| ||||||||||
 |
|
STUDY ABROAD OPTIONS
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
WEEKLY PUBLICATION DEADLINE: 12 pm GMT Sunday. ISSUE NO 275 Bottom-of-the pyramid markets - the sub-USD100 laptop and the search for the holy grailThe idea is a simple one. Lower the price of a device and you will get more people to buy. Bottom-of-the-pyramid markets - those in the lowest global income band (below USD1500 a year) - provide a tantalising market opportunity. Wharton Business School academic C K Prahalad has argued this case in his book the Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid. This week saw the launch of MIT's Nicholas Negroponte's USD100 laptop which makes ambitious claims to becoming more "an education project" for school children than a cheap laptop for the masses. But the road to hell may well be paved with good intentions as Russell Southwood looks at the previous computer failures and asks what needs to go right if this kind of approach is to work. Negroponte cannot be faulted for ambition and has a great deal going for him and his not-for-profit group called One Laptop Per Child. He has put together a detailed specification for a USD100 lap top that can also be powered by a wind-up mechanism. The proposed design of the machines calls for a 500MHz processor, 1GB of memory and an innovative dual-mode display that can be used in full-color mode, or in a black-and-white sunlight-readable mode. The display makes the laptop "both an electronic book and a laptop," he said. One display design being considered is a flat, flexible printed display developed at MIT's Media Lab. Negroponte said the technology can be used to produce displays that cost roughly 10 cents per square inch. "The target is USD12 for a 12-inch display with near-zero power consumption," he said. And this sounds more like a problem that has still to be solved than one that they have the answer to. Power for the new systems will be provided through either conventional electric current, batteries or by a windup crank attached to the side of the notebooks, since many countries targeted by the plan do not have power in remote areas, Negroponte said. Negroponte is in discussion with Governments of five countries - Brazil, China, Thailand, Egypt and South Africa - who will buy and distribute a projected (staggering) 15 million machines. On the basis of the math, this means that between them these governments will come up with USD1,500,000,000 and this is really only a sum that can in the main come from international donors. But let's consider the history of India's much-touted Simputer. It started life as USD100 hybrid of computer and PDA and ended up costing USD215. Not only that but it was a year late to market which had a detrimental effect on those seeking to sell the machine. The original "talked-up" specification suffered some inevitable "de-speccing" as the device made its slow progress into production. Initial teething problems also slowed down production and sales. By April 2005 its two manufacturers - Encorus and the the state-owned Bharat Electronis - had sold under 5,000 units. Although of course both have been keen to stress that bigger sales are on the way. And if it is to survive, they will need to be... The device's proponents were left arguing that price mattered less if the device was shared: "Even if a Simputer costing Rs 10,000 (US$215) is too costly, ten villagers could come together to own one," Deshpande explains. Others envision schemes where one device would be owned by a community, kept by the local shopkeeper or teacher, and accessed by villagers via smartcards, which at USD2 are much more affordable. Like Negrponte, its promoters were relying on Government as a major customer. PicoPeta’s CEO Swami Manohar blamed a lack of financial support from the government and other agencies. "The major problem has been the non-realisation of our belief that once prototype Simputers were demonstrated there would be a huge groundswell of support [from these bodies]." Simputer distributor African Digital Bridges who were appointed in 2002 to sell the Indian low-cost machine decided to quit because "it was not worth sustaining operations." According to Territory Manager - Africa Anrew Mang'ula: After reviewing the situation at Africa Digital Bridges (ADB) Dubai, UAE, prospects and the length of sales cycles etc, we concluded that it was not worth sustaining operations. ". The second device worth remembering was Media Solv's sub USD25 PDA which underwent trials in a data collection project in Kenya run by the Environmental Liaison Centre International in Kenya. This has now disappeared from view but suffered in concept from many of the same problems as the Simputer. The headline cost of the prototype which was designed to catch attention was even before anyone committed to building it, unlikely to come in at under USD30-35 if it contained a number of essential features not included in the lower price. The VillagePDA as it was described operated (in a prototype form) in a wireless Personal Area Network (PAN) that used the Bluetooth standard. A single Internet connection linked to the PAN could be used by several concurrent users, thereby maximizing the utility of a single connection. The proponents argued:"The limitations posed by a handheld wireless device dictate restrictions on content that are well suited for efficient use of bandwidth". In other words, in order for it to be cheap, we're going to have to offer you second best. And like the Simputer, the VillagePDA was mainly aimed at donor funders and Governments. Another device to join this low-cost queue is the sub-USD40 handset commissioned by the GSM Association from Motorola. The Ultra-Low Cost handset programme forms a major part of the GSMA's Emerging Markets Initiative. Although 80 per cent of the world's population has wireless coverage, today's 1.3 billion GSM users represent only 25 per cent of the potential. "The price of the handset is only one hurdle. We are also pushing hard for further positive changes that can be effected by governments, such as more flexible regulatory decisions and a more favourable approach to taxation. In addition, we are encouraging innovative payment mechanisms that could further positively reduce the barriers to ownership, said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSM Association and Board Member." The success of this device is not assured as markets - particularly in Africa - are full of "refurbished" and "reconditioned" handsets that are coming out of developed markets in great numbers. But at least in the handset market, there is a clear sense of who the customer might be and a strong desire for the device in all African countries. Try going to the informal settlements of most major African cities and explain to potential customers why they might want a cheap PDA or indeed a cheap laptop. Negroponte is giving them away because he knows what an unbearably difficult task it would be to have to actually sell the things to people who might actually want them and have the money to buy them. Satish Jha in a contribution on the Deeshaa mail list caught the essence of the dilemma well:"We do need thousands of masters level project like simputer before we will come close to having the capacity to productise. We need several failures before we may succeed too. But most importantly we need to know what we do not or may not know and stop showing our ignorance about something we have never dealt with yet appear just too ready to opine. Similarly, entrepreneurs need to learn a lesson too-- idealism seldom sells products, least of all aspirants to what may have been a product. If it had any potential, there will be many global takers for it even if it had no publicity of the kind it got. A lack of interest by the market forces was itself a good proxy that it may be an idea whose time may have come and gone.. and may come back in some other form!" So will Negroponte pull it off or will it join the previous car-crashes that have been "the graveyard of all our hopes"? Who now remembers the Volks computer from Brazil that was a hot topic when the WSIS process started? Buyer of IBM, China's Lenovo is selling its PC at USD400 (minus monitor) in Kenya. If anyone can close the gap between the current market price and a better "bottom-of-the-market" price it is likely to be a manufacturer from an emerging market like China. The staggering reductions manufacturers like Huawei and ZTE are offering on telecoms equipment (up to 60% reductions) could well be replicated for computing devices and handsets by others.
