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ISSUE NO 416

Communauté Electrique du Bénin issues tender to operate fibre network over its transmission pylons in Benin and Togo

Last week the international power utility CEB issued a tender that will allow an external company to operate a fibre network over its transmission pylons in both Benin and Togo. This will do three key things: extend the amount of fibre network available in both countries, potentially connect both countries to their neighbours by more than one route and may help lower national backbone prices in both countries.

The Electricity Community of Benin (Communauté Electrique du Bénin – CEB) is an international organisation for both Bénin and Togo, in charge of developing electricity infrastructure in both countries. It is planning to install fibre cables and telecommunication switches alongside its high voltage transmission cables in Benin and Togo. The following routes will be upgraded with fibre cables:

- 161 kV power line linking the station of Sakété to the station of Lomé-Aflao via the stations of Cotonou Védoko and Momé-Hagou
- 161 kV power line linking the station of Momé-Hagou to the station of Atakpamé via the station of Nanguébo
- 161 kV power line linking the station of Sakété to the station of Onigbolo
- 161 kV power line linking the station of Nangbéto to the station of Bohicon

Telecommunication switches will be installed in the following places :
- in Bénin at Cotonou, Sakété, Onigbolo, Bohicon, Djougou, Parakou, Bembèrekè et Natitingou.
- in Togo at Lomé, Atakpamé, Nangbèlo, Momé-Hagou, Sokodè, Kara et Alédjo.

Interested companies can find tender details in the Jobs and Opportunities column at the bottom of this newsletter.

Meanwhile Benin Telecom has opened its fibre connection to Niger allowing that country's incumbent Sonitel to connect to the SAT3 international landing station in Cotonou for the first time. It will also not be long before Burkina Faso also connects by fibre to Benin.

The strange case of the disappearing broadband connection

Apologies to our readers who may have experienced difficulties and delays in communicating with us over the last two weeks: Balancing Act's UK DSL broadband connection has been off and intermittently operating over the last nine days. African readers may find the tale of what happened interesting and educational.

Over the past year and half our broadband connection has been experiencing minute-long outages. Since these could generally be solved by rebooting the modem, we learned to live with them. But by 21 July, the DSL connection was going up and down every few minutes so we had to act. Ironically this sporadic pattern allowed us to retain an e-mail connection for a while but made Internet use hopeless. So we phoned our provider…

At this point, it's worth explaining that this saga involves three parties: our network maintenance and hosting company, Nux; our DSL service provider, Nildram; and the actual service provider, BT. Nildram's service is hosted at the local exchange by BT who operate and control the equipment. Some independent service providers have their own equipment in the local exchange but in this case Nildram does not.

The game starts with the main parties seeking to hand-off the blame for the outages to others. So Nildram's first questions are whether we can replace the modem and all cables, which we duly do. There is no improvement….So eventually BT Open Reach sends round an engineer. He runs a test on the DSL line and pronounces it sound and proper and that the modem is still at fault. So we replace the modem again…and still no improvement. The service provider Nildram contacts BT who promise to change the card in the port in the DSLAM at the local exchange. Still no improvement…At which point it has been escalated to a BT diagnostic engineer who thinks the line needs a “lift and shift”.

DSL lines are often affected by noise from surrounding equipment in the exchange causing them to operate intermittently. But there's a catch…whereas the diagnostic engineer used to be able to authorise a “lift and shift” immediately, he now has to send out a second engineer to check before he can do this.

On the Friday five days into the problem, the second engineer arrives and tests the line again and pronounces it completely clear. But he get BT Wholesale to test the noise to signal ratio on the modem and it says that it's below the level that will hold the signal. We put in place plans to change the modem on Monday but are amazed to discover that we have uninterrupted broadband on Saturday and Sunday. But by Monday it's completely down again so we go ahead and change the modem. You've guessed by now that this made no difference whatsoever.

So BT promises that it will do the “lift and shift”. But when it reports that it's done it, nothing has improved. So the second engineer returns and again announces after testing that the signal is fine but seeing the emotional pain this is causing phones to check whether the “lift and shift” has been completed. No, it hasn't, which he blames on the service provider Nildram for not issuing a work order. While he's with us, the “lift and shift” is completed and normal service comes back up. The engineer is perfectly pleasant and polite but there are no apologies forthcoming and by this stage, we're so grateful just to be reconnected.

Early in the process we ask whether the repair of DSL faults is covered by a Service Level Agreement. No, it is not because DSL is judged not sufficiently reliable to make this possible. Searching blogs on the net to look at similar cases, it is clear ours is not an isolated occurrence. However, those who write to the regulator Ofcom are told the same thing that we are told by our service provider. So whilst household and commercial phone faults are covered by clear response times and penalties, for DSL services the customer is completely unprotected. Only leased lines are covered by service level agreements but a leased line costs US$400 a month as opposed to US$70 for a DSL line.

In desperation, we explained to our provider that this DSL connection was vital for running our business and we were given a stern lecture about how we should have a back-up line. But how can we have a back-up line with you as it may suffer from the same issues? Well, the provider says, get it from another provider! And here's the rub…The choices for alternative providers are few and not attractive. Satellite wireless is available but it's expensive and not wholly reliable. Cable can be had from Virgin Media but the blogs are full of wailing, dissatisfied customers. We could seek to find a provider that had its own DSL equipment in the exchange which may be the route to go. There are no wireless service providers covering our area.

