while I was away. I've been catching up on reading various articles. The following is my summary interpretation/direct quotes from the articles. The articles are in the East African ( June, July ): 1) Seacom down again! Comment = Terrible...blames it on some repeater near segment 9 allegedly near Mombasa coast. This company is starting to look like a used market goods operator. The Seacom cable network is shiny brand new, not even algae nor reef plants have made the equipment a home yet, failure rate on the network is unbecoming of international operator standards. 2) Kenyan government had handed over its 20 per cent shareholding in Teams to France Telecom to run as part of their settlement in the dispute over Telkom Kenya's missing assets after privatisation. France Telecom was also granted the monopoly to manage all of Kenya's national fibre-optic network, the government's contract for voice and data. The French firm now controlling Kenya government's portion, it now controls over 40 per cent shareholding. It controls the national landing station for all fibre optic networks and has this huge access to bandwidth capacity and distribution means that it is arguably the most important player in the wholesale market, and potentially in the retail market if it gets its act together. But Communications Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo defended the move saying that despite the landing base and infrastructure being put under France Telkom, it would be operated on an "open access basis". ( article June 21st -- Also under this deal, NOFBI is now no longer under govt control. ) Comment = A serious development. Now those anti-dominant rules surely apply. 3) Meanwhile, the Eassy fibre optic cable that was expected in June is yet to be switched on. The West Indian Ocean Cable Company (Wiocc) that is managing Eassy on behalf of 12 African governments, said the cable, which was partly funded by the World Bank, was developed as a social more than a commercial development enterprise and can only be managed by governments. Chief executive officer Chris Wood said the firm was no longer certain when the cable would go live. He said that at inception, national telcos in the participating countries signed contracts binding them to purchase bandwidth from Eassy, and price it within parameters that will drastically reduce the cost. "Inevitably, some cables will have to die and be purchased cheaply," he said. Sources familiar with the goings on intimated that the Eassy cable could be rerouted from Kenya, dealing a major blow to expectations that the country would get faster Internet. "The country is on its way back to monopoly in the fibre optic infrastructure," an insider who requested anonymity said. Mr Wood revealed that the cable is ready to go live in all other countries except Kenya, which is the headquarters of Wiocc, chosen because of its being a hub, and possession of superior infrastructure. He, however declined to say whether the company planned to leave Kenya. Comment = Did the same gentleman not go public when Seacom launched and say that Eassy will have a cheaper and different model so that ISPs can buy bandwidth on lower commitment basis? The above says a lot of what was planned. Rumor had it that Eassy would go live in Kenya around the 10th of this month? Anyone confirm this? 4) Mr MJ comments. "There is great value in having Eassy completed at the soonest possible opportunity as it will provide much needed restoration capacity for the other two cable systems," and also adds "From our experience the deployment of international fibre systems is a costly and delicate process. In order for the return on investment to be realised it is essential for the capacity on the cable to be taken up," said Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph. Comment = Did Mr MJ know more about the new developments ( Orange/TKl and govt deal ) and could this be the reason Safaricom is/has been looking at lower in the food-chain business revenue rather than higher? 5) Hon Ndemo comments. "Eassy's original plan of governments running the cable was "outdated." Thanks to the East African for carrying these articles. Comments and Corrections welcome. Me thots. :-)