TUNISIA UNDER PRESSURE FROM ALL SIDES AS IT PREPARES TO HOST WSIS SUMMITLast week a coalition of human rights groups known as the Tunisia Monitoring Group issued a report that declared Tunisia unfit to hold the World Summit on the Information Society, set for November, because of reports that the government has stepped up attacks on the press and civil society. The group, which has frequently criticized the selection of Tunisia as the host country, said the government has blocked access to Web sites belonging to Reporters Without Borders, other human rights watchdogs, and the independent press, while police monitor e-mails and Internet cafes. "It does question to some extent the U.N.'s credibility that a world summit on the information society is taking place in a society where access to some Web sites is restricted," said Alexis Krikorian, of the International Publishers' Association. "It's amazing that such a summit would take place in a country like this." Krikorian said that the Tunisia Monitoring Group had tried to raise its concerns in a meeting Monday on the sidelines of a Geneva preparatory conference. But as panelists spoke, representatives of Tunisian non-governmental groups at the event stood up and shouted them down. Tunisia proposed the summit in 1998, and member states of the U.N. communications agency, the International Telecommunications Union, agreed to hold it in two parts — in Geneva in 2003, and then in Tunis this November. The decision was endorsed in 2002 by the 191-nation U.N. General Assembly, and no nation has ever raised formal objections. The International Telecommunications Union, which is organizing the event, said it was obliged to carry out decisions by its member states. Those nations would be the ones to decide to hold the summit elsewhere, spokeswoman Francine Lambert said. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said the summit could help pressure President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Tunisia has long been accused of human rights abuses, while Ben Ali, who took power in a bloodless palace coup in 1987, has repeatedly won landslide electoral victories tainted by charges of fraud. "These kinds of international conferences can be beneficial to the people in the country hosting them," Dujarric said. "It opens up the country to the outside world and such a spotlight of attention gives the government strong incentives to try to meet international standards, including on human rights." Dujarric said that at the time Tunisia was selected, countries had wanted a developing nation to host the summit as a way of showing the importance of bringing Internet access to the developing world. He would not say if the United Nations or Annan had urged Tunisia to curb abuses ahead of the summit. Rights groups have said that abuses have only gotten worse in Tunisia in recent months. The Tunisia Monitoring Group's latest report documented a "serious deterioration" of the situation there. It cited harassment of journalists and questions about the independence of Tunisia's judiciary. The report cited the case of a lawyer and rights activist named Mohamed Abbou, who was jailed in April after he wrote an article a year ago equating Tunisia's abuse of political prisoners with American treatment of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Tunisian officials at the country's U.N. mission in New York either refused to comment or were unavailable. Ambassador Ali Hachani was in meetings, his secretary said, while a Tunisian diplomat helping prepare for the summit refused to discuss the issue. But a senior Tunisian government official in Tunis, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to talk with the media, said Abbou was jailed for attacking another lawyer and rejected the group's other claims about restricted Web access and freedom of the press. Earlier this month, the Tunisian government issued a statement saying it has made an "irreversible commitment" to respecting human rights since Ben Ali took power in 1987. That statement came in response to European Union concerns over allegations that Tunisia's courts were obstructing the work of a domestic human rights group. The summit has attracted several international sponsors, including Samsung, Microsoft, Alcatel and Ericsson. The summit Web site includes a message in which Ben Ali calls the summit an opportunity to help bridge the digital divide and bring about "an Information Society that is balanced and accessible to all." The Canadian Government representative read the following very critical statement to the event's Plenary: "I take the floor on behalf of the 25 member states of the European Union as well as Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, Switzerland, Norway, New Zealand, Iceland, Monaco, Australia, the United States of America and Canada in order to emphasize that our governments are dedicated to achieving a successful World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), as demonstrated by our active involvement in the first phase and our continued engagement in the preparations for the second phase in Tunis. We believe that the subject matter of the Summit is key to development for all members of the United Nations, whether developing or developed. Therefore, we wish to work closely with Tunisia, as host of the Summit in November, to ensure a successful outcome. We find it necessary to make this statement because of several incidents which occurred during the Preparatory Committee, raising concerns about the participatory nature of the summit. Our Governments expect the Governments, Institutions and non-State actors taking part in the WSIS process to respect fully the Declaration of Principles agreed on the 10 to 12 December 2003. The Geneva Declaration reaffirms the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers. These rights must be upheld in all countries in order to promote the building of the global information society and ensure a successful second phase of the World Summit. We expect Tunisia, as host of this UN Summit, to demonstrate that it strongly upholds and promotes these rights. As the Government of Tunisia will know, the Summit envisages and important and inclusive role for the Private sector, civil society, international organizations, institutions of knowledge production and of editorially independent media both for the preparations and in the final summit itself. We expect Tunisia,as host country, to do all it can to eliminate any grounds for concern and to ensure that arrangements for the Summit take account of and guarantee the unhindered participation of Non Governmental Organizations and their members. This is the only way to make sure that this will be a Summit in Tunisia, not a Summit on Tunisia". See also Internet News: African Ministers's agreed position on internet governance (SOURCE: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1493263/posts and other sources) LIBYA'S LARGEST OPERATOR AL-MADAR EXPANDS CAPACITY AND COVERAGE AND TO GO IPLibya's largest operator, Al Madar is quadrupling its network capacity and coverage. It has chosen Ericsson's Mobile Softswitch solution under an agreement in which it will supply a complete GSM turnkey core network, including mobile softswitch; deliver a radio network; deliver a charging system; and provide GPRS capability. The rollout will start in October and the expansion will be completed within twelve months. Abdulkhalik H. Ben Ashour, General Manager of Al Madar, says: "Chairman of Al Madar set the direction to take the important step towards an all-IP network. This solution will enable us to offer new and attractive services to a larger number of customers in a cost-efficient way. Ericsson's advanced technology, flexibility and responsiveness were the key reasons for us selecting Ericsson as a partner in our expansion." HIGH TAXES KEEP MOBILE PHONES OUT OF REACH, SAYS GSM ASSOCIATIONHigh taxes in many developing countries have made mobile communications unaffordable for hundreds of millions of people, holding back social and economic development, according to a study by the GSM Association (GSMA). GSMA is the global trade association representing more than 680 GSM mobile phone operators across 210 countries of the world. In addition, more than 150 manufacturers and suppliers support the Association's initiatives as key partners. According to the GSMA research, governments have huge scope to improve access to communications in the developing world In 16 of the 50 developing countries in the study, taxes represent more than 20 per cent of the total cost of owning and using a mobile phone. In 14 of the developing countries, the average mobile phone user pays more than US$40 a year in taxes on handsets and mobile services. Chief executive officer of the GSMA Mr. Rob Conway, said that "There is a great irony in the way governments tackle the digital divide, they say they want more of their people to have access to communications and yet they impose high taxes on mobile phones and usage." The study, which was conducted by Pyramid Research and Frontier Economics, with support from Deloitte & Touche LLP and Tarifica, on behalf of the GSMA, is the first research to examine the impact of taxes on the affordability of mobile phones in a large number of developing countries. Mobile phones have the potential to give hundreds of millions of people in developing countries access to communication and information technology, but only if governments work with the industry to reduce the total cost of owning and using a mobile phone. Nineteen of the countries in the study even levy additional taxes, on top of standard sales taxes, on mobile phone users. Some of these additional taxes are telecom-specific, such as service-activation charges. These special taxes average US$13 per year for each user. Development experts say such taxes are ill conceived. "Poorly-designed special taxes on the sector will slow rollout and deny access to powerful tools in the