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The first part of African Internet Country Market Profiles is out now... and web ordering now in place.. The long awaited first part of Balancing Act's African Internet Country Market Profiles is now out and covers 22 countries in West Africa. It also contains a summary overview of the internet in these countries and a look at the coming legalisation of VoIP in West Africa: who will be the winners and losers? To see the contents: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/profile1.html To order: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/publications.html You can now order by credit card direct from this web site.

WEEKLY PUBLICATION DEADLINE: 12 pm GMT Sunday.

For country-by-country information on internet, telecoms and computing in English go to: http://www.afridigital.net

L’edition mensuelle en francais: L’edition mensuelle en francais de Balancing Act’s News Update donne des informations sur les derniers developpements en matiere de Telecoms, Internet et Informatique en Afrique. Si vous voulez vous abonner a News Update, envoyez simplement un message en francais "Je veux m’abonner à l’édition en français de Balancing Act’s News Update" a info@balancingact-africa.com. Si vous voulez annuler votre abonnement, il suffit d’envoyer un message en francais "Je veux annuler mon abonenment à l’édition en français de Balancing Act’s News Update" a la meme adresse email.

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ISSUE NO 244

(SOURCE: http://www.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=64965&cat=World)

LIBERIA: LTC BIDDING COMMITTEE IDENTIFIES THREE POSSIBLE BIDDERS

Six weeks of intensive deliberations on the revitalization of the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation has ended and a committee set up to evaluate the process has submitted its findings. The Corporation's Board members and Management held a brief closed door meeting last week before meeting the press.

Francis Nyepon, an official of LTC, designated as the Committee Chairman, told journalists that after the committee considered technical, financial and managerial capacities of the bidders as well as the Liberianization policy as the criteria for evaluation, three out of five applicants were selected.

He named the American owned Universal Telephone Exchange of Dallas, Texas; Huawei of Hong Kong and Infotel of Italy as the bidders selected from the five companies that took part in the bidding exercise. (On Huawei: see http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act_242.html This the second time a Chinese telecoms equipment manufacturer has sought to buy an African telco incumbent.)

"I'm not privileged to the rankings all of the three companies have been ranked but they have been given to the Board in the presence of the Contract and Monopolies Commission to make their determination", he said.

He said majority of the companies were manufacturers and suppliers of telecommunications equipment and infrastructural designers, while, some are operators of telecommunications networks and service providers.

"I am now hoping that the members of the Board and Chairman Bryant would live up to the promise given the Liberian people and the world that the process will be transparent and fair to meet international bidding standard", Mr. Nyepon averred.

But an insider told the Analyst that the Universal Telephone Exchange topped its competitors with a total of 89percent while Huawei Corporation and Infotel got 79 and 66 percent respectively.

A 13-man LTC Bid and Evaluation Committee was set up recently by Chairman Bryant to oversee the bidding process within 10 days but reportedly delayed in meeting the deadline due to "administrative and operational difficulties". Other members of the Committee were Post and Telecommunications Minister Eugene Nagbe, Cllr. Abla Williams and Edward Liberty, among others.

(SOURCE: http://allafrica.com/stories/200502100751.html)

NIGERIAN COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION INQUIRY: 'ONLY VMOBILE AND MTN INTERCONNECT WELL'

A Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Private Inquiry into the reasons for the poor Quality of Service being provided by the GSM operators, has found that only two operators - Vmobile and MTN - interconnect effectively.

The NCC has thus directed that the Nigerian Mobile Telecommunications Limited (M-tel), interconnect with Vmobile within 21 days from the date of Direction.

Glomobile is also to expand its interconnection circuits with MTN and Vmobile and MTN expand its interconnection circuits with interconnected parties, particularly Glomobile.

Vmobile is to interconnect with M-tel immediately and to expand interconnect circuits with its interconnectel parties especially Glomobile.

The inquiry was the result of complaints from consumers as, high rate of call attempts, high dropped call rates, interference and loss of audio, non delivery of SMS, multiple billing of SMS, wrong feedback for SMS, other call and billing problems.

The NCC in accordance with the provisions of Section 59 of the the Nigerian Communications Act wrote to the operators on the 4th of January, 2005 inviting them to a Private Inquiry.

The inquiry, conducted separately for the various operators between January 11 and January 14, found several problems including: insufficient interconnection circuits amongst some operators and in the particular case of Vmobile and M-tel, where their networks were not directly interconnected but still linked via Nitel. There were also major challenges to all operators due to insufficient capacities on some existing routes and lack of capacity to several locations; major system failures during the month of December, 2004; and integration problems between the different network components supplied by different vendors for a particular mobile company.

As a result of the inquiry the NCC suggested to the operators that they, on a monthly basis provide Congestion/GOS trend report, drop calls report, availability report and Subscriber to Network Capacity Ratio reports, to the Commission on both national and regional basis. It also suggested that they put in place regular audits of their transmission links and base stations to ensure that transmission failure is quickly investigated and rectified.

Other measures suggested by the NCC include mechanisms to ensure automatic refund for subscribers for undelivered SMS, expansion of switching capacities, additional access days when downtime occurs, and mandatory monthly report to the Commission on Network Performance Indicators and equipment deployed build-out. Operators will also provide e-mail addresses for subscribers to lay complaints and upgrade their customer care and call centres to be upgraded and expanded.

Based on the result of the private Inquiry the Commission has mandated operators to take urgent steps to implement the agreed measures to ensure immediate improvement of the quality of service on the networks. To ensure compliance, the NCC is considering measures like imposition fines on errant operators, an order that the SIM cards no longer be sold at certain congestion levels, or the require ment that airtime validity be abolished pending when QoS improves.

(SOURCE: http://allafrica.com/stories/200502100503.html)

N40BN APPROVED FOR NIGERIA'S COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE

The Federal Government yesterday approved N40 billion (USD300 million) contract for the implementation of the Nigeria Communication Satellite which is expected to be launched next year and thereafter generate about USD200 million annually over a 15-year period.

Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Turner Isoun, who stated this while briefing State House correspondents on highlights of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting which was presided over by Vice President Atiku Abubakar, said that the launch of the satellite was expected to generate between 1.5 to 2 million jobs within three years and train over 50 world class engineers through technology transfer.

According to Isoun, "our efforts in launching Nigeria SAT 1 gave us the confidence and the motivation to go into communication satellite. And we have been working on this for over a year. This project we hope would be completed and the stellite would be launched in 2006.

"The communication satelite would impact on telecommunication, broadcasting and media, internet, intelligence, security, environment, banking, agriculture, oil and gas, manufacturing, commerce and insurance, education, medicine, transportation, etc. This is a project that is cutting across and is an indication of the power of deploying the tools of science and technology to impact on very fundamental areas that affect our lives," he added.

Speaking of revenue that the communication satellite is expected to rake in for Nigeria, the Minister said that "we have made revenue and more are coming. I do not have the exact revenue that we have in the kitty. Other African countries like Rwanda, Ghana and South Africa have shown interest. So, the original objective that this satellite would serve the whole of Africa has not been lost."

