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WEEKLY PUBLICATION DEADLINE: 12 pm GMT Sunday. ISSUE NO 364 Mali: Mobile service helps bring down infant mortalityIn Coura, a district of Mali's capital Bamako, it's now possible to monitor the health of local infants closely in real time with the launch of a new pilot project dubbed Pesinet. Initiated and funded by Alcatel-Lucent, Fondation Orange Mali, Afrique Initiatives, Medicament Export (Medex) and Kafo Yeredeme, the project aims to provide a preventative medical diagnostic service for infants between 0-5 years, based on regular checks on the childrens' weight gain. The service is based on weighing the children every week at home twice a week for children under a year by people who are specially trained. These staff members of the service who do the weighing are for the most part local women living in Coura. And the fact that many of the women live locally means that the community feels a strong sense of ownership for the project. The main job for these local staff is to enter the weights of infants via a Java application on their mobiles. This information is then sent via GPRS to a database used to help the paediatricians of Pesinet to quickly spot those infants that are at risk. According to Robert Dulery, Director of Medicament Export: "Consistent monitoring of variations of weight is a basic medical service, but itÕs an effective way of detecting a range of illnesses from malnutrition to malaria and it allows the doctor to intervene quickly." The "Pesinet ladies" not only register the weight of the child but they also check for four other supplementary symptoms: fever, diarrhoea, coughing and vomiting. All of this information provide alert signals to the Pesinet paediatricians as to whether the infant is in good health or there is a case for immediate medical intervention. But the processes of the project are not simply limited to detection. The service also includes medical consultations and access to medicines. Again according to Robert Dulery "access to medicines is the real value of the service for people." There are currently 300 subscribers in Coura but the objective of the project is to have 1,200 subscribers by December 2007, the evaluation date for the project. The success of the project will be judged as much on medical as financial criteria. In the medical plan, the medical team are looking for a perceptible drop in the infant mortality rate. In a similar project rolled out in Saint-Louis in Senegal, the infant mortality rate fell from 120 per thousand to 8 per thousand. In 90% of cases, the symptoms of the disease are easily treated. If the illness is caught quickly, the child will recover quickly. From the financial point of the view, those behind the project want to achieve a level of 1200-1500 children in order that the project will breakeven and become self-financing. The costs of the project are recovered by revenues generated by subscription charges. This subscription charge is FCFA500 (US$1.05) a month per child that also covers both visits to the doctor and basic medicines. Alcatel-Lucent and Afrique Initiatives helped launch the project with financial and technical expertise. Medex also contributed financially and provide the necessary medicines during the pilot phase. The La Fondation Orange Mali employed the paediatrician, the "Coura ladies" and supplied eight baby weighing scales and six mobile phones. The evaluation is being carried out by students from ESSEC in Paris, together with a team from "Create an Innovative Product". The Malian association Kafo Yeredeme Ton were responsible for operations on the ground. Alioune Ndiaye, D-G of Orange Mali and PrŽsident of the Fondation Orange Mali, added :"Supporting projects that are aimed at improving health in Mali are at the heart of our commitment. As a major operator in the region, we are happy to be able to contribute, based on our technologies, a way of reducing infant mortality in a community where we live and work."
Egypt's Mobinil buys 3G licence for US$599mEgyptian mobile operator Mobinil has been granted a high-speed, third-generation mobile licence for 3.4 billion Egyptian pounds, the Communications Ministry said on Wednesday. The ministry said in a statement the firm would be able to pay the fees in instalments, as did rival Vodafone Egypt, which acquired a licence in January for 3.34 billion pounds. Mobinil said last week it was applying for the 3G license after months of hesitation. Market growth appears to have driven the move after the company said in April it did not want to burden investors with the high costs of a 3G service. Chief Executive Alex Shalaby said in June his firm had witnessed strong growth in the previous six months and would outgrow its allocated 2G spectrum sooner than was previously expected. Etisalat of the United Arab Emirates entered the market in May as the newest competitor, also with a 3G licence, putting pressure on Mobinil to act. The Communications Ministry also said it had agreed to sell the mobile operators licenses for direct long-distance calling. Mobile phone companies currently must route international calls through Telecom Egypt Minister Tarek Kamel told Reuters in March the government had estimated it could raise some US$500 million to US$600 million over the next two to three years from selling such licenses. Telecom Egypt will also lose its monopoly as the sole fixed-line operator in 2008, when the government plans to offer another license for sale. (Source: Reuters) Etisalat in talks over Benin spatEmirates Telecommunications Corp. (Etisalat) said on Monday its African unit would open talks with Benin's government this week to try to resolve a dispute that forced it to suspend its mobile phone services. Benin's telecoms regulator suspended the networks of two of the country's four mobile phone operators on Thursday, including that of Atlantique Telecom, a 70-%-owned subsidiary of Etisalat, the third-largest Gulf Arab telecom firm by market value. The West African country shut down the networks of Atlantique and South Africa's MTN because they did not sign new contracts including a $50 million, 500 % rise in the operator fee by Thursday evening. Etisalat has 340,000 mobile phone customers in Benin, a country of eight million people. "We are confident that we will be able to address the questions posed to us by the Benin authorities and therefore shorten the inconvenience for our customers," Etisalat Chairman Mohammad Omran said in a statement to Reuters. (Source: Reuters) Mobitel urges no more mobile licences in SudanSudanese mobile company Mobitel urged the government on Sunday not to issue a further mobile phone licence, saying a new competitor might force it to reconsider a $690 million expansion plan. Khaled Muhtadi, chief executive of Mobitel, wholly owned by Kuwait's Mobile Telecommunications Co. (MTC), told Reuters he had received reports that the country's telecoms regulator was preparing to issue another nationwide licence in the next 12 months. "If we are going to get competition from yet another mobile operator then that limits our appetite in terms of spreading aggressively as we are," Muhtadi said. "We have shared our concerns with them. We have informed them [the decision] could backfire." Sudan's mobile telecoms market grown greatly since a 2005 north-south peace deal ended Africa's longest civil war. Less than six % of Sudan's population had a mobile phone by the end of 2005, according to Jordan-based analysts the Arab Advisors Group. Just 18 months later, current market estimates range from 11 to 15 % and rising. (Source: ITP) Wana set to give Maroc Telecom a run for its moneyWana is a new Moroccan fixed-line and mobile telephone operator whose ambition is to instil a new dynamic into the local telecoms market. This 450-strong company, a subsidiary of the kingdom's largest private group, is "determined to do all it can to democratise access to telecommunications for all Moroccans through its Bayn brand," as Sophia Lahlou, its Marketing Manager, explained. Two months after launching this prepaid home mobile telephony offer using CDMA (code division multiple access) technology, WANA has already positioned itself as a serious challenger to the already established players, like Maroc Telecom and Meditel. With 100,000 subscribers already signed up in the first three days, it is the third most successful launch in the history of the telecoms industry according to experts. This commercial offer was packaged so as to democratise not only access to telecommunications but also their use. "Wana designed Bayn so that the customers could phone from home or while moving around daily outside their home. With Bayn, it's the phone shop in your pocket and at home, with all its advantages but without the disadvantages", explained Sophia Lahlou. With just 1 dirham (Û0.09), the customer can recharge, put a ceiling on his or her calls and communicate, at the same time having a permanent view of all his or her expenses and credit. The services contained in this offer enables the customer to enjoy the advantages of phone shops, the most frequently used means of phoning in Morocco due to the low cost, without