Life Lines at Lake VictoriaA communications project executed by

Zain, Ericsson and GSMA Development Fund

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ContEntS

ContEntS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

EXECUtIVE SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

tHE LAKE VICtoRIA PRoJECt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

ContEXt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

PRoJECt DESCRIPtIon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

BACKGRoUnD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

IMPLEMEntAtIon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

SUMMARY AnD RECoMMEnDAtIonS . . . . . . . 10

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EXECUtIVE SUMMARY

The Lake Victoria Project is a joint project between

the Zain Group, Ericsson and the GSMA Development

Fund implemented in conjunction with the National

Lake Rescue Institute (NLRI). The primary aim of the

project is to enable improved safety on Lake Victoria

but it will also play a major role in fostering economic

growth in the Lake Victoria basin. The project covers

the three East African countries Kenya, Tanzania and

Uganda. The Project was based on the East African

Community (EAC) finding, that a self-sustaining GSM

based maritime communication solution would be the

optimal technology to implement. The Lake Victoria

Project includes extending the mobile network coverage

of the three East African States and delivering a proof of

concept for a safety and security initiative. The coverage

will comprise the area of the lake where 80 percent of

fishing activities take place, allowing communication and

SMS exchange to and from phones.

MAIn ACHIEVEMEntS: • An extension to Zain’s existing telecom

infrastructure, by installing an additional 21 new

mobile sites in Uganda and Tanzania. The coverage

comprises the area of the lake where 80 percent

of fishing activities take place and the majority of

navigation-related accidents occur.

• Ericsson hybrid- and solar solutions are being used

where access to the electricity grid is limited or

nonexistent. These solutions use a special battery

that can take an increased number of charges,

cutting diesel consumption by 50 percent and

resulting in smaller environmental footprint and

reduced costs.

• Data connectivity using EDGE technology allows

implementation of Value Added Services, such as

e-mail, money transfer and market billboards.

• A mobile network equipped with Ericsson Mobile

Positioning system enables the location of

emergency calls, to support Search and Rescue

services (SAR).

• A 110 rescue number reserved for Lake Victoria

Maritime emergency communication. An

Emergency Command and Control product from

Ericsson was deployed to handle emergency

response.

• A Search and Rescue service model tailored for the

Great Lakes region developed and tested by the

National Lake Rescue Institute (NLRI).

SUPPoRtED AREAS: • An education and accident prevention program

used at the fish landing sites reducing accidents on

the lake.

• A life vest designed and manufactured using local

material only. It is cheaper and more reliable than

imported models, which is a key factor for it to be

used.

• A cost effective model providing Safety, Health,

Communication, Banking, Environmental and

Resource Management at the Lake Victoria.

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tHE LAKE VICtoRIA PRoJECtContEXtLake Victoria, which covers an area of approximately

68,800 km, has 3,700 km of coast line and includes

numerous islands, of which about 200 are inhabited.

Lake Victoria is the second largest lake in the world with

nearly 200,000 fishermen and 35 million people living

along its borders. Over 700,000 tonnes of fish is fished

annually, worth US$400 million. 51% of the lake falls

within Tanzanian territory and 6% within Kenyan territory

and 43% within Ugandan territory. There are some large

urban areas that border the lake but for the most part

you will only find small villages and landing sites, popu-

lated by fishing communities. Fishing is normally carried

out in small wooden boats with two to three fishermen

where of 65% operate with no engine. According to

a 2007 survey from Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisa-

tion (LVFO) a 200% growth of small-engined boats is

seen. Whether fishing activities are carried out dur-

ing the day or night, deep into the lake or close to the

shore, depends on the type of fish that is being caught.

This determines what method is used for catching the

fish. According to Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization

(LVFO), there are over 50,000 registered fishing boats

on the lake, of which 16,500 originates in Uganda.

The Lake is also extensively used for transport and

trade purposes. There are a few big ferries, transport

boats and oil tankers, but most of the goods transport-

ed between landing sites is carried out by big, open,

wooden motorized boats (between 4 and 10 tons).

Weather conditions can change suddenly and strong

winds can occur without much warning. Boats are often

overloaded, most people can’t swim and buoyancy or

life saving equipment is not easily available. As a result

many lives are lost due to drowning in the lake (estimat-

ed 5,000 deaths per year). Data collected by National

Lake Rescue Institute (NLRI) shows that for every fisher-

man that dies, on average four to five dependants are

left behind without an income.

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In this context, mobile communication has a great po-

tential to make a difference.

reduce loss of life:

• GSM, with 46% subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa,

is the optimal technology for connectivity on the

lake, requiring investment limited to the integration

of search and rescue technology. Avoidance of

casualties is dependent on both a sustainable

network for communication and a well functioning

Search and Rescue operation (SAR).

improve socio-economic welfare:

• Mobile connectivity has been found to improve the

local communities’ business possibilities when used

as a tool for micro business related to telecom, such

as battery charge sales.

• Value added services enable sellers and buyers to

find each other which could be used for both goods

and labor.

• SMS services like commodity price updates, weather

alerts and money transfers.