Finally, the process of fixing the fault is excruciatingly slow. I ring the service provider Nildram but to get through to them and conclude a conversation takes 20-30 minutes every time. On some days I'm making 2-4 calls day. Once through, they bring up a screen they use to share information with BT. But more often than not it's not responding so they ring BT which adds to the time. At one moment of high absurdity, the engineer had two departments of BT on the line while I was juggling our tech support and the person from the service provider Nildram. Of course, once this was achieved a decision took minutes to reach. Each time something was promised it took BT 24 hours to respond. So a fault that was clearly BT's and could probably have been fixed in 3 days (even allowing for the modem replacement routine) actually took nine days to get done. I have nothing but praise for all the individuals we dealt with but the process sucks.

And the moral is? Get some serious competition from wireless service providers going otherwise – even with local loop unbundling – the dominant player will still be in charge of the high ground.

Namibia's mobile phone Market Could Boom

The mobile phone market could potentially grow by N$15 million (US$2 million) a month if the costs of phones, Sim cards and usage were reduced, an economic expert said yesterday.

Dr Rigmar Osterkamp, principal researcher at the Namibia Economic Policy Research Unit (Nepru) said the institution conducted a study headed by Dr Christoph Stork recently, which revealed that only 37 per cent of people above the age of 16 in rural areas had a mobile phone, but 43.8 per cent said they would like to buy one if handsets and Sim cards were cheaper.

"This represents approximately 237,002 untapped customers in rural areas alone," Osterkamp said. "According to our survey, rural people would only be able to spend N$19.50 per month (US$2.60) on phone costs and only N$187 (US$25) for a handset.
We estimate that the mobile telecommunication sector in Namibia could grow by N$15 million per month if purchasing coasts for customers would be lowered."

The Nepru researcher added that the best strategy for all three cellular licence holders in Namibia would be to purchase handsets in bulk and to co-operate with each other to achieve a better bargaining power. "In South Africa, a Sim card costs less than one Namibia dollar at large supermarkets," Osterkamp said. The complete study will be made public next month.

(Source: The Namibian)

MTN to Spend R7.1 Billion to Boost Network in South Africa

MTN is planning R7.1bn in capital expenditure this year, mainly on increasing its network capacity and coverage. The spending is roughly double the amount it invested in its South African operations last year. The plans centre on laying fibre optic cables in urban areas of Gauteng and laying another 5000km of lines to create a national backbone. That will end its reliance on leasing lines from Telkom for its network backbone.

Its network can support 19.5-million active subscribers, and is already serving about 15-million users in SA. Cable-laying to boost capacity in Gauteng will begin in August and cost up to R150m, with an expectation of saving R2.8bn in running costs over a decade. No start date has been set for the national fibre optic roll-out.

MTN South Africa MD Tim Lowry said it would lay the cables in conjunction with another operator to save them both money and minimise the disruption to traffic as roads are dug up.

"We are building strong capacity, which will allow us to do multiple things in the future," Lowry said. The capacity needed to carry voice calls was very predictable, he said, but when data transmissions were involved far more capacity was needed.

Chief technology officer Sameer Dave said MTN's priorities included boosting capacity in buildings such as shopping malls, airports and hotels and in reaching untapped rural areas. "Self-provisioning is one of our major objectives to wean us away from our reliance on Telkom," Dave said. "We are completely dependent on Telkom and we are not able to get links from them and the lines are going down every now and then. Almost 50% to 60% of our down time is related to Telkom issues," he said.

MTN is also keen to boost its international backbone and is one of the main investors in the $235m EASSy undersea cable to be laid around Africa's east coast. Lowry said MTN was also involved in one of the private sector cables being planned to boost capacity around Africa's west coast.

Lowry said MTN was signing up customers faster than a year ago, in a market that many thought was nearing saturation. "The market will continue to grow at a significant rate for another two years, with 9-million to 10-million additional customers that the networks can fight over," he said.

(Source: Business Day)

Hits Telecom Could Lose Operation Rights in Uganda

Hits Telecoms is now saying that it will launch in November in time for the CHOGM meeting having missed its own target launch date of Q1, 2008. However, it has renewed its licence but press speculation continues about what has caused the delays.

In an interview with Business Power in October last year, Jimmy Kiberu, Hits' Chief Corporate Affairs Officer said its GSM network would be up and running in time for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, CHOGM which Uganda hosted in November.

However, Hits only managed to pull off its first test call and never a commercial launch. That call was conducted by President Yoweri Museveni to the Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Dr Ham-Mukasa Mulira, on November 27, 2007 at State House.

During the call, the company's Chief Executive Officer Samir Naessany, and General Manager Marketing Anisha Sekatawa, told the press that the company would kick off business in the first quarter of this year with 079 as its calling prefix number but that target quietly passed with no word from company and the silence has continued as 2008 reaches the halfway point.

The continued silence of Hits Telecom has sparked off speculation that the company could be hamstrung by financial constraints and possibly struggling to secure funds or attract a venture capitalist. Business Power could not verify any of the claims swirling in the telecoms industry circles because officials at Hits remain tight-lipped.

Jimmy Kiberu Hit's Chief Corporate Affairs Officer said; "the company will make a major announcement mid next week, to update the public about what is happening. "Until then, we cannot comment on anything."

UCC's Fred Otunnu confirmed that Hits had renewed their PSP licence but he, too, could not disclose what reasons the company gave for its stalled commercial operations. The Uganda Communications Act bars a licence resale without the regulators sanction. "Before they make any transfers, when they fail to kick start their services, they will have to give sound reasons to the commission for failure to start," Otunnu said.