having to go to them. Wana has chosen CDMA technology because "it is the only mature technology that allows for the implementation of fixed-line telephony" according to the Marketing Manager. CDMA is an alternative technology to European GSM and is used in the United States, Japan, India, China and the Middle East. Furthermore, CDMA2000 (1) is the leading international third-generation technology: more than 240 operators have adopted it and it has more than 325 million users worldwide. Since its launch at the end of March 2007, more than 40,000 Moroccans have opted for Wana's Bayn offer. "The commercial objectives have been revised upwards following Bayn's excellent performances. Indeed, the sales have reached record figures, strongly affecting the development of fixed-line telephony in Morocco, with +27.24% growth at the end of March 2007", specified Sophia Lahlou. (Source: Albawaba) Phone Operators' Head Accused of Extortion in UgandaIt took the intervention of chairperson Irene Ovonji and commissioner Sarah Bagalaaliwo to stop city phone operators from going for each other's throats. Accusations of intrigue, extortion, theft, intimidation and violence were thrown around before the probe into Kampala Central Division activities yesterday. The local government probe commission, which sits at Workers House, was meeting directors of the five phone operators' associations for the third time. The associations are competing for members within the city. The five are Kampala City Phone Operators Association (KCPOA), Phone Link, Uganda Phone Operators Association (UPOA), Federation of Phone Owners and Operators Savings Cooperative (FEPO) and Kampala Central Division Phone Operators Association (KCDPOA). KCPOA chairman and former Kampala Youth Councillor Muhammad Nsegumire was accused by the other groups of masterminding a racket of extortion, causing them to form rival associations. They say while he was youth councillor, he applied excessive force and using a pistol, threatened all phone operators to subscribe to his association, Phonecom. On his part, Nsegumire says he formed the first association in Kampala, to get jobs for "his" jobless youths. The commission, however, noted that most of the aggrieved phone operators, who have appeared before the probe, have accused Nsegumire of oppression. Nsegumire of KCPOA accused his former member Lubanga Benjamin, of acquiring a loan of sh100,000 in KCPOA, before breaking off to form a splinter KCDPOA. Lubanga contends that after discovering that KCPOA was not registered, he went and registered his company, KCDPOA. KCDPOA charges sh25,000 for registration, sh5,000 for IDs and sh20,000 annual membership. (Source: New Vision) Malawi MTL connects network to MozambiqueIncumbent telco Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL) is looking at installing a cross-border fibre-optic link with its counterpart in neighbouring Mozambique, Telecommunicacoes De Mozambique (TDM). The proposed connection will be between Mwanza in Malawi and Zobue in Mozambique. MTL chief technology officer Peter Boll said the USD25 million project would connect the neighbouring countries and eventually allow onward connection to the rest of the world. "The implementation schedule of this project, and main construction works from Blantyre will start during the third quarter of 2007," he said. TDM's Head of Technical Planning Division Moises Alexandre Nhabanga said, "This project will improve communication capacity and quality and will allow Malawi to connect through the EASSy cable project, having a landing point on the coast of Mozambique." Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) Director of Telecommunications Mike Kuntiya welcomed the scheme, saying, "This project is a welcome idea as it will form part of the broadband network that government has been encouraging operators to come up with." MTL will also be commissioning a microwave link connecting Lilongwe with Mchinji in Zambia and extending the Mzuzu-Karonga microwave link in northern Malawi to Dar-es-Salaam, the former capital of Tanzania. (Source: Telegeography) Visafone Beats Multilinks and 2 others to Win 800mhz Spectrum Band in NigeriaVisafone Communications Ltd has emerged reserved bidder ahead of Multilinks and two other telecoms company for the 3 Carriers (3.75 MHz) in the 800 MHz spectrum band license to operate in 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja . The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), sequel to a public notice on the auction for the band, announced weekend that only four licensed companies, namely, GiCell Wireless, TC Africa Telecoms Network, Multilinks and Visafone Communications, met the pre-qualification criteria, including payment of a N40 million Intention-to-Bid deposit, at the close of business on July 9, 2007. The NCC said, after evaluating the bids from the companies with regards to the advertised pre-qualification criteria, Visafone Communications Limited was been successful in its bid and that it expects to receive payment of the Reserve Price of N 400 million less the Intention-to-Bid Deposit of N40 million, within 14 business days of the provisional award beginning July 13. In a public notice advertising the opening of bids, the NCC said and the spectrum licence shall be valid for a period of five (5) years in the first instance and open to companies operating in Nigeria . The spectrum in the 800 MHz band won by Visafone are (Rx MHz) 881.31 882.57 883.83 and (Tx MHz) 836.31 837.57 838.83 the applicable States are Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti, Kwara, Edo, Delta, Benue, Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa, Taraba, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto States and the FCT, Abuja. According to the NCC notice, the spectrum was offered on a technology neutral basis and undertook the process under the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) recommendations for the provision of telecommunications services in the 800MHz spectrum band. The NCC had said based on the number of companies that have indicated interest for spectrum in the 800MHz band, it decided to adopt an auction process to promote competition as well as to ensure transparency and fairness. The NCC had listed the following pre-qualification criteria: possession a subsisting national network operating licence or Unified Access Service (UAS) License; applicants should have no outstanding obligations due as at the deadline for submission of applications; a Bidder must not have a relationship with another Bidder; submission of information using the templates provided in the Information Memorandum; and payment of the sum of =N=40 million (Forty Million Naira) as an Intention-to-Bid Deposit. (Source: This Day)
Telecoms briefs- Cable thieves are back stealing and damaging telephone cable (underground and overhead) in the Kumasi Metropolis and parts of Obuasi in Ghana. - Convergent billing specialist Cerillion Technologies has implemented a customer relations management (CRM) and billing solution for Mauritano-Tunisienne de Telecommunication (Mattel), a GSM network operator in Mauritania. - In Cote d'Ivoire, mobile operator MTN has secured a FCFA12 billion francs loan from the West African Development Bank to sustain its investment plans for 2007. The company also announced that it is planning to set up a single network spreading from Cameroon to Guinea-Bissau. - According to Richard Tinka, Motorola's country manager in Uganda disclosed to the press that it is making firm strides-from a relatively insignificant 15 per cent, to capturing 32 per cent of the market. Telecoms Rates, Offers and Coverage- Zimbabwe mobile operator, Econet Wireless, has installed highly sophisticated software to track down fraudsters. With its new software, Econet will be able to catch people who have been stealing its international traffic through a practice called "refiling" of calls. - Telkom Kenya unveiled its new call charges with three new tariffs - Furaha, Thamani and Shikamoo. Furaha customers will be billed a flat rate of Sh14 per minute for calls across networks. Thamani Tariff will be charged Sh7 per minute for calls from a Telkom wireless terminal to a Telkom Wireless or landline. Calls to mobile networks will be charged at Sh24.24 per minute during peak time and Sh14 off-peak. - Sierra Leone's mobile company, Comium,announced a reduction in its network's international tariff to 10 destinations worldwide from 50 to 30 units every Sunday.The ten countries include Lebanon, United Kingdom, Canada, Nigeria, India, China, Egypt, United Arab Emirate (UAE), South Africa and Liberia adding that the main objective of the new promotion is to reward their subscribers. -Telecom Namibia says that it has expanded its wireless CDMA infrastructure to nine more towns and settlements in Namibia. The services which are offered under the SWITCH brand have been launch at Rehoboth, Mariental, Opuwo, Grootfontein, Rundu, Katima Mulilo, Okakarara, Oshivelo and Onesi. - Algerian mobile operator Nedjma announced that it is dropping its rates for its post-paid subscribers. Subscribers will pay 6 dinars a minute and will be charged on a per second basis.
