East African Business Week

Tanzanian government will soon investigate and report back to the national assembly about the stands of ownership of the local mobile phone operator MIC Tanzania Ltd, Tigo.

This comes following the pressure from some members of Parliament who wanted to know why Tigo Tanzania Ltd is wholly owned by foreigners which is contrary to the laws of the country specifically EPOCA Act of 2010.

The entry of Airtel Uganda into the Mobile Money platform is set to generate renewed innovativeness that could yet again send ripples across Uganda's telecom sector.

Early last week, Airtel launched it's mobile money platform dubbed 'Airtel Money' that will enable Ugandans to access liquid cash and convert it to e-money in order to pay bills and accounts, top up mobile credit and receive money across the country's telecom networks.

Airtel Uganda has suspended plans to stop accepting inbound calls from Uganda Telecom following intervention from the government.

Airtel has been in dispute with Uganda Telecom for some time over a US$2.3 million debt that Telecom is struggling to pay.

The publicly-owned Tanzania Telecommunications Limited (TTCL) is seeking a US$214.67 million credit facility, as it plans to enter into the third privatization attempt.
Reports from the TTCL workers’ union revealed last week that an unnamed Vietnamese firm has shown interest in buying the country's telecoms back bone firm.

This will be the third privatization attempt after the first two that ended miserably for Tanzania as the two firms bought in failed to meet agreed terms and scope of work and business targets.

A new mobile telecommunication and internet service providing company, ECI Telecom has entered the Ugandan market.

This has brought the number of telecommunications service providers to eight in Uganda. These include MTN, Uganda Telecom, Airtel, Warid Telecom, Orange Telecom, Smile Telecom and I telecom.

During the launch of ECI Telecom in Kampala, Matthias Nass, the Vice President Field Marketing, said they will improve utility services and help service providers to provide cheaper Internet to Ugandans in their first phase of operation.

Tanzania's premier mobile telecommunication company, Tigo, has partnered with DStv to provide Tigo Pesa registered customers to subscribe to the television services using their handsets.

Speaking to the East African Business Week in Dar es Salaam, the telecom's Public Relations Executive, Jackson Mmbando said that the partnership aims at easing payments to get DStv service. "We would spare no effort to ensure that Tigo Pesa customers enjoy services offered by our partners", said Mmbando

Uganda's Parliament has passed into law the electronic transactions and electronic signature bills that will improve the regulations for security of electronic transactions and devices. Until now, Ugandans have been engaged in online transactions have been at the mercy of the other seller is something goes wrong. Also, the incidence of online fraud committed by Ugandans defrauding other unsuspecting Ugandans is on the rise and the new pieces of legislation be used to check that.