Google Setting Up a Presence In Kenya 176
Reader wana forwards the news that Google is establishing a base in Sub-Saharan Africa. What advanced infrastructure exists on the African continent is mostly in South Africa, and a blogger from there speculates on what Google might have been thinking in choosing Kenya over SA.
Re:Only in Kenya (Score:3, Insightful)
All your Sub-Saharan Countries Are Belong To Us (Score:5, Insightful)
Google is simply moving into a country that is on the technology curve, but behind enough that they can have MAJOR influence over new policy. Imagine having your own government to run. Who wouldn't do it?
... Seriously though, what other search / advertising players have taken the 2nd and 3rd world economies seriously at all? If this "test" goes well for them, they could have a major head start at monetizing the internet in the rest of the world (Where most of the population is). Remember for a lot of people, AOL *was* the internet. Now imagine in 10 years that 4/5ths of the worlds population thinks that Google is the internet. Everything else will cease to be relevant.
Re:Here's the deal. (Score:3, Insightful)
So it was google all along! (Score:2, Insightful)
Good News for Africa (Score:4, Insightful)
google in kenya (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:All your Sub-Saharan Countries Are Belong To Us (Score:4, Insightful)
The only problem with this scenario is why would Google do this? First, I don't see how Google would have enough resources to do this. Second, it doesn't help their business. And I don't see compelling public good present either.
Microsoft. And keep in mind, there's local business as well. The big US search engines and advertisers aren't the only ones on the planet.
Now imagine in 10 years that 4/5ths of the worlds population thinks that Google is the internet. Everything else will cease to be relevant.
Sounds nice, but what does Google get out of it? Remember they already dominate in global advertising and have laid the infrastructure for keeping that position. My take is that Google is just setting up server farms and fiber network like they do in the US and elsewhere. They just started in Kenya because local conditions were more favorable than in South Africa. I don't see some deep strategy here (well no deeper than building more of their sophisticated infrastructure) nor do I see the need for it.Re:If youre going to buy a government (Score:3, Insightful)