Namibia and Botswana to interconnect to SAT3 via AngolaThe acting prime minister, Jo‹o Baptista Kussumua discussed in Luanda, with the Namibian first vice minister, Libertina Amathila, about the general principles of the cooperation that Angola will establish with Namibia and Botswana in the field of telecommunications. Speaking to the press at the end of an audience with Baptista Kussumua, the Namibian official mainly expressed satisfaction with this further partnership that the three countries will establish, in the sector of regional cooperation, which will enable its interconnection through the SAT3 optical fibre cable. It is an incomparable opportunity being granted for international access through SAT3, which will allow these countries to interconnect themselves to the rest of the world through the optical fibre cable that Angola already has, said Libertina Amathila. With regards to this aspect, she said that her country will use the cable, which expands to the Angolan province of Namibe and connect it to the Namibian region of Swakopmund. A tripartite memorandum of understanding of cooperation, on debate since Monday, here, might be signed this Tuesday and the final agreement within the next two months, in Botswana. (Source: Angola Press Agency) Neotel, WiMAX, price cuts - it's all finally happening in South AfricaDespite what the sceptics say, SA's telecoms landscape is finally changing for the better. If I told you in 2006 that in a year's time South Africans would have a true choice when it came to broadband services, you probably would have dismissed me as mad. If you had read that a competitor to Telkom would have rolled out services to consumers in 2007, you'd have raised an eyebrow. Similarly, you would have laughed at the idea of Telkom actually cutting DSL prices. But the reality is this (and more) is finally happening. Driving through Rosebank and Sandton has become even trickier of late - not thanks to the Gautrain construction, but because of some rather intricate cabling being laid. Neotel is behind the carving up of our streets, with work being completed on expanding the operator's metro fibre backbone (an ultra high speed connection). The cabling makes some interesting "stops": Internet Solutions in Rosebank, some of the major corporates who have head offices in the area, and other major network providers/operators. A sophisticated truck digs the hole, approximately 10cm wide, and about a ruler's length to half a metre deep. Ducting and cabling is being installed - but some are questioning the shallow holes - especially if City Power were to try "fix" one of its electricity cables. Sources also tell Moneyweb that Neotel is very busy behind the scenes with the planned launch of its retail products - this means access to you and I (If you're lucky enough to live in a major area, of course). Also moving along rapidly is the rollout of WiMAX by literally everyone with a licence or test licence to do so. WiMAX is essentially a wireless broadband technology, to complement DSL. A few months ago, MWEB launched a trial covering 1 000 homes/business in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The company last week crowed about rolling out a WiMAX network in Soweto within seven days. There are already 100 Soweto residents connected. As part of its annual results presentation, Telkom (which has a commercial licence) announced that it would roll out a WiMAX "product suite". However, the fixed-line operator stresses that WiMAX is there to complement its DSL network. At the time, Godfrey Ntoele, Telkom's (acting) chief sales and marketing officer said "customers who apply for DSL will be offered Do Broadband Wireless if they reside in an area which is not DSL enabled and that falls within the coverage area of a WiMax base station". Telkom's WiMAX network covers Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. The company says it will later be extended to Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Port Elizabeth, East London, Polokwane, Middelburg, Pietermaritzburg, Nelspruit, Welkom, and Empangeni. Vodacom recently confirmed it will start building its own WiMax network and launch commercial broadband and corporate services on it before the end of the year. Neotel is also planning what it calls a "true broadband" WiMAX offering which the company says promises "high speeds and low latency". Moneyweb also understands that Altech has very ambitious WiMAX plans, but the company remains mum. The pace of this WiMAX rollout is positive for consumers. As these networks become commercially available, they add to the multitude of ways consumers can obtain broadband access (think iBurst, 3G/HSDPA, DSL). Another positive is the downward pressure on telecoms and broadband prices. Competition means cheaper access: it's that simple. Our mobile broadband rates now rank among the cheapest in the world. Totally unexpected DSL price cuts announced by Telkom in June have started to make DSL access affordable. The notion of a decent DSL bundle from Telkom (384kbps, 1GB cap) costing less than R200 would've been derided as "impossible" six months ago. While chatting to an industry analyst earlier this year, he expressed his utter frustration that by-and-large, local reporting on the broadband market (and the ICT industry in general) tends to be very negative. "Try to tell positive stories," he pleaded. Even the most ardent critic of Telkom/government/Icasa would not be able to ignore the positive movements over the past six months. Prices are down sharply, WiMAX will soon be (almost) everywhere and Neotel (like Gautrain) is real. This article is not filled with delusional optimism. These moves are the start of something really brilliant. (Source: My ADSL) HiREST's Mrakpor calls on Nigerian Govt to encourage broadband growthThe Chief Executive Officer of HiREST Africa Limited, a Nigerian Internet Service Provider; Igho Mrakpor, has called on the Federal Government to put in place policies that will encourage the growth of broadband Internet access in the country through convergence of technology. Mrakpor made this call at the just concluded Nigeria International GSM Strategic Conference and Exhibition in Abuja last week. Speaking in his paper entitled "Growing Broadband Internet penetration through Convergence," which was presented by the company's Corporate Affairs Director, Mrs. Ufuoma 'Daro, the HiREST boss noted that currently in the country, only about 3.1 per cent of the population have access to the Internet and convergence of technology will make it easy to increase growth on Internet penetration. He further noted that statistics have also shown that there is a growing awareness of the importance of the Internet and more Nigerians are itching to have access. "The increase I the umber of users from 200,000 in year 2000 to five million in year 2006 is a clear indication in the growing interest and awareness in the use of the Internet. This therefore, calls for the need to grow the Internet market penetration in the country," he said. However, Mrakpor advised that social benefits to the end user should be the major motive behind regulation in the era of convergence and not economic gains only." "Every decision the government has to take on this issue of technological convergence should be based on giving consumers benefits in terms of service and cost," he