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WEEKLY PUBLICATION DEADLINE: 12 pm GMT Sunday. ISSUE NO 388 Africa’s mobile newcomers target off-centre country marketsJust as mobile markets in Africa seemed to be consolidating and the price for new entrants was going off the scale, a new wave of competition is breaking. Africa’s two newest mobile operators – HITS and Warid Telecom – are both concentrating on what analysts would call the “low cards in the pack” in order to get a foothold before tackling larger territories. Both come from re-invested oil money earned in the Gulf and have ambitions to play on a larger stage. Warid’s Wateen Telecoms looks set to offer some additional surprises in Uganda. Russell Southwood asks whether the newcomers will re-ignite the market or simply fizzle out after their high profile launches. Warid Telecom has been going through the formal launch ceremonies for its services in both Congo-Brazzaville and Uganda but users in both places will have to wait a few weeks before getting actual services. According to Joseph Walusimbi, its Head of Marketing:”We’re currently going through a pre-registration exercise with customers but the actual launch date will be in January.” That said, 150,000 customers have pre-registered interest in buying the service. Warid will offer its Ugandan users a pre-paid GSM network and with 380 base stations it will cover 70% of the geographic area of the country. Technology partners are Ericsson, Huawei and Motorola. This first phase investment has cost US$200 million and the second phase that will cover the rest of the country will cost an estimated US$400 million. It is seeking to differentiate itself from the three existing operators (Celtel, MTN and utl) by emphasising its network quality. In price terms, it remains a little cagey. According to Walusimbi, “we’ll be affordable and no higher than the other players.” He says that the current market is around 4.5 million subscribers and that it expects to get 1.2 million (27%) of this market. The surprise is has up its sleeve is the roll-out of a Motorola 802.16e Wi-MAX network later in the year through its subsidiary company Wateen Telecoms that according to the vendor will allow VoIP calling and VPNs. Elsewhere in Pakistan, it has already rolled out a Wi-MAX network covering the 22 major cities and has offered this capacity as a carriers’ carrier. In addition, it has plans to offer “triple play” services that may yet also see the light of day in Uganda. If it only half-way succeeds in these ambitions it will be lighting a flame under both MTN and utl who are both unified licence operators. In Bangladesh, Warid is the sixth mobile operator and it got 150,000 customers in its first week of operation. It invested US$150 million in that operation and a further US$291 million in its Pakistan operation so it is not a “short-pocket” player. Sheik Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, the president of Warid Telecom, told those invited to its opening ceremony in Brazzaville that the company aimed to be the "biggest mobile telephone company in Congo and even in the whole of Africa". It says it has spent US$79 million on setting up a 44 base station network in the country. Warid Telecom is owned by the Abu Dhabi Group, a large conglomerate based in that country that is owned and controlled His Highness Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, a member of the Royal Family of Abu Dhabi‚ who is also Minister for Higher Studies and the Chancellor of the University of Al Ain. The Group is one of those typical Gulf family conglomerates that has its fingers in all aspects of trade and finance in Abu Dhabi, particularly banks and car and truck imports. The other newcomer is HITS Telecom which plans to launch later in the year in Uganda but has started operations in Burundi. HITS is the sixth mobile operator to receive a telecom licence to operate in Burundi. Its five other competitors are ONATEL Mobile (the incumbent), U-COM, Africell, and Econet Wireless. Of all these mobile telecom operators, only ONATEL mobile and U-COM cover the whole country, although its signal is weak and almost non-existent in some areas. It will also offer data services branded Omax later in the year. Only U-Com currently provides a mobile Internet service either through an expensive USB device or a portable fixed telephone locally known as Telema. HITS in Uganda is 88 per cent owned by its Saudi Arabian investment company Middle East and Africa Investments Company and 22% by local investors through a vehicle called Veritus. Its CEO Edwin Rowell has announced the same level of investment as Warid, US$200 million, although the spending of it is phased slightly differently. Rowell is clear that price will be a key market driver: "All over the world, the expansion of the number of operators and the associated competition drives down tariffs and improves service for the customers. Uganda will not be an exception to this principle." It believes that the overall market is nearer to 9.5 million than its current number and plans to acquire a significant chunk of this larger market. Its approach is different to Warid in that it has contracted Alcatel on a “build and manage” contract as it is not primarily a network operator but a trading investor, selling shareholding when it has realised financial gain. Both players will only really establish a foothold in the market if they can reduce both operating costs and prices to users. As new entrants in the market, they both have the advantage of probably getting better deals from equipment vendors and therefore will already have lower CAPEX costs. Additional competition is bound to drive rates in a downward direction and this will persuade the reluctant major mobile chains to slowly migrate their own charges downwards. Up to a point, price elasticity will do the rest. The biggest challenge for both new operators is how – beyond price and quality of service – to capture the hearts of potential customers. A mobile service is a mobile service is a mobile service. All the rest is branding that will somehow capture them emotionally and there’s not much sign yet pre-launch of how they will tackle this all-important task.
