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WEEKLY PUBLICATION DEADLINE: 12 pm GMT Sunday. ISSUE NO 357 Two new fibre contenders – this time it’s Southern AfricaOne new major fibre project came into the light of day last week and further details emerged about another. The first is an ambitious initiative to create a Southern African fibre network on the back of the South African Power Pool transmission network: for Expressions of Interest for building it see the Jobs and Opportunities column at the bottom of this week’s issue. The second is WAFS, a Telkom South Africa-managed project that seeks to connect South Africa to Nigeria to relieve capacity problems on SAT3. Russell Southwood investigates. African Dark Fibre Communications Ltd is at an advanced stage of negotiation with the South African Power Pool companies to lay fibre to connect the member countries. In this week’s issue it has issued a request for Expressions of Interest from contractors. Phase 1 of the project is to complete and interconnect the fibre optic networks of three national electricity utilities with one another as well as to a competitive high-capacity undersea cable or equivalent. Phase 1 of the Project is scheduled for completion before the end of 2008. The three companies that to be linked would be South Africa’s Eskom, Zimbabwe’s ZESA and Zambia’s Zesco. The latter two companies are already selling their domestic fibre capacity. A 2001 World Bank study recommended the VSAT communications system with a long-term plan to go over to fibre. The South African Power Pool’s network capacity management system between the three countries is currently handled by VSAT. The fibre across the network would replace the existing VSAT system. Peter Cole, African Dark Fibre Communications said:”Southern Africa is one of the last places on the planet to have access to competitive bandwidth. That’s what we’ll be providing.” The West African Festoon System (WAFS) is a Telkom South Africa-managed project that has already completed its feasibility phase. The WAFS project aims to connect countries along the western coast of Africa from Nigeria to Namibia. At present, only Angola, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and South Africa have signed up although the project’s promoters want to attract telcos in both Namibia and Nigeria to complete the route. The managing agent for the project is Telkom South Africa which will either connect via Botswana (who may become another consortium member) or Namibia. The consortium has already conducted a feasibility study and met in February 2007 to finalise the tendering process for the project. It appears that it will have the same governance structure as the SAT3 cable as well as also being managed by the same company Telkom SA. Prices on the cable have not yet been fixed. One of the purposes of building the cable is to ensure that some of the countries along its route have some redundancy capacity if there is a failure on the SAT3 cable and that inter-African traffic can be moved off of SAT3. Further information was sought from Telkom South Africa but in time-honoured fashion it has not come back to us, not even to say ‘we have nothing to say’. What do those communications people all get paid for? A report on MyADSL last week quotes Department of Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri from her budget speech last week saying that fair access to international submarine cables was key to driving down international bandwidth rates. This follows President Thabo Mbeki saying that low international calling rates were essential for attracting business to South Africa. Matsepe-Casaburri said:“It is Government policy that the cost of access to international connectivity is affordable and that all arrangements regarding access or use of international cables and/or facilities do not unfairly exclude others from use of or access to the cables.” The minister named 1 November 2007 as the date from when the exclusivity provisions contained in the SAT-3 agreement or arrangements entered into shall be declared null and void in South Africa. The minister further said that she directed ICASA to prioritise and urgently prescribe a list of essential facilities, ensuring that the electronic communications facilities connected to the SAT-3 submarine cable can be accessed soon. Is it going to happen this time or should we advise you to watch the horizon for flying pigs? South African politicians seem to talk a good game when it comes to delivering cheaper international bandwidth but thus far – despite being the people that run the country – have delivered nothing. These same politicians seem able to change the CEO of the company but have been powerless all these years to address an issue they say is so pressing. Is it surprising that countries like Kenya are sceptical when the same South African politicians talk commandingly about open access and cheaper fibre in the context of the EASSy protocol? There are also a couple of interesting rumours swirling round the edge of fibre developments on the continent…Firstly, fibre prices in Reunion, the French colony in the Indian Ocean will fall to US$620 a meg at the end of this year. How does that compare to what you’re currently paying? Telkom South Africa customers might wish to ask their supplier how their current charges are distance-related? For the purposes of fair comparison, they might also add that Mauritius Telecom is offering capacity at US$3000 per meg and below for volume. Those working on SAT3 inside Telkom know its prices must come down so when is it going to happen? The second rumour is that Infraco will build a several terabit international fibre in order to address the current pricing deadlock.
NEW FIXED LINE PHONE OPERATOR APPROVED IN MALAWIMalawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has issued a licence to Access Communications Limited as the country’s second national operator (SNO) to provide fixed public telecommunications services in competition with the recently privatised incumbent Malawi Telecommunications Ltd (MTL). In a statement, MACRA said four companies had expressed an interest in offering fixed telephony after a tender was issued in March last year; they were African Communications Limited (Africoms), AirTel Communications Limited and Access Communications, all from Malawi, and Terracom Communications of Rwanda. MACRA indicated that its management, technical committee and board, in consultation with government, evaluated the award of the licence pursuant to paragraph 2.1.6.1 of the Communications Sector Policy Statement of 1998 and section 16 of the Communications Act of 1998. (SOURCE: Telegeography) LIBERIA: NEW BILL AUTHORISES RAISING LTC FROM THE DEADThere is a growing debate in many quarters as to the fate of the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation (LTC) in the new Telecommunications Act 2006 submitted to the National Legislature for enactment. In her State of the Union address in January 2007, President Johnson-Sirleaf outlined that LTC will be resuscitated and eventually privatized. It is against this backdrop that a bill was drafted by the Executive branch and sent to the National Legislature. The bill, which is still awaiting passage, provides for the establishment of a "national operator", which at this time is the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation. Historically, LTC was created under the 1973 Telecom Act, which established a monopoly in the sector. LTC function at the time included "Policy Making", "Regulations" and "Operations". LTC provided the basic telecommunication services to the citizens and frequency assignment to radio and television operators. LTC infrastructure extended to all the subdivisions of the country and was the monopoly operator in the country. In 1978, an Act was passed changing the nomenclature