said. Furthermore, the HiREST boss pointed out that the internet as a platform has developed differently from traditional broadcasting and telecommunications and has been essentially user-driven, with user-owned equipment (the routers performing central rather than peripheral network functions) and users themselves continuing to generate a substantial part of the content, adding that the decentralized nature of the internet is seen by many as the single main reason for its success, and as a lesson for the converging environment. He added that a major characteristic of the internet, which is indicative of convergence, is that it functions simultaneously as a medium for publishing and communication. Unlike the traditional media the internet simultaneously supports a variety of communication modes, both transactional and broadcast in nature: one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many. An internet user may "speak" or "listen" Interchangeably, interweaving public communication. This constant shift from publishing to private communication modes, each regulated through very different principles, constitutes one of the main challenges of internet regulation. "Convergence is not all about technology. It is about services and about new ways of doing business and of interacting with the society, consequently, any regulation must focus on the social benefits to the end users," the HiREST boss added. "A key priority of any regulatory framework should be to seek to meet the needs of users in terms of offering them more choice, improving levels of service and lower prices, whilst fully guaranteeing consumer rights and the general public interest. Such an approach is fully consistent with wider policy goals, which recognizes the important role of many of the sectors in bringing the Information Society into citizen's everyday lives," he noted. (Source: This Day) Internet in a Box' Brings Information to Developing WorldSince the year 2000, the University of Iowa has been trying to bring the benefits of the Internet to parts of the world where access is minimal and/or expensive. The university's WiderNet Project manages the eGranary Digital Library, which places Web resources on a server on university campuses in developing countries that have little or no Internet connectivity. Based at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, the eGranary Digital Library manually updates its library at least twice each year on campus intranets in Africa, India, Bangladesh, Azerbaijan and Haiti. The eGranary grew out of the experience of Cliff Missen, a Fulbright scholar in Nigeria, who in 1999 witnessed how difficult it was for librarians to get good, fresh information into a patron's hands. Missen, who now serves as co-director of WiderNet, started taking compact discs with information to the Nigerian university where he was teaching. That led to the concept of the eGranary. People in developing countries "don't have to wait for the Web," Missen told USINFO. "Seven out of eight people in the world don't have access to the Internet, and the few people in the developing world who do, spend an extraordinary amount of money to do so. With the eGranary they can have access overnight to 10 million documents without having to have any bandwidth." Yet the eGranary does more than provide instant access to books, journals and other documents; it offers "true information literacy," Missen said. "It really does change the way people think about having access to information." WiderNet also provides coaching and training at partner institutions in Africa and manages donations of equipment and software for those institutions. Over the past five years, it has trained 3,600 people in the use of the eGranary. Some people in the developing world have a very basic Internet connection that allows them to check e-mail and the like, but as soon as they share that connection with more than a few people the response time gets very, very slow, Missen said. "You certainly can't do things like download software, watch videos and listen to music. Those kinds of documents are too large for a tiny connection." The eGranary, on the other hand, is very fast. Users can download a book "in a blink." Missen said, adding, "They can open a 200 megabyte video file in five seconds. ... Librarians are finding they can add a wireless mast [or access point] to this outfit, and now they've got a free wireless public library. You don't have to worry about who's logging in because there's no Internet cost." Access to eGranary for a single user costs US$750, while a server capable of meeting the needs of thousands costs US$2,800. Annual updates cost an additional US$200, but Missen said many librarians are finding that the information provided has a long enough shelf life that annual updates are not essential. The eGranary Digital Library is often called "The Internet in a Box" because it offers offline approximately 10 million educational resources from more than 1,000 Web sites, including OpenCourseWare from course offerings by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Project Gutenberg's complete collection of classic literature and the entire Wikipedia Web site. The eGranary's interfaces are streamlined for easy navigation and offer a comprehensive search engine. All materials - including 40,000 books in their entirety and 150 to 200 full text journals with their archives - are included with the author or publisher's permission. Many would be prohibitively expensive for a library in the developing world to own. The eGranary's 750 gigabytes of storage space hold the largest collection of informational materials available on a server that can be accessed without an Internet connection. Under the leadership of MIT, the open courseware movement now offers anyone in the world free and open access to the educational materials from all 1,800 MIT courses and a growing number from other universities. These materials include course syllabi, reading lists, PowerPoint presentations, problem sets and solutions, lecture notes, exams and, in some cases, videotaped lectures. (See related article.) Founded in 1971, Project Gutenberg provides free downloads of 2 million books a month to people in more than 100 countries to spur literacy. For the most part, books available are those whose copyright in the United States has expired. More information on the eGranary Digital Library is available on a University of Iowa Web site. Additional information about the Fulbright program is available on the State Department Web site. Internet briefs- Gateway Communications has begun operating its C-Band 7.3m Earth Station at a co-location Teleport in Krugersdorp, Johannesburg, South Africa. The Earth Station is capable of Point to Multipoint and Mesh satellite network connectivity and Point to Point SCPC solutions. Beamed at New Skies Satellite the Earth Station is capable of receiving and sending communications over most of Africa. The facility integrates completely into the existing Gateway Communications network and is connected via fibre to all major PoP's and hosting sites in Johannesburg. - At the official launching of Ghana Telecom's broadband service BB4U in Obuasi Ing. Robert Baffour-Awuah, regional manager told to local newspaper the Ghanaian Chronicle that the company has so far over 2,000 customers on its new product.