Etisalat plans mobile virtual network as Glo overtakes MTN in NigeriaEmirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat), the United Arab Emirates mobile cellular operator picked by the country's Mudadala Development Company to operate its telecoms licence in Nigeria plans to become the nation's first Virtual Mobile Network Operator (VMNO) to speed up on its entry into the market by March this year. Technology Times checks confirmed exclusively that the Arabian operator which will operate the $400 million licence issued Mubadala of UAE by the Nigerian government has already opened talks with, "industry stakeholders" to push ahead with a network that will piggyback on the network of rival players. MVNOs are usually mobile operators that do not own network infrastructure but enter into business arrangements with existing mobile operators. This means that Etisalat's local operation will not have a physical land-based infrastructure, such as base stations, within Nigeria and this may speed up its planned go-to-market strategy and minimise difficulties associated with site deployment, according to local analysts. However, a senior executive in the telecoms sector says off-record that though mobile operators welcome the emergence of MVNOs as new ways to increase network traffic at a lower cost and open up new revenue streams for alliance partners, it may prove difficult locally with large-scale network congestion issues being faced by existing players. Celtel and Glo are considered the most likely partners for the MVNO. (Source: Technology Times) UCC Gets Sh6b for Rural Phones im UgandaThree mobile telephone providers yesterday gave sh6.7b to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) for the expansion of telecommunications services to rural areas. MTN contributed sh3,281,618,603, Celtel gave sh2,100,000,000, while UTL donated sh1,361,640,535. The chief executives of the firms handed dummy cheques to the officials from the commission at the UCC offices in Kampala. The contribution is 1% levy stipulated by the law on the gross annual revenue of each of the licensed telecom services providers. The money goes to the universal access fund called the Rural Communication Development Fund. According to the fund's director, Bob Lyazi, the money is used for intervention in areas which the licensed providers find economically unviable. Special provisions are made for the firms where their communication needs identified and projects set up accordingly. Lyazi said subsidies are given to firms that win bids to undertake the projects. The UCC executive director, Patrick Masambu, said the 1% levy is the counter funding required by donors to give grants for rural communication development. He added that over the last five years, the fund had set up internet points, ICT training centres and web portals in each of the districts to be accessed within a 10km radius. Other facilities include public pay phones, research projects, postal support projects, community telecentres and school ICT projects. Masambu said UCC would connect all schools, district hospitals, health centres and agricultural extension units to the Internet. (Source: New Vision) Celtel Loses Up to Sh200m in Poll Violence in KenyaKenya’s second mobile phone service provider Celtel last week revealed that it lost between Sh150 and 200 million to the post-election violence that rocked the country recently. The loss excludes damage to network infrastructure which is yet to be quantified. Total loss will include the cost of replacing base stations that were torched, airlifting of staff out of danger zones, and housing displaced staff in hotels. "The actual costs that we incurred are not important. We are more focused on trying to help the peace initiatives," said Claire Ruto, head of Regulation and Corporate Affairs. Last year, the firm invested Sh10bn in network infrastructure and boasts the largest regional coverage of any telecommunications firm, covering 85 per cent of the country. Competitor Safaricom said it had lost Sh400 million, which it attributed to depressed earnings from the sale of scratch cards and M-Pesa services. Both firms have committed over Sh5 million to the Red Cross relief programmes taking place across the country. (Source: Business Daily) Gamtel CDMA Pilot Project Was Approved says ex-CEO Omar NdowOmar Ndow, the Ex-Managing Director of Gamtel, on Thursday, 10 January, told the Banjul Magistrates Court that the project, which is the subject matter of his charge, was approved by the Gambia Public Procurement Authority GPPA and was endorsed by the board and management of Gamtel. Ndow was testifying as a defence witness on the charge of failing to follow the required procedure of the GPPA regulation. He was initially facing two criminal charges but was freed on one of them following a "no case to answer" submission filed by his counsel Sheriff Tambedou. According to Mr. Ndow, the two witnesses testified on two different products. The first testimony by Abdoulie Bah, on a payment that was to be approved by himself (Ndow), was a CDMA system pilot project. Ndow added that the other one was the Intelligence Network (IN) platform. He testified that the CDMA pilot project was to be provided by a China based company, Huawei, which got the blessing of he Gamtel board and management and it was forwarded to the GPPA. Ndow went on to say that the project which was initially to be implemented at no cost, was for the expansion of the fixed line network to 230,000 lines, and this contract signed between Gamtel and Alcatel in 2001 was approved by the government. He also said part of their agreement was for the contractor to provide prefinancing of the 230,000 lines which could be multiplied by 400 Euros a line, and that would be a total of 92 million Euros. He added that the contractor could not provide the financing until 2003 when they came up with a framed agreement with Alcatel, for the contract to be implemented in phases, rather than scaling it down on the basis of unavailable funds. Mr. Ndow argued that