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WEEKLY PUBLICATION DEADLINE: 12 pm GMT Sunday. ISSUE NO 477 23rd October 2009 Mali’s school students prepare themselves for the arrival of OPLC’s laptopsAs four years have passed since the launch of One Laptop Per Child by Nicolas Negroponte, it’s perhaps a good time to take stock of what the project has achieved, particularly in Africa. Isabelle Gross spoke this week to Nathalie Avidar, whose responsible for OPLC’s country co-ordination for OPLC Europe, based in Belgium. With 1.5 million OLPC laptops deployed across the world and the objective of reaching 2 million by 2010, the dream of offering children from emerging countries the opportunity to get involved in ICT is beginning to be realised. According to Nathalie Avidar, the first step in the process of deployment is to get the « buy-in » of Governments, particularly the Ministry of Education. At this moment, OPLC has agreements with the Governments of Rwanda, Mali, Burundi, Tanzania, Swaziland, DRC, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco and Mozambique. This is a group of countries that is both geographically and economically very varied. The second step is to find finance and a site for a local pilot to distribute 10,000-12,000 OPLC laptops. In Mali the pilot project stage is due to start this December with primary school students in Timbuctu and its surrounding region. The initial pilot of 10,000 laptops has been financed by a Swiss international foundation, according to Avidar. The initial order for a pilot of this kind with between 10,000-12,000 laptops costs between US$2-2.4 million. This sum covers the machines and the training of all the relevant personnel and also includes after service. However, for 1% of the purchase price, OPLC will offer either repair or replacement of machines in event of major failures. In Rwanda which was one of the first countries to sign up to OPLC, there are currently 150,000 laptops in the country. This represents a penetration level in the order of 5%. At this rate, it would only take 5-6 years to reach saturation point. As in Mali, the project has been rolled out in phases. The capital Kigali was the site for the pilot programme and rather than wait for an evaluation phase and supplementary finance, the Government has pressed straight on to further roll-out. According to Avidar, the Rwandan experience has demonstrated that the OPLC laptop is important as an educational tool for course work. Also when students finish at school, they take the laptop home and use it and also teach members of their family how it works. Because of its robustness, its low power consumption and ability to access the Internet, the laptop has 150 different applications that can among other things help children to read, write and count. The applications are based on the theory of constructivism : the child does not need to know how to read in order to operate the machine as its operations are based on icons, much as also its learning programmes are. With a laptop targeted at children between the ages of 6-12 years in primary schools in emerging markets (representing several hundred million students), OPLC aims to put « bread on the plate » in the coming years. The objectives of the project are noble but it still needs to ensure that the price of the OPLC laptop remains competitive and is not an obstacle to use. When the project was launched, the opening hype was of a laptop for US$100 . The project’s founder Negroponte must now be wondering whether the considerable media attention this attracted was worth the subsequent disappointment. Today the OPLC laptop costs US$180 (including delivery and training) while the newer generation of « netbooks » (which the project in part spurred on) cost US$300-400. However, it’s possible to get an Asus Eee PC 701 from Amazon for US$250. And the cost differential will keep on closing. In August this year, an article published on the site Liliputing ((http://www.liliputing.com/2009/08/lanyu-ebook-ly-eb01-7-inch-netbook-reviewed.html) ) announced the arrival of the Lanyu LY-EB01 eBook, a netbook « made in China » for less than US$100 but unfortunately only available in China. But when African Governments look at moving from « agreements in principle » to OPLC deployments in their primary schools, price weigh in their final decision-making if the purchases are funded by international donors. To get more information about OPLC Europe, visit their web site : http://www.olpceu.org 
Vodafone Pushing for Mobile Number Portability in GhanaAs one of the underdogs in the market, Vodafone Ghana said is pushing for the implementation of mobile number portability (MNP). "The claims and counter claims by network operators on which one has the best network quality will all be put to rest when MNP is implemented to give the subscriber the power to decide which network is best," Major Albert Don-Chebe (rtd), Head of Corporate Communications of Vodafone Ghana, said. He was speaking at a day's workshop for journalists in Accra on the proposed implementation of MNP in Ghana. The seminar was intended to generate debate in the media on the need for the MNP system to come to Ghana. MNP is a system that allows a customer to keep his number, including the network prefix, when changing from one network operator to another. Unlike what Zain did when they enabled customers of other networks to register their numbers on Zain with the Zain's 026 prefixing, MNP allows a customer to move from Vodafone, for instance, with his 020XXXXXX number to Zain, still maintaining the 020 prefix. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Communications, has given his support to MNP during his vetting for Parliament:"With as many as six mobile operators in Ghana it has become necessary for MNP to be implemented to give customers the choice and flexibility to be on any network they want and I can assure you that I am committed to its implementation," he told the Appointments Committee of Parliament. He, however, noted that MNP could only happen when the regulatory and technical environment was ready for it. The National Communications Authority said about a year ago that it was regularizing the phone numbering system before the implementation of MNP, possibly in 2011. But in answer to a questionnaire from the Ghana News Agency, the NCA said that MNP is "cumbersome and costly" and that "the success rate of its implementation in other jurisdictions did not match the money that was sunk into the project". The NCA explained that MNP was cumbersome and costly because of the length of time to execute porting, frequency of porting and cost of porting to customers. Four of six mobile operators, Kasapa Telecom, Zain, Glo Mobile, and now Vodafone have openly declared their support for it, while MTN refers journalists to the NCA for comments on MNP. As the new incumbent, MTN probably has most to lose from MNP implementation. (Source: GNA) Kenyan regulator CCK to clamp down on sales promotions and special offers and control tariffsThe Kenyan regulator CCK is bringing in strict regulations that target sales promotions, special offers and other sales gimmicks, which have become integral parts of the aggressive tactics the companies use to attract new customers and retain loyalty. The moment the new rules take effect, all promotions and special offer campaigns will only be allowed to run for a maximum of 90 days. Under the proposed regime, companies must file all details of promotions or special offers with the CCK within 14 days before the campaign starts. Special offers and promotions will only run after approval by the CCK. Even more controversial are proposals to monitor and control tariffs. The rules stipulate that all tariffs charged by mobile phone companies will have to be approved by the CCK. There is also a proposal to introduce what is known as price caps. Any mobile company with a dominant market share will have to observe an upper limit tariff set by the regulator. Furthermore, tariff increases will be pegged to movement of the consumer price index. The proposed regulations have been circulated to the stakeholders and are still subject to discussion and consultation. In a conversation with the Saturday Nation, the chief executive of Safaricom, Michael Joseph, described the proposed regulations as "draconian" and "anti-business", arguing that publication of the proposed rules had introduced regulatory uncertainty in the industry. Zain also objected to some of the new rules the moment the draft regulations were circulated a fortnight ago. (Source: Daily Nation) Telecom Egypt says it will remain sole fixed voice providerEgypt’s monopoly fixed line provider, Telecom Egypt, has claimed that it will remain the country’s sole fixed line voice provider despite the recent announcement that the country’s regulator was preparing to offer two new triple-play concessions, Reuters reports. The clarification comes after recent reports that the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) will offer two triple-play licences allowing the sale of fixed line voice, high speed broadband and pay-TV services in upscale suburbs outside Cairo which contain between 50 and 5,000 housing units. ‘Maybe triple-play is not the accurate word, although that was what was announced. Triple-play includes voice, data and video. What's on offer does not include fixed voice at all,’ Telecom Egypt’s CEO Tarek Tantawy said, adding, ‘The two new licence operators will not be allowed to provide voice services, they will have to give us access to their network to provide voice services.’ Operators reportedly interested in the concessions include local companies Orascom Telecom and Vodafone Egypt, as well as UAE-based Etisalat. In separate but related news Bloomberg reports that Telecom Egypt would consider increasing its stake in Vodafone Egypt, were the Vodafone Group to offer an increased stake in the cellco. Additionally, Mr Tantawy has indicated that the company is ‘keeping its eyes open’ for acquisitions, both in Egypt and in other regions. (Source: Telegeography) Off-Grid Charging for Mobile Phones to Power US$2.3bn Market Opportunity in emerging marketsThere is a US$2.3 billion opportunity for mobile operators through the provision of off-grid charging solutions such as solar phones or external solar chargers in emerging markets, claims a new report from the GSMA. The GSMA's Green Power for Mobile (GPM) programme estimates there are 485 million mobile users without access to the electricity grid, a factor which severely limits usage opportunities. The report identifies a range of charging choices available that, if implemented effectively, will extend service availability and could boost average revenues per user by 10-14%. "We are extremely excited that operators are able to provide people in off-grid areas with solutions to power mobile phones, as this will not only improve quality of life and access to information but can also act as a unique and significant opportunity to fuel economic growth," said David Taverner, GPM Programme Manager, GSMA. "The figures we used to calculate the market size of off-grid charging solutions were on the conservative side, so the actual benefit to mobile operators could in fact be much greater than the US$2.3 billion we are estimating. This preliminary market overview is the start of what the GSMA believes will be an important area of industry growth in the coming years." "Mobile networks are increasingly being deployed in rural areas of emerging markets, where consumer access to the grid is at best limited and unreliable and in many cases non-existent," said Windsor Holden, Principal Analyst, Juniper Research. "As Juniper Research has observed, usage will in large be dependent on consumers being able to charge the handset through alternative methods, and solar-powered chargers in particular could become a key means of facilitating reliable access to mobile services in these markets." The research has found that there is significant interest in off grid solutions - 60% of mobile operators interviewed already have or are exploring off-grid charging initiatives - but there is currently only limited understanding about the full scope of options and the associated social and business benefits. Pioneers