Intel makes peace with One Laptop Per Child projectMIT's Nicholas Negroponte and Intel have apparently buried their dispute over the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, reports AP. Intel's chairman, Craig Barrett, had derided Negroponte's low-cost machines as mere gadgets. And Intel was signing up international governments for its own little "Classmate" PCs, which follow more conventional computing designs than One Laptop Per Child's radically rethought XO computers. Negroponte was suspicious of Intel's motives, since the XO runs on processors from Intel's fiercest rival, Advanced Micro Devices. Negroponte said Intel had hurt his mission and "should be ashamed of itself". But in recent weeks, Negroponte and Intel CEO Paul Otellini began peace talks, culminating in a face-to-face meeting last week at Intel headquarters in Santa Clara, California. On Friday, the two sides said they had joined forces: Intel will join One Laptop Per Child's board and contribute money and technical expertise to the project. Intel will continue to sell the Classmate, which has fallen in price from about $400 to the low $200s (R1 400), attracting buyers in Pakistan, Brazil, Mexico and Nigeria, according to spokeswoman Agnes Kwan. The One Laptop Per Child programme is already testing its machine in several countries and still hopes its machines will be ready to go into schools in larger quantities in several countries later this year. (Source: Tectonic) New Electronic Transaction Bill ready to go before parliament in GhanaGhana's Electronic Transaction Bill, new legislation designed to regulate electronic communications and transactions in accordance with National Information and Communication Technology Policy, is expected to be presented to parliament for its deliberation later this week. According to reports in the local newspaper The Statesman, the outgoing Minister of Communications, Mike Oquaye, says that although some finishing touches are being put on the bill, it is complete and ready for the cabinet's assessment and approval. The Electronic Transaction Bill is supposed to remove and prevent barriers to electronic communications and transactions in the country, as well as promote the use of e-commerce. Once adopted, it will "ensure efficient use and management of the country's domain space. It will further protect the interest and image of the country from being compromised through the use of electronic communications", the paper says. The telecommunication bill, also currently under discussion, is designed to provide regulations for control of electronic communications and broadcasting. The minister says that under the new law, the regulator, the National Communication Authority (NCA), will have "clear cut guidelines and regulations to strengthen its capacity to operate efficiently, effectively and sustainably without fear or favour." It is understood that the NCA will be given new powers to ensure that the country's telecoms operators deliver a high quality of service, via measures such as the threat of the (temporary) removal of their licence. The Electronic Transaction Bill is one of three bills currently on the table; the others are the New Telecom Bill and the National Communication Authority Bill. (Source: Telegeography) Nigeria has Minimised Software Importation, says NCS's NwannenaOutgoing President of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Dr Chris Nwannenna, has said his leadership brought about the Federal Government's priority attention to indigenous applications software, thereby minimising the use of more than US$500 million annually to import such products. Addressing members of the body at the opening of its National Conference in Owerri, Imo State, Nwannenna said government positive measure went a long way in creating more jobs and wealth for Nigerians. According to him, NCS mounted and sustained a campaign for local content development for the recognition, acceptance and promotion of applications software developed by indigenous professionals, since it had shown, with examples of proven and tested software products and services, that we have the requisite skills in the area. "Our proposal in this direction was formally accepted when a circular from Secretary to the Government of the Federation directed ministries and agencies to give priority attention to indigenous applications software," he said. Nwannenna said the body consistently advocated creation of an Information Technology (IT) Ministry, as obtainable in countries like Egypt, and recommended a restructuring that would have a Ministry of Information and Communica-tion Technologies (MCIT) to comprise a merged NBC and NCC, NITDA and CPN. He decry the duplication of IT and Communications agencies in three different ministries, leaving room for duplication of functions, which harmonisation was intended to curb. He, therefore, urged government to revisit the harmonisation issue by trying to bring agencies involved in IT, including NITDA, under one umbrella. Ministry would go a long way in bringing progress. In his remarks, chairman of the occasion, former Senator President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim congratulated the NCS for staying a rancorous-free twenty one years of existence, stating that the theme of the conference: "Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Nigeria - IT Strategies and Tools was quite significant. He identified as no longer practicable for research work, design projects, management of projects and programmes, comparative analysis, dissemination and access to information, project implementation, data collection and security without the use of IT. Declaring the Conference open, the Imo State Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim urged the body to continue to play a key role in the development of the nation, since IT had been identified as the key driver for economic growth and national prosperity. The Governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Lady, Dr. Ada Okwuonu emphasized that the state was concluding plans for a take off into a sustained campaign against unemployment, stating "we are creating job centres in each of the three senatorial zones with the aim to have a data bank on the number of unemployed hands, their skills and job needs with a view to having the requisite information that would influence policy direction and provide timely and accurate information on available jobs". (Source: This Day) Gobuntu: freedom-focused Ubuntu flavourGobuntu, a flavour of Ubuntu that adheres to the strictest requirements of the Free Software Foundation's "Four Freedoms", now has daily images available. Mark Shuttleworth made the announcement on the Ubuntu developer's mailing list and in his blog, where he put the call out for all developers interested in pushing the limits of content and code freedom to join the team and help in identifying places where pieces must be separated from the standard Ubuntu builds. As Shuttleworth explained, the goal is to provide a cleaner and easier to maintain base for projects like gNewSense. The Gobuntu install disk will only include content and code that is modifiable and redistributable, and for which source elements are completely available. For example, if a PDF is on the disk, then the original document should also be available with modification rights. Gobuntu is a flavour of Ubuntu, just as Kubuntu and Xubuntu are flavours of Ubuntu. Gobuntu development happens as part of the broader Ubuntu project and shares the same archive, so work done to identify problematic content in the archive and split that up benefits users of Ubuntu, Xubuntu and Kubuntu as well. The team is working with hardware manufacturers to encourage them to make it possible to use their hardware with an entirely free platform. At the moment the distribution is in the early stages and far from being ready for the average end-user. Gobuntu will work with relatively few laptops and desktops, because of the widespread use of binary-only firmware. The issue of hardware drivers is currently the primary focus of the Gobuntu developers. Shuttleworth said in his blog, "Gobuntu will not correctly enable much hardware today - but it exists as a banner for the cause of software freedom and as a reference of what IS possible with a totally rigorous approach. The goal is to make it a real point of pride to be able to run Gobuntu on a laptop or desktop or server, because it means that all of the stars have aligned to ensure that you have complete freedom to use that hardware with free software." Anyone interested in becoming involved in the project is asked to join the Gobuntu mailing list, at https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/Gobuntu-devel. (Source: Tectonic) Kyambogo in Sh6 Billion Shady Deal in UgandaKyambogo University has embarked on a process of contracting an information and communications technology firm that would cost students Shs6.16 billion for a period of seven years without advertising, Daily Monitor has learnt. However, the deal has not been