the CDMA pilot project was going to circumvent all the problems they had at the beginning, since the technology was easily deployable and it's cost was US$65 a line, which is far cheaper than the initial 400 Euros a line. He recalled that during their consultation on the approval of the project, the GPPA Director General spoke to Pa Modou Gassama, Director of Planning and Network Development at Gamtel, Mustapha Conteh, Senior Procurement Manager at Gamtel, and himself, as the then Managing Director of Gamtel. Ndow said in that telephone conversation that the GPPA's director general said the project is not a procurement matter at that stage, since it was at no cost and was only a strategic decision by the management of Gamtel. He also said that after that conversation he wrote to the GPPA through the Department of State for Communication and Information Technology (DOSCIT), which oversees Gamtel. The three correspondents between Gamtel and the GPPA were admitted in evidence as part of the evidence. A copy of a page of the way book at DOSCIT, which shows the delivery letters, was also tendered and admitted in evidence. Ndow said he was twice the Managing Director; first from 1994 to 1996 and from August 2003 to November 2006 when he received his termination. (Source: FOROYAA Newspaper)
In brief:- Tunisia Telecommunication Act of 2001 has been amended to enhance competition, encourage ICT investments and strengthen the regulator’s powers. The amendment signals the opening of the fixed telephony market to private companies and the end of Tunisie Telecom’s monopoly. The “l'Instance nationale des télécommunications (INT)”, the Tunisian regulator has also been granted greater power to sanction anti-competitive and abusive behaviours. Furthermore the regulator will now be in a position to take claims from a wider range of people including ISPs, professional organisations and consumer rights associations. - Mobile telephony operator Nedjma and the National Television Company (ENTV) signed an agreement to show digital sequences of various shows broadcasted by the ENTV. This partnership , deemed an "invaluable source of content," will put at the disposal of the Algerian public "the best sequences of the sports shows in a digitized and an interactive format”. - Celtel is set to commence full scale operations in Ghana by the first quarter of this year. In late December 2007, Celtel paid part of the transaction fee for acquiring 75 percent shares in Westel to government covering Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA). - MTN Nigeria has issued a statement apologising to customers for the recent poor quality of call services while promising that US41 billion of investment in 2008 will improve matters. While MTN accepts that its service has been below acceptable levels, it also points at the federal government’s inability to provide a ‘conducive environment’ is also to blame. - Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Engr. Enerst Ndukwe has identified the Quality of Service (QoS) challenge in the telecoms sector as that of capacity inadequacy and enjoined the operators to speed up their roll out plans. Meanwhile the NCC also announced the installation of Spectrum Monitoring Management Systems (SMMS) units in Kano, Enugu and Ibadan. The equipment would detect activities of illegal operators, facilitate quick resolution of interference and provide up to date database of operators. - According to ART, Cameroon’s telecoms regulator, more than five million people had access to fixed and mobile telephony at the end of December 2007. Of the total, mobile subscribers to MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroun account for more than 95% with the incumbent fixed line operator Cameroon Telecommunications (CAMTEL) claiming the remainder. The migration to 8-digit numbers six months ago has open new prospects for the development of telecommunications in Cameroon. - The launch of Etisalat in Egypt in the second quarter of 2007 was much anticipated. At first glance, the addition of a third player appears to have energised the market, with net additions topping 3 million for the first time ever in Q2, and Q3 setting a new record of 3.73 million, reported Cellular News. The size of the total market stood at 26.9m at the end of September 2007, up from 15.87m a year earlier - a growth rate of 70 per cent. - In South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki has approved the laws enabling the formation and licensing of the Broadband Infrastructure Company (Infraco), which is intended to lower telecommunications costs in the country. Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage- In Namibia, Cell One has announced that its network is now covering the areas of Karasburg, Khorixas and Omaruru. Continuous coverage is also provided on the road between Okahandja and Otjiwarongo, as a new site was established at Klein-Omatako in the Otjozondjupa Region. The company's coverage is now available in all the 13 regions of Namibia which translates into 70% of Namibia by the end of 2007. - Celtel Kenya has launched a new tariff. Under the new tariff, there are two structures where one can call for only Sh4 per a minute on three selected numbers and Sh7 per minute on other numbers all day to Celtel network. The three preferred numbers are not restricted and subscribers can replace them at will. The new tariff accounts for a 30 per cent reduction. - Madagascan mobile operator, Telma,, has announced the launch of the BlackBerry wireless solution in the island. Telma joins the long list of African mobile operators that have added BlackBerry smart phones services to their offering in the last twelve months. - Morocco’s largest fixed line and mobile operator Maroc Telecom has launched a commercial 3G/3.5G W-CDMA/HSDPA mobile network covering the country’s major cities. At launch, services are available in Rabat, Casablanca, Mohammedia, Agadir, Fes, Marrakech, Kenitra, Tetouan, Tanger, Essaouira, Meknes, Temara, Skhirat, Mohammedia, El jadida, Nador and Oujda.