Isoun also noted that "we intend to generate close to $200 million every year by the time it is fully on. And this would have a life span of over 15 years. The communication satellite would cost us close to $250 million but we believe that we would be able to recover that investment. And then with the benefit we would get in capacity and technology transfer we would be able to be in control of the boundary cost. The trade-off is enormous."

He also stated that "we are very confident that this project is viable, it would generate a lot of revenue and it would be able to generate jobs. We are hoping that it would generate between 1.5 to 2 million jobs in the next two to three years. It would also ensure technology transfer where we hope to train over 50 world class engineers and to add to what we already got."

(SOURCE: http://allafrica.com/stories/200502100488.html)

IN BRIEF

- Gambia’s incumbent telco GamTel has contracted IT provider Cerillion Technologies to upgrade its billing system as part of an expansion programme which includes a planned 250,000 new phone lines. Cerillion will migrate more than 200,000 existing fixed and mobile subscribers to the new system, which will form a converged billing and CRM solution, serving customers of GamTel and its wholly owned mobile subsidiary Gamcel.

- On Thursday last week Egyptian company Orascom launched a new mobile service in Bangladesh offering cheaper rates than three other operators in the market. The company under the brand name of Banglalink would offer handsets with connection for 56 dollars, it said. "From Saturday our package will be in the market," Lars P Reichelt, Banglalink's chief executive officer told reporters. Orascom operates in Algeria, Pakistan, Tunisia and Iraq. It took over Bangladesh's Sheba Telecom last year and renamed the company Banglalink.

- Mobile operator MTN has reported subscriber figures totalling over 13 million for its operations throughout Africa, as of 31 December 2004. According to MTN, subscriber figures across its African networks amounted to 13 380 000, which is a growth of 21.1% since 30 September last year and an increase of 40.2% from its opening base of 9 543 000 subscribers recorded on 1 April 2004. According to group CEO Phuthuma Nhleko, its international operations now account for 42% - or 5 661 000 - of the total subscriber base.

- Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) has waived licence fees for Internet Service-Providers and device installers to promote Information and Communications Technology (ICTs). Although the above categories will no longer be required to pay licence fees, the device installers must use equipment, which complies with technical guidelines set by UCC. "Internet Service-Providers without their own International Data Gateway will however be required to adhere to the existing licence procedures and terms including payment of the 1% levy on the gross revenue," a statement signed by UCC's managing director, Patrick Masambu, said. The statement also said the annual licence fees for Internet Access Services with International Data Gateway category has been reduced from USD4,000 to USD2,000.

TELECOM RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE

* South African subscribers to MTN's prepaid service will experience even faster and more reliable benefits from the cellular provider following the implementation of an Oracle-based solution developed by GlobeTOM. MTN's prepaid system runs real time traffic of up to 4,500 database transactions per second placing extremely high demands on both availability and performance. Given such high volumes MTN required a seamless and zero downtime experience for its prepaid subscribers.

GlobeTOM, an Oracle Partner specialising in database development, implementation and administration in mission-critical environments, has positioned itself as a specialist in high availability and, using Oracle's Real Application Clusters and Grid technology, met MTN's requirement.

The Oracle9i Real Application Clusters' built-in server redundancy offers clear advantages, the most compelling of which is that average fail-over time is 10 to 15 seconds compared to four to six minutes for traditional processor fail-over. The technology comprises a group of tightly connected servers using a shared storage system running on different servers while accessing the same physical database.

* Uganda Telecom has stepped up its country rollout plan of its new TelesaverPlus product. Last week, TelesaverPlus was launched in Nebbi, Hoima and Masindi and on Friday launched in Gulu district. Utl is working around the clock to cover all the major urban centers in the country by June and increase on the signal strength beyond the existing radius of about 50km.

* Celtel's Sierre Leone Marketing Manager, Bernard Sisay has disclosed that Celtel is spending around USD400,000 to operate each of the 50 cell sites the company has across the country. Sisay says though the company has the responsibility of reducing its tariff as cost reduces as well, there are several factors that have to be considered before such decisions are taken.

"Telecommunication is a major engine that facilitates national growth and development in any country," he said, adding that the company has recently extended its operations to Sierra Rutile, Port Loko and Mokanji.

"We intend reaching Kambia, Lunsar, Masiaka, Tongo, Njala, Segbwema, Moyamba, Pendembu, Jerehun and Tiama with uninterrupted network coverage before the end of this year," he says, adding that Celtel has been voted as the fastest growing network with the largest coverage in Africa.

Advertisement: VoIP will be legalised in Africa. It's not a matter of if but when. Find out where it will happen first in African Internet Country Market Profiles, Part 1: West Africa. For details and how to order by credit card direct from the site: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/publications.html

MTN PLAYS CATCH-UP WITH VODACOM AS IT OUTLINES ITS SA BROADBAND PLANS

MTN's data offerings have largely been overshadowed by the noise of its rival's launch of 3G, but the network operator says it will soon make a big noise about its own offerings.

Joash Chellan, MTN's senior manager of business solutions management marketing, says MTN will soon formally announce the launch of its Enhanced Data over GSM Evolution (EDGE) services – the upgrade to the current generation of GPRS services. MTN plans to launch its full commercial EDGE offerings within a few weeks. Later in the year it will launch UTMS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), which is essentially a 3G offering.

Chellan was speaking at a gathering of solution providers in Cape Town this morning. MTN has not yet determined prices, but he expects the pricing structure to be competitive. He acknowledges that at R10 per megabyte per second, MTN's download rates are quite expensive, but prices should drop as data usage picks up.

“We have adopted a conservative strategy in moving to new technologies as we want it to be backward-compatible to earlier generation devices. Currently the EDGE part of the network now covers about 200 000 square kilometres, or 20% of our current network. There are also about 200 000 EDGE devices available,” he says.

While EDGE is considered an extension of the current GPRS and GPRS+ technology, UMTS and its upgrade HSDPA (High Speed Download Packet Application) are new generation technologies that will lead to download speeds of about 14MBps.

MTN says it will begin testing UMTS and HSDPA later this year. “Essentially this means we have a dual bearer strategy that we believe has significant advantages over a purely 3G-led strategy. The whole idea is to enhance the subscriber's experience,” Chellan says.

(SOURCE: http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/telecoms/
2005/0502091151.asp?S=Business&A=BUS&O=FRGN)

KENYA TELKOM'S JAMBONET JOINS KIXP WITH 512K LINK

When KIXP was launched, Telkom Kenya resisted it with all the arguments it could muster. Now its internet bandwidth subsidiary Jambonet has connected to Kenya's local internet exchange, KIXP. Initially it has started with a 512K link but this will be enlarged to an E1 within a week if the traffic justifies it. TESPOK Chair Joseph Mucheru described this move as "a great day for Kenya."