(Source: The Monitor)

ETC Finalises Preparation to Launch CDMA 2000 fixed wireless Pre-paid service in Ethiopia

Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) has completed the installation of the first phase of CDMA 2000 network infrastructure with 625,000-network capacity through vendor financing agreement with the Chinese ZTE Company and has finalised preparation to make CDMA pre-paid service available to potential customers soon.

In the first phase of the project, ETC will have 250,000 network capacity for Addis Ababa and 375,000 network capacity for regional towns. ET will offer two kinds of services namely on its CDMA network: fixed wireless pre-paid service and mobile telephone pre-paid service operating with SIM card.

Concerning the rates, the wireless pre-paid service will have the same tariff rates as the fixed line while the mobile telephone will have the same tariff as the GSM mobile telephone. For other related value added services such as SMS, call diverting and call waiting, tariff will be charged as per the consumption of the customer, while registration for such services is free.

When the overall CDMA project is fully completed, ETC will have a network capacity that can entertain 2.4 million customers. The budget allotted for the realization of this project is 73.6 million Ethiopian Birr and US$59.5 million dollars, the sum of which worth a total of 644.8 million Ethiopian Birr.

In brief:

- The Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr. Ernest Ndukwe, has disclosed that Nigerian mobile phone subscribers will enjoy free, rather than paid, blocking of stolen phones when an anti-theft scheme to be activated by all operators goes live before year end.

- Last week, the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA), which is responsible for the bidding process of a third mobile licence, named seven companies who had officially bought bid documents: Vitel Holdings, Larrycom For Investment, Essar Telecom, Comium Group, Celtel, Millicom, and Easymobile Communications LTD.

- The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) yesterday terminated its five years sponsorship agreement with Nigeria's leading telecoms provider, Globacom over 'lack of respect to the terms of the agreement'.

- Celtel Zambia, one of Kuwait-based Zain Group's African subsidiaries, has set aside US$70 million for upgrades to its network infrastructure, according to Reuters. The cellco has also revealed that it is currently in talks with the Zambian government regarding plans for the launch of commercial 3G services.

- Reltelwireless, one of the telecommunications solutions providers in Nigeria, has changed its trade name to ZOOM Mobile.

Globacom's Submarine Cable to Berth Nigeria Next Year

After a long wait, Globacom has announced that its Glo cable will reach Ghana by May 2009 and Nigeria shortly thereafter. It is still not clear when the cable will become operational and although company is talking of 14 West African landing points, it seems unlikely that this will happen.

The submarine cable project, which Globacom said is costing about $250 million, runs from London to 14 West African countries, with a dedicated link to the US. The project, Globacom revealed recently, is expected to reach Ghana by May 2009, where it would shortly after, berth the Nigeria sea shore.

Making the revelation in Accra Ghana, as his company was formally presented the license to operate GSM by the country's National Communications Authority (NCA), Globacom's Group Chief Operating Officer, Mohammed Jameel, said the project would enable more services and products to be introduced by Globacom.

(Source: Vanguard)

Telecom Companies Raise Questions Over Access to Fibre Backbone in Rwanda

Recently, the digging started on Rwanda's new fibre optic network. Local telecom companies want their piece of the ICT pie. Rwanda is getting wired. By the end of next year, the government's new 2,000 kilometer fibre optic network should increase broadband access to the country, linking all districts to high quality voice, data, and video services, according to officials.

MTN Rwandacell is interested in using the new network but the company's chief operating officer says there are a few conditions.

"It would be wonderful if the government was a facilitator," says Andrew Rugege. "When the government says 'OK, we'll help you to put this investment in place, and you can utilize it,' they're putting the money up front, we're putting investment in other places in Rwanda, and it's a win-win situation."

Taking fiber infrastructure up to the district level is a positive move, Rugege says, since it would provide access to rural areas that are not otherwise economically viable. "That is a good plan. What is not a good plan is to put that in place and deny access to the business people," he says. "I hope they have no plans to do that."

Minister of ICT Romain Murenzi, who is overseeing the project, says the government will make ownership and usage decisions once the fiber is established. According to him, the government may eventually lease out the fiber, sell it completely, or use it themselves. "These are all possibilities," Murenzi says.

But MTN says limiting the fiber to government use would be unfair. "You shouldn't sink your investors," Rugege says. "We do our business cases based on the market, and a big part of this market is the government. If you take out the government, it becomes a difficult proposition," he says.

MTN may not have made the same investment decisions, had it been aware of the government's plans, Rugege says. "We as investors have put money, and are still putting money, into infrastructure," he says, referring to the US $3 million the company spent this year on its own fiber optic ring around Kigali.

Rwandatel, too, has invested in the new technology, and says that its best case scenario would be to continue along that path. "We've had our fiber network for a while-we know how to manage it," says Victor Kinuma, Marketing Manager.

With a third telecom operator soon to join the duopoly, though, things could get messy, Kinuma says-especially if the new guy builds his own network, too. "It's a little tricky because you'd be having three fiber cables going in the same direction from three different companies," Kinuma says.

For now, Rwandatel says, it will just keep building its own fiber backbone and giving customers as much access as possible. As for MTN, the company says it has no plans to pull out of a newly-signed 15-year service contract with the government-nor is the telecom mogul at risk of going under. "There is no question that we'll survive," the chief operating officer says. "It's just a matter of keeping a fair playing ground."

