UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER |
NETWORKS FOR AFRICA
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From: IN%"baobab@igc.org" "Baobab Communications" 11-NOV-1991
21:53:12.66
From: Geoff Sears
"Low Cost Global Electronic Communications Networks for Africa."
1) Introduction
Electronic mailbox and messaging services offer an ideal tool for
enhancing communications in Africa. Electronic mail can be less
expensive and more convenient than facsimile or telex wherever a
computer and phone line are available. However, the communications
infrastructure in the African countries varies from very good to very
marginal. As a result, the appropriate communications solution may
vary from one location to the next. This paper outlines the two basic
means of connecting mailboxes to the global network and discusses
which method may be the most appropriate under various circumstances.
2) Packet Switching Services in Africa
Many African countries are now installing packet switched data line
service, also called IPSS (International Packet Switched Service)
which uses the internationally standardized X.25 protocol. The PTT -
national post office or telephone company is almost always the
operator of such a service and usually installs connection points to
IPSS in the major cities. This service allows modem users in these
cities to make a local phone call, and get online to any country with
an electronic mail or database service connected to the X.25 network.
As long as the local phone service is reasonably good, a reliable
connection to the host computer can be achieved and it is relatively
simple to access a wide range of networks with this method. To
overcome the frequent problems in local phone service, some IPSS
providers are installing error-correcting modems; if the user also has
a modem supporting the MNP error-correction protocol, virtually all
problems of phone noise can be overcome.
To access such a service, the user orders a NUI (Network User ID) from
the local PTT. A registration fee, a monthly or quarterly rental, and
usage charges to connect to the remote host comprise the costs
incurred for this service.
For regular computer network users, NUI rental usually provides a
significantly cheaper option than making a direct dial international
phone call to the electronic host. If the host is accessed
infrequently, then the cost of an NUI may not be justified. As with a
normal telephone call, there is usually a substantially higher usage
charge for connecting to a host outside the country than with a host
computer inside the country. However, since there are still very few
mailbox host computers connected to an IPSS anywhere in Africa, there
is really no option but to connect outside the country for mailbox
service and pay the high rates, until one of the developing systems
becomes connected to packet services . The host service charges
separately for the use of its services but for sending messages, up to
90% of the cost of the international connection can be in the charges
made by the local PTT for use of the NUI.
Rate structures for IPSS are complex and vary enormously from one to
country to another. Rental charges for a NUI can vary from $20 to $200
a quarter. Some PTT's require the user to rent PTT-owned modems at
inflated rates. Even usage charges (which are based on time spent
online and the volume of date passed down the network) can vary by a
factor of two between different PTTs. Typically, the most significant
portion for the charge is for the amount of data transferred. Users
are charged both to send and to receive data, and this is frequently
what makes the service prohibitively expensive.
IPSS service exists in a number of sub-saharan Africa countries,
including: Cote D'Ivoire, Gabon, Kenya, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal,
South Africa, Togo and Zimbabwe. Electronic mail users in neighboring
countries may be able to make use of these packet-switching services
if their phones support such calls.
In these countries with packet switching services, people in the
capital cities, and occasionally other major cities,
can reliably connect directly to a centrally located host in Europe or
North America with relative ease. But as can be seen from the list
above, most African countries do not have an IPSS service. Where it is
available in these regions it is usually considerably more expensive
than in the West.
3) Direct International Dialing
Because of the limited availability of IPSS services, and their high
cost, international direct dialing is often the only realistic option.
Previous experience with conventional terminal software and the bad
telephone lines endemic throughout Africa, was that this method of
connection was expensive, unreliable and stressful for the user.
However, recent developments in personal computer based communications
software have improved the situation. It is now possible to send
messages and files over poor quality telephone lines at minimal cost
using automated computer controlled connections with file compression
and error checking.
These programs typically reduce the length of the long distance call
by 80-95% compared to the time taken for a standard interactive
manually controlled session with the host. Even over a poor quality
telephone line, they permit completely error free transmissions,
without the need for manual intervention of the operator. Using this
software is more like sending a fax than going through the series of
'log on' procedures necessary to connect to a remote host, yet it still
gives all the benefits of computer communications.
Developed in the amateur bulletin-board system and academic
communities over the last 10 years much of this software is free for
non-commercial use or very cheap to purchase, running on any IBM
compatible or Macintosh. Currently there are over 10,000 such systems
exchanging messages and files globally. Messages can be prepared
separately on any type of word processor and a 2400 baud modem costing
about $100 serves to link the personal computer to the telephone line.