Meanwhile corporate Internet Service Provider (ISP), AccessKenya, has announced that it has signed an agreement with Jamii Telecom to provide internet backbone services. The agreement will greatly benefit AccessKenya customers as there will now be two uplink connections to the internet ensuring full redundancy for this part of the service. Managing Director of AccessKenya, Jonathan Somen,said:"We have now cemented this agreement and expect that our fully redundant service will be up and running during the month of February.” Jamii Telecom were the first company to obtain their backbone licence after deregulation occurred late last year. Their group of companies have been offering products and services to the IT industry in Kenya for the last five years.

OVER 500 WEBSITES ALREADY DEFACED BY HACKERS THIS YEAR

Over 500 South African business and home websites have already been defaced this year, as hacking becomes increasingly prevalent on the local front. The attacks were carried out in roughly 40 separate incidents on a slightly lower number of servers, says ISDN Networks MD Barry Cribb. “These defacements were carried out by about 20 different attackers. While I do not want to single out any specific sites, it is noteworthy that four of the defaced sites had a government-type suffix.”

Other victims ranged from personally operated servers to those managed by ISPs and large companies, says Cribb, adding that the majority of attacks appeared to have been carried out by “script kiddies”.

“These are relatively low-skilled people who simply run downloadable scripted exploits at vast ranges of IP addresses until they hit one that works.”

The attacks are totally random, he says, but are successful simply by virtue of the scale of the operation, as they are able to sweep massive blocks of addresses often running into many thousands.

Put into context, approximately 500 defaced sites out of all the South African domain sites is about average, although hacking appears to be growing locally, says Afrihost MD Gian Visser.

“This is probably because hackers are gaining access to more programmes that scour the Internet for vulnerabilities. It is still very seldom that we see high-level attacks, though.”

Who is vulnerable? Because most hacks are carried out randomly, it is important that people realise any site could be attacked, says Cribb. “You may believe that no one is interested in your system or that your data is of no value, so why would anyone attack your site? It is as much these systems that the ‘script kiddie' will try to exploit.

“If not to simply deface a website and claim ‘street cred' by posting it on a defacement mirror, then to use it as a platform from which to attack the next system,” he says.

Some hackers have many thousands of attacks to their name, which are most likely run from numerous compromised machines that are employed to multiply their efforts, adds Cribb. “Why use your own bandwidth or disk space or processing power when you can use somebody else's?” Not only does this allow the attacker more resources, it also hides the origin of the attack.If the scans are detected, it is the owner of the source of the attack who will have to answer questions from the authorities, not the hacker.

According to Cribb, attackers look mostly for soft targets. “The best way to counter attacks from a script kiddie is to ensure that your systems are not vulnerable to known exploits. Vulnerability testing can achieve this.”

Visser adds that Web hosting companies are taking precautions to counter hackers. “I have spoken to a number of hosting companies and they generally do all they can to keep things secure. We have employed a guy full-time who looks for vulnerabilities.”

(SOURCE: http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/internet/
2005/0502081204.asp?S=Security&A=SEC&O=FRGN)

AFRINIC TO TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR AFRICA'S IP NUMBERS THIS YEAR

Africa will no longer have to rely on other Regional Internet Registry (RIR) bodies, Adiel A. Akplogan the Chief Executive Officer of the African Registry for Internet Numbers (AfriNIC) has said.Akplogan told Highway Africa News Agency (HANA) at last week's regional WSIS summit that AfriNIC is already managing the first stage of registering internet end-users with RIRs. This first stage is known as 'request evaluation'.

'Request evaluation' is a way of allocating Internet Number Resources (INR) which are composed of Internet Protocol (Internet Protocol) addresses. One cannot get connected to the internet without an IP number. Akplogan told HANA that, "We will receive full and final recognition from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) by April 2005."

"We have, since the 1st of September last year, received 400 requests from Internet Service Providers (ISPs). RIRs no longer evaluate these requests, AfriNIC now does that," Akplogan said.

Akplogan said that it is important to note that AfrNIC is about registering and managing internet number resources allocation in the Africa region."Numbers are used to uniquely identify different components on the net. AfriNIC doesn't deal with name space management, domain names, but only number space," he said. "More than 40 ISPs from more than 30 countries are giving AfriNIC support." He added that 13 of them are currently paying their affiliation fees.

Akplogan said AfriNIC is facing some challenges because it will have to be self financing after two years. He said the body also needs to drive the whole of Africa to participate in the process.

(SOURCE: http://allafrica.com/stories/200502081054.html)

RWANDA'S SECONDARY SCHOOLS TO BE CONNECTED TO INTERNET BY 2017

Rwandan President Paul Kagame at the African ICT conference in Accra said that all of the country's secondary schools were to be connected to the internet by 2017. Rwanda has an aggressive Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) policy, aiming at making the poor country a technology centre within the next decades.

President Kagame of Rwanda was the only African state leader to attend to the Africa Regional Conference of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), except the Ghanaian host, President John Agyekum Kufuor. In an interview with David Kezio-Musoke of Highway Africa News Agency (HANA), President Kagame reveals Rwanda's ICT strategies.

Asked how Rwanda has become "a role model of a country with an effective ICT policy at national level," President Kagame said that his government had made that choice "in terms of overall objectives." The UN's Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) had helped Rwanda with necessary resources, including the human resource. "It is on that basis that everyone has started using us a model," the Rwandan President said.

Today we have put in place broadband infrastructure, Mr Kagame explained. "It is possible to have wireless internet access. We have the fibre optic infrastructure in the city and most of the towns and the provinces. We are working to expand it to other areas of the countries."

Rwanda places great importance on the teaching of ICTs. "We are expanding internet connectivity to schools," President Kagame told HANA. "All secondary schools should be connected within the next 12 years," he announced.

We have a digital backbone provided by different providers like Rwanda Telecom Rwandatel and RwandaCell, Mr Kagame went on. "Rwandatel is under privatisation," he added.

(SOURCE: http://www.afrol.com/articles/15512)

UUNET KENYA LAUNCHES VoIP SOLUTION - PROMISES UP TO 70% SAVINGS

Kenyan business communications provider, UUNET, last formally launched a high-quality, low-risk voice communications solution for business organisations. The new solution will enable businesses to make a smooth transition from separate voice and data communication networks to a single network while making huge cost savings in their overall communication costs.

Companies can make savings of up to 70% depending on how their current communications network is configured. The solution uses voice over IP (VOIP) technology to carry voice calls over existing data networks and the Internet, thus offering users vast cost savings on their current telephone bills. UUNET Kenya has partnered with the one of the world's leading VOIP solutions firm, Quintum Technologies of America, to deliver this solution.

UUNET Kenya becomes the first local communications company to offer a risk-free VOIP solution in the liberalised arena and is the only authorised value-added reseller for Quintum Technologies' range of VOIP solutions in the East and Central African region.

(SOURCE: http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/internet/
2005/0502110819.asp?S=All%20Africa%20News&A=AFN&O=FRGN)

IN BRIEF

- Telkom CEO Sizwe Nxasana has handed over an ICT centre with satellite-enabled Internet access to Kgolouthwana secondary school in Limpopo province. Speaking at the handing over ceremony, Nxasana said access to the Internet via very small aperture terminal technology would ensure Kgolouthwana learners join the information age. Kgolouthwana headmaster Isaac Rankga and his teachers will receive computer literacy training through the help of Telkom and they will in turn educate their learners. Rankga says learning how to use computers as well as having Internet and e-mail access “will give us an opportunity to prepare our young learners for the ICT world”.

