The 1st eLearning Eastern Africa Conference & Exhibition

The 1st eLearning Eastern Africa Conference & Exhibition took place on the 6th & 7th December 2010 at KICC Nairobi.

The Launch saw various stakeholders both in the public and private sector in eLearning come together to discuss the progress made so far, challenges faced and the opportunities that lie ahead.

In order to realize a holistic view of eLearning solution for the education sector, the event brought together technology vendors & innovators, policy makers, financial institutions and the education fraternity. The two day event e the participants engage in discussions revolving around:- Importance of infrastructure in the success of eLearning initiatives The role of government in nurturing and sustaining ICT4Education initiatives Ongoing projects that are piloting the use of various technologies for education Localized digital content and learning management systems that are available to education institutions Challenges faced by education institutions when acquiring eLearning Solutions Best practices, lesson learnt and success stories from various eLearning and ICT4Development projects

Speaking at the same event, Kenya ICT Board chief executive Mr Paul Kukubo said that according to latest Global Industry Analysis Report on eLearning, the demand for the services and solutions would be US $ 100 billion by 2015. “The growth for eLearning stands at 34 per cent in Asia while Africa’s growth stands at 7 per cent – an indication of a huge opportunity as the continent’s rate of growth is less than the global average,” noted Mr Kukubo, adding that the results of the report present an opportunity for increased tools to enable eLearning. The eLearning Eastern Africa conference has brought together a host of various industry thought leaders in the education sector to share knowledge and best practices on e-Learning, including school heads, university and college administrators, development partners and other stakeholders in the education sector and aims to spearhead the adaption of eLearning strategies that will ensure quality and affordable education for all as per the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The event is organized by East African ICT Exhibitions & Conferences and hosted by Smoothtel & Data Solutions Ltd.

Speaking at the same event, Kenya ICT Board chief executive Mr Paul Kukubo said that according to latest Global Industry Analysis Report on eLearning, the demand for the services and solutions would be US $ 100 billion by 2015.

“The growth for eLearning stands at 34 per cent in Asia while Africa’s growth stands at 7 per cent – an indication of a huge opportunity as the continent’s rate of growth is less than the global average,” noted Mr Kukubo, adding that the results of the report present an opportunity for increased tools to enable eLearning.

The eLearning Eastern Africa conference has brought together a host of various industry thought leaders in the education sector to share knowledge and best practices on e-Learning, including school heads, university and college administrators, development partners and other stakeholders in the education sector and aims to spearhead the adaption of eLearning strategies that will ensure quality and affordable education for all as per the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The event is organized by East African ICT Exhibitions & Conferences and hosted by Smoothtel & Data Solutions Ltd.

Smoothtel delivers powerful, reliable and scalable IP communications to drive your 21st century business

The Alcatel-Lucent OmniPCX Enterprise Communication Server (CS) 

is a highly scalable solution based on a pure software communication server platform that provides multimedia call processing for both Alcatel-Lucent and third-party clients/phones including TDM, IP and SIP. This rich call-handling application delivers world-class business telephony features for medium, large, and very large sized companies and offers a choice of either centralized or decentralized IP telephony solutions.

The Alcatel-Lucent OmniPCX Enterprise CS provides the building blocks for any IP and/or legacy communications solution, incorporating the latest Linux, XML, SIP, VXML technologies, and open standard practices such as QSIG, H.323, CSTA, and SIP. It offers broad scalability ranging from 10 to 100,000 users who can be spread across multiple geographical sites. Plus, it offers highly reliable, real-time, carriergrade performance solutions with an unmatched 99.999% uptime.

The Alcatel-Lucent OmniPCX Enterprise offers:

• Architectural flexibility, which enables centralized or decentralized IP configurations, a choice of IP, IP/TDM or TDM, which minimizes additional investment, and at the same time, ensures interoperability through support of open standards. The Alcatel-Lucent OmniPCX Enterprise provides SIP at the core, enabling a smooth migration at your own pace, when and where it makes financial sense. 
• Simplified management, because the same network management software is used across the enterprise, independent of the underlying infrastructure. The Alcatel-Lucent OmniVista Network Management System is a single, open management platform designed to manage and control a global, OmniPCX IP communication solution.
• Intelligent networking, reducing the cost to support all users at different sites. For instance, feature transparency across servers, or advanced route selection (ARS) is available from any site without having to duplicate the software at each site. A single image across fully networked servers provides simplified management of large and very large configurations.
• Openness, interoperability and integrated solutions. The OmniPCX Enterprise integrates open standards and state-of-the-art technologies to provide a very flexible solution. Alcatel-Lucent helps maximize customer investment returns by simplifying the interworking and integration of its solutions within existing or future communication environments. This is supported by hundreds of applications validated through the Alcatel-Lucent Application Partner Program (AAPP).

