, they can deliver broadband speeds higher than copper and able to provide the services you're getting today at home.

Example: how do US servicemen in Iraq get their local TV? Using wireless technologies!


Keep wireless service in rural areas. But implement wired systems in urban areas.[/quote]

Yes and no. I would also include semi-urban too. And when licensed WiMAX is available in its 802.16e form to deliver true personal broadband access, wireless will be trumps again too in urban areas. And in urban areas, if the government has licensed spectrum for wireless broadband access, I'd love to get my hands on it. I think you need to do more research on wireless technologies to understand what they can do today.

Dude, the whole world cant be wrong - they prefer wireless!

[quote="admin"][quote]I dont believe in Metro-WiFi (yet) for Africa because of the cost of laptops etc that each subscriber will need to connect to the service. If small entrepreneurs open cyber-cafes at the corner of every street so customers can browse and send email, I think that's better than not having access at all... If there are queues forming around the block at one cafe, then it stands to every entrepreneur that this is a good business to go into... (Shouldnt you be investing?) [/quote]

You're advocating a quick fix to the problem of Internet access in Nigeria. I am giving you a real long term solution. Having phone lines in every home may seem like a dream, but how did the rest of the world do it?

As a computer programmer, there is no way I can do my work effectively using Internet cafes around the corner. I have to be online within the convenience of my home/office. That's why we need communication lines in individual homes. It can be done if your government starts using your resources judiciously rather than divert them to foreign banks.[/quote]


Not a quick fix at all. As I mentioned in another reply, you can get fast speeds using wireless technologies. Fast enough to deliver data, voice and video at the same time.

As for communication lines in every home, I'm not so sure. I like the market to determine that. Not every home wants it. Even in the US that's true. And I think you'll also find that that's true for Nigeria. However, there are ways to deliver access to people who want it cost effectively.

The biggest problem why internet access is expensive in Nigeria is simple: we do not have backhaul to the internet backbone. I thought the completion of SAT3 in 2001 would see the explosion of internet service because the cost would drop dramatically vis-a-vis satelitte transmission. But because of NITEL's pricing, the cost of bandwidth is still high.

I assume you're Nigerian. Our government, I think is what you meant. On eo fthe best things that happened recently is the liberalisation of the telecommunications industry. This has made a huge difference to living and doing business in Nigeria.

I dont agree with the way that most Nigerians believe that the government owes them something. I think every governement should provide adequate education, healthcare and a level playing field so that each individual should be able to make the best of what God has given him. The government should ensure that the rough edges of the market system are smoothed so that inequalities are not pronounced.... (I can continue about what a good governement should do etc etc...)

What you and I should do is equally important. If you think you can provide wired internet access at a reasonable cost, make a business plan and go to the ADB, present your case and let's see if they buy into it. I just think you can do more with wireless today than you can with wires at the same price. Just my opinion. If there wasnt so much wire in the States today, most of the companies would prefer wireless. Simple as.

As for corruption, until we can stand up and be more knowledgeable about what's going on (no country has ever developed without telecommunications infrastructure by the way), the govrernment of the day can do as it pleases. Remember, 70% of Nigerians live in rural areas without communications and many other basic infrastructure. Remember that. When everyone knows what's going on in Abuja and can partake in democracy properly, it's very easy for governments to steal. Information is key to development. Communications infrastructure is vital to that information dispersion.

I understand your talking points. But you clearly are living in an environment with limited tech advancement.

I presented a few points which you conveniently forgot to answer.

1. Wireless tech is insecure. Forget about the WEP, WAP, WAP2, etc. I can break into any router with these encryption techs without much effort. They're just meant to keep the none-tech savvy people away. Do you really want to transmit important data over a connection that can easily be breached?

Businesses in my town provide free wireless Internet access to try to attract customers. But there are advice lines on radio/TV all the time warning people about using such Internet connections for online banking, e-commerce, etc.

Please address that point.

2. Wireless tech is fickle. It often cuts in an out sometimes.

I run this website (nairaland.net) and half a dozen others out of my home. There is no way in the world I'm gonna hook the web service to my wireless connection.

However, I also have a wireless router that I use to connect all computers in my home, which also allows me to get online on the laptop around the home. That is the convenience aspect that I'm telling you about.