of the Ministry of Postal Affairs to the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and taking some of the functions of LTC. The Ministry was responsible for policymaking, regulations and frequency assignments, while LTC functioned as the only operator of telecommunication services. In 2001, the government at the time decided to open the telecommunication sector to competition without addressing the statutory issue involving the Act that created LTC or the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications. This created a situation where there were several issues affecting the sector - licensing, proper taxation, frequency assignments, regulatory and policy-making issues. Working in collaboration with the World Bank, the NTGL and the NTLA enacted an interim legislation "ACT 18", which established Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) in 2005. Act 18, which established the legal regulatory framework for the Liberia telecommunications, and ICT environment was part of the sector reform program. This interim legislation is to be replaced by the Telecommunications Act 2006, which is currently before the National Legislature for enactment. Under this law, the functions and objectives of the various government telecommunication agencies are defined. The Ministry of Post and Telecommunications becomes the policy making arm of the sector ensuring that government makes provision for social obligations like universal access to telecommunications networks in all parts of the country and address national security concerns The primary and immediate responsibility of the LTA is to implement the policies of government as well as monitor the activities of all telecommunication stakeholders to ensure compliance with the regulations, order and law of the Republic of Liberia. The national operator will facilitate the implementation of government policies at the operational level in areas where the private sector cannot afford to provide the basic telecommunication service to the citizens. The Liberia Telecommunications Corporation, which is the current national operator designee, will also provide government secured telecommunications networks; periodically be required to provide international gateway facilities during state of emergency and national security and maintain the national infrastructure network of the country. The latter provision is curious since LTC possesses no infrastructure to speak of, this being entirely in the hands of the mobile operators. The government of Liberia submitted the Comprehensive and Permanent National Telecommunications Law to the National Legislature for enactment into law several months ago. (SOURCE: The Analyst) MTN RWANDA, SAFARICOM IN REGIONAL ROAMING TALKSTelecom operator, MTN Rwandacell will soon be the latest affiliate in the regional free-roaming zone bonanza. If concluded, the deal will allow nationals in Rwanda and the rest of the region to make and receive calls without roaming charges. The MTN Rwandacell chief executive, Themba Khumalo and his Safaricom counterpart,Michael Joseph, met at the sidelines of the annual GSM conference in Nairobi last week and discussed the prospects. "I have already had discussions with the MTN Rwanda CEO and we'll continue to talk to see what we can do," the Safaricom chief told Business Week in a brief interview. Safaricom is Kenya's largest mobile operator. For over the last four months, mobile subscribers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have been making roam-free calls, thanks to a tri-network tie-up arrangement by MTN Uganda, Safaricom (Kenya) and Tanzania's Vodacom. Said Khumalo; "I see no reason why we should not implement the service but we are going to see what has hindered the process before. We have a lot to gain." Earlier, Celtel International, which operates networks in all the three countries, pioneered the free-roaming trend with a one-network campaign. Under the arrangement, the over 15 million combined subscribers of all the four networks can now make calls when across the borders at local rates and receive free incoming calls. (SOURCE: East African Business Week) PHONE-TAPPING TO BE LEGALISED IN UGANDA?Government security agencies will start tapping phones freely should the Bill seeking to legalise interception of information get approval from Parliament. The Regulation of Interception of Communication Bill 2007, which has passed the Cabinet, was tabled before the NRM caucus on Monday by Security Minister Amama Mbabazi. It seeks to "make provision for lawful interception and monitoring of certain communications in the course of their transmission through telecommunication, postal or any other related service or system in Uganda". The Bill, which also seeks to legalise interception and monitoring of postal letters and payment of money from one place to another, is intended to suppress terrorism in Uganda. President Yoweri Museveni, who chaired the caucus meeting, advised the MPs to study the Bill before discussing it in the next meeting to take place in the first week of June. It is believed security agencies illegally tap phones of prominent opposition politicians. Reliable sources who attended the meeting said Museveni asked the MPs to support the Bill to fight terrorism. He reportedly confirmed that the agencies have been tapping certain phone communications illegally and said the Bill was good because it would protect the country from criminals like Kony and others. In 2003 the President indicated that he had listened to a phone conversation between LRA chief Joseph Kony and then Lira Municipality MP Cecilia Ogwal. But when she threatened to sue the President, Museveni's then legal assistant Mike Chibita challenged her to prove that the President had not been tapping Kony instead. The Bill mandates service providers to ensure postal or telecommunications systems are technically capable of supporting lawful interception at all times. It also mandates them to install hardware and software facilities and devices to enable interception of communications and capable of rendering 24-hour monitoring facilities. Service providers are also obliged to safeguard the identities of monitoring agents and ensure the confidentiality of investigations. Mbabazi reportedly said the Bill would reinforce the provisions of the Interception of Communications and Surveillance of the Anti Terrorism Act 2002, whose main focus is suppression of terrorism. He said MPs would decide the category of people whose phones should be tapped. Parliament would also put into consideration the protection of people's privacy. According to the Bill, the State would compensate the service providers and protected information key holders with reasonable tariffs for the nature of work done. The Bill states that people authorised to apply for warrant of interception of communication will be chief of defence forces, director of Eso and Iso, Inspector general of police and commissioner general of prisons. It seeks to provide for the establishment of a communications monitoring centre, which would be exempted from any kind of licence and taxes. It states that the Security Minister shall equip, operate and maintain the monitoring centre. The Bill states that the ministries of Defence, Internal Affairs and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) would be responsible for the monitoring system. State Minister ICT Alintuma Nsambu told Daily Monitor on phone that phone-tapping is done all over the world for security purposes. The Managing Director Celtel Uganda Yesse Oenga said such Bills are not strange in governments worldwide. A security source said government acquired software worth millions of dollars, which it uses to tap phones of suspected terrorist collaborators. "In a bid to cut the costs we bought a machine which is now helping us. We only identify a few people