Is EASSy dead in the water?Apart from a few promises from the EASSy consortium not much seems to be happening with the submarine cable project. The East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) has long been punted as the solution to East Africa’s international bandwidth woes – promising to bring affordable fiber connectivity to one of most bandwidth starved areas in the world. The project last year gained support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank. The IFC further announced that various institutions signed agreements to invest in EASSy, a big boost for the project. Total project cost is estimated at $235 million and the financing not covered by the IFC and the other institutions will be provided by 25 private telecommunications operators who will run the cable as a consortium. According to the EASSy consortium the cable will run 10,000 kilometers from the continent’s southern tip to the African horn, connecting South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, and Sudan. A further 13 adjoining countries will also be linked to the system as terrestrial backbone networks are completed through a broader World Bank Group initiative: these include Botswana, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Since the project’s inception five years ago it has missed one deadline after the other, and has lost the support of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad). And despite the support of the IFC, the project still seems to be struggling to make true progress. The EASSy consortium said in a November 2007 press release that construction will begin in mid-December, and the cable, known as EASSy, is expected to be fully operational in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa. When EASSy was recently quizzed on whether construction has in fact started and whether there had been any progress not one of the consortium leaders wanted to comment. It is also not certain whether EASSy has already done a marine survey which is an essential part of any submarine cable system. Another potential blow to the project is cable costs. Rumours are doing the rounds that Alcatel may have increased the cable construction costs for EASSy, something which if true can put the project’s future at risk. Industry sentiment regarding the EASSy project is not overly positive. Some industry experts feel that the project is dead in the water – not only due to a lack of support, but also because the price of international connectivity on EASSy is expected to far exceed that of SEACOM – a competing cable system on the East Coast of Africa. While bandwidth on EASSy itself is planned to be affordable, uncertainty remains regarding onward bandwidth to destinations like London as well as connectivity from the landing station to a suitable point of presence. In South Africa most companies and first tier ISPs may be looking at connectivity from Johannesburg to London which means it involves three legs – from Johannesburg to the EASSy landing station, then from the landing station along the EASSy cable itself and then onward bandwidth from the cable’s last termination point to London. Unless the total cost of this connection is less than that of SEACOM – which is set to be operational in mid 2009 – EASSy will be doomed. Some experts have already expressed this sentiment which has been fuelled by the uncertainty about the cost of onward bandwidth and potential exclusivity agreements on providing half circuits on EASSy in their respective countries to certain operators like Telkom. EASSy has however denied rumours about exclusivity agreements on the cable system, saying that “…albeit that Telkom provides the cable landing station for the EASSy landing, it has no relevance regarding who may / may not use the station but is simply a matter of being the supplier of the cable station facility to the EASSy Parties." “… neither Telkom nor any other SA Operator for that matter will have an exclusive right to provide bandwidth in and out of South Africa.” SEACOM recently announced that after a successful marine survey it has started manufacturing the physical cable, fiber optic and repeaters, and added that the project is on track to provide South Africa with more affordable international bandwidth by July 2009. (Source: MyBroadband) NITDA, Nira Sign Pact On Management of Nigeria’s domain nameNational Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Nigerian Internet Re-gistration Association (NiRA), yesterday in Abuja, signed a memorandum of understanding MoU for management of the nation's web domain. The address of the country's web domain is .ng. The MOU gave NiRA the sole authority to administer the Nigerian Country Code Top Level Domain (cctld).ng. Professor Cleopas Angaye, NITDA Director General, said at the ceremony, that "with this development, all government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should take measure to establish their presence on the web. "MDA's should ensure that any existing web sites are migrated to the country's top level .ng domain. Section 17(4) of the Information Technology Act makes it an offence for anyone to disregard such guidelines issued under the act," he said, adding that NiRA would facilitate the tracking of "419" mails emanating from the country. Ndukwe Kalu, NiRA President, said the Association would work to ensure that the .ng domain competed favourably with other domains globally and appealed to Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora, whom he claimed owned over a million domains, to migrate to the .ng domain. "The .ng domain will present a platform for an internet revolution on the African continent," he said. Kalu said the network would have multiple servers hosted in several points, both in and outside the country to ensure optimal operation. (Source: This Day) MWEB plans WiMax trial extension in South AfricaMWEB is planning to add more users to their WiMax trial and will erect another base station, but are waiting for ICASA to give the go-ahead. MWEB has been trialing its WiMax service for many months, and is planning to extend its coverage and add additional users to the network. MWEB currently has 830 users on the trial, and 7 active base stations. These WiMax base stations are situated in Cape Town Foreshore, Cape Town Plumstead, Cape Town N1 City, Boksburg, Randburg, Sandton and Soweto. MWEB is planning to erect an eighth base station in Cresta, but this will be dependant on a license extension from ICASA. The company also previously said that it plans to reach 1000 trial users on its network. MWEB’s trial licence officially expires on Tuesday 22 January, and unless ICASA issues MWEB with a license extension the company will not be allowed to continue trialing the service. The company said that it has applied for an extension to its current trial license some time ago, but they are still waiting for a decision from ICASA. (Source: MyBroadband) In brief:- The House of Representatives has rescinded an earlier resolution that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) should grant Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat) a Unified Access Service licence, including spectrum for 3G applications. - Cameroon’s national broadcast and radio company has relaunced its website. Easy access, a new architecture and up-to-date information are among the new improvements of their website which can be viewed at www.crtv.cm - In South Africa, IOL has launched an online property site, www.iolproperty.co.za into a sector which currently has over 50 sites. "IOL newspapers already dominates the print property market.