(Source: Focus Media)

Google's search dominance in South Africa

Google recently established an office in South Africa, headed up by ex-Novell MD, Stafford Masie and it is rapidly overtaking local search engines. But it is also highly focused on mobile Internet use.

Google.co.za has shown very strong growth in the South African market, dwarfing other local search engines such as Ananzi and Aardvark. According to the latest Online Publishers Association (OPA) statistics, Ananzi currently attracts 221,436 unique monthly visitors, down from 314,132 a year ago.

Aardvark also shows a decline in unique monthly visitors. In June 2008 the Telkom-owned search engine received 88,774 unique monthly visitors, down from 106,102 during the same period in 2007.

Google on the other hand is gaining momentum in South Africa, capitalising from the strong broadband growth and the fact that more South Africans are using their mobile phones to surf the Internet. 

Despite the strong broadband growth in South Africa, mobile remains the leading telecommunications medium in the country.  South Africa's current broadband penetration rate is sitting at around 2%, multiple times lower than the country's mobile penetration rate. Masie says that 78% of all people with mobile phones in South Africa don't have personal computers, and that 85% of this “no-PC” group will never own a PC.

According to Masie, a sixth of all Internet searches in South Africa come from mobile devices, the highest ratio in the world. To ensure that it leads in the mobile search market Google SA launched its universal search for mobile in January 2008 – only the fourth country in the world to get this service.

Its strong mobile focus does, however, not mean it is lagging on the desktop side of things. Google.co.za remains the most popular website among the local online community, edging out rivals such as Facebook, Yahoo and Windows Live.

Google's video sharing service, YouTube, also features high on the list of top local websites. With very deep pockets, cutting edge technology and a growing local presence Google looks set to change the local Internet and online advertising market. It will be near impossible for other search brands such as Ananzi and Aardvark to steal market share away from Google and partnerships may be the best way to ensure survival – something which started happening recently.

Local online publishers and advertising agencies have also improved their ties with the search giant, strengthening Google's grip on the growing online market in South Africa.

Online and mobile advertising revenue in South Africa is set to show very strong growth over the next few years, and the smart money will be on Google to capture a large chunk of this marketing spend.

And with innovative new advertising services such as location-based advertising on its mapping and Google earth platforms – which will be extending its coverage of South Africa – and in-video YouTube marketing, it may even grow this market and convince more traditional advertising agencies to spend more money online than before.\

(Source: MyBroadband)

In brief:

- The Kenyan Internet service provider AccessKenya Group has contracted Alvarion for a large-scale mobile WiMAX deployment in the 3.3GHz band. The ISP says it will use the new network to provide high speed wireless internet services for middle and high-end residential users in Nairobi and Mombasa. AccessKenya already offers broadband wireline and wireless services to around 2,200 business users.

- A Swedish company has been commissioned to undertake the satellite imagery mapping of Abuja , Nigeria's Ambassador to Sweden, Dr Godknows Igali, has said.

- The House Committee on Police Affairs has approved an e-recruitment exercise for the Nigeria Police Force.

- Following an investment of US$40 million, MTC Namibia ends reliance on the incumbent's transport network. The company's fibre-optic transmission network was extended in areas including the capital Windhoek, coastal regions and in the north, ending MTC's long-standing reliance on renting backbone capacity from Telecom Namibia.

- In Benin, ISP OTI Telecom has reduced its ADSL prices. A 256kbps DSL connection is now priced at 25,000 CFA Francs per month (US$60) while a 512kbps connection will cost 80,000 CFA francs (US$195) and a 1,024kbps connection will be 200,000 CFA francs (US$487). OTI Telecom has 1,200 DSL subscribers representing a 60% share of the broadband market.

- Algerie Telecom Satellite (AST) has launched new services such as VOIP, geolocalisation and videoconferencing. The subsidiary of Algerie Telecom will also offer I-Direct services.

- Neotel's consumer services have been officially launched in the greater Durban area. The Durban launch means that we have now reached our initial goal to launch consumer services in the five major metropolis in South Africa” says Ajay Pandey, MD and CEO of Neotel.

- The South African telecom regulator, ICASA has  launched its new website, not only sporting an improved look but also better functionality. The ICASA website was built using DotNetNuke – and open source web application framework developed by VB.NET as part of the ASP.NET framework.

5,000 Laptops for Students Arrive in Rwanda

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. Five thousand laptop computers for schoolchildren have arrived in the country as part of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project. The State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Theoneste Mutsindashyaka, confirmed the development Thursday, saying the move was aimed at transforming education in the country.
 
"The world is very competitive and with computers for the students, the government shall be able to provide update education to Rwandans," Mutsindashyaka said. He revealed this during an annual meeting of secondary school head teachers held at Serena Hotel. He said another five thousand laptops would soon be arriving.

Rwanda is participating in the OLPC roll-out programme, which the government said will be extended to all primary school children within five years.

(Source: The New Times)

Hewlett Packard Fights Counterfeits in Mozambique

The US-based hardware company Hewlett Packard (HP) is signing agreements with Mozambican partners in the fight against counterfeit computer products.

The first such agreement was celebrated on Thursday evening with the Maputo company Consultrajin. According to Mercia Uys, the representative of IT4Africa, an authorized HP wholesaler, Consultrajin is one of six Mozambican firms licensed to sell HP products.

She announced that a full certification procedure will begin on 1 November, allowing consumers to know whether the company they are dealing with is authorized to sell HP products. Uys said that customers will be able to obtain an end-user letter from certified partners, guaranteeing that the goods purchased are genuine.

