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ISSUE NO 415

Indian company to launch low-cost, solar base station targeted at African operators

This week sees the launch by Indian company VNL of a low-cost, solar-powered base station that it says it will target African mobile operators. Although oil prices have abated a little, the continuing cost of diesel fuel to power double generators across many networks´ base stations will continue to be a factor that eats away at profit margins. Russell Southwood spoke to Anil Raj, CEO of VNL when he passed through London.

VNL´s business strategy is to tackle the cost base of Africa´s mobile operators in a number of different ways. It will produce a solar-powered base station that will function at a lower cost than its diesel-powered equivalent. It has types of base stations, all of which are considerably cheaper than existing base stations. Lastly, the base station unit has been simplified so that the unit´s can be supplied to franchisees who will be able to set them up out of the box. According to Anil Raj, CEO of VNL:”The BTS will be able to be used out of the box and will have only two connectors, one green that goes into the power socket and one red that goes into the antennae. After that it performs a self-installing routine.”

Unlike other solar powered base stations, Roy claims that VNL´s will be the first production run units whilst have largely been produced on an experimental basis. As the CAPEX to produce solar power is not cheap, VNL has looked at ways of reducing the power and feature specification. The photo-voltaics are 50% of the overall CAPEX and the addition of batteries pushes that number up again. It has made the assumption that more marginal markets will not use things like GPRS and EDGE.

It has used different components to reduce power requirements but still produced a base station with a capacity of 10,000 subscribers. The standard base station requires 3,000 Watts but VNL´s operate on 35W and 100W. As a result, its solar panels need only be 6-8 sq metres as opposed to 200 sq metres for the current type of base station.

The first phone call was made to a unit a year ago and since then it has been subjected to 2 million test calls. The first units will be deployed in Q3, 08 with Indian tower infrastructure operator Quippo Telecom Infrastructure Ltd, who will lease out both space on its towers and the new base stations, enabling it to move up the equipment supply value chain. In its first year of production, it anticipates building 10,000 units. Volume deliveries will start early next year and the company is already in discussion with several major African operators. It will seek to work with African partners who will install and run the base stations.

Two examples of costs of its base stations illustrate how they could help attack mobile operator costs. The first base station is a village roof-top model which costs US$3,000: this is designed for a one storey brick-built style of building that might support a water tank. The unit weighs 100 kilos. The second base station is the 2TRX which is for a hub site: it costs US$15,000 which with US$5,000 for civil works, produces a base station for US$20,000. The base stations are designed to last eight years. Even if the figures are optimistic this has to produce some saving on the US$90,000-120,000 which seems to be the costs for an equivalent base station using existing equipment.

And what if the sun doesn´t shine? Anyone who knows Africa knows that there have been problems with solar power because although it´s hot, there is often not sunlight for periods of time. The base station is designed to have battery back-up that will last for 72 hours and the base station can both power itself and do a recharge of its battery at the same time.

VNL envisages mobile operators offering franchises to individuals (as Celtel is already doing with conventional base stations in Nigeria) who would be trained to look after the base station, do first-line maintenance under telephone instruction and distribute SIM cards. Alternatively 2009 may be the year that trusted infrastructure sharing operators start to offer mobile operators jointly operated towers along with leased base stations. With the dual pressure of escalating costs and lower prices from increased competition, this has to be something Africa´s mobile operators will take a look at.

Telecoms ´Gold Rush´ Leaves Nothing for Masses in South Africa - ICASA

The telecommunications sector is becoming a new gold rush where large white-owned companies pocket the wealth and leave nothing for the masses, says the chairman of the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa).

The lowest rungs of society would be alienated if the regulator did not actively demand a greater role for black people in the industry, said chairman Paris Mashile. That is why Icasa would insist new licences for scarce spectrum went to companies that were 51% black-owned.

Speaking during a conference staged by Internet Solutions this week, Mashile defended Icasa´s decision to make empowerment a more important criterion than skills or cash to build a telecoms network.

Demanding 51% black ownership "isn´t outside the law" and the aim was to empower black people to start their own businesses rather than just take a stake in a successful white operator. White firms that sold equity to black people without relinquishing control were merely performing "empowerment gimmicks", he said.

The high black profile is a condition for six new licences to use a high-speed wireless technology called WiMax, and each licence will allocate 20MHz of spectrum. That decision has also angered the industry, with many voice and data carriers saying 30MHz is needed to build a cost-effective network.

Telkom´s chief technical officer Thami Msimango said giving licences to one-man shows would not benefit the country. "People who can afford to roll out infrastructure should be given that spectrum," he said.

Vodacom CEO Alan Knott-Craig said true empowerment would be achieved by giving everyone access to affordable telephony and internet services, not by favouring operators owned by the previously disadvantaged. Vodacom could extend its network for two-thirds of the current cost if it had more spectrum, and it would pass the savings on to consumers by cutting the cost of calls, he said.

Mashile said there were ways of using 20MHz of spectrum efficiently, and operators just wanted as much as they could get simply to deprive other companies of that resource.

The unwelcome licensing criteria were set out after Icasa distilled a wide range of comments from the industry. It has repeatedly said the conditions are final, but has called for another round of comments.

Mashile said he would be happy to see companies build their own network infrastructure, as long as they were aware of the risks. " We will open up for whoever wants to burn his money in this market - it´s up to them to take on the big guys and live with the consequences."

