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toubab1020
12237 Posts |
 Posted - 28 Mar 2013 : 12:04:39
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From the performance of internet connections in Gambia recently I very much doubt it any connectivity has been made with Gambia,the connection is barely usable,is Gambia using this technology now or not?
Gamtel has been very quiet and even the link to information on this on their website fails to work,maybe another project for Foroyaa to investigate ? The cable is physically there I have seen engineers working on the cable.
http://www.itnewsafrica.com/2012/12/africas-ace-undersea-cable-now-operational/
And from the following link:
http://www.gambia.dk/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13010
I suppose someone has to give money to Gamtel as they have had to pay in the first place,it would appear to me from the somewhat wordy and evasive misty way that Mr. Lamin Camara, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Technical) at Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure (MOICI)made the statement that all is not well and "problems" would have to be resolved,no indication as to the nature of the "problems" were mentioned,and what on earth is a "temporal solution" ?
"Yes, we are stakeholders to the project but I cannot talk to you. If I should speak to you, then the next minute the members of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) may come and arrest me",
" He mentioned the need to get relevant licenses to operate the international services which he said is ongoing. He further mentioned resolving the problem with a temporal solution.
"We are hopeful before the end of this month people will start to enjoy the project", he disclosed."
http://www.foroyaa.gm/index.php/burning-issues/12486-users-see-no-difference-after-submarine-cable-launch-why
AND
http://www.foroyaa.gm/index.php/editorial/12487-why-the-secrecy-on-ex-justice-wowos-case-submarine-cable-freedom-of-information-act
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 28 Mar 2013 15:22:23 |
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toubab1020
12237 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2013 : 13:55:14
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In Gambia,as far as I am aware this great new resource is inactive but the following article in the link paints a different picture,why is EVERYTHING in Gambia so very difficult to do,someone on Bantaba in cyberspace must know ! such slowness and tardy reaction to a fantastic development tool appears to have been totally ignored, WHY ?
ACE cable switched on in 13 African countries
20 Dec 2012 by Editor | Filed in Africa News ACE cable switched on in 13 African countries
France Telecom-Orange and the other members of the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) consortium have announced that the ACE submarine cable is now operational for the first phase linking France and Sao Tomé & Principe.
France Telecom-Orange and the other members of the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) consortium announced in a ceremony yesterday (19 December) in Banjul, The Gambia, that the ACE submarine cable is now operational for the first phase linking France and Sao Tomé & Principe. The cable, which will extend as far as South Africa for the second phase, provides connectivity to broadband Internet in Africa and will add extra capacity to existing international networks.
Nearly 12,000 km of optical fibre running along the west coast of Africa have been deployed to connect 13 countries from France to Sao Tomé & Principe. Two landlocked countries, Mali and Niger, will also be connected through extensions to the terrestrial network. Finally, Nigeria will also be connected to the cable in 2013.
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Seven of these countries – The Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Sao Tomé & Principe and Sierra Leone – will benefit for the first time from a direct connection to a submarine cable enabling them to enjoy optimal access to the international broadband network. By using this new network, the telecoms operators in these countries will now be able to develop innovative broadband services that are essential to their economic and social development
The ACE cable will also contribute to the development of multinational companies present in Africa by improving connectivity between the local subsidiaries and their global networks. This will allow them to develop added-value services in areas such as Unified Communications, IT and customer relations.
The commissioning of this first phase marks the beginning of the deployment plan for the ACE submarine cable, which will ultimately run for a total of approximately 17,000 km. Seven additional countries will be connected in the second phase.
To carry out this project, France Telecom-Orange, together with its subsidiaries Côte d'Ivoire Telecom, Orange Cameroon, Orange Mali, Orange Niger and Sonatel, have combined forces with other major partners to form an international consortium.
Greater security for network traffic
Through links to other submarine cables, ACE also provides an additional western route for traffic between Europe and Asia via Africa. ACE, for example, offers an alternative and secure route for communications to countries already connected to the SAT3-WASC-SAFE cable linking Portugal and Malaysia. Finally, the cable also diversifies transmission arteries between Portugal and France.
ACE relies on what is currently the most advanced technology used for submarine cables: wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). With WDM, cable capacity can be increased without additional submarine work. Overall capacity will be boosted to 5.12 Tbps using the new 40 Gbps technology which supports ultra-high speed broadband networks.
An essential part of the Group’s broadband network in Africa
The cable’s construction amounts to a total investment of around USD 700 million for the consortium, with around USD 250 million financed by the Group and its subsidiaries. This major investment furthers two strategic objectives of France Telecom-Orange: to provide widespread access to the internet in the more than twenty African countries where the Group is present and to continue to improve the quality of service provided by the network in all of its subsidiaries.
