I see your 6 feet and raise you another 12

Walking around the neighbourhood recently I was astounded to see how high the walls are being built around this residential complex.

I don't proclaim to understand what has resulted in this level of fear but to the casual observer it seems as if these residents are imprisoning themselves. Actually I can think of some prisons that would be proud of security like this.

I guess it is a result of following the approach of ensuring that your property is less desirable than your neighbours' - i.e. making it more difficult to enter than their properties are. But this takes "keeping up with the Joneses" to new levels. It could also have the unintentional result of making your property more desirable, as curiosity with what lies behind those walls could result in the problem occurring that it was built to prevent.

As South Africans we understand that crime is a major issue that we have to deal with; together with the social conditions that result in crime. I am just not sure that this is the answer ....

Is South Africa falling behind in the telco market?

I read so many telecommunication success stories in East Africa that it makes me wonder if South African is falling behind in this space. If not now then perhaps it is a question of when?

Examples abound ... the rest of Africa is picking up pace since the commissioning of Seacom and will accelerate when TEAMS goes live.

Kenya
I read with great interest that Safaricom has contracted Alvarion to implement a WiMax broadband network in Kenya. The WiMax network will connect urban and rurual users.

WiMax is an excellent alternative to ADSL if implemented properly. Think of WiMax as copper-in-the-sky connecting to the closest exchange and you get the picture.

Uganda
When I was in Uganda earlier this year plans were already underway by the Ugandan government to build a fibre optic network across the country connected to Seacom.

Rwanda
Rwandatel signed a deal with Seacomm a month or so ago providing their user base (3G and ADSL) with fast international access.

Likely
South Africa will most likely fall behind our Sub-Saharan cousins in the broadband market, whether it be in the price, access or service domains.

This isn't a problem but an opportunity that the rest of Africa is grabbing. Overall this is great news for the continent as the welfare of all countries in Africa impact one another.

Pigeon faster than ADSL in South Africa

I read about this article yesterday and it would be so funny if it wasn't a reflection on the sad state of affairs in our broadband market ... ok it is funny.

This is the story
A staff member of The Unlimited was so frustrated with the speed of their Telkom ADSL connection that he came upon the idea that it would be faster to send the data (to their head office) using a pigeon.

Yesterday they put the theory to the test and sent a four gigabyte package using both options: pigeon and flash-drive vs ADSL. The ADSL download had only completed 4% of the download by the time the pigeon reached their head office (in KZN).

Obviously
This isn't a true reflection of the ADSL connection as there is a limit to how far the pigeon can fly and the further the distance, the better the ADSL download would have performed ... however it is hilarious.

Thank goodness for competition in this market as we have alternatives for backhaul and the "last-mile" (hub to curb). Pity there is only one provider of fixed line though as wireless, WiFi, WiMax etc are always going to be subjected to some degree interference.

On a positive note - consider how far we have come in four years - dial-up and ISDN were the norm when I left for the UK in 2005.

It's alive ....

A big congratulations to all those involved in the planning, investment of, and the commissioning of the Seacom submarine fibre-optic link.

This is big news, especially for east Africa that has had to rely on satellite back-haul for so long.

Now lets make sure that this wholesale broadband gets to consumers and businesses at an affordable price.