FINANCIAL BENEFITS

A rapid and measurable return on investment and visible savings:

• Shared bandwidth in multi-site networking yields 5% to 30% savings in subscription and communication costs
• Centralizing applications yields 5% to 20% savings in carrier subscription and communication costs   
• Integrated management of data and voice networks yields 10% to 40% savings
• Centralized maintenance, upgrades and related operations yield 5% to 20% savings
• Moves, adds and changes (MACs) yield 20% to 30% savings – 30% to 60% savings in cabling!
• Fixed/mobile convergence solutions (cellular extension and dual-mode WiFi/SIP) yield 10% to 20% savings of cellular costs 
• Embedded IP contact center improves customer satisfaction from have a faster response 
• Smooth migration path yields 20% to 50% savings in PBX annual hardware investment

...the world’s leading IP communications platform for medium-sized to very large enterprises.

For more details contact us through:

Tel: +254 20 8000222 

Cell: +254 7361163

Email: info@smoothtel.com

www.smoothtel.com

eAgriculture, Smoothtel at 2010 Nairobi Trade Fair

From 27th September to 3rd October 2010, Smoothtel will unveil all its green ICT solutions at the Nairobi International Trade Fair. This is going to be a great occasion where Kenya and the international community will come to appreciate our strength in enhancing the digital economy.

The application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in agriculture is increasingly important.

eAgriculture is an emerging field focusing on the enhancement of agricultural and rural development through improved information and communication processes. More specifically, eAgriculture involves the conceptualization, design, development, evaluation and application of innovative ways to use information and communication technologies (ICT) in the rural domain, with a primary focus on agriculture. eAgriculture is a relatively new term and we fully expect its scope to change and evolve as our understanding of the area grows.

eAgriculture is one of the action lines identified in the declaration and plan of action of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The "Tunis Agenda for the Information Society," published on 18 November 2005, emphasizes the leading facilitating roles that UN agencies need to play in the implementation of the Geneva Plan of Action. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been assigned the responsibility of organizing activities related to the action line under C.7 ICT Applications on eAgriculture.

With the theme: Driving Agri-Business In Attaining Food Sufficiency And Vision 2030, Smoothtel will showcase how agritechnology is crucial in realizing this theme to fruition. We have a firm belief that there can be no meaningful agribusiness devoid of technological nuance, more specifically ICT's. We believe an empowered farmer, armed with the soft skills will be an advantage to this economy hemmed on business processing outsourcing.

Farmers operate in a dynamic environment where new technologies are continuously being developed and therefore have to be made available to them at least cost. Farmer-agribusiness linkages have an in-built extension component as part of the relationship. This is an important feature serving both parties positively as it ensures that farmers are producing quality and types required by the market. In the case of internationally traded commodities, this ensures that farmers’ production systems comply with international specifications. In situations where the technologies for production are patented, this ensures that there is no illegal transfer of material to non- contracted members. To achieve this, Smoothtel intends to empower the farmer to embrace technology.

Kenya today is still largely agribased economy. We at Smoothtel still want it to play this role. However, we strongly recommend and will partake as a catalyst to nuance this to technology. We want each farmer to be eLiterate and have a computer connected to the Internet. This tool is crucial in skimming the markets and appreciating the best practices for food security.

Our labour force, we appreciate, can only be productive when it is fed and healthy. Smoothtel will show that ICT is a friend of Agriculture.

We welcome you to our stand.

Sam Ongoro
Business Development & Marketing Manager
Smoothtel.
Your ICT integrator.
The Customer Is Always Right!

SmoothHEALTH

Smoothtel has done it again for the health facilities! Apart from the ongoing Smoothtel-Tandberg/Cisco Telemedicine, Smoothtel has now partnered with Omnicell to deploy the latest health technology known as Automated Medication Dispensing Systems.

SmoothHEALTH, Smoothtel's health solutions under Telemedicine, is now focused on automating medication dispensing systems with advanced, flexible systems for management of medication and to help ensure patient safety by minimizing medication errors to near zero. The system monitor and control medication dispensing to health the caregivers( doctors, nurses and the pharmacist) comply with regulations while they are able to reduce the time they spend in doing administrative tasks and find more time to spend with their patients to help improve patient care, the core business of any hospitals.