Digicel and Safaricom, however, have demonstrated how the consumer, the environment and the mobile operator can reap the benefits of off-grid charging solutions. Charging Choices provides initial exploration into alternative charging options and examines the types of solutions currently available on the market. As part of its GPM programme, the Development Fund conducted the study over a three-month period from June through August 2009. It included extensive desk research to identify emerging vendors, their products, and other players in the field, and dozens of interviews and surveys of mobile operators and vendors covering 50 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America. The GSMA Development Fund launched its GPM programme in September 2008 to extend mobile beyond the grid, with two primary objectives: to systematically reduce diesel consumption by mobile operators through the promotion of renewable energy technologies and energy efficient base stations and to remove the barriers to handset charging in off-grid regions. The market opportunity is calculated by taking the 485 million people, at an average ARPU of US$4 (GSMA estimate, based on Wireless Intelligence data) and an increase of 10%, on annual basis To download the report click on the following link http://www.gsmworld.com/documents/charging_choices.pdf In brief:- The roll out of 3G networks by mobile telephone service providers is anchored on the revision of the existing spectrum of licensing costs in Kenya. According to Zain Kenya managing director Rene Meza, the current fee paid to the government prohibits other operators from using the network. For a service provider to roll out the 3G-network platform, it is required to pay an estimated Sh2 billion ($25 million) fee to the Communications Commission of Kenya which is the industry regulator. Of the four mobile firms, only Safaricom is operating on the platform having received its licence in October 2007. The ITU has announced its support for the single-charger standard that has been proposed by the mobile phone manufacturers. The announcement comes as ITU lobbies hard to have the essential role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) recognized in the draft Copenhagen Agreement as a key part of the solution towards mitigating climate change.
Tanzania First to Lower Internet RatesTanzania Telecommunication Company Ltd customers will from this month enjoy a 50 per cent cut in Internet charges, making Tanzania the first East African country to lower Internet charges. TTCL chief executive officer Said Amour Said, told The EastAfrican that the lowering of charges follows the firm's connecting to the Seacom submarine fibre optic cable. "TTCL has reduced its Internet prices effective from October 1, in order to pass on this cost saving benefit to the end users, and the high customer expectations of reduced costs on Internet services have finally been met," he said. The new prices will see high volume Internet users including banks, large businesses and corporations, government agencies and other institutions enjoying a substantial Internet bandwidth cost reduction as customers will get the same capacity of bandwidth at a third the current prices. Under the new structure, a client who buys 1Mbps of Internet capacity for Tsh9.2 million ($7,000) will now buy the same capacity for just Tsh3.14 million ($2,415). For small and medium businesses like cyber cafes, the price has been slashed by 50 per cent. According to Mr Said, customers who were buying 5GB for $200 (Tsh200,000) will now buy 10GB for the same amount of money, and that all Internet subscribers in this category would continue to get high speed of up to 4Mbps through their TTCL fixed lines. According to the new tariff, non-commercial ordinary clients will enjoy a new package with unlimited use for a monthly price of Tsh45,000 ($ 43) with a speed of up to 256Kbps. "It is an ideal service mostly for the common man because it is affordable and guarantees continuous usage," explained Said. (Source: The East African) BTC Reserves Millions for Botsgate and reduces prices by 40%Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) has committed close to US$5 million (approximately P35 million) over the next three years to the enhancement of the country's Internet backbone, Botsgate. The money will be channelled towards the improvement of network performance and to building capacity in order to allow for more services. The Head of Wholesale Division at BTC, Duncan Pie, revealed this at a recent cocktail party hosted for customers at which he also spoke about the parastatal's 40 percent price reduction for Internet bandwidth. The reduction comes as a result of recent changes in the South African regulatory framework which have had a major impact on the cost of Internet bandwidth in Botswana. "The regulatory permutation has created favourable economies of scale for BTC and this cost benefit is being passed on to our customers," a statement from BTC has said. The Group general manager commercial, Loic Descamps, said they found it important to seek alternative leased capacity to make the service more affordable while anticipating their undersea capacity. "Over the past 24 months, we have had two major price reductions, one in October 2007 and the other in September 2009," Descamps said. Botsgate is the only Internet Access Provider in Botswana with international connectivity to multiple STM 1 submarine fibre optic cables. It provides Internet to major service providers in Botswana, Orange, Mascom and the Zambian telecommunications giant Zamtel. (Source: Mmegi) Backbone outage in Cameroon highlights need for redundant capacityAuthorities of the telecommunication network did not preview other rapid means to provide Internet in the case of optic fibre breakdown. Technicians and authorities of Cameroon Telecommunications, Camtel might not have envisaged the recent breakdown in the optic fibre connection in the South Region of Cameroon. This is obvious, as telecommunication authorities say the optic fibre connection in the South Region is not within Camtel's network but that of COTCO. As