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ISSUE NO 313

Further information can be found at http://www.ruraltelecoms.gov.bw/

- According to Ugandan website The New Vision officials from Telkom South Africa are expected to visit the country in the next fortnight to begin due diligence on Uganda Telecom. Last week Uganda Telecom’s outgoing Managing Director Aimable Mpore revealed that the South African company was interested in buying into UCom, a consortium comprising Telecel, The Gloria Trust and Detecon, which owns a 51% stake in Uganda Telecom. The remainder of the company is owned by the state.

- Nigerian Communications Minister Cornelius Adebayo has revealed that the number of telephone users in Nigeria stood at 22.9 million in March 2006, almost double the figure a year earlier. Adebayo stated that fixed line users account for 1.4 million of the total, while wireless subscribers make up the remaining 21.5 million. At the end of 2001 the country had only half a million telephone users, but market liberalisation, the introduction of GSM technology, and investment of over USD10 billion in the last three years have helped spur rapid development. Nevertheless, wireline teledensity of approximately 1% and wireless penetration of 16.7% indicate there is plenty of scope for further growth.

TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE

- Ghanaian GSM network operator ONEtouch has launched a new value added service, OneChat, which allows customers to send and receive SMS messages anonymously in chat rooms. SMS messages are charged to the receiving party and are priced at GHC500 (USD0.06) each.

- Vodacom has launched thirteen base stations in the Ndwedwe community,

a rural area north of Durban, thereby aiming to bring mobile communication to over 167,404 people. Vodacom is the first cellular operator to launch base stations in this area, which is 1153 sq km in extent and community members are expected to reap the benefits, including the opportunity to sell airtime

- Celtel Gabon has launched  “Savoir Tout” a real time information service that will provide to its mobile subscribers national and international news. Each click through to the service will be billed at 50 CFA francs.

TEAM FORMED FOR ESSAYFIBRE OPTIC PROJECT

A task force has been appointed to spearhead the launch and the completion of a regional fibre optic cable project.

A press release issued after a three-day meeting on the stakeholders of the eastern and southern African submarine cable system (EASSy), said the project would be formally launched next month.

Some 23 eastern and southern Africa countries had been meeting in Nairobi to iron out their differences that have delayed the submarine cable project that aims at improving telecommunication connectivity in the region. The conference brought together governments and private companies to reach agreement on EASSy.

The project seeks to bring down telecommunications costs, but has been riddled with controversy, including questions over who will own it. Options include a members-only ownership and open access - to ensure anybody can buy a shares in a manner similar to a listed company.

Information and Communication permanent secretary, Bitange Ndemo, said at the end of the meeting that the major differences had been settled, and the task force would finalise any other issues that would arise with regard to the project.

The $240 million (Sh17.6 billion) EASSy project has also generated heated arguments over its financing, with the promoters seeking to finance the project in a bid to make big profits from non-member telecommunication operators.

The date for completion of the project has been set as 2008 if no further hitches are experienced. The New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) e-Africa Commission is mandated to help develop Africa's information communication technology, under which EASSy falls.

The task force will finalise issues relating to the EASSy shareholders agreement and the Construction and Maintenance Agreement (CMA) of the cable network.

The press release invited development finance institutions to come forward and provide funds for the speedy implementation of the EASSy and other Nepad projects. During the meeting, the parties to the project agreed to the formation of a special purpose vehicle (SPV), which will manage the cable system. A company would be formed to run the SPV so that it would have the legal mandate even to seek funds. The SPV will develop, operate and maintain the network segments and offer wholesale capacity to licensed service providers, in a way that is fair to all current and future operators.

(SOURCE: The Nation)

VERIZON BUSINESS HAS PLANS TO ENTER CONSUMER BROADBAND MARKET IN SOUTH AFRICA

  Verizon Business South Africa, formerly known as UUNet, is making tentative plans to enter the consumer broadband space in South Africa.

In the past UUNet were predominantly focused on supplying solutions to large corporates and businesses but with the Verizon take-over it appears that the company will be broadening its horizons. Verizon’s overseas branches are big players in the consumer field and with expertise of this nature they may just be able to spice up the local arena.

But for this year Verizon Business will be consolidating their position in South Africa and wait until they have a feel for how best to enter this new space. According to Rowan Chetty, head of new business development at Verizon Business, they are in the process of acquiring a WiMAX license and will start testing the service in the latter parts of this year.

But Verizon Business has not been sitting idle. It is currently testing WiFi in their Cape Town offices and according to Chetty the results are promising.

Verizon Business are looking into offering a service of this nature commercially but they need get a license before this is possible. Chetty emphasized that they want to offer this service to consumers but will work through their reseller channels. They will put together a package for retailers to take to the market. The good news is that in the near future there may be yet another player in the wireless broadband environment.