Source: Business Day (Johannesburg)

Rwanda Seeks 3rd Telecom Operator

The Rwanda government is seeking a third national telecom operator after the duopoly period for the current operators expired in June. The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA) in a statement explained that Rwandatel and MTN Rwandacel were granted duolopoly licences in 2003 to provide fixed and mobile communications.

"The duopoly expired in June and the government has decided to select a third national operator through a public tender process," Col. Diogene Mudenge, the RURA acting director general, said. He said the new operator would be issued with fixed and mobile licences with a 15-year duration.

Mudenge said the licence obligations include payment of annual operating fees, contributions to the universal access fund and other fees as stipulated in the legislation copies of which can be found on the RURA website.

"The Government invites qualified legal entities to submit their expression of interest together with technical and financial proposals for evaluation," the statement read. It added that the bidding process will be restricted to telecom operators or consortia that have experience and proven capability to advance the Government´s objectives in the information and communication technology sector.

Bidders should also have proven clear commitment and financial capabilities to implement a realistic plan to boost the telecommunications sector in Rwanda.

He said the bidding documents can be obtained at the RURA head office with non-refundable fee of $2,500 in favour of RURA at the National Bank of Rwanda.

MTN South Africa May Take Partnership Search to Latin America After Ditching India

MTN is not wavering from its strategy of growth by acquiring other operators or by being acquired itself, despite abandoning its second potential merger in three months."MTN will always look at what we call value-enhancing opportunities for shareholders and for the company, and that´s what we will continue to do," spokesman Nozipho January-Bardill said. "As part of our vision we want to be a leading provider of telecoms services in emerging markets."

MTN shares lost almost R10 to touch a low of R120.50 last week after the cellular operator declared that a potential merger with India´s Reliance Telecommunications was off. It cited "certain legal and regulatory issues" as the reason it was unable to conclude a deal with India´s second-largest mobile player. Talks with Reliance had begun when a proposed tie-up with India´s largest operator, Bharti, fell through.

Although MTN executives have been hunkered down in serious negotiations since May, January-Bardill said they had not had their attention diverted from actually running the business. "Our managers are strategic people and a lot of our people are very operational and they do what they need to do. We haven´t lost any focus," she said.

That rules out the need to take a break before assessing any other potential mergers or acquisitions. MTN did not have a preference on whether it would rather make the acquisitive moves or be on the receiving end of potential bids, January-Bardill said."It´s both ways. MTN is being looked at as a successful operator by others and we are always looking at opportunities on our side. We don´t have a favourite strategy of those two at this stage."

The fact that two failed deals have not dented MTN´s desire for acquisitive growth does not surprise Frost & Sullivan analyst Lindsey McDonald. "MTN will continue to consider other possible suitors and earmark possible targets," she said. "We believe MTN should continue its pursuit of emerging markets. The company has proven that it is truly an expert in this type of market."

She believes Latin America will be MTN´s next big focus, as its markets are similar to those in Africa, the mobile market is seeing robust growth, and it has operators that could be good targets or partners for MTN. One possibility is a merger with America Movil, an aggressive acquisitor itself with networks in 17 countries from the US and throughout central and southern America.

It has 159-million subscribers, more than double MTN´s 68-million, plus 3,9-million fixed lines. It is listed on the New York and Nasdaq stock exchanges with a market capitalisation of $59bn, compared to MTN´s $31bn.

Source: Business Day (Johannesburg)

Vodafone´s £450m deal deferred in Ghana

The Ghanaian government has blocked Vodafone´s £450m purchase of a controlling stake in the state-owned Ghana Telecom.

At the start of the month Vodafone, the world´s largest operator in terms of revenue, announced that it had effectively gazumped France Telecom by agreeing to acquire 70 per cent of the Ghanaian carrier with the government set to retain the remaining 30 per cent.

However, according to reports over the weekend the local government has intervened. The UK-based carrier will probably have to wait until October before moving forward on the deal as the Ghanaian parliament is just about to go into its summer recess.

The controversial deal had been criticised by members of Ghana´s main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress. Who believed Vodafone was getting its hands on the nation´s incumbent telecoms operator on the cheap.

The block might signal an opportunity for France Telecom to once again enter the fray potentially pushing up the sale price. "Other bidders are likely to offer higher bids than Vodafone and address the socio-economic needs of the country," the NDC said in a statement.

Ghana has a population of 24 million, of which more than 50 per cent are under the age of 25. The country has a relatively low mobile penetration at around 35 per cent, and Ghana Telecom as the number three player own about 17 per cent of the market with 1.4 million customers. Not forgetting that the carrier is also the market leader for fixed line and broadband with 99 per cent of the total number of lines and 90 per cent of the retail ADSL market.

The acquisition looked like it might be a final feather in the cap for outgoing Vodafone chief Arun Sarin who steps down at the end of this month. "Ghana is one of the most attractive markets in Africa with mobile subscribers growing at more than 55 per cent p.a. and mobile penetration around 35 per cent. Our extensive operating experience together with our portfolio of products and services position us well to deliver a superior mobile experience to Ghanaian customers and significantly improve financial performance," he said.

Sarin said that over the next five years Ghana Telecom is to invest over $500m in its operations and network, restoring and expanding network coverage and completing and integrating the fibre backbone, as well as introducing initiatives such as M-PESA and ultra-low cost handsets.

In brief:

- According to report from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the likelihood of the introduction of number portability is fading. The main issue is to get the telecommunications operators to sign up for number portability is it would require them to disclose technical information. However, this reason does not seem to have proved a stumbling block in South Africa.