because tapping many is costly," the source said. He said the numbers are entered in the machine and when a suspect calls, the machine displays the number and it automatically taps the conversation. The source said they have been working with service providers to tap phones. He said if a phone is being tapped, it can only be detected if a suspect knows how phone-tapping is done. When security agencies identify the targeted people, the phone numbers are tagged and given to a security surveillance officer who feeds the numbers into a machine. Opposition MPs and NRM rebel MPs are set to oppose the Bill when tabled before Parliament. MPs Peter Omolo (Soroti), Felex Okot Ogong (Dokolo) and Johnson Malinga (Kapebyeng) vowed to oppose the Bill. Mr Omolo wondered why the government moves to infringe on people's privacy by listening to conversations between relatives. Mr Johnson Malinga said, "The Constitution provides for privacy. So we shall fight this Bill," he vowed. However, the Vice Chairperson of the Parliamentary Defence committee Ms Jessica Alupo (Woman, Katakwi) said it is a good Bill that would protect the country from terrorism and arms trafficking. "Money to finance terrorism has exchanged hands in this country. Corroborators have been freely communicating," she said. James Byandala (Katikamu North) and Robert Kashaija (Youth Western) said they would support it saying any security-cautious country would do it. (SOURCE: The Monitor) GLO AND RIVERS STATE TO SPEND N.3BN ON RURAL TELEPHONYThe administration of the immediate-past Governor of Rivers State, Dr Peter Odili committed N.3billion to rural telephony in collaboration with Nigeria's Second National Carrier, Globacom. Under the state's sustainable development initiative, the government made a counterpart payment of N.329 billion to Globacom to erect Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) in all the remote and riverine areas of the state for ease of communication between the communities and the larger world. At the commissioning of one of the BTS’s in Akpajo, Eleme Local Government area of the state last weekend, Odili said this was one of his parting gifts to the people of the state. "We saw that most telecommunications companies would not be willing to erect their cost intensive infrastructure in the very remote areas which promise no immediate economic viability to them. This was why we decided to partner with Globacom to bring rural telephony to reality believing that this would lead to further socio-economic development of the state", he said. According to the Chairman of the Implementation Committee of the Rivers State Sustainable Development Project, Mr. Dien Ajumogobia who is also the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, the rural telephony project will also generate employment opportunities for the teeming youths of the state who can engage in the running of Public Call Offices(PCOs). Speaking during the commissioning, Globacom's Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Mohammed Jameel disclosed that the company's willingness to partner with the state government stemmed from its avowed commitment to the empowerment of the people of the state and instituting sustainable change in their daily living. With this project, the entire Rivers State will be covered with an estimated 56 sites, excluding an additional 99 sites which are being developed solely by Globacom.The state made a 25 per cent contribution to the total cost of the 56 sites with the rest 75 per cent coming from Globacom. (SOURCE: This Day) COPS CRACK DOWN ON BTC CABLE THIEVES IN BOTSWANAThe Cat and Mouse game between cops and BTC cable thieves might be coming to an end as police cracks down on the syndicate that has ripped off the government for millions of Pulas. Since early this month the police has nabbed six men on different dates for allegedly conspiring to steal cables valued at P117,600 between Sebina and Marobela village in the central district. During their intensive hunt for culprits, police have managed to penetrate a syndicate comprising young men, local garage owners and scrap yards owners who are mostly foreigners with links in South Africa, which is the main destination for the country's stolen copper wires. All the arrested men have been arraigned before court and the prosecution has prayed for their incarceration until the whole syndicate has been brought to book. When he brought two more suspects to court early this week, State prosecutor, Inspector David Ramoseki revealed that some officers were still tracking down some of the stolen cables believed to be in the hands of scrap yard owners. He told the court that some of the cables were recovered after tip offs at one of the scrap yards in Francistown. The prosecutor also asked the court to reserve the plea of the accused persons in court until investigations were completed. The six suspects all from Sebina Village were remanded in custody while others believed to have been involved in the syndicate are expected to be nabbed as soon as the police close the net on the destructive racket. Since last year copper cables belonging to BTC and Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) have been stolen in large quantities without any trace. But the latest development might bring an end to the prolonged problems of the two companies. (SOURCE: The Voice)
IN BRIEF:- Orange Bissau, the mobile unit set up by France Télécom through its 42.33% owned Senegalese subsidiary Sonatel, launched services in the country making it the third operator in the local market. Orange Bissau will initially operate in the capital Bissau and will also provide coverage in the north towards the border with Senegal and then to extend its reach to the south and east of the country by the year end, providing coverage of most of the 1.5 million population. - The Gambia has become one of the not so many countries in the sub-region to have three GSM service providers, thanks to the launching of Comium network last week. The company is also busy launching its network in Côte d’Ivoire where it will compete with Orange, MTN and Moov. - Angola Telecom has announced an investment plan of $122 million funded by the State and Chinese company ZTE. $20 million will be used to refurbish 38 transmission stations across the country. The remaining $102 million will finance the roll out of fibre/copper backbone in the east part of the country. - Chinguitel, the 3rd mobile operator in Mauritania is set to launch its service in June. Chinguitel jointly owned by Sudatel and Mauritanian investors has been awarded a license in 2006. TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE- Mobile telecommunications Econet Wireless Zimbabwe has completed the installation of GPRS on its network which will enable its customers and visitors roaming in Zimbabwe to use the Blackberry-enabled cellphones to receive and send e-mails as well as e-mail attachments. - The first bank to introduce cellphone banking in Botswana, the First National Bank of Botswana (FNBB), has announced that it had added Orange to its Cellphone Banking offering. - Namibia’s second cellphone operator, Cell One will roll out its service at the coast within the next two weeks. Launched in mid-March this year, the company hopes that 90 per cent of Namibia will be covered by the end of the year. - MTN South Africa has launched Push-to-talk (PTT) services on its network, running over GPRS via Nokia handsets. The service required clarification from the regulator ICASA before launch as to its legality, as it is classified as voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP). - Mobile operator, Telecel Benin has announced a decrease of over 50% on some of its services. A starter kit will now be sold at CFA1,500 ($3) instead of CFA3,500 ($7). Unfortunately this decrease only applies to services and not call charges.
