NetTel

For additional information, visit the home site for the NetTel@Africa programme
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Download this brochure in pdf 3.7MB or
review our project reports.

NetTel@Africa is a comprehensive capacity-building strategy focused on improving the use of information communication technologies (ICT) to achieve socio-economic development goals in Africa. More than a strategy, NetTel@Africa is an international Network of government officials, academics, researchers, service providers, consumers and civil society.

The overall goal of the NetTel Network is to make the provision of ICT more efficient and ubiquitous to all citizens in Africa. Achievement of the goal will require improved policy and regulatory reform and increased private sector investment in ICT (telecommunications sector). The NetTel Network seeks to strengthen the capabilities of policy making and regulatory bodies, private sector operators, consumer advocacy groups, and academic institutions that assist with sustained capacity building in the ICT sector. The NetTel Network operates four concurrent components:

  1. International Peer-to-Peer Programme for Regulators of ICT
  2. Community-to-Community Programme for development projects
  3. Research Programme for Strategic ICT Policies
  4. Training Programme in ICT Policy and Regulation

The impetus to establish the NetTel Network was a request by the Telecommunications Regulators Association of Southern Africa (TRASA) for more coordinated training in advanced ICT policy and regulation. The following institutions are currently members of the NetTel Network:

African Universities & Training Institutes

Non-African Universities & Training Institutes

International Resource Partners

Peer-to-Peer Programme

The Peer-to-Peer (P2P) exchanges focus on three types of relationships among and between Africans and the U.S.: academic-to-academic (closely tied to the training program above); regulator-to-academic (linked to the training program); and regulator-to-regulator (fostering reciprocity agreements for training and knowledge sharing between regulatory bodies in Africa and the U.S.).

A discussion forum supporting the international peer-to-peer program is available in two languages (English and French) at http://cbdd8721.cahe.wsu.edu/

Community-to-Community Programme

The Community-to Community (C2C) networks demonstrates the relationship between telecommunications policy and regulations with key sectors critical to the economic development process, particularly education. The C2C networks will help policy makers and regulators understand the concrete ICT applications and implications of legislation on universal access policies and funds.

Research Programme

The Research Program focuses on monitoring and evaluation concerns. It is anticipated that additional funding will be leveraged to conduct research on two key impact questions: 1) Does policy make a difference in the performance of the telecommunications sector?; 2) How does improved performance of the telecommunications sector translate to benefits at key sectors, especially education, at all levels?

NetTel's Training Programme

Originally developed as a Training Programme for telecommunications regulators, many non-regulatory professionals involved with telecommunications benefit from this program. The Training Program is comprised of three levels: 1) the NetTel Seminar Series, 2) a Post-Graduate Diploma, and 3) a Masters Degree. Participation in one of NetTel's Training Programme options is designed to enable non-regulators to understand the need for policy and regulators to understand the technical, legal, commercial and management aspects of telecommunication regulation. This training programme targets individuals who have interests in telecommunications policy and regulation. Particular stakeholders this programme targets includes government officials, ministerial staff, regulators, service providers, and consumer activists. This programme is entirely based in Africa; however, students from non-African nations are encouraged to participate.

The NetTel Seminar Series offers a variety of intensive training opportunities that focus on emerging topics such as convergence of technologies, interconnection, licensing simulations, and universal access strategies. Each NetTel Seminar is hosted by a national or regional regulatory association and the participants receive a certificate of attendance.

The Post Graduate Diploma is hosted by a consortium of African universities and includes ten core courses. Each course has been developed through a collaboration between African and non-African academic and regulatory partners. The goal of this curriculum is to enable African telecommunications regulatory communities to draft advanced level policies that will lead to effective and efficient telecommunications markets. The overall purpose of this program is to beneficially impact social and economic development in communities through the application of ICT.

The Masters Degree builds on the Post Graduate Diploma and is also hosted by the same consortium of African universities. Students pursuing the Masters Degree must successfully complete the Post Graduate Diploma and then take an additional four courses at the Masters level (including a graduate research methods course) and complete a major research project that usually results in a thesis.

The eLearning design used by the Training Programme was chosen because it enable the distribution of learning resources (expert instructional staff, content, learning materials) across large geographic areas at minimal costs. eLearning, as used by NetTel, is the effective teaching and learning process created by combing digital content with local community and tutor support along with global community engagement. NetTel accomplishes this design through the use of several digital tools:

  1. NetTel's KEWL web site. This site retains the latest version of all course content and provides a number of Internet-based interactive teaching and learning tools.
  2. CD-ROM versions of the KEWL web site. These CD-ROMS provide a static version of the course content available on KEWL as well as links to "live" Internet-based applications.
  3. Low bandwidth interactive options for e-mail, discussion forums, and list serves.

The eLearning curriculum design requires the active participation of all students. Without interaction, the quality of the learning environment is diminished. For this reason, a large portion of student assessment is based on participation. Extensive participation can be a challenge for students who are also fully employed. Responding to this challenge, the Training Programme is designed to be flexible in terms of residence requirements and course times. In many situations, students will be able complete course work during times that are most convenient to them. However, all courses do have deadlines for assignments, assessments and other course activities.

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