Armindo Cossa, managing director of Consultrajin, claimed that two thirds of the computer products on the Mozambican market are counterfeit. Looking at all the areas of east and west Africa that she deals with, Uys put the figure rather lower, at 40 per cent.

Cossa said the main victim of counterfeit goods is the Mozambican state, because of the tender procedures followed. The rules for tendering are brutally clear - the dominant factor is price, and almost always the lowest bidder will receive the contract.

Cossa argued this was dangerous when acquiring high-tech equipment, because it opened the door to counterfeit. Pirates are able to charge less for their goods than bona fide suppliers.

He suggested that it was time to change the rules, and that, at the very least, the state should demand that suppliers provide documents from the manufacturers certifying that the products purchased are genuine.

The counterfeit goods come from the far east. Uys said that most of them are made in China and Singapore. But neither she nor Cossa named the companies involved in putting these inferior goods onto the Mozambican market.

Obviously companies like Consultrajin know who their competitors are, and which of them are dealing in counterfeit goods. Yet Cossa was reluctant to denounce them publicly. Instead, he suggested that, if customers suspect they have been sold counterfeit HP goods, they should inform Consultrajin which will then contact both HP and the police.

The main problem seems to be not with machines such as printers or photocopiers themselves, but with consumables such as toner and ink. Uys explained to her audience some of the tell-tale signs that enable customers to know whether a toner cartridge or inking drum is a genuine HP product or a fake.

(Source: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique)

South Africa's State IT agency will use OSS to cut costs

The State IT Agency (Sita), which provides IT services to the South African government, will use open source software as one of the strategies to reduce costs in providing IT services.

Before resigning this week, Sita chief executive officer, Llewellyn Jones, opened the GovTech 2008 conference in Durban saying reducing costs was a key objective for the agency. He said that the use of open source software in providing IT services was one of the strategies that would be used by Sita.

Standardisation and the use of open standards is also an important element in reducing costs, said Jones. Jones said that other strategies that would be used include using shared services models and better procurement. Jones also said that part of the strategy was to negotiate better licensing agreements with proprietary vendors.
(Source: Tectonic)

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 University of Jos, last week emerged as the only university in Nigeria, to benefit from Hewlett Packard's, $3.6 million corporate social responsibility project aimed at empowering about 36 universities in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), with cash and equipment. Other beneficiaries in Africa, however, include the Makerere University Uganda and the University of South Africa .

Vodacom Shares Bonanza estimated to Benefit 50,000 Blacks South Africans

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. At least 50,000 black citizens are expected to buy shares in Vodacom when SA's most popular cellular network stages the biggest empowerment deal yet seen in the hi-tech sector. The R7.5bn move puts 6.25% of Vodacom SA up for grabs, valuing its local operations at R120bn. It is also one of SA's largest employee share incentives, with staff of any colour getting free shares worth R1.87bn.

 
Black staff will receive 70%, with three-quarters to be allocated now and a quarter reserved for future employees. "It's truly broad-based and it was our intention from the outset to empower a broad base of black South Africans," said CEO Alan Knott-Craig. "I am delighted for the staff because 14 years is a long time for them to watch everybody get shares in the company they work for, and it's great ordinary South Africans can buy in."

The public offer comes at a 10% discount, but eliminates anyone with less than R2500 as the minimum investment for 100 shares. Yet Knott-Craig expects a huge response, even if people have to borrow money to buy in. "My hope is that we will attract about 50,000 individuals," he said.

(Source: Business Day)

Ghana Telecom Faces financial Collapse, warns Minister

The Minister of Communication, Aggrey Ntim, has warned that Ghana Telecom (GT) faces imminent collapse if immediate action is not taken to salvage the numerous problems facing the company at present. This is clearly designed to head off political pressure from those opposed to the sale to Vodafone but he revealed a worsening financial situation at the company.

He said, as at December last year, total assets of GT was GH¢531 million as against its total liabilities of GH¢558 million, giving a net worth value of GH¢27 million. He noted that as at May this year, total assets of the company stood at GH¢552 million against total liabilities of GH¢586 million, resulting in a net worth figure of GH¢34 million.

According to the Minister, the working capital of the company follows a similar trend, and last year it recorded a negative working capital of GH¢188 million and as at May, this year, the figure rose to GH¢199 million.

The situation, he noted, was a great worry to Government, saying "given the current competitive market forces at play in the country, and the negative balance sheet status of GT, it is unlikely to see GT remain competitive over any appreciable length of time, before the factors that give premium consideration to its value is eroded." The Minister was speaking at a news conference in Accra yesterday, to make known to the public the rationale behind the government's decision to sell 70% shares in GT to Vodafone International Holdings BV.

He stated that GT was currently constrained to the extent that it was performing against revenue expectation with no profit declared. Its network rollout was also behind target.

He lamented that GT built only 20% of its projected 400 base stations because of lack of investment funds, while as at December last year, MTN had 1,660, Tigo 702 and One Touch 397 base stations. In the same year, GT's capital expenditure was US$31 million instead of the required US$67 million to sustain business strategy, while MTN spent US$164 million.

He mentioned that the cumulative capital expenditure for the next eight to twelve months is US$271 million, and cumulative for five years is US$500 million, which is the value of CAPEX that Vodafone is committed to provide under the Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA).