Listen to what I'm saying to you. Wireless has it's advantages, but it's not meant for any serious work like web hosting.

Perhaps considering Nigeria's tech dwarfism, wireless will suffice. But, left to me, I'm rather have fibre cables laid down, to be used for tons of other purposes, some of which I've outlined in my earlier writeups.

[quote]Not a quick fix at all. As I mentioned in another reply, you can get fast speeds using wireless technologies. Fast enough to deliver data, voice and video at the same time. [/quote]

It's not about the speed. It's about reliability. If you're looking for 100% connection 24/7, wireless is not your answer.

[quote]As for communication lines in every home, I'm not so sure. I like the market to determine that. Not every home wants it. Even in the US that's true. And I think you'll also find that that's true for Nigeria. However, there are ways to deliver access to people who want it cost effectively. [/quote]

What do you mean? Most homes in the US have a phone. A wired phone beats wireless hands down quality-wise. I'm yet to see anybody who runs a serious business on cellphones or wireless Internet. Ask yourself why.

[quote]The biggest problem why internet access is expensive in Nigeria is simple: we do not have backhaul to the internet backbone. I thought the completion of SAT3 in 2001 would see the explosion of internet service because the cost would drop dramatically vis-a-vis satelitte transmission. But because of NITEL's pricing, the cost of bandwidth is still high. [/quote]

That's why you need fibre cables laid. I can't imagine a city today without underground fibre network. But clearly, Africans still need convincing about the need for fibre optics.

[quote]I dont agree with the way that most Nigerians believe that the government owes them something. I think every governement should provide adequate education, healthcare and a level playing field so that each individual should be able to make the best of what God has given him. The government should ensure that the rough edges of the market system are smoothed so that inequalities are not pronounced.... (I can continue about what a good governement should do etc etc...)[/quote]

The government owes its people a lot, especially a wealthy country like Nigeria. But that's a topic for another day.

[quote]What you and I should do is equally important. If you think you can provide wired internet access at a reasonable cost, make a business plan and go to the ADB, present your case and let's see if they buy into it.[/quote]

Laying fibre is more for the government to do. For example, do you think the government should build good roads? Or is that something than individuals should propose to the government?

The government is responsible for certain things because of the scope of the project. Wired Internet is one of them.

[quote]I just think you can do more with wireless today than you can with wires at the same price. Just my opinion. If there wasnt so much wire in the States today, most of the companies would prefer wireless. Simple as.[/quote]

Depends on what it is you're doing. Show me one ISP that operates on wireless Internet. I've asked this question a dozen times now, but you never answer it.

[quote]Remember, 70% of Nigerians live in rural areas without communications and many other basic infrastructure. Remember that. [/quote]

I agree with you. But that also means 30% of Nigerians live in urban environment. Rome was not built in a day. So, start with the 30%. Do we agree on that?

[quote="admin"]I understand your talking points. But you clearly are living in an environment with limited tech advancement.

I presented a few points which you conveniently forgot to answer.

1. Wireless tech is insecure. Forget about the WEP, WAP, WAP2, etc. I can break into any router with these encryption techs without much effort. They're just meant to keep the none-tech savvy people away. Do you really want to transmit important data over a connection that can easily be breached?

Businesses in my town provide free wireless Internet access to try to attract customers. But there are advice lines on radio/TV all the time warning people about using such Internet connections for online banking, e-commerce, etc.

Please address that point.

2. Wireless tech is fickle. It often cuts in an out sometimes.

I run this website (nairaland.net) and half a dozen others out of my home. There is no way in the world I'm gonna hook the web service to my wireless connection.

However, I also have a wireless router that I use to connect all computers in my home, which also allows me to get online on the laptop around the home. That is the convenience aspect that I'm telling you about.

Listen to what I'm saying to you. Wireless has it's advantages, but it's not meant for any serious work like web hosting.

Perhaps considering Nigeria's tech dwarfism, wireless will suffice. But, left to me, I'm rather have fibre cables laid down, to be used for tons of other purposes, some of which I've outlined in my earlier writeups.[/quote]

[quote="admin"]I understand your talking points. But you clearly are living in an environment with limited tech advancement.[/quote]

Now I understand when Nigerians who live at home laugh at people like us who live abroad. We think they're better than them but they are infinitely more savvy than us because they have, wait for it, local knowledge. And they dont start with an arrogance that because I live in London or NY, I know better than you. Where in Nigeria are you from anyway?

