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WEEKLY PUBLICATION DEADLINE: 12 pm GMT Sunday. ISSUE NO 333 Raid on Siemens throws new light on seamy side of buying and selling telco equipmentThis week saw a police raid on telecoms equipment manufacturer Siemens at its fixed line telecoms unit in Munich. The investigation is in its early stages but according to a report in the German weekly Focus it could involve sums in excess of US$128 million being used for bribes to win company contracts. Russell Southwood looks at whether this is just the tip of the iceberg in a sector where cut-throat competition seems to go hand-in-hand with “marketing costs”. According to Spiegel Online, two board members of Siemens COM, the fixed line communications division of the company are under investigation as part of a dozen people who are the focus of the investigation. The raid was no trivial matter as it involved 270 tax inspectors, police officers and investigating officers. The “dirty dozen” are being investigated for using company money to bribe their way into winning contracts, channelling cash through Swiss bank accounts, and from there to offshore firms via dummy companies. “Based on our investigation so far, we have reason to suspect that Siemens ran black accounts .… that allowed it to open new markets through secret payments to potential and existing business partners,” said Jeanette Balmer, as spokeswoman for prosecutors in Ber, Switzerland. Although the main contract at the heart of the investigation is an Olympic Games security contract, Siemens telecoms contracts under investigation include deals in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as well as Indonesia and Vietnam. Those with longer memories will remember that in May 2002 the Algerian police probed allegations of bribery in the award of a tender for an addditional 400,000 GSM lines for the state-owned Algérie Télécom that had been awarded to Siemens. Algeria's regulatory commission first became suspicious when reviewing the final bidding report submitted to it by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication (MPT). The watchdog branded MPT's justifications for ruling out bidders Alcatel, Motorola and Ericsson, as insubstantial. It was then alleged by local newspaper Liberté that MPT officials had been flown to Munich via Paris at the expense of Siemens, prior to the announcement of the tender's winner. Moreover, an MPT official was said to have altered the final bidding report so as to favor Siemens’ offer. Business has not been good for fixed line equipment manufacturers and Siemens is in the process of merging this unit with Nokia’s fixed line business, the prospects of which cannot have been improved by news of last week’s raid. However, police investigations have not just touched the German manufacturer but have also pointed the finger at Alcatel. It is also alleged that French telecoms equipment manufacturer funnelled US$13 million of bribes in Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Sudan through Swiss company Telliac SA. Paris magistrate Philippe Courroye investigated two alleged payments made by Alcatel to Swiss financial vehicle Telliac SA as part of a probe into the Swiss company’s transfers, according to the www.againstcorruption.org web site. It is also allegedly transferred US$15 million to a consulting firm between 2000 and 2003 to obtain cellular networks contracts with Costa Rica’s national carrier, ICE. Costa Rican prosecutors allege that some of this money was used to pay bribes while it was negotiating a $149 million cellular contract in 2001 and a fixed line contract in 2002. The scandal exploded in October 2004 when the former Costa Rican power and telecommunications director Jose Antonio Lobo was quoted by the Costa Rican daily La Nacion as saying that he and former Costa Rica President Rodriguez had received a $2.4 million bribe from Alcatel in 2001. The company was also the subject of an investigation in Taiwan that also encompassed Siemens AG. European and US companies tend to find themselves in the spotlight for bribery because there is legislation (in the case of the USA, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act) or pressure that can be put upon them if a case sees the light of day as in the case of Costa Rica. Non-European companies operate under almost little or no pressure to steer clear of paying bribes and are often quite blatant about it. A senior mobile company executive told us that one company made a straightforward offer of a bribe to one of its senior managers that was duly refused. Not all company executives – whether working for state or privately owned companies - are as scrupulous. Often the consequence of equipment bought as a result of the payment of bribes is that the system subsequently does not work. Those with a trained eye can spot those occasions where new equipment fails to integrate with existing systems or things like billing systems that completely fail to operate. But bribery to achieve contracts is only part of the story. The other area is offering financial advantages to achieve licences. An operator needs to be able to get sufficient political influence to land a much-needed licence. It looks to work with a local partner who can deliver this influence. Sharp as ever, Business Day’s Leslie Stones asked MTN’s CTO Karel Pienaar (at GSM 2006) what its local partner was investing in its new Iran operation. In this case, Pienaar said, it was buildings and property but is it always a two-way traffic of investment and reward? Enterprising Kenyan journalists were perhaps not entirely surprised to discover that five per cent of Safaricom were owned by a mystery company called Mobitelea Ventures Limited. It was believed that Vodafone owned 40% of Safaricom until last week it revealed the mystery 5% shareholder without offering any details as to who the owners might be. The situation is made more complicated by there being two potential layers of ownership: Vodafone Kenya’s shareholding in Safaricom and shareholdings in that company from outside Kenya. Vodafone told blog telebusillis.blogspot.com:” We have an effective interest of 35%. There is no further information available”. However Vodafone reported in its 2003 annual report that it had acquired a 5% indirect interest from Mobilitea Ventures. The Government has been equally evasive about the identity of Safaricom's mystery shareholder. After the story was broken exclusively by the Nation's sister paper, The EastAfrican, Information and Communications minister Mutahi Kagwe said the government was not interested in the details of the Vodafone shares, but only in the 60 percent held by Telkom. Contacted by the Nation, Investment Secretary Ms Esther Koimett: "I am not aware. We have got no such information. I have no idea and I'm not sure if the information is true." She said the Treasury did not know of any other arrangement apart from a 2000 shareholders agreement that, she noted, could have been renegotiated to include a third shareholder. Telkom Kenya, the main shareholder in Kenya's biggest mobile company, was equally in the dark. Managing director Sammy Kirui said their records show that Safaricom has two shareholders, themselves and Vodafone. "That was the position in 2000 when Telkom's shares were unbundled . As far as we know, the shareholding portfolios remains that way," the MD said. But Information and Communication minister Mutahi Kagwe said that records at the Registrar of Societies showed that Telkom and Vodafone were the only two companies owning Safaricom. "There are only two shareholders, Telkom and Vodafone," he said. How is it possible to create a level playing field that discourages bribery? Well under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act US military and intelligence contractor Titan (owner of the defunct Titan Wireless) was fined USD28 million for paying a USD2 million bribe to the 2001 re-election campaign of President Mathieu Kerekou of Benin to secure the purchase of state incumbent OPT with a dowry to carry out capital projects. Will Titan make another bribe any time soon? If the price for doing so is over ten times the bribe given, it will surely hesitate.