- There is rising tension at Usmanti ward, in Jere Local Government Area in Maiduguri metropolis of Borno State as the youths threatened to shut down an MTN mast in the area if their calls are ignored by the telecom giants to respect one of their corporate responsibilities of constructing a 200 meters access road leading to the mast.

- South Africa´s Vodacom Group has reported a 6.6% increase in subscriber numbers in the twelve months to the end of June, with the operator claiming 34.6 million customers in South Africa, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho and Mozambique.

- Sierra Leone´s telecoms regulator NATCOM has announced that it is to review several aspects of the country´s existing legislation, reports IDG News Service. Among the topics to come under review include current licence agreements, the development of guidelines relating to licensing, tariff regulations, interconnection issues, competition issues, dispute resolution, universal access for ISPs and GSM operators.

- Following the appointment of a new helmsman for Nitel by Transcorp barely a week ago, the management has promised that the first national carrier would be transformed within three months.

- The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has declared Global Advanced Integrated Networks (GAIN) the winner of the country´s third mobile phone licence, reports Reuters. GAIN, a consortium consisting of local executives and entrepreneurs, saw off two other bidders, North American firm Global Telecoms and Zimbabwe´s Econet. ´We hope the company will promote competition in the telecommunications industry, thereby increasing the quality and affordability of the telecommunication services for the benefit of all people in the country,´ said Zadziko Mankhambo, an official at MACRA. The new operator will compete against Celtel Malawi and Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM).

-Qatar Telecom yesterday issued a clarification regarding its upcoming tender offer for certain outstanding shares in Indosat, Indonesia´s second-largest telecommunications company. According to Qtel, its acquisition of a controlling interest of 40.8 percent in Indosat was concluded on June 24 for $1.8bn. Under Indonesian capital markets regulations, Qtel now actively engaged with the Indonesian authorities to determine the number of additional shares Qtelcould acquire during its tender offer. The company expects the issue to be resolved shortly and that the tender offer will be conducted normally during the summer.

US Tech Firm Hunts Partners in East Africa

iDirect Technologies, a USA based company that designs and develops satellite Internet technology for remote broadband access to enterprises, governments etc is looking for partners in East Africa to vend its products.

In Uganda, iDirect Technologies, a next generation Internet Protocol (IP) provider, has expressed its interest in recruiting partners through the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA). In response to questions sent by email, Rash Jhanjee, the regional vice president, Middle East and Africa for iDirect said the need for partners is informed by the fact that the entire East African market is growing rapidly and is turning out as one of the most attractive regions for iDirect.

Jhanjee said Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania were important markets following wide deregulation of the ICT sectors, which is now opening up ´enormous opportunities for us to deliver solutions where once we couldn´t.´

"The scarcity of bandwidth in the region has been a challenge but with new satellites being launched in the near future to serve East Africa, our opportunity to provide solutions will grow exponentially," Jhanjee said.

iDirect is mainly looking for network operators who are interested in using its platform to deliver enterprise solutions to the marketplace. According to Jhanjee, iDirect serves a very small niche market as its competition is part fibre and also part VSAT.

The platform delivers dramatic bandwidth efficiency and cost savings across many different applications and vertical markets. It features distinct compression capabilities for voice and data that allows for transmission of information more efficiently via the satellite.iDirect is also looking at the GSM operators who can take advantage of its shared platform on an IP system - an application that helps cut costs dramatically.

Jhanjee explained that with a shared IP system, operators don´t have to dedicate the maximum amount of bandwidth at all times. Instead, they can over contend their bandwidth and share it across multiple sites, which is considerably more cost effective. iDirect does not sell directly to the end user but provides its technology through network channel partners.

While the company has over 70-80 channel partners operating in the Africa region, it is interested in partnering with key service providers who have an understanding of VSAT and its benefits. "There are many excellent potential partners in the region who have expertise and connections to end clients," Jhanjee said. "We would like to join and educate them, in order to deliver new solutions to the marketplace."

iDirect, a subsidiary of VT Systems offers satellite-based IP communications technology, which enables constant connectivity for voice, video and data applications in both urban and remote locations. Its technology enables users extend private networks to remote offices; support mobile connectivity across land, sea and air; providing rural telephony and Internet broadband; and maintaining communications in the wake of disasters and network failures.

Source: East African Business Week (Kampala)

Sentech risks losing WiMAX spectrum

South Africa´s telecoms regulator Icasa is threatening to impose a ‘use it or lose it´ policy on wireless spectrum which could see state-backed telco Sentech forced to give up a valuable chunk of 3.5GHz spectrum. Sentech has held the WiMAX-capable frequencies for some time but does not have the funds to deploy a network; the government has handed over ZAR500 million (USD70 million) in funding but says the firm must find other investors to pay the remaining ZAR2.5 billion that it will take to deploy a network. A report from website MyBroadband cites local operators which are complaining that government plans to offer licences which include just 20MHz of spectrum will not give them sufficient frequencies to offer wireless broadband services nationally. They claim that reclaiming the Sentech spectrum will free up additional bands for them to use.

Source: Telegeography

Nationwide backbone to be completed by November 2009 - RITA

The building of a metropolitan network in Kigali based on the national fibre-optic backbone will be completed by December 2008, claims AllAfrica citing comments from the Rwanda Information Technology Authority (RITA). On completion, extensive deployment covering 30 districts across the country will be initiated, which in turn is forecast to be finished by November 2009. The national backbone will be in the region of 1,600km and 2,000km in length, but the actual length will be shown from a study being undertaken by South Korea´s KT Corp, leaders of the project, to be published by October. The cost of the deployment has been estimated at between USD20 million and USD40 million. The government has promised that the network will be open to private sector telcos, provided they agree a price with whichever company is managing it.