• Data network service that can be used by e.g. health

organizations to conduct surveys and collect data

with minimized loss of quality and time to analysis.

stimulate sustainable green activities:

• Mobile networks can be powered by carbon-neutral

power solutions, such as solar and wind.

• Information, data collection and surveys related to

sustainable strategies could be disseminated through

the network, promoting a more sustainable fishing

industry.

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PRoJECt DESCRIPtIonBACKGRoUnDIn 2005 the East African Community and Swedish

International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)

commissioned a technical feasibility study carried out

by Scanbi Invest. The purpose of this study was to

evaluate and recommend a technology for a maritime

communications system for Lake Victoria. The main

recommendations of the study were to implement the

following:

• A GSM network adapted to meet the special mari-

time requirements. GSM was selected as the most

optimal technology in this environment for multiple

reasons. One important element being the limited

investment required for the many potential users of

the network on the lake in comparison with other

technologies.

• One Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) for all three

countries to perform both the functions of receiving

emergency calls and directing rescue operations.

Because of the clear potential to improve the wellbeing

of thousands of people, because of the important

role to be played by the telecommunications industry

and because of their belief in the viability of the idea,

three key actors in the telecom sector, the GSMA

Development Fund, Ericsson, and Zain mobilized

and launched the implementation of improved mobile

network coverage.

IMPLEMEntAtIon Mobile network coverage

In 2008 the network implementation phase started.

The goal was to deliver an expanded coverage of

Lake Victoria covering those areas where the bulk of

commercial activity took place.

By August 2009, coverage of the Lake Victoria shore by

the Zain mobile network was greatly improved by the

addition of 21 new mobile radio sites. Three of the new

mobile sites are solar powered (island sites off the shore

of Tanzania). There is now lake communication coverage

for the area where about 80% of activity occurs. This

coverage allows for voice and data communication

and services between mobile phone users and other

devices. The network supports data transport through

EDGE and is equipped with a mobile positioning system

aimed to be used for rescue operations.

Pilot of a rescue coordination centre

With the GSM network in place, a proof of concept for a

pilot Rescue Coordination Centre was completed. This

proof of concept included:

• Providing a way to locate emergency calls, i.e. a

positioning system for people in distress.

• Providing a way to connect the emergency call with

the rescue service and to coordinate rescue activities.

• Installing needed applications at the Search and Res-

cue Services centre in Bunga, Uganda.

• Demonstrating a proof of concept end to end rescue

service.

This figure shows the new and existing Zain sites that are part of the Maritime GSM Network.

Rescue Communication overviewSource; Ericsson

Mobile Rescue Unit

Emergency Number

110

GSM Antenna Pqrt of the Lqke Victoriq Maritime NetworkIdentification of the MSISDN (phone number)

Positioning system enablewith CELLID and TA

Person inDistress

Localcommunication

systemVHF

Localcommunication

NLRI HQ

l

RESCUE UNIT

EmergencyOperatoranswering andcoordinating therescueintervention

ZAIN SwitchMPS Server

CoordCom Server

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Zain Inter-country 5STZain Inter-country 5STZain Inter-country 5ST

Kenya

Uganda

Tanzania

Mobile Positioning system

The Mobile Positioning System (MPS) is a corner stone

of the Lake Victoria project. With the GSM network in

place, the system provides crucial information to a vast

panel of services including search and rescue, fleet

movement and tracking.

The network positioning system also supports GPS,

which requires a special handset.

Two technologies for positioning are in use:

• The first one is based on GSM network E-CGI and

CGITA technology and provides fair accuracy using

common mobile phone devices.

• The second one based on A-GPS provides very

accurate information but requires a GPS compatible

handset.

In Uganda 45 sites have been included in the network

positioning system. Every emergency call from a Zain

phone to the 110 number in the area covered by these

antennas will be located. The technology used in

Uganda is E-CGI.

The mobile positioning system is ready and was

demonstrated for rescue purposes in January 2010.

ARCHItECtURE oF MoBILE PoSItIonInG SYStEMThe figure describes the architecture of the system. A

global platform, located in Nairobi, Kenya calculates the

coordinates of an emergency call. On the Zain network,

this platform is the single point of entry to any request

from the three countries and will return the coordinates

of the call.

command and control centre

The main component used to efficiently respond to

an emergency call is the Rescue Command and Con-

trol solution (CoordCom) from Ericsson. The technical

components of the emergency response were trialed by

an end-to-end proof of concept. The equipment needed

has been set up at the National Lake Rescue Institute

(NLRI) Rescue Center in Bunga, Uganda.

The Rescue Command and Control solution is the cen-

tre piece of the emergency response framework, as it is

linked to the 110 emergency number and interfaces with

the network positioning system.

The entire architecture can be consolidated to operate

in multiple geographical sites, as the operational mari-

time emergency response on Lake Victoria.