such, Camtel technicians could not at anytime independently work at the site without depending on COTCO. Whatever the case, this is not enough reason why Cameroon Telecommunications could spend more than 24 hours, being unable to provide Internet services to a majority of its customers particularly those in the capital city, Yaounde. While observers think Camtel neglected its role to put in place other means to provide Internet in the case of an optic fabric breakdown, authorities of CAMTEL say rapid alternatives in the case of optic fibre breakdown could not be automatically expected. According to the Communication Head of CAMTEL, Benjamin Gérard Assouzo'o, the other means used in providing the Internet, such as microwave and satellite are overloaded. "It was impossible to rely on such means", the Communication Head noted. He did not explain why the network was not available in redundant rings. Stressing that there is great technical difference in using microwave, satellite and the optic fibre, Benjamin Gérard Assouzo'o said it was needless to turn to a module of Internet provision (hertzien waves and satellite) which is not only overloaded, but cannot satisfy certain operations of the enterprise and could not make a difference as far as the availability of the Internet is concerned. That is why after some days of Internet blackout, the enterprise had to turn to minimum services, by managing with the satellite and other internet operators who could help. Camtel experts say the only solution to a major breakdown with the optic fibre is to build a national backbone for optic fibre in the country. The backbone requires huge sums of money for it to be set up and Camtel is not able to set it up. But with a recent convention signed between the government of Cameroon and a bank in China, there is hope that by 2010 a backbone for optic fibre will exist in the country. (Source: Cameroon Tribune) In brief:- Rwanda's leading telecom company by market share, MTN, is in talks with TEAMS about obtaining capacity. - In Uganda, the second phase of the National Data backbone project will not begin until the first phase repairs are completed, the information and communication technology (ICT) minister has said. Awori said two firms; Architec Consult and Tech Consult, had been contracted to supervise the repair work. - On the occasion of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's electoral campaign, an interactive electronic site entitled "tunisiebenali.tv" has been launched with a view to using video as a vehicle and support to the message President Ben Ali wishes to convey to Tunisian citizens at home and abroad.
Data Recovery Services too expensive yet for Ugandan’s SMEsOrganisations in need of data recovery services now have reason to smile following Computer Point Uganda Ltd's decision to lower its monthly charges from a high of $4,000 to as low as $600. According to the firm's managing director Anil Kuruvilla, the initial costs of the disaster recovery service were considered so expensive thereby repelling many potential clients. He said the charges initially ranged from $2,000 to $4,000 per month, depending on the client's needs. The charges have now been revised to a minimum cost of $600 per month and a maximum fee of $1,200 for the same period in a bid to get more eligible clients including SMEs with small turnover and growing data management needs. Though the data recovery service product has been in the market for the last two years, the firm believes its impact is still limited because of low appreciation of data recovery systems among many local businesses, widespread use of offshore data back-up facilities by multinationals and high charges. It is little known because many businesses do not appreciate the value of critical data management systems. Most rely on internal systems and external providers who tend to restrict themselves to renting storage space. We also faced challenges of high charges levied on clients and slow connectivity but we expect to overcome them soon," said Kuruvilla. Under the service package, the company provides designated space for data storage and a disaster recovery component to enable retrieval of client data whenever it is lost. The service is suited to commercial banks, insurance companies, manufacturing entities, supermarkets and media houses. Despite the lukewarm market reception, the disaster recovery product has attracted about 80 clients, mainly corporate organisations but the potential entry of rival players likely due to growing appetite for data recovery solutions among small companies. (Source: The East African) Adama University Instigates e-Learning in EthiopiaAdama University (AU), formerly known as Nazareth College of Technical Teachers Education, on Thursday declared that it instigates the first self-developed, campus-wide eLearning environment in the university. The eLearning program, said the first of its kind for a higher education institution here in Ethiopia, where all of the learning materials have been developed in cooperation with the Adama eTeaching Competence Centre, lecturers and professors from the university, is also planed to be widely exported to other universities in the country. The program is developed in cooperation between the university and Engineering Capacity Building programme (ecbp). According to officials, there are 7 courses currently offered in the eLeaming format, with more to be added in the future. "This is a significant accomplishment of both AU and the Engineering Capacity Building Program (ecbp), which provided the eCapacity training and support to the university staff," , Dr. Mebahtu Meles, ecbp Director said at the launching of the program held at the University premises. "eLearning is an innovative learning style that gives students 24 hour access to interactive education material and the modern information society," he said underlining that students are less reliant on the currently overworked lecturers and professors as they can carry out their coursework on their own time. At the launching of the program State Minister of Education and ecbp Director, Wondwossen Kiflu and university