ITU Regional Seminar for the Africa
Region on Conformance and
Interoperability Testing Centre(s)
Towards Implementation of NGN
Conformance and
Interoperability
Infrastructure in Africa
Eng. Thomas Senaji
ICT Consultant/Senior Expert
tsenaji@gmail.com
+254 722 77 24 00
Accra, Ghana 4-6 July 2011
Preamble
•
Given the potential technical,
commercial and human development
benefits that accrue from NGN
conformity and interoperability (NGN
CI), this paper reiterates the urgent
need to implement NGN test centres in
Africa.
ITU Regional Seminar for the Africa Region on Conformance and Interoperability Testing Centre(s) Accra (Ghana), 4-6 July 2011
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Background
For a number of reasons, historical or
otherwise, some of the ICT systems
deployed in emerging markets have
either been obsolete in the country of
origin or just facing imminent
obsolescence with some production
lines having been closed.
ITU Regional Seminar for the Africa Region on Conformance and Interoperability Testing Centre(s) Accra (Ghana), 4-6 July 2011
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Besides the burden of e-waste thus created,
the existence of such systems in networks
with their attendant limited compatibility with
state of the art systems and with accepted
best-practices curtail the extent to which the
affected countries can access global ICT
wealth (Senaji cited in ITU/BDT NGN
workshop proceedings, Nairobi [August
2010]). They increase costs but compromise
service variety and quality.
ITU Regional Seminar for the Africa Region on Conformance and Interoperability Testing Centre(s) Accra (Ghana), 4-6 July 2011
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The ITU/BDT Workshop on NGN
Conformance and Interoperability
Testing Centre(s): "NGN and
Broadband" was held for three day
from 2nd to 4th August, 2010 in Nairobi,
Kenya. was a response to the need for
NGN Conformance and Interoperability
(NGN CI) in Africa
ITU Regional Seminar for the Africa Region on Conformance and Interoperability Testing Centre(s) Accra (Ghana), 4-6 July 2011
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NGN Conformity and Interoperability
Challenge (Revisited)
Inadequate technical and operational
human capacity
Lack of compatibility among ICT
systems negatively impacts the
development of ICT in Africa and
curtails its contribution to human
development in the continent
• Inadequate NGN Test infrastructure
ITU Regional Seminar for the Africa Region on Conformance and Interoperability Testing Centre(s) Accra (Ghana), 4-6 July 2011
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Importance of NGN Test Centres in
Africa
Conformance and interoperability test
centres will play critical role in ICT
development in Africa, specifically:
Conformance and interoperability will
assist in alleviating the e-waste problem
being experienced in Africa (John Kimbe,
SATA) and that e-waste is a conformance
and interoperability problem.
ITU Regional Seminar for the Africa Region on Conformance and Interoperability Testing Centre(s) Accra (Ghana), 4-6 July 2011
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Conformance and interoperability will
assist in increasing the diffusion of ICT and
its contribution to human development in
Africa and that NGN conformity and
interoperability is a crucial development
issue in the African Continent
ITU Regional Seminar for the Africa Region on Conformance and Interoperability Testing Centre(s) Accra (Ghana), 4-6 July 2011
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Impetus for the NGN CI Test Centres
in Africa
Resolutions by ITU-TSB (WTSA
Johannesburg, Resolution 76) and
WTDC-2010(Rev Hyderabad,
Resolution 47) will go a long way in
assisting Africa to alleviate the
problems associated with lack of NGN
conformance and interoperability.
ITU Regional Seminar for the Africa Region on Conformance and Interoperability Testing Centre(s) Accra (Ghana), 4-6 July 2011
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Impetus for NGI CI cont.
ITU has taken a lead in this area as is evidenced in
the following Actions in Africa as follows:
Regional development forum (Kigali, 2007) with
the theme: Bridging the Standardization Gap in
Developing Countries. The forum reiterated the
importance of standardization and proposed some
of the steps to be taken to bridge the
standardization gap between African and the rest
of the world e.g. by active participation in the
standardization (ITU-T) activities (see also
http://www.itu.int/ITUD/connect/africa/2007/sum
mit/pdf/s4- BridgingICTchairpersonsreport.pdf )
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Observations from previous works on
NGN CI Test beds (ITU/BDT
Workshop, Nairobi, 2-4 August, 2010)
There is an urgent need to have
conformance and interoperability test
centres
The need to address challenge of
financing NGN test centre (s) project
There is urgent requirement for
capacity building due to technological
changes in NGN
ITU Regional Seminar for the Africa Region on Conformance and Interoperability Testing Centre(s) Accra (Ghana), 4-6 July 2011
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Observations cont.