Source; Ericsson

Mobile Positioning system architecture

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Request for positionof caller

UgandaKenya

MLP Protocol / ELIR, SLIR messages(XML over IP)

SS7

Abis

SS7 Zain Inter-country SS7

BSC MSC

CoordCom

GMPCClusterPSTN

110

43

12

7

SMPC ClusterSS7

6

5

CoordCom controls and co-ordinates the entire chain of

emergency activities, from handling and identifying an

incoming emergency call, to dispatching the Search and

Rescue (SAR) unit to the emergency site. CoordCom also

enables analysis of the emergency effort to improve future

actions.

The figure describes all the components of the proof of

concept. The scope includes the following:

• Receiving an emergency call from a person in danger

at the emergency call centre.

• Visualizing the location of the call on the Command

and Control CoordCom Product

• Launching of the mobile rescue unit.

• Monitoring of the movement of the mobile rescue unit.

The mobile rescue unit will be equipped with a A-GPS

system.

• Interaction with other organizations to provide medical

assistance using the CoordCom multi channel capa-

bilities.

• Closing of the mission when the person has been

rescued.

EMERGEnCY RESPonSE SoLUtIoninterface between all components

The figure describes the detailed communication between

Uganda and Kenya when an emergency call occurs in

Uganda.

Lake Victoria Project – ReportOverall project Description

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4.2.3 Search and rescue services

The NLRI operates a small independent water-borne SAR service and provides lakeside education and training, as well as supporting local entrepreneurial groups at landing sites in Uganda. NLRI is the only independent water-borne SAR service operating on the Great Lakes and rivers of East Africa and is officially recognised by the East African Community (EAC).The NLRI headquarters hosts a training centre, a life jacket manufacturing facility and is alsoused to support education and flotation programmes.

The NLRI headquarters in Uganda hosted the pilot where all the components of a Rescue Coordination Centre operation model for the Great Lakes region were tested.

4 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This is the final report for the connectivity implementation and search and rescue technology and capability demonstration. As the targets were delivered, the project was closed March 1st

2010. This project report and a separate document outlining a possible expansion and operations of a Lake Wide search and rescue system forms the basis for a next Phase. We welcome this deliverable and findings to be used for further refinement and creation of asustainable search and rescue operation at Lake Victoria. The findings are also applicable to other waterways lacking search and rescue systems.

The partner recommendation for next step includes:• Secure funding or a business model for a sustainable operational organization for

search and rescue at Lake Victoria.• Expand the search and rescue concept to provide rescue capabilities in as large area

of Lake Victoria as possible.• Connect the search and rescue organization with water- and environmental training

for people living at the lake.

search and rescue services

The NLRI operates a small independent water-borne

SAR service and provides lakeside education and

training, as well as supporting local entrepreneurial

groups at landing sites in Uganda. NLRI is the only

independent water-borne SAR service operating on the

Great Lakes and rivers of East Africa and is officially

recognized by the East African Community (EAC).

The NLRI headquarters hosts a training centre, a life

jacket manufacturing facility and it is also used to

support education and flotation programs.

The NLRI headquarters in Bunga, Uganda hosted

the pilot where all the components of a Rescue

Coordination Centre operation model for the Great

Lakes region were tested.

emergency response solution overview

Source; Ericsson

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SUMMARY AnD

RECoMMEnDAtIonS

This is the final report for the connectivity implementation and

search and rescue technology and capability demonstration. As

the targets were delivered, the project was closed March 1st

2010. We welcome this report’s findings to be used for further

refinement and creation of a sustainable search and rescue

operation at Lake Victoria. The findings are just as applicable to

other waterways in East Africa and beyond that lack search and

rescue systems.

The partner recommendation for next step includes:

• Secure funding or a business model for a sustainable

operational organization for search and rescue on Lake

Victoria.

• Expand the search and rescue concept to provide rescue

capabilities in as large area of Lake Victoria as possible.

• Connect the search and rescue organization with water-

and environmental training for people living at the lake.

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ZAInZain is a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East

and Africa providing mobile voice and data services to over 72.5 million

active customers as of 31 December 2009 with a commercial presence in

23 countries. Zain is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange with a market

capitalisation of over US$20 billion. For more information please visit

www.zain.com

GSMA DEVELoPMEnt FUnDWorking with mobile operators to accelerate mobile solutions for people

living on under US$2 per day. The GSMA Development Fund exists to

accelerate economic, social and environmental development through the

use of mobile technology. We believe that providing tangible, accessible

mobile services to people in developing countries is invaluable to society

and can help improve people’s lives.

LAKE RESCUEThe National Lake Rescue Institute is a non-governmental organization

launched in 2002 as a result of several major accidents and incidents

on Lake Victoria in Africa. Death rate on the waters of Lake Victoria is

estimated to be around 5000 annually. The vision is now to improve the

livelihoods of people in the region through safety and security of all users of

the lake as well as other inland waters, provided by education and training

and an independent search and rescue service among others.

ERICSSonEricsson is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to

telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile

technologies, and provides support for networks with over 2 billion

subscribers and has the leading position in managed services. Working

in 175 countries, Ericsson is advancing its vision of being the “prime

driver in an all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and

sustainable business solutions.

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