By the way, I live in London, NY and also the South of France, I think I'm just a little bit on the top curve of tech advancement. But no worries mate, you're the king dong of IT!

[quote="admin"]1. Wireless tech is insecure. Forget about the WEP, WAP, WAP2, etc. I can break into any router with these encryption techs without much effort. They're just meant to keep the none-tech savvy people away. Do you really want to transmit important data over a connection that can easily be breached? [/quote]

I never mentioned any of these encryption protocols /technologies. What you're talking about is all Wi-Fi based. Read my comments again on Wi-Fi: not a technology I like very much unless it becomes more robust. I mentioned AES and DES. Go to wikipaedia, they'll have a definition of it. Once you are able to break into it, give me a buzz, I'll give you a job and we can make tons of money together.

[quote="admin"]Businesses in my town provide free wireless Internet access to try to attract customers. But there are advice lines on radio/TV all the time warning people about using such Internet connections for online banking, e-commerce, etc.[/quote]

And so they should!!! Wi-Fi was meant to be used at home. The lack of a good wireless technology to the last mile (WiMAX) meant that people have developed Wi-Fi as much as they can because manufacturers have invested tons of cash in making equipment using this technology. Its 802.11n, 802.11s and 802.11i variants are addressing some of the issues you bring up but for me it was NOT designed 'up' to do secure, high throughput over long distances so i still have my reservations.


[quote="admin"]2. Wireless tech is fickle. It often cuts in an out sometimes.

I run this website (nairaland.net) and half a dozen others out of my home. There is no way in the world I'm gonna hook the web service to my wireless connection. [/quote]

Anyone who puts a server over a wireless connection is a fool. Need I say more? Yet again you're referring to 802.11. Do more reading next time before responding. I'm NOT talking about 802.11!!!

[quote="admin"]However, I also have a wireless router that I use to connect all computers in my home, which also allows me to get online on the laptop around the home. That is the convenience aspect that I'm telling you about.[/quote]

Agreed. But it's still 802.11.

[quote="admin"]Listen to what I'm saying to you. Wireless has it's advantages, but it's not meant for any serious work like web hosting.

Perhaps considering Nigeria's tech dwarfism, wireless will suffice. But, left to me, I'm rather have fibre cables laid down, to be used for tons of other purposes, some of which I've outlined in my earlier writeups.[/quote]


To think about it, for you to think that we can use 802.11 to provide broadband access into Nigeria is dumbfounding. It can never work because it's meant for short distances (<500m). When I say wireless I mean serious technologies based on pre-WiMAX, fixed WiMAX and mobile WiMAX. These technologies do exist and you can find sites that will school you in how they work. Maybe then you'll become a believer.

[quote="admin"]It's not about the speed. It's about reliability. If you're looking for 100% connection 24/7, wireless is not your answer. [/quote]

Once again are for real? Have you ever tried to run voice or video on an IP link? You talk of reliability after I'd mentioned applications like voice and video. To be able to do voice especially because it's two-way, real-time communications, you better have a low latency, zero jitter link, and guess what? I've been doing it with a wireless network for 4 years now. But dont let that convince you, Just type 'wireless voip' in any search engine.


[quote]What do you mean? Most homes in the US have a phone. A wired phone beats wireless hands down quality-wise. I'm yet to see anybody who runs a serious business on cellphones or wireless Internet. Ask yourself why.[/quote]

Quality - I can get you better than PSTN quality using wireless than wired. It all depends on whether you're on a private network or public. Same quality concerns affect wired phones: Ever made a call to Nigerian land line using a land phone?

You're not a business man. Have you ever thought what the cost of wiring the whole of Nigeria will cost using fibre? How do you think most of the country is interconnected today? Or for the past 40 years? There are more wireless connections in Nigeria and Africa than there are wires. SImple as. And now dont tell me that Satellites and Microwave dont work either.

Are you for real? Many people run their business lives with cellphones. Withouth cellphones they couldnt achieve as much as they have done. What does the executive do that's always travelling from Ato B to C to .... Does he a) Find the nearest wired/fixed phone b) Call from a callbox c) Use his cellphone? Why have hotel telephone rates fallen in recent years a) Because of fixed/wired phones b) because hotels are nice c) Because of cellphones? You need to get out more.


