Connectivity Providers Database

Date Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2002 3:48 AM From: bsangiwa@twiga.com To: mlizarza <mlizarza@darkwing.uoregon.edu> Cc: "Steven G. Huter" <sghuter@nsrc.org>,Randy Bush <Randy@nsrc.org> Subject: RE: Tanzania and the state of the Internet > 1) Could you please provide a brief technical description of Tanzania's > external connectivity to the Internet - including upstream provider(s), > international bandwidth of the link(s), etc. ? The links to/fro Internet from Tanzania are satellite based. TTCL, Simbanet, AfSAT and Equant are offering services through their satellite while others provide each customer with VSAT. The Tanzania Communications Commission (TCC) has categories for licensing data services. Apparent Internet is sub-set ot data services as per TCC. There Internet services providers are required to source int'l bandwidth through licensed data services providers. There are about 13 licensed data services providers in which about 5 or 6 are active providing mainly IP based services. These are DATEL, TTCL, AfSAT Communications, Simbanet, ADWEST,Equant and MediaPost who are actively selling their services. There are roughly the same number of ISP's and mostly are in Dar-es-salaam (commercial capital and seat of government) > If you can, please list all of the ISPs currently operating in the > country: ISP in TZ Link Type Bandwidth Upstream ISP POP Location(s) =========== =========== ================== =============== =============== CyberTwiga Satellite 512kbps/1.256Mbits TTCL/ADWEST 7 towns StarTelecom -do- est. 8-12Mbits TTCL/ADWEST/ at least 5 Simbanet CatsNet -do- est. 2Mbits DATEL mainly dar InternetAfrica -do- -do- -do- AfSAT -do- -do- Self mainly dar MediaPost -do- -do- self/TTCL -do- Univ. of Dar -do- approx 2-4Mbits TTCL/Simbanet 3 towns Outside Dar =========== Arusha/Moshi --------- ISP in TZ Link Type Bandwidth Upstream ISP POP Location(s) ============ =========== ================== =============== =============== Marie -do- 512kbps/2Mbits DATEL Arusha only CyberNet -do- 512kbps/1Mbits DATEL Arusha & Moshi EOLTZ -do- est 384-512kbps DATEL Moshi & Arusha Africaonline -do- est. 256k DATEL Moshi & Arusha Nexus -do- est. 384k -do- Morogoro: ----------------- ISP in TZ Link Type Bandwidth Upstream ISP POP Location(s) ============ =========== ================== =============== =============== Morogoro net -do- 128kbp Simbanet Morogoro IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Although TTCL by itself in not playing ISP role at the moment, it has links (IP) to most of major towns (about 12 if i could remember correctly). > 2) Please also list the URLs for each ISP, and the name and email address > for the appropriate contact for service. CyberTwiga: www.twiga.com Star Telecom: www.raha.com Cats-Net: www.cats-net.com Internet Africa: www.intafrica.com Africaonline: www.africaonline.co.tz Marie: www.habari.co.tz Nexus: www.tz200.com EOLTZ: www.eoltz.com CyberNet: www.cybernet.co.tz Tanganet: www.tanganet.net MorogoroNet: www.morogoro.net > 3) Do you have any wireless technology deployed in your network, either LAN > or WAN ? (If so, please describe.) WAN, we use (CyberTwiga) licensed band on 3.5GHz range. Also there is huge profiliation of the wireless LAN's in dar-es-salaam and most major towns, using 2.4GHz range. > 4) What do you see as the prospects for Internet growth in Tanzania; > what would help it, and what are currently the major obstacles? Internet will grow, the prospects are high, the means of connections are the one of the many obstacles, most of the would be users (of internet) cannot afford a computer or monthly's access charges for internet access. Most of accounts operated by the ISP's do charge a flat rate for monthly access, there is no much usage on per hour or per volume rated services, this is mainly from the customers point of view, they cannot control usage as mostly will use easily accessible software downloads found on the net. The increase (sudden) of cybercafes in Tanzania, is a classic example of the communal access points that will eventually provide most of the access to the Internet users in Tanzania. The ISP's will have to adapt to models that will either make themselves directly selling or suppliers of the services to the cybercafes, the current scenario is the ISP's are the suppliers to the CyberCafe's. Most of the cybercafes are situated in the CBD area's and affluent parts of the town, now slowly moving into middle-class residential areas. Much of the clouds on the growth of internet is around the policy issues, there is no clear policy on the development plans, as the Internet is much support and developed by the private sector, the lack of clear government framework of support or otherwise, undermines the probable investments the private sector would hv injected into the develeopment of the Internet. eCommerce is a 'dream-come-true', the problems are many, from payment system (no credit cards facilities offered in tanzania banks, u can use credit card, but not issued), latency on the links (mostly satellite based btwn supplier and buyer if not from same ISP), lowly developed business model on warehouse->consumer trade and well known human factor, we want to do the window shopping. Bill Sangiwa bsangiwa@twiga.com