Source: Telegeography

In brief:

- Rwanda´s Karisimbi tower project is set to go digital by March next year, the coordinator has revealed

- To ease communication and reduce telephone expenses, Rwanda Information Technology Authority (RITA) has introduced a local Internet chat tool-IM Intego. It will work just like IM Messenger. Advantages to IM Intego users include reduced communication costs since it will be cheaper than telephone calls; increased productivity through more timely communications; an acceleration of business cycles protection against Viruses and Spam and much more.

- A robust educational on-line solution through a one-stop portal has made its debut with the introduction of Acada, from the stable of Fleet Technologies Limited, a pioneer ICT company.

Coscharis Technologies Targets 1 Million PCs By 2020 in Nigeria

Worried by the current poor PCs penetration rate in the country as recently reported by the World Bank, promoters of Cosmos computers, the Coscharis Technologies have projected that it would push one million personal computers in the Nigerian hardware market by the year 2020 so as to put computers in the hands of more Nigerians.

The President of Coscharis Group, Dr Cosmos Maduka who stated this last week in Lagos during the launch of Cosmos PCs said that their introduction of a locally-assembled PC in the Nigerian market in the midst of existing foreign and local brands was borne out of a strong need to fill a yawning gap in the supply/demand equation of the PC business, adding that in the next 6 months, the company hopes to expand production capacity to 500 PCs per day.

Maduka while commending the Federal Government on new policies aimed at encouraging IT penetration in the country noted that its major national assignment is to join other PC vendors and manufacturers to raise the penetration rate to 20% by the year 2020.

"Survey after survey we had conducted in the past two years provided adequate justification for the introduction of another Made-In-Nigeria PC in the market. Besides these surveys, a recent World Bank report reveals that IT or PC penetration in Nigeria is not more than 2%. That alone reveals a whopping gap begging to be filled," he said.

He lamented that in a country of 140 million people with only about 3million people, using PCs should present exciting challenges to an enlightened entrepreneur, adding that Cosmos brand of PCs that have been unveiled into the Nigerian market would address this challenge.

Already, he said that with collaboration with their bankers and C&I Leasing, Coscharis has developed flexible payment schemes to enable individuals of low income bracket to own computers and pay over a period of 12 months.

According to Maduka, their major assignment is to ensure that a user of Cosmos in a bank or any other firm does not suffer downturn due to any defect. "In addition to our 3-year warranty to support this value proposition, we shall soon be unfolding to our customers the structure and our internal culture, that will enable Cosmos deliver on the zero-down-time value," he added.

According to Maduka, their major assignment is to ensure that a user of Cosmos in a bank or any other firm does not suffer downturn due to any defect. "In addition to our 3-year warranty to support this value proposition, we shall soon be unfolding to our customers the structure and our internal culture, that will enable Cosmos deliver on the zero-down-time value," he added.

Cosmos, he said, with its varied specifications, is set to address different target market including the corporate market ( banks, oil companies etc), the middle market ( small businesses) and the lower segment which also includes schools, homes and individuals.

While commending their dealers for encouraging them to enter into the market space in the interest of their common business objectives, he charged the management of Coscharis to define the Cosmos brand in a manner that will unleash the dormant potential of the averag struggling African who is yet to set his foot on the bridge to the digital world.

Source: Vanguard (Lagos)

Over 12,000 young Nigerians to Benefit From KarRox N100 Million IT Scholarship Project

According to the Core Welfare Indicators Questionnaire (CWIQ) survey undertaken from 5 April to 10 May 2007 but released recently by Statistics Sierra Leone, which co-ordinates the national statistical system, 1.1% of Sierra Leoneans have personal computers.

Abdul Fatta Ahmed, managing director of Union System (SL), an IT consultancy firm which also runs an internet cafe, thinks the figure is true after calculating the number of Sierra Leoneans involved in proportion to their earning power.

"That´s about 66,000 Sierra Leoneans. It can be true because of the cost of acquiring computer and its accessories these days," he said. "The earning power of many Sierra Leoneans is very poor and computer literacy is very low." The survey, which is an embodiment of results of data collection and its analysis and indicators of social welfare called core welfare indicators, stated that a total of 7,797 households were successfully enumerated from a sample of 7,800 households giving the survey coverage rate of 99.96 percent.

A sample size of 7,800 households, covering rural and urban areas, in all nineteen Local Councils of the four administrative regions of the country was selected from a total of 520 enumeration areas.

Austin Odia, an IT consultant too, believes the figure is correct and added that there could be a rapid change soon as the imposition of zero duty on computers gets into full implementation.

It would be recalled that the Parliament early this month passed the Finance Act 2008, a bill that provides for the effective elimination of duty on computer imports. Though the bill is geared towards broadening the government´s revenue base, the finance ministry decided to remove the duty on computers to help make them accessible to people in every part of Sierra Leone, including remote areas Technical director at FGC Wireless, Ali Ajao, said the move for a zero duty on computers "will reduce the price of computers and components. But the reduction may not be immediate." The high cost of computers has been blamed for the widening digital gap in the country, and computer dealers claim that high custom duties are responsible for the high prices of PCs and accessories.

For a way forward, Fatta Ahmed stressed that though the economy is very bad, there is the need to intensify the level of people´s computer education because "computer is now part of knowledge." "Gaining access to information on the internet is also very expensive. Imagine we pay about Le 885,000 every month at our (internet) café for eight computers. Some other ISPs like Comium charge $50. So we have to charge users based on that," he said.