The equipment does not require the installation of a separate line -
existing voice or fax lines can be temporarily diverted to the modem
while it places the call.
Any such system can also be left switched on for longer periods, in a
state ready to receive messages from other such systems. This allows
a system somewhere else to place the call and pay for charges, and
still accomplish the complete exchange of messages.
The file transfer protocols used between the two computers have a high
level of resiliency to line noise and satellite delays, and if an
interruption does occur, they are able to resume an transfer right at
the point it was interrupted. This is particularly important for
transporting large binary files where the chances of losing the
connection over poor quality telephone lines is significant.
A high speed (9,600 bps or higher) modem becomes cost effective when
the volume of communications increases, as in the case when several
people share one personal computer for their communications. For the
cost of about $400-$600, a modem such as the Telebit Trailblazer (TM)
can transmit data 4 to 8 times faster than the 2400 baud modem.
Host computer services that will carry this traffic into the major
networks are currently operating 24 hours a day in London (GreenNet),
Stockholm (NordNet) and Toronto (Web). All support the high speed
(9,600 baud +) protocols as well as the standard 1200 and 2400 baud
protocols. These machines provide hourly gateway connections to all of
the APC (Association for Progressive Communications) hosts in Brazil,
Australia, Sweden, Nicaragua, US & Canada, and many countries in
Europe. Messages can be sent through these machines to outbound fax
and telex servers, to commercial hosts such as Dialcom and GeoNet, and
to academic networks like Janet, BitNet, EARN, UseNet/UUCP and the
Internet.
For many purposes, sending files and messages directly to another
individual is all that is necessary. However, there is also the
opportunity to 'broadcast' the message to a select group of
participants. These 'mailing lists', also known as electronic
conferences or bulletin boards can be publicly available to anyone on
any of these networks, or restricted to a select group - for example a
coordinating committee. The sender does not have to know the
electronic address of each participant to send them each a message,
instead a single message is sent to the predefined mailing list
running on a host computer which then decides which systems to pass
the message to. The list could comprise an unlimited mixture of fax
numbers, telex numbers, electronic mail addresses and bulletin boards
or conferences running on certain hosts. Conferences are usually based
around a particular topic and can last for a short period or proceed
for an unlimited time. They can be discussion oriented or merely a
place to post news and information. Currently there are about 3000
topic related conferences that are available through the APC.
A self installing configuration of software to perform direct, automated
international dialing is available for IBM compatibles and a
running system can ideally be set up in half an hour by someone
without any special skills other than basic familiarity with the
keyboard. Occasionally there are a variety of problems that can crop
up. Non-standard hardware configurations may need some
trouble-shooting by someone familiar with the DOS operating system and
DOS level commands. Hooking up the modem to a PABX type telephone
system can be difficult, and may require the assistance of the phone
company or PTT. Non-standard modems, telephones wired directly into
the wall and operator assisted direct dialling can also be problematic
for the inexperienced. For this reason it is probably best to consider
each installation individually.
For someone familiar with the computer for word processing or some
other basic application, a half day, hands-on training workshop is
sufficient to acquaint the user with all that is necessary to send and
receive files and messages. To maintain a system supporting a group
of users, several days of training, as well as a commitment to provide
personnel to maintain it, would be necessary.
4) Examples of Local Network Applications in Africa
Bulletin Board systems, both those packages designed for single users
as described above, and full-scale systems supporting several users
(not simultaneously, though), are already being used by a number of
organizations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe
and South Africa. The International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
in Ottawa, Canada has been responsible for helping to establish many
of these networks by funding the ESANET, PADIS, WEDNET and NGONET
projects described below.
The NGONET Africa project is based out of the Environment Liaison
Centre International (ELCI) in Nairobi, where a Fido bulletin board
system has been set up to provide a conduit for electronic mail
traffic in the region and to NGOs worldwide. This is done using a
high-speed modem to make daily calls to the GreenNet Fido gateway in
London. The project is also supporting the MANGO (Micro-computer
Assistance for NGO's) Fido bulletin board project in Zimbabwe (see
below) and plans to assist in the establishment of a third bulletin
board system in Dakar and another possibly in Ghana.