"GT Mobile Network capacity is 1.8 million subscribers with a current subscriber base of 11.4 million. This shortfall is again due to lack of adequate investment and GT fixed line capacity is 477,000 with a current subscriber base of 350,000."

He pointed out that in the absence of expanded capacity, GT's asset base will continue to depreciate while its competitors in the industry take over GT's market share.

Mr. Ntim said it was in view of the above that "Government has taken the bold step to privatise GT", and also because "it is in line with its policy of privatisation and liberalisation designed to make the private sector the engine of growth." This, he noted would create opportunity for government to partner the private sector to re-capitalise the company to the tune of US$500 million, to bring about innovation in its operations, saying "Government would thereby be freed to apply revenue accruing to the state to meet cost of other social responsibilities."

Ntim said in May 2008, following negotiations on Vodafone's bid proposals submitted in February, government received an updated offer from the former to acquire 70% interest in GT, for a total consideration of US$900 million on a debt-free, cash-free basis, he stated.

According to him, "this offer corresponds to an Enterprise Value of US$1,128 million for 100% of GT", and argued that considering the high indebtedness of GT and the deteriorating circumstances of the state company, "the declining valuation figures necessitated the aggregation of other state communications infrastructure that also required investment to build. This is why consideration was given to the transfer and management of the National Communications Backbone in this offer."

Further, he disclosed that the final draft SPA has given consideration that includes measures required to commit Vodafone to complete the second phase of the fibre optic backbone, while all the major competitors to GT were building their fibber optic network in the country.

"The fibre optic backbone would be maintained as an open access, non discriminatory network and the subsidiary management company to be considered in the new GT, would include Government partnership to enable its open access character to be monitored at all times", he added. He debunked suggestions that Vodafone is a 'mobile only' network, saying, "they have been investing in fixed line and broadband services for sometime now and they are rated 5th in Europe", among others.

Ntim said the Government will ring-fence all debts so the investment of US$500 million to be made into GT would be applied solely to promote expansion of GT in addition to a proposal in the SPA for GT to be listed on the Stock Exchange from 2010. He maintained that "from the points I have enumerated on GT's financial situation, if no action is taken now, we stand to face the unfortunate situation of making these workers redundant. This is the reason why government is taking steps to protect the interest of the workers."

(Source: Ghanaian Chronicle)

Acquisitions on the up in South Africa's mobile marketing sector

Mobile marketing agency Mybeat Interactive has outgrown its status as a target of venture capital support and has now become 40% owned by Shake Interactive, a Cape Town digital marketing company.

The shares in Mybeat were previously held by Mark Shuttleworth's venture capital firm HBD, which has sold out for an undisclosed amount. HBD bought into MyBeat in 2002 as one of the first four start-ups the fund supported .
Mybeat specialises in mobile media and interactive technologies, and works with advertising agencies to develop campaigns to target consumers for clients including L'Oreal, Johnson & Johnson and Virgin Mobile.

One of its highlights was the launch of a service in collaboration with 5FM that let listeners find out the details of a song being played on the radio by sending an SMS .

Shake has already worked with Mybeat on a number of projects and the buy-in will give Shake's clients access to Mybeat's mobile messaging software and marketing experience.

"Mybeat has grown from strength to strength since 2000 and an active partnership with Shake is exactly what we need to take the company to the next level," MD Wayne Silbermann said recently. Its technology could reach more of its potential through joint campaigns with Shake's clients in SA and abroad . Shake runs marketing campaigns for customers including Media 24, Piggs Peak Casino, Sasol and the UK branches of Nissan, Jaguar and Land Rover.

 (Source: Business Day)

Watchdog Acts on Vodacom 'Lies' in South Africa

A former Vodacom executive is facing charges of perjury after allegedly lying to the Competition Commission. The commission has laid a complaint under the Competition Act for knowingly providing false information. This carries a maximum punishment of up to six months in jail, a R2000 fine, or both. The case concerns failure to provide documents the commission requested when Vodacom sought approval for its R206m acquisition of Global Telematics and Glocell Service Provider Company.

Neither Vodacom nor the commission named the person facing the charges. It was clearly a Vodacom strategy to withhold the documents, commission head of mergers and acquisitions Tembinkosi Bonakele said last week.

"It was discussed at board level so Vodacom is responsible for this, but we went for the individual who signed on behalf of the company saying that the information was true and correct. So technically she becomes the fall guy," he said. "We have looked carefully, and this is the only person we think we have the grounds to go after."

The commission asked Vodacom to submit all documents relevant to the deal, including minutes of a board meeting, but it was led to believe those documents did not exist. When the Competition Tribunal ordered Vodacom to provide the documents, they were submitted.

The tribunal said an affidavit by Vodacom legal affairs executive Eleni Christodoulou said the company had not submitted a report to the Securities Regulation Panel about the deal so it could not provide such a document to the commission.

What she did not explain was why she had not provided other relevant documents, including minutes prepared for the directors. "While her affidavit may be technically true insofar as no document submitted to the Securities Regulation Panel has been omitted, Vodacom has not complied with the act in submitting all the other relevant documentation required," the tribunal said. Christodoulou left Vodacom late last year.

The commission believes the minutes were hidden because they showed the real reasons why Vodacom wanted to buy out the resellers, rather than a dressed-up version that Vodacom presented at the hearings.

After reading the minutes, the commission saw that it wanted to eliminate competition and improve its own profit margins. Yet in the documents it voluntarily submitted to win approval it claimed the move was designed to consolidate its delivery channel to provide a better service to customers.