NITEL ANNOUNCES SERVICE DISRUPTION AS IT UPGRADES SAT3 TO 10 GIGLast Wednesday incumbent Nitel warned its international customers that there would be service disruption for those using IP wholesale, international calls and International Private Leased Circuits (IPLC). In a statement by its Deputy Manager, Communication, Bala Ibrahim Abdulkadir, said the upgrading is geared at extending the optical spectrum of the system from 2.5 gigabits wavelength currently running to 10 gigabits. Expressing regret the disruption might cause users on the cable, Abdulkadir disclosed that the upgrade is near completion. His words: "The upgrade project is currently at its final stage of completion. At this stage, the additional capacity must be cut over to the existing infrastructure to complete the process." He explained that the company's effort was imperative for providing more capacity and improves its network availability. The up-grade and migration of traffic is being handled by Alcatel. (Source: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/business/article03) SOUTHERN SUDAN LOBBIES FOR TELECOM GATEWAYThe Southern Sudan government has stepped up its campaign to secure rights to manage the telephone gateway to the Sudan. A delegation from the telecommunications and postal services ministry is in Istanbul, Turkey to present South Sudan's case to the International Telecommunications Union, Elijah Biar Kuol, the Ministry's Director General, said on Wednesday. "My minister is already there," Kuol said. "We are saying let's share the Sudan gateway; let half of it be managed in the south and the other half in the north, just like the banking and the army." The Khartoum government currently controls the Sudan gateway, the 249. Southern Sudan says this has handicapped its plans to improve telecommunications. Mobitel and Sudani, the two mobile telephone providers who use the Sudan gateway are often congested in Southern Sudan. This has left Gemtel, which uses the Ugandan gateway of 256 as the most reliable telephone provider. "We are trying to manouvre so that we can issue licences to telecom providers. Right now, we don't have a frequency to allocate anyone," Kuol said. (SOURCE: New Vision) GHANA RETAINS SEAT AT WORLD TELECOM CONFERENCE IN TURKEYThe climax of the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on-going in Turkey was reached on 15th November 2006 with the election of 46 Member States to sit on the ITU Council. The Council represents the membership of the Union in the interval between Plenipotentiary Conferences and its role is to consider, within the period, broad telecommunication policy issues to ensure that the Union's activities, policies and strategies fully respond to today's dynamic, rapidly changing telecommunication environment. It also prepares a report on ITU policy and strategic planning. In addition, the Council is responsible for ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of the Union, coordinating work programmes, approving budgets and controlling finances and expenditure. Each of the five administrative regions is entitled to a number of seats, that Member States compete for through balloting, to make it to Council. The competition this time round was fiercest in Region D (Africa) where 20 countries contested for the 13 allotted seats. In a tense voting session to decide the Council Members, Ghana retained its seat on the Council with an improved performance from the last Plenipotentiary Conference. Ghana placed ninth this time (107 votes) as against the 13th position (83 votes) it occupied in 2002 in Marrakesh, Morocco. The casualties from the Africa Region were Uganda, Burundi, Sudan, Gabon, Cote d'Ivoire, Rwanda and Zambia, as they failed to make it to the Council. Ghana's Minister for Communications, Professor Mike Oquaye was earlier in the year elected Chairman/Coordinator of the Commonwealth ITU membership. Ghana, as Coordinator for Commonwealth positions in the Plenipotentiary Conference, was in the forefront of the negotiations that saw the election of Mr. Hamadoun Toure of Mali to the top position of Secretary General of the ITU. Prof. Mike Oquaye was mandated by the Africa Group and the Commonwealth ITU Group to seek the support of the other Regions of the ITU in the crucial third round voting that eventually secured the seat for Africa. The task involved diplomatic skills and saw the Ghanaian Minister winning great admiration in the process. Ghana had to withdraw the candidature of Mr. John R. K. Tandoh in the contest for the Position of Secretary General of the ITU, because the topmost position had been won by an African and for that matter the ITU would not vote for a second official from Africa. For the same reason, Patrick Masambu of Uganda who was the front-runner for the Position of Director of the Development Bureau succumbed to Al Basheer of Saudi Arabia for a position that was well deserved for Africa. The conference will end on 28th November 2006 with the ratification of various Acts to guide the Telecommunications sector. (SOURCE: Ghanaian Chronicle) IT`S EASSY FOR MAURITIUS, BUT NOT SO FOR MOST OF AFRICAMauritius has agreed to join the East African Submarine Cable System initiative, hoping thereby to turn an EASSy landing station into a gateway through which to becoming key Indian Ocean IT hub. “Now we have a protocol signed by nine countries, and Mauritius is likely to be the tenth. That is a critical mass enough to get things moving,” said Telecom's Ministry spokesman, Etienne Sinatambou. Mauritius, which is already connected into the South Africa Far East cable and has signed-up to be a part of a planned African satellite project, is trying to evolve its US$6 billion economy beyond agriculture, textiles and tourism. However, Mauritian enthusiasm for the EASSy project is in marked contrast to the feeble response from Africa itself where, to date, just seven of 23 applicable nations have agreed to support the cable. (SOURCE: Telecom TV) COMESA FOR SINGLE INTERCONNECTION EXCHANGEAs interconnection issues get more complex, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is lobbying for a single and separate clearing house to manage service providers. The development was revealed by COMESA's telecom officer for Infrastructure and development, Dr. Abu Sufian Dafalla at last week's regional ICT conference at Kampala's Grand Imperial Hotel. Communications networks around the world are interconnected by a bridge which allows the stations on each network to communicate with those on the other network. Data is transmitted in the form of packets each containing a source address and a destination address. Interconnection is currently handled by the individual service providers in COMESA and determination of the costs that should be reflected in the interconnection prices is often contentious. In Uganda, for example, the three telecom firms, uganda telecom, Celtel and MTN have had to resort to the courts of law (after failing to agree) to remedy their interconnection woes and often times, after many years of legal battle, have had to pay out huge sums to the competition. Organised by COMESA and hosted by the Uganda Communication Commission (UCC), the workshop on 'The role of promoting trade and investment in Northern Corridor: Interconnection, Pricing and Consumer Related issues' was held from November 13 to 15. If COMESA has its way with the clearing house, the telecom companies will have to give up the responsibility of handling interconnection. The 20 member bloc is made up of DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi, Malawi, Madagascar, Seychelles, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe Swaziland, Mauritius, Eritrea, Djibouti, Angola, Libya, Rwanda and Comoros Attended by delegates from DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi, Malawi, Madagascar, Seychelles, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, participants in principle agreed on the clearing house. Presenting a paper on interconnection, Dr. Dafalla said that an important objective of price regulation is to insure that regulated operators are permitted to earn sufficient revenues to finance on -going operations and future investment. Dr. Dafalla told Business Week that the clearing house was a new idea coming to Asia and other developing countries. "Interconnection issues are going to be more complex in the future," he said. (SOURCE: East African Business Week) NIGER’S SONITEL OPENS FIBRE RING AND WILL CONNECT TO SAT3The first section of a high speed fibre-optic network has been opened in the Nigerien capital Niamey, as part of incumbent telco Sonitel’s project to update its network. Ultimately the infrastructure, provided by German vendor Siemens, will provide links from Niger to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Benin and further, to the SAT3/WASC/SAFE undersea cable network which links western Africa to Europe, South Africa and the Far East.