Through the development of its submarine networks, France Telecom-Orange is contributing to the development of a high quality worldwide network. These cables constitute the essential arteries to provide the Group with access to high-performance systems at a reasonable cost in order to help service the ever increasing volumes of data being exchanged.
http://www.gadget.co.za/pebble.asp?relid=5595 |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 06 Apr 2013 13:57:27 |
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Momodou
Denmark
11512 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2013 : 14:37:54
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| I don't know whats going on in The Gambia regarding this but network connection is still very poor. Another obstacle to this great technological oppoturnity is the lack of constant electricity. |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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toubab1020
12237 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2013 : 18:14:51
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Momodou, I would have a wager with you in that it is about the payment of a bill concerned with the ACE project,the usual reason for Gambian problems, NO MONEY.(available to pay bills !   )
It would seem that Foroyaa has given up on this !
Here is a copy and pasted extract from a previous Foroyaa link:
"We contacted stakeholders of the Submarine Cable but only the government officer spoke. Those in the private sector were afraid to speak. Yet we are informed that 51 percent of the contribution of 35 million dollars from the project was done by the private sector and 49 percent was paid by the government from a grant from the World Bank. Why should investors be silent on the state of their investments?
The Government needs to address this tendency to mention the possibility of arrest by the NIA if one even expresses an opinion on the business climate that may be harmful to one's business."
http://www.foroyaa.gm/index.php/editorial/12487-why-the-secrecy-on-ex-justice-wowos-case-submarine-cable-freedom-of-information-act |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 06 Apr 2013 18:42:51 |
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Momodou
Denmark
11512 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2013 : 20:00:15
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Ah! I did not read that report. You are most probably right about the usual problem; MONEY |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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toubab1020
12237 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2013 : 22:27:30
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ALL administrations and politicians like to indulge in writing long verbose reports the words of which mean very little,most likely hoping that no one will read them or give up before the end with extreme boredom
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 06 Apr 2013 22:29:51 |
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toubab1020
12237 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2013 : 17:18:51
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Could this be part of the reason why we are seeing no improvement in internet speeds?,no one can agree and this is maybe a way to get everyone to agree,and maybe pay any outstanding money that MAY be owed to get the internet to a usable speed,who knows,but its a thought,as usual the words are there but what do they actually tell us? maybe some expert may translate this article into a form that I can understand.
WARCIP internet exchange draft report validated
africa » gambia
Friday, April 12, 2013
Stakeholders in the telecommunications industry notably, Gamtel, PURA, Gamcel, Comium, QCELL, Unique Solutions, Netpage, ECOWAN, the media, among others Wednesday validated the draft study report of the West Africa Regional Communication Infrastructure Program (WARCIP) on setting up an internet exchange point (IXP) in The Gambia.
The validation, held at WARCIP office along Kairaba Avenue, followed a consultancy commissioned by WARCIP to provide recommendations on the technical and management process aspects of the future IXP in The Gambia.
The primary objective of the IXP is to improve the internet connectivity in the country rather than generating profit, which is more easily reached by a non-profit entity.
The project, according to officials, started on 5th February 2013, with the visit of the consultancy firm’s team to The Gambia to gather the market insight, and held meetings with all the stakeholders.
There was also a review of the existing work and conclusions reached during a workshop and subsequent consultation held last year.
Presenting the IXP study report, the consultant, Michael Kende, said the document represents options and recommendations regarding the technical and management process aspects of the IXP together with the organizational aspects, which have already been agreed on by all stakeholders.
He added that these recommendations considered the existing IXP consultation signed by different stakeholders following a workshop held in October 2012 as well as specifications following their February 2013 workshop.
Commenting on the benefits of the IXP in The Gambia, the consultant outlined that it is cost-saving for most of the ISPs by eliminating the need to exchange traffic through expensive international links, improve quality, thanks to the reduction in latency and to larger bandwidth available to Gambian internet users as result of the lower cost of local capacity, among others.
IXPs, he added, can provide a range of services to facilitate the management of the IXPs and provide maximum benefits to its members.
‘This service helps members to populate their Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routine tables by collecting and sharing route information among members,’ he said, adding that this is useful for efficiency and maintenance purposes.
According to him, the service is potentially useful for members, and does not require significant incremental investment and also it can be safely assumed that the demand will not justify the need for link aggregation in the initial years.
The responsibility, he went on, should be shared between the IXP and its members and, therefore, the IXP should be responsible for maintaining the services level target on the provision of ports, and their availability as described.
Lamin Camara, deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Information, Communication and Infrastructure (MOICI), who is also the focal point of WARCIP underscored the need for stakeholders to make a collective decision.
