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STUDY ABROAD OPTIONS
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AFRICA ONLINE MOVES INTO EGYPT Africa Online, the pan-African ISP, has acquired Egypt’s MenaNet Communications for US$8.7m, it has announced on Monday, increasing its network to nine countries and marking its first step into the Middle East. The $8.7 million deal gives Africa Online a foothold in North Africa & the Middle East and adds Egypt, one of the most important markets in Africa, to a network that already covers eight countries - Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Swaziland, Ghana and Cote dIvoire. Under the terms of the agreement, MenaNet Communications will become a fully owned subsidiary of Africa Online. Africa Onlines services to the Middle East and North Africa will be offered under the MenaNet brand name, while maintaining the Africa Online brand for services to sub-Saharan countries. MenaNet began trading in April 1999 and has quickly established itself as a leading ISP in Egypt with 60 employees, over 7,300 dial-up subscribers and over 9,000 users on Freenet, a toll-based Internet access service operated on a revenue sharing basis with Telecom Egypt. The company has a service network that extends to Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, 6th of October city, Hurghada, Assiut and Sinai as well as superior technical infrastructure for high speed Internet access and extensive value added services that include Web Mail, e-calender, Global Roaming, ISDN & XDSL service. In addition to traditional ISP internet access services, MenaNet has formed a joint venture with Nile Sat to provide Egypt’s first readily available broadband Internet infrastructure. The service, known as MenaSat uses NileSat’s satellite to deliver satellite Internet access to North Africa and the Middle East. With the acquisition of MenaNet, Africa Online now has a combined dial-up user base of over 33,000 subscribers. Its growth had raised concerns that Africa Online was expanding too fast. Ayisi Makatiani, the CEO, concedes that his company is not yet profitable overall - but says that is due to the cost of its expansion activities. Africa Online has 33,000 dial-up subscribers and revenues of US$1.3m a month, but sees the greatest potential in its "e-touch" centres. This programme provides email and Internet access to customers without their own computers through a network of over 700 walk-in centres in urban and rural areas all over Africa. The service has attracted over 26,500 active users in the first 15 months of operation. (source: Africa Online with additional info from London’s Financial Times) NIGERIAN CELLULAR OPERATORS PUT MONEY UP FRONT Nigeria reached the starting block in the scramble to expand Africa’s cellular communications markets when all four companies awarded GSM mobile licences paid a US$285m fee.The Nigerian communications regulator, NCC, said that the companies might now begin rolling out their networks. Communication Investments (CIL), owned by a Lagos tycoon, Econet Wireless Nigeria, a subsidiary of Zimbabwe’s GSM operator in partnership with a local consortium, and South Africa’s MTN won access to the continent’s largest market in an auction held January.A fourth GSM licence was reserved for Nitel, the state-owned telecoms operator. Nitel had to pay the full fee, raising a total of US$1.14bn for the government as well as some concern that the high cost of the licences will be passed on to consumers. The companies are now expected to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in meeting a target of 300,000 lines each within two years. (source: London’s Financial Times via http://www.Africanewsnow.com) ABSA’S FREE ISP OFFER SHAKES UP THE SOUTH AFRICAN INTERNET MARKET ABSA’s free internet offer has attracted 50,000 subscribers at last count and sparked a fierce debate about what other ISPs offer in terms of "added-value" to their subscribers. In reaction to the ABSA offer, M-Web has cut access to its portal for ABSA subscribers. Some seasoned South African commentators have seen this as a shrewd move as it gives a clear value to content. Whilst others doubt that M-Web subscribers will see as much value in having access to that content. News Update’s heart is with those arguing that the value of content will triumph but its head says that money will out. To see the coverage: Meanwhile Absa is set to expand its range of offerings via the Absa website with the PayBills service developed by IT company Hicor Limited. The service, which is new to SA, provides for the electronic submission of tax returns and payments via the internet. (source: http://www.barney.co.za/news/feb01/tax13.htm ) GAUTENG GOVT GEARS UP FOR DIGITAL TOMORROW The Gauteng government is to supply 25 computers to every school in the province, and plans to establish an ISP to provide every scholar with an e-mail address. Educator training is also on the cards. (source: http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/internet/2001/0102130524.asp ) CAMEROON SLASHES IMPORT DUTY ON COMPUTERS Cameroonian President Paul Biya has said that the government will in its next budget announce a cut in duty on computer equipment brought into the country. The president stated that the measure is intended to bring down the prohibitive costs of computer equipment. He also announced the introduction of computer lessons in the Cameroonian education system, saying that at least one secondary school in each province would be equipped with a computer room with access to the internet. (source: Panafrican News Agency ) TANZANIAN PORTAL HITS 800,000 PAGE VIEWS PER MONTH Launched in 1998, Tanzania’s www.newafrica.com portal has hit 72,000 unique visits per month, generating 800,000 page views. Almost 80% of the site is now database driven and the entire switch will be completed shortly. (source: www.newafrica.com) ORACLE TAKES CONTROL OF ITS SOUTH AFRICAN SUBSIDIARY BACK TO UK Oracle has restructured, incorporating its South African subsidiary within UK structure. (source: http://www.boot.co.za/news/feb01/oracle15.htm )
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This page last updated on January 28 2004.
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