- Mweb Nigeria, has announced a partnership with private telephone operator, 21st Century Limited, to offer 'Unmetered Internet Access' to both new and existing subscribers. This will allow customers to connect to Mweb's Fast Satellite Download service (FSD) for a fixed monthly fee with no additional call charges. "By combining Mweb's FDS with Unmetered dial-up access, the subscriber will have the advantage of fast download speeds via satellite (up to 64 kbps) at a fixed monthly charge with no call charges," said General Manager, Mweb Nigeria, Mr. Jannie Van Rhyn. To get connected to the Mweb and 21st Century unmetered Internet access, a customer will require the Mweb Fast Satellite Download product and 21st Century telephone line.

- For those of you looking to protect yourself against the security weaknesses found in Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Outlook, there is now an alternative. Try the open source Firefox internet browser and the Thunderbird mail browser. For free downloads, go to www.mozilla.org

- South Africa's Internet Solutions has become a member of London's IXP, LINX. IS CEO Johann Pretorius said:"The decision to become a full LINX member is an extension of our strategy to maintain market leadership by providing our customers with world-class infrastructure and cost-effective value-added services."

WORLD IT FORUM COMES TO AFRICA FOR THE FIRST TIME - TO BE HOSTED IN BOTSWANA

The World IT Forum (WITFOR) is coming to Africa for the first time in September, when it will be staged in Gaborone, Botswana. WITFOR is a UNESCO initiative sponsored by the European Union, and will be hosted by the Botswana government, in partnership with the International Federation for Information Processing.

The event is expected to attract around 700 decision-makers from around the world, and aims to generate proposals for ICT-based initiatives that will accelerate economic progress in developing countries."The purpose is to help implement information development strategies and projects in developing countries," says Festus Mogae, president of the Republic of Botswana and honorary chairman of WITFOR 2005. "The conference will also address issues critical to developing countries, such as the role of ICT in fighting HIV/AIDS and poverty, as well as bridging the digital divide."

The first WITFOR conference, held in Lithuania in 2003, identified eight major themes, as well as a number of development projects. Eight commissions are now reviewing the progress of these projects and determining the way forward. This work will lead to the draft Gaborone Protocol, a document calling for concrete plans of action and outlining proposals to accelerate development through ICT. The Gaborone Protocol will be discussed and finalised at the conference. Following WITFOR 2005, the Gaborone Protocol will be submitted for adoption at the UNESCO general conference and the World Summit on the Information Society later this year.

(SOURCE: http://allafrica.com/stories/200502040652.html)

EGYPT'S BURGEONING IT SECTOR CONTINUES TO SEE GROWTH DESPITE DOWNTURN

As one of the few sectors in Egypt that continued to show strong growth during the economic downturn of the past five years, 2005 looks likely to turn out to be an eventful year for Egypt's burgeoning IT sector. According to official statistics, youth has given the sector some tremendous growth figures, hitting 16% over the past few years, compared to a real GDP growth rate of around 2%.

With the economy as a whole re-energised by the stabilisation of the Egyptian pound, along with new monetary and economic reform policies, CEOs are predicting even higher growth rates in the next few years, as firms across the economic landscape invest in more IT.

With the popular former minister of communications and information technology (MCIT), Ahmed Nazif, having become prime minister, the sector is confident that it will continue to receive the attention of the government. Indeed, Nazif is said to be fond of finding technological solutions to social and economic problems. For instance, he is championing the use of smart cards to better target food subsidies - an application that could eventually extend to other subsidies, such as those on fuel. His new cabinet has also created a new position, minister of state for administrative development, which has been filled by MCIT consultant Ahmed Darwish with a mandate to focus on e-government.

Meanwhile, the outlook for public-private partnerships (a favourite term of Nazif's) is bright, as are large government contracts for IT and related firms. Major industry players say that government work represents 60-70% of the total market, most of it going to large multinational corporations and their local partners.

A visit last week by the king of geeks himself, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, put the ultimate stamp of approval on the Egyptian government drive towards making bureaucracy smart. Gates was in Cairo - a city he frequently visits and whose Microsoft subsidiary has been named the company's best in the Europe, Middle East and North Africa region. This time he was in town to launch Egypt's new investment portal: (www.investment.org.eg), a web site dedicated to attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country, and which Microsoft helped build. Attracting FDI has been made the Nazif government's most important priority, and a new Ministry of Investment, headed by a young, outspoken and economically liberal professor of economics, Mahmoud Mohieldin, has been created. The idea behind the portal, Mohieldin told reporters at the launch, is to make economic and investment information about Egypt more readily available. The availability of information is no longer a privilege to be taken away, he said.

The portal's creation coincides with a joint announcement by the government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that Egypt will from now on adhere to the IMF's Special Data Dissemination Standard, a framework intended to guide the institution's members in the provision of their economic and financial data to the public by focusing on four dimensions of data dissemination. These are: coverage, periodicity, and timeliness; access by the public; the integrity of the disseminated data; and the quality of the disseminated data. The move will hopefully avoid the sometimes embarrassing incoherence of key macro-economic data across different ministries that has been a problem in the past.

But Gates was also in Cairo to announce that Microsoft would soon be doubling its USD150m investment in the country, and to open Microsoft Egypt's Innovation Centre - a research and development facility that will also provide training to young Egyptian computer engineers.

Microsoft enjoys a privileged position in Egypt, where it has been the government's partner in a number of public initiatives that have helped make IT more accessible to middle-class Egyptians and students of all ages. A PC for every home initiative, for example, makes cheap computers available along with discounted Microsoft software such as Windows XP. Another programme subsidises the company's Office suite for university students. This preponderance of Microsoft products - as in many other countries - has made some proponents of open-source software (a movement still in its infancy in Egypt) nervous that the education sector, for one, will be a de facto Microsoft monopoly.

In the meantime, technology companies like Microsoft or IBM (or in telecoms Alcatel and Siemens) are playing a major role in funding training programs for computer engineers. These companies naturally hope that the graduates (which they often recruit from) will show a preference for their products - an arrangement that seems to suit all parties involved.

As a result of all this, at Cairo ICT 2005, a trade fair that takes place annually during the first week of February, the dynamism of the sector was in evidence. Along with stalls offering bargain basement discounts on hardware and software, the country's leading companies competed to get the attention of trade specialists and the general public. With the fair growing in size each year, it could be a good indicator that the sector is still generating a lot of buzz - something that is confirmed by this week's endorsement by the man who controls over 55% of world's software market and whose products are on at least 90% of all computers.

It is a very short period since the last time I was here, but I have followed closely the developments that have taken place in recent months, Microsoft's Gates told businesspeople at a meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt during his visit. The very strong and positive steps that have been taken enhance our opportunity to make business here. I am very optimistic.