In particular, support is being given to improving the flow of
electronic information around the preparations for the UNCED conference
in Rio, Brazil in 1992. An earlier survey found there were significant
numbers of NGOs which had computers but were not using electronic mail
yet. A total of 48 NGOs are being identified to receive modems,
training, documentation and support.
ESANET (Eastern and Southern African Network) is a pilot project to link
researchers at universities in Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and
Kenya with each other and with researchers worldwide by installing
electronic mail facilities at the computer centres of universities in
these countries. ESANET is based at the University of Nairobi Institute
of Computer Science. To maximise scarce resources, coordination and
technical support is being shared with the NGONET project. Where there
is no local NGO host system it has been agreed that NGOs will be able to
use the resources of the campus based nodes.
Nodes are currently being installed in Kampala - Makarere University-
nodename MUKLA, Nairobi - nodename UNICS, Dar es Salaam - University
of Dar es Salaam/Eastern and Southern African Universities Research
Project - nodename ESAURP, Lusaka - University of Zambia Computer
Center - nodename UZCC, and Harare - University of Harare Computer
Centre - nodename UHCC.
Each node runs a suite of Fido software on an IBM compatible AT with
40MB hard drive, high speed modem (PEP) and dedicated phone line.
Zambia, Kenya and Harare can connect directly to the GreenNet Fido
gateway (GNFido), while Uganda and Tanzania can only connect via
Nairobi because direct dialling facilities outside the PTA
(Preferential Trade Agreement) area are not available. Zambia has
begun to experiment with direct dialling to London and the other nodes
are expected to begin testing connectivity later next month. They are
still awaiting arrival of hardware shipped from Nirv Centre (Web) in
Toronto, Canada.
HealthNet is operated by a Boston based NGO called Satellife which was
initiated as a project of the International Physicians for the
Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). Satellife have purchased 60% of the
capacity on the University of Surrey (UK) built Uosat-F satellite.
This will initially be used to exchange health and medical information
within the same Universities (coincidentally) participating in the
ESANET project and via Memorial University in Newfoundland Canada.
Memorial is an appropriate site because of Dr Maxwell House' work with
telemedicine and because it is so far north the satellite passes
overhead 10 times a day on its polar orbit.
Because of the total overlap in institutions in Africa, the HealthNet
project is being administered by the African participants as part of
the ESANET project to evaluate alternative data transport methods.
Although the current traffic is limited to health related issues, it
will be up to the individual participating institutions in Africa to
obtain clearance from the authorities for a wider interpretation of
the health mandate. As far as the funders of the HealthNet project are
concerned, this could encompass a much broader range of environmental
and social issues. Currently however, only Zambia has been successful
in obtaining approval for the installation of the ground station and
this was with a specific medically oriented application.
The Zambian approval nevertheless sets a precedent for the authorities
in the other countries. Also Zambia will now be able to host satellite
traffic from the other participating countries via direct dial
telephone lines with the ESANET Fido network until other ground
stations have been approved.
The Pan African Documentation Centre Network - PADISNET is a project
to link 34 countries into a network of participating development
planning centres which exchange databases and information. PADIS is
based at the United Nations Economic Council on Africa (UNECA) in
Addis Ababa which also operates a Fido node connecting on demand to
London, South Africa and the US. NGONET and PADISNET project workers
have held joint workshops it is likely that the two projects will be
able to share resources in the support of other nodes in Dakar-Senegal
(CRAT), Accra-Ghana (AAU), Dar es Salaam- Tanzania (ESAURP).
WEDNET supports research on women and natural resource management.
The aim is to link researchers in Senegal, Ghana, Burkino Faso,
Nigeria, Sudan, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Canada via electronic
communications and conventional networking. WEDNET is also based at
ELCI in Nairobi.
WorkNet operates as the national electronic network host for NGOs in
South Africa. The network has been established for about three years
and now has about 150 users on a multi-user BBS programme called
MajorBBS. Users include the labour movement, human rights groups, the
alternate press, documentation centres, service organisations and
church groups. The ICTFU has funded the development of gateway
software which will allow MajorBBS users to send messages to other
systems and obtain conference postings. The MajorBBS format is
converted to the Fido standard and a separate machine operates as a
Fido bbs to transmit and receive the messages. The Fido machine is now
officially registered on the Internet (worknet.alt.za) and is in daily
contact with MANGO in Harare and the GreenNet Fido gateway in London
via high speed (PEP) modem. An X.25 leased line is already on
premises awaiting the installation of X.25 software and PAD in
September/October.