‘We as a Ministry are just here to facilitate, the IXP is here for you and you are the ones who are going to make use of its services,” he stated.
Author: Abdoulie Nyockeh
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/warcip-internet-exchange-draft-report-validated
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2013 : 21:25:17
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FOROYAA BURNING ISSUES NEWS;
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
Posted - 24 Apr 2013 : 22:24:13
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DAILY OBSERVER NEWS;
quote:
SOURCE:Freedom News INFINI AFRICA GROUP - "Please folks, Google this company or their "CEO" and see if they exist or have something as basic as a website. "
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Edited by - kobo on 25 Apr 2013 09:15:16 |
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toubab1020
12237 Posts |
Posted - 23 May 2013 : 02:08:22
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So although not mentioned by name ACE is finally on its last stage despite delays,very good for Gambia and the Gambian people:
http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/7-service-providers-awarded-international-data-gateway-licenses
7 service providers awarded International Data Gateway Licenses
Africa » Gambia
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
International Data Gateway Licenses were Tuesday issued to Africell, Comium, Gamcel, Gamtel, Qcell, Unique Solutions, and Netpage by the minister of Information and Communication Infrastructure in accordance with Section 7(2) of the Information and Communication Act, CAP 74.03 Laws of The Gambia, 2009.
The ceremony, which was held at the Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure conference hall in Kanifing, also witnessed the award of licenses to Internet Services Providers (ISP), Unique Solutions and Netpage.
In a brief statement before appending his signature on the licenses, Minister Grey-Johnson said: " I am really happy to preside over this ceremony. This is what government is all about, it grinds exceeding slowly but be assured that it grinds exceeding surely." He added: "Not much to be said, take your license, go to work and The Gambia is served and I am pleased to be here to execute exactly that on behalf of government in recognition of the public and private partnership that this is all about."
On his part, Lamin Camara, deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure, said: "We are glad to receive you this morning at the Ministry to witness another milestone towards the development and realisation of our telecommunication sector. As you all would recall that we signed a memorandum of understanding between the private operators and government towards the establishment of special proposed vehicle and pulling up of resources towards financing the sub-marine cable system which is in operation now through the support of the World Bank." According to him, they moved on to sign a consortium agreement, which culminated in the incorporation of the Gambia sub-marine company.
"There were challenges with that but thank God at least we have taken a step closer through the award of Data gateway to all private GSM companies and the public sector members. We hope these achievements we made will be further strengthened towards the total liberalisation on the gateway, which we all desire to achieve. This is a significant progress in the sense that gateways when they are liberalised in other countries at times there are grace periods that are given, but at least a grace period is not given here and we are going ahead with giving the data gateway and hopefully very soon the voice gateway will also follow."
Abdoulie Jobe, the director general of Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), described the day as one of celebration for the country's ICT sector, while congratulating the government and people of the country for having taken the step. He also congratulated all those that have been involved in the process, including the private sector, public sector, the line ministry, and the Office of the President.
Receiving his licenses, Papa Yusupha Njie, CEO of Unique Solutions, said: "To be part of a race you need to be in the team seat. For many years the private sector have not been in the race but through this public-private partnership, government thought it wise to partner with the private sector to be given an opportunity to play their part in this laudable initiative. So we want to say a very big thank you to the president for giving us the opportunity to play a part in this noble initiative that we hope our grandchildren will benefit from."
On his part, Amer Atwi, managing director of Comium, equally thanked the government for the great opportunity given to the private sector. "It is a huge step but be rest assured that we will do our part by living up to expectation to develop the sector and economy. This opportunity given to us as private sector will translate to the average Gambian; we will employ more people as this liberalisation will of course enhance services, make things cheaper, more affordable for the public, but as well create jobs," he remarked.
Author: Alieu Ceesay
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 23 May 2013 02:11:56 |
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toubab1020
12237 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2013 : 03:15:27
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THere was me thinking that all had been connected and made good and was operational,trying to wade through waffle words used by the spokesman it appears that he is saying yes it does work but international phone calls cannot be transmitted by this cable anyone know better?
$35 MILLION ACE CABLE IN PLACE, BUT…
Published on Friday, 24 May 2013 16:55 | Written by Sarjo Camara
The project coordinator of West Africa Regional Communications Infrastructure Program (WARCIP) Mr. William OmosholaJoiner has indicated to this paper that the ACE cable has been constructed right up to the terminal point in Brusubi where the equipment to process the data is located. He said the cable is all done and the equipment that ACE was supposed to provide has been installed and the cable is in operation. “We have succeeded in the ACE cable’s construction and it has started operation.” Mr. William Omoshola Joiner said he understands that the ACE cable is operational but only for processing data and not voice. ‘My understanding is if you want to make international call on any network it does not go through the cable’ said Mr.Joiner, the Project Coordinator.