CHANNEL DATA RELEASES LATEST VERSION OF CONNECTED'S DATAPROTECTOR FOR PC PROTECTION

Connected Corporation, together with official South African distributor Channel Data has announced the immediate availability of DataProtector/PC version 7.5, a solution for automated enterprise-wide PC data protection.

Realising a comprehensive Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) strategy, DataProtector/PC version 7.5 automatically protects, secures and manages all enterprise PC data in an organisation, while complying with data storage regulations.

"If companies don't have a PC-centric disaster recovery plan in place, a simple corrupted file or virus strike could mean the loss of months of work as well as lost revenue," comments Amit Parbhucharan, technology marketing director at Channel Data.

"Therefore, Connected continues to enhance its PC data protection and recovery solution which in turn allows companies to ensure business continuity as well as add distributed data centralisation to ensure Total Lifecycle Management for their unstructured user files."

Connected DataProtector/PC 7.5 automatically and efficiently protects all PCs in the enterprise, while reducing corporate storage requirements and costs associated with protecting knowledge worker-generated data.

As a result, companies can safely leverage PC hard drives for critical data rather than always deferring to a file server-based approach for retrieval and backup. In addition, when licensed with Connected Email Optimizer functionality, customers also benefit from a data reduction process that allows for efficient handling and centralised storage of users' locally-stored Microsoft Outlook (.pst) and Lotus Notes (.nsf) e-mail files and archives.

IN BRIEF

- Harris Corporation, a leading global provider of wireless equipment and services, has been selected to supply a new microwave radio network to Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), the fastest growing liquefied natural gas plant in the world. The contract covers all internal communications between NLNG's Bonny Island complex, five NLNG's Gas Transmitting sites and NLNG's Port Harcourt Office, incorporating installation and servicing of all

point-to-point wireless equipment, including antennas and towers. Harris will provide microwave solutions to connect NLNG's buildings and plant complex and gas transmitting sites, enabling wireless communication throughout the large complex operational area.

KENYAN TELECOMS SECTOR EXPECTS TO RING UP BILLIONS

Kenya's telecommunications sector expected to earn 70 billion Kenyan shillings (R5.65 billion) this year but faced challenges from government red tape and delays in truly liberalising the sector, industry analysts said last weekend.

The market may also have difficulty meeting investor and customer expectations as new telecoms operators struggle to get up and running.

Frederick Murunga, the managing director of Africa Online, said consumers, investors and current players needed to work to improve industry conditions.

Murunga cited an example where the dominant Telkom Kenya last week announced a decrease in internet connection rates. On closer scrutiny, it became clear that most of the premium connection rates had risen by as much as 144 percent, while only the smallest bandwidth prices fell.

Government-backed Telkom Kenya is still the only international voice gateway provider. Its formal monopoly ended in June but remains in effect since no one else is yet operating.

Delays that have hindered companies trying to get started are the revoking of licences and challenges in court, he said.

Christopher Wambua, the Communications Commission of Kenya spokesperson. said the projected 70 billion Kenyan shillings in earnings excluded those from internet service providers, data network operators and other niche players.

(SOURCE: http://www.businessreport.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=565&fArticleId=2400560)

ICT ENTREPRENEUR FUND ENABLIS BROADENS NETWORK

Another 16 South African entrepreneurs have been inducted by Enablis, a Canadian government-funded organisation. The induction of 16 new members brings to 33 the total number of South African technology entrepreneurs who are receiving business support from Enablis.Martin Feinstein, CEO of Enablis, says this figure will grow to 120 by the end of this year.

The project offers entrepreneurs a programme of services ranging from sales workshops to business coaching, and Enablis will spend R10 million over the next three years to provide these services.“We also offer qualifying entrepreneurs a 90% loan guarantee of up to R2.5 million,” says Feinstein.

The business ideas don't have to be ICT-based but must use ICT technology innovatively. “60% are mainstream ICT businesses while 40% use ICT elements,” adds Feinstein.

An example of such a venture is a new audio global positioning system that is placed on a car's dashboard to give motorists interesting facts about the areas they are driving though.

(SOURCE: http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/business/2005/0502071025.asp?O=TE)

CISCO'S SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN REGION HAS ITS BEST QUARTER

Cisco Systems Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) says the second quarter to 29 January was the best in US dollar terms in the office's nine-year history. Describing the quarter as an exceptional period for the regional office, Cisco SSA's GM, Mokati Ramphele, says growth of 20% was achieved compared with the same quarter a year before.

Out of the three business segments – midmarket, small to medium enterprise and small office/home office – the service provider segment was the best performer, he says.

“The general deregulation of the market has created a vibe in the market and has unleashed huge potential. ISPs (Internet service providers) and Telkom are actively looking to boost their performance by installing reliable networks.

“This growth has been closely followed by the public sector. We are seeing good growth in spending as government increasingly apportions a percentage of its capital expenditure on enabling technology that will support connectivity.” Growth is driven by demand for routing, switching and advanced technologies, he adds.

(SOURCE: http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/financial/2005/0502091110.asp?O=TE)

IN BRIEF

- Econet Wireless International is confident that its long-running shareholders dispute with VMobile (formerly Econet Wireless Nigeria) will be resolved within the next few months. The arbitration ended on 3 February and a ruling is expected from the arbitrators within the next two to three months. The two organisations have been involved in a dispute that has been on the go for the past 18 months, following VMobile's decision to sell a 51% controlling interest in the Nigerian business to Vodacom SA, despite claims by EWI that it had preferential rights to those shares.

- Multinational business application software group SAP has agreed to sell a 25% stake in its South African operations to an empowerment shareholder. SAP Africa MD Claas Kuehnemann says the board of German-based parent company SAP AG has agreed in principle to sell the stake. No deal has been struck yet, but Kuehnemann says the search for the right broad-based black economic empowerment (BEE) partner is at an advanced stage. “SAP believes this step will help give further momentum to our efforts to meet our obligations in terms of the ICT charter and the Black Economic Empowerment Act,” he says. The deadline for the implementation of the ICT BEE charter is 1 March.

- Telecom Egypt's USD 343.6m offer of five year bonds has been swamped by investors who have sought bonds worth USD654, almost twice the amount on offer, reported Reuters. Telecom Egypt said funds from the issue will be used for investment and financial restructuring, involving retiring more-expensive debt.

UGANDA GETS NEW COUNTRY WEBSITE

A new website,www.Ugandaonline.net, has been developed to promote Uganda abroad and locally. It targets advertisers with an easy way to use an advanced system.

Access to the website is free but advertisers must pay Shs100,000 to set up a page per year. The site costs USD30 or Shs60,000 per year for a premium listing. The website directory links to more than 600 websites in the country.

The site has information on advertising companies in Uganda, opportunities in agro-business, computer supplies, education, environment, finance, entertainment and on the role different government departments play in promoting investment.

Also covered are news on sports, health, shopping, telecommunications, travel, wildlife, religions, kingdoms, districts, industrial, agricultural and bridal.