IN BRIEF:- In Nigieria, President Olusegun Obasanjo has commissioned the head office complex of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE- South Africa’s third mobile operator, Cell C says that it has deployed a next-generation-network using Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS), and expects to reap benefits within a year. Initially the network will carry Cell C's data traffic (GPRS and EDGE wireless services), but, in due course, the full capabilities of a next-generation-network will be leveraged to transmit voice traffic using VoIP, he adds. - Telecom Egypt (TE) is to increase the cost of domestic fixed line calls, according to Reuters citing TE Chairman Akil Beshir. The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has apparently given the operator permission for the price rise to help offset some of the company's lost revenue ahead of the planned licensing of its first competitors in the international calls market. TE's monopoly on the local, domestic long-distance and international voice telephony sectors was removed on 31 December 2005, but it remains the only licensed operator in all three markets. - First National Bank (FNB) will launch cellphone banking in Botswana tomorrow, and bold plans are under way to introduce cellphone banking in some neighbouring African countries.The launch will make every cellphone handset in Botswana a potential banking channel. Initially, the service will only be available on the Mascom cellular network, which has approximately 500,000 subscribers. But FNB envisages that the cellphone banking service will also be available via the country’s second cellular mobile operator, Orange, in the near future. - LiberCell in Liberia has launched its new GPRS, EDGE and MMS services. The new technology will enable LiberCell subscribers to have full access to wireless Internet via their mobile phone and computer. - Nokia announced the opening of an office in Maputo, to service the entire southern African region, except South Africa itself.
NEW REGULATIONS TO MANAGE DOMAIN NAME DISPUTES IN SOUTH AFRICAThe Department of Communications has published regulations to deal with disputes regarding the .za domain name, in the Government Gazette. The Alternative Dispute Resolution Regulations that have been signed by Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri provide guidelines, rules and procedures and also set out fee structures for the adjudication of such disputes. This is in terms of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act. The Regulations also provide for the accreditation of domain name dispute resolution service providers by the .za Domain Name Authority (.zaDNA). The department said following the promulgation of the regulations, the .zaDNA would invite service providers to apply for accreditation. Accredited service providers would then select adjudicators to decide disputes. "All accredited dispute resolution providers will be published by .zaDNA, which will also make an announcement once the process is open to dispute resolution," said the department. Areas covered by the regulations include intellectual property rights, commercial, cultural, linguistic, religious and personal rights in relation to domain names, protected under South African law. They also allow a complainant to request dispute resolution where it can be proved that he or she has rights to a name or mark that is identical or similar to a domain name registered by someone else. It furthermore allows dispute resolution over domain names that constitute abusive or offensive registrations. The department said lack of such regulations in the past had been described as hampering e-commerce, and left aggrieved parties with no alternative but to litigate in court, at a high cost, to get a domain name back. The regulations were developed in consultation with the Department of Trade and Industry, and is at this stage only applicable to domain names registered in the .co.za second level domain. A domain name is a unique Internet address that identifies a website, for example, www.gcis.gov.za or compcom.co.za. There are ten general top level domain names including .com for professional companies, .org for NGOs, .info for information databases and .biz for businesses, among others. (SOURCE: BuaNews) CYBER CAFE CLIENTS DECRY EFCC DIRECTIVE IN NIGERIACyber café clients have decried the EFCC's latest directive, that operators of cyber cafes in Abuja must register their clients to check cyber crimes in the country. The clients feel that the order infringes on their privacy. One of the clients, Umar Salihu, said he prefers to stop visiting cyber cafes than to give out personal information about himself. "Giving out such information to operators of such businesses is very risky as you would not know which among them is clean," he said. He also expressed fears that dubious operators can use such information to strike at the clients. "How many times have we seen thieves trace people home as a result of giving out their personal data carelessly?" he said. Emeka, another client, advised that it would be better for the EFCC to send its operatives to monitor activities of such operators than to force people to put down their personal data in each cyber café they visit. "The directive appears funny because someone who wants to only check his e-mail box would be made to fill such forms," he said. Emeka disclosed further that operators of such businesses would incur more overhead costs as they would have to include printing of such forms in their budget. Effiong, a journalist also disapproves of such order. "As a reporter who sends in stories through electronic mail, does it mean that I have to register my personal data in every cyber café I enter to send such news? This present EFCC's directive would end- up making operatives keep their own clients," he predicted. Recently, the EFCC directed cyber cafes operators that those wishing to patronise cyber cafes are to fill forms, which will provide personal information about themselves, including their home addresses and phone numbers. A café operator in Gwarinpa Estate, Mr Kunle Lawal, said the EFCC directed all operators to ensure that they keep records of their clients' names, valid residential addresses and phone numbers. "The operators are also expected to submit their current passport photographs for the records but the records are to be left in the custody of the cyber cafes and not with the EFCC. "With this directive, those patronising cafes are expected to log into the Internet in their own name so that if anything criminal happens, the commission will know immediately who logged in and when," Lawal said. However, Internet cafe visitors are not happy with the initiative because some of them said it was not safe to leave details of their contact address with cafe operators. They also said that it was wrong for some of the operators to resort to using the names of their clients as usernames and password to access the World Wide Web. They argued that if the policy was not changed and users made to use their own passwords, criminals could have access to "one's documents and use it to commit crime". One of EFCC's responsibilities is to fight internet crime. (SOURCE: Daily Trust) WAPA COMMENCES WITH A CENSUS OF THE WISP INDUSTRYThe Wireless Access Providers Association (WAPA) has been formed and currently represents 15 operators in the Western Cape. The Association aims to represent the interests of the rapidly growing industry through selfregulation, proactive engagement of the regulator (ICASA) and through the provision of a platform for efficiently managing consumer complaints. The impetus for the initiative goes back to talks held with ICASA Head Office during 2005, during the course of which the Regulator gave support to the establishment of such a body. One of the first tasks of the new Association was to conduct a brief census of the industry as represented by the 15 founding members. Results indicate that, while the industry is young, it has shown more than 100% growth in the last year