(SOURCE: MyADSL)

TELKOM KENYA LAUNCHES CABLE AND BROADBAND WIRELESS SERVICE

Telkom Kenya has unveiled its fibre optic cable and launched a broadband wireless service, all valued at Sh754 million.

Telkom Managing Director, Sammy Kirui, said the 500 Km terrestrial cable running from Mombasa to Nairobi cost the company Sh667 million. The firm invested Sh86.4 million in the Kenstream broadband wireless service.

During the launch of the two services at Teleposta grounds in Nairobi, Information and Communications minister Mutahi Kagwe's speech was relayed live over the cable to Mombasa.

Kirui said the cable had a capacity of 2.5 gigabytes per second. "A fibre optic pair can transmit 30,200 telephone calls simultaneously. The capacity is adequate for this market," said Kirui. For the last 20 years, Telkom has been using microwave links between the two cities. Telkom chief operations officer, Dan Kibera, said there will be landing points at Athi River, Makindu, Mazeras, Mtito Andei and Voi.

Kirui said the cable will reach Malaba in December to connect Uganda, to fast track the Eastern Africa digitisation programme.

The Kenstream broadband is Telkom Kenya's digital leased line service, provided on a wireless platform. Kirui said Kenstream would increase its reach from a radius of 5 Km to 10 Km from each base station. Telkom has eight Kenstream base stations around Nairobi and Mombasa.

He said the launch of the two services "was part of a big picture" aimed at making Telkom competitive, ahead of the second national operator expected next year. Telkom Kenya has also outsourced its last mile wireless services and is in the process of doing the same to the fixed line services.

(SOURCE: The East African Standard)

ICANN’S INNE MAKES CLEAR IT DOES NOT CONTROL INTERNET CONTENT

African policy makers attending the on going training on Internet Governance (IG) at the United Nations Conference Center (UNCC) in Addis Ababa have been cautioned to think about content on the internet to resolve the governance of public policy.

In explaining the role of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Policy Analyst Anne-Rachel Inne said ICANN does not control content and data transmitted over the internet and therefore could not control troublesome or illegal content such as Spam, phishing, copyright protected material and child pornography.

Inne gave an example of how ICANN has ensured that pornographic sites are not given the freedom to operate under dot XXX domain name as some opposing governments made sure their voices are well articulated under Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC).

ICANN is facilitating the introduction of IPv6, a new IP address protocol that vastly expands the number of available IP address; the current system (IPv4) was estimated to have enough numbers until 2020.

The introduction of competition by ICANN into the registration of domain names, has reduced the cost of registering domain names by 80 percent since 1998 when the organisation introduced the domain names system and made it accessible to a wider community.

Inne explained that the ICANN board has included representatives from 19 countries and that currently there are members from 13 countries with two members from Africa. African members are Mouhamet Diop from Senegal and Njeri Rionge from Kenya.

ICANN has been facilitating the adoption Internationalised Domain Names (IDN) so that countries can use their own languages and alphabets in internet domain systems, and has also supported the ongoing work of regional organisations (Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) to manage the allocation of internet numbers of which AfriNIC is now the fifth and manages IP address distribution for Africa.

ICANN plans to have representation in other regions as it has offices in the United States of America and Europe, and ICANN's bottom up consensus based policy enables the participation of the Internet community worldwide in the development of policy regarding the internet?s unique identifiers. Participation in ICANN's policy formulation is open to all who have an interest in global Internet policy as it relates to ICANN?s mission of technical coordination.

ICANN oversees the internet's unique identifiers including the name and number addressing systems globally and ensures their stability and security so that the internet can operate in a seamless way regardless of where you are in the world.

ICANN was founded as a not for profit organisation in 1998 in response to the growing international nature of the internet. It was formed to carry out the development policy for the operation of the Domain Name System and for the allocation and assignment of Internet address space. In its role as the operator of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, IANA, ICANN is responsible for accurate recording of tables of unique parameters needed for the successful operation of the wide range of protocols that make up the TCP/IP suite.

(SOURCE: Highway Africa News Agency)

IN BRIEF:

- Goal Technology Solutions (GTS) are ready to roll out their commercial Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) services in Tshwane, and will undercut the current ADSL prices by a significant margin. The initial offering which will be launched by GTS will be a DSL 512 equivalent service with a 5 GB usage allowance at an all inclusive cost of R 479-00 (R 420-00 ex VAT). This is significantly cheaper than the comparable ADSL offering which will cost users just over R 700-00. Higher cap services will be available for GTS’s BPL products, with a favorable sliding scale pricing structure for high-cap account.

PRESIDENT OBASANJO TO LAUNCH COMPUTER FOR ALL NIGERIANS INITIATIVE

The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,President Olusegun Obasanjo last week unveiled a novel initiative that will make personal computers more affordable to Nigerians.

The project, dubbed the ˜Computer for All Nigerians Initiative (CANi), is a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Science & Technology and Intel, Microsoft, Omatek, Zinox, Brian and Beta among other technology companies.