Mr Michael Nampala, the site's Chief Executive Officer, said more than Shs10 million has been invested in creating the website, which is listed on several search engines like Yahoo, Goggle, Lycos, Hotbot and Msn.

"Since its inspection in the last eight months, we have got over 16,000 visitors who have viewed over 7,000 pages," he said. He added that the site ranks third most accessed in Uganda after The Monitor and The New Vision.

To use the website, you open and submit your addresses and then access any information you want. Nampala said any person looking for someone could easily find her or him by just using his or her name.

"We are aiming at expanding this service to the African level although at the moment we are still concentrating on Ugandan programmes," Nampala added.

Locally, the Internet is mainly accessible in the major towns of Uganda, yet there may be potential advertisers and tourists in the unconnected parts of the country.

(SOURCE: http://allafrica.com/stories/200502100174.html)

CREDITPIPE BECOMES FIRST M-COMMERCE SWITCH TO EARN VISA CERTIFICATION IN SA

CreditPipe's m-commerce service, MobileCredit, has become the first mobile transaction-processing switch to complete Visa International certification in South Africa. The certification means that Creditpipe's switch has been reviewed by Visa International's auditors and found to be compliant with the rigorous standards set by Visa International for the acquiring and secure transmission of confidential financial transactions.

"CreditPipe volunteered to undertake the rigorous certification as part of its drive to ensure the security and protection of not only our customers' and their clients' data but also to protect the interests of our banking partners," says Deon Botes, marketing and sales director at CreditPipe. "Our clients, their customers and our banking partners rely heavily on their professional reputations and CreditPipe believes every effort should be taken to protect the interests of these parties and their reputations, particularly when handling financial transactions."

The Visa International audit team was led by the association's e-risk auditor, who travelled from London, and who was accompanied by a representative from Visa International South Africa. The EMEA division employs a dual audit process that has a minimum of two auditors reviewing each process simultaneously. This ensures fairness, impartiality and an in-depth understanding of systems. The audit was detailed, ranging from physical security inspection to software security and transaction flow, and resulted in CreditPipe's certification of Visa Secure Electronic Commerce Requirements for Mobile Payment Hosts v1.0.

A critical component of CreditPipe's system security is the nShield hardware security module (HSM) cryptographic security device from nCipher, supplied by local business NamITech. The technology, also successfully audited by Visa International, helps combat fraud by encrypting financial information using 3DES encryption in a secure, tamper-resistant hardware device that secures sensitive information and data.

In addition to this level of security, CreditPipe also employs 3-D Secure, a joint Visa International, MasterCard and Europay specification allowing secure universal commerce, including mobile commerce. "The drive behind the implementation of 3-D Secure in the mobile sphere has been the protection of our merchants and their clients. Working with Encode, the preferred 3-D Secure technology enabler for Bankserv and the local South African banks, we have managed to achieve integration into the 3-D Secure model for mobile devices," says Botes, "We take security seriously because it is critical for consumers to know that their financial information is safe from prying eyes. As an industry player, it is also important for us to safeguard the reputation of mobile commerce and overcome consumer inhibitions."

CELLSMART MESSAGING SOLUTION HELPS SMMES SLASH COSTS

Cellsmart, a Cape Town-based wireless application service provider, has launched SMS Exchange Pro, which aims to assist small businesses with their text messaging needs. According to Ahmed Kajee, Cellsmart's marketing director: "Industry players like Mark Shuttleworth have been touting the benefits of open source software, saying it can help grow the economy. We are doing our part by offering the SMS Exchange Pro software free at http://www.cellsmart.co.za." Small businesses, which need to notify debtors of account balances, inform customers of new products and run loyalty programmes will find this new Web-based messaging application easy to operate and extremely cost-effective, he adds.

"Employees of big corporates often do not appreciate the many costs involved in running a small business. Once they start their own businesses they suddenly realise that simple tasks like telephoning customers to remind them to pay their accounts can be extremely costly. Using a text messaging application is a much cheaper option," says Kajee.

Although there is no charge to download the software, SMS messages cost from 30 cents to 39 cents, depending on the bundle purchased. Small business owners will find this substantially cheaper than paying the commercial SMS rates charged by the cellular networks, and more efficient than trying to send multiple SMS messages from a mobile handset.

A unique feature of Cellsmart Exchange Pro is the ability to schedule the sending of SMS messages, eliminating the recipient's irritation at being sent a text message at an inappropriate time. Other features include the ability to create and manage contact groups, receive replies from message recipients, send international text messages, and easily purchase messages credits online.

System requirements for SMS Exchange Pro are a Windows 98 operating system or better, an Internet connection and 10MB of hard disc space.

(SOURCE: http://www.ictworld.co.za/EditorialEdit.asp?EditorialID=21483)

IN BRIEF

- Fusion Reactor has implemented a Web-based river information system for the Komati River Basin Water Authority (Kobwa) to assist water users in the region with their usage planning. The company chose to develop a vectored Flash-based map of the system due to the advantages vectored imaging holds over traditional, static graphical formats like gifs. "Users simply place their mouse over a particular measuring station on the map, for example a weir, and information on water flow, content, evaporation, etc. is automatically generated," says Fusion Reactor marketing director, Grant Jackson. The advantage of using Flash, says Jackson, is that besides being available on the Kobwa website, the information can also be displayed on a cellular phone or personal digital assistant (PDA).

ISSUE NO 244 PEOPLE, EVENTS, JOBS

INDEX

PEOPLE

* South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki has criticised as “unacceptable” the fact that telecommunications rates in SA are 10 times higher than those in developed countries.He made these comments during his State of the Nation address at the opening of Parliament in Cape Town last week.

“Bold steps have been taken to further liberalise the telecommunications industry. We believe that the unacceptable situation in which some of our fixed-line rates are 10 times those of developed countries will soon become a thing of the past,” he said.

Later in his speech, Mbeki touched on e-government initiatives that are part of the overall strategy of modernising and bringing the various levels of government administration closer to the ordinary person.

“The institution of izimbizo is growing, with a larger number of events involving all spheres of government, better follow-up and greater depth in terms of house-to-house visits. We have launched the Batho Pele Gateway [online portal] to afford citizens the platform to access information and, later, services by electronic means,” he said.

Mbeki added that over 65 multi-purpose IT community centres have been launched to date, and by the second half of this year, each district and metropolitan council will have its own centre.“Plans have been approved for the construction of hundreds more such centres, so that by the end of the decade, each municipality would have a one-stop government hub,” he said.

(SOURCE: http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/telecoms/
2005/0502111239.asp?S=Business&A=BUS&O=FRGN)

EVENTS

“New Communication Technologies & Strategies to Bridge Africa’s Digital Divide”
International Conference 15-17 March, 2005
Chelsea Village, London, U.K.

DAY 1 - 16 March

08.30 Registration & Coffee

09.00 Introduction: The Case for Hybrid Telecom Solutions

Whether they are small, medium or large – and whether they are in urban or rural areas - African enterprises with requirements for cost-effective telecommunications are increasingly opting for hybrid solutions that draw upon the relative strengths of satellite, GSM, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, fibre optic and other telecom tools. But what are the implications for manufacturers? For service providers? And what are the implications for all “stakeholders” seeking to bridge the so-called “Digital Divide”? NewCom Africa 2005 will provide answers.

