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Congo has an official web site but is making it hard for private cybercafes
There are a number of businesses in Brazzaville which offer internet services (cybercafes) to private individuals — but they’re having a hard time at the moment. Why? Because the government, through its National Posts and Telecommunications Department (ONPT), is trying to control what’s going on in the private sector. And this at a time when Congo is way behind in the field of communications and new information technology (NTIC).
A commission was established last year to «dot the “i”s and cross the “t”s in so far as this previously unknown technology» is concerned. The Commission summoned a number of companies owning cybercafes which are connected to the service provider, Raga, in neighbouring Kinshasa. The companies’ only «crime», as defined by the Commission, was for providing access to the Internet through Kinshasa. One of the Commission’s by-laws stipulates: «Anyone who has established or who establishes; who has exploited or who exploits without preliminary authorization, a network open to the public; or who maintains such a network, in violation of this Commission’s authorization, will be punished by imprisonment from one month to two years, and to a fine of between 1 million CFA francs and 500 million CFA francs».
Surfers who want to organise themselves into an association, are up in arms at what they describe as «rank injustice». The more so as commission members (mostly civil servants) are not completely «au fait» themselves with the practical aspects of Internet technology. Congolese surfers took the matter in hand in an open letter addressed to the ONPT authorities — a letter published in the weekly La Semaine Africaine. They wrote: «Such sanctions imposed by the Commission are out of all proportion to what we are supposed to have done. Commission members have taken it upon themselves to ignore the realities of internet development in Congo».
A number of firms offering Internet services but which don’t have large financial means and appropriate contacts in high places, have been fined as much as 12 million CFA francs. Unable to pay, many have simply closed down or stopped their services. However, the Internet is an emerging sector of communications’ technology which must be regarded as an opportunity to motivate and stimulate Congo-Brazzaville’s development. But in the Freedom of Information Bill introduced by the Minister of Communications, emphasis is placed on controlling the information highway. The open letter mentioned above, asks: «What will the Commission’s role be in this sector? Is it going to interfere with what we put on the Internet?» The letter stresses that the companies which offer Internet services to Brazzaville through Raga, functioned well — before the ONPT had its own Internet service.
Way behind
Congo-Brazzaville is way behind in the IT sector. It was only on 17 October 1999 that Congo was able to provide its own Internet services through a transmitter of 64 KB, installed in Brazzaville. But the many difficulties of connecting with the Internet, discouraged CONGONET‘s 200 subscribers (November 2000 figures). The ONPT only has facilities for 16 simultaneous connections on its circuits. Which means that a number of companies are getting round these difficulties by subscribing to Kinshasa’s RAGANET.
Even more crucial are CONGONET‘s subscription rates. They’re far to high and so don’t encourage new subscribers. Rather than fixing the tariffs according to the amount of information or to the time of day, the ONPT scales its tariffs according to the following: 49,000 CFA francs per month for an individual subscriber; 90,000 CFA francs for small or medium-sized companies; 180,000 CFA francs for a large company. To these prices must be added the telephone calls’s costs. One surfer describes it as «the most expensive offer in Africa south of the Sahara».
But, why the delay in Congo? There’s a number of reasons. The country never thought to train technicians in this field and an adequate supply of these specialists is still a long way off. Then the products essential to Internet are still a luxury. e.g. the telephone. Congo’s telephone service is notable by its absence. Apart from that, it’s expensive to install and you’ve got to be extremely patient to get connected. There’s first of all a connection fee of 80,000 CFA francs to be paid, then a wait of several months...unless you «know» someone in the ONPT. Plus the fact that during the wars of 1997 and 1998, 80% of the telephone network was destroyed, only part of which has been repaired.
The same goes for electricity which is non-existent for most Congolese. Certain houses could only get it because of the war. They made pirate installations, stealing the current from their neighbours. As for computers, they’re far too expensive. And not everybody is interested in computers. An accountant who is way past fifty years of age, puts it this way: «Look. I’m an accountant. But until now I’ve always worked with pencil and rubber. I don’t have access to data processing. People of my generation are afraid of the screen».
Some bold steps
While waiting for the Internet to stage its own revolution in Congo, some storekeepers have taken the bold step to lift the country from its backwardness, in spite of difficulties and obstacles. They provide electronic mailing services (E-Mail) and offer the public most of the Internet services, i.e. E-Mail, surfing the Web, searching for information. Prices vary from one cybercafe to another. To send an E-Mail costs anything from 1,500 CFA francs to 2,000 CFA francs; to receive an E-Mail — 500 CFA francs to 600 CFA francs. To surf the Web generally costs 1,500 CFA francs for half an hour. Tariffs are two to three times higher at Pointe Noire.
Most of the NTIC‘s clients are students, university professors, journalists. There’s hardly any women. All complain about the excessive cost of Internet services in Congo. Since September 2000, Congo has had its official site launched by the President. The address is: www.congo-site.com. Until then, use was made of sites operated by the Congolese opposition in exile.
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