This hi-tech still has numerous benefits that include inter alia:

• Ease of Use:Preferred by nurses and pharmacists, Omnicell dispenser provide quick, convenient access to medications and great reporting tools with the touch of a few buttons. The software user interface is immensely intuitive and easy to use;
• Guiding Lights: This equipment has guiding lights that show specific location of each medication. These lights guide the nurses to the correct medication for a specific patient during dispensing, returning and restocking.
• Flexibility: Omnicell offers a variety of automated medication dispensing systems that work with a lot of drawer-type combinations, offering highly configurable options to suit specific needs of each site. Users will determine what they need and what security level is best for that area: high, low, low, or a combination of both;
• Advanced Server Capabilities: SmoothHealth-Omnicell System Server(SHoSS) enables caregivers to spend less time on administrative tasks through time saving techniques that include automatically scheduled reports, e-mailed reports, and exported to Microsoft Excel for data analyses. The system's information management tools include compliance and accountability for health standards and ethic regulations;
• Foolproof accountability of drugs: This solution makes it impossible for anyone to misaccount for drugs. There has been concern, especially in the public hospitals that drugs meant for these hospitals find themselves in private clinics or pharmacies! Omnicell cancels this possibility and throws insensitive health workers out of business. Now Smoothtel has solved the government's headache by ensuring that the billions of dollars/shillings spent on drugs for the health of the nation actually do exactly that.

Smoothtel is soon launching this with Kenyan leading hospitals. Most of the CEO's of the hospitals opine that they have had gazillion cases of drug misaccounting and difficulty in tracking patient care and drug dispensing. Yes, Smoothtel through its international technology partners have got it. Soon, these concerns are going to be wiped out and so are others. Hospitals will save real money for this. We save our health institutions from runaway malpractices that bedevil the health of these health institutions. We have a cure for the ailing health institutions, though SmoothHEALTH, your health is restored. For serious ones, we will make you more efficient and by extension save lives. eHealth through SmoothHEALTH is the way to go.

I welcome all health institutions to register with us to secure a survey schedule by a team of our engineers to come and assess their eReadiness to deploy this ePharmacy solution.

Welcome to the technology hub of East and Central Africa, Smoothtel.

For more information, visit our site: www.smoothtel.com or
e-mail at: info@smoothtel.com or sam.ongoro@smoothtel.com or marketing@smoothtel.com.

Sincerely,

Sam Ongoro, B.A( Hons), PGDE, Dip(BAD), Dip.(SA), Executive MBA
Business Development& Marketing Manager

Smoothtel & Data Solutions Ltd.

Plantronics Joins Newly Launched UCIF To Advance Unified Communications Interoperability

Plantronics recently announced its memebership in the newly formed Unified Communications Interoperability Forum (UCIF). They join founding members- HP, Juniper Networks, Logitech/LifeSize Communications, Microsoft and Polycom, as well as Acme Packet, Aspect, AudioCodes, Broadcom, BroadSoft, Brocade, ClearOne, Jabra, RADVISION, Siemens Enterprise Communications, and Teliris.

Recognizing that seamless interoperability based on open standards is one of the key requirements to drive UC further into today’s enterprises, UCIF members will collaborate to overcome existing interoperability barriers to widespread UC adoption and deliver a reliable and rich UC experience, with the goal of propelling worldwide enterprise UC adoption.

As unified communications gains momentum, businesses are experiencing the challenges of integrating hardware and software solutions from multiple vendors, making the UCIF initiative critical for successful deployments. By eliminating interoperability issues, the UCIF and Plantronics will help IT departments speed UC deployments and eliminate costs, while delivering exceptional end-user experiences.

At Smoothtel, we believe interoperability is not only critical to customer success for deploying unified communications but intrinsic to the delivery of legacy, current and next-generation UC tools, services and infrastructure from multiple vendors.

Plantronics have taken a leading role by joining the UCIF. Together, these companies will help drive industry-wide adoption of open standards and develop programs that put accountability on the vendors and provide peace of mind and investment protection for end customers – something that will surely accelerate adoption of UC technologies.

About the Unified Communications Interoperability Forum

The Unified Communications Interoperability Forum (UCIF) is a non-profit alliance of worldwide communications technology leaders working together to realize the potential of unified communications (UC) by increasing efficiency, decreasing implementation costs and improving the interoperability experience for UC customers.

