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WEEKLY PUBLICATION DEADLINE: 12 pm GMT Sunday. ISSUE NO 387 North Africa: Morocco to get full local loop unbundling in July 2008 and pressures to unbundle grow in TunisiaWith its more prosperous economies, North Africa has been amongst the leaders in terms of broadband subscribers on the continent. But now they are beginning to lead the way in terms of addressing local loop unbundling. In a recent decision, the Moroccan regulator ANRT has decreed that there will be partial unbundling starting this month and full unbundling in July 2008. Not surprisingly, operators elsewhere in North Africa are beginning to advocate these in their own country. The partial unbundling allows operators access to copper pairs for DSL connections but leaves voice operations only in the hands of existing operator. Full unbundling allows external service operators access to both voice and data over the copper pair and specifically mentions alternative and local loop operators. This may be a little late as there are precious few alternative operators left beyond the SNO Meditel and Maroc Connect’s WANA but it may yet stimulate the growth of new companies. Vivendi-owned Maroc Telecom first presented its technical and tariff offer in October 2006 and an access cost for partial unbundling was approved in January 2007, costing MDH50 (US$6.52) per line. Maroc Telecom presented its adjustments to the technical offer and its tariffs in October last year and the regulator has now lowered the partial unbundling access cost to MDH30 (US$4.50) per line. All charges are shown without taxes. The full unbundling charge which starts in July this year has been set at MDH100 (US$13.04) by the regulator ANRT and this has been benchmarked against similar charges internationally. The European benchmarks are in euros and Morocco’s charge is 8.81 euros on this basis. These vary from 8.3 in Italy to 12.54 in the UK. Whilst benchmarking is obviously sensible, there are obviously limitations in comparing European with African, or indeed North African costs. To give some idea of these costs in relation to retail prices, Maroc Telecom’s current DSL prices vary at the low end between US$16.80 (128 kbps) and US$25.94 (512 kbps). Reading between the lines of the decision it is clear that there are still practical issues affecting the unbundling. It says:”The ANRT insists of the importance of Maroc Telecom activating the unbundling process in the following ways” and lists all-too familiar issues like co-localisation, the setting of filters and access as well as making available information on sites where operators can co-locate. Meanwhile in Tunisia, DSL operator Topnet projects that the number of Internet subscribers will grow to 120,000, of which 40,000 will be DSL subscribers. Its PDG Mohamed Mehdi Khemir believes that this year will see more DSL bandwidth sold to subscribers at lower prices. But the other side of the coin in terms of attracting new subscribers is the ability to add new service offers like videoconferenceing and VoIP. But as Khemir observes:”Delivering this type of service obviously involves putting in place a regulatory framework and co-ordination between the ISPs and Tunisie Telecom.” “Local loop unbundling would really represent an alternative way of improving the competition between service providers and would allow each to clarify their own offer. In effect, local loop unbundling requires an agreement to be put in place between the Internet service providers and Tunisie Telecom that would allow them to co-locate their equipment (in Tunisie Telecom’s exchanges) and to be able to offer freely the capacity and services (they want) to their clients. It would also allow them to offer a better level of technical support when responding to the different problems of their clients.” In order to offer a level playing field as Internet players consolidate across Africa and face formidable new competition from the new incumbents (the mobile operators), several elements are essential: cost effective direct access to the network, timely co-location and easy access 24/7 to the co-located equipment.
Vodacom to up its offer for Ghana Telecom?Reports in the Ghanaian Chronicle suggest that Vodacom is preparing for the 51% stake in incumbent Ghana Telecom that the Government has decided to put back on the market after rejecting all initial offers, including the touted winner France Telecom. According to the Chronicles “sources”, Vodacom’s new offer is expected to be above US$500 million. Since these sources are almost certainly within Government, there’s clearly an element of trying to talk the price up. indicates that after the government of Ghana had rejected all of the bids it received for the privatisation of Ghana Telecom for a controlling stake of at least 51%, Vodacom is reinforcing its bid by preparing a new offer. GT was due to have been privatised at the end of 2007 and bidders included France Telecom, Singapore Telecom, Vodacom, and Portugal Telecom had competed for it. Given the state of company it is perhaps not surprising that the potential investors had baulked at paying more than US$500mn for the stake. (Source: Ghanaian Chronicle) Malawi Telecom Workers' Strike Worries MinisterA dispute over retirement benefits dating back to the beginning of Malawi Telecoms privatisation is having severe consequences for Malawi. Its Information and Civic Education Minister Patricia Kaliati on Monday expressed concern over Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL)'s workers' strike, the country's only fixed telephone firm, saying their ten-day industrial action had negatively affected business in the country. Speaking to APA during an interview, Kaliati said the public and private sector in the country relied on MTL for a wide range of communications service. She added that the banking system, radio transmission and health facilities were also among the sectors that have been affected by the workers who downed their tools over retirement benefits nearly two weeks ago. "Most rural hospitals that have been relying on MTL to send important messages to referral hospitals are depending on mobile phones for communication which is very expensive, while other hospitals are in very remote areas where there is no network for the mobiles," she explained. Some local radios which do not use satellites have also been affected by the strike which entered its tenth day on Monday. Kaliati, however, has called on the employees and employers of the company to resolve the issue as soon as possible so that they start work to avoid further losses in the private and public sectors. MTL