[quote]That's why you need fibre cables laid. I can't imagine a city today without underground fibre network. But clearly, Africans still need convincing about the need for fibre optics. [/quote]

SAT3 is fibre based. So I dont understand your argument. You see it would be a big waste of money of the government began laying fibre to every home in NIgeria. An utter waste of spare resources. Let the private sector do it if they think it's commercially viable. With the advances in radio technology, we dont have to invest so much on fibre, thank GOd. Fibre has a place, as I said before, in backhaul.

PS - Have you ever laid fibre? Do you know the cost? I had to lay 700m of fibre from a NITEL exchange to my office for $18k or buy wireless point to point over the same distance for guess how much?
$3k including installation. Guess what I was running over it? VOICE! And it continues to work to this day. Dont write something off if you've never tried it. Worse still if you dint know A from Adam about it!

[quote]The government owes its people a lot, especially a wealthy country like Nigeria. But that's a topic for another day.[/quote]

MISTAKE!!! No one owes you anything. And Nigeria is actually a poor country. The day lazy Nigerians decide t put their heads down and decide to suffer to make their country a better place so that their children will actually know it, that's the day we'll become a better place. You live in the States with a family perhaps. How many of your kids will know Nigeria? And what about their kids? I guess you can say America owes you a lot too, right? You see it's give and get. Put something in your country and make it better. Instead we want contracts and want an easy life. "It's my oil dividend", I can hear them shouting. No actually, it's blood sweat and tears to build a country. You're enjoying the benefit of someone's labour in America but you'll always be a nobody there. A fruit of why they're great. BUT of course if you dont believe in Nigeria as it is, then that's another story all together. But I actually believe it can work but it may have missed its best chance of survival and if it fails, we, as Nigerians, all of us are to blame.



[quote]Laying fibre is more for the government to do. For example, do you think the government should build good roads? Or is that something than individuals should propose to the government?

The government is responsible for certain things because of the scope of the project. Wired Internet is one of them.[/quote]

I completely disagree with you on this. Internet access for schools - yes. Internet access for an innovative application of e-medicine - yes. For security surveillance - yes. For traffic control for traffic lights - yes. For you and me in a poor country - NO. Let the private sector do it. Use the taxes to pay for the above.



[quote]Depends on what it is you're doing. Show me one ISP that operates on wireless Internet. I've asked this question a dozen times now, but you never answer it.[/quote]

go to www.muniwireless.com that'll help you. from there when you find all the manufacturers that make 802.11 mesh networks, go to their websites and they all have case studies of ISPs that use wireless. I'm doing your work for you now. WIll you do mine?

[quote]Remember, 70% of Nigerians live in rural areas without communications and many other basic infrastructure. Remember that. [/quote]

I agree with you. But that also means 30% of Nigerians live in urban environment. Rome was not built in a day. So, start with the 30%. Do we agree on that? [/quote]

No the private sector can do that. In fact they already are. 21st century thought it was a commercially feasible project to deploy fibre in Ikoyi and VI. I agree with them. But they dont do fibre to the home. They use it as backhaul. Copper is still the main conduit for broadband access in cities. In fact let's just say Lagos. You'll get wireless in Marina. Works well.

The government is doing the right thing in extending broadband infrastructure to state capitals using wireless. It works and it's a start. It'd be a shame to wire Lagos to Abuja using fibre going through Ibadan, Abeokuta, Oshogbo, Ife, Ilesha etc etc if all they wanted the bandwidth for was for cybercafes and voice. Then you'll call them thiefs. I like the fact that they want the private sector to take charge on these projects. It's the only way. Wireless works. You'd better believe it. Happy reading!

[quote]Now I understand when Nigerians who live at home laugh at people like us who live abroad. We think they're better than them but they are infinitely more savvy than us because they have, wait for it, local knowledge. And they dont start with an arrogance that because I live in London or NY, I know better than you. Where in Nigeria are you from anyway? [/quote]

Say what you will. Local knowledge doesn't get you experience. Local knowledge doesn't teach you tech know-how. Hands-on practice does. At the end of the day, nobody in Nigeria has access to equipment that even kids abroad play with. Do you agree? So, when you're ready to do some rational thinking, do let me know.