fight against poverty to the very people who need those tools the most," director of the Global ICT, Mohsen A Khalil said. The GSMA study also found that a large proportion of handset sales today in emerging markets are via the black market. In 2004, an estimated 39per cent of all handsets sold was distributed via the black market representing a loss of USD2.7 billion tax revenue in the 50 markets examined. If that trend continued, that would mean lost tax revenue of US$24.5 billion over the next five years. The GSMA and mobile phone makers are together creating a new category of ultra-low cost phones that will sell for less than US$30 at wholesale, but in some countries the retail price of these phones will be much higher because of import duties and sales taxes. If low-cost handsets were exempt from import duties and sales taxes, the GSMA study found that up to 930 million additional low-cost handsets would be sold in the 50 markets covered by the study between 2006 and 2010. Some countries have already made tax reductions. The Indian government has brought down import duties on handsets over the past three years, helping to boost the proportion of its population with mobile phones to more than five per cent from less than one per cent. The implication is that governments can use fiscal policy to enable more of their people to become connected. The study also found that a government that lowered sales taxes on mobile services by just one percentage point would boost the number of mobile phone users in its country by more than two per cent between 2006 and 2010. In some cases, lowering taxes on mobile communications could actually increase government's total tax revenue in the longer-term. Each new mobile phone user would generate an additional US$25 a year in service tax revenues at the current levels of taxation on usage. According to the study eliminating all telecom-specific and other special taxes would boost the number of mobile users in the 19 affected markets by 34 million by 2010 and mobile voice traffic in these markets by 25per cent. Of the 50 countries in the study, Turkey levies the highest rate of taxes on mobile communications - nearly 44 per cent of the cost of owning and using a mobile phone is made up of taxes. That represents an average of US$73 in taxes each year for each user. (SOURCE: http://allafrica.com/stories/200509290144.html) SA ICT SECTOR URGES GOVERNMENT TO SLASH VOICE AND DATA COSTSTelecommunications companies are hoping government will finally heed their advice to slash the cost of voice and data services when a second seminar to address telecommunications prices is held next month. Industry players will present proposals on revitalising the IT sector to the communications department next month. Some industry members fear that the department will listen to suggestions, but not put them into practice. "We need an open market with competition and price regulation. We have told them that for seven years, and they haven't done it," said Alan Levin, chairman of the Internet Society of SA. If the department was truly concerned about a lack of affordable communications services for the poor, it had to change the laws, he said. The first seminar in July saw 400 delegates engage in heated debate, then form a working group to draw up concrete plans. One proposal is likely to be a call for government intervention to force down Telkom's prices. It may also propose that the Sat3 undersea cable that carries SA's voice and data traffic to the rest of the world be declared a national asset -- ending Telkom's ability to fix its own prices for cable use. A third call may be for internet service providers to be permitted to set up their own infrastructure, instead of being forced to lease their lines from Telkom. Delegates will also urge the department to end Telkom's monopoly over the local loop -- the lines that run from a telephone exchange to end-user premises. If other companies could use that link freely, they would not have to pay Telkom, or set up their own connection point to end users. Last night, Deputy Communications Minister Radhakrishna Padayachie outlined his goals for the second seminar. "I look forward to a vigorous and constructive debate on the policy options before us," he said. "We must modernise the telecommunications sector, and achieve the best for all South Africans in terms of choice, quality, innovation and value for money," he said. "This is essential to promote a competitive economy and achieve the target growth rate of 6%. Effective and competitive telecommunications services must be available to all." The department intended to create an environment that would encourage investment by new entrants and existing players, he said. At the July meeting, delegates heard that SA's communication costs were the most expensive by a substantial margin compared with those of 30 countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). For high-speed internet access, Korea and Japan offered services 200 times faster for a third of the price, said OECD spokesman Taylor Reynolds. A lack of real competition meant Telkom had no reason to introduce competitive prices, better quality services and faster internet access, he said. (SOURCE: Business Day) ERICSSON AND VMOBILE NIGERIA SIGN FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC FRAME AGREEMENT WORTH USD2 BILLION OVER 2 YEARSVmobile has selected Ericsson as a strategic partner for its 'Roll Out Service Everywhere' (ROSE) project estimated at USD2 billion over the next 24 months. This initiative will see the Nigerian operator add 3,000 base station sites to its existing network and increase network capacity to 10 million subscribers. The project aims to boost Vmobile's coverage across Nigeria over the next two years. As part of the five-year frame agreement with Ericsson, Vmobile will be supplied with a complete range of core network, access, service layer solutions and services to support the rollout of the new infrastructure. Vmobile has already signed the first contracts worth over USD$200 million, for the delivery of core network expansions, a new charging system, base station system expansions and turnkey implementation services. The rollout of the new base station sites is scheduled for completion in June 2007, with sites including 900 MHz and an 1800 MHz base station. Vmobile will not only benefit from increased network coverage and capacity, but the investment will also improve network quality, boosting the Nigerian telecommunications to world-class levels. Says Vmobile's chief executive officer, Willem Swart: "Vmobile operates in more than 5000 communities, and have more than three million subscribers. Vmobile continues to expand and improve on its network, thereby meeting its goal of delivering first-class telecom services to the people of Nigeria, and at the same time offering mobile communications to a wider segment of the population." "Through the introduction of the ROSE project, Vmobile will be able to address the needs of the rural communities as well. We are investing $2 billion over the next 24 months to build 3000 base stations and increase capacity to 10 million subscribers. The selection of Ericsson as a strategic partner in this project is due to its leading position in the African and global GSM market. We have had a good experience with Ericsson in the past four years. The company has a complete services portfolio, including the consulting and systems integration offerings needed to deliver complex turnkey solutions." Ericsson's GSM Solutions have been developed to provide efficient solutions for an operator building and running a GSM system, targeting all the important areas including network capacity and coverage, network quality, low life cycle costs, fast network roll-out and efficient transmission. Says Pattison Mutambiranwa, sales director (key account manager) Vmobile at Ericsson: "Our strength as a true end-to-end solutions provider and understanding the customer's needs were key factors in securing this deal with Vmobile. Ericsson is committed to helping drive the growth of this emerging voice market. We look forward to working closely with Vmobile to grow Nigeria's telecommunication market. Says Leif Edwall, managing director of Ericsson Nigeria: "We would like to thank Vmobile for the trust they have shown in partnering with Ericsson, what is left now is to ensure that we deliver and exceed consumer expectations on our quest to contribute to an 'All communicating Nigeria' and at the same time improving the economy". ZIMRA WITHHOLDS ZIMBABWE INDEPENDENT SATELLITE FOR OVER 6 MONTHSIN what appears to be a political move to thwart the business growth of the Zimbabwe Independent and Standard newspapers, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) has for the past six months kept under lock and key a satellite dish and accessories belonging to the group at its container depot in Beitbridge. Zimra is demanding that the equipment must first be licensed before it is released. The equipment does not require licensing since it is used to receive news, not to transmit it. The move came after suspicion by government that the papers wanted to use the satellite dish - provided by Reuters for newsgathering purposes - to broadcast footage of the March parliamentary election to the international community. The saga took a new twist this month following evidence of the involvement of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) in the continued seizure of the equipment. A letter dated September 24 written by Zimra regional controller, Eric Maguranyanga, to the manager of Big Star Cargo Services, tasked with clearing the equipment, reveals the involvement. The letter states that Zimind publishers should get a licence from the Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) before the release of the equipment. "You are therefore required to make an application for a registration licence from Potraz for the issuance of the licence. A