UGANDA BEGINS LAYING 2,500KMS OF FIBREThe Uganda Government has secured a US$106m (about sh180b) loan from the Chinese government to construct a national data transmission backbone infrastructure to foster the development of information and communication technology (ICT). Edward Baliddawa, the chairman of the parliamentary ICT committee, disclosed that the Government was seeking approval of a sh4.6b (US$ 2.8 m) budget as counterpart funding for the project. A Chinese firm, Huawei Technologies Co. Limited and Data Fundi and Bankshire, their local counterparts, would undertake the construction of the project. Baliddawa said the project would be built in three phases over a period of three years. It would cover 2,500 kilometres countrywide. The first phase has started with the laying of fibre cables in Kampala, Entebbe Mukono and Bombo. It would ready in August. MTN and uganda telecom already own fibre optic networks, covering some parts of the country. However, the Government wants a national infrastructure that would be utilised by all including the operators in providing the requisite ICT connectivity for national development. The national data backbone would be the major line of transmission that connects different types of communications, Dr. Ham Mulira, the ICT minister, said. "It is meant to complement the private sector and not compete with it so as to allow them concentrate investment on the value-added service provision rather than infrastructure. "We want to build infrastructure for the common good," Mulira explained. (SOURCE: The New Vision) AFRICA ONLINE TO EXPAND WIRELESS BROADBAND SERVICES IN GHANAAfrica Online, an Internet service provider in Ghana has announced that it would extend its services, particularly wireless broadband infrastructure throughout the country to optimize its network capabilities for the benefit of its customers. The company, which started operation in 1996 in the country, currently claims to commands about 25% of premium corporate market segment and believes its expansion would enable its customers and the nation at large to benefit from a vast experience of modern networks and technological advances. Briefing Journalists in Accra on Friday on its new strategy, the Chief Executive Officer of the company, John Joseph noted that the company would accelerate infrastructure roll out to increase its base stations in Accra that were currently three. He said the company would further establish new distribution channel partners to provide easy connection to Africa Online, greater and more flexible product range and improve customer service and support. According to him, Africa Online has the largest footprint in sub Saharan Africa with a presence in Ghana, Kenya, Cote d'Ivoire, Swaziland, Namibia, Uganda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe and also has eight active affiliates in South Africa, Nigeria, Angola, Mozambique, Cameroon, Senegal, Mauritania and Malawi. "The affiliates employ a wide range of access technologies to provide services to our customers including licensed frequency wireless networks, ADSL, leased lines and VSAT", he stated, adding, "we are actively pursuing establishment of additional affiliates to increase our affiliate footprint to about 39 countries." He added that AFOL's InfiNet services were currently available in Accra and Tema and plans were underway to improve its broadband and value proposition to differentiate on quality, develop innovative pricing and bundling options to reduce barrier to entry and offer more services to the Ghanaian market. (SOURCE: Ghanaian Chronicle) ACCESSKENYA GROUP LAUNCHES “BUSH” A VSAT SOLUTION FOR REMOTE SITESThe AccessKenya Group last week launched a new Direct Out VSAT solution for remote users. Through this product christened Bush, remote users will now be able to get connected from their remote sites to the Internet giving clients who have either no local infrastructure or the infrastructure available is not suitable a quality alternative. Speaking during the launch, Group Managing Director Jonathan Somen said his company was proud to be associated with the introduction of the premier remote VSAT solution in Kenya, which allows users to connect internationally. “Unlike other solutions in the market, Bush is designed with Corporate Clients in mind. By utilizing C band (as opposed to Ku band) satellite connectivity, the uptime of the solution is higher than other solutions offering Ku band as it will not be affected by rain and fog,” said Somen. Similar to AccessKenya’s other existing terrestrial solutions, Bush offers guaranteed bandwidth and not shared bandwidth. There is therefore is no data cap so a client pays a flat fee per month ensuring that the Group’s pricing is the most competitive in the market. Bush also offers all the additional benefits that clients currently receive from AccessKenya on their existing services which include a 99.8% Service Level Agreement and high quality support. Earlier this year, the AccessKenya Group was given the Data Carrier Network Operator’s License by the CCK thereby allowing it to start offering VSAT services. The DCNO license allows AccessKenya to provide VSAT services and contract directly with international providers for their own uplink gateway services rather than through intermediaries. E-MAIL CAN GET COMPANIES INTO TROUBLE, SAYS SA’S DELOITTEEmail may be an easy way to keep in touch but it's also an easy way to get into trouble -- especially at work. Recent scandals -- such as the hoax e-mail saga that implicated senior African National Congress members in a supposed conspiracy against the party's deputy president, Jacob Zuma, and its secretary-general, Kgalema Motlanthe -- and fraud such as that experienced by clients of some of SA's major banks such as Standard Bank and Absa Bank, have caused businesses to take a good hard look at their e-mail policies. Kris Budnick, a director at Deloitte enterprise risk services, says the bank clients were the victims of what is known as "phishing attacks". Phishing is the term used when fraudsters claim to be from a bank and send clients e-mails to trick them into disclosing personal information, such as passwords and PINs (personal identification numbers) to steal their identity. "There is so much risk associated with e-mail," says Budnick. "E-mail is one of the least secure systems, and is open to much abuse." Johannesburg-based lawyer Michael Judin, of Goldman Judin, says many employees abuse the company's e-mail system by sending private jokes and pornographic material to each other. "It is a waste of company resources and time." Judin says employees also send letters to third parties, which can potentially bind the company to contracts. Budnick says the message to employees is "don't put anything in an e-mail that you wouldn't want the whole world to read". And he urges employees to abide by their company's policy for acceptable e-mail use. "Employees need to stop and think about the trouble they could get into if their e-mails get into the wrong hands," he says. Budnick says the IT department of a company tends to spend too much time on the hazards of inbound e-mail threats such as viruses, spam and Trojans. He says companies should rather make compliance with a policy when sending out e-mail their priority. Outbound e-mails can ruin the reputation of a company, he says. This can cost the company hundreds of thousands of rands. Furthermore, the trademark of the company is diluted. For instance, if an employee sends out an e-mail containing offensive material, it weakens the trademark of the entity, says Budnick. "While the majority of employees are generally aware that sending inappropriate e-mails could be dangerous to their company, abuse of a company's e-mail continues on a daily basis because too many firms do not make their staff aware of what is and isn't acceptable use. Staff continue to cross the boundary lines. Employees do not even understand the guidelines." Budnick says employees don't even know if an employer has the right to monitor and intercept their communications, such as their e-mails and phone calls. Although no one has yet been sued under the Monitoring Act, cases have been heard in dispute resolution forums, such as the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration and arbitration tribunals. However, Judin says times are changing and it will not be long before the first test case takes place in the high court. "We are moving into an era of class action, shareholder activism, and company damages." He says it is possible that an e-mail may land on someone's desk which will lead to the MD of a listed company being taken to court. " This could cause huge embarrassment and cost for the company," he says. Budnick says e-mail is "a grey area that is causing companies enormous problems -- their employees are bringing their social lives into the workplace". There are certain exceptions under the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication Related Information Act, 2002 (the new "Monitoring Act"), which was passed into law in 2004, whereby an employer may intercept and monitor an employee's communications, such as e-mail and phone calls, provided a company fulfil s the criteria of the so-called business monitoring test. The communications must have been carried out during the course of that business; must be related to that business; or must have taken place in the course of carrying on that business. However, the act empowers only certain individuals within the organisation to intercept such communications, such as a financial director or CEO. IT staff are by virtue of their role empowered under certain circumstances to do so, Budnick says. An employee's communications may be intercepted to protect the company's interests, for instance to prevent fraud or embarrassment and exposure, Budnick says. He says it is still open to debate as to whether a business may monitor an employee's private e-mail. No doubt the debate will continue until the high court rules on the matter. Judin says that employers must exercise caution under the act. There is a lot of debate around where an employee's right to privacy ends and where the company's right to monitor communications begins. The Monitoring Act contains a general prohibition on the monitoring of an employee's communications, such as e-mails, phone calls and faxes, and carries heavy penalties, including a fine of up to R2m or imprisonment for not more than 10 years. Judin says the act contains a number of exceptions -- where the parties have given written consent to the interception; where a person is a party to the communication; and where a law enforcement officer obtains a directive from a judicial officer because of suspicion that a serious crime has been, or is about to be, committed. A clear, well-communicated e-mail policy backed up by the right processes and systems will ensure companies and individuals remain on the right side of the law, Judin says. "Companies must ensure that they are legally covered by explaining the policy to every employee and having every employee signing the policy on an annual basis." (SOURCE: Business Day) IN BRIEF:- Togo’s internet users will from now on enjoy broadband with the launch by Togo Telecom of its ADSL service branded “Helim”. The service is currently available in Lomé and Kara (North of Togo) with speed between 64Kbps and 1,024Kbps. - Algeria Telecom Satellite (ATS) launched in Algiers its new high-definition satellite videoconferencing system. ATS is a subsidiary of Algerie Telecom in partnership with a French company specialising in wireless multimedia communication.
