From mentor at alb-net.com Mon Mar 6 11:51:46 2000 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Mentor Cana) Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 11:51:46 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Info-tech] INTERVIEW-Albanian phone firm plans Web backbone (fwd) Message-ID: INTERVIEW-Albanian phone firm plans Web backbone By Benet Koleka TIRANA, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Albania's fixed-line telephone monopoly Albtelecom said on Friday it planned to build a backbone for Internet providers in five major cities and launch a voice, data and image network in the capital Tirana in 2000. Petri Deti, Albtelecom's deputy general manager, said 60 percent of this year's total investment of 2.88 billion lek ($20.5 million), drawn from 1999 net profit of 3.4 billion, would be spent on expanding its cable network. ``We will be backbone operators for Internet providers,'' Deti told Reuters in an interview. ``This is being implemented and will cost half a million dollars.'' The backbone will cover Tirana, Durres, Fier, Vlore and Korce. State-owned Albtelekom will create points of presence to offer access to some 12 Internet service providers (ISPs) who are already operating in Tirana. ``We will build a network with a broad capacity and offer it to those who are using satellite connections now, offering it to them as their first choice or as an alternative,'' Deti said. Use of the Worldwide Web in one of Europe's poorest countries, where just 4,000 people are hooked up via expensive and unreliable connections, should become more affordable and easier as a result. Albania has a population of 3.3 million. ``We are very optimistic for the new service because we will offer cheaper prices and a more secure service,'' Deti said. Albania Online charges $240 for an annual subscription, plus $36 for an e-mail account. Three, six and nine-month subscriptions are also available for $26 a month, still a prohibitive amount for a country where the average monthly wage in the public sector is $80. Albtelecom also plans to install 1,000 lines carrying voice, data and images or Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines, among the 33,500 lines to be laid in Tirana this year. A microwave link with 240 channels would be installed to connect Tirana and Pristina, the capital of the Yugoslav province of Kosovo, he added. ``Pristina is very interested in being linked to Albania so that it can gain (telephone) access to the world. They see this as the preferred way,'' Deti said. The link has to be approved by the United Nations administration in Kosovo, which is mainly inhabited by ethnic Albanians. The U.N. has been governing the province since last year when NATO-led troops took it under their control. Albtelecom, slated for privatisation this year by the Socialist-led coalition of Prime Minister Ilir Meta, has been changed into a joint-stock company and has had its books audited by accountants Deloitte & Touche in preparation for its sale. From Ismet at itu.or.th Sat Mar 25 10:31:33 2000 From: Ismet at itu.or.th (Ismet R. Hamiti) Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 22:31:33 +0700 Subject: [Info-tech] Fara e korrupcionit Message-ID: <38DCDBD5.525DD0F7@itu.or.th> Kelege te nderuar, Korrupcioni eshte fatekeqesi e madhe per cdo vend dhe gjeneratori kryesor i varferise ne bote. Drejtori i Bankes Boterore e pat permbledhur kete ne nje fjali te vetme: "Per te luftuar varferine - lufto korrupcionin". Dhe vertete, cdo analize do te vertetonte ekzistencen e nje korelacioni te fuqishem ndermjet korrupcionit e varferise kudo ne bote. Nje forme qe shfrytezohet shpesh per te hedhur faren e korrupcionit jane te ashtuquejaturat "fondacione per zhvillim". Skemat e tilla perafersisht funksionojne keshtu: (1) Individet qe synojne fitime te shpejta, formojne nje "fondacion"me ndonje emer qe tingllon mire ne veshin e viktimave; (2) E krijojne rrjetin e vet vrojtues ne vend dhe ndjekin me vemendje cdo projekt qe krijohet apo tender qe shpallet; (3) Permes ketij rrjeti, marrin informata se cilat firma kane shanset me te mira per t'a fituar kontraten (keto infirmacione zakonisht i marrin pa pagese, duke shfrytezuar naivitetin e besimin e njerezeve ne pozita udheheqese); (4) Paralelisht me kete e shtrijne rrjetin e njoftesive me njerze ne pozita politike e ekonomike dhe u bejne atyre favore te ndrushme (dhurata, udhetime, dreka, darke, donacione e ke munden edhe e fusin ne liste te rrogave); (5) Nganjehere ne kete valle fusine dhe autoritete profesionale duke u thirrur "ne qellime me te larta"; (6) Shkojne tek firmat konkurruese dhe u kerkojne provizion per gjoja promovimin e interesave te tyre rreth nje tenderi te caktuar, duke ua paraqitur atyre "kredencialet" - "lidhjet" qe kan me klientet, autoritetet profesionale dhe sidomos me qarqet politike ne vend; (7) Natyrisht njera prej firmave konkurruese e fiton kontraten ndersa "fondacioni" merr provizionin; (8) Projekti shtrenjtetohet se paku per aq sa eshte provizioni - dhe dihet kush e paguan kete shtrenjetim; (9) Lidhjet trashen.... "fondacioni" behet i pakalueshem per cdo projekt te ri; (10) Te tjerat - mund te mirren me mend.... Pra "fondacionet" e tilla s'jane asgje tjeter vec nje mekanizem per korruptim. Ka rrezik qe edhe ne Kosove te shfaqet kjo e keqe e madhe, e cila, nese merr hov, me siguri do t'ia vazhdoje vuejtejet dhe do t'ia rrezikoje seriozisht ardhmerine. Prandaj jam i mendimit se duhet te mendojme per nje mekanizem mbrojtes ndaj skemave te tilla, para se te behet vone. Ndoshta edhe vetem hapja e diskutimit neper Listat tona per tendnca te tilla do t'u dergonte sinjal te duhur atyre qe mund te kene ide te tilla te mbrapshta. Me shume respekt. Ismet Hamiti -------------- next part -------------- HTML attachment scrubbed and removed