In a previous post, Niger1 asked the following question:
From where do you get connected to the internet your house or cybercafe?
Well, I have two choices. One is to battle the ordinary line, which is OK some days, and hopeless other days.
The other is to go to a cybercafé. We used to go regularly to one where there was a little bakery next to it, but one day it was shut down, and we haven’t been back since. Instead, we discovered Marhaba, which has fast connection (the fastest in town, they say) and room for laptops.
And voilà, I am ready to blog away!
13 users commented in " Blogging practicalities "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackHow much it cost for an hour? how is the speed ? is it slower than Sweden?
is the cybercafe crowded ?
Are their Nigeriens going there or mostly foreigners ?
The price is 500 CFA per hour (a little more than 1€), so that’s not bad. The speed differs from place to place, but Marhaba is as fast as any home (broadband) connection in Sweden. You just have to get yourself there… It can be pretty crowded in the evenings (but when I came in the siesta, it was empty except for myself), but it’s open until midnight so people just wait until there is space. As for the clients, I’d say there 50% are foreigners and the rest Nigeriens. A lot of students and local aid workers, but if you stick around, you end up meeting people from all walks of life!
Broadband connection speed at Marhaba? Are they connected through satellite instead of land line?
ps: I left a query on your old blog. About horses and salt, it was. Nothing salty, though.
Thanks for sharing your dear Niger with us.
Hey! I know that black-and-white photo on your computer screen… I took that!! The question is, how many million dollars are you willing to pay me for putting it on your blog…?
When I become a millionaire Hanna, I’ll sponsor your visit to Niger! In the mean time enjoy the free advertisement, for you never know if this is the moment when your career as a professional photographer gets its real boost! And should you get all famous and no longer have time for the rest of us mortals, I’ll sit down in front of my computer some lonely night and reminiscent about how what a nice time we had in Copenhagen that day and how this little image managed to trigger such an amazing chain of happy events for you! Although personally, I’m opting for the first scenario, where you speed down here and get to share all the wonders & beauty of the least developed country in the world!
@Jerome: Good question! I’ll get back to you about the satellite verses land line situation.
I saw your comment about the horses over at Ishtar News. Although I like to think that Arwen is all hugs and kisses because she loves me so much, they do have a huge salt appetite in this warm country. And for some reason, despite the fact that they have their own proper salt, they seem to prefer the one produced by us humans!
Why did I raise the issue?
Back a year ago I was working with a Jap
You wrote: “Good question! I’ll get back to you about the satellite vs. land line situation.”
Why did I raise the issue?
Back a year ago I was working with a Japanese outfit in Tahoua. A cybercafe close by our office relied on a dedicated satellite connection. We queried the manager about them making their satellite connection available to us. The technology relies on positioning on the roof of your outfit a relay beamed at their satellite antena.
Soon we had our connection. The estimate we signed to included a five-users-names/connection for a monthly fee of ninety thousand CFA. That’s about what we paid for our connection-impaired Niger Telecom land line. Sorry, I can’t remember the initial investement for the instalation of the antena relay. And although there was a noticeable connection speed loss due to the satellite dish/relay setting, the progress over the land line made it worthwhile, still.
ok, ok, good answer…
@Jerome: The connection at the Marhaba is a land line, but a decent one. Not all days are perfect though, but that’s just the way Niger is…
Nice of you to have followed up on my query.
You wrote: “The connection at the Marhaba is a land line, but a decent one.”
I assume the customers of the cyber café are already enjoying the digitalization of the SONITEL network touted in this “AZoM” article of November 2006 under the headline and web address below.
“Siemens to Supply Fast Fiber-Optic Network to Niger’s Sonitel”
http://www.azom.com/news.asp?newsID=7211
Early last year in Tahoua, I noticed a trench being dug and covered again along the main thoroughfare. I was told it was to lay the fiber optics cable connecting Tahoua to the high-speed fiber optic network running from Niamey to Diffa and further beyond the Niger/Nigeria border.
Your great shots of Zinder remind me of Tahoua. Keep it up.
Well, one thing is for certain and that is that the Internet situation is on the move towards improvement! Right now, a good line is too expensive for ordinary people, but I hear there is talk about improvements! Will let you know the day any changes happens in my home!
In November 2007, the fibre cable had not reached Niamey yet but was on its way. It will take some time before it reaches all the way to Zinder, probably several years (just like the Dogonay internet service or the Telecel GPRS system that are stalled here). But it will gradually be extended eastwards. When it does, it sure will be welcome. Right now, Sonitel uses a copper wire between Zinder and Niamey, if I have understood things correctly.
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