President Professor Herbert Eichele witnessed the success of this program making it bold that what it meant for Adama University and the possibilities of exporting the success to all other Ethiopian Universities. After the accomplishment of the elearning program at AU, the program will also be implemented soon to Jimma University, Bahir Dar University and Mekele University immediately, the University president told The Daily Monitor. "The eLearning environment makes it possible to enlarge practical experiences in topics of study. The program enhances traditional settings with blended learning concepts and provides a bridge between academic scenarios and lifelong learning scenarios. According to experts of the newly launched program, the eLearning environment is also linked to the eLibrary system at AU whereby students and lectures can access the latest journal databases from the international scientific community as well as relevant eBooks for their subjects. University President, Prof. Eichele on his part indicated that besides launching the elearnining program, the University has prepared sufficient computers and IT materials to the students. "Now the University is getting well equipped with IT materials." According to Eichele, when he was assigned to be a president with the duty of implementing reformation, AU had only five PCs connected with a very slow line for nearly 6,500 students. But it currently maintained over 600 computers and it will get 300 more computers soon to fully meet the demand of its students. In line with government policy of prioritizing the enhancement of capacity of technical vocational institutions, since 2008 the university had engaged in introducing a change management to place the ambitious process of renovating the University to meet international standards. (Source: Daily Monitor) Uganda’s electricity utility gets high-tech to implement smart gridUMEME is spending up to $700,000 on contracts to Uganda based companies to implement parts of its recently launched Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System. This $5m worth system is a digital monitoring system that will provide UMEME with full operational control of the electricity distribution network. The system provides real time information of UMEME's assets on the network. Information availed from ZK advertising, indicates that the benefitting companies include COMTEL Africa Ltd, MTN, ATX and Computec. Among the jobs these companies are conducting are; provision of communication infrastructure, implementing Voice over Internet Protocol technology using CISCO unified communication. This is to be done by COMTEL. MTN is providing all communication links for SCADA while ATX took on wiring and laying the internal Fibre Optic cables that will be used to transport data and voice communication. Computec did a service level agreement to maintain and service the SCADA computers. According to ZK, the advertising company, Phase 1 of the SCADA project was implemented in August 2009 and covers 35 substations out of the 64 substations. Phase 2 will be implemented in June 2010 and will cover the remaining 29 substations. Among the anticipated benefits the SCADA will bring to UMEME are the ability to monitor, control and operate the company's own network, enhance security of the company's assets, improve safety and quality of power supplied. The SCADA system will also improved availability and reliability of power in addition to quick information dissemination and providing knowledge of power dispatched per feeder & transformer. The SCADA system will also be a 24-hour one-stop customer service information center and at the same time provide a platform for integrated customer service systems, says an information pack provided from UMEME. (Source: The New vision) In Brief:- The Postal Master General of the Nigeria postal service Ibrahim Mori Baba has said NIPOST will soon commence online postal, financial and communication service in the country. - South Africa’s news website MyBroadband.co.za has compiled a table with the retail prices of the newly launched Windows 7 operating system. To view the prices click on the following link http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Software/10140.html - A meeting devoted to free software has been held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Post and Information and Communication Technologies of Algeria. The meeting, chaired by Post and ICT Minister Hamid Bessalah, has brought together all national public and private operators, as well as academics and researchers operating in the field, the source added. Following the workshop meant for the presentation of Bee-Linux, an Algerian made Linux developed by the Algerian firm INEODEV, which is specializing in free software and computer system security, was also an occasion to assess the national capacities involved in the development of free software. - South Africa’s Parliament has accused Siemens IT Solutions and Services (SISS) of delivering “a less than excellent product” in terms of its R1.7 billion contract with the Department of Labour (DOL). Workers Compensation Fund commissioner Shadrack Mkhonto told Parliament's labour committee that the Siemens system is so flawed that it “cannot possibly account for each claim in the system and it cannot tell us the status of that claim”. Mkhonto also told the portfolio committee that the situation has deteriorated to such an extent that hospitals no longer accept patients that rely on the compensation fund to pay their medical bills.