copy of your application should be sent to the President's Office, PO Box 2373, Harare." Under Zimbabwe's legislation no law requires a licence to import a "receive only" dish. The satellite dish can only receive stories and pictures but has no capacity to transmit. Potraz is mandated to regulate and license the telecommunications sector and therefore does not ordinarily have jurisdiction over broadcasting licence issues. The involvement of the President's Office, which houses the CIO, raises questions as to who is pulling the Zimra levers. Initially Zimra had told the newspaper group to apply for a licence with Tel*One. It then told the group to apply for another licence from the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ). The company proceeded to apply for a letter of exemption with respect to its confiscated equipment on August 17. BAZ granted leave for the receiver to be released but to no avail. According to the group chief executive, Raphael Khumalo, correspondence was sent to Potraz in March seeking assistance to have the seized "receive only" antennae and ancillary equipment released. Potraz responded by asking for the release of the dish in a letter to Zimra dated April 6, to enable them to carry out examination of the equipment before issuing Zimind Publishers the relevant licence. Their request fell on deaf ears as Zimra continued to hold the equipment. Earlier this month Zimra appeared ready to release the equipment. Big Star cargo services confirmed that the satellite equipment was ready for delivery, but Zimra made a U-turn at the eleventh hour by keeping the dish in its custody following orders from one Chihuri, who is based at Zimra's Intermarket Towers. Chihuri reportedly instructed Zimra's Mr Maguranyanga not to let go of the satellite receiver. Efforts to get comment from Chihuri yesterday proved fruitless as he was said to be out of town on business. Khumalo said that the continued holding of the equipment had prejudiced the operations of the Independent and the Standard as the two papers were unable to provide their readers and advertisers with good quality international news and pictures. Reuters manager in charge of media accounts in Africa, Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, last week confirmed from South Africa that newspaper organistions in Zimbabwe including the Financial Gazette and Zimbabwe Newspapers Group had the satellite receiver equipment including 26 other institutions. "Modus publications and Zimbabwe Newspapers have the dish," said Muhutu-Remy. (source: Zimbabwe Independent) RWANDA'S KARISIMBI ANTENNA TO COST USD2.3MThe government is to spend a whooping Frw 1.3 billion for the reconstruction of the 40-metre antenna at Karisimbi Summit in Ruhengeri province. "There is no doubt Karisimbi Tower Project in Ruhengeri will become an absolute gateway to better connectivity. The project is expensive but the returns will be worth the investments after its completion," Capt. Augustine Iyako, the Project Coordinator, disclosed during a one-day workshop for the stakeholders held at Telecom House recently. Iyako said the project will enable effective information sharing in the country and the institutions to benefit directly include the Ministry of Defence, ORINFOR, Terracom, Rwandatel and MTN Rwanda Cell. He also said that the project is to strengthen and facilitate better connectivity, greater access to internet and will also be instrumental in services like tracking, meteorology and any other ICT-related ventures. Telecommunication companies will be allowed to raise their specific masts on the tower at an agreed fee. "It becomes the first satellite established in Africa. With the Karisimbi Tower, Rwanda will be able to receive television signals from Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Togo and all over the world with ease," added Iyako. He added that the completion of the project would inevitably lead to a reduction in the numerous booster stations that ORINFOR has been using. "ORINFOR will be able to telecast direct from the Karisimbi Tower without using the boosters. All government departments will also be able to have an inter-connection to telecommunication companies free of charge, and international broadcasters will be able to redistribute their signals using Karisimbi," he said. He noted that the problem of poor weather forecast that has characterised the meteorological department will also be solved once the tower is complete. Addressing the same workshop the Secretary General in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Emmanuel Nsanzumuganwa, said the reconstruction of the modern IT antenna is to assist telecommunication firms and government departments to telecast and send information across the world. Nsanzumuganwa further disclosed that Terracom was contracted to reconstruct the antenna, and that the company was advanced a 30% upfront payment in Terracom has already embarked on underground extension of fibre optic cabling network to connect every part of the country to the mast. The former mast went down in 1993, following strong winds and a spell of prolonged neglect due to war. "The initial Karisimbi mast constructed in 1985 was so weak it could not stand the strong winds at the top of the volcano and the combination of these strong winds and thieves facilitated its total collapse in 1993. We need to construct a strong and modern mast this time," said Capt Iyako. (source: The New Times) IN BRIEF- According to news agency MENA, Egypt’s telecoms regulator, the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has announced plans to licence a third mobile operator to compete with MobiNil and Vodafone Egypt. The new licence, which will include the right to provide 3G services, is expected to be awarded in early 2006 with the winner to launch by mid-2007. Egypt first announced plans for a third operator in 2002 but its plans were delayed as demand slumped. It now hopes the licence award will increase competition in the market. - An Egyptian communication company signed a 20-million-euro agreement with a Libyan company specialized in electronics to manufacture, market, and carry out maintenance for all communications networks. Egyptian Ambassador to Libya Mohamed Fathi Refaah Al-Tahtawi said the agreement also includes cooperation in the field of telephone exchanges, access network equipment, CDMA units, training and transferring technical knowledge. - Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-Systems South Africa has established two points of presence (PoP) in South Africa for its managed global high speed network. T-Systems spent ZAR100 million on the PoPs; Telekom Global Network now has a presence in more than 125 international locations. SA companies can now join the 300-plus licensed carriers currently using the network. TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE- Telkom Kenya has rolled out a VoIP service, intensifying competition in the market. The operator claims that its offering will be the cheapest in the country, with calls to international destinations being offered for just KES0.15 per minute, compared to KES0.92 per minute currently offered by other operators. Telkom said it is targeting people who cannot afford the current rates. - Glo Mobile, the wireless business of Nigeria's second national operator Globacom, says it has launched GPRS/GSM services covering 20 major cities, towns and expressways in just one week as part of its aggressive 2.5G network rollout plan, according to local paper Vanguard. Coverage has been expanded to: Ogoja and Obudu in upper Cross River State; Owode, Ifo, Arigbajo, Itori and Wasimi in Ogun state; Kaiama and Opoku in Bayelsa; as well as Birnin Kebbi in Kebbi and Bida in Niger. The Ijebu–Ibadan, Lagos–Otta and Otta–Abeokuta expressways have also been added to the Glo network.
CISCO PIONEER TO KICK OFF AFRICAN INTERNET FORUM AT FOR ACT 2005One of Cisco’s pioneering engineers, Jim Forster, will be kicking off the African Internet Forum at the seventh annual African Computing & Telecommunications Summit (ACT 2005), to be held in Johannesburg this week at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Sandton over 4-7 October. Since earning his B.S. degree in computer engineering from Rutgers University in 1976, Jim Forster has spent 29 years in the computer industry, specializing in communication, networks and operating systems. After working for two Silicon Valley startups that failed he joined a “completely different" fledging company with about two dozen employees, Cisco Systems, in 1988. Forster wrote Cisco's first OSI implementation in 1989 and subsequently managed engineering development or led architecture in various areas of router software, including routing protocols, X.25, Frame Relay, ISDN, ATM and DOCSIS Cable Routers. He is currently working on wireless Internet Access systems for developing countries. Forster is an author RFC-1613, "X.25 Over TCP", has been awarded several patents, and is a Cisco Systems Distinguished Engineer. Now bearing the title at Cisco of “Distinguished Engineer”, Jim will do a presentation on “The Internet: A common endeavour - How the pieces fit together & who does what.” Jim will join over 80 other ICT experts doing presentations or leading sessions at ACT 2005, which attracts participants from throughout Africa to create the continent’s leading computing, communications and Internet convergence event. The African Internet Forum is held in partnership with Balancing Act of the UK and the African ISP Association and will cover a number of key themes related to Internet development in Africa, including wireless systems, broadband access, fibre backbone projects, cost-effective connectivity and effective management of Internet sources in Africa. MWEB HOME LAUNCHES SOUTH AFRICA'S BIGGEST PODCASTMWEB Home has teamed-up with Arno Carstens to create South Africa's first big local music podcast. Published via www.mweb.co.za on Thursday, 29 September, the podcast will