Secretary General for Workers Union, Frank Jalang'ombe, urged his fellow employees to resume work on Monday, while negotiations are in progress. The strike started last Friday as a result of the company's failure to pay its junior employees their pension money accrued from 1997 to February 2006 when MTL was privatised. (Source: APA) Mauritius Telephone Operators May Run out of Numbers, mobile operator warnsMobile telephone operators in Mauritius are warning the government of an urgent need to solve the problem of telephone numbering as the numbers still in their disposal will soon run out. According to Shyam Roy, Chief Executive Officer of Emtel Telephone company, who was speaking to journalists last week, there are only 200,000 remaining telephone numbers available. Therefore, he said, taking into consideration that 30,000 new mobile phones are connected each month, he fears that in a few months' time, no free numbers will be available. He indicated that a lot of people, especially young people, had 2 to 3 mobile telephones. Roy explained that in conformity with European norms, the Information and Communications Technologies Authority (ICTA), the local regulatory body, allocated phone numbers in blocks of 100,000. He indicated that though the ICTA was already aware of the problem since 2004 as it had proposed a new numbering plan with numbers consisting of eight digits instead of the present seven digits, the idea had been blocked by the government. Roy went on to state that according to the National Numbering Plan of 2004, the capacity of numbering of mobile phones for Mauritius at that time should have been 6 million numbers when there were only 400,000 mobile phones in circulation but the situation has been exacerbated as there are now some 975,000 users. He however said the mobile telephone operators were never allocated the 6 million numbers. Roy further disclosed that in recent discussions with officials of the ICTA, it has been proposed to add the number 7 to all mobile phone numbers. Such a move, he said, will increase the capacity to 10 million new numbers. But he added that Parliament should take a quick decision on the matter. (Source: APA) Telecoms Agency for Country's Poor Samples Highlife in South AfricaA cash-strapped agency designed to take telecommunications into poor and rural areas has been criticised for spending R281,000 on an advertorial in a British Airways in-flight magazine. The Universal Service and Access Agency of SA often complains that the government gives it too little money to take voice and data services to everyone. Yet it spent R281,000 on an article and advert in the December/January edition of the airline’s Highlife magazine. The initiative was proposed to the executive committee by Ricky Naidoo, its Head of Corporate Service, and the bill was authorised by CEO James Theledi. "The agency complains about a lack of funding but it's gone out of its way to advertise with an international organisation like British Airways, so which audience is it addressing?" said a source close to the agency. "The audience it is supposed to address are the underserved people of SA, and which of them are on a British Airways flight?" The source also complained that a short interview with Theledi did not cover universal service, but focused on the need to cut the cost and increase the speed of broadband Internet access used by wealthier citizens. The agency last week said it was disappointed by the criticism, as the source had not lodged any concerns with the internal auditor, the CEO's office or the audit committee. The decision to advertise in Highlife was based on its wish to tell an international audience and industry stakeholders about its efforts to provide services to all South Africans, including those in poor and rural areas. That would help it forge partnerships with equipment suppliers and other technology companies that could help it meet that goal. As part of the advert, Theledi also had an opportunity to talk about technologies and how the agency would contribute to the success of the 2010 World Cup. (Source: Business Day)
In brief:- The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given a six months ultimatum to Transnational Corporation (Transcorp), owners of former incumbent telco NITEL and troubled GSM operator M-Tel, to revive its service or forfeit its cellular licence. - The South African telecoms regulator Icasa has published its draft definitions of retail and wholesale markets, local website MyBroadband reports. The new definitions of market segmentation will be used to ensure that each sector is open to adequate competition and to establish which operators have significant market power (SMP). While sectors such as the provision of wireless broadband services are already highly competitive, the fixed line broadband market is still monopolised by Telkom South Africa. - Zimbabwe’s mobile operator Econet Wireless announced that it will re-engage the national telecommunications regulator to review progress made on granting the country's biggest mobile operator frequencies for 3-G network. Econet is still to get a licence from the Posts and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, almost half a year after it had made an application. - The ANRT, the Moroccan regulator has granted a licence to Cires Telecom, a subsidiary of Tanger Mediterranean Special Agency (TEMSA) to roll out a radio-electrical network between Tanger and Tetouan. The network facilities which will be shared will run on TETRA2 digital technology. - At the end of last year, the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) licensed seven more telecommunications providers to operate in under-serviced areas, bringing the number of under-serviced area licensees (USALs) to 14. The regulator granted licences to PlatiTel, Ilembe Communications, Metsweding Telex, Dinaka Telecoms, Mitjodi Telecoms and Nyakatho Telecoms. - Local newspaper “Fraternité Mation” has reported several telecommunication disruptions in the North of Benin, in the Parakou area. The newspaper claims that Benin Telecom failed to dig deep enough to protect the fibre cable from accidental damages caused by farming. Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage- Newly appointed CEO of Gambian mobile operator Africell, Badara Mbye, told to the local paper “the Daily Observer” that the company has now reached over 400,000 active subscribers. Network coverage expansion and plateform upgrades are Mbye’s main priorities for 2008. - Pan-African mobile operator Celtel has launched two communication towers in Singida to boost its coverage in this region of Tanzania from 38 per cent to 78 per cent.