NEW ICT LAWS TO BE INTRODUCED IN UGANDAThe Government is in the process of establishing the legal infrastructure to support the e-social/economic environment. The infrastructure to support the rapid growth of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector includes the electronic transactions, digital signatures and computer misuse bills. Dr. Ham Mulira, the ICT minister, said new laws would also be formulated while old ones would be amended. "As a government, we are concerned with creating a fair, equitable and orderly market environment as a critical element in sustained development of ICTs. We believe there should be a favourable environment in which the regulator, business sector and consumers can all act within the law," he said. Mulira was opening the 15th Ericsson meeting of the pre-paid user groups at the Speke Resort Munyonyo. The conference, held in Uganda for the first time, was sponsored by Celtel and MTN. It was attended by over 200 delegates from various operators. The user groups' meeting is one in which telecommunications operators around the world come together to share experiences with other operators and the infrastructure provider. (SOURCE: New Vision) OMATEK LAUNCHES COMPUTERS FOR ALL FOR CROSS RIVERIANS IN NIGERIAOmatek Computers Limited in conjunction with the Governor Duke led Cross Rivers State government and Afribank last Thursday officially launched the Computer for All 'Crossriverian' Initiative. This is on the bill of the N1.5billion stake from Afribank to Omatek recently to enable a credit facility for some categories of 'Cross River state indigenes' to purchase Omatek computers with payment stretched over several months. The scheme would help cater for employees of Cross Rivers State Civil Service and students. This launch will see about 15,000 personal computers including laptops and desktops go to the State Government for interested civil/public servants. Governor Donald Duke in his bid to promote technology awareness in the State has also promised to subsidize 25 per cent of the cost of a laptop for 200 students of Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH). In this arrangement, each student benefiting from the subsidy will only pay 75 per cent of the cost of a laptop. The event, which hosted prominent citizens in the State such as the Deputy Governor, Head of Service, permanent secretaries and commissioners, also hosted over 500 Civil Servants that came to collect their own computers. Twenty five computers and laptops were distributed by the deputy governor and the head of service during the launch. The Managing Director of Omatek Computers introduced the new laptops for Youths that will be sold for about N50,000 to N55,000. She applauded the State for the laudable consumer initiative and the passion of their governor to ensure that all Crossriverians civil servants and students are empowered with a computer. The deputy governor in his speech aligned this initiative with newly commissioned Tinapa free zone. The Head of Service in his remarks showed his excitement in the initiative bridging the digital divide in the state and the computers being the machinery required by the state to make its e-governance project a huge success. He also called on all cross Riverians all over the country to take good advantage of this initiative to own a computer. A resource centre is being developed by OMATEK and is planned to involve tertiary institutions, to enable them gain some technology know-how and research and development skills. Also, the OMATEK boss announced that resellers are currently being recruited in the state for effective implementation and to generate employment in the state. The managing director of Afribank was ably represented by the General Manager, public sector and the regional manger for South South. (SOURCE: This Day) CISCO WITHDRAWS FROM MBEKI'S INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY GROUPThe world's largest networking company, Cisco Systems, has pulled out of President Thabo Mbeki's international technology advisory group, it emerged last week. The think-tank was launched in 2001 so Mbeki could seek advice from world leaders on using information and communication technology (ICT) to boost social and economic development. Cisco apparently pulled out because its former GM in SA, Clive Flynn, saw a conflict of interest in advising the government, then trying to sell its technologies to state departments and parastatals. "Our GM left the committee because it was a conflict of interest to be making recommendations of policies for the South African government about ICT and at the same time being in a company selling technology," said Julian Lighton, Cisco's vice- president of business development. "There is a natural conflict if you are bidding for a contract on which you are also advising the government. "We wanted to be open and clean in the way we were doing business. We wanted to remove ourselves so we can be an honest adviser to the government and at the same time maintain our commercial arrangements with the State IT Agency and other parts of the government that are buying technologies from us." The decision to withdraw may also have been influenced by frustration that the advice of world leaders was not turned into action. Other members of the committee have expressed that grievance in private, although none of them criticises the think-tank openly for fear of wounding their chance of winning public sector tenders. The Presidential International Advisory Council on Information Society and Development was launched with high-profile members including Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, previous Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, Teledesic CEO Craig McCaw and South African billionaire Mark Shuttleworth. Such IT luminaries are used to working at light ning speed, as their survival depends on spotting the next trend and jumping right in. They have little patience with advising politicians who will not listen, or who listen but procrastinate. Oracle's Ellison has given Mbeki advice in the past that was not heeded. Ellison advised Mbeki to fully privatise Telkom years ago when telco stocks were soaring, and to license multiple phone companies to provide high-speed, low-cost calls and internet access. Likewise, the committee has repeatedly urged the government to privatise and deregulate the telecoms sector, give tax breaks to hi-tech companies, welcome skilled foreigners, subsidise internet access for schools and throw money into IT education more closely matched to the skills needed in the jobs market. Every year the same advice is repeated. Lighton acknowledged that Cisco had clashed with the government on the process of creating the second network operator, Neotel. Cisco had disagreed with how Neotel was set up and the technologies it would use "based on the needs of the government and what it was supposed to do," Lighton said. Cisco was far from alone in criticising the inclusion of state-owed enterprises Transnet and Eskom Enterprises in Neotel's consortium. The subsequent inclusion of two failed bidders and the long-winded searches for foreign investors was also widely slated. "I don't think many people are overjoyed" with the outcome, Lighton said. "In the final analysis it wasn't our place to tell them how to do it." Since pulling out of Mbeki's advisory committee, Cisco has changed its structure in SA. It now has a non-executive chairman separate from the operational managers to avoid any conflict that could arise when Cisco was asked for advice, Lighton said. That would let Cisco "participate much more healthily in advisory roles" if asked to do so. The restructuring of its operations in SA saw Flynn step down last year. Cisco is forming two new divisions, Cisco Capital, to help customers fund their technology purchases, and Cisco Advances Services, to handle its most sophisticated products. Both