Diversity in the African region in terms
of language, levels of ICT development
in different countries will impact the
implementation of the test centres
There are technical problems
experienced by operators
Work has been done by TSB which the
field study on NGN test centre(s) can
benefit from through collaboration and
synergy
ITU Regional Seminar for the Africa Region on Conformance and Interoperability Testing Centre(s) Accra (Ghana), 4-6 July 2011
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Moving NGN CI Process Forward
(some Issues to be addressed)
Policy and Regulation (including environmental
aspects)
Technical aspects of NGN conformance and
interoperability such as specifications and
operations and maintenance (O&M)
Commercial and financial considerations for NGN
test centre(s)
Human capacity development for NGN test
centre(s)
Consumer issues
Environmental and social impact assessments(ESIA)
ITU Regional Seminar for the Africa Region on Conformance and Interoperability Testing Centre(s)
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Some Suggested Actions
Elaboration of the process of establishing the
test centres
Financing mechanisms for the test centres
Collaboration approaches to be adopted by
the Africa Region
Adoption or adaption of best practices for
establishing conformance and interoperability
test centres in both outside and inside Africa
ITU Regional Seminar for the Africa Region on Conformance and Interoperability Testing Centre(s)
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Suggested actions cont.
Structured process of collection of
relevant reference documents such as
ITU, ISO, IEC, IEEE
Discerning the CI problem in Africa
Economic feasibility for creating
regional laboratories in Africa
ITU Regional Seminar for the Africa Region on Conformance and Interoperability Testing Centre(s) Accra (Ghana), 4-6 July 2011
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Some enablers of NGN CI in Africa
cont.
Supporting Infrastructure-In order to realise
the NGN test beds there is need for institutional
infrastructure to operationalise the NGN conformity
and interoperability programme.
investment funding for the NGN test centres
needs to be worked out in order to realise the test
infrastructure.
human capacity building is equally crucial to
ensure that there are qualified people in the region
to operate the NGN test centre
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Multi-stakeholder win-win partnership
Policy makers: policies supportive of NGN
CI
Regulators: enforcement NGN CI
requirements
Consumers/consumer organizations: to
be discerning and vigilant
Vendors/ technology suppliers:
deepening collaboration with regard to NGN
CI while at the same time competing on
other fronts such as speed of delivery of
solutions and after sales support.
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REFERENCES
• ITU website (2007). “Making Sense of the Linkage between
Standardisation and Development in Developing Countries”,
Online:
http://www.itu.int/ITUD/connect/africa/2007/summit/pdf/s4BridgingICTchairpersonsreport.pdf
• Senaji, T.A. (2009). “Analysis of Factors Affecting the
Implementation of ICT by Network Operators in Kenya”.
Quarterly Journal of Practice, Vol. 1, No. 1, Kenya Methodist
University
• ITU RDF (Kigali, October 2007). Online:
http://www.itu.int/ITUD/ connect/africa/2007/summit/pdf/s4BridgingICTchairpersonsreport.pdf
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REFRENCES cont.
•
ITU RDF (Accra, May 2008). Linkage between ICT
standardization and development: The case of developing
countries, Online:
http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itut/oth/26/04/T26040000010001PDFE.pdf
• ITU RDF (Lusaka, May 2009. Online:
http://www.itu.int/ITUD/tech/DevelopmentForums/2009/AFR/P
resentations/Session3/RDF09_AFR_Presentation_TSenaji_3.pdf
ITU/BDT Workshop on NGN Conformance and
Interoperability Testing Centre(s):"NGN and Broadband"
Nairobi (Kenya) 2-4 August 2010
ITU Regional Seminar for the Africa Region on Conformance and Interoperability
Testing Centre(s) - Accra (Ghana), 4-6 July 2011
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