David Hartshorn, Secretary General, GVF

09.10 Executive Roundtable: Developing Africa’s Development Market

Billions of Euros worth of telecom budgets support humanitarian and development efforts throughout Africa. Telecom solution providers have amassed tremendous expertise in implementing cost-effective networks. And multi-lateral and other project-financing resources are now available to support national and international applications in Developing and Least Developed African nations.

Or are they? This roundtable, including open discussion from leading funding institutions, telecommunications companies, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), will examine whether these initiatives are making significant gains in African countries – and if so, how.

Session Chairman:
Russell Southwood, Editor, Balancing Act - Africa

Presenters:
David Woolnough, Africa Co-ordinator , DfID
Heloise Emdon, Senior Program Officer, IDRC
Guy Clarke, Director – Africa Operations, UUNET
Mike Leach, Director, U.K. Dept. for Trade & Industry
Brian Everard Network and Telecoms Manager, Oxfam
Dipak Basu, Director, Global Center for Expertise, CISCO
Regional Director, Africa, Orascom

10.15 Coffee Break

10.45 Emergency Management in Africa: The Critical Mission

Fixed and mobile telecommunications are literally a lifeline for users in Africa’s Emergency Management Community, whether it’s network solutions for public services or business-continuity requirements. Thus, as new technologies emerge, this user group is often among the first to try – and to adopt – the latest systems. This session explores the state-of-the-art and how hybrid and stand-alone systems stack up.

Session Chairman:
Michael Fox, Director, International Disaster Recovery Association

Presenters:
Jay Rushby, Head, Telecom, UN High Commission for Refugees
Cherif Ghaly, Director, WGET
Mike Smith, Director of Government Sales, Stratos
Tore-Morten Olsen, Vice-President, Telenor
David Kingdom Jones, BGAN Commercial Director, Inmarsat
Damien Riquet, Director, Télécoms san Frontières
Ruud Haasjes, Sales Manager, EMEA, Codan

11.50 GSM, Wi-Fi & Wi-Max: Satellite Backhaul for Africa’s Outback

Satellite backhaul is a well-established application – and it’s going strong. As satellite links extend the reach of terrestrial wireless services, are Africa’s rural regions finally within reach? And is there a compelling business model for satellite/terrestrial hybrid solutions in Africa? This roundtable will examine the latest trends and evaluate whether such solutions are sustainable.

Session Chairman:
Bruce Elbert, President, Application, Technology, Strategy

Presenters:
Inyat Syed, Business Manager, Satellite Systems, Ericsson
Frank Hanzlik, Managing Director, Wi-Fi Alliance
Director, Watanya
Jim Gandolfi, Senior Vice President, Hughes Network Systems
Fred Morris, Director, Product Management, Intelsat
Director, CelTel
Harry Stribos, Regional Director: Middle East & Africa, ViaSat

12.55 Luncheon

13.30 Aggregating Telecom Resources for African Operations

Non-governmental organisations, educational and medical institutions and a host of other African enterprises have begun pooling a variety of wireless platforms to take advantage of economies of scale for fixed and mobile satellite services, digital microwave, HF radios, and much more. This session will provide an opportunity to learn how aggregated solutions are being applied in Africa - and how they’re not.

Session Chairman:
Alan Gottlieb, GVF President, Gottlieb & Co.

Presenters:
Dipak Basu, Secretary General, NetHope
Alex Twinomugisha, Director, African Virtual University
Rob Longhurst, Field Operations Manager, PacTec
Roy Steiner, CEO, IBAUD & CyberPlex Africa
Director, UNOSAT

14.35 Roundtable: The State of the Art in Multilateral Programmes

There is strength in numbers, and Africa’s telecom markets – which as a region receive a disproportionate share of global development funding – are emerging partly as a result of successful multi-lateral programmes. Why are some funded telecom programmes successful whilst others fail? Learn from these leaders what elements contribute to effective telecom deployment in the African context.

Session Chairman:
Stephane Chenard, Manager, International Programme Development, GVF
Mike Jensen, Project Co-ordinator, CATIA
Cosmas Zavazava, Head, LDC Project Unit, International Telecommunications Union
Steve Song, Manager, Connectivity Africa

15. 40 Coffee

16.10 Project Finance: Who Has It… and How to Get It

Leveraging oil wealth, public-private partnerships, donor funding, investment funding… these are just a sampling of the variables to be considered in telecommunication project financing. This session will identify the essential requirements needed to launch a funded programme in Africa.

Session Chairman:
Simon Bull, Senior Analyst, COMSYS

Director, World Bank/Infodev
Director, Development Bank of Southern Africa
Director, African Development Bank
Deepak Talwar, KPMG

17.30 Day One Adjourns

DAY 2 - 17 March

08.30 Registration & Coffee

09.00 Introduction: African Solutions to African Requirements

It is now widely recognised that access to information and knowledge through affordable communications represents a significant opportunity for social and economic development, for regional cooperation and integration, and for increasing the participation of people in the emerging global information society. Addressing deficiencies in access to low-cost communication services is therefore now regarded as an urgent imperative for improving economic, educational and health standards. Day two of NewCom Africa will examine exactly how.

Martin Jarrold, Chief, International Programme Development, GVF

09.10 Application Roundtable: Distance Education in Southern Africa

There is considerable demand for communications access in the education sector. Although this sector is chronically under-resourced, a number of governments and NGOs have already committed to improving school connectivity – such as the NEPAD programme which aims to link 700,000 African schools - and a variety of development agencies are supporting initiatives across the continent.

Session Chair:
Olaf Schild, Project Director, DeTeCon International

Presenters:
Shafika Isaacs, Executive Director, Schoolnet Africa
Ray Hassell, Regional Director, OneTouch
Melanie Naidoo, Access Manager, Mindset Network
Henry Chasia, Executive Chairperson, NEPAD eCommission

10.15 Coffee Break

10.45 Roundtable: Regulatory Practices That Accelerate Development

Access to low-cost telecom services will be inhibited – and in some cases prevented – unless national and regional groups of Administrations apply policies and regulations that more effectively facilitate their use. Many national policies in Africa still restrict the delivery of services through private systems. Although restructuring of the telecommunication sector is now gaining momentum in the region, most countries in Africa continue to be protective of their monopoly national telecom operators. This session will reveal what is being done about it.

Session Chair:
Walda Roseman, President, CompassRose International

Bill Melody, Director, Global Regulatory Dialogue
Allen Miller, Executive Director, WITSA
Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Chief Executive Officer, CTO
David Hartshorn, Secretary-General, GVF & ITU-D Rapporteur, Question 17/1
Christian Hyde, President, Hyde & Associates

11.50 Application Case Study: VSAT-Based Rural Access in Kenya

When the Kenyan Tea Development Agency (KTDA) needed a network for daily delivery of critical business information to its numerous remote sites, they found a solution that would also address local villagers’ needs for basic connectivity. This case study will describe the factors that resulted in success, as well as hard lessons learned.