Government officials too, of late, are pushing for more ICT courses in the country´s public education curriculum.

Godwin B. Samba, public relations officer of the Ministry of Education, Youths and Sports, last month said: "ICT must be embedded in the curriculum at all educational levels. This is not an ICT generation, but it is the hope of the future. Investment in the ICT industry is very critical to the development of a post-conflict country like Sierra Leone." It was revealed in a recent survey that only 2% of university students are computer-literate. At Sierra Leone´s Fourah Bay College (FBC), the oldest tertiary institution in West Africa, one student said an Internet room of about 20 computers is simply not effective for a student body of more than 15,000.

Computer studies are included in FBC´s tuition fee, but few students enroll in computer classes. Samba said that until the government makes it a policy, the ICT culture will not be sustained in Sierra Leone.

"We need to make it part of our learning process, because it is not part of the African psyche," he said. "Some of us are even apprehensive about using some of these gadgets, but once the political will is there, people will get used to it all by themselves, even without being taught." Samba explained that though many educational ICT projects exist, they lack needed sponsorship

A call for the creation of an ICT centre was also raised by Austin Odia who trained more than 600 ex-combatants between 2000 and 2003 in Freetown and Makeni on computer basics during the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programme before he ventured into full-time consultancy services.

UNISA piloted the project in 2007,” she continues. “Our initial plan was to gauge the interest of students to receive digital material. The pilot was a success and we decided to expand the project. We are now launching it at all registration centres in order to assist students to have their study material immediately upon registration, saving them having to wait for material to arrive via conventional mail.”

As a developing nation, he said, Sierra Leone needs an ICT resource center that would provide information knowledge. "The center would help to demystify the mystic behind ICT and help in the development of IT culture in the country," he said.

Other ownership of selected household items investigated, as contained in the CWIQ survey completed in November, showed that 26.4% of the over six million populations have mobile phones; 12.1% have televisions; 11.6% have VCR/DVD; and 1.2% can boast of land lines.

The CWIQ survey is meant to collect information to monitor poverty and the effects of development policies, programmes and projects on the welfare situations of the population. Financial assistance for the CWIQ pilot and main surveys was provided by the Department for International Development (DFID) while the World Bank provided technical assistance for the successful completion of both surveys.

Two consultants, Yaw Antwi-Adjei (Data Processing) and Enock F. Ching´anda (survey statistician) worked with the staff of Statistics Sierra Leone to complete the CWIQ survey. Mr. James Otto, World Bank Data Processing Consultant joined the team and assisted in processing the CWIQ pilot and main survey data.

Source: Concord Times (Freetown)

Beta Computers Launches Cani Programme in Kogi Varsity

Beta Computers has launched the Computer For All initiative,(CANi) at the Kogi State University, which is expected to put over 1000 PCs into hands of academic and non academic staff.

A statement made available to ThisDay said that under the arrangement, Beta Computers in partnership with First Banks Plc signed a Memorandum of Association (MoU) to finance ICT projects, which have distributed no fewer than 80 Laptops and Desktops at the launch at the University´s expansive auditorium last week in Anyingba, Kogi State.

The partnership, which is expected to empower the staffs of the university with IT tools in the 21st century knowledge economy, according to the Managing of Beta Computers, Mr Will Anyaegbunam, will enable the beneficiaries to get access to high quality Speedstar computers made by Beta Computers at highly discount rates and payment arrangement spread over 24 months.

At the event that attracted the university community, Anyaegbunam assured the staff of the university that they will give them high quality products and services at discounted rates that they may not ordinarily have access to outside of the CANi programme.

On his part, the Executive Director of First Bank Plc in charge of the Northern Region, Mr Ola Oyelola affirmed his bank´s commitment to financing ICT projects in the country, especially in the educational sector, adding that he will ensure that this collaboration will grow to cover future ICT projects.

The Deputy Vice Chancellor , Academics, Prof . Z. O.Apata who represented the Vice Chancellor Professor F. S. Idachaba commended the partnership of BETA Computers and First Bank for bringing the programme to their institution. He said they are all exited about it and pledged that all their lecturers will avail themselves to this opportunity and acquire the latest technologies.

Before now, Beta Computers launched CANi two weeks ago at the Federal Medical Centre , Azarre in Buachi State for the medical and non medical staff of the institution The CANi scheme was launched last year by President Olusegun Obasanjo as a public private partnership, dubbed "Computer for All Nigerians Initiative." (CANI) to make personal computers available to Nigerians at more affordable prices. The programme is in sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, represented by the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in partnership with Microsoft and Intel Corporation.

Source: This Day (Lagos)

In brief:

- The Ministry of Lands is set to computerise its systems to improve service delivery. James Orengo told Parliament that his ministry had already started scanning, indexing and archiving some of its records.He said the ministry had for a long time depended on a manual system of keeping records, which was cumbersome. The automation process, he said, would entail use of geographical information systems that help in surveys and planning..

- Nigeria has procured a new computer software to arrest HIV/AIDS pandemic and other deadly diseases.The software, according to the Minister of Science and Technology, Mrs Grace Ekpiwhre, is extendable and can be modified to handle a range of diseases including malaria, TB etc, as well as monitor other pandemics.

- In furtherance of efforts by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to train its men and officers in world best practices and position them to confront the rising security challenges in the country, the Force has organized a computer training programme for the Jos Police Command, Plateau State.