Fuel Leakage Paralyses Take-off of Pan-African Satellite RASCOMTechnicians have announce stop-gap measures to save RASCOM-QAF 1, Africa's the newest satellite over Africa from a fuel leakage problem. Technician at Thales Alenia Space, the company that built the satellite have identified disturbing teething problems with its take-off. In effect, the fuel used by the engine that enables the satellite to function is said to have leaked, making it difficult to put the satellite on orbit. International media sources say specialists are confident this will not completely paralyse the whole system. Another system which will not depend on the RASCOM-QAF 1 will soon be put in place to save the project from collapse. It was launched on 22 December, 2007 in Kourou in French Guiana. The 380 million-dollar satellite will provide telecommunication services in rural areas of Africa as well as domestic and international connections, direct television broadcast services and internet access for the next 15 years. Built by Cannes-Thales Alenia Space, RASCOM-QAF 1 will make it possible for African populations to benefit from broadband communication services. "The Rascom system will provide an expanded range of value-added services to all African countries that will be using the system", Cannes-Thales Alenia Space announced shortly ahead of the launching. (Source: Cameroon Tribune) Nigeria’s Fantsuam pioneers wireless service dubbed ZittnetVeteran Nigerian ICT NGO Fantsuam Foundation is running a rural wireless initiative called Zittnet, enabled by a partnership between IT +46, a Swedish based consultancy company focusing on ICT's for development and funding by the International Development Research Centre of Canada IDRC. The main objective of the wireless Zittnet network is to improve access to communications in the Kafanchan community by implementing a community wireless network that will provide Intranet and Internet access to local partners in the community. The community network is formed by community based organisations such as educational institutions, faith based institutions, health services, small enterprises and individuals. To ensure that the community gets the best of the Zittnet wireless system, it was equipped with a stable power backup system that would not depend in any way on power provision from the authorities which is almost non existent. To ensure consistent service, a hybrid system consisting of a deep cycle battery bank and two KWp solar panels which can be charged from three different sources, from NEPA when electricity is available, a diesel generator and a solar. Its NOC currently runs on solar energy, while the rest of its premises on NEPA power or its generator though the battery bank tanks provides uninterrupted voltage stability. The NOC load has been separated from the rest of the power load of to ensure a reliable power source to the critical infrastructure in the NOC even when the battery bank is running low on power. (Source: This Day) Morocco's blogosphere takes offIt may be a far cry from the millions of blogs active in the West, but Morocco's blogosphere has taken off as the liveliest free-speech zone in largely conservative Muslim North Africa. The Moroccan "Blogoma", as it is called, is home to at least 30,000 sites. Inspired by bloggers elsewhere in the Arab world, Moroccans quickly saw these personal websites as a way to circumvent censorship while debating taboo or touchy subjects -- such as the monarchy, Islam or the disputed Western Sahara. "It is a genuine revolution because everyone can comment freely on such sensitive topics," said veteran blogger Larbi El Hilali, who set up Larbi.org. His more than 450 posts since his blog began in late 2004 have encouraged 18 000 replies. He now gets 3 500 visitors per day, with much discussion on the Constitution -- which some feel gives too much power to the king -- and press freedom in a country where journalists have been slammed with fines or suspended sentences for "defamation against Islam and the monarchy". Though Morocco's own national press union, SNPM, concedes that press freedom has improved, it and global watchdogs say there are still attempts to gag the media. But El Hilali's blog has found that "opinions are sharply divided and many people defend the status quo", he said. "The Blogoma is like a friendly café," said Mehdi7, whose site weaves light-hearted news and "gossip" from the sidelines of royal visits with more serious reports on prostitution and cannabis cultivation -- which the government is trying to eradicate to end a flourishing illegal drug trade. Morocco today counts 30 000 blogs for four million Internet subscribers. "That's not much compared to the 1.7-million blogs in France, but it's a lot more than in our neighbours," El Hilali said. Algeria, next door, has five times fewer, according to DZblog.com, the Algerian umbrella that has counted 5,892 blogs, two million visitors and seven million page impressions since January 2006. Tunisia is barely breaking the thousand threshold. Blogs in Tunisia and Egypt are more akin to citizen journalism sites, but with fewer residents online they draw less attention than in Morocco. About 1.6-million Tunisians surf the web, while in Egypt they number only one in 10. User-generated web technology, however, is making an impact in the region. Wael Abbas (33), an Egyptian blogger, was decorated in November by the Washington-based International Centre for Journalists after his site was credited with getting two police officers accused of torture sentenced to three-year prison terms. But blogs in North Africa are not without risk. Karim Amer (22) landed four years' detention last year on charges of criticising Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Islam on his blog, Al Azhar. And in 2002, Tunisian blogger Zouhair Yahyaoui was given a two-year sentence on charges of "publishing false information" about alleged human rights violations but released on bail a year later after three hunger strikes. He has since died. Mehdi7 contends that "Morocco is a country where you can still run a good blog". "I've not yet heard of a blog that has been censored in Morocco, in which case the whole blogosphere here would mobilise," he said. Global Voices Advocacy, however, a non-governmental agency that fights against censorship on the web, highlighted 17 countries on its "Access Denied Map", seven of which were Arab states -- including Morocco. In May, Rabat blocked access to the video-sharing website YouTube for six days after it aired videos considered insulting to King Mohammed VI. In June, Live Journal, an overseas platform hosting two million blogs, was also shut down internally after airing material seen as backing Polisario Front rebels, who are fighting Moroccan forces in the Western Sahara. "The authorities end up looking ridiculous if they believe they can impose censorship on sites because anyone can get round these obstacles," said Citoyen Hmida, the prolific "doyen" of Morocco's Blogoma. Arab bloggers -- whose language varies from Arabic to English, French and local dialects -- have sought to uphold independence from the powers that be. In the Muslim-ruled Persian Gulf monarchy of Bahrain, for instance, the blogging community resolutely backed three chat-forum moderators arrested in 2005, openly announcing the time and place of demonstrations in their support. In Morocco, "certain political groups have tried to infiltrate the Blogoma but it has shown a remarkable capacity for self-preservation", said Moroccan web consultant Othmane