The formal launch and unveiling of the scheme will take place today at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.Its part of a broader drive to bring the benefits of information and communication technology to more Nigerians.

With the take-off of CANi, PCs for home use will now be available to workers in paid employment in the public and private sectors at affordable and easy payment terms. Payments can be structured over 24 months at competitive interest rates through employers and participating financial institutions.

The core aims of the initiative according to Soji Romeo, programme director of the Project Management Office (PMO), the independent body established to oversee and administer CANi. Are three fold.

"We are here to provide affordable technology that meets the unique needs of the Nigerian home computer market; develop the local computer hardware and software economy; and to improve Nigerians computer literacy and, thus, stimulate the use of technology in our lives", he added.

Speaking on the initiative, Intel's General Manager for Emerging Markets, Mark Beckford, said the company is committed to making PC technology more broadly available to people in developing nations.

Digital inclusion programmes, such as CANi, form part of Intel's global World Ahead Program which aims to speed up cess to technology and information in developing nations by focussing on the three key areas of accessibility, connectivity and education. The focus needs to be on delivering products and technologies that are specifically designed to meet the unique needs and usage models of developing markets like Nigeria," he added.

Microsoft's GM for Nigeria, Gerald Ilukwe while commenting on the initiative, stated that the company believes strongly in CANi a fact reflected in Microsoft's significant investment in logistics and project support.

(SOURCE: This Day)

IT SKILLS GAP MAY THWART SOUTH AFRICA’S TECH BOOM

Hopes that liberalisation of the telecoms sector will let SA use new technologies to catch up in the global economy could be thwarted by a severe skills crisis. Firms eager to use cost cutting technologies face another hurdle in finding people able to implement and manage them.  The skills shortage could damage government’s chance of achieving its growth targets, research house IDC has warned.

Last year, companies were unable to fill 70,500 networking jobs, according to IDC. That will grow to 113,900 by 2009 as more companies implement sophisticated networks.  The research, commissioned by Cisco Systems, has not revealed anything the industry did not already know, but it has quantified the scale of the problem.

Chief information officers reported 34,000 vacancies for people with general network technology skills last year, with IDC predicting a shortage of 44,200 by 2009. For advanced technology skills such as security, internet protocol telephony and wireless networking, there were 36,500 vacancies last year. That will grow to 69,700 in 2009, representing a 30% shortfall in supply versus demand. Advanced skills have become more important as networks are utterly crucial in supporting business processes.

All the respondents said in the past they had recruited purely locally. In the future, 14% expect to recruit internationally to find more advanced skills. Many hope to recruit South Africans who are coming home after gaining experience abroad.

“We needed to get an understanding of where the skills gap is,” said Cisco SA GM Clive Fynn.

Companies can still find general networking skills relatively easily, particularly if they are willing to hire employees with little work experience.

“If you need a specialist in wireless you can pick them out from under any tree, but advanced skills are very difficult to find,” he said.

Cisco is keen to share its findings with government, educational institutes and other IT firms to see what can be done to boost SA’s IT training capacity.

“We are saying there’s a serious problem here because if we are going to contribute to the technological advancement of this continent, the government needs to co-invest.

“Everybody in the networking market has to collaborate much more closely. We need a few changes and one is a change to the basic curriculums taught at schools,” Fynn said.

Cisco is working with the education ministry and the Western Cape government to try to influence school curriculums.

Numerous firms and organisations are clamouring to put forward their ideas of what should be taught in schools, but Cisco says it has piqued the education department’s attention.

“Government has been very clear that if we are to going to transform the working environment, one of the key fields we need to promote is science and technology.”

Cisco has also partnered with the Nelson Mandela University and the Cape Peninsular University of Technology to create training courses that offer what the market needs. But the pace at which educational institutes evolve means it will be next June before the new curriculums are even introduced, and far longer before the first graduates reach the market.

Those university courses will include internships with hi-tech companies to give the students work experience and make them marketable once they graduate.

Cisco runs its own two-year internship courses, but with only 10 people going through the system each year, its effect on the skills gap is almost negligible.

(SOURCE: Business Day)

RADIO FREQUENCY TAGS COULD FRUSTRATE BAGGAGE THIEVES AND SAVE MILLIONS

Airport baggage theft and mishandling, which cost the global airline industry $750m annually in compensation claims, could soon be a thing of the past should the new radio frequency identification (RFID) technology prove to be effective.

Currently being piloted, RFID is a technology incorporated into a silicon chip which emits a radio signal that associates a user-defined serial number with a bag.

An RFID tag will replace the current barcode tags, which have been criticised for being prone to damage -- resulting in baggage being sent to the wrong aircraft.

According to global airlines lobby group the International Air Transport Association (Iata), the RFID tag can be used to determine the status or whereabouts of an item as it is processed.