feature an interview with Carstens and previews of selected tracks from his much anticipated new album, The Hello Goodbye Boys, which is being touted as the biggest album launch by a South African musician ever. Podcasting is the latest in online audio technology that allows MP3-enabled web-users to publish and listen to broadcasts via the Internet. Jean Barker, MWEB Home Entertainment Editor says that partnering with South Africa's best-selling solo English rock artist will do a lot to catapult this new virtual practice into mainstream online consumer behaviour locally. "Podcasting creates a digital soap box for anyone who has anything to say as it allows anyone with Internet access, a microphone and audio editing equipment to become a digital DJ by creating a radio show for surfers to download and listen to at will. It is therefore quite different from live streaming," says Barker. The name podcasting is a combination of the words iPod, Apple Computer's name for its popular MP3 player, and broadcasting. "The name is a bit misleading though as you don't need an iPod to listen to a podcast. In fact, you can play it on any media player that supports MP3s such as Windows Media Player on your PC. Or, you can transfer it onto your iPod and play it wherever you like. The iPod just makes the podcast mobile," she says. "MWEB Home visitors are avid online samplers and we've seen a dramatic increase in the use of broadband content such as movie trailers and new music releases on the site. It is for this reason that we'll be offering podcasts from our portal with celebrities and musicians alike on an ongoing basis and have several planned for the immediate future. Interviews and selected soundtracks from the Straight out of Benoni movie are next on the podcasting agenda," concludes Barker. (SOURCE: http://www.litmags.co.za/articles.asp?id=2054) INTELSAT WINS CONTRACT WITH THE AFRICAN VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY TO PROVIDE INTERNET BANDWIDTH SERVICESIntelsat has been selected by the African Virtual University (AVU) as its strategic communications partner in an initiative to establish a higher education bandwidth consortium which will make Internet bandwidth more widely accessible to African universities. Using Intelsat's GlobalConnexSM Internet Trunking Service, this initiative will deliver cost-effective, reliable bandwidth to students, academics, and other users at 11 universities and two consortia in six African countries, initially. The Partnership for Higher Education in Africa (PHEA), a body consisting of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, have pooled their resources to fund universities in Africa. By leveraging economies of scale to achieve cost efficiencies and satisfy demand for Internet bandwidth services, the PHEA funding is channelled through the AVU, which selected Intelsat to provide the needed bandwidth. Intelsat's network for the service consists of its teleport in Germany and the IS-903 and IS-904 satellites, both of which provide strong coverage of the region. The AVU, an international university based in Nairobi, Kenya affiliated with 56 learning centres and institutions in 27 countries in Africa, will provide some of its own content and source additional educational content from universities in the U.S., Australia and Europe. The partnership between the AVU, PHEA and Intelsat is geared toward achieving the AVU vision and mission of increasing access to tertiary education across the continent. The AVU was established in 1997 as a World Bank project to assist sub-Saharan African countries in enhancing capacity availability to African universities through technical and administrative support and channelling brokered content. The AVU recognizes that lack of connectivity is a serious drawback for most of its partner institutions, which hampers the delivery of Open Distance and e-Learning programs, as well as access to digital resources. The AVU was identified by the PHEA as the ideal institution to manage the complex project based on its proven skills in purchasing and managing satellite-based distance education across its own centres in Africa. Mamman Aminu Ibrahim, convener of the Nigeria Information and Communications Technology Forum of Partnership Institutions, said, "When African universities have the capacity to connect with the Internet at speeds approaching those available to others around the world, we will have taken one of the most important steps possible in our efforts to become a full member of the world‚s academic community. This is technology that is central to the transformation of higher education in Africa." The Rector of the AVU, Kuzvinetsa Peter Dzvimbo, stated, "Most of the universities in Africa do not have access to reliable and affordable bandwidth, with some making do with less than one megabit per second. We are now in the process of publicizing this partnership so that more African universities can join the consortium or even form regional consortia for bandwidth and connectivity." Derek Pierson, CFO, African Virtual University, added, "Intelsat is a strong, reliable partner that has a proven track record of successfully designing, implementing and operating long distance networks for education, telemedicine and disaster recovery in many countries around the world. Relying on Intelsat for this service gives African university students access to reliable, fast and continuous Internet connections, thereby opening doors for them personally, and providing long-lived value to the countries in which they live and work." "One of the main reasons Intelsat was created over 40 years ago was to ensure that people around the world would have access to communications technology that would foster the spread of knowledge and encourage development," said Dave McGlade, CEO, Intelsat, Ltd. "It is fitting that Intelsat provides this service to African students, since making communications accessible is still a large part of our corporate mission. We are proud that GlobalConnexSM, the latest in our efforts to make communications services reliable and affordable, will be used to deliver educational information that will build and shape the lives of the thousands of students who access it." ISP MARKET REPRESENTS HUGE GROWTH OPPORTUNITY FOR AFRICAN GSM OPERATORSGSM operators in Africa have an opportunity to drive massive growth in average revenue per user (ARPU) and traffic on their networks by offering ISP services such as Internet and e-mail access to their customers. That's the word from Nevo Hadas, managing director at Systemsfusion, a supplier of next generation IP services provisioning and hosting automation platforms for telecom service providers. Hadas says that access to the Internet is in high demand from consumers and businesses alike throughout Africa. However, a lack of fixed-line infrastructure has restricted growth of the Internet on the continent. This creates a huge opportunity for GSM operators, who often provide more extensive and reliable coverage of the African countries they operate in than the incumbent fixed-line telcos. GSM operators can offer customers in under-serviced regions a lower-cost alternative to expensive satellite-based services. GSM operators also have the experience in operating in a prepaid, cash-based environment that gives them an edge over many of the other ISPs operating in the continent, says Hadas. "Having invested hundreds of millions of dollars in creating networks, African operators cannot afford to ignore any opportunity that will drive additional use of their networks. Ten thousand users spending 10 minutes online to check email could generate an additional 100 000 minutes of traffic a day for an African GSM operator," says Hadas. Hadas says that an ISP business can be extremely profitable for a GSM operator since there are no interconnection fees to eat into its revenues. In addition, operators benefit from gaining extra revenues without needing to make large investments in extra support and sales staff or customer acquisition. "Revenues from the ISP market in Africa will become significant over time, and GSM operators have the opportunity to seize the leadership position in an emerging market. As attractive as the revenue opportunity may be, GSM operators in Africa cannot afford to lose focus on their core voice businesses, nor do they necessarily have the funds and skills on hand to build ISP businesses and systems from the ground up." "For that reason, they should seek out partners who can offer them a scalable, cost-effective and fast to deploy turnkey ISP solution that provides them with the skills, software, hardware and services they need to get up-and-running with the minimum amount of effort," concludes Hadas. INTERNET PUTS MOROCCAN CENSORS UNDER GREATER PRESSUREWhile satellite television often attracts the lion's share of analysis about new media and their effect on prospects for democratization in the Middle East and North Africa, another technology may already have had at least as large an impact: the Internet. In Morocco, where the regime has severely constrained, controlled or silenced independent print media through direct and indirect censorship, the Internet has become an important instrument for unrestricted flows of information, which in turn is leading to the emergence of a more vibrant public sphere. The degree of Morocco's connectivity to the Internet is surprising. For a country that established its first Internet connection in 1995, Morocco has now about one million users from a population of about 32 million - one of the highest growth rates in the Arab world. The spread of cybercafes (now numbering over 1,500), as well as of Voice Over Internet Protocols for inexpensive long-distance phone calls, are helping to spread Internet use. Since the introduction of the Internet in the political field in Morocco in the late 1990s, government ministries, political parties, and Parliament have been online. The same holds true for activists