[quote]By the way, I live in London, NY and also the South of France, I think I'm just a little bit on the top curve of tech advancement. But no worries mate, you're the king dong of IT![/quote]

For somebody who lives in these places, you have limited knowledge of what technology the government should be pursuing.

If I'm to condense your long rant into a coherent thought, I'd say you're opposed to fibre primarily because of the cost. But good things do cost money. Money by the way, that Nigeria has, if only it's spent judiciously. So, please, if you happen to be called to suggest an Internet tech for Nigeria, don't go bandying wireless about. Fibre is the true way to build Internet infrastructure. Mention wireless only as complementary to wired tech.

[quote]Quality - I can get you better than PSTN quality using wireless than wired. It all depends on whether you're on a private network or public. Same quality concerns affect wired phones: Ever made a call to Nigerian land line using a land phone? [/quote]

I call people all over the world, and vice versa. Talking on hard wired lines has always given me better quality. But, if you get better quality on wireless, good for you. Here's something that shatters your claim though http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/77704

[quote]I mentioned AES and DES. Go to wikipaedia, they'll have a definition of it. [/quote]

DES? That is old. It's been cracked! why are you still mentioning it?
As for AES, although a lot stronger than DES, it's still weak. See http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/1464351.

In general though, you're not uninformed about technology. You're just misguided as to what tech is best. For that, you need to do more listening and reasoning.

[quote]Once you are able to break into it, give me a buzz, I'll give you a job and we can make tons of money together.[/quote]

You will give me a job? What makes you think I need a job? What makes you think you can afford to pay me? Finally, what is a ton of money to you ($100,000; $1 mil; $10 mil; $100 mil)? Quit making assumptions about things you know nothing about.

[quote="admin"][quote]Say what you will. Local knowledge doesn't get you experience. Local knowledge doesn't teach you tech know-how. Hands-on practice does. At the end of the day, nobody in Nigeria has access to equipment that even kids abroad play with. Do you agree? So, when you're ready to do some rational thinking, do let me know. [/quote]

[quote]By the way, I live in London, NY and also the South of France, I think I'm just a little bit on the top curve of tech advancement. But no worries mate, you're the king dong of IT![/quote]

Know-how and application go hand in hand... How long have you been outside Nigeria? You need to travel more, see the country and you'll understand my point...


[quote]For somebody who lives in these places, you have limited knowledge of what technology the government should be pursuing.

If I'm to condense your long rant into a coherent thought, I'd say you're opposed to fibre primarily because of the cost. But good things do cost money. Money by the way, that Nigeria has, if only it's spent judiciously. So, please, if you happen to be called to suggest an Internet tech for Nigeria, don't go bandying wireless about. Fibre is the true way to build Internet infrastructure. Mention wireless only as complementary to wired tech.[/quote]

Rant? Uummm... I'm glad you finally understood that it's a matter of scarce resources and economics... I have a few questions for you: how much will it cost to wire Nigeria with Fibre? How much does Nigeria make a year from oil, taxes etc? Once you get these numbers, you'll understand why you're so silly to even argue about this.


[quote]I call people all over the world, and vice versa. Talking on hard wired lines has always given me better quality. But, if you get better quality on wireless, good for you. Here's something that shatters your claim though http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/77704[/quote]

I wont even bother to read it. The website is called DSL reports. Everyone knows how DSL service is provided. Over copper. Need I say more?

I can get you a report to say there was no Holocaust. I can get you a report that says there's no slavery. Do you get my drift? Dont believe everything you read. And be especially mindful of the sources.

[quote]DES? That is old. It's been cracked! why are you still mentioning it?
As for AES, although a lot stronger than DES, it's still weak. See http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/1464351.

In general though, you're not uninformed about technology. You're just misguided as to what tech is best. For that, you need to do more listening and reasoning.[/quote]

Everything is crackable. It's just a matter of time. Even proprietary security software. That's the nature of the beast. But if you're asking the government to spend millions of dollars to secure broadband networks that deliver internet to schools and hospitals, then you're on to a no brainer! Why?

You mentioned e-payment. How many people have cards in Naija? Is it the 70% rural dwellers that need proprietary secure transactions? You're so tech, you've become blind. Remember this, the game is to apply technology to get the best out of it. Remember that tech boy!