Starcomms to Invest $400 Million On Expansion Programme

Starcomms, Nigerian CDMA operator, has disclosed that it is pumping an additional $400 million to expand its network before August 2009. A statement stated that the company has already invested about $600 million since it launched its network in 2002.

The company, which recently listed its shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange and raised about $60 million, reiterated that it has set itself a target of reaching 2.5 million subscribers by the end of 2008, rising to five million by the end of next year, increasing to 50 million by 2011. The stock market floatation raised funding for the company, while also allowing two investors, Actis and ECP to reduce their holdings.

Starcomms expects to start dividend payments to its shareholders in 2010, once it has completed the current phase of network expansion. The network is currently available in 14 major Nigerian cities, Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, Onitsha, Aba, Asaba, Kaduna, Benin and Zaria, while preparations are in progress to put more cities on air this year.

It will be recalled that Starcomms recently raised N64 billion through a private placement, handled by Chapel Hill Advisory Partners Limited and Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, in preparation for listing at the exchange.

Starcomms was founded by the Lababidi family in 1995. Under the chairmanship of Chief Maan Lababidi and through the efforts of its management team led by Maher Qubain, Starcomms has grown to become the fourth largest telecoms company in Nigeria.

Source: This Day (Lagos)

Namibia: MTC Invests Another N$300 Million

MTC said it is investing nearly N$300 million in its infrastructure since December last year. The money went into reinforcing short message capacity, the deployment of transmissions in various parts of the country and the replacement of the central switching equipment with a next generation architecture.

The Managing Director of MTC, Miguel Geraldes, said the investments reinforce the company´s capacity to deal with its ever-increasing client base. The investment into the short messages capacity is totalled at N$3.5 million and was done in conjunction with Intervoice.

Transmissions were deployed in various locations in Windhoek, the coast and in the northern side of the country. The deployment of transmissions brought to an end MTC´s long-standing business arrangement with Telecom, where MTC rented infrastructure from Telecom.

MTC spent N$76 million on this exercise. Nera and Ericsson were the service providers. MTC also upgraded its radio access network and its broadband, in partnership with Nokia Siemens Network and Motorola at a cost of N$88 million.

"[These investments] demonstrate our commitment to maintaining market leadership position and our commitment to Namibia," said Geraldes.

Geraldes said MTC´s investments in the last 13 years totals N$1,6 billion.

Source: New Era (Windhoek)

Nakumatt Invests Sh20 Million in New Bill Payment System

Nakumatt Supermarket, the retail chain has invested Sh20 million in a new information technology switching system.

The switch, integrated on the chain´s Oracle Retail IT mainframe will enable Nakumatt to interconnect with local and international utility providers and banks.

Speaking during the launch of Safaricom Advantage bill payment solution in Nairobi, the firm´s operations director Thiagarajan Ramamurthy said the interconnection capacity will allow Nakumatt to seal bill payment agreements with local companies "With the new switch and software, we are able to connect and share customer data with our partners from our tills enabling them to conveniently settle their bills or withdraw cash at any of our 19 branches," he said.

Safaricom subscribers will not need a copy of their bill as they can get their bill through an SMS service. With five 24 hour branches, Ramamurthy said this will provide the convenience of settling bills round the clock. With the system, customers will access credit card services through Nakumatt Visa Credit card managed by Barclaycard and Equity Bank Cash back service.

Source: The Nation (Nairobi)

Maroc Telecom revenues rise 10% in first half

Maroc Telecom has reported a 10% year-on-year rise in first half consolidated group revenues to MAD14.308 billion (USD1.985 billion), thanks to the continuing growth of its domestic and foreign mobile operations. Domestic revenues in the first half of 2008 amounted to MAD12.511 billion, up 9.8%, with mobile revenues in Morocco increasing by 12.9% to MAD8.923 billion following the full commercial launch of 3.5G voice and internet services in January. Moroccan mobile customers rose 21.3% year-on-year to reach 14.2 million at the end of June 2008, up from 13.7 million in the previous year and 13.3 million at the start of the year. Mobile ARPU in the six month period fell 8.2% year-on-year to MAD98.6, whilst average outgoing usage was maintained at approximately the same level as H1 2007. Fixed line (including internet) operations in Morocco achieved six-month gross revenues of MAD4.75 billion, up by 0.5%, as the fixed line customer base reached 1.329 million, up by 0.3% compared to June 2007. A 3.9% decrease in average monthly wireline user bills was offset by revenues of data and internet services respectively increasing by 17.3% and 9.1%. The ADSL customer base reached 482,000 lines at the end of June 2008, up 10.0% y-o-y, whilst the company claimed 14,000 Mobile 3G+ wireless broadband subscribers by that date.

Mauritel, Maroc Telecom´s Mauritanian unit, earned revenues of MAD519 million in H1 2008, down 3.7%, affected by exchange rates, despite its mobile customer base growing 32.3% to exceed one million at the end of June. Mauritel´s fixed line subscriber lines increased by 27.8% to 46,000. Burkina Faso subsidiary Onatel achieved first half sales of MAD715 million, up 9.0%, as its mobile subscribers increased by 95% year-on-year to 756,000 at end-June, mainly thanks to extended network coverage. Onatel increased its fixed line customer base by 21.5% in the period to 130,000 lines. At Gabonese unit Gabon Telecom, revenues of all business activities amounted to MAD529 million in the first six months of 2008, down 18.5% on a comparable basis mainly due to substantial price cuts carried out over the last year. Users of Gabon Telecom´s Libertis mobile phone service reached 424,000 at mid-year, up 61.2% y-o-y, whilst its fixed lines in service increased by 40.9% to 31,000.

