On Friday 24 January 2025 the Internet Society Ethiopia Chapter hosts Ethiopia Peering Day in Addis Ababa. The event will bring together peering and interconnection decision makers from Content Distribution Networks (CDNs), infrastructure providers, Internet service providers (ISPs), Internet exchange points (IXPs), mobile network operators (MNOs), large enterprise networks, policymakers, Internet enthusiasts, and regulators. The speakers will address issues pertaining to peering and interconnection best practices, current and latest trends, global challenges, and opportunities.
Friday, 24 January 2025 (All times EAT = UTC+3:00)
09:00 Welcome and Opening Remarks (yt | otter) Welcome Remarks: Dawit Bekele – Regional Vice President for Africa, Internet Society Peering & IXPs, Where the Internet Lives: Robel K. – Technical Expert Building a Strong Peering Ecosystem in Ethiopia: Dr. Asrat M. – Ethiopia Internet Society Chapter Ethiopia Internet Exchange Point: Teshome – ADDIX Role of Carrier Neutral DC in promoting Peering: Ralph V. – Wingu Africa
11:00 Peering and Interconnection (yt) Peering and Interconnection – Being Open, Meta and it’s Edge: Ben Ryall – Meta (*Will not be streamed*) PeeringDB: Ben Ryall – Meta Peering & Peering Coordinators: Ghislain Nkeramugaba – IXP Development Expert, Internet Society Devoloping Peering Policies: Ghislain Nkeramugaba – IXP Development Expert, Internet Society
14:00 Measurement, Tools, and Automation (yt) Achieving Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa 2030 with Internet Number Resources Expansion: Cedric B. – AfriNIC Overview of Internet Resilience Measurements: Kevin Chege – Director, Internet Development, Internet Society Regional Peering & Transit: Ghislain Nkeramugaba – IXP Development Expert, Internet Society
This discussion aims to make the provisions of the Rules more understandable and relatable to a wider audience and provoke thoughts about the governance framework India needs and to encourage stakeholder(s) to make submissions.
On Tuesday-Thursday 21-23 January 2025 the Internet Development Conference (IDC 2025) will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Organized by the Internet Society under the patronage of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, the Internet Development Conference focuses on strengthening Internet infrastructure and regulatory frameworks within the African Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, South Sudan, and Djibouti.
08:30 Opening Session (yt | txt) H.E. Dr. Belete Molla – Minister, Ministry of Innovation and Technology of FDRE Dr. Asrat Mulatu – President, Internet Society Ethiopia Chapter Demos Kyriacou – Deputy CEO & Chief Operating Officer, Wingu Africa Dr. Emmanuel C. Manasseh, Acting Regional Director, ITU Regional Office – Africa Eng. Balcha Reba, Director General, Ethiopian Communications Authority
11:00 Digital Strategies: Hopes and Accomplishments (yt | txt) Mihret Woodmatas – Senior ICT Expert, African Union Commission Dr. Abiyot Bayou – Senior Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Innovation and Technology of FDRE
Moderator: Dr. Dawit Bekele, Regional Vice President – Africa, Internet Society
14:00 Regulations to Connect the Unconnected (Parallel Session – Main) (yt | txt) Mavis Maunganidze – Programme Officer, ITU Regional Office- Africa Million Hailemichael – Deputy Director General Ethiopian Communications Authority Barrack Otieno – Chairman, Association of Community Networks in Kenya Joshua Mpairwe – Internet Society Uganda Chapter Rhian Duarte – Senior Manager for Public Affairs, Abrint – Brazilian Association of Internet Service Providers Erkan Satik – Director of Cloud Ecosystem & Alliances, Wingu Africa
Moderator: Robel Kitaba – Network Engineering Expert
14:00 Digitization of the Financial Sector in Ethiopia (Parallel Session – Breakout) (yt | txt) Solomon Damtew – Payment and Settlement Director, National Bank of Ethiopia Melka Girma – COO, Shega Media Beza Mamo – Director, Payment Application, EthSwitch Samrawit Fikru – CEO, Hybrid Designs PLC Seyoum Damtew – Director, Information System Security, CBE
Moderator: Dr. Beakal Gizachew – Assistant Professor, Addis Ababa University
Day 2: 22 January 2025
09:00 Internet Infrastructure Development (yt | txt) Ghislain Nkeramugaba – IXP Development Expert, Internet Society Freddy Mrema – Group Director, Enterprise Sales and Marketing, Wingu Africa Barrack Otieno – Chairman, Association of Community Networks in Kenya Dr. Carlos Rey-Moreno – Co-founder, Zenzeleni Networks Tigest Damtie – CEO, 251 Cloud
Moderator: Dr. Ephrem Teshale – Chief Technology Officer, Zergaw Cloud Service Provider
11:00 Internet Resilience and Regional Integration (yt | txt) Ben Ryall, Edge Strategy Manager, Meta Dr. Amreesh Phokeer, Internet Measurement and Data Expert, Internet Society
Moderator: Kebadu Belachew – Cloud Engineer, Fannie Mae
14:00 Bringing Africa’s Connectivity to The Next Level (Parallel Session – Main) (yt | txt) Steve Song – Senior Director, Infrastructure Mapping and Development, Internet Society Dan York – Senior Advisor, Internet Society David Belson – Head of Data Insight, Cloudflare
Moderator: Meshingo Jack – Government Digital Transformation Advisory, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
