African countries open to controversial internet proposal'
Published on 05 October 2012
By Gareth van Zyl and Simnikiwe Mzekandaba
Concerns are running high among experts that African countries are being
roped in by a European telco body to help it get worldwide adoption of a
controversial internet payment proposal.
The European Telecommunications Network Operators Association (ETNO) is
calling on telcos across the globe to implement what is referred to as a
`sending party pays' rule.
This rule is aimed at making visitors to news websites, for example, pay
telcos to have a faster bandwidth experience of that portal. According to
`sending party pays', users could have to pay more to watch, for example, a
video link, which uses more bandwidth.
ETNO argues that this could help telcos, which are struggling with falling
voice tariffs, to boost their revenues and invest more in bandwidth
infrastructure to offer a better internet experience.
The body also argues that it does not plan to ring-fence the internet to
certain users who can only afford it, but that site visitors could have the
choice to pay for a superior offering.
However, experts across the globe have expressed their concerns of this
recommendation, which ETNO is planning to get adopted by the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) at the World Conference on International
Telecommunications in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai in December.
Nick Ashton-Hart, the Geneva representative of the Computer & Communications
Industry Association (CCIA), says that apart from worries about people in
poorer nations being excluded from the same internet experience as those in
richer nations, the `sending party pays' measure could also give oppressive
governments more monitoring control over their citizens' private
communications.
Ashton-Hart further argues that ETNO's policies regarding `sending party
pays' are being mooted by telcos, such as Deutsche Telekom and Telecom
Italia, which have been the last to be deregulated in Europe.
He adds that ETNO's policies have been rejected by the likes of the US and
UK that have deregulated their telco markets earlier than that of Germany
and Italy.
But Ashton-Hart says that African nations have given ETNO's proposal a
warmer reception.
"We've heard that there are a few African countries that are finding this
proposal appealing because they think they can generate more money from it,"
Ashton-Hart told ITWeb Africa.
"ETNO is selling this as you would make more money out of this deal," he
said.
Rohan Samarajiva, founding chairman and chief executive of LIRNEasia, an ICT
policy and regulation think tank in Africa, says that the dangers of
`sending party pays' is that it could result in the localisation of the
internet.
He says more paywalls could be setup as a result, and that very few Africans
could then access this content, as they lack the funds or even the means to
pay for it.
"Most people in our countries do not have internationally recognised credit
cards," Samarjiva told ITWeb Africa.
"So even if they were willing to pay, which I doubt, most of our people are
not able to pay significant amounts for the information that they currently
use," he added.
But ETNO has hit back at these claims, telling ITWeb Africa that critics
have misunderstood what the body is trying to achieve.
"The focus of the ETNO proposal relies on the definition of `quality based
traffic delivery' rather than on that of `sending party pays' principle,"
Gambardella Luigi, executive board chairman at ETNO, told ITWeb Africa.
"The ETNO proposal states that: commercial agreements between parties are on
a voluntary basis. So, `sending party pays' principle cannot be imposed; we
want to guarantee that the involved parties will be free to decide," Luigi
explained.
Luigi went further to say in the interview with ITWeb Africa that "nobody
would be cut off from the internet."
"According to the ETNO proposal, a content provider could decide to continue
to use Internet exactly as it is doing today, but, in addition, he will have
the possibility to choose a `quality delivery service' for all, or for a
part, of its content, offering to end customers a greater experience."
Luigi added that the proposal could boost the internet quality of service in
developing nations, such as those in Africa.
The next step in ETNO trying to get its proposal adopted would be that of
discussing it at the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications
Administrations (CEPT) in Istanbul on 15-16 October.
Following this, ETNO will put forward its recommendation at the World
Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates, from 3-14 December 2012. At this conference, individual country
members will vote on the measures.
However, Ashton-Hart says this event is set to be a closed-doors affair,
with potentially affected internet users across the globe not being able to
attend or voice their concerns.
"Any other world conference that had an impact on a broader civil society,
most people would be able to show up, be accredited and participate. But not
the ITU's meetings. You can't show up," Ashton-Hart said.
"Until you know what's in the deal, and who's willing to be bound by it, you
don't know what it's effect on the ground is. There is so much potential for
unanticipated consequences especially in the longer term depending upon what
you put in there.
"The ITU is such a secretive institution," he added.
Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
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Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
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