In brief:

- Vodacom revenues for the quarter ended 30 June were up 14.5% year-on-year. Full financial results for the period will be released next month. Vodacom is owned by Telkom South Africa and Vodafone, though the UK group is looking to increase its stake.

- Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) will list on the Malawi Stock Exchange (MSE) in November 2008, according to claims made by MSE Operations Manager John Kamanga. He added that, as a requirement for listing, the company would publish its current financial results.

- An e-mail has been doing the rounds about Vodacom´s planned public offer.It, gives details about the offer: the value of the deal, the number of shares to be sold and for how much.Vodacom says the e-mail is a hoax, as it has not yet finalised the details of the offer. The public offer is part of Vodacom´s R7.5 billion black empowerment transactions. It has already sold 45 percent of that to strategic partners Thebe Investments and Royal Bafokeng Holdings. It will sell 25 percent of the R7.5 billion to staff and its business partners. The black public will share 30 percent of the R7.5 billion. According to the e-mail, black investors can buy a minimum of 100 shares for R2 500 (or R25 a share), while the maximum will be 1 440 000 shares, costing R36 million. The total transaction would be valued at R360 million.

TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE (briefs):

- International call rates in Africa may drop by as much as 80 per cent in a few months, going by a gateway and submarine cable operators´ pledges. The rate charged at present by local operators in Sierra Leone is around 50 cents (Le1500 per minute) but this may drop to equivalent of Le200 per minute under the new regime.

- Celtel Kenya has launched an offer on its ´Unlimited Talk´ service that was launched two weeks ago.The promotion, to be launched today, will see subscribers access the service at Sh65 daily for Celtel to Celtel Calls between 6am and 6pm for a short period. According to the firm this translates to a 35 per cent reduction on calling rates. The offer will be available from July 18th 2008 for a limited period.

- The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has commenced the process of registration of Sim Cards in a bid to tackle security threats posed by some GSM subscribers.

- Minister of State for Information and Communication, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki Nakada, has said there are 60 million Global System of Mobile-communication (GSM) in Nigeria, with only 48 million active.

Apple + Orange = 3G IPhone in Botswana

Orange is set to bring the new 3G iPhone to Botswana, according to information from the manufacturer, Apple. This follows the formalisation of agreements between the manufacturer of the much-hyped device Apple and the global mother company Orange.

Although he was non-committal on pricing, Orange Botswana´s Public Relations Manager, Karabo Tlhabiwe, said the latest status symbol cellphone would retail from US$199 upwards, excluding freight costs. "Maybe a little more for freight costs to Africa," Karabo warned gingerly.

The mother company recently announced an agreement with Apple under which Orange will take the device across a number of markets, including Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

"The iPhone takes advantage of our widespread 3G networks and together we are making the mobile experience for our customers even better," Olaf Swantee, head of Orange´s Global Mobile Operations, said earlier this month.

The 3G iPhone is a more refined, but more affordable version of the original iPhone, which has been a run-away success around the world. The recent launch of the 3G version caused stampedes and all-night vigils around the world.

The iPhone combines three devices into one, namely a mobile phone, a wide screen iPod and an Internet device. After launching in America, it became a fast seller in Europe and Australia and is now expected to reach parts of the Middle East and Africa in the next few months.

Firm Offers Universal Chip to Nigerians

Biopro Technology has concluded plans to launch its products in Nigeria in its bid to bring about the desired turn around in development of telecommunications and information technology.

In a statement signed by Bert Nwakama, "this is an opportunity to draw people´s attention to the concerns of Electromagnectic Radiation (EMR) emitted by cell phones, PDAs, Bluetooth handsets which have been linked to various stress-induced health issues."

"As we unwittingly subject ourselves to this overbearing external stress everyday, the Biopro Cell Chips, Universal Chips, Home harmoniser and i-Water appliance are now available," he said.

According to Bert, experts are worried about the future of peoples´ wellness and how a newly recognised, yet rapidly emerging toxin called electropollution may be silently accelerating the aging process, dangerously increasing stress levels, preventing essential nutrients from entering the body´s cells, as well as keeping damaging toxins from exiting them.

He said Biopro´s breakthrough products and technologies is powering the world´s first patented and proprietary solutions to counteract effects of Electromagnetic Radiation and many other modern ´aging agents´, and unveiling a whole new way to revive youthfulness and enhance wellness.

People

* Ingram Micro South Africa has announced the appointment of South African IT-veteran and channel expert, Hansie Fourie as its CEO.

* An international telecommunications executive with over 20 year´s management experience with United States of America´s AT&T, Kevin Caruso, has been named as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nitel.

Events

*UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY FOR SOCIAL IMPACT

August 2008, Johannesburg, South Africa

The fourth annual SANGONeT “ICTs for Civil Society” conference and exhibition will be held in August 2008 in Johannesburg. This year´s event will be co-hosted with MobileActive.org and branded as “MobileActive08”.

For further information visit www.sangonet.org.za

* 1st INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON E-COMMERCE AND INTERNET SECURITY IN EAST AFRICA

13-15th August 2008, Kenyatta international Conference Centre, Nairobi, Kenya

Information and Communication Technology has been recognised as the engine of development all over the world. ICT sector provides endless opportunities for Africa and its growth in East Africa provides even greater benefits. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) may arguably be the most powerful tool for social and economic development.