Tunisia is gearing up for an electronic tax filing systemTunisia has endeavoured, out of its conviction that a modern tax system is an essential conditions for the setting up of a modern economy integrated in its regional and international environment, to lay down the foundations of a fiscal system likely to meet the targets set by the country in all fields and the expectations of its economic partners. The electronic tax filing system which touches upon at the present time companies and will cover natural persons as of 2009, is part of this approach aimed at modernising the administration while bringing it closer to citizens who will henceforth be able to discharge their tax duties online. A regulatory framework was set up to guarantee the effective application of electronic tax filing and facilitate its follow-up. Actually, article 27 of the finance law for 2001 provides for the possibility to carry out operations related to tax return, payment of taxes and relevant penalties, in addition to the exchange of information and documents intended for tax services through electronic means. The 2005 finance law has come to add a new element by setting up the compulsory nature of electronic filing and electronic payment for companies that have a computerised accounting department and which achieve a turnover equal or exceeding an amount to be set by an order. The same finance law grants another advantage to taxpayers by allowing them to entrust a professional with carrying out the electronic filing. The turnover subject to compulsory electronic filing was set at 15 million dinars 2005, then to 10 million dinars in 2006 and down to 5 million dinars in December 2007. Mohamed Ali Ben Malek director general of the tax department at the finance ministry said in a statement to TAP news agency that the number of companies and persons registered in this system reached 813 members prior to the decrease of the concerned turnover to 5 million dinars compared to 192 members when the tax filing was optional. He pointed out that the web site of electronic tax filing (WWW.impots.finance.gov.tn) provides thorough details on this operation. North Africa PC market thriving says new reportPC markets in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia showed strong growth in 2007, according to a report from analyst company IDC. Shipments of PCs in the three largest PC markets in the North Africa region, grew to nearly 620,000 in 2007, growth of more than 26%, to create a market worth around $550 million. The market is dominated by desktops, which account for more than 80% if shipments and two-thirds of revenues, although notebooks, which make up 15% of shipments, are expected to show growth of over 30% in all three countries in the next five years. Morocco was the overall market leader, accounting for 39% of shipments, due in part because of government support for development of the outsourcing industry. Algeria accounted for 33% and Tunisia 27%. All of the countries have strong local assembly sectors, although global vendors HP, Fujitsu Siemens, Dell and Acer have the lion's share of the market. Global vendors need to stay focused on these markets however, warned Mehdi Mandre, research analyst, IDC Morocco. "All the arrows may point up but that doesn't mean the growth curves will be smooth. The North African PC market is hot and, given the opportunities, it is hard to keep reality in focus - overall, grey market machines and refurbished machines are putting a real dent in vendor market share. Handling these issues means having a dedicated presence, an extensive network of connections in each country, and patience," Mandre said. "While traditional dealers and value-added resellers will continue to be the largest sales channels in the three countries for the foreseeable future, retail will see a great deal of action. There will be a surge in both home and SME usage. Many customers will obtain machines at stores, meaning retail will represent the fastest growing distribution outlet and serve as a primary vehicle for vendors interested in increasing visibility and share in the three markets," he added. (Source: ITP) Nigeria Earmarks N3 Billion for technology development in African CountriesNigeria Technical Co-operation Fund (NTCF), yesterday in Abuja, said it would provide technical assistance worth US$25 million to African countries. Acting Director-General DTCA, Dr Sule Bassi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the money would be spent on mobilisation of African expertise, adding that projects to be executed with the funds would promote intra-African technical co-operation. "The idea of these projects is that you can fast-track the development of Africa by harvesting the synergy that exists in several countries. The fund, which is not directly accessible, is project and programme-driven, with a utilisable rate of $2.5 million per annum over a 10-year period," he said. According to him, Nigeria is the only country today in the continent, which is managing a technical co-operation fund in Africa, in collaboration with the ADB. Bassi, however, said the DTCA was not limiting its programmes to Africans within, but also to those in the Diaspora. "We are calling back Africans that have left their countries for various reasons," he said. According to him, the NTCF constituted 60 per cent of donor funds at the ADB, which was managed by the DTCA on behalf of Nigeria. He said the fund, currently in its third year, had been used to successfully execute 48 projects and programmes across the continent. According to Bassi, under such projects, six Nigerian professors will soon leave for Ethiopia, to assist itsgovernment to establish 13 new universities. adding that NTCF was also collaborating with