and civil society groups, which have a long tradition of developing and using independent media to promote their interests and facilitate communication. Among the most important cases of political use of the Internet in Morocco was that of Abdul Salam Yassine, leader of Al-Adl wa al-Ihsan (Justice and Charity), a leading Islam-oriented political organization. Internet use for political purposes gained momentum in 2000 when the organization launched a Web site (www.yassine.net) to publish an open letter in many European languages after the regime banned independent newspapers for publishing it. Entitled "To whom it may concern," the voluminous memorandum criticized the regime of King Hassan II and urged King Mohammad VI to redistribute the late king's wealth. Yassine's Web site featured information resources, news and audio and video clips, thus breaking the chains of censorship. A separate but related recent case that shows how the Internet is facilitating political communication in the face of growing authoritarian tendencies was that of Nadia Yassine, daughter and unofficial spokesperson of Abdul Salam Yassine. In an interview published last June 2 in Al-Usbuiyya Al-Jadida, a Moroccan weekly, Nadia Yassine criticized authoritarian regimes and expressed support for a republic. She was charged with damaging the monarchy and, if found guilty, may face heavy fines and up to five years in prison. Following the charges, Nadia Yassine launched a Web site in Arabic, English and French (www.nadiayassine.net) containing detailed information about her life, ideas, and activities (including audio clips of her public lectures - for example one given at the University of California at Berkeley), as well as the full text of the interview that resulted in the case against her. The Web site has received numerous e-mail messages of support, mostly from highly educated Moroccans. Nor have Islamists been the only ones to use the Internet to circumvent government constraints. Since January 1998 progressive intellectual and human rights activist Mahdi Elmandjra, denied access to regular Moroccan media, has used his Web site (www.elmandjra.org) and e-mail lists to disseminate information and alternative viewpoints. Elmandjra recently launched the "Baraka Movement," similar to Egypt's "Kifaya" movement, which opposes despotism and monopoly of authority. In using his electronic networks with international and national human rights organizations, he is able to quickly publicize abuses, rights violations and repressive practices. He perceives information sharing as an important feature of political participation, as it empowers marginalized individuals and civil society groups to overcome regime censorship. Since 1998 his Web site has had more than 400,000 hits, a large number of visitors for a personal site in the Arab world. Internet-based political activism in Morocco is still nascent, but it is growing at a fast pace and is likely to play an increasingly important role in accelerating political pluralism. The Moroccan regime is not ignorant of the power of the Internet and is attempting to stifle its effectiveness via legal constraints, such as the 2003 anti-terrorism law as well as technical methods such as filtering and blocking sites. But such methods ultimately are ineffective; even when a Web site is shut down, there are still e-mail list serves and blogs to take up the cause. (SOURCE: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp? TELKOM SA HAS NO PLANS TO ROLL-OUT BROADBAND IN SOWETOLast week, president of the SMME Forum, Tebogo Khaas, caused a stir at iWeek when he told delegates there are no ADSL installations in Soweto -- one of the country's best developed townships just outside Johannesburg. Khaas told the conference that Telkom was failing to provide Internet access to people living in townships and urged industry to pressure the government and Telkom into enabling a more competitive environment. Khaas says the information had been gained by doing a random survey of known exchanges in Soweto. "We are currently embarking on a full-scale survey of the whole of Soweto." More disturbing though is the fact that there appear to be no immediate plans to offer ADSL services in the township. Punch in any of Soweto's dialling codes into Telkom's DSL Availability webpage and the words "not on the roll-out plan for the immediate future" are likely to glare back at you in black and white. But it is business owners in the area who offer the most vivid account. Owner and director of the Soweto Technology Project, Tom Baloyi, says running an IT training company in Soweto without an ADSL connection is proving to be very expensive. "In this line of business you can't run a business without the Internet," he says. Baloyi's business experiences the digital divide first-hand. While he can only get a dial-up connection at the Soweto branch of his training company in Diepkloof, he has an ADSL connection at his other branch, just over the N1 highway in Ormonde, near Gold Reef City in southern Johannesburg. "Having an ADSL connection is fantastic; the only snag is when the ADSL drops and crashes," says Baloyi. Restaurateur Senwelo Mautloa, who runs the Masakeng Pub and Restaurant, says he could do with a faster connection to update his restaurant's website, advertise and do basic Internet tasks. "Dial-up is expensive, it's very slow sometimes and the dial-up takes forever," says Mautloa. "Most people in Soweto, whom I know that run businesses aren't really interested in ADSL connections. Some due to misunderstanding, ignorance, some think it's expensive. Basically there's a general lack of information," said Mautloa. But Khaas says that there is a demand for ADSL in Soweto. Members of the SMME Forum who are based in Soweto had told him that they had applied for ADSL, but had been denied by Telkom, he said. Telkom Product Manager for ADSL Carel Wentzel says that previously disadvantaged areas such as Soweto usually have a low demand. "Where there's a high number of Internet customers there's high density, and we cannot go against industry trends by offering ADSL to low density areas," he said. Telkom officials said they would provide data on the ADSL rollout in South African townships, but failed to send the information to Tectonic before publication. (SOURCE: http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=610&s=news) AFRICAN MINISTERS' POSITION ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE - THE DAKAR RESOLUTION"We, the African Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Ministers, gathered to consider "Africa's Common Position on Internet Governance", in Dakar from 5 to 6 September 2005, thank His Excellency Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal, for taking the initiative to organise this conference which has given us the opportunity to debate on building a fairer new world to improve people's lives and eradicate poverty through the creation of opportunities to generate, use and share knowledge, Considering: - The Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS),
Given the general principles that should guarantee
Noting with satisfaction that the conclusions of WGIG reflect the concerns Africa expressed during the Accra Regional Conference (security, cultural and linguistic diversity, access, etc.); Recognising the need to reinforce the participation and association of developing countries effectively in the process of Internet governance; Convinced that, to arrive at practical solutions for the respective problems raised by Internet Governance, Africa should stand as one bloc at PrepCom3 and the second session of WSIS in Tunis 2005 and speak with one voice based on our interests; Convinced that the achievement of our priorities is an ongoing process requiring broad-based consensus among the international community on Internet Governance mechanisms associating States, civil society, the Private Sector, and international agencies; Considering that the creation of a World Internet Council (WIC), which reflects the recommendations of Chapter 48 of the Geneva Plan of Action and constitutes the final step that needs to be attained, can not be achieved immediately and necessitate the establishment of several different mechanisms; The Conference adopts, as follows: 1. The establishment of a global consultation framework to review in depth the general policies on Internet Governance. Such a framework should authorise equal participation for all stakeholders (Government, the private sector, civil society, and international organisations). 