South Africa: Vodacom Dives 4,5 Percent On Earnings WarningA trading update wiped 4.5% off Vodacom 's share price last week, with the warning of a 105% dive in basic earnings per share coming as "quite a shock" to the market. Most of the damage is being inflicted by an impairment of R3.2bn arising from its acquisition of pan-African data network operator Gateway for 700m last year. Analyst Spiwe Chireka of Frost & Sullivan said that an impairment knock was unexpected, and meant Gateway was now worth less than half what Vodacom had paid for it. The reversal of a deferred tax asset of R500m due to falling profits in the Democratic Republic of Congo has also damaged Vodacom's earnings. Its basic earnings per share will plummet by as much as 105% for the six months to September 30, compared to 241,8c in the previous interim period. The warning saw shares slide to an intra-day low of R53. Vodacom blames adverse changes in the economic environment, increased price competition and poorer trading trends. "We are waiting for the financial results to get to the bottom of it, but they are saying the competitive environment has changed," Chireka said. "The business viability of the acquisition isn't as great at the moment because they are not making as much as they expected. "They are sitting with an asset that's not doing very well so the balance sheet isn't looking very good. The profit performance will also be quite poor because of the R3,2bn impairment." She questioned whether Vodacom could sustain its planned capital expenditure of R8bn this year, if the poor financial results made it tougher to borrow money. It has already cut its budgets in Tanzania and the Congo after they were hit by weak economic conditions, intense competition and high excise duties. The problem was that telecoms players must spend money to make money in emerging markets, Chireka said, so cutting back on network expansion would leave Vodacom vulnerable to losing market share. That was already happening in the Congo, where a rival was eroding its position. Overall, this was proving a tough year for Vodacom, she said. "I'd put most of the blame on the market conditions. It's not like they have done anything wrong, but the market really isn't in their favour." The trading statement said that, despite difficult trading conditions, particularly for its international operations, Vodacom was encouraged by its core operating performance and revenue growth of 10%. Analyst Steve Meintjes of Imara SP Reid said while it was encouraging that the core business performed fairly satisfactorily despite tough conditions, growth stocks were supposed to grow. Vodacom's chance of meeting analysts' expectations for the year were now looking like a distant dream, he said. The disappointment from Gateway so soon after Vodacom lashed out R700m to buy it, coupled with dreary results from the Congo, sank any hopes of Vodacom quickly catching up to MTN in Africa. Profits from the interconnection fees it charges other operators to terminate a call on its network were also likely to fall under political pressure, Meintjes said, and those factors made the stock look fully valued. (Source: Business Day) TTCL Seeks Sh195 Billion State Bailout in TanzaniaMembers of the Parliamentary Committee on Infrastructure have asked the Government to bail out cash strapped Tanzania Telecommunication Company Limited (TTCL) and save it from collapse. TTCL is rather like a slow moving car crash that never seems to a conclusion as the Government lacks the will to privatise and have done with it. Committee member, Prof Philemon Sarungi told reporters in Dar es Salaam that TTCL, which is owned jointly by the Government and Zain Tanzania Limited, needs fresh injection of dollars 150 million (Sh 195 billion), almost double its own liability portfolio of $80 million (Sh104 Billion). The State controls 65 per cent shares with the rest held by Zain. However, the partners have had a troubled investment relationship and Zain is reportedly in a process of pulling its stake out of the company. An undisclosed Chinese bank is said to be ready to give TTCL the money but wants the Government to guarantee the loan. However, the Government wants to be furnished with the loan details first, something that TTCL has apparently not done. "As a ministry we advised them to consult with (the) banks they want to secure the loan first and then bring to us the analysis. (After that) we will forward the proposals to the ministry of finance and economic affairs,"said the deputy minister for Communication, Science and Technology Dr Maua Daftari. Prof Sarungi also appealed to the Government to pay the debts it owed TTCL, which amount to Sh9.2 billion, preferably before fiscal 2010/11 in order to strengthen the company's capital base. Otherwise, Prof Sarungi sounded like TTCL was in dire financial straits. "TTCL needs this money (the loan) as starting capital. If they are given that amount, they will be able to run their company profitably and be able to pay the Sh104 billion debt," said Prof Sarungi. He added: "From now on, all TTCL customers including the Government should not be allowed to accumulate their debts; they should pay first before using the service." On the other hand, Prof Sarungi proposed on behalf of the committee that the 35 per cent stake held by Zain should be sold to Tanzanians and TTCL workers instead of the Government resolving to look for another investor. During the January session of parliament, the minister for Communication, Science and Technology Prof Peter Msola and other stakeholders will meet in Dodoma to discuss problems within TTCL and chart the way forward for the company. (Source: The Citizen) Econet Evades Specification in ZimbabweBy selling Econet Wireless' 10% stake in Kingdom Meikles Africa Ltd (KMAL), the country's largest mobile phone operator avoided government specification a fortnight ago, Business Digest has established. Sources said Econet Wireless chairman Tawanda Nyambirai would also have faced the same fate had the group not sold its shareholding in KMAL. The sources said although investigators did not finger Nyambirai in the KMAL saga, he was facing imminent specification by mere virtue of being chairman of Econet. Following the specification threat, Nyambirai reportedly opted to sell Econet's stake to avoid the action. Earlier, government appointed investigators -- BCA Consulting -- attempted to seize hard drives from Nyambirai's computers hoping the hardware would have key information that would assist them in their probe. Econet sold its shares to Loakcape Investments, a consortium of local business people. Philip Chiyangwa, Temba Mliswa, Chipo Mtasa, Langton Nyatsambo and Rugare Chidembo make up the consortium, but the market has been