Mobile Phones Ring in South Sudan's New Era
Excerpts from the article follow:
"The town of Rumbek in southern Sudan is getting used to a sound never heard before - the ringing of a mobile phone....Fighting had left southern Sudan a black spot for telecommunications until August when the region's first mobile phone operator - Network of the World (NOW) - was set up with a multimillion dollar investment. Satellite dishes, generators, computers, a telecoms mast and a wooden shed for an Internet cafe were transported piecemeal to the bush, by convoy and chartered plane. Despite a chronic lack of trained technicians and engineers in southern Sudan, a network was up and running within four months....There are now about 1,000 subscribers to NOW in two towns - Rumbek and Yei, and Richard Herbert, NOW's operations director, is confident that number will increase five-fold by the end of the year. 'Our long-term goal is to get as many mobile phones into people's hands as possible so that relatives abroad can get in touch,' he told Reuters in an interview. 'For most people, receiving phone calls is more important than making them because they don't have the buying power yet.'
...Tariffs for calls to lost friends and family are relatively cheap compared to other African mobile phone operators. However, for the average southerner who must survive on less than $1 a day, the handsets remain a luxury only aid workers, rebel commanders and local government leaders can currently afford. With revenues flowing from the South's oilfields, under the wealth-sharing chapter of the North-South peace pact, that may quickly change. 'Over a five-year period you will see Internet and phone systems in every major center,' Herbert said....His Internet cafe offers free service and attracts 30-40 customers a day who want to check e-mail on its four terminals...
In addition to the existing Internet cafe, Herbert has mapped out a new business center, complete with offices, a conference room and shop spaces, which he is building brick by brick - literally....It is a hard slog, but the work creates jobs in this town of about 100,000 people....Initially, Herbert's men produced only 50 bricks a day. A week later they were making 900 and working toward a target of 2,000-3,000 daily."
Comments
Now that so many digital cellular systems have replaced first-generation analog networks and successfully made the industry the largest consumer electronic market in history, the industry dynamics propel it further, toward the third generation. Wireless mobile and internet communications have a short and very recent influence on our lives, relative to the fixed telephone networks and technologies, which have served the people in the world for over 100 years. How are going to meet this challengies in that war torn Region of the world- the Southern Sudan.
For us the Southern Sudanese in the profession we realy look at this challenge as agreat one to pave the way for rapid development in the region
So,thanks to the efforts taken at this crusial moment in our beloved Southern Sudan region to see communication comming into existance.
Thanks
Baranya Elia Jibi.
Sudatel-Kosti/Sudan
I'M a bit concern about what's happening there in southern sudan .
i grew up there. i mean in the northern side "Khartoum".
left south when i was 5 yers old, then things happens as most of people knows.war,genosides,killing for pleasure,killings for islam,and killing for no reasons.the result was 2.500 m people died or what ever they write it.
all this happens in there.i suffer as well as my family and who ever was around me.bribing by the monsters 'northernes'.what i mean by that is sudanese don't misunderstand me because i know lots of people from south sudan i mean "jenubeen"who have been supporting "Arabs"in what they are doing and they are stil sudanese.
so my point is as "jenubei" is to focase on security because i don't trust any one in south sudan .Why?
because the same people who have been helping "Arabs" are still in power. and south sudan can not run theire system or coutry with outh them.
people should look at very realstic things .
- security"salva Kiir"
-"development" no one "
-distruction"Rick machar","Albino "i don't mean Akol.
_people who are out of the point"me".HAhahahahahahahahahah!!!!!
back to "kosta" or what ever here name is .
here state is a sample of couraption and tribulasim and no womens rights.
i'm gonna ask them a question a bout how those "sp" or service providers are going to get pay.
Contracts,bload suckin, or profit from no were?
build schools man ..
or women so people should know what is "internet".instead of teaching them them how to contact theier backbone"AUS,USA,UK,...." so they can ask for some money.
man internet was a security weapon to comunicate between .........................................................
go to school befor you offer services.
i'm gone now.
Regards,
i suggest for u people to establish intranet and security befor heading to internet.
Website for NOW include next time. I ve searched for the same in ALL the engines i haven't got.
Editor's Note: The NOW website is located here.
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