Connectivity Providers Database

Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2001 12:31:52 +0100 (WAT) From: Sunday Folayan <sfolayan@skannet.com.ng> To: everyone@skannet.com Subject: SKANNET Update: 20-07-2001 Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.04.10107032016560.28092-100000@mail.skannet.com> Dear Subscribers, Apologies for a lengthy update, but a lot has happened since we last mailed you an update on SKANNET. You will find in this update: 1 => Adjustment in Fixed Bandwidth rates 2 => Update on Line congestion - SKANNET Rollout plan 3 => Wireless Equipment stock plan 4 => First SKANNET Netcast (Internet Broadcast) 5 => Hello SKANNET! 6 => New Web Mail Interface 7 => We need your help 8 => Viruses that Appeal 1. Adjustment in Fixed Bandwidth rates When we fixed the price for dedicated bandwidth on our wireless service, the Naira was exchanging between 96 and 98 to $1. The reality is that in the last 6 months, the dollar has consistently exchanged between N135 and N140 to $1. We have held on for too long, because of our belief that SKANNET prices should go down not up. We now have to bend, because "a stitch in time" they say - "saves nine". With effect from 1st August 2001, we are adjusting the rate chargeable for dedicated bandwidth on our wireless service. 1Kbps will be billed at N4,920 per month, and multiples thereof. 4kbits which hitherto costs N16,662.50 per month will thus be adjusted to N19,680 per month. Rather than constrain you to multiples of 4Kbits, subscribers can buy the exact bandwidth that they require, with the option of upgrading or downgrading within 24 Hours notice to SKANNET. This means that you can buy 1Kbps, 2Kbps, 6Kbps, 21Kbs, 100Kbps, ..., Indeed any bandwidth that you require. All bandwidth requests should be made to admin@skannet.com [The above information applies to Wireless Clients Only] 2. Update on Line congestion - SKANNET Rollout When NITEL denied our application for 4 E1 Trunk (30 lines per Trunk) facility at Bodija Exchange, we did inform you of the development. We have re-applied for the same facility from their Oniyanrin Exchange in Ibadan. We do hope they will grant the request this time. If granted, it will give us access to 120 new lines. We do not want to continue building Dialup infrastructure in Ibadan. Rather, SKANNET will now expand and render wireless and Dialup services in key Cities of Nigeria. With effect from August 2001, we will start rendering wireless access in Enugu. Other towns to follow in quick succession will include Abuja, Lagos, Warri, Ilorin, Calabar, Zaria and Port Harcourt. This is in addition to dial-up access via INET-Global (Our Sister company) in Kaduna. INET Global is currently upgrading its infrastructure with bigger capacity to serve you better. Where NITEL gives us phone lines, we will add dialup access, but our determination is to build access around Non-NITEL infrastructure, wherever our subscribers may be. Watch out for SKANNET in your neighbourhood soon! 3. Wireless Equipment stock plan When we launched our wireless service in September 2000, we made a projection of selling six units in a month - As much as 72 units in a year. Due to the popularity and reliability of the wireless service, and the recent (inexplicable) increase in NITEL tariffs, monthly demand for the products now exceed the units we projected for the entire year! This development did create a market shock for our suppliers since they did not carry the inventory we demanded from them. Our intention is to immediately clear the backlog of requests. Because we do not want to be left with a huge inventory of these products (the current demand is transient), we have decided to place a special order, specifically for clients who have already signified their intention, and any other client who would want us to place an order for them. We have been assured of delivery within 6 weeks of confirmed order. Kindly liase with Ms. Bolanle Akinpelu <radio@skannet.com> before Friday 27th July 2001, if you are interested in this arrangement. The Equipment price remains unchanged because we are passing the manufacturer's quantity discount to you - the subscribers. 4. First SKANNET Netcast Sunday June 8th 2001 was another milestone for us, indeed a milestone we could not celebrate because we least prepared for the success!! It began with a simple request: "Vine Branch Ministries Ibadan will be celebrating its 8th Anniversary on Sunday June 8th 2001, and will want to broadcast it Live on the Internet: Can SKANNET handle it?". It was 9 days to the event. Our response was "Video is impossible, but Audio, Maybe". A week to the program, prayers via calls and Emails rolled in: The annoncement had been made in the church that "SKANNET will do it!" We could no longer say "No!!". Thus began a race against time. Audio equipment had to be assembled, Sound encoder and streaming server needed to be setup, website crafted, Wireless transmitter installed at the church premises etc. One day to go: every other thing was ready, except the encoder/streaming servers. A mini war broke out within SKANNET. The crew couldn't agree on the operating system to use. Eventually, we settled for a compromise - Windows 98 for the encoder, Linux for the streamer. Finally, at 7pm on Saturday, the test worked! We are pleased that the event was successful. The entire broadcast lasted 4 hours 10 minutes. Eventually, 6 listeners (2 within Nigeria, and 4 from the USA) tuned to the church service. It would have been more, if we had announced it! You can listen to the archive (35Mb In Real Audio format) at our Audio site (Yes!) at http://www.skannet.com/audio.html We hereby congratulate Vine Branch Ministries, and thank them for the challenge. Like every adventure lover, our next challenge is to do a Video Netcast ..... Someday. First, we need 384Kbps Free to do that! 5. Hello SKANNET! We have upgraded our Telephone system (02-8105156), and installed a new PABX with voice prompt. You can now reach the various service centers in General Data Engineering Services directly. Our next goal is to install and commission an Interactive Voice Response system, so that you can query your SKANNET account balances directly via the telephone. 6. New Web Mail Interface We have updated and improved our Web based mail interface. You can now read your mails on the Internet (from anywhere in the world) using the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) http://mail.skannet.com/mail or from our website at http://www.skannet.com. We appreciate your comments and feedback on the interface. 7. We need your help Early in the month of July 2001, The company held a weekend Staff Retreat, which dwelled on customer service, and the need to place you our valued subscriber at the focal point of all our activities. We identified the fact that we may not know what you want. We therefore will need your help to complete a questionnaire on our services. We will be administering the questionnaire by web and Email within the next 2 weeks. Please feel free to give us your comments as they will help us shape our concept of Internet Service delivery in Nigeria. 8. Viruses that Appeal In recent times, a lot of people have forgotten the simple rule about viruses: "If you did not ask for the attachment, do not open it". We have drummed this refrain so hard, but people still fall prey! Virus writers have gotten wiser by playing on people's appetite and curiousity: An attachment file named "Bill_Clinton_Nude" will be opened by many, (with expectations ...) I would delete it, and I advise you to do the same. Leave Hilary to bother about what Bill looks like!!! As we approach 1st October 2001 when SKANNET will be 6 years, We appreciate your continued patronage. We are committed to providing you with functional and affordable total communication services. It is much sooner than later .... Sincerely, ---------------------------------------------- Sunday A. Folayan General Data Engineering Services Ltd [SKANNET] 18b, Oshin Rd, Kongi Bodija Ibadan, Nigeria Email: sfolayan@skannet.com.ng Voice: +234-2-8105156 Fax: +234-2-8106268 ------- "Be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you send" - Jon B. Postel (1943 - 1998). Internet Pioneer (in RFC1122).