questioning whether the businesspeople would be able to raise US$17 million in the current environment for the stake. Analysts believed that lack of liquidity on the market could present an onerous task on the group's ability to come up with the funds. No cash has exchanged hands yet but the consortium has to raise US$17 million inside a year, sources said. The consortium, according to sources, is essentially holding Econet's shares in trust until cash changes hands. Should the individuals raise the cash, US$4 million apiece, the deal would be sealed. The same sources said the deal was a deliberate strategy by Econet to lay low until the KMAL dispute dies down. In the event that an amicable settlement is found in KMAL, Econet could still call the deal off. But there is respite for the consortium, according to the sources. Should things calm down at KMAL, the consortium would walk out with some cash in the bag. The parties agreed that in the event that KMAL dispute is settled inside a year from sale, the consortium would get 10% fair value of Econet's KMAL shares on the day of trade, a handsome deal should the share price move above 70cents -- the agreed price at the time of the deal. The sources added that there was no conflict of interest on Chipo Mtasa's part saying she got the nod from Rainbow Tourism Group chairman Patterson Timba -- a close business associate of Econet founder Strive Masiyiwa. Analysts said the deal also exposed unusual relations between the corporate and political worlds when the stakes are up. As part of the arrangement, Mliswa and Chiyangwa, political princes, would also look out for Econet and KMAL's interests and pull political strings should the need arise. Mliswa is a former fitness trainer and has listening ears in the old order of Zimbabwean politics. He has interests in the tobacco industry and recently sold his 8% stake in Premier Banking Corporation, while Chiyangwa, on the other hand, is said to be President Robert Mugabe's nephew. According to the same sources, government had also targeted KMAL chairman Much Masunda, who has a rocky relationship with investigators. BCA Consulting clashed with Masunda over the latter's bid to block a planned Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) last month. Masunda differed on the interpretation of the law with the investigators and accused them of being defamatory. The investigators also said that there was evidence that there were cases of "bad faith, connivance and outright misrepresentation on the part of some board members of KML. Investigators accused Masunda of communicating with John Moxon without consulting them. In his response, Masunda said these accusations were defamatory to himself and to other persons who were mentioned in the notice. "I record my resentment of the suggestion that I have, at any time, acted other than in the interests of the company, or in a manner likely to promote the interests of any group of shareholders to the exclusion of the interests of the company, or other shareholders," said Masunda. (Source: The Zimbabwe Independent) Nigeria’s Bankers' Institute Clamour for Collaboration on IT InfrastructureThe Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has called on bank operators and regulators to explore ways of collabora-ting on the provision and utiliztion of information tech-nology infrastructure (ITC). The Institute, in a communique issued at the end of its 3rd annual Bankers Con-ference, said, "The Conference noted the crucial role ITC plays in the delivery of effective banking and financial services, and recommended that, due to the huge attendant costs, regulators and operators should explore ways of collaborating in the provision and utilization of necessary infrastructure/facilities to reduce cost whilst meeting global acceptable standard." The communique stated, "The Conference noted with concern, the unhealthy dependence on oil-based revenue and called for the diversification of the country's economy through: The review of all legal and constitutional restraints hindering effective optimization of resources by the federating units."A robust engagement in and activation of sectors critical for growth and sustainable development. "Adherence to rule-based budgetary framework which would ensure that excess revenue are appropriately invested and where utilized in accordance with established plan and due process The Conference noted the evolutionary regulatory framework in other jurisdictions and advised that whichever framework adopted in Nigeria must ensure better collaboration, information dissemination and speed of action by the various regulatory bodies. The Conference acknowledged that effective risk management is critical to banks' achievement of financial soundness and therefore urged all financial institutions to consciously and compulsorily align their structure and business strategy to enterprise wide risk management practices. The Conference called for the speedy implementation of the CIBN Act of 2007, especially with regard to the registration of persons working in the banking industry as this would instil professionalism and enhance discipline. Towards this end, the support of the Central Bank of Nigeria, other regulatory bodies and the Managing Directors and Chief Executives of our corporate members was solicited. The Conference acknowledged the Federal Government's efforts in tackling corruption. However, in addition to bringing corrupt elements to justice by anti-graft agencies, government should speedily take steps to institute a process of national rebirth in order to stamp out the unwholesome act." (Source: Vanguard) In brief:- Uganda’s Government is debating scrapping of value added tax (VAT) on mobile phones next year, the information and communication technology minister, has said. "We missed this year, but it is an issue we are still discussing and are concerned about," Aggrey Awori said. Zain Nigeria has announced that it recently signed a managed services and care contract with Nokia Siemens Networks, which came into effect in the past few days. The contract covers the network operator's fiber backbone network, not