The prestigious Kenya Airways UK-Africa Business Award for the year 2001 has been won by the enterprising Simba Group. The Group is actively involved in providing Software Services and Building Communication Infrastructure in Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria. Other offices for specialized services such as software development, Vast and Teleport services are located in London and India.

The sponsors of this award, Kenya Airways and Opportunity Africa Magazine, selected Simba Group from amongst a host of entries for its entrepreneurial spirit, innovation and impact on the local communities in doing business with Africa. The runners-up were The Royal College of Surgeons and HTS Development. This yearly award is in recognition of Simba Group, in building up a successful business providing communication services to Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Simba Group’s genesis revolves around a concept and an attitude. Concept of a genuine Total IT solution provider, Attitude that is techno savvy and very flexible.

Mr. Ajit Jatania of SimbaNET feels very strongly about what he does. “I feel that communication is not a luxury but the birthright of every citizen.” This belief along with deregulation of the Communication Sector, led him in 1999 to create a separate entity known as SimbaNet. This allowed all the other companies including SimbaNet to progress faster and be focussed on their respective core activities. SimbaNet has invested in Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria in building communications infrastructure and, unlike others, focused on taking investments to remote and interior parts of the country. “This will enable 80% of the population of these countries who live in the interior to enjoy communication at affordable prices, right at their doorstep,” says Mr. Ajit Jatania. Of course the level of investments in each country is directly proportional to regulatory considerations in each country.

Ajit says that Simba Group was the first company to install wireless links in the East African region, which enabled the public to access the Internet at high speeds, without paying for airtime. “Normally in the African scenario, high telephone charges coupled with lack of telephone penetration restricts the general public to PTT (state) communication facilities,” he says. “Now with our franchisee programme, we have taken Internet and messaging solutions to remote and interior parts of the country, whereby ordinary people can access the Net by just dialling local telephone numbers or use free air time technology within our network. There is no need to pass through PTT all the time”

The company has worked hard to achieve its success, surviving on its own R&D and local resources to keep the costs of external technical support to a minimum. It has now established a team of trained local engineers, a help desk and a support structure in an operation that works round the clock, every day/night of the year. Mr. Jatania says it has also created market awareness for local entrepreneurs and users throughout the country, which he hopes will bolster the economy.

“Now we are introducing the VISP (Virtual Internet Service Provider) concept. This is one of the first of its type in Africa,” says Mr. Jatania. “The concept will mean, we will have Pops (Points of Presence) in all towns of a particular country. The POP will be owned by the local entrepreneur whose job will be to market the service in his area. Simba will give all the technical help and sales lead by remotely managing the servers and routers.”

He says the VISP can be a one-man show that need not have any technical person on his payroll. Besides creating a business for himself, the concept will help leap frog the use of the Internet in Africa, he hopes.