Building Africa’s digital future

Building Integrated ICT InfrastructureTuesday 15th April

2014

Introduction – Liquid TelecomBuilding Africa's Digital Future

Ben RobertsLiquid Telecom Group - Director of Network StrategyLiquid Telecom Kenya – Acting CEO• Liquid Telecom was founded in 2002.• Traditionally a satellite and voice operator.• In 2010 we launched high speed cross border fiber network linking Southern

Africa to the rest of the world.• We have since grown to owning over 17,000 km of fiber built in Africa and

currently running live traffic with further construction projects underway making it Africa’s largest international fiber network.

• Liquid Telecom Kenya (LTK) is a “Full Service, Data Communications Carrier” registered and licensed by the Communications Commission of Kenya in January 2003 as a “Public Data Network Operator” (PDNO) Following successful acquisition of KDN by Liquid Telecom Group in March 2013.

• Liquid Telecom is present in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Southern DRC, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa.

Our VisionBuilding Africa's Digital Future

Building Integrated ICT Infrastructure

There is Building to be done but this is for the long term – Infrastructure Needs

• Built to Last• Built to ‘first world standards’• Built to grow with the needs

of the customer/consumer• Network Operations and

design to maintain reliability• Sustainable Business Model• Diverse range of services to

serve customer base and generate revenue

• Appropriate Financing Model• Skills development and

transfer• Services to ‘fill the pipe’

Foundations - Infrastructure

Foundations – Robust and Reliable Network Infrastructure – Fibre Backbone

• Buried Ducted fibre 1 to 1.2m deep

• Or OPGW on HV Power lines

• Nodes have High Availability Power Systems

• Next Generation SDH and DWDM

• High speeds on all routes• Ring protection• Backed up with NOC, and

field engineering• Metro rings in the cities

Foundations – Robust and Reliable Network Infrastructure – Complimentary Access Technologies• FTTB – Corporate and Enterprise• FTTB – Wholesale and Carrier• FTTX – Consumer Urban• Wireless WIMAX/LTE/3G – Consumer• Integrated Entertainment IPTV, DTT, DTH - Consumer• Geostationary Satellites (VSAT) – Suburban and Rural

Consumer, enterprise, corporate• Unlicensed Spectrum – Wifi• TV Whitespace• Balloons, drones, next generation satellites

Foundations – Robust and Reliable Network Infrastructure – Data Centres

• Reliable power• HVAC – Sufficient cooling

capacity• Physical security• Connectivity• To be maintainable

without risk• To adhere to standards of

tidiness• Support• Fire prevention• Security of Tenure

Foundations – Robust and Reliable Network Infrastructure – Economy of Scale • ‘Critical Mass’ of Coverage

• Portfolio of services• Future Proof Technology• One Seamless Network• Route Diversity,

protection, Disaster recovery

• Shared resources and skills• Connected Data centres• Connection to multiple sub

sea systems• Connections at multiple

peering points

Foundations – Efficient Scalable Design Technology

• SDH – Fast becoming a legacy• DWDM – Expansible Future

Proof unlimited bandwidth• IP/MPLS – Flexible and scalable• EoIP – ‘Everything over IP’• GPON - 4G&5G - VSAT - G.Fast• Innovation – Africa’s award

winning longest fiber spans• ‘First world’ design

principles….. Adapted for developing countries!

• Mix of latest technologies, advantage of skipping a legacy architecture

Foundations – Network and Service Operations

• Local Field Operations• 24/7/365• SLA and vendor management

for 3rd party contractors• Local, Regional and

International Network Operations Centres (NOC)

• Local customer Service Operations Centres (SOC)

• Sales and account management

• Customer centric business operations

• Service delivery and activation• Accurate and on time billing

Pillars - Services

Pillars – Services- Open Access High Speed Trunking and Interconnect for Operators

• Open Access• Different levels of deregulation and market maturity in

different countries• Different Types of Operators• National incumbent Telco or PTO• MNO or Pan African network as part of a larger group• Independent MNO or Independent Entrepreneurial ISP• International Global Carrier• Reseller/Small Service Provider• Reseller/Retail Channel – ISP, ICT Business,

Government/county opportunities• Services – Trunking IPLC/NLC, IP Transit, last Mile

access, white label, voice interconnect

Pillars – Services- Reliable Managed network Services for Enterprise, Corporate and Government

• Customers want reliable, secure, fast branch to branch communications

• Support business services, voice, video, security, SAP/ERP, email, centralized access policy

• Potential Growth in bandwidth demand is huge. Empty pipes. Nairobi has large high rise office buildings running tens of Mbps.

• Expected growth in ICT spend to transform business operations• Ethernet and Managed MPLS and internet are the technology products

of choice• Business can then run just about any application or service they like

over that• IaaS, SaaS, applications, backup, storage, disaster recovery in the data

centre cloud• Kenya is one of the leading nations in Africa’s Internet Economy,

expect to see continued rapid growth

Pillars – Services- Affordable fast (enough) services for citizens

• Small to medium sized business, home user, home worker/small office, mobile user, occasional user (cyber café), school

• Internet, entertainment, education, social media, communications, e-commerce

• High speed access services are where most investment is needed but a variety of technologies will deliver the throughput given the demand and affordability over the full country coverage zone

• Social media and video/entertainment is driving the development of the internet in terms of bandwidth growth

• In Africa (and most of the rest of the world) other mediums are still carrying bulk of video traffic

• Other content services, e-government, connected workforce, education, healthcare, banking/mobile money will drive the need to be connected

• People will only spend what they can afford from their disposable income

Implementation

Implementation

• Financing• Planning and Strategy – Best Expert Team• Selection of partners, contractors, vendors• Management of partners, contractors, vendors• Network build out project Management• Innovation• Standards and Quality Control• Breaking Barriers

Building Africa’s digital future

Thank you