Session Chair:
Helen Jameson, Programme Co-ordinator, GVF

Presenters:
Richard Odundo Oturi, Manager – Business Development, CommCarrier
Renato Goodfellow, Satellite Service Initiatives, BT

12.55 Luncheon

13.30 Infrastructure: Reaching the First (and Last) Mile

Public access provision in under-serviced areas is a key government application in an increasing number of African countries. The PTOs of South Africa and Ethiopia, for example, have rolled out large networks for village communications, while plans are underway for numerous other programmes, including national and local intranet and rural public-access points where communities can obtain access to IT, the Internet and information on government programs, local news and weather, land and related administrative records, government license and online applications, local commodity prices and on-line transactions. This panel will assess the trend’s potential.

Session Chairman:
Greg Francis, Senior Analyst, Access Partnership

Presenters:
“Senior Representative - to be announced”, Gilat
Heinrich Nothnagel, Vice-President, AFSAT
John Miller, Director, Cable & Wireless

14.35 Technology Roundtable: Putting VoIP in the African Portfolio

African enterprises are seizing upon Voice over the Internet Protocol (VoIP), which increases the capacity of telephone networks by compressing and routing calls… typically for 50% of the cost of traditional switched services, and often offering "carrier-grade" reliability. Governments, meanwhile, have begun to recognise that VoIP, rather than being a by-pass mechanism, can help achieve development goals, and this has helped to encourage deregulation. This session will include reports from leading service providers on the extent to which VoIP can be used in Africa.

Session Chairman:
Geoff Daniell, Correspondent, Sub-Saharan Africa, GVF

Mike Dewan, Senior Manager, MCI
Ong Wee Cheong, Deputy Director, International Satellite Services, Singapore Telecom
Stefano Maccioni, Marketing Manager, Belgacom
Melvin R. Meyer, Regional Manager, Telkom South Africa

15. 40 Coffee

16.10 The African Cyber Café: Reaching Millions of Users… Today

While most African phone shops are in urban areas, a growing number are being established in remote locations. Many are adding Internet access to their services, even in remote towns where it is a long-distance call to the nearest Internet dial-up access point. In addition, a growing number of hotels, lodges, and other public venues provide a PC with Internet access.

It is estimated that there are in excess of 10,000 public Internet access points in Africa serving more than 1.5 million customers. The majority of these are small independent operations with two or three PCs, which augment revenues from other sources. This session will evaluate the implications.

Session Chair:
Robert Longhurst, Senior Consultant, Longhurst Associates

Dan Ellenbogen, Vice President, Hewlett Packard
Shaul Laufer, President, Shiron
Alison Griswald, Programme Director, LINKCentre

17.10 Conference Adjourns

For details: http://www.aitecafrica.com

SECOND PREPARATORY COMMITTEE MEETING FOR WSIS TUNIS PHASE

WSIS PrepCom-2, 17-25 February 2005, Palais des Nations, Geneva

The meeting will focus on preparations for the Summit that will take place in Tunis, Tunisia, 16-18 November 2005. It will also evaluate progress made on the WSIS Plan of Action, which was agreed to by 175 countries in Geneva in December 2003.

The President of the WSIS Preparatory Committee will submit a document aimed at reaffirming political commitments made in the Geneva Phase and ensuring that the Tunis Phase is a 'Summit of Solutions' that will bring the benefits of the Information Society to all of humanity. This document, an output of multi-stakeholder consultations by the President and the 'Group of Friends of the Chair', is expected to serve as a basis for negotiations at PrepCom-2.

For full text see:
http://www.itu.int/wsis/newsroom/press_releases/wsis/2005/04feb.html

OSS WEEKEND

The Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology (UICT) in conjunction with the East African Centre for Open Source Software (www.eacoss.org) is organising an Open Source Software (OSS) weekend to take place at the UICT campus in Nakawa from Friday, February 25, 2005 to Sunday, February 27, 2005.

As part of the activities, we shall have FOSS deployment case study presentations of which you are all cordially invited to submit various implementations of FOSS in your areas of work. These implementations should have a focus towards INTEGRATION. A Cash award of Uganda Shs. 250,000/= for the Best OSS Integration Case will given.

For more information and any communication on this, please send your emails to info@eacoss.org and ltonny@uict.ac.ug or use the telephone contacts available on the EACOSS website.

VOICE OVER IP (VOIP)

Tuesday, 01 March, 2005

For the first event of 2005, First Tuesday will focus on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

The event will be run in three sessions starting with a pre-event workshop. The workshop will be made up of Thought Leaders and captains of industry who will examine how the market is responding to the legalisation of VoIP as of 1 February 2005.

Following on from this, the content will be presented at The Campus, on Tuesday, 01 March 2005, by our Thought Leaders in two hands-on learning panel discussions at the event.

Venue: Johannesburg | The Campus | The Forum
57 Sloane Street Bryanston

Time: 14h30 to 17h00

Pre-event Cost: R350
Cost at the event: R500

ITU TO HOST WORKSHOP ON INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN VEHICLES

ITU and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are partnering with one of the world's largest automobile events - the Geneva International Motor Show - to host a workshop 2-4 March, focusing on the synergy between the information and communication technologies (ICT) and the automotive sector.

The Fully Networked Car: A Workshop on ICT in Vehicles, will be a unique meeting of key players from the automotive and ICT sectors, offering both an opportunity to exchange ideas on the future of ICT in motor vehicles. The event is free and open to the public.

For full text see: http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2005/NP02.html

JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES

* A company is looking for a Network Design Engineer with a knowledge of the WAN and LAN areas. Most importantly the person must be able to communicate in both French and English. The person will be based in South Africa but will spend 50% of the time travelling through Africa Contact Gary at gary@hrpractice.co.za or on +27114530555

* For the second time in 2005, Prix Ars Electronica will honor important achievements by digital communities. This category focuses attention on the wide-ranging social impact of the Internet as well as on the latest developments in the fields of social software, mobile communications and wireless networks.

The "Digital Communities" category is open to political, social, and cultural projects, initiatives, groups, and scenes from all over the world utilizing digital technology to better society and assume social responsibility. It is meant to recognize the initiators and propagators of these communities as well as the developers of the relevant technologies, and to honor those whose work contributes to the establishment and proliferation of Digital Communities as well as provide understanding and research into them.

The prizes in this category will total 20,000 Euros: one Golden Nica (10,000 Euro), two Awards of Distinction (5,000 Euros each) and up to 12 Honorary Mentions.

For full information please check http://www.aec.at/en/prix/communities/communities.asp
Contact: communities@prixars.aec.at
Deadline for submissions: March 11, 2005

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News Update is a free e-letter produced by Balancing Act that covers African internet content and infrastructure developments, It goes out to government, the private sector, education and NGOs. To subscribe, send a message saying "I want to subscribe" to info@balancingact-africa.com