He added that there might be some technical issues to look at but that is not ACE, that that could be WARCIP. He said the project within the Gambia is WARCIP. He clarified that most people refer to ACE but it is WARCIP they should have referred to. He noted that the ACE project is only the cable and the consortium brings the cable in the Gambia.
For WARCIP their mandate is beyond just bringing the submarine cable only or to have a branch in the Gambia, he said. “We have a number of study, capacity building, connectivity to some institutions, Government connectivity, Gamtel could possibly do now to benefit optimally from the cable, said Mr. Joiner, The project coordinator of West Africa Regional communications infrastructure Program.
Mr. Joiner said it is understandable those problems could be administrative that the GSM operators are accessing the ACE cable, but only for data, which is not a technical issue, but it is the administrative one that has nothing to do with our offices. He noted that the GSM operators are working to get the licences from the government. The aim of the project is to get high speed connection to the outside world.
ACE is to provide more reliable, fast and to reduce the cost to make it more affordable to Gambians. He said before the ACE cable Gambia was relying on Sonatel for their communications which was expensive as a third party. He was of the view that with the ACE cable Gambian’s communication would be speedy and clear. Mr. Joiner described the ACE project like a government constructing a motor way from Serekunda to Banjul, enabling good vehicles to ride well on the road. The WARCIP project coordinator noted that with the ACE cable we don’t have to go through to Sonatel. It will reduce cost on telecommunication in the Gambia.
We have provided the ACE cable, it is capable of processing data very fast but the necessary equipment to the cable has not been provided by the project various service providers/operators; they have to do their investment to make their operation fast. “Any operator with good equipment in place, would be able to enjoy the ACE submarine and its benefits,” said Mr. Joiner.
He said The Gambia expressed its interest in joining the ACE consortium in October 2011, when they signed with France, and the project life span of WARCIP is four years. For the benefit of our readers the Africa Cable to Europe is a world bank funded project in a tune of thirty-five million dollars.
Category: Burning Issues
© 2013 by Foroyaa Newspaper, The Gambia
Powered by BnB Solutions
http://www.foroyaa.gm/burning-issues/13275-35-million-ace-cable-in-place-but |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 26 May 2013 03:18:15 |
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
Posted - 26 May 2013 : 04:28:20
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Toubab 1020. This report from Kibaaro news would be of interest to you 
ACCORDING TO KIBAARO NEWS;
"Gambia Government Owes Gamtel D70 Million"
"Africa Coast To Europe Killing Gamtel’s Revenue
The arrival of the Africa Coast o Europe (ACE) submarine cable was hailed as a solution to the Gambia and Africa’s internet connection, but not with Gamtel as the opening up of the gateway means losing revenue.
“With regard to ACE, the immediate liberalization of the international gateway puts Gamtel in a disadvantaged position,” Sanyang said.
He added that some telecom operators in the sub-region were allowed enough time to reposition themselves before liberalising their gateways, giving them enough time to compete in the market.
The deputy Permanent Secretary who was part of the meeting said liberalising of the gateway “was a conditionality of the World Bank in financing Gambia’s connectivity to the cable.”
Gamtel’s deputy Managing Director who was also at the meeting bemoaned the immediate liberalization of the international gateway which “provides more than 50 percent of Gamtel’s revenue."
#147;The liberalization of the telecoms sector brought about high staff attrition to the private sector. New entrants to the telecoms market do not train their staff, but rather poach qualified staff from Gamtel by giving them better salaries and incentives,” the deputy managing director said in the report......"
SOURCE: KIBAARO NEWS More full information here |
Edited by - kobo on 26 May 2013 04:29:24 |
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jun 2013 : 08:12:43
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FOROYAA BURNING ISSUES NEWS;
WHAT IS THE STATE OF ACE FOR BETTER INTERNET SERVICE?
"The World Bank provided support for government’s participation in the establishment of a submarine cable service to improve internet connectivity through a grant of US$35 million under the West Africa Regional Communication and Infrastructure Programme (WARCIP), the Gambia Project.
Africa coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable service was advertised and placed on bill board informing people that ACE will go life on the 19th of December,2012 which was celebrated in the country and the occasion was graced by the vice president of the Republic of the Gambia. It was later published in the media that the Gambia will soon be on the submarine cable that will further place the country on the digital world map in terms of speed, access, reliability and affordability of internet service After five months of operations the Gambians cannot see the effects of ACE submarine Cable.
This is why this reporter has started an investigation to find out what is going on with the cables. Our readers would recall that The Gambia Government launched its Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine Cable System at the project landing site in Brusubi...."
More full information here |
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