and, as of October 2006, can lay claim to being a significant player in the economy. The organization is a national industry representative body, and is currently evaluating a number of applications for membership from across the country. It is estimated that the industry nationally services over 20 000 subscribers, not including operators like Sentech, iBurst, and the 3G players. More information is available on the www.wapa.org.za website. WAPA is busy drafting a code of conduct which will ensure compliance with ICASA regulations on spectrum use and type approval. WAPA intends to "self-regulate" to ensure compliance with the code of conduct within its membership and the industry in general, and provide ICASA with the assistance it needs to ensure the enforcement of regulations. David Jarvis, Chairperson of WAPA, says that the Association has engaged in correspondence with ICASA and will be meeting with ICASA representatives next week. “We wish to stress in person to ICASA that the formation of WAPA is in no way intended to be a confrontational move. Rather it is a pragmatic initiative in terms of which WAPA will offer to assist the Authority with the regulation of a largely unregulated industry through its presence on the ground. ICASA and the Complaints and Compliance Commission will at all times remain the ultimate enforcement authority to which identified non -compliance can be referred.” This initiative comes at a time when ICASA is reeling under the pressure of an exodus of key staff and a huge workload due to the conversion from the old legislative framework to the new Electronic Communications Act. WAPA believes that there is a shared vested interest between its Members and ICASA to ensure that the industry is well regulated and to ensure sustainable and ethical delivery of services to consumers. Industry snapshot as at October 2006 Subscribers: 4 554
Note: This is only in the Western Cape, and only with the 15 Members of WAPA. BANK OF UGANDA TO ROLL OUT ONLINE BIDDINGBANK of Uganda (BOU) will rollout the online bidding and trading of government securities next year. Stephen Kaboyo said on Wednesday that the upgrade of the Central Depository System (CDS) had been completed. He said phase II that involves deploying the system to market players, was being rolled out. “The system will extend to all market players. We will initially start with primary dealers and then to all commercial banks. “The system will allow electronic automation and bidding processes and online trading,” said Kaboyo. He was speaking during the central bank’s monthly press briefing in Kampala. Kaboyo said the system should start in nine months. (SOURCE: New Vision) BATTLE OVER MOBILE BROADBAND SUBSCRIBER NUMBER IN SOUTH AFRICAAt Vodacom’s recent interim results presentation the CEO, Alan Knott-Craig said that Vodacom has a 100,700 3G-HSDPA customer base. In the JSE report a figure of 87,674 active Vodafone Mobile Connect Cards is given. Vodacom acknowledged the apparent conflicting numbers, but pointed out that the JSE figure of 87,674 applies only to Vodafone PCMCIA cards. The total number of data users, making use of Vodafone mobile connect cards, USB modems, HSDPA enabled laptops and other data specific devices is 100 700. This number however excludes subscribers using their phones to access Vodacom’s 3G-HSDPA service. MTN also recently announced their subscriber base, and it was revealed that they had an impressive 130,000 3G-HSDPA users. The MTN number however includes mobile phone users, and when only taking data-specific devices into account Vodacom has the highest number of mobile broadband subscribers. (SOURCE: MyADSL) IN BRIEF:- Djaweb, Algeria-Telecom's Internet subsidiary will launch before the end of December, a platform of access to broadband internet totalling more than 100,000 lines . In a separate note it was announced that Djaweb will become an "autonomous subsidiary" late 2006. Djaweb will remain a subsidiary of AT, but with its own status and budget - South Africa’s largest cellular operator Vodacom is looking to enter the country’s broadband wireless market by buying into one of four WiMAX licence holders. Vodacom CEO Alan Knott-Craig confirmed in a statement that his company has moved to acquire a stake in Wireless Business Solutions (WBS), which trades under the name iBurst. iBurst already provides broadband internet services via fixed wireless networks and is testing WiMAX technology, but has not yet settled on a WiMAX strategy. The exact details of the deal were not released.
GLOBAL COMPUTER GRID LINKS FAR-FLUNG AFRICAN SCIENTISTSAfrican scientists will be able to connect up with fellow researchers who have moved overseas through a 'grid computing' project. Launched by UNESCO this week (20 November) and co-sponsored by the information technology company Hewlett-Packard (HP), the initiative aims to tackle the brain drain that plagues Africa's scientific sector. Grid computing technology uses powerful computer servers to give individuals access to databases all over the world. The joint project will be set up at universities in Algeria, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Zimbabwe, and will be extended to other countries in two years. Since 1990, some 20,000 African professionals have left their home countries each year for the industrialised world. Skilled workers make up just four per cent of the total workforce in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the International Organization for Migration. Participating universities will be chosen by their governments, along with UNESCO, and preference given to university departments that already have technological capacity. Each government will also identify one discipline which, in addition to IT, will be prioritised for the project. While UNESCO will organise and develop the project, HP will provide the equipment to set up the technology. Gisèle Morin-Labatut, senior officer at the International Development and Research Centre (IDRC) in Canada, welcomed the project but warned of potential exclusivity. African researchers should be connected to all researchers in the North, not just fellow Africans, she said. But Alioune Camara, a senior officer at the IDRC in Senegal, disagreed. Instead, he says, any step that can be taken towards alleviating the effects of the brain drain should be welcomed. "We cannot achieve everything at once," he told SciDev.Net. "African researchers abroad are themselves connected with those in the North, so this will open up much larger networks of research." "The main problem of our emigrating researchers is not so much that they are outside the country as the fact that they are disconnected from researchers in their homeland," he said. Stamenka Uvalic-Trumbic, an education project leader at UNESCO told SciDev.Net that a similar project launched in Eastern Europe in 2003 successfully provided scientists with substantial research networks. Although she could not give exact figures, she told SciDev.Net that funding for the project would not be substantial. (source:afrol News / SciDev) KENYA’S FIRST E TOURISM CONFERENCE STRESSES THE NEED TO STAY COMPETITIVE ONLINENairobi… Kenya’s first ever E-Tourism Conference, hosted by the Tourism Trust Fund, was held today, attracting over 150 delegates from the ICT and tourism sectors. Safaricom, Accesskenya and Kenya Airways were sponsors to the conference. The conference was opened by Hon. Mutahi Kagwe, the Minister for Information and Communication. Hon Kagwe stressed the need for both the public and private sector in tourism to work together and utilize all forms of online technologies. “There is a very real threat to the long term sustainability of our tourism sector, if we fail to invest in and utilize technology to stay competitive. There has been a phenomenal increase in online bookings, which now dominate the global tourist business, and many of our competitors are taking advantage of increased use of online communication, web based booking portals and web based marketing. If Kenya does not embrace this new technology soon, it