"The RFID technology is quicker and more efficient than barcodes. It enables bags to be sorted and loaded faster and reduces the number of missorted bags, so reducing the number of delayed bags and their cost," says Iata.

The association says the benefits include enhanced baggage recovery and fewer delays from no-show passengers.

Iata director-general and CEO Giovanni Bisignani says the introduction of the new technology also forms part of the airline industry's attempts to improve efficiencies and save $6,5bn a year by simplifying processes.

Baggage mishandling is one of the major challenges facing airlines, airport operators and baggage handling companies worldwide.

National carrier South African Airways says it receives between 30 and 50 reports a day of passenger suitcases that have gone missing or have been tampered with. Baggage theft cost R40m a year.

Airports Company SA's (Acsa) CEO, Monhla Hlahla, said last year that a survey commissioned by the company found that 40% of staff would steal at some point. He said Acsa fired at least one staff member a day for baggage theft.

Iata says although any lost or mishandled baggage is regrettable, the incidence of such incidents is minimal. "Out of the 2-billion-plus pieces of luggage handled in a year, just over 1% are mishandled," says Bisignani.

He says, however, that reducing the small amount of mishandled baggage would result in "considerable savings" to the industry. Each incident of baggage mishandling costs $100.

Five airports -- Paris Charles De Gaul, Schipol in the Netherlands, Kuala Lumpur, Kansai and Narita in Japan -- are piloting the RFID technology.

In Africa, only the Nairobi airport, which is being used as a hub by Kenya Airways, has piloted the new technology. The tests, undertaken by the Transportation Security Administration of the US, showed a 98,2% read rate on tags on the Nairobi-Amsterdam route operated by Kenya Airways.

To ensure passenger privacy, Iata says the new tag will have only a 10-digit number and a date which will be of no use to anyone outside the of a baggage environment.

The current barcode tags show the passenger's name.

In a bid to make air transport more convenient for travellers, Iata is also pushing for the installation of common-use self-service kiosks at all major airports.

The kiosks, which will operate in the same way as automated teller machines, will offer convenient passenger check-in capabilities in remote facilities such as train stations, car parks and hotels. This will ensure faster check-in for travellers and reduce costs for airlines.

The conventional in-person check-in time takes 20 minutes on average, while the self-service kiosks have reduced this to less than five minutes in airports that have already rolled out the equipment, software provider SITA is quoted as saying by the US-based Air Transport World magazine.

According to the magazine, SITA added that traditional in-person check-in currently costs about $3,62 per transaction, while using a self-service kiosk reduced that to 52 US cents. Internet check-in and printing of boarding pass cut the transaction cost to 16c.

There is also a move towards internet booking or e-ticketing by the beginning of 2008.

Iata says an e-ticket costs $1 to process while the current paper ticket cost $10 each. E-ticketing will save the airline industry at least $3bn a year, it says.

The passenger self-service kiosks will save an additional $1bn a year with 40% market penetration.

But there is concern from labour analysts that the automation of check-in procedures could lead to job cuts.

Air Transport World quotes Iata as saying that one major European airline slashed its expenses by nearly $200m a year after investing $75m in automated check-in facilities and cutting back on call centre staff.

The challenge for airlines and airport operators is therefore to find a balance between putting passengers in charge of their travel arrangements and ensuring that their existing staff are not marginalised in the process.

(SOURCE: Business Day)

IN BRIEF:

- The NEPAD e-Africa Youth Programme Interim Steering Committee was today elected in the final day of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission Youth Programme conference being held in the resort town of Badplass, Mpumalanga Province in South Africa. The Steering Committee will also be at the forefront of the implementation of the Youth Programmes 3-year programme and strategic objectives.

- The Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) will launch its electronic trading system beginning September. The system, designed to electronically match "buy" and "sell" orders is more transparent and will replace the current "open outcry" system. The electronic trading system is part of the multimillion shilling modernisation programme at the NSE that was started with the introduction of the widely publicised Central Depository and Settlement System (CDS) in 2004.

- Mozambique Ministry of Justice has launched a computerised system for the registry of companies in the country. The facility will be publicly available from August on this year. Any business person, assuming his documents are in order, can have his company registered in just one day. Previously registration took at least 15 days.

INTELSAT, PANAMSAT MERGER SET TO TAKE ADVANTAGE AS BARRIERS TUMBLE IN AFRICAN TELECOMS INDUSTRY

Intelsat has completed its $6,4bn acquisition of PanAmSat to become the world's largest provider of satellite services to telecoms companies, governments and the media.

The deal is important for Africa because about 80% of Africa's international voice and data traffic is carried via satellites, and one of the few major remaining players has just been swallowed by a rival.

PanAmSat's biggest customer in Africa is the pay-TV company MultiChoice. Intelsat's customers include Telkom, Vodacom, MTN, Sentech, internet service providers MWeb and Internet Solutions, voice and data carrier Gateway Communications, and Transtel, part of SA's yet-to-arrive second network operator.