subjected to tendering as required by the Public Procurement and Disposal Act (PPDA). A firm, Socketworks Project, is poised to take over this project after successfully convincing the university's Planning and Development Department, according to the university PRO James Bulenzibuto. The project, which is "to bring a thriving digital culture to Kyambogo University" is aimed at facilitating the use of ICT in improving the quality of learning at the University," according to a proposal, a copy of which Daily Monitor has seen. Among the directors of Socketworks is Odrek Rwabwogo, a son-in-law to President Museveni. According to a university memo, it is imperative that Kyambogo University builds a sound system and infrastructure to support its development in view of the critical role ICT plays in higher education delivery. "Kyambogo University will therefore benefit by embracing the Socketworks Project," the memo from the university secretary reads. The recommendation however was made for a project that was not advertised by the public university. "Socketworks was introduced to us by the Ministry of Education and Sports, which said they could interface with us. A proposal was written which the university technical people looked at. Socketworks presented it and people were convinced," Mr Bulenzibuto said. That move contradicts the regulations of the PPDA which state that projects that have money in excess of $200,000 should be made known to the public. Socketworks project is to cost $500,000 (Shs910 million). A memo from the University Secretary to the chairperson and members of the University Council dated June 14, said the service should have been advertised and competed for. "Council therefore agreed to first consider the University Strategic Plan in comparison with University ICT policy before considering the proposed Socketworks project," the memo reads. Despite this glaring flaunting of the law, the project is yet to be advertised. The Department of Planning and Development of Kyambogo University wrote to the Council on June 14, 2007, recommending the authorisation of an agreement between it and Soceketworks having toured Makerere University Business School, where a similar project is being used. "Council is hereby informed that a review of the Socketworks document has been done by the department of planning and development. Council is, therefore, requested to receive and consider the comments about the Socketworks project attached to this memo, and authorise the University to make preparations to enter into agreement with Socketworks Uganda Ltd to provide the service to Kyambogo University." Although the Council has not yet approved it, student semester fees are to be increased by Shs40,000 per term if the Soceketworks' plan is adopted. The university has a student population of 11000, which means that in the seven years Socketworks will be providing services, the University would have forked out Shs6.16 billion for a Shs910 million project. Socketworks is to provide service at an initial fee of Shs910 million after which its portion or subscription fee will be deducted at the source by the banks that receive school fees and sell online access cards. The University is to provide the space for the project offices and data centres. The University Council is, however, uncomfortable with the proposed Shs40,000 increment and insists that "it should remain constant per year irrespective of a depreciation or appreciation of the Shilling against the Dollar, because university fees usually remain fixed for at least a number of years." Bulenzibutto said, however, the decision on who will provide the service is yet to be made, adding: "Socketworks is an area we are considering because of the enormous benefits." He said although the council has read the planning department's recommendations, other alternative providers are being considered including MTN and Celtel. Socketworks General Manager Meredith Bates admitted that contact has been made between the firm and the university. "We were told that the bidding will be done later this year,"she said in an interview. Ministry of Education publicist Aggrey Kibenge promised to furnish Daily Monitor with more information on the deal later today. (Source: The Monitor) Computer briefs- The Chief Executive Officer of Computerise Nigeria Project, Mrs Vivian Abii has expressed concern that a large number of the 3.5 million computers imported into Nigeria annually are refurbished. Abii in a chat with newsmen in Lagos reiterated that many of the imported systems found their way into the country through unauthorized channels. - Acer Computer, the Middle East and Africa's leading supplier of notebook computers, has signed a deal to supply Tunis Air with high-end Acer desktops. Acer has committed to delivering almost 500 units of high-end Veriton commercial desktops to the airline. Maintaining its strong presence in the country, the IT vendor already has existing contract to supply desktops to the Tunisian Ministry of Education. - Support for PHP4, the popular web programming language will stop at the end of this year, the development team has announced. - Kenyan IT services company Openview Business Systems has become a Gold status member of the Network Appliances (NetApp) partnership programme, a certification that enables it to offer a combination of services including NetApp's storage technology.
French telecom firm invests US$6m in LiberiaThe Paris-based Telecommunications Company, West Africa Telecom has begun operations in Liberia with an initial investment of over US$6 million, the General Manager of the company, Jonathan Medugno said here. Medugno told reporters Saturday that West Africa Telecom, which will begin full-scale operations next month, would provide over 1000 jobs locally. The French Telecommunications company becomes the fifth private telecom firm to operate in Liberia, all of which are predominantly engaged in providing GSM mobile phone services. (Source: AGOP) Diasporan Investors Team Up to Buy Ghana TelecomA Ghanaian Diaspora professional group, called the Ghana Leadership Union (GLU) has announced plans to pool resources to buy a controlling stake in one of the country's biggest assets, Ghana Telecom. GLU, a non-partisan NGO with membership based in the U.S.A, U.K., the E.U., Australia and Asia, says Ghanaian professionals based aboard have been shut out of the process of participating in the investment and management of divested State Owned Enterprises for too long; hence the decision to join the race for GT. In furtherance of that, GLU has created a novel investment framework to attract financial and human capital to formally express interest in the acquisition of a controlling stake in Ghana Telecom Ltd. In a statement copied to Public Agenda, the President of GLU, Dr. Kwaku A. Danso, stated, "the founders of our nation Ghana did not use taxpayers' funds to set up State-owned enterprises (SOEs) only to be sold to foreigners, or to insiders of the government who use proxies to buy these SoE's and leave the real stakeholders with the debts. This practice must be stopped, by any means necessary". The statement said the GLU members are seasoned professionals with more than 20 years of telecommunications and information systems management and will bring investment capital in excess of US$500M to this venture. This unprecedented investment approach facilitated by the GLU will also enable the participation of accredited investors within Ghana and abroad with as little as $1,000 per unit. Asked about the investment strategy, the initiative's lead promoter in the UK, lawyer George Asomaning responded, "It is our intention to ensure that as much of the actual investment received gets channeled into the infrastructural development of Ghana Telecom, so as to position the company to deliver on its promise and to return a sizeable profit for the shareholders, the citizens of Ghana". Nifa Bankroh, the organizer of the "Lets buy Ghana Telecom" initiative stated, "If Ghanaians do not get involved in the acquisition, ownership and management of significant state owned enterprises that are being divested, the likelihood of Ghanaian nationals being able to control the factors that affect their economic future will be marginal at best, and probably negligible. Commenting on the sale of state-owned enterprises and the ongoing telecoms divestiture process, Michel Bowman-Amuah, an ICT entrepreneur resident in the United States,Stated that; "there are certain strategic national assets that must be safeguarded and placed above the drive for investment capital and chief among those is our national information and communications infrastructure. There has to be more regulatory oversight into corporate takeovers, mergers or acquisitions of these strategic national assets, if we are to maintain our sovereignty and protect our security interests". (Source: Public Agenda) Is the market Under-Valuing Telkom South Africa?The annual results for Telkom for the year ended March 31, published on June 8, were, at best, described as