MANGO is a bulletin board service in Harare, Zimbabwe, operated by a
collective of NGOs:; Africa Information Afrique (a regional news
agency), EMBISA (religious development group), SARDC (Southern African
Research and Documentation Centre), EDICESA (Ecumenical Documentation
and Information Centre for Eastern and Southern Africa), and SAPES
(Southern Africa Press Service). It was recently agreed that the
system be made available to the NGO community as a whole and a fee
structure has been developed. MANGO now connects three times daily
with the Web Fido gateway in Toronto. In addition it connects three
times a day to WorkNet in Johannesburg.
ARSONET is a CIDA professional development project to link the Africa
Regional Standards Authorities in Addis Abbaba-Ethiopia, Nairobi-Kenya
and Cairo-Egypt with Fido networking technology.
In all these networking initiatives users are connecting to their
nearest host node. This provides them with a link to the global network
for receiving or sending private messages and public bulletins via a
gateway operating at the Association for Progressive Communication's
London host - GreenNet. Through this system users in Africa can gain
access to the community of 10,000 NGOs and individuals working in peace,
social development and environmental issues who use the APC network.
With a 2400 baud modem, users are reliably achieving transmission speeds
of 220 characters per second (cps), even on relatively poor phone lines.
Because the messages and files are automatically compressed before
transmission to as little as one third of their original size (and even
more for fixed length record databases - up to 10 times) it is possible
to send or receive about 40,000 characters (about 6,500 words) during a
one minute call. Because the connection between the computers is all
under control of the machine at each end, the only time when the full
220 cps transmission speed is not being achieved is during the first 10-
15 seconds while handshaking between the two computers takes place.
5) Creating African Electronic Mail Host Systems
The methods and systems described above are the early stages of
establishing full electronic mail hosts systems in Africa, owned and
operated by Africans.
Complete electronic mail, computer conferencing and database systems
are now being run on small and relatively inexpensive microcomputers
('286, '386, SPARC based hardware platforms can all be set up for
between $5,000 and $15,000). Locally-based systems such as these can
greatly reduce the costs to the individual user of computer-based
telecommunications. In this case users can make a local phone call and
share the cost of the international connection, rather than all
individuals competing for scarce and expensive international lines.
The benefits of such local operations has been proved by small UNIX
systems installed by the Association for Progressive Communications,
the RIO project in French-speaking countries of Africa and the
Carribbean, and by the Bureau for Latin America of the United Nations
Development Programme in Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador and Costa Rica, and by
BBS systems operating in several Eastern European and African
countries. These benefits include service at a far lower cost than
There is now a variety of software and hardware available for this
purpose. Selection is not easy; some factors to consider include not
just the cost of the original equipment, but the availability of skilled
technical people to maintain the system, the availability of spare
parts, and the cost and availability of technical support from vendors.
The significant barriers to rapid implementation are the need to train
system operators and the high state tariffs on computer and
communications equipment.
The challenges of making this technology work in Africa are balanced by
significant rewards. African countries are in a position to leap-frog
technologies and install relatively sophisticated information technology
now, skipping older, less effective techniques and methods. With this
kind of information system in place, dialogue and information exchange
regionally and internationally can greatly expand, with benefits to
every sector of African development.
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Mike Jensen is a computer engineer based out of London. He was a
founder of Web, a non-profit computer network in Canada, and, while
working at GreenNet in London, developed software to gateway the UNIX
systems of the Association for Progressive Communications with the
FIDO world. Most recently he has been traveling extensively in Africa
setting up small BBS systems and training non-governemtal
organizations to use them.
GreenNet
23 Bevenden Street
London, N1 6BH, ENGLAND
tel: +44-71-608-3040
fax: +44-71-490-4070
email: mikej@gn.apc.org
Geoff Sears is the Director of the Institute for Global Communications
in San Francisco, California. IGC operates the non-profit PeaceNet
and EcoNet international computer networks. IGC is a founding member
of the Association for Progressive Communications, and is currently
involved in the establishment of computer networks in the USSR,
Eastern Europe and Latin America.
Institute for Global Communications
18 de Boom Street, 1st Floor
San Francisco, CA 94107
tel: +1-415-442-0220
fax: +1-415-546-1794
email:gsears@igc.apc.org
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