"It is clear from Vodacom's documents that the transaction was intended to take out a company that was providing competition and threatening its margins.

"Accordingly, the commission believes that grounds existed for referring this matter to the criminal prosecution authorities for charges," the commission said yesterday.

Vodacom chief communications officer Dot Field said: "We've referred this matter to our attorneys for their immediate attention. Due to the seriousness of this matter, Vodacom cannot comment further."

When the tribunal approved the deal in March, its chairman, David Lewis, blasted Vodacom for lying and deliberately withholding information. He also took "an exceedingly dim view of the contempt Vodacom's conduct reveals for the regulatory process," which was a "flagrant contempt for the law".

At the time, Vodacom SA MD Shameel Joosub said: "We unequivocally deny we deliberately withheld information from either the commission or the tribunal, or made any attempt to mislead them. Whilst we must accept responsibility for submitting a document late, the document was nevertheless voluntarily submitted after Vodacom itself had discovered it."
(Source: Business Day)

In brief:

- Zain has announced its consolidated financial results for the first half of 2008. Commenting on the company 's H1-2008 financial results, Zain Chief Executive Offiver (CEO), Dr Saad Al-Barrak, said, "on the back of splendid results for 2007 and the first quarter of 2008, despite fierce competition in many markets, we are elated that Zain continues its excellent performance in the first half of 2008. Al-Barrak said, "we have started to reap the rewards of our recent large investments particularly in Iraq, Nigeria and Sudan, with the three countries now serving more than half of Zain's 50 million customers. We expect similar rewards when our operations in Saudi Arabia and Ghana commence commercial operations," he said.

- Transcorp used its oil bloc OPL 281 as collateral to acquire 51 percent shares in the beleaguered Nitel the House of Representatives Ad-hoc committee investigating the Oil and Gas sector from 1999 to March 2008 heard this week. Transcorp, according to the committee, was allocated two oil blocs, OPL 285 and OPL 295 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo during the 2006 mini bid but it used the OPL as collateral for its acquisition of Nitel, even though the corporation defaulted in paying the signature bonus.

- Further details regarding the privatisation of fixed line incumbent Societe des Telecommunications du Mali (Sotelma) have been announced by the telco's CEO, Lassana Ndiaye. The process will see a 51% stake sold to a strategic investor, and Sotelma has confirmed that 10% and 19% stakes will be reserved for employees and institutional investors, (including the public), respectively. The remaining 20% will be retained by the state. The process for privatisation is due to begin in October this year and it is understood that the sale is expected to raise funds to help Malitel, the mobile subsidiary of Sotelma, to expand its network infrastructure.

- Ugandan investors have reason to be angry with the recently concluded Safaricom IPOs that have turned out to be costly as bankers' cash heavily on the unfavourable exchange rates. Ugandan investors, will lose approximately 4.7% of their total committed investment. Such investors can only anticipate a future appreciation of the share to Ksh8 so as to breakeven, otherwise they could as well count a loss and call it quits.

-The book, Call centres: How to Set Up your Own is written by MTN Foundation in partnership with Fate Foundation for the benefit of every Nigerian who might want to start a small scale business to enhance his or her economic status and relevance in the country.

- The French ambassador to Angola, Francis Blondet, said in Lubango that his country will soon invest in the southern Huila Province in the sectors of telecommunications, agriculture, geology, mining, and education, in the framework of the existing co-operation between the two countries.

TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE (briefs):

- Gambia has almost a million telephone subscribers, with over 800,000 mobile telephone and about 50,000 fix telephone subscribers, according to a report by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA). The release said also the last two years saw stagnation in the number of fixed line subscribers in The Gambia with marginal growth rate of only 20 per cent in 2006 and 9 per cent in 2007.

- Celtel Zambia stated thatt it had signed up 400,000 new customers in the six months ending June 2008, taking it to a total of 2.3 million subscribers. It heads the market, with an estimated 77% share at March 2008.

-  In South Africa, low-cost airline Mango has teamed up with banking group FNB to launch a payment system that allows passengers to pay for flights using their cellphones.  FNB's Cell Pay Point, introduced last year, enables customers to pay for goods and services using their cellphones from any FNB account, a step away from the traditional credit card payment system used in most online transactions.

- In a detailed reported published in the latest World Cellular Data Metrics edition, Informa Telecom & Media stated that total mobile data revenues were approximately $157 billion in 2007. Research from the first quarter of 2008 reveals that mobile data service revenues exceeded $49 billion, accounting for a 42.7 per cent year on year increase. Further next-generation deployment should also ensure rapid growth in Africa and the Americas, which accounted for just two per cent and five per cent of global data revenues at the end of first quarter of 2008. With the increased deployment of fixed wireless telephony, the popularity of EV-DO data-cards continues to spread across Africa, now available in 18 markets.

- Celtel Nigeria is now offering Data Roaming Services to its customers in many hot spots of the world including the United States of America, United Kingdom, Ghana, and Kenya. Others include South Africa, the United Arab Emirate, Sri Lanka, and Gabon, Senegal and Kuwait. Customers of Celtel can now do data roaming on a number of mobile networks in several countries of the world such as Cingular in the USA, Cincinnati Bell Wireless, USA, Orange in the United Kingdom, DU of UAE, Vodacom in South Africa, Tigo (Millicom) of Ghana, Celtel Gabon, Celtel Uganda and Celtel Kenya.

