Re: Money Matters Re: The AfriNIC Business Plan V.0

["Adiel A. AKPLOGAN" <akp-adiel at cafe.tg>]

Hello

Let us be realistik, it is true that the price is an important issue for
our "African" ISP company, and at the same time we need the
same service and commodity like "developped" ISP! Right and
normal ;-).  

But we have to be constructive, I think we should take the problem by
other hand than just focussing ourself on arguing why we "can or can
not pay 4200 Euros". We can take a whole life to argu and debat
it!...For exemple in my own vue, paying ~450 eur/mont for Ip service is
not "realy" too much for a company capable to pay at less two
differents Internet connections...there are many way to share the cost on
final users fee .... anyway let me take the problem on this 
way,

First proposition:
First is that the  4200 eur contain a signup fee (2100 eur - One
time) and annual service fee (2100 eur) that mean realy the final annual
fee is 2100 eur (~200 eur/momth). Let us cut down the signup fee and give
facility to ISP for payment, and by the way cut down our expense for the
firsts years. I propose this:

A- cut down a bit the signup fee to 1500 eur (500 gain)
B- live the service fee as what it is, but allow ISP to pay in quaterly
basis (525 eur avery three months). 
what give at the registration step avery memebr will ahve to pay only1500
+ 525eur (2025 eur) and 525 euro avery tree month after.
At the same time we cut dow meeting fee for the first year and second yer
to $20000, and mngt also to 20000.

2nd Proposition if we can't do it by the first way,
Let us use then the "bootstrap process" idea to ask fonder
member to support the process at the befgining by paying the same rate as
require on RIPE policy. But ofer them the possibility to have a special
kind of "financial bonus" after the third year (allowing only
fonding member to pay less the fourth year) when our resevre become
acceptable and Afrinic become auto-sustainable...

....did I say something nonsense???????????

--Adiel


> I'm sorry to say but I still
> disagree. This is a *fundamental* point. Let me be a little more
> candid... 
>
> ISPKenya started the RIPE LIR process many months ago. The invoice for
> initial services came in at slightly over 4000 euros. The financial
> controller almost collapsed when I asked him to pay. I went back to RIPE
> and negotiated to pay in quarterly installments, the invoce came to
> slightly over 2500 euros, since then I have been unable to convince the
> financial people to fork up the money to pay for the address space. And
> still have to go on my knees to my three upstream providers begging for
> more address space. (I am currently using a full /21 of space and have
> just requested an additional /22) Not to mention the nightmare of 
> coordinating address space from three different sources.
>
> ISPKenya is not a small ISP by Kenyan standards, we are among the more
> "successful" ISPs but due to the limited nature of the market
> and the plunging economy, have to watch the bottom line very closely. In
> other words, the Financial Controller has (almost) absolute authority.
> Truth is, we live and operate in a developing country. I know this is
> true of many other operators in other countries, Malawi, Zimbabwe,
> Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda...through personal interaction with
> their CEOs.
>
> AFRINIC WILL EITHER RISE OR FALL BASED ON WHAT THE CHARGES FOR MEMBERSHIP
> AND SERVICE ARE.
>
> I agree that the procedures, standards of operation and policies that
> RIPE holds are admirable - and we should emulate and mirror their
> excellence as much as possible, but we must also realise that we live in
> a (totally) different world and must try not to be like the Joneses and
> live within our means.
>
> It has been indicated that the existing LIRs can continue to pay what
> they have been used to paying...fine... but that makes Afrinic an elitist
> club where only the "big guns" can get address space. (BTW I
> wouldn't be surprised if it's the big guns who are pushing this approach
> because that leaves them on better footing.)
>
> No ISP in Africa is in this thing for charity, profit is the motivator.
> what would stop me from simply getting my address space from ARIN or RIPE
> because I like them better if AFRINIC charges the same fees (if I could
> afford it)?
>
> Deciding at this late stage to charge the same as RIPE or ARIN has the
> potential of breaking down the level of consensus that has taken many
> years of hard work to build among the operators.
>
> If we're going to do it, let's do it right. I hope that as the Business
> and Financial Committee draws up their plans they take keen note of these
> comments and make sure that they prove us proud.
>
> Many regards,
>
> Longwe
>
>
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ATTENTION: Changement de numerotation au TOGO a compter du 01 Octobre 2001
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