[quote]You will give me a job? What makes you think I need a job? What makes you think you can afford to pay me? Finally, what is a ton of money to you ($100,000; $1 mil; $10 mil; $100 mil)? Quit making assumptions about things you know nothing about. [/quote][/quote]

You're getting upset now! Tech boy, cant you take a joke?

In summary: Wires (esp Fibre) - let the private sector do it; Broadband to semi urban and rural areas, the cheapest and most reliable form to deliver it for their uses is wireless. If they want internet before the end of the next century, it's going to be by wireless. If in 30 years, it makes sense to provide backhaul via fibre to these areas, then so be it but i still think the private sector will/should do it. Our scarce resources should be spent on education, education, education, health, and basic infrastructure... Why are you installing fibre when they dont have electricity? Or water?

Get it? Priorities man... And scarce resources...

[quote]Know-how and application go hand in hand... How long have you been outside Nigeria? You need to travel more, see the country and you'll understand my point... [/quote]

Once again you're making assumptions about something you know nothing about. Is this endemic in you to the point of incorrigibility? I clearly understand your point, but you fail to grasp mine. You started by saying wired networking is old technology. Then you wiggled your way into now saying you're opposed to it due to the cost. I set a trap for you, and you fell right into it.

[quote]I wont even bother to read it. Everyone knows how DSL service is provided. Over copper. Need I say more? [/quote]

You should read it. Maybe you'd learn something, rather than keep propagating untruths. So what if it's called dsl reports? Does that mean automatically everyting that comes out of there is false? You see how warped your reason is? Always keep an open mind.

[quote]Everything is crackable. It's just a matter of time. [/quote]
No doubt. But what I'm saying is that wireless Internet is way more insecure than wired. Why in the world are we constantly going round in circles? You present a point, I conclusively disprove it, then you come back with another excuse. Behavior of a typical Nigeria. Never willing to yeild, even in the face of overwhelming proof.

[quote]You mentioned e-payment. How many people have cards in Naija? Is it the 70% rural dwellers that need proprietary secure transactions? You're so tech, you've become blind. Remember this, the game is to apply technology to get the best out of it. Remember that tech boy! [/quote]
Anything worth doing, is worth doing well. We might as well do Internet access right once and for all. Don't you think so?


[quote]You're getting upset now! Tech boy, cant you take a joke?[/quote]
I don't get upset. I get even. Besides, what you wrote wasn't a joke at all. It was a challenge that DES/AES are secure. But I proved to you that they're not.

[quote]In summary: Wires (esp Fibre) - let the private sector do it; Broadband to semi urban and rural areas, the cheapest and most reliable form to deliver it for their uses is wireless.[/quote]
No doubt. But you do agree that the urban areas should be wired then?


[quote]If they want internet before the end of the next century, it's going to be by wireless. If in 30 years, it makes sense to provide backhaul via fibre to these areas, then so be it but i still think the private sector will/should do it.[/quote]
In that case, why hasn't the private sector done it? I don't care who does it, as long as it gets done.


[quote]Our scarce resources should be spent on education, education, education, health, and basic infrastructure... [/quote]
Do you really believe Nigeria is scarce on resources?
That's why it's so easy for your leaders to steal from you, since you're in the dark about the nation's wealth.

[quote]Why are you installing fibre when they dont have electricity? Or water?[/quote]
In the same vein, why do you need wireless Internet access when they don't have electricity/water? Are you even thinking, or you're just shooting your mouth off?

[quote]Get it? Priorities man... And scarce resources...[/quote]
There's no scarce recources. Nigeria's resources get stolen, not scarce at all I'm shocked that I even have to bring that to your attention. Are you really a Nigerian or wannabe?

But the bottomline is this:
You started by claiming that wireless is better than wired technologically. I proved you wrong. Wired it the way to go anyday for any serious business, or Nigeria is always going to be behind.

Wireless is for convenience. Wired is for sericous business.

[quote="admin"][quote]Know-how and application go hand in hand... How long have you been outside Nigeria? You need to travel more, see the country and you'll understand my point... [/quote]

Once again you're making assumptions about something you know nothing about. Is this endemic in you to the point of incorrigibility? I clearly understand your point, but you fail to grasp mine. You started by saying wired networking is old technology. Then you wiggled your way into now saying you're opposed to it due to the cost. I set a trap for you, and you fell right into it.