It also transmits educational material for the African Virtual University, an organisation broadcasting training courses to students in 27 countries. Telephony has reached only 2% or 3% of the population in some countries, and 80% of Africans live in rural areas with no land-based telecoms infrastructure.

Pressure is mounting on Africa's substandard systems as demand for data services and internet access is booming by 40% a year, says research house BMI-T. Intelsat believes satellites are the answer, as fixed-line or wireless facilities cannot straddle continents to link the most remote locations.

Satellite will remain the most common delivery mechanism for years, since two undersea cables designed to connect Africa to global bandwidth have proved disappointing.

SA's government has yet to act on a promise to force Telkom to cut the cost of bandwidth on the Sat-3 cable around the west coast, and the $300m EAssy cable around the east coast has been delayed until 2008.

Intelsat's takeover of PanAmSat creates a constellation of 51 satellites, and that capacity will benefit new voice and data carriers springing up as Africa's telecommunications sector is liberalised, Intelsat says. Satellite airtime is, however, notoriously expensive, and could become more expensive as Intelsat increases its monopoly.

That will not happen, promises Flavien Bachabi, its vice-president of sales for Africa. Globally, the satellite operators must compete with carriers that use cable or microwave technologies, so they cannot overcharge. The fees should actually drop as the takeover creates greater economies.

In fact, satellite services are only grossly expensive because of the exorbitant mark-up added by Africa's monopoly operators. "It's not our fault," Bachabi says.

"The problem in Africa is that there is very little competition because the market is highlyregulated. We sell a basic telephony service to our customers at 5c a minute and they resell it for $4 a minute. We have no control over that."

Intelsat and PanAmSat both have offices in SA which will gradually merge and recruit new staff. Intelsat opened locally in 2001 to capitalise on an anticipated boom under promised deregulation of SA's telecoms sector -- a move that took four more years to happen. Now business is on the rise as deregulation finally lets private voice and data carriers offer services previously monopolised by Telkom. Similar moves are happening in the rest of Africa, generating business worth $240m last year, or 17% of its global revenue.

"In 2001 we had 70 customers in Africa and today we have 240," said Bachabi. "There is not a single African country where you can't find antennas pointing at our satellites."

Absorbing PanAmSat gives the company more than 20 satellites over Africa, increasing its capacity to offer newer services such as mobile TV and broadband internet access, he says.

Intelsat bought PanAmSat for $3,2bn and picked up its hefty $3,2bn debts. Consolidation has already wiped out dozens of operators in this industry.

A few years ago, many countries were launching their own communications satellites, and even SA considered the option. Yet the long-delayed Rascom project shows how difficult -- if not impossible -- that is.

Rascom involves operators in 44 countries. They aim to launch Africa's first dedicated satellite so government and private companies can use its bandwidth instead of paying international suppliers. Rascom would provide radio and television broadcasting, direct telecoms connectivity between all African countries, international connectivity, and take voice, data, internet and television coverage to all rural areas.

But the well-intentioned 15-year-old project has gone awry. A switch-on planned for 2003 was delayed until mid-2006. The vice-president for international relations at Rascom, Leke Casimir, says the launch is now scheduled for next year.

The construction is complete and the founding partners are now seeking funds to launch and insure the system. African financial institutions should put in that cash to make Rascom fly and help Africa benefit from more access to technology, Casimir says. But his plea may fall on deaf ears, given Rascom's slow progress and ambitions by the new-look Intelsat to more actively serve African businesses.

(SOURCE: Business Day)

MILLICOM ENDS TALKS ON POSSIBLE MERGER

The emerging-market phone company Millicom International Cellular said on Monday that it had pulled out of merger discussions with a potential buyer, which has previously been identified as China Mobile Communications.  Millicom said that it had no confidence a deal could be reached.

China Mobile, which is state owned, was expected to bid about $5 billion for Millicom, which has nine million customers in 16 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Millicom said Monday that it had been in talks with a buyer since May, but "now concluded that this purchaser will not be in a position within an acceptable time frame to make a binding offer that is suitably attractive." Executives involved in the negotiations said the talks broke down because China Mobile could not put a firm offer on the table.

Millicom's business is doing well, one executive said, but the Chinese company could not "do what it takes to get to the finish line." Several telecommunications companies have expressed interested in buying all or part of Millicom, he said, but added that he expected Millicom's owner, the Swedish financial firm Kinnevik Investment, to hold on to the company.

China Mobile also recently tried to buy a stake in Pakistan Telecommunication Company.

(SOURCE: New York Times)

TWO MORE BLACK EMPOWERMENT DEALS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Two more black empowerment deals have been announced in the information technology (IT) sector. TuringSMI has signed a deal that puts 49% of its South African subsidiary into local hands.