Boummalif. "These blogs are like taking a regular temperature, distinct and localised, of the daily reality," said Mehdi7. (Source: AFP) Reader Comments:An article in Issue 386, "Nigeria’s National Internet Gateway of Controversy" reads "Thompson said the establishment of a parallel company to operate the country's internet gateway contradicts some sections of the contract and is against the best practices all over the world. He said the internet gateway all over the world is like the telephone code +234 that cannot be operated by two different companies for the sake of country's security and other issues." There may be a a contract issue, but it's certainly not the case that it is against the best practices all over the world. In fact, the Internet uses BGP (the Border Gateway Protocol) to exchange routing information such that multiple operators can interconnect, and the best practice in the Internet is that multiple operators, multiple paths, and multiple gateways be used to provide maximum resiliency against disruptions, be they caused by natural disasters, hardware, software, operational issues or business failures. It is true that some countries require support for wiretapping of voice and Internet traffic, and some of those then use that as a convenient rationale for monopolistic business practices. More prosperous countries follow the best practice of multiple interconnections and operators. James Forster
In brief:- The construction of the SEACOM cable connecting the South and East Africa countries of South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Kenya and Tanzania with India and Egypt has commenced. - Good news for Telkom Internet subscribers in South Africa who regularly max out their ADSL cap: the company has finally introduced a top-up service that allows users to buy more bandwidth when they need it. Telkom Internet’s top-up service is long overdue and similar services have been available from many other providers for some time now. TelkomInternet’s top-up prices are (very) slightly lower than many other providers. 1GB blended shaped bandwidth will cost R64.76 and 1GB blended unshaped will cost R113.34. - The presidency of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire has new website at www.cotedivoire-pr.ci - In Angola, MSTelcom of Sonangol Group has commissioned companies Alvarion with its WiMAX solutions and Bridgewater Systems specialised in network subscriber management software to provide it with advanced WiMAX solutions to support Internet-protocol (IP) services in key locations throughout Angola - Bidorbuy.com Inc, a Delaware Company and the parent of bidorbuy (Pty) Ltd, South African online auction and shopping website, has acquired online jobs website, www.jobs.co.za as the latest addition to their group of South African online businesses.
Intel Pulls Out From One Laptop Per Child ProjectIntel has pulled out of One Laptop Per Child project expected to put cheap laptops in the hands of children in the developing world. With this, the software giant has withdrawn its funding and technical support from the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) which is a project expected to empower Third World children with IT tools and knowledge. The OLPC which has earlier attracted mixed reactions among industry observers as regards its sustainability aims to boost learning in poorer nations via a custom-built laptop intended to cost no more than US$100. For many observers, Intel's withdrawal is a blow to OLPC which has found few nations willing to buy large numbers of laptops. It will be recalled that Intel joined the OLPC in July 2007 and was widely expected to work on a version of the project's laptop that used an Intel chip. Many expected this machine to be unveiled at the CES technology fair which opened in Las Vegas on 5 January. The first versions of the OLPC or XO laptop were powered by a chip made by Intel's arch-rival AMD.OLPC was always going to face an uphill battle when confronted with a mighty corporation like Intel. The green and white XO machine designed specifically for children, was made rugged to cope with conditions in developing nations and could be kept powered using a hand crank. Intel spokesman Chuck Molly has said that it had taken the decision to resign from the OLPC board and end its involvement because the organization had asked it to stop backing rival low-cost laptops. On the OLPC board with Intel are 11 other companies including Google and Red Hat. The chip maker has been promoting its own cheap laptop, the Classmate, in many of the same places as the OLPC. "OLPC had asked Intel to end our support for non-OLPC platforms, including the Classmate PC, and to focus on the OLPC platform exclusively," said Mulloy . "At the end of the day, we decided we couldn't accommodate that request." he said He added that the use of AMD chips in the first XO laptops had not influenced its decision. So far the OLPC has yet to comment on the split. Prior to Intel's involvement, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte criticized the chip firm for what he called its attempts to undermine the project's work. He said Intel was selling its Classmate at a loss to make the XO laptop less attractive. While Dr Negroponte's initial aim was for a laptop costing only $100, the final versions that have been trialled in Nigeria and Uruguay cost $188 (£95). Costs were supposed to be kept low by governments ordering the XO laptop in shipments of one million, but large orders for the XO laptop have, so far, not materialised. In a bid to boost the numbers of laptops available, OLPC ran a "Give One, Get One" programme in the US from 12 November to 31 December. This allowed members of the public to buy two XO machines - one for themselves and one for a OLPC project elsewhere. OLPC said the success of this had helped it to launch programmes in Haiti, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Mongolia, and Afghanistan. (Source: Vanguard) Nigeria’s IT company Chams Gets ISO 9000 Certification EndorsementChams Nigeria Plc, a technology company with a specialisation in plastic card technologies and electronic payment solutions has secured the ISO 9,000 certification. ISO 9,000 is a family of standards for quality management systems maintained by the International Organisation for Standardisation and is administered by accreditation and certification bodies. Some of the requirements for ISO 9001 include a set of procedures that cover all key processes in monitoring processes to ensure they are effective keeping adequate records. According to the head, Corporate Affairs, Chams Nigeria, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria after a thorough scrutiny of the systems, and processes of Chams Nigeria Plc, has certified the company qualified. The firm conceptualised and set up what is today known as Valucard Nigeria Plc and claims to be the first local company to offer card technology service in Nigeria Chams issued the first successful sets of national ID card in Nigeria, designed and built the biggest and most modern card personalisation plant in the world located in Abuja, Nigeria. It also produced 52 million cards in eight weeks for a national project (INEC) first of its kind anywhere in the world. (Source: Leadership) Young, Talented And Ambitious IT engineers willing to succeed in UgandaWe walked in Kampala for three consecutive days looking for companies for whom we could develop websites, but we failed. Two young upcoming entrepreneurs are looking into their own futures through the opportunities being offered