will be 25% black owned, although the black shareholders are yet to be selected. Cisco SA GM Steve Midgley, said the process was on track. "We are in the discussion stage. There is a whole project on the go and we are steaming along." He said Cisco would emerge as an empowerment leader compared to other multinational hi-tech players once its equity deals were concluded. "We have made great strides in our employment equity because 55% of our are staff are previously disadvantaged and 30% of all our employees are female," Midgley said. (SOURCE: Business Day) VIRGIN NIGERIA BEGINS E-TICKETING IN NIGERIAAhead of the December deadline for airlines to commence e-ticketing, Virgin Nigeria Plc says it has started the process on all its domestic routes. Larry Agose, the airline's Director of Communications, made this known yesterday in a statement in Ikeja. Agose, who said the e-ticketing process commenced at the weekend, announced the relocation of the airline's corporate headquarters. The director noted that e-ticketing on all of the airline's domestic routes was part of efforts to bring its operations closer to the people and make for more customer-friendliness. Meanwhile, British Airways has closed its booking office in Dar es Salaam and shifted to online ticket bookings as a result of growing number of customers booking flights on the airline's website and declining number of customers using the booking office. (SOURCE: This Day) NEW COMPUTER SOFTWARE FOR EXAM MANAGEMENT IN RWANDAThe Rwanda National Examination Council (RNEC) has adopted a GBP164,000 (approx. Frw176 million) computer software programme for examination management system. The new software 'Faim' replaces the out-of-use Microsoft Excel and Access Applications that have been difficult to use, RNEC Executive Secretary John Rutayisire has said. He is optimistic that 'Faim' will bring effectiveness in registration and grading marks of national examination candidates. "We have adopted Fiam computer software to minimise faults or if possible get rid of them within the registration process for candidates," he said. In the past, some students complained that their names were omitted on the final candidates' list. Last year the anomaly saw over 1700 students going to schools or undertaking subjects that they did not prefer. "But with this new verification system we shall be able to accurately allocate students to schools and courses that are in line with what they will have indicated while making choice," he said. The new software will also be used in selecting the best among top candidates with the same marks. "We have been experiencing difficulties in selecting the best candidate in case several students obtain the same marks. But with 'Faim', the process is going to be easy since it suggests different means to use," said Rutayisire. (SOURCE: New Times) IN BRIEF:- This week the PCLinuxOS community have brought out the final release of PCLinuxOS 2007 which comes with all the latest versions of several popular open source programs. - The Malawian president has merged education, science and technology into a single ministry under his personal responsibility. - South African payment gateway company, MyGate, have released snippets of code that make for easier integration between the shopping cart and the payment gateway. - Cisco Nigeria has signed an agreement with Redington, a distributor of Cisco’s equipment and solutions in the Middle East and Africa. The partnership will contribute to help Cisco’s local representatives to grow their business (project implementation support and training). Bayo Sanni, Regional Channel Director, Cisco Africa, commenting on the alliance added that at Cisco, we focus on driving partner profitable growth and with the Nigerian market estimated to be worth over N50billion (US$350m) by 2009. So you can see with our current revenue in Nigeria , we have hardly scratched the surface here”. - Mozilla Firefox 2 is now officially available in Afrikaans. You can download your copy from here: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all.html#af - Mali is the 9th country to launch the Schoolnet program financed by NEPAD and private IT companies.
MOBITEL ENTERS US$363 MILLION FUNDING AGREEMENT IN SUDANMTC Group has inked a US$363.3 million development deal for its Sudanese venture Mobitel. The facility, called Murabaha, has been supplied by both regional and local financial institutions including Kuwait's Gulf Bank, Boubyan Bank and the National Bank of Kuwait, along with other regional investors, and will be put towards the operator’s further expansion in Sudan. “Mobitel intends to use the proceeds for the purpose of funding its developmental expansion projects including licence fees, network capital expenditures, as well as other costs in expanding the business,” said Sam Deeb, MTC Group chief financial officer. Sudan is widely considered as one of the most lucrative telecoms markets in Africa, with mobile penetration currently standing at 10% in the country. MTC owns 100% of Mobitel as of February 2006, when it purchased an outstanding 61% of the operator as part of a US$1.3 billion transaction. Mobitel's current subscriber base has reached 3.2 million; which represents 11% of MTC's overall subscriber base. Sudan's population numbers over 37 million. MTC aims to carry out a major expansion of Mobitel to expand network coverage to 80% of the populated area of the country by the end of 2007. (SOURCE: ITP) STATE BID TO ATTRACT CALL CENTRES TO SOUTH AFRICA FALLS FLATA Government scheme to lure international call centre operators to SA has not elicited a single application, it emerged last week, dashing high hopes that up to 100,000 new jobs would be created and investment deals worth 175m sealed if the initiative was successful. The call centre scheme, one of several trade and industry department ventures aimed at stimulating investment and creating jobs, was launched in March. It emerged at a meeting last week of the Incentive Consultants Association that the sector strategy for business process outsourcing and offshoring may now have to be tweaked, with the department conceding it may have set the bar too high. Francisca Strauss, director of incentive administration with the department's Enterprise Organisation, conceded the investment criteria for the incentive scheme were probably too stringent. (SOURCE: Business Day) NIGERIAN FIRM IN BT'S $20BN DEALBritish Telecom has entered into a US$20 billion partnership deal with a Lagos-based wireline telecoms firm, 21st Century Technologies. Within the partnership agreement, 21st Century Technologies will manage the Nigerian part of the connection to BT's $20 billion global 21 CN platform. David Roome, the Business Development Manager for British Telecoms said, "Part of the programme is that we need to roll out and develop nodes for the network. We are in 120 countries globally and we are looking at reaching 160 countries by the end of 2008 and one of the key countries is Nigeria" Roome, who described Nigeria as a secure and stable investment destination with market depth and quality human resources, added that the typical customer for the network would be corporates with interest in oil and gas concerns, banks, telecom firms and others with branches and facilities spread across national and internationally borders. The BT development Manager also disclosed that the Nigerian firm, 21st Century Technologies, was chosen as strategic partner after a rigorous selection process involving several other Nigerian telecommunication firms. Commenting on the partnership deal, Wale Ajisebutu, the Chief Executive Officer of 21st Century, disclosed that "this partnership with BT will make a strong business statement in Nigeria" reiterating that his company is refocusing to service corporates instead of small businesses and homes. According to Ajisebutu, "We deliver VOIP to corporates. We have fibre-optic