risks being left behind. This conference presents an important opportunity to address and reverse this situation”, said Hon Kagwe. Also attending was the Minister for Tourism and Wildlife, Hon Morris Dzoro. The main purpose of the conference was to raise awareness about e-tourism, web based marketing, information management and online communication. The conference examined ways that both the public and private sectors could work together especially in establishing an online booking portal. With more than 100 million travelers worldwide now using the web to book holidays and travel, it is vital that the Kenya tourism sector is highly visible on the Internet. International speakers such as Dr Rodger Carter, a consultant with the WTO, (World Tourism Organization) Mr. Al Karaki, former E Business Manager with SATOUR in South Africa, discussed how South Africa made strong use of the internet to market the country and Mr Ahmed Kassam from Microsoft Africa, discussed the creation of an African regional Tourism portal by 2010. Dr Dan Kagagi, the CEO of the Tourism Trust Fund, highlighted the need for the tourism sector – both public and private, to embrace e tourism and to channel more money into web based marketing and online communication. “The tourism sector must invest in the web. The consequences for the Kenya tourism sector are quite dire if we find ourselves falling into this growing digital divide between the developed and developing world. Today gives us a great opportunity to catch up and get back into the digital race”, said Dr Kagagi. AFRICA BUILDS OVERSEAS IT INDUSTRYMost of us have heard the estimated statistics on piracy and how much is 'lost' through people using pirated software as opposed to buying it. Translate.org.za says that 254 copies of OpenOffice.org have been downloaded during thirty days. This, it claims, comes to a gain (as opposed to the notion of loss) of around R1 million. Ntsika Msimang of the Meraka Open Source Centre, who has made the shift to Open Source himself, told Translate.org: “The government IT agency spends between R4 – R10 billion per year on software licenses. If you add software support and services to that, it comes to around R14 – R20 billion per year.” With software and hardware requirements in the public and private sector, South Africa spends about R48 billion a year. 85% of this amount goes to companies overseas. Dwayne Bailey, of Translate.org.za, added: “Sometimes IT managers say that they are using the best software for the job, no matter the price. But I think it's important to look at business in the light of macro-economics and the impact that their decisions have on the broader community.” He goes on to explain that every year South Africa has the potential to create a vibrant, local software industry, and every year we flush it down the drain and continue supporting the IT industry abroad. “Don't business and IT people see themselves as part of the bigger picture,?” asks Dwayne. (SOURCE: www.translate.org.za) NEW RULES FOR SAFE DATA ON CREDIT CARD NUMBERSAnyone who accepts and stores credit card numbers — and that includes small and medium enterprises — must comply with strict new security regulations by December 31 or face hefty fines if that card data is compromised in any way. The Payment Card Industry (PCI) security standard, created by the major credit card brands, including Visa and MasterCard, forces companies to conform to a strict set of rules or face stiff financial penalties. The security standard was drawn up in an effort to reduce rampant credit card fraud worldwide by securing computer databases that contain credit card information. The standard, which is already in force in the US and elsewhere, sets out the technical requirements for the secure storage, processing and transmission of cardholder data. There is an onus on banks to ensure that merchants and payment service providers know about it and comply with the controls. Companies that aren’t compliant by the deadline and whose credit card databases are then compromised — by a hacker, for example — also risk possible exclusion from card acceptance programmes. That means they might no longer be able to accept credit cards as a means of payment for their goods and services, putting their businesses as risk. “Everyone who handles a credit card, from the point of sale up, has to comply with the PCI data security standard,” says Riaan Versfeld, MD of information security consultancy One-Sec, which is advising SA banks on the issue. There are about 130000 merchants in SA that accept credit cards at the point of sale. All will have to comply with the PCI standard. Larger merchants will have to undergo quarterly compliance tests to ensure that necessary security and controls are in place to safeguard credit card data. Smaller merchants will need to complete and sign a self-assessment questionnaire in which they certify that they are compliant with the PCI standard. (SOURCE: MyADSL) OBSIDIAN AND ZEND PARTNER FOR PHPLocal Linux and open source solution provider, Obsidian Systems, has announced a partnership with PHP company, Zend. "There are three major programming languages in wide use on the Internet today," explains Muggie van Staden, MD of Obsidian. "They are Java, .Net and PHP. Zend is committed to making PHP business-ready and providing solutions that help PHP developers and users. Zend was founded by Zeev Suraski and Andi Gutmans.” "At the centre of PHP is the Zend Engine, which is the component that parses and executes PHP files." explains Van Staden. "Other Zend products include Zend Core, which is a Zend certified and supported version of the open source PHP. It delivers a seamless out-of-the-box experience by bundling all the necessary drivers and third party libraries to work with the database of your choice, while Zend Guard provides independent software vendors and IT managers with the ability to safely distribute and manage the distribution of their PHP applications while protecting their source code. “Zend Platform is the all-in-one production environment that aims to ensure that PHP applications are available, fast, reliable and scalable. It guarantees application uptime and reliability through enhanced PHP monitoring and immediate problem resolution. Zend Studio is a PHP-Integrated Development Environment (IDE) designed for professional developers, which includes all the development components necessary for the full PHP application lifecycle." Zend also provides certification training in the use of PHP, which Obsidian will be providing locally. Van Staden says that Zend PHP courses will be available from Obsidian in the new year, with face-to-face training at the company's facilities in Johannesburg. The courses will include PHP essentials, Professional PHP Development, PHP Certification Training and Using Zend Studio. Says Amir Yampel, director of channels for Zend: "The SA market is important to us. We understand the dependence on and growth of open source within the region, as well as the many possibilities that open source presents to developing countries. Zend products are deployed in more than 15 000 companies worldwide and we look forward to working with Obsidian Systems." (SOURCE: ICT World) IN BRIEF:- In preparation for its privatisation and to increase operational efficiency, Cameroon Airlines has announced the change of its legacy communications system to SITA's Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IP VPN) service. - HP and UNESCO today announce the launch of a new project “Piloting Solutions for Reversing Brain Drain into Brain Gain for Africa”, which aims to help reduce brain drain in Africa by providing grid computing technology to universities. The project will help improve scientific research by establishing new interconnectivity systems in university laboratories and research centres in Ghana, Senegal and Zimbabwe, encouraging students and faculties to stay in the region. The project will also aim to connect scientists to international colleagues and the Diaspora, research networks and funding opportunities.