by Information and Communication Technologies. At just 22 and 23, Harry Barry and Simon Seruyinda respectively represent a new crop of young business conscious Ugandan who believe in determining their destinies and want to take the world along in their own strides. Harry Barry, the third-year IT student at Uganda Martyrs University told Business Power that they were inspired by "creative" pleasure of IT. "We found out that doing IT is lot more about being creative," he said. Ever since they developed their first website in 2006 while in their first year of study at the university, life has changed and they have never looked back. The beginning though was a steep curve to navigate. "We walked in Kampala for three consecutive days looking for companies for whom we could develop websites, we failed. Some people saw our faces and thought we looked unserious. So we decided to start a company so that we do not have to look for people, they would instead come to us," he says of the beginning. "We specialise in E-business application such as database and websites," he says. Working with various clients has helped them to make drastic discoveries about their trade and profession even though they are still students however it is their business acumen that will determine if they are capable of outwitting the rigors of a business life. The economic landscape in Uganda is not entirely favourable to 'lone' business people because of the level of corruption, contempt and lack of credit to finance a starting business, however Barry and his partner are focused. "We have lost very many opportunities for so long but it is not too late to catch up. We have broken the barrier of language and now the challenge is for business community in Uganda to embrace such services for betterment of their business." One of their clients is the Nairobi-based Association of Catholic Universities and Higher Institution of Africa and Madagascar for whom they have developed several e-business applications. They are optimistic that once Ugandan businesses even the very small ones like herbalists begin to appreciate the need to get online to do business the sky will be the limit. (Source: The Monitor) In brief:- UNESCO guidelines for teachers to use information and communication technology (ICT) to improve education were presented to Education Ministers from more than 100 countries, and to the press, at the Moving Young Minds Conference in London. - The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) will this month host an all stakeholders' meeting to articulate views on the draft of the country's Information Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) Action Plan. Input from stakeholders drawn from various sectors of the economy is expected to help beef up Nigeria's work plan for full integration of ICT in achieving its development goals and positioning it among the 20 leading economies in the world by year 2020. - The South African government is expected to spend about R45 billion on ICT in 2008, more than 10% growth from the R35 billion last year, says research firm ForgeAhead. The increased spend will be driven by ICT infrastructure spend for the 2010 World Cup Soccer games, which is supposed to be accelerated in 2008 in preparation for the 2009 handover. - Wikia Search, an open source community edited search engine, was released in its first alpha version this week. Conceptualised by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, it came as a response to concerns over the lack of transparency in the way that Google ranks its searches.
Etisalat raises stake in Sudan's Canar to 82%A statement released by the Emirates Telecommunications Corp. (Etisalat) said that the company has taken control of Sudan's Canar Telecommunications by almost doubling its stake to 82 percent, Gulf News reported. Etisalat, which operates in 16 countries, bought an additional 45 percent stake in Canar. Like other Gulf Arab telecom firms, Etisalat has been hunting for foreign assets as it faces growing competition in its home market, where its monopoly was broken by du last February. In October, it took over Tanzania's fourth operator Zanzibar Telecom and in September bought an additional 40 percent stake in a new telecom firm in Nigeria. (Source: MENAFN) Visafone Buys Bourdex Telecom in NigeriaVisafone Communications Limited has closed a deal to buy 100 per cent stakes in Bourdex Telecom, a private telecoms company headquartered in Aba, Abia State. With good footprint in the telecoms market in the eastern part of the country it plans to consolidate its planned rollout of national telephony service. Technology Times sources in the know of the transaction confirmed that Visafone, promoted by MD/CEO of Zenith Bank International Plc, Jim Ovia, and lead promoter of Boudex Telecom, who is also Chairman, President, CEO, and founder of the private telecoms player, David Ogba Onuoha, finalised the transaction in December last year. The price could not be confirmed at press time. The latest buy is viewed by industry analysts as a veritable platform to fast-track Visafone's entry into the telecoms market under its proposed plan to provide national service in the unified telecoms market. This will allow players to offer mobile, fixed, data and a bouquet of other telecoms services with relatively minimal restrictions after the five-year market exclusivity granted GSM operators expired in February 2006. Visafone, the cherry-picking new entrant has lately earned more than passing interest among industry players when in one fell swoop it acquired two PTOs, Cellcom and Independent Telephone Network (ITN), just after clinching three carrier licences in the 800MHz spectrum band sold at N400 million by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) last year. So far, attention has focused on Ovia's entry into the market which has seen the banker aggressively snapping up relatively smaller market players like Cellcom, Independet Telephone Network (ITN) and lately Bourdex Telecom to build a formidable Visafone. Industry players reckon that Ovia's Visafone may be a player to watch in the new dispensation but are also quick to caution that, "extreme innovation and product segmentation" may need to be pushed harder than would have hitherto been needed. They say the result is as the creme of the market has been captured by the more aggressive mobile operators whose rapid service uptake has seen them raking up over 90 per cent of the overall telecoms market subscriber base that peaked at some 46 million users at the end of third quarter of 2007. According to information obtained from the company's website, Bourdex claims it offers, "better services, with larger, second to none coverage of the entire Eastern Nigeria and Niger Delta". According to the company, it has extended dial tone to towns like Asaba, Nnewi, Owerri, Abiriba, Item, Enugu-Ukwu and Onitsha. Others include Orlu, Mbaise, Ohafia, Nkporo, Mgbidi, Awka, Nkwere, Umuahia, Igbere and Arochukwu. It also extends to Ihiala, Abam, Isukwuato, Uturu, Uyo, Oko, Okija, Eket, Port Hartcourt, Bonny, Calabar and Ekwulobia. Bourdex was among the four new companies to obtain unified access service licences from the regulator including others like MTN, VGC Communications Limited, Dan Jay Telecoms Limited, Starcomms, Intercellular, Multi Links and Prestel, among others. CellCom, a privately-owned phone company was in June last year bought by Visafone through his wholly-owned Internet Service Provider (ISP), Cyberspace Limited. Hitherto, Visafone emerged as winner of three carrier