- In Malawi, TNM Limited has this year embarked on an expansion program under which they installed a new switch capable of hosting 5 million subscribers they have planned to have 60 new sites during the second half of 2008. The company is also expected to offer 20 percent of its stakes to the public during its Initial Public Offer at the Malawi Stock Exchange this November.

- MTN has rolled out the MTN Zone tariff in Uganda. The new product promises savings of up 99 per cent on all calls depending on the time and the base station a subscriber uses to call other MTN subscribers.

Tanzania's Government to Tackle Teacher Shortage with cellphones

The Government is to start using mobile phones and computers to mitigate the effects of an acute shortage of teachers in its primary and secondary schools. The Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Prof Jumanne Maghembe, said last week that the plan involved distant learning through mobile phones messages and computer generated classes.
 
He said the Government would from October start using information technology (IT) as an alternative method to tackle the shortage of teachers in the country. Speaking during the handing over of nearly 100,000 books worth Sh2.45 billion to aid 75 schools, Prof Maghembe said the IT project would start as a pilot study before being rolled out to other needy areas.

He said about 200 primary schools would benefit from the IT programme. They are located in Lindi, Kisarawe and Bagamoyo districts, which all face an acute shortage of teachers. The minister said if successfully implemented, the project would mark a turning point in Tanzania's goal of ensuring quality teaching aimed at improving education standards.

The programme, he added, would also use projectors to reach more pupils. The projectors would be operated from one control centre manned by a few instructors.

Tanzania is experiencing an acute shortage of teachers in both primary and secondary schools, with the latter facing a shortfall of some 40,000 new teachers.

Prof Maghembe said IT would be used as an alternative as more teachers were being awaited to graduate from training institutions. "We are completing a project which will enable the use of IT to reach many students as part of measures to tackle the shortage of teachers in the country. This will also help in improving the standard of education and raise the enrolment of pupils," said Prof Maghembe.

"After the project is completed, we shall be able to use one teacher to teach many students and the shortage of teachers will be history in Tanzania," he added. He warned that the shortage could get out of hand if alternative measures were not taken to solve the growing problem.

Meanwhile, Prof Maghembe said the Government had raised the number of teachers graduating from teachers' training colleges to about 20,000 graduates annually.

(Source: The Citizen)

South Africa grants financial support to a research programme on suppressing Jitters for Streaming Videos over the Internet

A local technology development that could put an end to watching jittery videos over the internet because of bandwidth constraints has won financial backing from the science and technology department.

The department's Innovation Fund has pledged R14,5m over three years to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the University of Cape Town and East Coast Access, a Durban-based internet service provider.

The trio have teamed up to develop a method for broadcasting videos over the internet in developing countries where low network bandwidth and other infrastructure glitches give streaming videos the jitters.

Project co-ordinator Keith Ferguson, a researcher at CSIR, will oversee the development of the core media software. Research into how to adapt multimedia content broadcasting techniques for those conditions will be carried out by Cape Town University students.

The ability to transmit live videos had immense potential for social transformation in developing countries where resources and expertise were scarce, Ferguson said last week. "Currently, SA and other developing countries are characterised by limited internet access, with broadband available only at high cost to subscribed users."

The technology his team is developing for these conditions also had a commercial aspect as more companies began to advertise their goods and services online, he said. The Innovation Fund is backing the project to help it evolve from the research stage to a commercial launch. The goal is to run a test project within three years.

(Source: Business Day)

People

* The short-lived CEO of the State Information Technology Agency (Sita) of South Africa confirmed his resignation. Llewellyn Jones will step down apparently because of political interference in the agency's operations.

* The National University of Rwanda (NUR) has appointed David Rurangirwa as the new director for its Rwanda Development Gateway Centre (RDG) based in Huye District, Southern Province.

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

* Call for tender for the installation of fibre cables and telecommunication switches on power lines in Benin and Togo

The Electricity Community of Benin (Communauté Electrique du Bénin – CEB), an international organisation of the Republic of Bénin and Togo, in charge of developing electricity infrastructure in both countries is planning to install fibre cables and telecommunication switches alongside its high voltage transmission cables in Benin and Togo. The following routes will be upgraded with fibre cables:
- 161 kV power line linking the station of Sakété  to the station of Lomé-Aflao  via the stations of Cotonou Védoko and Momé-Hagou
- 161 kV power line linking the station of Momé-Hagou to the station of Atakpamé via the station of Nanguébo
-  161 kV power line linking the station of  Sakété  to the station of Onigbolo
- 161 kV power line linking the station of Nangbéto to the station of Bohicon

Telecommunication switches will be installed in the following places :
- in Bénin : Cotonou, Sakété, Onigbolo, Bohicon, Djougou, Parakou, Bembèrekè et  Natitingou.
- in Togo : Lomé, Atakpamé, Nangbèlo, Momé-Hagou, Sokodè, Kara et Alédjo.

The deadline to submit applications is August 13th 2008 at 11am.

For further details on this call for tender contact

Communauté Electrique du Bénin
Direction Générale
Rue de la Kozah, BP 1368, Lomé, Togo
Tel : +228 221 61 32 / +228 221 57 95
Télécopie : +228 221 37 64

Contracts

* Lacell and Ericsson - Burundi

Privately owned Burundian mobile operator Lacell has awarded Ericsson a turnkey contract to roll out its GSM network in the country, cellular-news reports. The deal includes the deployment of a core network, associated radio network equipment, installation, integration and training services. It is understood the initial rollout phase is already underway, and that it is expected to be completed by November 2008.

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