Tunisian, Burkinabe and Egyptian governments on various projects and programmes.The NTCF is a special funding window created from the Nigerian Trust Fund, domiciled at the African Development Bank (ADB) since April 2004. (Source: This Day) In brief:- Technology Distributions, the number one ICT distributor in West Africa has announced a strategic partnership with Toshiba, a global leader in mobile technology to provide the West African Market with next generation computer systems. - More than 380 proposals have been received for the upcoming eLearning Africa conference, the 3rd pan-African conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training. The Programme Committee will now evaluate all submissions, and the preliminary agenda will be available by the end of February. More than half the papers submitted came from African countries, with 61 nations from all over the world represented, including development projects and best-practice examples on ICT in education. - The EuroAfrica-ICT initiative is organising its 7th awareness workshop in sub-Saharan Africa (Lagos, Nigeria, Feb. 20 & 21, 2008). This workshop specifically aims at supporting the development of Scientific and Technological cooperation between the European Union and sub-Saharan Africa in the ICT sector. For the EuroAfrica-ICT/START initiative visit http://www.euroafrica-ict.org
No Fresh Vodacom Bid for Ghana TelecomFollowing last week’s story based on “sources” in Ghana saying that Vodacom would increase its bid, it has become clear that the Government has been using the pliant local press to try and talk up the bid price. Vodacom, SA's biggest mobile network operator has not tabled a fresh offer for a controlling stake in Ghana Telecoms (GT) but couldn't rule out adding a sweetener to its initial US$500m bid. "I've read reports from Ghana to that effect [of a higher offer]," said Dot Field, head of group communications at Vodacom. "But the fact is that we have not tabled a fresh offer for GT." She added, however, that Ghana remained a market in which the group was "firmly" interested... as indicated in our annual report". Initial bids for a 51% stake in GT were rejected by transactional advisors who argued that they were way below the government's asking price. Bidders included Portugal Telecom and France Telecoms. Vodacom's reluctance to pay a premium for attractive telecoms assets is largely the reason for the company's pedestrian expansion record - which pales that of rival pan-African operators MTN and Celtel. Vodacom has networks in Lesotho, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania. GT is one of the largest employers, providing direct employment to some 4, 000 people and indirect employment to more than eight million people. Its mobile network, Onetouch has about1.2 million subscribers, while its fixed line network (of which it enjoys monopoly) has about 400,000 subscribers. (Source: Public Agenda) Orascom Denies Reports of Plans to Sell Mobinil StakeIt’s been a week for denials as Egypt's Orascom Telecom has refuted recent media comments that it is considering selling some of its holding in local mobile phone operator, Egyptian Company for Mobile Services - which trades as Mobinil. "I can assure you that our stake in Mobinil is not for sale," Orascom Telecom investor relations director Hatem el-Gammal told the South African ITWeb. He declined to comment on whether Orascom Telecom is in talks with MTN over a possible consolidation. Mobinil is controlled by France Telecom and Orascom Telecom, with 29% floated on the Cairo stock exchange. There have been strained relations between Orascom and France Telecom, with the latter initiating legal action against FT last December due to disagreement over the strategy of MobiNil. Both companies have agreed to settle their disputes in the International Court of Arbitration. According to the Mobile World, Mobinil ended last September with just over 13.7 million subscribers - and a market share of nearly 51%. (Source: ITWeb - Mobile World - cellular-news) Nigcomsat, Galaxy Backbone to Partner in NigeriaThe Nigeria Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) and Galaxy Backbone yesterday resolved to work together and harmonize the initiatives of the organisations in order to create a knowledge based economy. The Chief Executives of NIGCOMSAT Limited, Engr. Ahmed Rufai and that of Galaxy Backbone Limited Engr. Gerald Ilukwe at a meeting in Abuja yesterday agreed that such collaboration would tackle conflicts on overlapping of functions. While NIGCOMSAT Limited was set up to provide commercial-based services, Galazy Backbone Limited was set up to build and operate a single nationwide infrastructure platform in order to provide network services to all Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs); and to also manage all national databases and transversal applications as well as services for all Federal Government MDAs. Speaking at the meeting, Rufai said the collaboration, apart from bringing about the maximization of the nation's ICT resources for national growth and development would ensure that e-commerce, telemedicine, telecommuting and other spin-off benefits of space technology become a reality in Nigeria by 2010.According to him, by combining both organisations strengths, Nigeria will become an outsourcing destination for western conglomerates with the resultant job provision and revolution of the education system through mobile libraries among others." This partnership and collaboration will also ensure that youths acquire the relevant skills necessary to compete favourably in today's ICT driven world" he said. (Source: This Day) Turning Ideas into Money-Spinners in South AfricaAs part of its strategy to turn the ideas of locals