licences in the 800MHz spectrum band sold at N400 million by NCC while beating three other contenders including an existing player, Multi-Links Telecommunications Limited and two other new players, GiCell Wireless Limited and TC Africa Telecoms Network Limited to the spectrum favoured by CDMA operators. Visafone, which has licence to operate in 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is being integrated into the newly-acquired CellCom network as part of plans by the banker to evolve a major telecoms service provider in the new year. Visafone's new licence (800 MHz Assignments, Rx MHz 881.31 882.57 883.83, Tx MHz 836.31 837.57 838.83) allows the company to roll out commercial service in 26 states including Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti, Kwara and Edo. Others are Delta, Benue, Kogi and Niger. Others include Nasarawa, Taraba, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto and FCT (Abuja). (Source: This Day) Telkom Kenya Deal On Course Despite ViolenceFrance Telecom, the company that bought a 51 per cent stake in Telkom Kenya last month, has no plans to revise the deal despite the recent outbreak of violence, contrary to fears by business analysts. Dominique Saint-Jean, who took over as Telkom Kenya's managing director last month said the Sh26 billion deal was on course and that plans were underway to roll out a medium term growth plan. The firm will specifically target service improvement , the launch of a GSM network and improvement of the broadband network. "I can reassure customers that this deal is solid and France Telecom is committed to it. There is no threat at all from the recent occurrences on the political scene," said Bernard Rubia, the Chief Communications Officer at Telkom Kenya. (Source: Business Daily) Bankers to gather for Technology Conference in FebruaryOver 50 expert speakers, 10 sponsoring companies, 40 exhibiting companies, five Masterclasses, an intensive three-day conference and a full-day course in innovative banking will all add up to an event that is going to have a major impact on Africa’s finance sector: The African Banking Technology Conference, to be held in Nairobi over 15-22 February 2008 at the region’s top conference venue, the Kenyatta International Conference centre. The conference is being held by AITEC Africa, the continent’s leading organizer of ICT events and training courses. Asked about the potential impact of the current political crisis in Kenya on the conference, John Mwangi, MD of AITEC East Africa, said: “As tragic as the current political crisis is in Kenya, we believe it is necessary for the business community to demonstrate its resilience in the face of such difficulties, thus sustaining individual business levels as well as the national economy. So we are resolved to continue with the Banking Technology Conference as scheduled. It is an important opportunity for Kenya’s business community to reassert its economic leadership position in the region – and Nairobi as a conference destination. The situation is steadily improving in Kenya and we are confident the conference will be held in an atmosphere of restored stability and business confidence.” The conference was last held in Nairobi in February last year and has become the leading forum for the continent’s banking industry to share knowledge on latest technological innovations and best practices across the region and internationally. One of the keynote speakers at the conference is Joe DiVanna from the UK, a world-renowned speaker, author and consultant on a range of key issues in banking he will kick off the six-day event with a full-day “Mini-MBA” course on Innovative Banking. The event includes the following five optional Masterclasses by industry gurus: • “Project Management for Effective Systems Implementation” by Tan Chee Peng, CEO of Team Synthesis, which operates in Mauritius & Singapore. • “Implementing IT vulnerability management in practice within financial institutions” by Maiendra Moodley, former security adviser at the South African Reserve Bank. • “An Executive Guide to Back Office System Selection” by Mark Sibthorpe, President of BankNews in Canada. • “Strategies for servicing semi-formal and informal financial institutions: how banks increase reach in under-banked market segments” by Ben Davis, a Senior Associate at Genesis Analytics in South Africa. • “The three legs of an anti-fraud strategy” by Patrick Cunningham, Executive Director of the South African Anti-Fraud Service. The main three-day conference will focus on the following key themes: • Software and systems for productivity and security • Payment systems: eBanking, cards, ATMs and POS (point of sale) systems • Banking the unbanked, microfinance systems, mobile banking Dr Simon Batchelor of Gamos Consulting in the UK, who has recently completed a comprehensive Balancing Act study on mobile payment projects in Africa, will do a workshop on “Mobile phone-enabled payment systems”. Leading international and local suppliers of banking technology are backing the conference with leading-edge conference presentations by expert speakers and sponsorship support. Kenya’s Paynet Group is the lead sponsor of the event. Co-sponsors are Technology Associates, Transaction Payment Systems, Postilion and Simba Technology. The “Banking the unbanked” day of the conference is being sponsored by Upaid of the UK, who specialize in mobile payment solutions. Other leading banking solution suppliers are sponsoring the following Showcase Presentations in the conference: • The industry’s first truly integrated, global and modular multi-channel remote banking solution by Clear2Pay of France. • The mobile device as next generation channel for banks by Clickatell of South Africa. • The frontiers of payment technologies by iVeri of South Africa. • Challenges in core system implementation by Maveric Independent Testing of India • Payment technologies by NCR. • Making more profitable credit decisions utilising credit scoring by PIC Solutions of South Africa. • AML compliance in practices across Africa by Western Union. In brief:- Vodafone Group Chief Executive Arun Sarin said this the company had "important acquisitions in Asia and Africa that we have to make" in 2008. Sarin was speaking on Sky TV and gave no further details. In the meantime, speculation in the marketplace is that pan-African mobile provider MTN Group is in talks with Orascom Telecom Holdings (OTH) to purchase its shareholding in Mobinil. It is unclear whether MTN would purchase all of OTH's shareholding in Mobinil, or whether MTN will become a third, minority partner. - Etisalat Misr, Egypt’s newest wireless network operator, has signed a USD845 million loan agreement with Arab Bank Group. The funds will be used to finance the cellco’s expansion plans. In less than seven months of operation Etisalat Misr has signed up three million subscribers. - The post-election violence has further delayed the flotation of Kenya's Safaricom. The company has also calculated that it lost US$6.2 million due to airtime distribution problems caused by the recent civil unrest. - Econet Wireless International has sold 49% of its shares to Essar Communication Holdings, a subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Essar Group, reports Business Daily Africa. The price for the stake was not disclosed, but according to law firm Anjarwalla & Khanna Advocates, who advised on the deal, Essar will provide close to US$500 million to fund Econet’s long-awaited rollout of mobile services in Kenya as well as other international projects.