The UCIF’s vision is to enable interoperability of standards-based UC hardware and software across enterprises, service providers, and consumer clouds, as a means of generating incremental business opportunity for all stakeholders in the ecosystem and of increasing the business use of UC technologies and services. The UCIF creates and tests interoperability profiles, implementation guidelines and best practices for interoperability between UC products and existing communications and business applications. Visit www.ucif.org to learn more.

Don’t compromise on the performance of your audio solution – insist on Plantronics.

By Wycliff M.

www.smoothtel.com | plantronics@smoothtel.com | wycliff.mokaya@smoothtel.com

Face-to-face link with MP at the touch of a button

Face-to-face link with MP at the touch of a button

(PHOTO: Karachuonyo MP James Rege (left) and Smoothtel business development manager Sam Ongoro stand next to the satellite dish outside the CDF offices during the launch of the teleconferencing facility in the constituency.)

A conference hall fitted with a huge screen is all constituents will need to communicate with their MP.

That is a reality for the people of Karachuonyo in Nyanza, who have embraced Video Conferencing in a big way. To talk to their MP, Mr James Rege, all they need do is walk to the local office and book an appointment. Once an appointment has been secured, at the touch of a button, they will be talking to the MP.

The technology comes at a time when the government seeks to reduce the costs incurred by Members of Parliament during their day-to-day duties. 

The Video Conference kit was installed on April 30 at the Rachuonyo Constituency Development offices by Smoothtel (www.smoothtel.com) and Tandberg High Definition. Smoothtel business development manager Sam Ongoro said the company was using Karachuonyo constituency to test if the virtual meeting is applicable in other Kenyan constituencies. “The technology will open doors for business development and save time. Busy managers will no longer need to travel from one meeting to another or from their stations to attend meetings,” he said.

follow full story on : Face-to-face link with MP at the touch of a button

www.smoothtel.com | info@smoothtel.com | +254 20 8000222

Telemedicine

With the shortage of doctors in Kenya, Smoothtel has embarked on rolling out the latest technology to advance telemedicine. Doctors from Canada and the US will examine, diagnose and prescribe treatments to patients in rural constituencies in Kenya via video. All our major health facilities need this technology now!

Through the optic fiber available and in partnership among:  SkyVision for VSaT satellite link in lieu of  fibre and Digital Networks software designed for hospitals, clinics and medical centres, Smoothtel is going to roll out this in conjunction with the Ministry of Medical Services.

Kenya, has done it again! Partners, investors, donors are all welcome to enable this 1st program in the region to have the gravitas of giving prompt health services to the people irrespective of their geographical location.

We are coming! Through technology, Smoothtel and her partners shall have a healthy people again.

Sam Ongoro
Business Development Manager, Smoothtel.

SMOOTHTEL Green Carbon Calculator

Use our Carbon Footprint Calculator to see what your environmental impacts are. What are your thoughts on using telepresence and video conferencing to go green?

Winnie Kithinji
Video Product Expert:Smoothtel & Data Solution LTD.

VC Green Solution

Smoothtel is concerned about the carbon footprint of the government people and/or operations. Any governments have detailed bureaucracy that is supported by endless consultations and communication.However, the day-to-day running of the government is largely through communication. That notwithstanding, there is enormous transport, the physical movement of government personnel so as to reach the other personnel in order to make important decisions.

Their decisions affect the way the government offers services to the people as well as how she relates to the rest of the world. It is imperative therefore, that the government is effective. For this to happen, there has to be a sustainable solution that enhance government's capacity to make decisions in a snap. This is called efficiency. Whilst this is done, the government must be seen to be taking cognizance of the fact that there are far reaching environmental issues that must be complied to as she attempts to serve her people. Our world is literally heating up. Individual and global tendencies that reduce emissions must be ipso facto encouraged. Government carbon footprint should be a real concern in this 21st century. the UN is unanimuous about it, yet the tendencies must be decisively aligned to mitigate this. This needs a bold leader, Smoothtel is; and yes, Kenya is.

It's for the above reason, that Smoothtel has positioned a solution that will drastically check the carbon footprint of the government operations. To do this, efficient and modern communication capability, comes in handy. To reduce gazillion back-and-forth traveling to have meetings, we have embraced green solutions of communication.

Video and Teleconferencing it is! Now the government of Kenya, through its core Executive wing, headed by the IT savvy Prime Minister, that is in charge of coordinating and supervising all government operations, is heading the enabling of government through the aforementioned medium. Parnering with Access Kenya, Intersat, Sky Vision and other ISP's we are making tremendous difference.