into money-making projects, government is planning to create a public funding agency for the nation's innovators. This week, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) conducted public hearings in Parliament on the Technology Innovation Agency Bill. "The creation of the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) is part of the DST's Ten-Year Innovation Plan, and will allow the DST to fulfil its mandate with regard to technology more effectively," said the department. The agency will be established under the auspices of the department and the Bill has been open for public comment, since being gazetted in August last year. This agency is different however, as it will not be a typical technological institute, dealing with what the department terms "fundamental scientific research." The TIA, will go closer to the people by "identifying and evaluating available and new technologies" and assist innovative South Africans by sharing research and development with them. Local boffins, with existing and emerging enterprises, will also be given access to technical and commercial business services. The TIA's key objects include: * Stimulating the development of technology-based products and services; * Stimulating the development of technology-based enterprises - both public and private; * developing a significant technology base for the South African economy; * facilitating the development of human capital for innovation; and * providing the primary bridge between the formal knowledge base and the real economy. "It is envisaged that the agency will have the latitude to raise further revenue for reinvestment in the system through the establishment of subsidiary companies and equity shareholding," explained the department. (Source: BuaNews) In brief:- Kenya’s largest mobile operator, Safaricom’s initial public offer to sell a 25% stake in the firm is not likely to occur before mid-February at the earliest, though the government is keen to go ahead with the deal sometime in the first quarter. - Reports by Investor's Business Daily say Millicom International Cellular Company (MICC) expects to spend at least another $1 billion in 2008. Much of that spending is in Africa - Sierra Leone, Chad, Congo, Ghana, Tanzania, and Senegal. - President Musa Yar'Adua has directed that Galaxy Backbone PLC be moved from the Ministry of Science and Technology to the Presidency to bring the government-owned infrastructure service provider under the direct supervision of Aso Rock.
Nigeria Launches DVB-H Mobile TVNigeria has beaten South Africa in the roll-out of the DVB-H mobile TV... Details Nigeria, MultiChoice Africa's local business partner in Nigeria, has launched Africa's first commercial mobile broadcast TV service in the city of Abuja. The launch places Nigeria at the forefront of the world digital television technology race, and highlights the progressive stance that the country's National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is taking in the adoption of new technologies. Details Nigeria switched on its mobile television network using the Digital Video Broadcast - Handheld ("DVB-H") technology standard. Consumers in Abuja will be able to receive a specially compiled bouquet of DStv channels, which includes SuperSport, CNN, Africa Magic and Big Brother Africa, live on their mobile phones. The Abuja launch will be followed by a similar roll-out in other Nigerian cities over the next couple of months. Details Nigeria chairman Adewunmi Ogunsanya says: "We are very excited that Nigeria becomes one of the first countries in the world to commercially roll out DVB-H services, something that will ensure Nigerians have early access to global innovations in the industry. We will distribute the service through several mobile operators in Nigeria and has already signed a distribution agreement with MTN Nigeria." DVB-H is widely considered to be the world's leading mobile broadcast technology standard, and is also currently being trialled by MultiChoice Africa in Namibia and preparations are well advanced for a launch in Kenya. Eben Greyling, CEO MultiChoice Sub-Sahara Africa says, "We are fortunate to be in a position to move quickly with our mobile TV roll-outs in Africa. We have had tremendous support from government and regulatory authorities in Africa who have been providing an enabling environment for the roll-out of new technologies. Our biggest stumbling block at this stage is to find the resources to roll-out the service in all the countries where we have been allocated frequencies and commercial licenses." Worldwide research has firmly established that there is genuine consumer desire for superior quality video and audio content on cellphones, and industry analysts predict that by 2010 more than 150 million people worldwide will be regular users of mobile broadcast services. (Source: Biz-Community) It's the Year for Online advertisement in Africa?The challenge this year for advertisers is to really connect with their consumers in credible spaces online and learn how to become part of their personal space with an authentic voice, not 'client or brand-speak', predicts Nazeer Suliman, Universal McCann South Africa GM in his broad predictions for 2008. Q: Adspend generally, do you predict a slow down or a continued upward spiral for 2008? I don't think we'll see a marked downward trend. Global and local trends show strong growth. However, the continued upward hike in interest rates, may well impact ad-spend further down the line - considering that early indications point to a slowdown in the economy. Q: General trends/usage of print, radio, TV, outdoor, out of home - where is the money going to go. TV will always be king but who will the other winners be and who will suffer? The