2. The expansion and reinforcement of the existing institutions for Internet Governance to enable all stakeholders to participate and ensure Internet Governance is efficient, accountable, and democratic, and that Internet services and resources are distributed in an equitable manner among all actors and all continents. The Conference also recommends: 1. Reinforcement of the role of the Government Advisory Committee (GAC) of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in all Internet Public policy development issues; 2. Internationalisation of root sever management; 3. African Member States should set up root server instances to facilitate access; 4. Setting up of a regional high speed Internet backbone allowing the creation of national, sub regional and regional Internet exchange points 5. Participation of specialized African institutions in technical Internet Governance bodies; 6. Reinforcement of the Internet Resource Management Institution, African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC), to guarantee the region‚s independence in Internet resources; 7. Establishment in Africa of a reference framework for building a multi-stakeholder partnership at the national, regional and continental level, based on the basic principles of digital solidarity and in conformity with the spirit and provisions of New Partnership for Africa‚s Development (NEPAD); 8. Contribution of African countries to the Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF) and utilisation of the Fund for building capacity, in particular for women and young people, and financing Internet-related projects in Africa; 9. Implementation of programmes that guarantee the presence of African languages on the Internet and use of free and open source software in order to fight against the linguistic digital divide and ensure the participation of all in the emerging new society; 10. The creation, in each African Member State, of a national structure responsible for the promotion and development of the Information Society, of knowledge sharing and the coordination of these structures at continental level; 11. The creation of Centres of Excellence around Africa for capacity development. IN BRIEF- President Kibaki has announced that the e-government policy is currently being implemented in Kenya, and will improve communications services across the country. As part of the project, the IT market has established a more unified structure in which ISPs have the mandate to open their own gateways, a move which the regulator, the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) hopes will improve effectiveness and competition in the sector. The government also hopes to licence new mobile operators, in a bid to increase coverage of rural areas, and will support the integration of e-education in schools. - Release 1.2 of open source VoIP software Asterisk should be out shortly. So if you are using Asterisk and have found bugs, please put them on on http://bugs.digium.com/
CHINA'S LENOVO TO ATTACK KENYAN MARKET WITH CHEAP PCsA Chinese firm that recently took over IBM's personal computer (PC) business will set up distribution structures in Kenya for its array of products - ranging from mobile phones to PCs. Significantly, the move by Lenovo, a company with USD13 billion in revenue, will push competition to new levels. The firm believes it will narrow the gap between clones and branded computers to a bare minimum. Founded in a shack by 11 scientists in 1984, with a government injection of USD25,000, China's first private firm will soon launch a major media campaign in Kenya, and other forms of promotion, including golf sponsorship. The Financial Times reported last week that Lenovo, the world's third-largest PC producer, is poised to launch a new series of cheaper and more colourful Thinkcentre desktop computers to reach small business buyers neglected by former owner IBM. It will retail in the US at just USD400 (Sh29,000) - minus a monitor - the new PC it is about Sh7,300 (USD100) cheaper than its predecessor. The move is seen as part of Lenovo's drive to grow its customer base beyond its mainstream buyers in large corporations, and government institutions, the report said. "We are going to launch a vigorous advertising in the electronic and print media, education, customer care training and compilation of monthly reports," Lenovo (South Africa) sales manager, Yushaa Matthews said. "We have never made this type of investment in Africa before." Lenovo, who are preparing to open a regional office in Nairobi, will launch a brand assault with their cocktail of Chinese and IBM brands. Although it holds 34 per cent of the Chinese market - consolidated through 700 retail shops before the IBM deal - it had never ventured into the international market. The firm, which employs 19,000 workers in 164 countries, deals in PCs, note-book computers, cell phones, personal digital assistant (PDA) and printers. It is targeting business enterprises employing between one and 99 people. IBM products usually target companies with over 100 people. Mr Matthews, who was in Nairobi last week, said Kenya is one of seven African countries that the firm was making direct investment in. He said they were considering setting up assembly plants in Africa, with a study of Nigeria already completed. He said Kenya would be the natural choice were the firm to assemble for the region, that includes Ethiopia and Tanzania. Then there is Nigeria, Botswana, Mozambique and Angola. Lenovo has done due diligence in the region spanning four months. Besides marketing their products in the area, they will, for the first time allow distributors to hold stock, unlike in the past when IBM would order directly from abroad. This tended to limit their efficacy in the market. Mr Matthews says innovation is the other name for Lenovo and IBM, and that with the improved supply chain, the would take the continent by storm. Among their authorised dealers are vibrant players like the South African firm Sahara (networked in 11 African countries) Tricontinental, SDAL and Ibis. Mr Matthews was accompanied on his Nairobi tour by Ms Hanli Wood who is the IBM South Africa channel manager for Central Africa. China's number one computer firm is ranked third globally after Dell and HP. Last month, it clinched a deal in which it paid the US IBM group $1.25 billion (Sh95 billion) for the division. This was made up of USD650 million in cash and the balance in Lenovo shares at the market price. The deal meant that IBM would own 18.9 per cent of Lenovo. In the new marketing strategy, Lenovo will roll out a number of products in the first three months of next year. But others like think pads would be promoted as early as next month. Lenovo's network will offer service and continuous client support in Africa. Under the agreement with IBM, the Chinese firm will supply IBM products for five years. Manufacturing in China, rather than in the US is projected to bring the costs down drastically. Top IBM executives have been attached to critical Lenovo departments. The deal with IBM hoisted the Lenovo shares at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange from cents 38 to $2.40 (Hong Kong dollars). In the coming months, Kenyans will be watching to see whether their local performance will be just as bullish. (SOURCE: http://allafrica.com/stories/200509270438.html) WHY COMPUTER PRICES CAN'T BE REDUCED IN NIGERIA - ZINOX BOSSAfter four years of producing world class computers in Nigeria, the Chairman of Zinox Technologies, Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh, has blamed high import duties and too many delays at the nation's ports for the inability of indigenous computer makers to achieve prize reduction. Speaking at the commissioning of the company's new multi-million head office in Gbagada Lagos, Ekeh, explained that the unnecessary delays and huge amount of money spent in clearing goods at the ports makes it difficult for most businesses to break even the biggest challenge the company is facing from its inception is import difficulties which he used the medium to appeal to the federal government to reduce logistics at the port because it delays clearing of goods at the port. The unnecessary delays of imports due to the several agencies that needed to check and cross check, he said, "is not healthy for the economy." Ekeh also said that the high import duties affect end users. The Zinox boss however disclosed that despite the problems the computer company experienced in its teething years, it is now on record that together they have built a truly indigenous Nigeria company with a very strong brand equity like never before in the history of Nigeria. According to Ekeh, financially and technically, Zinox has made a reasonable success in placing Nigeria technology where it should be, for real 24-hour on-line support and 18-hour physical support for customers. "This office and space look small and beautiful but what makes it world class is that it is powered with the best technology infrastructures and intelligent software in the world," Ekeh said of the new office. He said the last four years "saw us grow from strength to strength. We invested heavily on People, Technologies and processes", partnered with government on major technology driven events like COJA, CHOGM, set up a lot of digital laboratory for in schools across the country." Ekeh disclosed that Zinox contributed majorly in achieving the growth through "strategic forcing dawn of prices of IT products, no story after sales support and IT evangelism nationwide". He said the unnecessary delays of products due to the several agencies available which, he stated, is not healthy for the economy. In addition, he said the high import duties affect end users. The Chairman further stated that from analysis he conducted, he had come to the conclusion that "the first four years is regarded as incubation period in our sector. From the fifth year of operation you either get it right or you are dead. No excuses are acceptable." Ekeh commented on Zinox pet projects, the Computerized Nigeria Project (CNP) saying that "it is a clear success story. The company delivered over 55,000 discounted systems through this platform and they are working very hard to come out with better cost effective systems to sustain this project." He commended Nigerians for their support in promoting a knowledgeable and intelligent society as there are now Zinox computers in every town in Nigeria. "CNP has great international support and recently, a multi-billion dollar company, A-Open, signed an exclusive partnership with Zinox to support the vision of CNP and some international agencies are exploring the possibilities of working with CNP for the whole of Africa," Ekeh told the gathering at the Gbagada office of the company. On some novel projects being embarked upon by his company, Eke told the gathering, which included the publisher of Vanguard newspapers, "From first quarter of next year, CNP shall broadcast live lectures for children of owners of CNP systems. The first phase shall be restricted to few science and Art subjects but the second phase shall include business and other courses free of charge. We are presently recruiting IT-driven lecturers who can deliver this project. CNP shall open additional office next to Otigba computer market. This office has a strategic relevance in our effort to reach futuristic IT market