ACCESSKENYA RAISES $1.4 MILLION TO EXPAND ITS INTERNET SERVICECorporate Internet service provider AccessKenya has raised over Ksh100 million ($1.4 million) through a private placement of its shares and those of its sister company, Broadband Access Ltd. Managing director Jonathan Somen said the funds will be used to accelerate the group's activities in its core markets of corporate Internet and telephony services. The new investors are all Kenyans and will hold a minority stake in the business. "We were keen to expand the ownership of the group among well respected Kenyan investors and we have successfully achieved this goal," said Somen. "The fact that the entire private placement process was accomplished within three months is a tribute to the strength of the AccessKenya business in the fast growing Internet and telephone services market." The proceeds from the private placement will be used to accelerate our business and benefit customers in three main ways, he said. The funds will be used to further improve the Broadband Max Internet solution, subsidise the cost of equipment for the firm's Yello telephone service and make it free for customers to connect to Yello and to invest in further improvement of the overall national network. This year alone, the company plans to increase its investment to between Ksh60 and Ksh 70 million ($822,000 and $959,000), said Mr Somen. Next year, the company will spend between Ksh70 and Ksh100 million ($959,000 and $1.4 million). Access Kenya's latest innovation for the Kenyan market is the introduction of the simple voice service. Recently, the ISP launched three products to the Kenyan market - Yello, a new telephone service that provides low-cost calls both locally and internationally; Go, a special Internet leased line package for small businesses; and Broadband Max 2. ? As its network and capacities expand, says Somen, the company continues to use new technologies to meet its expected growth. "We have reinvested in additional high-end Cisco routers for our core network," said Somen. " In addition, we will shortly be deploying an enterprise caching server to further enhance the speed of browsing to many frequently visited websites as well as speed up downloading of many patches, including software and antivirus updates." AccessKenya was started in 1995 by David and Jonathan Somen. (SOURCE: The East African) HEAVY WEATHER AHEAD FOR BUSINESS CONNEXIONIT group Business Connexion is fed up with the time it’s taking for the competition authorities to make a final decision on Telkom’s offer to buy it out. “This process has been very disruptive to our business,” says BCX deputy CEO Benjamin Mophatlane He feels that it has taken the Competition Commission “unreasonably long” to recommend that Telkom’s offer of R2,4bn for BCX be blocked. The commission recommended the acquisition be “prohibited” last Friday, more than five months after it began its investigations. Now, more delays are in store. The Competition Tribunal, the final arbiter in competition matters, must hold hearings, which could drag the process well into next year. BCX’s share price, which has already taken a knock following last week’s recommendation by the commission, is likely to continue to languish well below Telkom’s offer price. On Tuesday, it was trading at a 25% discount to Telkom’s effective offer of 925c/share, suggesting the market is not confident of the deal getting the approval of the tribunal. In its “recommendations” document, the Competition Commission warns that if the deal proceeds it will result in “a substantial prevention or lessening of competition”. Telkom, it says, has the “ability and incentive to engage in strategies to remove competitors and competition”. It also says that the deal, if it goes ahead, is likely to “substantially prevent or lessen competition in the markets for electronic communications services and IT services, specifically, and the broad IT sector generally”. Telkom says it will pursue the deal all the way, saying it has a “strong case”. Whether BCX will stay the course is less clear. The BCX board will meet soon to discuss whether to agree to an extension with Telkom, whose offer expires on December 15, or whether the company will walk away. Mophatlane says BCX’s annual general meeting, to be held on November 30, will provide the board with deeper insight into whether the company’s shareholders have the stomach for more delays, given the damage further uncertainty could do to BCX’s business. The company’s biggest shareholders are Stanlib (22%), Sanlam (12,7%) and Allan Gray (8,9%). If the deal doesn’t proceed, BCX management wants to restructure the business to ensure that it doesn’t become a takeover target again. “We don’t want to find ourselves in play again,” says Mophatlane. Another offer could come quickly, though. Bytes Technology Group, a subsidiary of Altron, has previously put in an offer to buy BCX. “It’s still an interesting company to us,” Bytes CEO David Redshaw told the FM this week. He says he is keeping a close eye on developments. (SOURCE: MyADSL) TWO NAMIBIAN IT GIANTS MERGEIn a move intended to enhance capacity-building and to keep pace with global changes, two IT giants merged last week Wednesday. The merger involving GijimaAst and Information Technology Department which also aims at enhancing capacity-building, occurred in Windhoek. Though the merger took place on Wednesday, the two's partnership started on November 1. The shared vision of the two business houses to become the biggest and most specialized Namibian Information Communication Technology (ICT) Company, resulted in GijimaAst and ITD unifying their expertise and resources. This new generation Namibian ICT company is now positioned to offer enhanced services and product delivery to clients. ITD, 100% owned by Ombiga Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd., have acquired a 30% shareholding in GijimaAst Information Technology Services (Pty) Ltd. This mirrors the recent acquisition of shares by the Gijima group in South Africa, forming the largest black-owned ICT company in South Africa. The merged entity will still be known as GijimaAst. It was decided by both partners to build on the existing GijimaAst brand in Namibia. The merger gives GijimaAst an increased customer base, geographic footprint, technical competencies and partnerships with leading brands, products and manufacturers. The deal also ensures that customers get best-of-breed technology, solutions and support. It will also set the benchmark for ICT service provision and product delivery in Namibia. A strong motivating factor behind this merger is to facilitate skills transfer and career path development within the industry, thereby truly empowering Namibians to facilitate and implement local ICT solutions to the unique Namibian environment. A recent training agreement between GijimaAst, SAP and the Polytechnic of Namibia highlights GijimaAst's commitment to skills transfer and local capacity-building. Under the agreement, ICT students are trained at the Polytechnic, and GijimaAst commit to offering these students internships and job opportunities. "We in GijimaAST regard this initiative crucial to building a strong ICT sector in Namibia with local capacity" states Dr. Hylton Villet, the Chairperson of GijimaAST. He said that in the past GijimaAst Namibia was heavily reliant on the strategic direction and on the importation of skills from head office in South Africa, but now is proud to say that GijimaAst Namibia is a complete Namibian entity which will form the blueprint for expansion into the rest of Africa. "The merger is a win-win situation for all stakeholders; the end-user, employees and both businesses", said Roger Lawrence, MD of GijimaAst Namibia. Originally serving vastly different client bases, where GijimaAst focused on the private sector and ITD on the public sector, the newly-established enterprise will serve the largest client spectrum within the Namibian ICT industry. This will enable cross-skilling and establishment of an enhanced understanding of integration of ICT in different economic sectors. "In the past, GijimaAst Namibia was heavily reliant on direction and skills from head office in South Africa, but we are proud to say that GijimaAst Namibia is now a complete Namibian entity which will form the blueprint for expansion into the rest of Africa, " Lawrence said. Besides having premier accreditations with leading ICT brands such as HP, SAP, SUN and Cisco, to mention but a few, GijimaAst and ITD boast the prime Microsoft Gold partner status credentials in Namibia. Roger said that, through the GijimaAst Namibia/ITD merger, clients can now expect a greater value proposition from GijimaAst in terms of service and technology solutions, provided by stronger local skills, for their investment made in ICT." (SOURCE: New Era)