cables everywhere and we are still laying them. We can also do archiving for media businesses." He added that, "It is a global connectivity for the corporates and our relationship creates a synergy. BT has infrastructure all around the world and we have infrastructure in Nigeria - its sort of a handshake." He further said, "We realise we have to extend our network and train people. We are increasing our points of presence in Lagos from 45 to 80 within the next few weeks. We are extending to Warri, Kano, Ibadan, Port Harcourt and Abuja." The company had recently emerged as the data services provider of choice powering and providing telephony and data services to the groundbreaking Olokola LNG Project (OK LNG). The OK LNG project, when completed, will lift the country's gas earning from the current N254 - N381bn to N1.2 trillion ($2-3bn to $10-billion) yearly. Also recently, 21st Century injected a whopping $20 million into its operations in its bid to oil its expansion programme, which is aimed at seeing its services move across the country. The fresh funds was targeted at strengthening the company's current nationwide fibre optic project, in which it is laying fibre optic rings around the Nigeria, with the Lagos phase of the project nearing completion. (SOURCE: This Day) AUDIT REPORT CASTIGATES ETC IN ETHIOPIAThe audit report of the Ethiopian Telecommunications (ETC) revealed that there were several flaws with different procurements made by the corporation. The purchases of broadband internet, CBAC data network, and mobile network expansion were marred by corruption. The report identified officials of the corporation who should be held accountable for the malpractice. The report presented to the chief executive officer indicated that eight companies participated in the tender put up for the procurement of CBAC data network. A company called Telard was awarded the supply of 58 switchboards while Ericsson was awarded the supply of 21 switchboards. The report said it was unable to confirm if the tender process was conducted on the basis of the principles of the corporation. The procurement documents were not presented to the auditors. The report said the documents were not available. It said there was an urgent need to recover the documents or to take legal action. According to the audit report, 41.4 million dollars were paid for the projects and nine agreements were signed. Payments were made before work on the project was finalized. ETC paid over 25 million dollars for the installation of switchboards. However, the report said the switches were incomplete. The report said the CBAC network system failed to provide billing data. While Telrad's project did not achieve its objective, the company signed eight more agreements with ETC. Officials of the corporation, including former CEO, mobile expansion department head, made the payment before work on the project was finalized, says the report. The report said steel structures valued at 40,000 dollars were bought from Telrad without considering the legal procurement procedure. The report said ETC bought broadband internet system from a South African company, Dimension Data, at a cost of US$6,679,000. The report disclosed that the preparation of the bid document, the evaluation and selection of the winning company were full of flaws. Eleven companies submitted proposals to ETC. But only three of them passed the technical evaluation. The audit report said that while two South African companies, Dimension Data and Comparakes, participated in the tender, another South African company, Daedan, was assigned to evaluate the tender. Ericsson, which is undertaking the mobile expansion work in regional towns, was supposed to finalize the project in July 2005. However, the company achieved only 44 percent of the project. Engineers of ETC estimate that the corporation lost 1.14 billion dollars revenue due to the delay on the project. (SOURCE: The Reporter) IN BRIEF:- South African cellular group Vodacom has reported a 22.9% increase in full-year operating profit to ZAR10.9 billion (USD1.5 billion), with revenues up 20.9% to ZAR41.1 billion. The group’s customer base rose 28.2% to 30.2 million in the year to the end of March. Vodacom, which is jointly owned by Telkom South Africa and Vodafone, is the largest cellco in its domestic market and also has mobile operations in Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho and Mozambique - Kenya’s Finance Minister Amos Kimunya has dismissed claims that the Cabinet approved the sale of Telkom shares, saying the issue was not part of the Cabinet discussion agenda. - The National Empowerment Fund plans to sell its 1.5% stake in mobile operator MTN Group to a range of previously disadvantaged groups at a discount, according to trade and industry deputy director-general Lionel October. At the current MTN share price, the offering of 1.5%, or 30 million shares, would have a value of about ZAR3billion (USD420 million).
YOUTUBE SITE BLOCKED FOR MAROC TELECOM SUBSCRIBERSReporters Without Borders has voiced concern about the blocking of access to video-sharing website YouTube by the Moroccan Internet server (ISP) Maroc Telecom since May 25 2007. The ISP failed to respond to several calls made to it by the worldwide press freedom organisation, but a European journalist reported that the firm's press officer said it was due to a "technical problem." "We wonder how a 'technical problem' can affect only one website," the organisation said. "No official statement has supported this version. Blocking access to a site is illegal unless ordered by a court." Users of the smaller privately-owned ISPs Wana and Méditel are still able to access YouTube, which may have been blocked by Maroc Telecom after videos were posted on it of independence demonstrations for Western Sahara. Morocco has blocked access since last year to Google Earth and Livejournal. Websites close to the Western Sahara independence movement Polisario were blocked in December 2005 ( http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=15809 ). SOUTH AFRICAN BLOGGERS TO MEET PEERS IN REST OF AFRICAProof that blogging is going mainstream comes with a decision by 25 South Africans to attend the African leg of an international conference. The Technology Entertainment Design conference will be held in Tanzania next week as California's annual TEDGlobal conference expands to cities around the world. The presentations will cover topics including science, arts, politics, global issues, architecture and music, and anything else the bloggers are passionate about. Nine of the local delegates are attending thanks to fellowships awarded by multinationals including IBM, Google, AMD and General Electric. "We are very excited to represent SA at such an important global conference," said Ramon Thomas, MD of the online research organisation NETucation. The conference would expose them to their counterparts in the rest of Africa and could result in collaboration, he said. Thomas will report on the event via his blog, www.netucation.co.za. Another prolific local blogger is Rafiq Phillips, a co-founder of iDRIVE.co.za, who will report back from the conference on www.webaddict.co.za. The TED.com website has won awards for the video podcasts it produces after its lectures, with 109 videos available. They include a podcast by Ashraf Ghani, a former finance minister in Iraq, and several videos focusing on poverty alleviation and town planning solutions specifically for Africa. (SOURCE: Business Day) IN BRIEF:- Nigerian company Gold-Sphinx Technologies, an Information Technology services provider has introduced a professional directory, the largest online locator of real estate properties and professionals nationwide. - Algeria mobile operator Nedjma (Wataniya Telecom Algerie) has launched a content portal that users can access through their mobile phone to purchase fancy ringtones, games, pictures, etc.