flat. Diluted headline earnings a share were 1706c, 7,7% lower than the 1719,2c the previous financial year. Kudos should perhaps be given to the Forecast Factory experts. Their consensus back in late October, when Telkom was reviewed in this column, was 1721c in financial year 2007 -- a fractional improvement on the 2006 figure. But there was egg on this writer's face who expected Telkom to be able to improve 20%. The fundamentals seemed right at the time. There was good reason to expect an increase in operating revenue of about 10%. This would have taken the 2007 operating revenue to R52,38bn from R47,62bn. On the assumption that operating margin would maintain at 30,8%, its 2007 operating profit would have been R15,9bn. Its profit for the year would, after tax, have been about R1bn, and diluted headline earnings a share would have been about 1870c . This would still have fallen short of the column's forecast of 2072c but not quite so much egg would have been splattered in my face. The interesting things is that, had the Forecast Factory consensus been used to rate the company, at its October share price of R140, its forward earnings yield would have been 12,29% and its forward price-earnings ratio would have been 8,1. The conclusion that the share price was under-valued would have been the same, notwithstanding that the respective forecasts in the column were 14,8% and 7 respectively. The share price forecast over a year would still have been about R170, as the forward investment fundamental ratings shouted that the share price was under-valued. A share price of R170, especially in this market, was attainable. Well, the share price did, indeed move to R170. In June it nearly peaked R185, although it's now dithering at R163,50. The down-flip in the share price has much to do with the Competition Tribunal's decision, reported on June 29, that Telkom could not buy Business Connexion. You can bet on one thing, though -- Telkom is taking advantage of the share price weakness to continue its current share buy-back programme of R2,4bn. This, no doubt, explains the part of the underlying demand for the shares mentioned in the comment on the accompanying chart. Telkom, is a cash-cow operation. As its cash-flow statement shows, in the financial year 2007, its cash-flow from operating activities was R9,35bn. Its actual cash generated from operations -- the difference between cash received from customers and cash supplied to suppliers and employees -- was R20,52bn. The tax-bite from this cash was R5,69bn and dividends took another chunk of R4,78bn. Its capital investment in the year amounted to R10,04bn and its net loan decrease was R1,3bn. At the end of the year it still had net cash and cash equivalents of R308m. Agreed, this cash pile looks tiny compared to the mountain of R4,25bn at the end of the 2006 financial year. The important point, though, is that the cash flow shows that it can easily meet its future capital investment and continue to improve its return on assets through acquisitions and also by reducing its capital through its share buy-back programme. It also has scope to gear its equity. At year-end its net debt:equity was 30,9% and its reported target range is 50% to 70%. According to the return on assets managed model, its return on assets in the financial year 2007 was 24,38%. This was achieved on a return on sales of 28% and a ratio of 1,86 on assets to equity. Reducing equity will improve the ratio of assets to equity, and improve its already historical return on equity of more than 45%. Its actual performance, over time, will depend on how well it manages its assets as they expand and diversify organically. It's worth making this last comment, although it appears all too obvious, as the possibility of a major acquisition, especially in SA, seems less likely as time goes on. Don't expect scintillating results next year. The published prospects focus on competitive and regulatory price pressures as well as increasing costs. The Forecast Factory consensus, recommending hold +, is diluted headline earnings a share of 1746,80c for the financial year 2008. Given Telkom's published prospects, this consensus seems fair. At the current share price of R163,50, the forward earnings yield is 10,68%, the forward price-earnings ratio is 9,3 and the projected dividend yield is about 5,5%. The share price is under-valued, even taking into account expected diluted earnings a share growth of less than 5%. The share price may well move fairly soon to R170 and could well be again over R180 and heading towards R200 within a year from now. The weekly bar chart of Telkom since its listing in 2003 shows how the share price has quadrupled, and, with the addition of moving averages, has mostly remained in a long-term bull trend. The bull trend was lost in June last year when the shorter-term moving average moved down from top position. However, it moved back to top position in December . What the price plotting has not yet done is to move back into the upper segment of the speed resistance line formation. On three occasions it has pushed upwards into the top one-third of the formation, but has been unable to sustain that level. The latest pull-back in price, which was accompanied by high volume, has positioned the share in oversold territory and, at what appears, fairly close to its equilibrium level. Its Cycle Trend chart indicates that at the bottom of a cycle it is likely to move strongly upwards in the short term. Telkom's next count is to R219, but it's doubtful that it will reach this level in its current upward move. From December until mid-April/May the share the share was in an accumulation phase. Distribution took over and lasted until mid-May. From end-May to date, despite the recent dip, accumulation has been dominant. (Source: Business Day) Five Financial Institutions Adopt Neptune's Orbit Banking System in NigeriaFive financial institutions in Nigeria have signed on to Orbit banking solution after a thorough evaluation and selection process involving several other Microfinance banking solution competitors in Nigeria. These financial institutions include Susu Microfinance Bank, Omega Savings & Loans, Parkway Microfinance Bank, New Heights Microfinance Bank and Abbey Building Society. A statement made available to THISDAY disclosed that during the evaluation process, Orbit proved itself to be a functionality rich banking solution designed to deliver robust solutions to meet all the needs of modern micro banks and other microfinance institutions. Orbit is a relationship centered mechanism for retail services. It has been designed specifically to maximize the efficiency of retail banking. The solution delivers the latest proven front office, deposits, loan processing, regulatory reporting, reconciliation, system administration and relationship information management capabilities. Neptune Software was incorporated in 1999 and currently offers three product suites: Equinox, a universal banking solution, Orbit Banking System for MFIs and micro banks and Nexus ERP solution. Neptune has for the past three years embarked on an ambitious new project, named Rubikon, a new generation banking platform. Neptune's product suites are based on modern, modular architecture capable of delivering robust, scalable and functionally rich solutions. Neptune's proven capability in rapidly delivering top-class universal banking solutions has resulted in client banks achieving award winning efficiency. During the last seven years, Neptune has partnered with 40 banks and financial institutions in their core-banking technology and process re-engineering initiatives. Headquartered in London, Neptune has established support offices in Lagos , Nairobi , Johannesburg and offshore development centers in Lagos and Chennai ( India ). Owing to its interest in the microfinance segment, Neptune had earlier signed a multi million dollar agreement with Horus Development Finance of France to implement Orbit Retail Banking System for micro banks and microfinance institutions in several African countries. This is a long term agreement with more than 14 such system implementations forecast to date. Horus Development Finance, created in 1994, is a microfinance specialized service provider, consultant, technical assistant, operator and investor mainly in developing countries. Horus fields of expertise include management of microfinance operations, evaluation and audit of microfinance institutions and retail banks, institutional and strategic studies, management and MIS consulting for microfinance institutions and financial sectors at large. The philosophy is to develop long term technical and financial partnership with MFIs or banks developing a microfinance activity. In 2005, CGAP a Washington-based consortium of public and private development agencies and a resource center for the entire global microfinance industry, awarded a 4-star rating (maximum obtainable) to Orbit Banking System for its operational excellence. Atul Pande, Sales Director, Neptune Software Plc said that Orbit is the result of many years of experience and approach aligned to banks best practices; he reiterated that the software's edge over competition is its highly configurable design and adaptability to specific business requirements of any microfinance institution. (Source: The Monitor) On the Money briefs- Kenya has revised the deadline for submission of bids for a 40 per cent stake in Telkom, pushing back the expected entry of a strategic investor into the company. The bids will now close on October 30, nearly two weeks after the mid October date that had earlier been set for the entry of the investor . - Orascom Telecom Holding S.A.E. announced Wednesday that it has submitted an application to the Egyptian Capital Market Authority to bid for all the issued share capital of Raya Holding Technology and Telecommunications. - Safaricom, one of Kenya's mobile company, is to list 25% of its shares on the Nairobi Stock Exchange by the end of the year Safaricom is owned 60% by Telkom Kenya and 40% by Vodafone Kenya. - The Commission in charge of auditing Gabon Telecom's accounts for 2006 has revealed that the fixed line operator has lost 50 billion CFA francs (US$112 million) and its mobile arm, Libertis, has lost 5 billion CFA francs (US$ 10 million)