Black-owned Cornastone Enterprise Systems will acquire 26%, and 23% has been bought by TuringSMI's local managers. The US-based company is a global supplier of BMC Software.

Cornastone founder and chairman Lufuno Nevhutalu will take a nonexecutive position on the board of TuringSMI Africa. Nevhutalu has not said how much Cornastone is paying for the 26% stake, but described the amount as "substantial".

"This deal will strengthen TuringSMI's market presence and its ability to tender for both private and public sector business," Nevhutalu said. "It is the fastest-growing BMC Software partner in SA and our aim is to be one of the major players in the IT software services market within the next 18 months."

The Johannesburg sales offices of Cornastone and TuringSMI will merge. TuringSMI CEO Dominic Anschutz said the aim of the empowerment deal had been to find a partner to play an active role in its African operations and not just be a passive shareholder.

As part of its commitment to SA, the company has invested R10m to base two new global divisions in its offices in Cape Town. A managed services division will remotely monitor and maintain the BMC software used by its global clients, and a second new division will provide technical support to those clients. Both divisions are manned by specialist BMC software engineers and operate around the clock.

"We view SA as the launching pad that enables us to provide BMC Software support and services to the rest of the continent and worldwide," said Anschutz.

"The decision to invest heavily in SA was an easy one because of its highly skilled talent pool and the strong level of computer science training that graduates get."

In a separate deal, Johannesburg-based NSS is selling 25% of its shares to two investors, Lerato Mashologu and Nonkqubela Mazwai. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Mazwai, who has worked in the IT industry and in consulting, will take an executive position.

NSS CEO Lynda Odendaal said finding the right partners had taken almost 18 months. The deal should open the door for new empowerment entrants and black women at NSS, she said.

(SOURCE: Business Day)

IN BRIEF:

- Overseas Telecom AB, where TeliaSonera owns 65 percent of the capital, has sold its 32 percent holding in the telecommunications operator MTN Uganda to MTN International (Mauritius) Ltd, wholly owned subsidiary of MTN Group Ltd, South Africa. The value of the transaction is SEK 1.2 billion.

- MTN has raised R6,3bn in a bond issue to help fund its acquisition of Investcom, but the cellular operator is under fire for "unethically" manipulating the bond market by not accepting all the bids. It refused to place bonds with investors demanding a higher yield rate. That capped the cost of its capital, but upset investors, and might put them off supporting MTN in future.

- Telkom South Africa is hunting for a black empowerment partner for Swiftnet, a wholly owned subsidiary that carries data communications over wireless networks.

Swiftnet holds a licence to carry corporate data using wireless technologies, but the licence conditions imposed by the Independent Communications Authority of SA call for operators to be at least 30% black-owned. Potential investors will compete in a bidding process and have until July 21 to register interest.

- South Africa's second national operator (SNO), which has yet to carry its first call, has spent R256-million buying its first major asset from Transnet subsidiary (and SNO shareholder) Transtel. Transtel is the telecommunications arm of state-owned transport group Transnet. These assets include an optical fibre cable as well as telecommunications equipment and facilities, but do not form part of the operational private network operated by Transtel, which was deployed specifically in preparation for the SNO opportunity.

- Zimbabwe's biggest mobile operator Econet Wireless aims to increase its subscriber base by more than two-thirds after securing a USD20 million loan to expand its network, the company said in a statement last week. The funding was secured from Egypt-based African Export-Import Bank and will be used to import GSM equipment including GPRS technology. Capacity will be expanded from its current 500,000 to 800,000 with new GSM connections to be available by October. Econet had 470,000 customers at the end of March.

SOUTH AFRICA SITE OFFERS GLIMPSE OF CRIME

  South Africans outraged at high levels of violent crime launched a new Web site last week dedicated to giving visitors "a preview of death and violence" in the country ahead of the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

The site, Crime Expo SA (www.crimexposouthafrica.co.za), will eventually feature graphic photos of murder victims provided by their families, as well as a breakdown of bloody attacks by region, organisers said.

"South Africans, who were brutally murdered in the past, will return from their graves and, via their families and friends, tell the international community of their horror," the site said in its welcoming page last week.

Plans for the Web site have ruffled feathers among officials seeking to build SA's brand ahead of the 2010 World Cup, with some warning that negative perceptions of security in the country could scare off potential visitors.

"We are concerned about the appropriateness of any information campaign that focuses only on the negatives and ignores the growing range of successes in the fight against crime," the International Marketing Council said in a statement.

Neil Watson, a Cape Town insurance broker who founded the Web site, said frightening off foreign tourists and their much-needed dollars and pounds might be the only way to jolt South African officials into getting serious about crime.

"A decline in international tourists (including Soccer 2010 tourists) will serve as a warning to the South African leadership to clean up their act," Watson said in a statement on the site.

South African officials led by president Thabo Mbeki plan to launch the country's World Cup drive at the end of the current cup competition in Germany on Sunday.