Kenya’s House Buyers to Get Sale Details On PhoneHigh-end property marketing has moved a notch higher with the introduction of a text message service that allows potential buyers or tenants to receive property details without going through the estate agents. The initiative is the work of a UK-based property marketing firm - Textboards - and allows access to property information by sending a specific code mounted onto the property to a premium number. This generates sale or rental details that is ultimately sent to a potential buyer's mobile phone upon request. "People lead busy lives, meaning they can't always contact an estate agent for details of a property when the agency is open," said Nicholas Maguire, Textboards managing director. The development sets a precedent for technology based marketing in the Kenyan market that has been slow but gradually catching up as businessmen use technology to reach a wider market. Unlike the previous SMS marketing technologies, Textboard has introduced a security edge to such kind of marketing by eliminating middlemen. Local property developers are however wary of the additional cost that such a technology presents. Several companies have in the recent past launched websites or initiated the use text services to market their property, complementing traditional property marketing through firms and agencies. Others have opted to complement to other network marketing services such as Facebook. The development also comes at a time when property marketing has seen the emergence of unregistered real estate 'agents' who are taking advantage of the thriving housing market and lack of effective regulation to swindle Kenyans of approximated Sh1 billion a year. The menace has been attributed to lack of a regulator to streamline the booming sector. The Estate Agents Registration Board (EARB), the Government body mandated to ensure only competent and qualified estate agents practice, has not been active since 2005. It is supposed to create awareness among the investing community and tenants and listen to their complaints about the conduct of agents registered with the board. Despite the security edge of the technology, inventors say that it will also allow property managers with details of the number of enquiries and follow up on the customers. "You can have a database of clients which will give one essential clues into what the market wants," Mr said Maguire. (Source: Business Daily) Self-Service becoming a way of life for South African consumersSouth African companies that want to remain competitive in a market where consumers are hungry for fast, convenient service need to offer easy-to-use self-service tools that allow customers to help themselves at their leisure. Local consumers have a love affair with self-service that dates back to the introduction of automatic teller machines by banks in the 1980s, says John Ziniades, CEO of Self-Service consulting and integration specialist, Consology. Since then, self-service applications have evolved in leaps and bounds with the financial services and telecommunications industries leading the way. "Self-service is transforming other industries as well: airports offer hassle-free e-ticketing, cinemas allow patrons to buy tickets from vending machines and consumers buy cellphone airtime through interactive voice response units," says Ziniades. "In many industries, self-service options that were once a nice-to-have or a competitive edge have simply become a ticket to play. Most consumers today wouldn't even think about joining a bank that doesn't have an ATM network and a solid Internet banking platform. Expect self-service to become as central in many other industries over the next few years." Ziniades says that the simple explanation for the rise of self-service is that no one likes standing in queues or holding for a call centre operator to carry out a transaction A recent survey conducted for NCR Corp. by Opinion Research Corp in the US found that consumers there estimate that they spend two days every year waiting in line for service. Little wonder, then, that 40% of the respondents to the survey said they were very willing to use self-service kiosks or other self-service devices to reduce time wasted waiting for service. More than 40% chose one supplier over another because it offered Self-Service options. Says Ziniades: "Self-service is clearly becoming a convenience, like the mobile phone or email, that most consumers can't imagine doing without. The next phase in the development of self-service is Web-based online self-service applications that make life even easier for customers." Online self-service systems benefit consumers by giving them the freedom to interact and transact with the companies they do business with at any time of any day: they can pay bills, research product and service offerings, apply for services, initiate bill disputes, check and change account information, initiate and track support requests, and more, all from their desks at work or at home. Companies will gradually Web enable their back-end systems allowing them to reach their customers with a consistent set of services across a range of channels - web, mobile, kiosks and call centres. Concludes Ziniades: "The good news is that self-service benefits companies as much it does their customers. Using the Web as a channel for customer self-service offers companies tangible ROI by helping them to improve customer loyalty, deflect calls from their call centres, automate bill dispute processes, speed up collection of payments and make significant cost savings on paper and postage." "Customers are fed up with long queues and poor call centre service, and demand quick access to service, visibility into their relationships with suppliers and easy ways to transact. Self-service is becoming a business essential.