For further information visit www.purpleimages.com

* THE AFRICAN NETWORK (TAN) CONFERENCE

16th August 2008, Accra, Ghana

The theme for TANCon Ghana 2008 is “Next Frontier in Business: Propelling Africa to New Heights”, to reflect the growing number of African entrepreneurs in business today, and to showcase to the world Africa´s limitless intellectual and economic capital. This year´s attendees will include seasoned, as well as first-time entrepreneurs, business leaders, public policy leaders, venture capitalists and investment bankers interested in learning first-hand how to successfully invest in technology and in Africa. The topics that would be covered at this year´s conference will include Social Entrepreneurship, Women in African Business, Raising Capital, Entrepreneurship in Informal Sector, Infrastructure Development and Creative Partnership Strategies. Attendees will network with the big wigs in entrepreneurship, business, government policy makers and politicians.

For further information visit http://www.theafricannetwork.org/tancon/africa/

* ITU REGIONAL CYBERSECURITY FORUM FOR EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

25-28 August 2008, Lusaka, Zambia

The purpose of the forum is to identify the main challenges faced by countries in the region in developing frameworks for cybersecurity and critical information infrastructure protection, to consider best practices, share information on development activities being undertaken by ITU as well as other entities, and review the role of various actors in promoting a culture of cybersecurity.

For further information visit www.itu.int/ITU-D/cyb/events/2008/lusaka/

* 3rd CONNECTING RURAL COMMUNITIES AFRICA FORUM 2008

26th - 28th August 2008, Lilongwe, Malawi

With strong support from the industry and public sector this ICT forum will be the continent´s most important forum devoted to last mile solutions.

To participate as a delegate, sponsor or exhibit please contact j.taylor@cto.int, m.dekock@cto.int or s.naidoo@cto.int.

* 7th IWEEK ANNUAL CONFERENCE

17 - 19 September 2008, Johannesburg, South Africa

iWeek has become a critical calendar entry for everyone with a stake in the Internet sector and is the only conference endorsed by the Internet Society of South Africa (ISOC-ZA). Anyone with an interest is welcome to attend free of charge.

You are encouraged to register at your earliest convenience at: http://www.ispa.org.za/iweek/2008/apply.shtml prior to the conference.

* MOBILEACTIVE08 SUMMIT

13-15 October 2008, Johannesburg, South Africa

SANGONeT and MobileActive.org are pleased to announce that they will be hosting the MobileActive08 Summit. The theme of the event is “Unlocking the Potential of Mobile Technology for Social Impact”.

More information about the event is available on the MobileActive08 Summit website at http://www.mobileactive08.org

* CAPACITY AFRICA 2008

14-15 Oct 2008, Cape Town, South Africa

This unique event features a business-driven agenda that will address the latest market developments and opportunities and equip delegates with strategic information to enable them to grow their businesses. Dedicated networking opportunities throughout the programme will provide you with the optimum opportunity to build profitable partnerships and execute business deals.

For additional information visit http://www.capacitymedia.com/conferences-events.asp

* NORTH AFRICA COM

14-15 October 2008, Cairo, Egypt

North AfricaCom is the largest telecommunication event specifically designed for operators and telecoms professionals.

With 35 expert speakers, 700 communications professionals and a 50-stand exhibition in 2007, this event is the best opportunity for you to learn from your colleagues´ experiences in other countries and find out the latest solutions that can improve your business.

For further information visit http://www.comworldseries.com/newt/l/gsm/events/northafrica

* TECHNOLOGY: A PLATFORM FOR DEVELOPMENT?

30 - 31 October 2008, Chatham House, London, UK

Technology is now recognized as having the potential to transform the lives of millions in the developing world. This major international conference will seek to identify best practice for achieving the successful implementation of new technology.

For further information visit http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/conferences/view/-/id/127/

Jobs and Opportunities

* Transmission Fibre Optic Planner – West Africa

Transmission Fibre Optic Planner, required for one of our customers who has deep knowledge in the following: Fiber Optic route planning, loss calculation, civil structures specifications. Understand and have recent experience in Fibre optic technologies, DWDM, CWDM, ROADM, etc Knowledge of Heterogeneous networks - PDH, SDH, ATM and Ethernet. Familiar with any major vendor s product line and detailed knowledge of any major vendors Fibre planning tool. (Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei, Ericsson/Marconi, NSN,etc) Understanding in the use and operation of OTDR s to perform trace recording of spare fibers along the routes and to troubleshoot network problems. Indepth knowledge of G821, G826, G828 Error performance objectives including ability toset end to end and per segment objectives. Good knowledge of Capacity planning, load balancing in SDH rings, network protection SNCP, MSPRING Expert Synchronization network planning, implementation and optimization Able to roffer and implement solutions for Legacy/TDM Transmission to NGN Ethernet,IP, etc migration Knowledge in Planning Tools such as PATHLOSS 4.0, Ellipse and TEMS. Experience in the preparation of BOQ/BOM and vendor negotiation. Knowledge in IP Networking for the Next Generation Network, an advantage.

For further information contact advertising@balancingact-africa.com

Contracts

* ANESRIF and Nortel - Algeria

Nortel has been selected to provide wireless communications with its GSM-R technology for two new railway lines in Algeria. GSM-R is expected to enable the Algerian railway infrastructure agency, Agence Nationale d´Etudes et de Suivi de la Realisation des Investissements Ferroviaires (ANESRIF) to improve safety and increase average train speeds to reduce travel times while reducing operational costs. Nortel´s technology will also help increase network interoperability and support new voice applications running over the GSM-R network such as railway emergency and group conference calls.

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