Watson said he already had 289 files of "gruesome data" on murdered South Africans which he would post on the site in coming days.

South Africa has one of the world's highest rates of violent crime, with rapes, murders and violent car hijackings regularly making headlines in the local press.

Police officials concede that crime is a problem, but often blame the media for sensationalising incidents, particularly when they involve the wealthy white minority.

(SOURCE: Reuters)

RWANDA GATEWAY DESIGNS NEW MINEDUC WEBSITE

A new dynamic website for the Ministry of Education that is being designed by Rwanda Development Gateway (RDG) is scheduled to be up and operational within one month.

"It is supposed to represent our (ministry's) complete image to the outside world," said Minister Jean D'ark Mujawamariya, who was presiding over the review of the website's second prototype. The website will replace one that has for long been static and not updated.

During the presentation held July 3 in the ministry boardroom in Kacyiru, the RDG coordinator, Philbert Nsengimana, said, "this will be a chance to showcase the ministry activities online and create immediate access to vital information by cutting on congestion at the Ministry head offices."

Another RDG official who made the presentation, Jacob Gahamanyi, said that the new web will enhance efforts by RDG and the education ministry to promote e-governmence in Rwanda. He was complemented by the RDG Content Coordinator, Immaculate Bugingo, who encouraged the ministry officials to be cooperative in order to have a standard product.

While contributing ideas, several ministry officials suggested that the new web should be a one-stop point with all vital information on education and links to institutions attached to the ministry. The coordinator of FAWE Rwanda Chapter, Madame Odette Mutanguha particularly called for a web interface that is 'eye-friendly'.

Several officials viewed this project as an entry point for the ministry to promote education best practices for students, teachers and parents using ICT.

The officials also formed a contact group that will coordinate with RDG to collect and enrich information from the different departments and institutions for the new ministry web.

The new website for the education ministry is an addition to several other projects being handled by Rwanda Development Gateway to promote ICT in Rwanda. It has already designed a pilot portal the local government and another one for Gisagara District, Southern Province, to facilitate the decentralization process and increase local visibility on the web.

The review meeting was also attended by the Secretary General in the education ministry, Tharcisse Musabyeyezu, heads of departments and other officials from Rwanda Development Gateway that is attached to the National University of Rwanda.

(SOURCE: The New Times)

IN BRIEF:

- Intoegypt.com, Egypt’s first internet booking engine and travel portal, has been selected as a model for e-commerce companies in the Middle East region following a series of studies on e-commerce companies worldwide by Meditorst Project, an affiliate organization of the European Union, in association with the Egyptian cabinet of ministries.

NAMIBIAN CABLE PROVIDER AIMS FOR SERVICE LAUNCH IN OCTOBER

Namibia's first cable television broadcaster hopes to be broadcasting live by October or November, says the Executive Group Chairman of Galaxy Communications.

Hermanus Kasper made these remarks when he introduced the six board members of Galaxy Communications at a dinner in Windhoek on Thursday evening.

Kasper said work on the television station, which is located next to Philadelphia House in Newton Street, had already started.

He said Galaxy Communications, which is the operating and management company of Digital Cable Television, had been searching for competent and capable people to serve on its board of directors.

The board consists of Lucky Masebane (Group Chief Executive), Kasper (Executive Group Chairman), Monica Nashandi (Director), Godfrey /Goaseb (Director), Andimba Toivo ya Toivo and Dr Ben Mulongeni.

Kasper said Galaxy Communications International was a Pan-African investment company and was already operational in countries such as Angola, South Africa and Botswana.

(SOURCE: The Namibian)

PEOPLE

* Microsoft has announced that Michel van der Bel has been promoted to the position of VP for the public sector for the EMEA region.

* Larbi Guedira will manage Maroc Telecom’s new combined services. He previously headed the mobile division in the company.

* Celtel Madagascar will have as its Managing Director, Emilienne Macauley (Mrs.) from Cape Verde, making her the sole woman holding such a position in the Celtel network.

EVENTS

- STORAGE CONTINUITY INFOSECURITY AFRICA 2006

10 - 14 July 2006 Sandton Convention Centre, Sandton, Johannesburg
For further information please see http://www.terrapinn.com/2006/sciza/

- ICT GOVERNANCE AND POST WSIS STRATEGIES IN WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA

13th-15th July, 2006, Saly, Senegal.
The aim of this workshop is twofold : it consists in assessing engagements in ICT policy priority issues in West and Central Africa by stakeholders and by the CIPACO project of the Panos Institute West Africa in particular, and contributing to the preparation of African stakeholders for the Internet Governance Forum.
For further information visit http://www.cipaco.org/article.php3?id_article=833&lang=en  or email  contact@cipaco.org

- EXPLOITING IT FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Conference on Information Technology and Economic Development (CITED2006)
July 21-23, 2006, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
For further information see www.information-institute.org/cited/