[quote]I wont even bother to read it. Everyone knows how DSL service is provided. Over copper. Need I say more? [/quote]

You should read it. Maybe you'd learn something, rather than keep propagating untruths. So what if it's called dsl reports? Does that mean automatically everyting that comes out of there is false? You see how warped your reason is? Always keep an open mind.

[quote]Everything is crackable. It's just a matter of time. [/quote]
No doubt. But what I'm saying is that wireless Internet is way more insecure than wired. Why in the world are we constantly going round in circles? You present a point, I conclusively disprove it, then you come back with another excuse. Behavior of a typical Nigeria. Never willing to yeild, even in the face of overwhelming proof.

[quote]You mentioned e-payment. How many people have cards in Naija? Is it the 70% rural dwellers that need proprietary secure transactions? You're so tech, you've become blind. Remember this, the game is to apply technology to get the best out of it. Remember that tech boy! [/quote]
Anything worth doing, is worth doing well. We might as well do Internet access right once and for all. Don't you think so?


[quote]You're getting upset now! Tech boy, cant you take a joke?[/quote]
I don't get upset. I get even. Besides, what you wrote wasn't a joke at all. It was a challenge that DES/AES are secure. But I proved to you that they're not.

[quote]In summary: Wires (esp Fibre) - let the private sector do it; Broadband to semi urban and rural areas, the cheapest and most reliable form to deliver it for their uses is wireless.[/quote]
No doubt. But you do agree that the urban areas should be wired then?


[quote]If they want internet before the end of the next century, it's going to be by wireless. If in 30 years, it makes sense to provide backhaul via fibre to these areas, then so be it but i still think the private sector will/should do it.[/quote]
In that case, why hasn't the private sector done it? I don't care who does it, as long as it gets done.


[quote]Our scarce resources should be spent on education, education, education, health, and basic infrastructure... [/quote]
Do you really believe Nigeria is scarce on resources?
That's why it's so easy for your leaders to steal from you, since you're in the dark about the nation's wealth.

[quote]Why are you installing fibre when they dont have electricity? Or water?[/quote]
In the same vein, why do you need wireless Internet access when they don't have electricity/water? Are you even thinking, or you're just shooting your mouth off?

[quote]Get it? Priorities man... And scarce resources...[/quote]
There's no scarce recources. Nigeria's resources get stolen, not scarce at all I'm shocked that I even have to bring that to your attention. Are you really a Nigerian or wannabe?

But the bottomline is this:
You started by claiming that wireless is better than wired technologically. I proved you wrong. Wired it the way to go anyday for any serious business, or Nigeria is always going to be behind.

Wireless is for convenience. Wired is for sericous business.[/quote]




To summarize:
Wired infrastructure all over the country like you've suggested is too expensive for a country like Nigeria. No country has doen it yet not even the USA. http://www.photius.com/wfb1999/nigeria/ ... onomy.html

Wired infrastructure can be done by the private sector in urban areas if they think it's commercially feasible.

Wireless works and works as well as wired infrastructure. (Note: not WiFi hence its name Wireless Fidelity... It was meant for short range <200m). Have you ever heard of WiMAX based on 802.16d/e? This is where we stand to leap frog technologies.

The USA got its one millionth telephone line in 1967. Nigeria got its twenty millionth telephone line in 2006 from a standing start of 450k in 2000. It would have been impossible to achieve this with wired technology.

For the provision of broadband access to many homes to ensure we bridge the digital divide, wireless technologies will play the foremost task of providing broadband access to ALL Nigerians.

The countries primary earner is Oil. We make approximately $15b to $25b a year from oil. If we were to spend it on fibre at the cost of $15k per 1km, that would provide 1m kilometres of fibre. Question is when literacy rates are 50%-55% and computer literacy is less; it's hard to justify wiring the whole country with fibre. Just wont happen.

You cannot separate economics from what you can and cannot do. Wireless is Africa's technology. We have to start somewhere. If we become very rich and we can justify the cost of laying fibre to provide a plethora of services, then i'm sure the private sector will make that investment.

The government of the day should be lauded for trying to provide any type of broadband access to people in semi-urban and rural areas. This is a good idea even if it's one in a mountain of bad ideas. Give credit where credit is due. We need to move forward.