MORE TRANSACTIONAL FUNCTIONNALITIES ON MOBILESKineto Mobile offers mobile commerce solutions, enabling transactional functionality of business through the use of mobile technology. Kineto Mobile Pre-paid is one of our new products focused on bringing mobile Pre-paid & Virtual Top Up (VTU) into the mobile market through the selling of pre-paid products via cell phones and Point of Sale (POS) devices. Kineto Mobile Pre-paid functions within a Franchisee environment, whereby Franchisee’s grow their down line infrastructure to obtain maximum market penetration within their targeted demographic areas. The strength of the down line will be determined by the number of points of service in their targeted areas, as well as the amount of products vended through the positioning of these. Kineto Mobile Pre-paid is designed to make the selling and purchasing of pre-paid products an easier & quicker process for both the Vendor and the client. Kineto Mobile has developed a software application that runs on a cell phone, assisting vendors through easy-to-use menus in requesting the transfer of specific product (for example airtime). The product will be transferred from the vendors’ Kineto account, to the customer who initially purchased the product. This is all within a secure environment with authentication & encryption protocols in place to ensure a low risk trading experience. Our software allows for the incorporation of multiple products sold via cell phones, and can function as a multi-tier revenue earning system perfect for a Franchisee environment. Additional products can be added to the existing products range of the Cellular Service Providers MTN, Vodacom & Cell C. Products like Pre-paid Electricity, Water & Telephone are able to be incorporated in the point of service, allowing for extra revenue generating opportunities via an existing compatible cell phone. The Multi-tier revenue earning architecture assists Franchisees to allocate a percentage revenue return per product sold for Vendors & Sub Vendors selling these products on their behalf. This enables an individual/business/ministry to develop a network of Vendors & Sub Vendors, which would bring in a passive revenue with minimum administrative effort. An online portal for Franchisees to access relevant Management Information is also available to assist them in the effective management of their businesses. The design of Kineto Mobile Pre-paid business model is on a low operating cost basis which is able to sustain a viable revenue source at a Sub Vendor level. With this in mind, Kineto Mobile is looking for viable role players to enable job creation opportunities through minimum capital input costs & low operational costs. Examples of implementation include additional revenue opportunities for existing viable businesses like Cell phone shops/containers, hawkers/vendors, Spaza Shops, Cafés, as well as the transport industry (Taxi, Bus & Rail),Tourism and Education Sector (Schools, Technikons & Universities ). Hereby an additional revenue stream is created with minimum additional implementation & operational costs. Kineto Mobile sees this also as a Social Development tool, whereby unemployed persons have access to a lucrative selling market able to sustain a viable personal income for individuals & families. The focus is taking Kineto Mobile Prepaid into the areas where Pre-paid is mostly consumed, making it easier accessible for those needing it, and thereby bringing with it revenue opportunities to local vendors within these communities, which would have positive economic spin off for the community as a whole. As an example, a Vendor in Cape Town could sell an MTN product to a customer, whose relative’s cell phone is hundreds of kilometers away in Tswane, with the pre-paid account being directly topped up within seconds of the requested transaction. No vouchers or PIN numbers being required to be punched in, but effortless & secure top up of the account within seconds.
TRANSMEDIA IN ZIMBABWE SEEKS $64 MILLION FOR EQUIPMENTZimbabwe's signal carrier, Transmedia, is seeking US$64 million to buy transmission equipment from China, South Africa and Europe for its National Transmission Grand Plan. The plan is aimed at achieving the 90 percent transmission coverage through establishing stations in remote parts of the country and upgrading existing infrastructure. People in border areas have been forced to go without radio and television transmission either because of non-performing stations or the absence of transmission centres. This has resulted in people depending on foreign television and radio stations. Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings, the state broadcaster, reaches only 30 percent of the country. Chief executive of Transmedia Mr Alfred Mandere said they were appealing to stakeholders to help harness the needed foreign currency for the plan. He said the money would be used to purchase antenna systems and transmission equipment for both radio and television, and for the refurbishment of obsolete machinery. The grand plan has been on the cards for the past two years. "The country's radio and television transmitters are antiquated, as most of the equipment dates back to 1974. "Nearly all our equipment is now beyond its useful lifespan and we are even surprised that broadcasters are still on air because the situation is really bad," he said. He said failure to repair broken down equipment had resulted in the radius covered by some stations being reduced to as little as 10km, whereas the technology was designed to cover 100 km. He said the plan included the upgrading of the four radio networks and Zimbabwe Television. Mr Mandere said two more frequency modulation radio networks would be added to the existing four stations. He said the plan included the establishment of 59 community radio stations that are expected to be functioning by the end of 2007, provided funds are available. Transmedia's financial position is worsened by the fact that it is unable to charge ZBH commercial rates for their services. In order to generate revenue to sustain its operations, Transmedia has resorted to providing services like webcasting to other organisations. (SOURCE: The Herald) SENTECH TO BE SIGNAL DISTRIBUTOR FOR CNBC AFRICASentech has announced that it will be the signal distributor for CNBC Africa, the first international business news channel in Africa, which will begin broadcasting from Sandton in Johannesburg in May next year. CNBC announced the launch of its Gauteng presence at a joint press conference with CNBC Africa chairman, Zafar Siddiqi, and the Premier of Gauteng, Mbhazima Shilowa. CNBC Africa is owned and operated by African Business News, under a licensing and affiliation agreement with CNBC. “Sentech welcomes CNBC to the Vivid Platform, Sentech’s direct to home satellite platform, and we look forward to a prosperous future and solid working relationship built on a variety of synergies and a deep understanding of the African continent,” says Marinda Abrahamse, Sentech product manager, signal distribution, unregulated. Shilowa says: “CNBC Africa’s entry into the region is a watershed event that highlights the importance of