People- Badara Mbye has recently been appointed as the new managing director of Africell, a GSM operator in The Gambia. - Kamel Saadaoui has been nominated as member representing the State at the Tunisian Internet Agency (ATI)'s Board. - Engineer Jonathan Kessey-Antwi, formerly of the Transmissions and Implementation Project of Ghana Telecom is now the new Ashanti regional manager of the company. He takes over from Ing. Robert Baffour Awuah who goes on retirement. - Michelle Beetar, formerly of Oracle and MWeb, has been named Novell South Africa’s country manager. Events* 3RD ANNUAL DIGITAL BROADCASTING SWITCHOVER FORUM 29 Jan – 1 Feb 2008, Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa Covering National Switchover Frameworks and Planning, the Digital Dividend, the Results of WRC 07, Dual Illumination, the Broadcasting Skills Shortage, African Content Production as well as a host of other critical issues that were raised in the 2007 event. For more information please contact Mr Matthew Dawes through m.dawes@cto.int or visit the website at www.cto.int. * E-TISSAL EXPO 2008 6-8 February 2008, International Congress and Expo Center of the Exchange Office of Casablanca, Morocco. e-Tissal is organized by the media and communication professionals for every professional that creates, uses, delivers or services media and communication in the Mediterranean, African and Middle East Region, the third most active media market in the world. For further information visit http://www.e-tissal.com/ * ICT AFRICA 13-15 February 2008, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ICT Africa 2008 offers: A Plenary session featuring policy makers, Business leaders and key ICT research leaders High quality, peer reviewed technical presentations Technical tutorials on emerging ICT technologies Workshops on ongoing projects Industry exhibition For further information contact visit ictafrica.nepadcouncil.org/ * THE AFRICAN BANKING TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE 19 -21 February 2008, Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, Kenya The conference theme is “sharing knowledge and best practices in banking across Africa”. For further information click on www.aitecafricac.om * 2nd ANNUAL CALL CENTRE CONFERENCE 20-21 February 2008, Birchwood Executive Hotel & Conference Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa This annual conference twill give you the ideas and insights you need to achieve outstanding service in South Africa’s most challenging work environment. For more info contact Neliswa Duma on +27 11 880 8540 or by email at neliswa@knowres.co.za * CAPACITY MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA 2008 25th – 26th February 2008, Dubai Now in its 3rd successful year Capacity Middle East & North Africa 2008 provides the leading high-level, important meeting point for executives from international telecommunications companies and companies in the GCC and North Africa to discuss strategic domestic and international wholesale telecommunications market opportunities. Capacity Middle East & North Africa 2008 provides attendees with the optimum networking forum to forge business partnerships and execute business deals. Offering high-level content in the form of interactive panel discussions and presentations, this event is not to be missed! To register please contact Clare Heath on Tel: +44 208 481 3460 or Email: clare.heath@capacitymedia.com or for more information please visit www.capacitymedia.com/conferences-events.asp MED-IT@ALGER 2008 22- 23 April 2008, Algier, Algeria The fifth edition of this B2B exhibition will provide plenty of opportunities to develop contacts and relationship with local companies in the IT and Telecoms sectors. The exhibition main topics are: new mobile services, call centre solutions and equipment, VoIP, IT security, banking software, CRM, ERP and storage solutions. For further information please http://www.medit.eu.org/2008/algerie/presentation.htm - E-LEARNING AFRICA 29-30 May 2008, Accra, Ghana eLearning Africa 2008 is a conference organised by ICWE GmbH and Hoffmann & Reif that focuses on ICT for development, education and training in Africa. The event establishes and links a Pan-African network of decision makers from governments and administrations with universities, schools, governmental and private training providers, industry, and important partners in development cooperation. For further visit www.eLearning-Africa.com Jobs and Opportunities* Expert to assist drafting a comprehensive ICT Bill – Congo DRC The Danish Managament is looking for an expert to assist the Ministry of Post, Telephone and Telecommunications to draft a comprehensive ICT Bill. The application deadline is 15 January 2008 and can be submitted at ictjobs@danishmanagement.dk For further information contact Jane Moeller Larsen on +45 70 200 298 or my email at jml@ict.danishmanagement.dk * Invitation for Statements of Interest and Suggestions for Candidates at ICANN The call for candidates wishing to volunteer to serve in the governing bodies of ICANN in forthcoming terms is now posted. Statements of Interest should be received before 15 April 2008 (23:59 UTC), and the selection of final appointees will be announced in mid September 2008. Completed Statements of Interest should be sent to nomcom2008@icann.org If you would like to volunteer and be considered as a candidate, click here http://nomcom.icann.org/invitation-2008.html#F to read more about the process and to nominate yourself. If you want to suggest someone for one of the positions click here http://nomcom.icann.org/invitation-2008.html#H Send all comments/questions to: nomcom2008@icann.org For more information about the Nom Com, see http://nomcom.icann.org/ Contracts* Warid Telecom and Motorola - Uganda Motorola announced that it has been selected by Warid Telecom Uganda, part of Warid Telecom International, to design and deploy an 802.16e WiMAX network in Uganda. In selecting the country's first 802.16e WiMAX network for our broadband services we remove the limitations that come with deploying fixed infrastructure and have a more cost-effective solution for reaching more subscribers across all market segments," said Zul Javaid, CEO and country general manager for Warid Telecom Uganda. * Divona and Redline Communications - Tunisia Redline Communications has reported that Tunisia's Divona Telecom has chosen its RedMAX products for its five-city WiMAX network. Redline's base stations and indoor and outdoor subscriber units were chosen after an extensive three-month trial period that involved several WiMAX vendors. The US$1 million network buildout will take place in several phases over the next two years, and will connect five major cities in Tunisia, including Tunis, Nabeul, Souse, Monastir and Sfax. *Libya Telecom and ZTE - Libya China's second-largest telecoms gear maker, ZTE Corp said that it has signed a deal with Libya Telecom & Technology to build Africa's first commercial WiMAX network. The network will cover eight major cities in Libya, including the country's capital Tripoli, and is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2008, ZTE said in a statement.
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