segment" he said. Eke thanked corporate bodies and individuals who have used their products for the past four years and at a very great cost and assured them that those deficiencies were history. "We have improved quality, efficiency and effectiveness. We paid attention to the development of infrastructures that will drive our business and sustain our growth," he said. Amashike Emelonye, Managing Director Zinox said from four years ago till date , Zinox has become "the most aggressive IT company in the world today. We had a clear road-map and have not deviated from the commitment. We now rob shoulders with the best IT industry in the world". (SOURCE: http://allafrica.com/stories/200509290349.html) AFRICAN FREE SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS TO GATHER IN UGANDAAfrica Source II, a week-long workshop that will bring together free software developers from across the continent, is to be held in January next year. The workshop will be held in Kalangala, Uganda, from January 8 to 15 next year. The first Africa Source meeting was held in Namibia in March 2004. According to organisers Tactical Technology Collective, a Netherlands-based NGO, the workshop will "bring together nearly 100 technology support professionals, trainers and consultants working with the non-profit sector from across Africa. The participants will all have a history of working with service and advocacy NGOs, educational organisations, NGO resource centres, community centres and health information organisations. "The aim of the event is to facilitate learning and exchange between these communities, in particular around the practical deployment of free and open source technologies. "The intention is to move beyond conceptual discussions of the benefits of FOSS and technology in general, and to test out these ideas and focus on practical skill sharing between technology implementers in the region." The "Source" events are held around the globe and focus on developing the potential of free software developers to create, deploy and support free software applications in their own countries, particularly in the NGO sector. Past events have been held in Croatia, Namibia and India. Future events are planned for the Middle East & Northern Africa, Central Asia and Latin America. Frederick Noronha, documented the Asia Source event in a short book, and Tectonic covered the first Africa Source event. NGO Bridges.org also documented the Africa Source I event in a very comprehensive report. The primary themes for next year's event include migration and adoption of FOSS, alternative access, education and resource centres, using FOSS for information handling and advocacy, citizen's media, and localisation. "The workshop will focus on learning by doing, rather than by listening. We aim for a 'workshop vibe' as opposed to a 'conference vibe'; we hope that elements like the location, shared housing, and the nature of the sessions keep the energy level high and the interest in active participation over passive learning strong." The Source events are typically held in often remote or less-central parts of their host country with the intention of encouraging participants to live and work together for the duration of the week rather than just attend the sessions that interest them. The Association for Progressive Communication APC, Fantsuam Foundation of Nigeria, Schoolnet Africa, Translate.org.za, WOUGNET (Uganda) and The Tactical Technology Collective will collaborate to organise the content of the workshop. Local partners for the event are the East African Center for Open Source (EACOSS), Linux Solutions and WOUGNET. Developers and advocates that want to participate in the event, however, need to apply to the organisers before October 15. Applicants will be selected based on their interest and experiences. A limited number of travel and registration fee scholarships are also available. (SOURCE: http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=628&s=news) IN BRIEF- Realyst, a supplier of Contract Risk Management solutions, last week announced that it had strengthened its presence in Africa with the appointment of Softworks Limited as one of its resellers. “There are numerous opportunities in Africa and specifically within Nigeria,” commented Peter Trickey, CEO of Realyst. “However, to exploit that situation is was essential that we worked alongside a strong and influential company in that country, hence the relationship we have established with Softworks.” Softworks is a subsidiary of Telnet Nigeria Limited, although it was originally created out of iTECO (Nigeria) Limited, yet another subsidiary of Telnet. Telnet Nigeria Limited was founded in 1985 and commenced operation in 1986 with the mission of providing telecommunication and related services of the highest professional standard. Since then it has become the leading provider of solutions and services in the field of Information and Communications Technology in Nigeria.
TUNISIE TELECOM SHORTLIST DELAYED A FEW DAYSThe Tunisian government is likely to delay the selection of candidates for a 35% stake in Tunisie Telecom in order to get more detailed offers from some bidders, a person familiar with the sale process told Dow Jones Newswires on Wednsesday. The Tunisian government was intially planning to announce the names of the shortlisted candidates Wednesday. "The presentation should be delayed by up to a few days because the Tunisian government required more information from some of the bidders," the person who requested anonymity said. Another person close to the situation also said there might not be an announcement as planned. Telecom operators who have submitted preliminary bids are: France Telecom SA ( FTE), Vivendi Universal (V), Bouygues Telecom, Telecom Italia (TI) and Saudi Arabia's Oger Telecom (SO.YY). Portugal Telecom (PT) together with Telefonica (TEF) have also been attracted to the tender although PT is remaining tight-lipped over whether or not it intends to bid for a 35% stake. The value of the Tunisie Telecom stake being sold is estimated to be around EUR1.3 billion. A deal is expected to be completed by year-end. (SOURCE: http://news.morningstar.com/news/DJ/M09/D28/ IN BRIEF- MTN Uganda’s profits rose by 14% to UGS67.8 billion (USD36.59 million) in the year ended March 2005 on the back of a 45% jump in subscribers during the period, according to the company’s annual report. The cellco’s turnover in the twelve months was UGS300 billion (USD161.92 million). In its previous fiscal year, net income reached UGS59.7 billion on revenues of UGS275 billion. The report adds that MTN’s average monthly revenue per user (ARPU) decreased from USD22 to UD19 in fiscal 2004/05 despite a 10% strengthening of the Ugandan shilling against the US dollar. The report concludes that MTN Uganda remained ‘a highly efficient operation, achieving excellent margins in a market where tariffs are among the lowest on the continent’.
ANGOLA'S NATIONAL CUSTOMS LAUNCHES INTERNET PORTALAngola's National Department of Customs (DNA) last week inaugurated in Luanda its Internet Portal. The website www.alfandegasdeangola.com is aimed at providing its customers with a wide range of information on its activity. According to DNA communication officer, Gloria Cardoso, through the portal the company offers a channel of communication between the public and the institution. It provides updated information, publicises courses and events, issues official notes, presents statistics and custom officers description. She said as well that the portal, which is on a test run, is also intended to optimise and rationalise the flow of information between the institution and the website users, with a view to reduced administrative and bureaucratic costs. (SOURCE: http://allafrica.com/stories/200509250249.html) READERS' RESPONSES: ISSUE 274 - GUINEA: 4TH GSM LICENCE FINALLY AWARDED TO INVESTCOM HOLDING SAReference your article on Guinea, kindly note that Investcom owns and operates 8 GSM networks in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Our operations are in: Benin, Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, and Cyprus. Investcom was recently awarded two new licenses: in Guinea and Afghanistan. In Guinea, the frequency scope of the license covers 30 MHz paired in the GSM 900 MHz band and 64 MHz paired in the GSM 1800 band. It is valid for a period of 13 years starting from August 31, 2005 and is automatically renewable for an additional period of five years, provided that Areeba Guinea is not in substantial default. The initial fee paid is Euro 30 million. Ziad Sabah
PEOPLETina Owusu Prempeh Nana Yaa Owusu Prempeh, Chief Executive Officer of Tinifa Ghana Ltd and also based in New Jersey, USA has been appointed as Honorary Chairperson of National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)’s Business Advisory Council (BAC). CITI's Executive Director Masedi Molosiwa has been short-listed for the ITWeb IT Personality 2005 award. Isabelle Gross joins Balancing Act as Business Development Manager after five years working for Callserve, a company specialising in VoIP. EVENTSVOICECOMM 2005 Tuesday, 3 November 2005 - The Hilton, Sandton Join Cisco Systems and ITWeb at VoiceComm, one of the key IPC-focused events in South Africa, where you will be able to gain valuable insights from international and local industry experts and users on how their organisations reduced operating costs through the implementation of IPC solutions. For more information visit: http://www.itweb.co.za/events/voicecomm/2005/default.asp AFRICA SOURCE II Capacity Building of Free and Open Source Software for local communities in Africa
If our correspondent is "off the mark" or you have
factual amendments, mail them to us and we will include them
in subsequent News Updates. If you'd like to contribute, write
and let us know. |
|
    
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
This page last updated on October 10 2005.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