South Africa, particularly Gauteng, its economic hub, on the global economic stage. CNBC will provide valuable economic information that will help SA to build an image of economic prosperity.” “We believe that the launch of CNBC Africa will be a milestone in African television broadcasting and fill a gap in the information needs of audiences. By focusing on the financial, business and economic news of the region, our aim is to provide a platform for an ongoing inter-Africa discussion on globalisation, employment, career, business and investment opportunities, living standards, infrastructure development and other relevant issues,” Siddiqi says. Abrahamse adds: “The potential for reach into Africa is massive, with PAS-10 covering the entire sub-Saharan region and providing access to anyone with a signal. “We strongly support CNBC in its efforts to bring quality broadcast news content to the region and will do our utmost to ensure that its experience is a success,” Abrahamse adds. CNBC’s programming schedule is in the process of being finalised, and will be announced during the lead up to the launch in May next year. (SOURCE: ICT World) NO CHEAPER PAY TV FOR BOTSWANALocals who were hoping for a cheaper pay- TV channel should not expect any good news anytime soon. Black Entertainment Satellite Television (BEStv) under Black Earth Communications (BEC), which had promised to provide a number of channels at a cheaper rate than Multi Choice or DSTv , it appears will not be operating in Botswana. At the beginning of the year they raised the hopes of many Batswana but now BEC Chief Executive Officer Andrew Jones says we have been misled by the financial institution analyst. We want to serve the people but so far all doors we were looking at for assistance have been slammed in our faces. Also he said Botswanas small market is not conducive for pay-TV to operate. He said unlike the South African market, which is bigger, the expenses to set up operations in Botswana are very high. However it is not only in Botswana where we have encountered market problems. We have experienced that in most African cities. While the market proves viable the small population makes it difficult for us to venture into business. However in a previous interview, Mr Jones had promised that the station would go on air before the end of year despite the challenges in the form of content, licensing, bandwidth, encryption technology, access to decoders and a huge monopoly. The company promised to challenge the monopoly enjoyed by DSTv by offering several channels at a cost of less than P100 a month. To get a DStv full programme subscribers have to part with over P300 a month. (SOURCE: BOPA )
PEOPLE* Virgin Mobile CEO Sajeed Sacranie is leaving the company. Sacranie's replacement, current vice president of marketing for Virgin Mobile in the USA, Peter Boyd, takes over from the beginning of next month. * The Managing Director of Gamtel, Omar Ndow has been relieved of his duties. Katim Touray, Commissioner of Telecommunication at Public Utilities Regulatory Authorities (PURA) has been appointed as the new Gamtel Managing Director with immediate effect. * Congratulations to Brian and Faith Longwe on the birth of a bouncing baby boy on Monday at 1:35pm. Both mother and baby are reported to be fine and full of joy. EVENTS- WIRELESS BROADBAND AFRICA –EAST AFRICA 29 November –1 December 2006, Hilton Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya AITEC Africa is hosting the first Wireless Broadband Forums in Nairobi. Leading developers and suppliers of wireless technology are sending top experts to share knowledge with telecommunication operators, ISPs, network engineers and regulators in East and West Africa. For full details, log on to www.aitecafrica.com - WIRELESS BROADBAND AFRICA –WEST AFRICA 4-6 December 2006, Eko Meridien Hotel, Lagos, Nigieria The West African Wireless Broadband Forums will provide a marketing and education platform to promote effective roll-out of wireless technology throughout Africa. For full details, log on to www.aitecafrica.com - BROADBAND SUMMIT 2007 26-27 February 2007, Southern Sun, Grayston, South Africa South Africa faces a huge broadband demand, from all sides. However, the broadband access media and business strategies in South Africa still do not resemble the international standards. In order to reach these standards you as ISPs, mobile and/or fixed operators, need to assess the current and future potential of the African broadband market. For further information visit http://www.iir-conferences.co.za/eventInfo.php?e=1202 - SMB ROADSHOW 2007 - MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA 26th March 2007, Nile Hilton, Cairo, Egypt. IDC's SMB Roadshow provides a comprehensive and trustworthy platform for discussing strategic IT issues directly impacting the SMB sector. Debate led by recognised experts and based on best practices and sound technology analysis provide objective and critical insights required by leaders in this sector. This event will target IT decision makers – by vertical industry sector - within SMBs across the region. For further information visit http://www.idc-cema.com/events/smbeg07 - eLEARNING AFRICA 2007 28-30th May 2007, Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, Kenya The subject is Building Infrastructures and Capacities to Reach out to the Whole of Africa, reflecting the significant efforts of African countries to set up their national and regional ICT infrastructures to create access to education, training and services for all. For further information visit www.icwe.net or call +49-30-327 6140 JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES* CALL FOR RESEARCHERS: "SAT-3/WASC CABLE RESEARCH PROJECT: COUNTRY CASE STUDIES" The Association for Progressive Communications is currently looking to engage four ICT policy researchers to conduct detailed country studies of the SAT-3/WASC submarine cable in the following countries: Angola, Cameroon, Ghana, and Senegal. The specific context of the research will be on the areas that Open Access (as a concept) seeks to impact - namely access and cost. Research will be conducted on the impact SAT-3/WASC has had on the competitiveness of international and Internet services in each country. Interested researchers should in the first instance submit a copy of their CV and a sample of written work (of no more than 2000 words) to abi@apc.org Please include "SAT-3/WASC Cable Research Project" AND the name of the country you are applying to research on, in the Subject field of your email. Applications should be received no later than Monday 27 November 2006 (17:00 GMT). For further information visit www.apc.org *CALL FOR PROJECTS FROM THE COMMONWEALTH SECRETARIAT The Commonwealth Secretariat is inviting governments, NGOs and academic institutions to submit project proposals that can help bridge the digital divide. The call for projects comes on behalf of the Commonwealth Connects Programme, an initiative to improve information and communication technology (ICT) skills in the Commonwealth and use them as tools for development. Projects can be submitted no later than 5 January 2007. For details and to download applications forms, visit http://www.commonwealthconnects.com/ and click on the 'Project Marketplace' link. CONTRACTS: WHO'S SELLING WHAT TO WHOM?* QUANTUMNET AND VAN HESSEN NV - GAMBIA QuantumNET, a provider of information technology related services and solutions have entered into a partnership with Belgian company Van Hessen NV. The partnership will boost QuantumNET's status as the only authourised representative in West Africa for the Micros Fidelio Hotel/Restaurant Management Software and Hardware Solutions. * MINING SOFTWARE SERVICES (MSS) AND MINCOM AFRICA – SOUTH AFRICA Date of distribution - Mining Software Services (MSS), a wholly owned subsidiary of SRK Consulting and reseller of Mincom’s MineScape software, has renewed its business partnership with Mincom Africa.
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