PEOPLETelkom South Africa announced that Sandi Linford will replace Vincent Mashale as its Company Secretary with immediate effect. Tina Byaruhanga, the PR manager of MTN Uganda, is leaving the telecommunications firm. Her exit is part of a major company shake-up. Ndukwe Kalu has been appointed as Director of NIRA (Nigeria Internet Registration Association) EVENTS- ICTS FOR CIVIL SOCIETY CONFERENCE June 2007 – South Africa The conference and exhibition organised by SANGONeT will be aimed at increasing NGOs’ awareness of the strategic importance of their websites and the online environment in general. For further information visit http://sangonet.org.za HIGH SPEED ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES CONFERENCE 19-21 June 2007, Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg, South Africa IQPC's 2nd Annual High Speed Access Technologies conference is perfectly positioned giving you answers at a critical time offering an objective platform for you to hear case studies on current obstacles and successes of Broadband. You will also be able to join us for a Site Visit To the Eskom Test Site. This site visit will show you what progress has been made over the past few years and what MainNet is doing to promote broadband over Power Lines. For more information please contact Susan Theron on +27 (0) 11 669 5019 or visit our website http://www.iqpc.com/za/highspeed - TELECOMS WORLD AFRICA 31st July - 2nd August 2007, Johannesburg, South Africa Key decision-makers in South Africa and leading international players will share their expertise and forge invaluable business relationships in a highly interactive environment. For further information visit www.terrapinn.com/2007/telecomza - WI-WORLD AFRICA 2007 27 – 30 August 2007, Michelangelo Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa. In Africa, fixed-line infrastructure is lacking and there is a major problem with copper wire theft. Wireless communication is therefore a great alternative. For further information visit www.terrapinn.com/2007/telecomza - ICT AFRICA 2007 October 1-5, 2007, Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, Kenya ICT Africa is an annual continental information and communications technology conference addressing all aspects of ICT development in Africa. The conference is convened by NEPAD council in collaboration with the NEPAD Kenya secretariat. The 2007 event will be organized by Global Conferences, Cape Town, South Africa. For further information contact rjacobs@globalconf.co.za - INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERSHIPS FOR AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT (IPAD) CENTRAL AFRICA 3rd - 5th October, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo iPAD Central Africa 2006 provides an opportunity to network directly with key partners. The event aims to facilitate regional planning and collaborations under one roof between government, the public sector and business. iPAD Central Africa 2006 is a one-stop-shop for investigating investment opportunities in DRC and the Central African region as a whole. For further information visit http://www.spintelligent-events.com/ipad-central2006/en/ JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIESREQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR PRE-QUALIFICATION PROJECT: INSTALLATION AND OPERATION OF FIBER OPTIC NETWORK PHASE 1 The objective of Phase 1 of the project is to complete and interconnect the fibre optic networks of three national electricity utilities with one another as well as to the Internet cloud via a competitive high-capacity undersea cable or equivalent. Phase 1 of the Project is scheduled for completion before the end of 2008. EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST ADFC seeks expressions of interest from qualified vendors, investors and operators who wish to pre-qualify for provision of the envisaged services. Interested parties may express interest in providing infrastructure, installation services, financing, operations and other associated services. No advantage will be lost or gained by expressing interest in one or all of these services. GENERAL CONDITIONS Deadline for applications: 17h00 CAT 31 July 2007 Pre-qualification of vendors and contractors will be entirely at the discretion of ADFC. ADFC accepts no liability for any expenses incurred by vendors/contractors in applying for pre-qualification. PRE-QUALIFICATION APPLICATIONS Pre-qualification applications are available at the address below: Africa Dark Fibre Communications Ltd Attn: Pre-Qualification Applications Ground Floor, Norfolk House, Sandton Close 2 Cnr Norwich Close & 5th Street, Sandton 2146 South Africa Email orders: dokes@duncanokes.co.za, or PCole14@gmail.com Cost for each pre-qualification application package is US$750. The package contains a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), application instructions, project objectives, detailed description of the project, including pro-forma technical and financial data. Banking Details for Payment Bank: Société Générale For further credit: Account Name: South East Asian Bank Ltd Beneficiary: AFRICA DARK FIBRE Account No: 194452 COMMUNICATIONS LTD SWIFT : SOGEUS33 Account No: 3100001692USD06 SWIFT: SEABMUMU FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT Dr Paul M. Cole, Managing Director, ADFC PCole14@gmail.com Mr Duncan Okes, ADFC Consortium Attorneys DOkes@duncanokes.co.za No Telephone Inquiries Accepted SEEKING CHALLENGING POSITION Mature, experienced male with good managerial skills, solid background of more than 20 years in IT industry with broad range of experience, particularly in the fields of networking, telcommunications, product mangement, pre-sales team mangement and product agnostic - seeking a suitable position in Gauteng area, South Africa - able to travel. Email zeddjhb@gmail.com FINANCIAL CONTROLLER – KENYA This is an excellent opportunity to work for a large Telecoms Operator in Kenya as a Financial Controller. A fluent command of French is essential for the role. The applicant will report Chief Finance Officer. The goals of the job include: to supervise and manage the following activities: Reporting and Planning , Accounting, Treasury (sometimes) , Tax (sometimes), Business Analysis (sometimes) and Systems and Procedures with a view to providing timely and accurate financial management information and analyses; financial planning and control; tax planning and optimisation. For further information contact advertising@balancingact-africa.com CONTRACTS: WHO'S SELLING WHAT TO WHOM?GV TELECOM, PRESTEL AND HUAWEI – NIGERIA GV Telecom,Prestel and Hauwei have signed a $250 million equipment contract for a CDMA 1x & EV-DO network rollout.The project will be implemented in three phases. The first phase which will cost $90million will cover Lagos ,Abuja , Port Harcourt , Benin City and Warri, serving 1,000,000 subscribers and providing voice, high speed data and broadband services. The second phase for $70 million will cover the South East and part of the South South while the third phase for $90 million will cover part of the South West, Northwest and North East.
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