Rwanda to introduce Phone BankingPhone banking has finally come to Rwanda courtesy of the commercial bank of Rwanda (bcr). This was announced by the marketing and communication manager of bcr, Hannington Namara during a function held at the Hotel des Mille Collines last week. "This is the first of its kind in the banking industry in the country. People in the diaspora can now call the bank and get real information on their account without having to go through a relative or a manager who might be busy," he revealed during the press conference. Some of the services offered by the voice over phone innovation include balance inquiry, cheque request, product information, transaction inquiries and account opening information. The bcr phone banking is a service provided for everyone. Any information pertaining one's account can be accessed without the hassle of physically going all the way to the bank. To use the facility, MTN subscribers will dial 3227 and Rwandatel subscribers 227. Rwanda's bank of the year 2006 according to The Banker magazine and Financial Times of London has initiated this first step in techno banking and hopes to follow up with sms banking and internet banking. The service is a free facility offered to all account holders in the bank. "The service will be available from 7am to 8pm on weekdays and 7am to 2pm on Saturdays. If a client calls after 8pm, they can leave a message and we will get back to them later," the call centre manager Ms. Vivian Kayitesi told Business Week. The phone banking facility is designed to fulfill privacy requirements of its customers. Each client will be required to field a secret question and answer and will in addition, be given a system generated personal identification number (PIN). (Source: East African Business Week) Windhoek City First On E-Service in NamibiaThe City of Windhoek is the first municipality in Namibia to introduce electronic services to residents, which will include electronic account enquiries, tender submissions and service applications. These will be available via the Internet and from self-service kiosks or portals to be set up at strategic locations. "This project will make Windhoek the first municipality in Namibia to introduce electronic or e-service in Namibia," said Mayor Matheus Shikongo at the signing agreement with a local software provider last Thursday. "Public administrations, including municipalities are challenged to improve efficiency, productivity and services. Citizens expect faster service delivery and less waiting in a queue." Shikongo added that he hoped the software for the "e-city enterprise resource planning (ERP) project" could eventually be rolled out to all other local authorities, saving money and improving efficiency along a shared services concept. Already 73 municipalities in southern Africa are using this software system. The ERP system will take up to 18 months to be fully rolled out at the City, but one part of it, the new billing system is expected to be in place within a year. It will eventually replace the entire municipal management system of the Windhoek municipality. (SOURCE: The Namibian)
People- JSE-listed Spescom has announced that CEO and founder, Tony Farah, is to stand down in line with his plans to do so in the company's thirtieth operating year. Farah founded Spescom in 1977 and listed on the JSE in 1987. - Beauty Sonny Ramaisela, a former Telkom senior official, arrested for allegedly defrauding Telkom of more than R400,000 appeared in the Pretoria Commercial branch. Ramaisela allegedly opened bank accounts using false particulars and also caused Telkom to deposit huge amounts of money into those accounts. Events-SATWIBB AFRICA: AFRICAN SATELLITE & WIRELESS BROADBAND CONFERENCE & VOIP FORUM West Africa: Muson Centre, Lagos, 21-23 August 2007
The event also includes a Masterclass on Building Wireless Communities by Paul Munnery, CEO, Wireless Digital Cities, UK To request full details, email info@aitecafrica.com or log on to www.aitecafrica.com - 2ND ANNUAL CONNECTING CONNECTING RURAL COMMUNITIES AFRICA FORUM 2007 21st-24th August 2007, Nairobi, Kenya This international event will bring together African government officials, senior figures from African regulatory authorities and international ICT experts who are leading the private sector connectivity drive. At this forum you have the opportunity to discuss and analyse best practices, share case studies and debate crucial topics If you would like to register as a delegate, please contact Marco by email: m.dekock@cto.int or telephone: 0044 208834 1577 * ICT FOR CIVIL SOCIETY 17-18 July, Wanderers Club, Johannesburg, South Africa
The event coincides with SANGONeT's twentieth anniversary, and will reflect on the progress that South African NGOs have made over the past 20 years in adopting and integrating ICTs in their work. For further information visit http://www.sangonet.org.za/conference2007 - 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 Ð 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 - GSM>3G MIDDLE EAST AND GULF 2-3 September 2007, Dubai International Convention Centre, UAE This 12th event features a 6 streamed agenda of 90 visionary speakers delivering crucial insights on: WiMAX, In-Building, FMC, Content, Interconnection and Pricing. Early booking discounts apply so contact us today to secure your place www.gsm-3gworldseries.com/meg - IIR's AFRICAN TELECOMS BILLING AND REVENUE MANAGEMENT FORUM 03 Sep-07 Sep 2007, International Convention Centre, Cape Town, South Africa Join us this September in Cape Town and benefit from an event offering 5 focused days of conference and seminar sessions addressing. The event will bring together leading operators and service providers to address the specific Revenue Management and Billing challenges currently being faced by African Telecoms Operators and Service For further information visit www.iir-conferences.com/atbra - IWEEK CONFERENCE 5-7 September 2007, Johannesburg, South Africa ISPA and UniForum SA are proud to state that this is the 6th year that they have been hosting and running iWeek, the Internet industry's premier conference. Registration is now open at http://www.ispa.org.za/iweek/2007/apply.shtml - 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 OpportunitiesRoll Out Manager 3G - South Africa The company requires the service of a Roll Out Manager 3G (Recovery) that will be responsible for a particular project involving swap out of equipment. He will also be responsible for budget, time and customer satisfaction. The position will report in Core 3/or to CPM and steering group. The ideal candidate should have good experience in project management. Ericsson experience will be considered as an advantage. 3 G experience is needed in roll out perspective For further information contact advertising@balancingact-africa.com Contracts* MTN and Alvarion - Uganda Alvarion says that MTN Uganda has chosen its BreezeMAXTM for the 3.5 GHz frequency, as part of a nationwide WiMAX deployment. The main deployment project launched in the capital and largest urban settlement of Uganda ? Kampala, is planned to be followed by additional network deployments in 30 other cities across the country. * Vodafone and Visto - Egypt Visto Corporation has announced that Vodafone Egypt has selected it to power its business e-mail offering. Vodafone has implemented the Visto Mobile platform to bring mobile email, calendar, contacts, tasks and other services to residential and business customers throughout Egypt. "With Visto Mobile we are able to address the connectivity needs of the broader market by offering a service that is both easy to use and widely available - key factors in the mass adoption of mobile e-mail," said Khaled ElKhouly, Enterprise Director of Vodafone Egypt.
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