14:00 Internet in Education in Ethiopia (Parallel Session – Breakout) (yt | txt) Dr. Muluneh Atinef – ICT and Digital Education, MoE Project Coordinator, eLearning for Strengthening Higher education (eSHE) Mulugeta Assefa – Managing Director, BRDGE Yehalem Abebe – Executive Director, Partners in Education Ethiopia Prof. Meoli Kashorda – Executive Director, KENET
Moderator: Dr Fekade Getahun – Ministry of Innovation and Technology
Day 3: 23 January 2025
09:00 Changing People’s Lives Using the Internet (yt | txttxt) Chris Locke – Managing Director, Internet Society Foundation
Moderator: Yilikal Abate – President ICT-ET
09:30 Reporting of previous day sessions and discussions (yt | txt)
Rapporteur: Yohannes Fassika – ethiotelecom
Moderator: Yilikal Abate – President ICT-ET
11:00 Closing (yt | txt) Dr. Dawit Bekele – Regional VP Africa, Internet Society H.E. Dr. Yeshurun Alemayehu – State Minister, Ministry of Innovation and Technology, FDRE Eng. Balcha Reba – Director General, Ethiopian Communications Authority
How can the Interplanetary Internet help us solve terrestrial networking challenges today? This keynote explores the Delay and Disruption Tolerant Networking(DTN) architecture—originally designed to handle vast distances, disruptions, and celestial mechanics in space communications—and shows why its principles apply equally well here on Earth. Samo Grasic will dive into the key DTN characteristics that make it robust, reliable, and resilient, and examine concrete examples of DTN’s benefits for terrestrial use cases. Since 2016 Samo has been employed at Dálvvadis Economical Association, where he leads the design and development of the Nomatrack LoRa-DTN platform. This platform, specifically crafted for reindeer herding purposes in remote Arctic environments, has been widely deployed by the Dalvvadis association in the north of Sweden.
SPEAKER Samo Grasic – Lead, IPNSIG Pilot Project Working Group
On October 14, 2024, Internet Society Regional Infrastructure and Connectivity Director Naveed Haq delivered a keynote speech at the IEEE Connecting The Unconnected (CTU) Summit 2024 in Dubai. His presentation, lavishly augmented with photos and video, centered on the deployment of the Everest Community Network , in partnership with the Nepal Internet Foundation. At 3,800 meters above sea level this is the the highest such network in the world, bringing high speed Internet to the remote Sherpa villages of Khunde and Khumjung, whose nearest road access is a two-week hike away.
Built with participation of village residents, and sustained by trained local engineers, a school lab, a hospital, and local lodges are all now successfully connected, enhancing education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.
On Monday 13 January 2025 at 18:00 EET (16:00 UTC) the Internet Society Egypt Chapter (Internet Masr) presents the second in its infrastructure webinar series with a briefing session ‘The Politics of Digital Infrastructure‘. Ahmed Abdel-Latif will delve into the politics of digital infrastructure development, exploring how these critical assets shape 21st-century global politics and competitive dynamics. While the discussion will center on Egypt and its region, the insights will naturally extend to the global context of this ever-evolving industry.
SPEAKER Ahmed Abdel-Latif, MEA Digital Infrastructure Expert
On Wednesday 8 January 2025 at 14:00–15:00 CET (13:00-14:00 UTC) Diplo will present ‘2025 Forecast: AI and Digital Developments‘. Jovan Kurbalija will explore: Geopolitical and geoeconomic trends shaping AI; AI and digital issues on the diplomatic agenda; Transformative use of AI tools in society, business, and diplomacy. Drawing from the key developments of 2024, he will analyse both ongoing trends and new shifts that may define 2025.
SPEAKER Jovan Kurbalija – Executive Director, Diplo
On Tuesday February 4, 2025 at 7:30pm-8:30pm EST (00:30-01:30 UTC) the Accessibility NYC Meetup (A11yNYC) hosts a meetup ‘Older Adults and Digital Inclusion‘. Tom Kamber, executive director of Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) from AARP, will discuss digital participation by older adults in America, including barriers to adoption and inclusion, and what is being done by OATS and others to close the gap. He will discuss the current landscape for promoting digital inclusion for older adults.
On Wednesday December 25 2024 the ISOC-NY TV show features presentations from NYC Mesh‘s November Meetup. Learn about the latest infrastructure upgrades in North America’s largest community-owned Internet access network.
What: ISOC-NY TV – NYC Mesh – Hub Updates + 2024 Year in Review Where: Manhattan Neighborhood Network
When: Wednesday December 25 2024 2pm-3pm EST | 19:00-20:00 UTC
Manhattan Cable: SPECTRUM 56 / 1996 | RCN 83 | FiOS 34
Webcast: http://www.mnn.org/live/2-lifestyle-channel (if working!)
On January 23 2025, the Gigabit Libraries Network ‘Libraries in Response’ 116th session ‘Internet 2025 with Vint Cerf’ featured returning guests Vint Cerf, speaking on How to “build resilient communities enabled by digital infrastructure and eco-systems, informed by local priorities and goals”, and Richard Whitt, expanding on his ideas for using AI to build trust into the internet.
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