current profile of spend by media type will continue into 2008. However, if anything, 2008 will be the year for online, when it finally comes into its own. We will see more communications companies gearing up with online/digital offerings and capabilities. Advertisers will grow more confident in "colonising" this space after more than a decade of slow experimentation and exploration. This will in most part be driven by an increase in online access and broader consumer appeal. Q:Online and mobile - predictions for 2008 - increased usage or more of the same? Your views on social networking/ blogs / podcasts etc as media channels? Mobile penetration will continue to grow as the three mobile network operators battle it out in the lower to middle end of the market. It's the only viable segment to fuel volume growth. Online access will continue to grow, in part to new product offerings and convergence (internet access bundled with existing technology products). Social networking will surge, claiming new addicts - it's better than crack! Successes like Facebook that combine networking with the ability to "blog", "message", "game" and upload personal paraphernalia will continue. The challenge for advertisers will be to carve a credible space in these areas by facilitating the "personal user drivers" that fuel the social networking phenomenon. This means that advertisers will have to get out of "broadcast"/ "intrusive" /"target" mode and learn how to genuinely "befriend" their prospective "mates" with credibility. Q:What do clients / media agencies / media owners need to do to engage more with consumers / what more we can be done for communication to stand out? Agencies will continue to demand flexibility from media owners in driving communication innovation. The standardised production lines of most media owners will come under continued strain as agencies continue to demand anything but the standard. New connection options will challenge traditional media owner power. Clients will continue to up-skill and reconfigure their marketing departments to meet the continued growth in market and consumer complexity and the challenges that this brings. (Source: Biz-Community)
PeopleThe CEO of Celtel Kenya, David Murray has unexpectedly announced his resignation after just one year at the helm of the company. The company's CFO, Caba Pinter will take over the post on a temporary basis until a permanent replacement is found. - France-based ICT specialist Alcatel-Lucent has appointed Vincenzo Nesci as president of the company's business in the Middle East and Africa. 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/ * AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST NEXT GENERATION NETWORKS SUMMIT 2008 18th - 19th February 2008, Indaba Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa The conference revolves B2B, B2G, G2G Next Generation Networks business opportunities and challenges, convergence challenges, security, quality of service, pricing and billing, operator strategy, mobile content and applications, interoperability, network and infrastructure etc. Attendance is by invitation only. For further information Abas,Patahul at abas.p@kl.unistrategic.com * 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.aitecafrica.com * 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 - SEMINAR ON E-GOVERNMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT: STRATEGIES AND POLICIES 13-27 June 2008, Washington DC, USA This intensive face-to-face seminar includes lectures, panel discussions, and interactive workshops presented by leading e-Government experts from USAID, USTTI Board member corporations, private sector firms, universities, NGOs, and multinational organizations. For additional information about the content of the course, how to apply, as well as funding, visit the USTTI website at http://ustti.org Jobs and Opportunities* OPERATIONS DIRECTOR - NIGERIA Urgent requirement for a Managing Director to work in Nigeria for a large operator. Job Responsibilities: to plan and execute network operation and maintenance activities, in line with business requirements and procedures defined by the client, in order to achieve network availability and performance targets set by Group HQ Engineering. Operations goal is to prevent any avoidable downtime through adhering to preventive maintenance routines and taking proactive measures specifically with regard to Field Maintenance, assuring maximum maintenance coverage and shortest possible reaction and remedy times, at lowest possible cost. Logistics function of O&M department shall ensure effective logistical support in execution of new coverage projects, handling of spares, assets and network configuration tracking. Key functional Divisions under Responsibility: Network Management Centre (NMC); Operations & Maintenance 2nd Line support and Field Operations For further information contact advertising@balancingact-africa.com Contracts* UUNET and Sony - Kenya UUNET Kenya has signed a multimillion video-conferencing deal with Japanese electronics giants, SONY, which will see the Kenyan firm provide end-to-end services. Clients will have two options to use the service. They have the option of using the UUNET video conference boardroom. For those of the clients who do not want to use the video conference boardroom, UUNET will set up for them their video conference centres. * Starcomms and Harris Stratex Networks - Nigeria Harris Stratex Networks, Inc., the independent supplier of turnkey wireless transmission solutions, will supply Starcomms Plc, Nigeria's leading CDMA operator, with new Eclipse radios as part of Starcomms' expanding network operations into new cities throughout Nigeria.
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