Currently, the Parliamentary Select Committee Chairman for Communication and Energy-National Assembly of Kenya- has initiated the e-Parliamnet initiative through Smoothtel. The response and requests are enormous! Through this, some of our MP's are now holding meetings with their constituents via video! Our offices are inundated by endless calls and visists for this solution, you will be amazed if you be part of the winning team.

Smoothtel is the ultimate green solution communication provider in Kenya! Let's go video and save resources and our environment! The beneficiary, the mwananchi who is to get efficient and prompt services. We have gone green! You may as well join us now.

Sam Ongoro
Business Development Manager

Plantronics Headsets Land Starring Role In New Season Of 24

Plantronics continue to prove everyone wrong with their ear gear taking centre stage in the latest explosive adventures of the world’s hardest grandad, Jack Bauer.

The action might have moved to New York for the eighth season, but 24’s five-minutes-in-the-future terror threat storylines remain, with the Big Apple branch of CTU dressed up to the nines in high-tech gadgetry.

We couldn’t help but spot the lingering shots of new recruit Dana Walsh’s ear filled with the sleek new Discovery 975, whilst annoying drone pilot Arlo Glass sports the retro-chic Voyager Pro.

With Kiefer himself an unashamed Apple fanboy, going as far as trying to crowbar an iPad into future episodes (to batter a suspect during interrogation, perhaps?), it’s no surprise to see some of the best premium headsets in the business playing their part in saving the world.

Check out the new season (8) of 24 …it’s pretty good! Check out the Plantronics Voyager Pro as part of our Bluetooth headset solutions, whilst we waxed lyrical about combining form and function in our Discovery 975.

By Valentine W, Plantronics BDM - Smoothtel & Data Solutions Ltd.

e-Schools Africa - Expanding Students' Access to e-Learning Solutions in Africa

Kenya has inched closer to the new dawn of e-learning thanks to the fast revolution in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry. Smoothtel and Data Solutions Ltd, an ICT solutions provider has joined forces with stakeholders in the education sector to deliver e-learning content for schools in Kenya and the larger East African region.

This is in practical tandem with the e-Government policy that shall deliver the Vision 2030. Owing to the lack of enough resources to populate the Kenya’s education system with teachers and the need for every student to have access to a computer, the integrated e-Learning solution (christened e-School Africa) is intended to supplement traditional face-to-face classroom activities as well as to address the teacher-pupil ratio disparity that compromises quality and pedagogy.

With Smoothtel’s multi-user computing (NComputing) and Video Conference solutions, more students will have access to computers and attend virtual lessons from their remote schools. As a result, several students will be taught at the least cost possible. A virtual classroom encompasses a collaborative video conferencing solution that enables one to communicate synchronously using video and audio.

The NComputing solution allows up to 11 users to connect to 1 computer. This drastically reduces computing costs; allowing massive savings on electricity, hardware acquisition and maintenance costs. This high-end solution is set to improve education standards in Kenya.

The initial project will see over 500 schools interconnected using a wide area network (WAN), 330 of which will be inherited largely from Computer Literacy Initiative of Kenya’s universe and MP’s CDF’s installations. This shall undoubtedly enable students from all these schools to be in the same class at the same time by connecting to the classroom via video. The students can listen and learn via video, watch the teacher from the remote site (classroom) as well as having a question/answer session.

Currently, the Schools in Kenya have limited access to computers. With the NComputing solution, more students will not only have the access to computers but also download e-Learning content more easily. The KIE curriculum will be channeled through to all high end users and downloaded to one local computer which is in turn accessible to many concurrent users.

An institution adopting this system will save 70 per cent of the initial costs as the need for many facilities is eliminated.

The video conferencing solutions by Smoothtel will open room for Virtual education in Kenya. Many institutions will eventually be able to give instructions in a learning environment where teachers and students are separated by time and/or space. Teachers will provide course content through management applications and multimedia resources.

Smoothtel together with the technical partners, donors, sponsors and investors in conjunction with the Office of the PM, Republic of Kenya shall launch the first practical model on the 10th – 11th August 2010, KICC, Nairobi, Kenya. We at Smoothtel welcome you to be part of the real players that will truly enable the bridging of the digital divide.

Secretariat, e-Schools Africa

www.smoothtel.com | info@smoothtel.com

Smoothtel & Data Solution Ltd.