Daily Nation

The delays being experienced at Mombasa port and border points might end when an online cargo clearance system goes live later this year. The first phase of the National Single Window System is set to be implemented in December.

It will also save the sector billions of shillings lost in the long and tedious clearance processes, said retired major general Joseph Kibwana, chairman of the Kenya Trade Network Agency. The agency was created to oversee the implementation of the system.

Global wireless technology company, Qualcomm, announced on Thursday that Nairobi will be its regional business centre within the Sub-Saharan region. Qualcomm, whose offices span 75 countries, made the decision in response to the rapidly growing mobile market in Africa, which has been termed as the second largest mobile market in the world after Asia.

Cellulant Kenya has sealed a deal to provide mobile banking services for Barclays Africa across its markets in the continent. In a venture dubbed, ‘One Africa’ Barclays Bank has entered into a deal with Cellulant to offer satisfying customer digital experience.

The services to be revitalised by the communication solutions firm are mobile and Internet banking as well as ATMs across its 12 African countries, by deploying a new unifying platform.

“This digital drive is part of our One Africa strategy to increase channel access for both retail customers and corporate clients.

The ICT Board is planning a Sh34 million project to digitise records at the Kenyatta National Hospital, to increase efficiency and improve service delivery.
Commencing in April, the project will see 4 million documents scanned and stored in digital format.

"We want to improve back office operations such as finance and accounting at the hospital," said ICT Board CEO, Paul Kukubo.A tender invitation was issued by the board on Thursday for bids to supply and install software and hardware for the project.

Safaricom has entered the data storage business as it seeks to diversify its product portfolio from the voice market that has witnessed decline in revenues following a price war in the telecoms industry started last year.

The firm on Tuesday launched the business line branded as SafaricomCloud targeting provision off data storage and backup services to companies and small businesses.

Fast gaining currency, cloud computing involves storage of data in a similar way to how e-mail and social network data are stored only that in cloud computing this is in large scale.

Safaricom, the leading mobile operator in Kenya, is seeking Sh1.4 billion refund from the government as part of a fee it paid in 2007 to acquire a high speed mobile phone service licence.

Intent on acquiring a 3G licence, Safaricom paid to the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), $25 million, (about Sh2.3 billion), being the fee set as the going industry price for the frequencies. (Read: All must pay for 3G, Safaricom insists)

Two of sub-Saharan Africa's premier technology companies have formally launched their joint venture in SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions.

Twenty Third Century Systems Kenya Limited (TTCSK) has been formed by Harare-based Twenty Third Century Systems (TTCS), the largest SAP business solutions provider in Sub Saharan Africa, and Seven Seas Technologies Limited (SST), which is among East Africa's leading technology integration firms.

The government has succumbed to Internet market players' demands for a piece of its inland fibre optic network.

In a meeting chaired by Information permanent secretary Bitange Ndemo, and attended by telecom operators, it was resolved that a team be formed to manage the National Optic Fibre Backbone Infrastructure (Nofbi).

Listed mobile service provider Safaricom has terminated its contracts with at least 27 dealers over alleged fraud.

The company announced the decision  lastTuesday to allow for investigations into a suspected fake bank documents racket that is believed to have cost it millions of shillings in lost revenue.

"This means that these businesses can no longer act as Safaricom dealers or enjoy the rights and privileges that this status bestows," Safaricom's director of corporate affairs, Mr Nzioka Waita, said.