VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLGB #0493/01 1431410
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231410Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4173
RUCPDOC/DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0870
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM 0875
RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA 0062
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 1604
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA 0212
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 1796
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0235

UNCLAS KIGALI 000493 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/C 
DEPARTMENT PASS USTDA: URSULA ISZLER, DOUG SHUSTER 
DEPARTMENT PASS USTR: WJACKSON 
DEPARTMENT PASS COMMERCE FOR RTELCHIN, DAN HURLEY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EFIN ECON ECPS PGOV EINV ETRD EPET BTIO RW
SUBJECT: RWANDA HOSTS EAST AFRICA BROADBAND CONFERENCE 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY.  The GOR, in conjunction with the U.S. government, 
hosted an East African Broadband workshop in Kigali from May 8-10 to 
produce a roadmap for expanding broadband connectivity in East 
Africa. 
 
¶2. President Kagame opened a two-day East African Broadband workshop 
jointly hosted by the GOR and the USG, underscoring his leadership 
on information and communication technology (ICT) issues and 
stressing that the region should work together for a harmonized ICT 
policy.  The workshop assembled key ICT stake holders from Kenya, 
Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi to deliberate on the way 
forward and to share solutions on how to overcome the bottlenecks 
that hinder the growth and development of broadband internet 
connectivity. Ambassador David Gross, the U.S. Coordinator for 
International Communications and Information Policy, led the USG 
delegation to the conference on behalf of the President's Digital 
Freedom Initiative, accompanied by representatives from USTDA, NTIA 
at Commerce, the FCC, and private-sector companies Cisco Systems and 
Intel. 
 
¶3. Following the two-day workshop, the Global Digital Freedom 
Initiative (GDFI) hosted a roundtable to examine specific steps that 
ICT businesses and governments in East Africa could take to remove 
or relax impediments to broadband deployment. 
 
¶4.  The following is the text of the joint communiqu by ICT 
Ministers and senior officials from Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, 
and Tanzania, signed on May 9, 2007 in Kigali: 
 
 Implementation of a Unified policy on East Africa Broadband 
Connectivity 
Noting that the representatives from the Governments of Rwanda, 
Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania gathered in Kigali, Rwanda, May 
8-9, 2007 at a workshop, to discuss avenues for accelerating the 
deployment of broadband connectivity in East Africa; 
Appreciating that the event was co-hosted by the Government of 
Rwanda and the U.S. Digital Freedom Initiative, a public-private 
partnership with support from the U.S. Department of State, USTDA, 
Federal Communications Commission, U.S. Department of Commerce, and 
USAID along with Cisco Systems; 
Recalling that the participants were urged by President Paul Kagame 
of Rwanda during his opening remarks to make significant progress 
during the workshop; 
Also recalling the extensive discussions held between the 
Delegations of Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda, and the 
support given by the US Government and its associated Federal 
Agencies; 
Understanding that  Information and Communication Technology (ICT) 
offers opportunities to impact all aspects of society including 
connecting rural areas and schools, supporting and strengthening the 
private sector including job creation, enhancing government 
provision of services, allowing institutions of higher education to 
access and share research, improving the delivery of health care 
services, and facilitating the free flow of information; 
Reaffirming  the urgent need to increase broadband access in the 
region to drive economic, social and political growth and the desire 
to complement other initiatives in the region; 
Appreciating that a good network backbone is crucial for the 
economic development of our region; 
Emphasizing the use of ICTs for development and that in order to 
realize some of the UN MDGs for our region, our governments have to 
play a role in rolling out infrastructure to create an enabling 
environment for private-public partnerships; 
 
And therefore 
Realizing the goals given as a challenge by President Kagame in his 
opening statement to the participants that there be a common goal to 
expand broadband connectivity in the region, it was agreed by the 
Governments of Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda that: 
 
¶1. Progress must be made to bring undersea fiber optic cable systems 
and backbone connections to the region as quickly as possible; 
 
¶2. Discussions with all potential submarine cable systems including 
the East African Submarine System (EASSy), the East Africa Marine 
System (TEAMS), and others, should aim to meet the requirements of 
all public and private stakeholders; 
 
¶3. TEAMS has made significant progress and as such it will be fast 
tracked. Within a week, TEAMS will incorporate the countries in the 
 
 
region and request nominations to the technical team from East 
African countries. TEAMS will provide a briefing of regional 
governments about the technical, legal and investment details with a 
view to seeking inputs from regional partners within the next four 
to six weeks; 
 
¶4. In an effort to build technical capacity to support the 
deployment of broadband and submarine cable networks, the U.S. 
Digital Freedom Initiative and its partners including USTTI and 
USTDA will work together to offer training on interconnection, 
transiting, long-term cable maintenance and spectrum management 
issues for regulatory agencies, ministries and others i 
n the region. 
In service training and attachments in the US in key technological 
areas was emphasized. Exposure to US working culture & ethics to be 
part of training.  Resources under the World Bank financed Regional 
Communication Infrastructure Program shall also be utilized towards 
the training. The East African governments will make nominations 
within the next three months; 
 
¶5. The EAC should adopt  an open access policy for backbone networks 
and agree they should be operated on a non-discriminatory manner 
based on a cost model that is sustainable, which supports regional 
interconnectivity and allows for high end usage that is affordable 
to the end users within three months; 
 
¶6. East African governments will work through the EAC towards 
harmonizing regulatory policies in order to facilitate successful 
expansion of broadband infrastructure within three months; 
 
¶7. The EAC will develop a regional connectivity vision for an 
Eastern Loop with the understanding that each nation will develop 
its own segment; 
 
¶8. Permanent Secretaries, Secretary Generals and Regulators from the 
region should ensure that the objectives are met and report back to 
their governments. The EAC should convene a review meeting within 
three months from the date of this communique to review progress on 
the resolutions above. 
 
 
¶5.  This cable has been cleared by the office of Ambassador David 
Gross - EB/CIP. 
 
ARIETTI