- THIRD ANNUAL AFRICAN VOIP FORUM

21-23 August 2006, Muson Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria
The event offers a high-powered educational opportunity for Africa’s ISPs, telecom operators and corporate VoIP users. The following is a sample of the rich content: The impact of VoIP on African voice markets; Maximising international connectivity via a virtual service provider; TDMoIP vs VoIP: Which technology is better for your network? Successful revenue generating VoIP deployments in high-growth markets - Lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan
For further details, contact Sean Moroney Tel: +44(0)1480-880774 seanm@aitecafrica.com or visit www.aitecafrica.com

- 10TH ANNUAL CONTACT CENTRES WORLD AFRICA

28th - 31st August 2006, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa
Effective strategies for excellence in call centres
For further information visit http://www.terrapinn.com/2006/ccwza/

- THE 4TH ANNUAL CTO FORUM 2006

4th – 6th September 2006, London
This year’s key focus areas are on realising the socio-economic benefits of mobile communications, policy making to encourage competition, regulating for mobile success, incorporating new technology to aid mobile development and generating the highest possible ARPU.
For further information visit the CTO’s website http://www.cto.int/forum06/

- IWEEK 2006

4 - 7 September 2006, Castle, Kyalami in Midrand, Gauteng
The event is organised by ISPA and UniForum SA (the .co.za registrars)
The programme brings an extensive range of industry experts from across virtually every continent, making this an exciting and extremely worthwhile event to attend.
For further information visit http://www.ispa.org.za/iweek/2006/program.shtml

- TELECOMS WORLD AFRICA 2006

4 - 8 September 2006, Cape Town, South Africa
The event offers a uniquely African perspective and brings together leaders from multiple markets and disciplines to create the ultimate African industry networking experience. Contacts can be made, experiences shared, alliances forged and participants will profit from ideas, information and know-how.
For further information visit http://www.terrapinn.com/2006/telecomza

- AFRICAN BILLING & TELECOMS REVENUE ASSURANCE FORUM

11th - 15th September 2006m, Southern Sun, Cape Town, South Africa
Five focused days of conference and seminar sessions addressing the specific Revenue Management challenges currently being faced by African Telecoms Operators and Service Providers. This forum presents an invaluable opportunity to hear real-world experiences in a series of cutting-edge case studies and workshops led by African, European and American Operators. For more information, please visit the website at http://www.iir-events.com/IIR-Conf/page.aspx?id=2246

- 2ND INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERSHIPS FOR AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT (IPAD) CENTRAL AFRICA

3rd-5th October 2006, Grand Hotel, Kinshasa, Congo Democratic Republic
2nd Infrastructure Partnerships for African Development (iPAD) Central Africa will take place from the 3rd-5th October 2006 at the Grand Hotel, Kinshasa.
For further information visit www.ipad-africa.com

- 1ST INTERNATIONAL ICT INVESTMENT CONFERENCE FOR AFRICA

14th – 15th November 2006, Tunis, Tunisia.
Under the auspices of Secretary General United Nations Conference on Trade & Development (UNCTAD)
Regarding sponsorship or delegate attendance, please contact Dan Morrissy in London on +44 207 2871326 or at dmorrissy@i-ep.com

JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES

* TRANSMISSION CONSULTANT - CONGO

The company is looking for a transmission onsultant, The role involves transmission network design consultant responsible for NCP, low level design, LOS, pathloss, NRO of GSM network in Congo. This is a one month contract and the salary is negotiable.

For further information contact advertising@balancingact-africa.com

*  CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR US$100,000 DEVELOPMENT GATEWAY AWARD

The Development Gateway Foundation is calling for nominations for its US$100,000 prize for outstanding achievement in the use of information and communication technologies to improve lives in developing countries. Sponsored in part by Intel Corporation, this year’s Development Gateway Award is focusing on initiatives that empower or improve the conditions of youth.

For full award criteria and to access an online application, please go to www.developmentgateway.org/award. The application deadline is August 11. 

* GSM ACADEMY - BSS O&M TRAINING FOR AFRICAN PROFESSIONALS

Starting October 2, 2006, TOP will provide a GSM curriculum for Expert Training on BSS Operation & Maintenance. The boot camp includes 3 months of lectures and hands-on labs and is completed by 6 months of apprenticeship at a European GSM network operator. This heavily sponsored program targets on African engineers / technicians to improve their job possibilities in their home countries.

For further information visit http://www.topbusinessag.com/e/news/07-04-2006_gsmacademy.php

CONTRACTS: WHO'S SELLING WHAT TO WHO?

* UGANDA GOVERNMENT AND HUAWEI - UGANDA

The Uganda government has signed an integrated e-Government project Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China's biggest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment, Huawei Technologies Company Limited. Huawei Technologies Company will provide for the supply, installation and putting in service the technologies, which should be required for the setting up of an integrated e-Government system and the extension of the communication network.

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