the mobile network. As part of this agreement, Nokia Siemens Networks will provide managed services for Zain's multi-vendor Fiber and Dense Wave Division Multiplexing "DWDM" network in Nigeria which is 4000km long countrywide outside plant network. - Millicom International has reported that its third-quarter revenues rose by 7% to US$856 million, while net profit fell toUS$143 million, from US$161 million a year ago. Net customer additions in quarter in Africa amounted to 502,000. Revenue in Africa grew by 21% in local currency in Q3 2009 and by 7% in dollar terms to the level of US$200 million. The company continue to invest heavily in Africa with capex in Q3 2009 of US$82 million or 41% of sales. To download the company’s statement on Q3-2009 click on the following link http://tinyurl.com/yzgdyor - Algeria’s first conference on the creation of start-ups emphasized the need to create a national technology investment fund in Algeria for the financing of projects of enterprises specializing in new information and communication technologies (ICTs). The fund is meant to help Algerian young people achieving their ideas and projects relating to the creation of ICT enterprises, their setting up as well as their management, they said. In this regard, Belmahrez, ICT Director General at Ministry of Post and ICTs highlighted the project of Algerian Start-up Initiative (ASI), launched on Monday, and which aims at helping Algerian enterprises develop. He also pointed out that the working-out and implementation of the project reflects the interest attached by the public authorities to the establishment of an information society, by the speeding up the use of ICTs in enterprises, the development of mechanisms and incentive measures enabling access to equipments and ICT networks, as well as the development of skilled human resources. - South Africa’s ConvergeNet faces an R11 million lawsuit, stemming from its aborted attempt to take over the now-defunct Choice Technologies earlier this year. The JSE-listed company pulled out of its proposed rescue of Choice at the 11th hour, and is now being held liable for the liquidated company's operating costs that were incurred between mid-year and this month. Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage (briefs)- Nigeria’s CDMA operators, Starcomms announced that it has provided its data subscriber with the latest initiative designed to make renewal of data subscriptions more convenient. It said that subscribers now have three easy options to renew and pay for their data connections. They are, online renewal by using recharge cards, by SMS through direct airtime debit or through subscribers' Interswitch debit/ATM cards. - Econet Wireless' US$115 million investment into network expansion resulted in Zimbabwe's mobile market penetration rate increasing to 21% as at August 31. According to Econet board chairman Tawanda Nyambirai this represented a seven percentage increase from February figures. Econet is the largest mobile operator with over two million subscribers and accounts for 70% of the mobile market share. - Tanzania’s mobile company Sasatel has launched an e-mail platform for its customers which it has sourced from Yahoo through its subsidiary Zimbra. "This is another landmark achievement by our firm which is designed to fully cater for email platform needs of both individual and corporate clients," said Sasatel's director of products and services, Thomas Andre Molvig, noted in the statement. The mobile operator officially launched its operations on June 23, this year becoming the seventh company to provide mobile telephony services in the country. - MTN Rwanda, the country's first and largest mobile operator by market share expects to hit 2 million customers by the end of the year. MTN Rwanda boasts of the widest network coverage in the country with 1.7 million subscribers. - The Chairman of Etisalat Nigeria Hakeem Belo Osagie has said that the company has spent over $2 billion in building their network across the country in the last one year of its operation. He said the company have over 500 active cell sites across the nation with over 2 million subscribers and a total coverage of about 40% of Nigeria's population. This equates to US$1,000 capital investment per subscriber. The number of Ghanaians using mobile phones is expected to reach 15 million by the end of 2009, the fourth quarter report on Ghana’s mobile phone market by London headquartered Business Monitor International (BMI) has said: a 27% expansion of the subscriber base during 2009. This is down from 57% in 2008, but this is very much a natural evolution thanks to a gradually maturing mobile market.”The country’s mobile penetration is expected to “reach 60% penetration before the end of 2009.
South Africa’s Government plans to integrate hotlinesAs more government departments set up their own hotlines, the Presidency says plans are under way to integrate these into one. Following announcements by the Department of Labour that it would set up a hotline to monitor the performance of public servants, the Presidency says there is a growing need to integrate the services. “We are now looking at how we can promote existing hotlines within government structures. We are currently working on integrating existing hotlines. This needs to be done in order to effect service delivery by increasing our capacity scale," says the Presidency. Director-general of the Department of Labour Jimmy Manyi says a hotline would be set up in November to monitor the performance of public servants at labour centres. Several hotlines are operated by government departments. The Presidency has its own hotline, which fields complaints on all government departments and agencies. The Public Service Commission operates the national anti-corruption hotline, while the Department of Trade and Industry recently set up a hotline to fast-track payment backlogs to small and medium enterprises. The Department of Public Works recently established a dedicated call centre to improve its payment times to service providers. The Unemployment Insurance Fund and the Compensation Fund – which are both bodies of the labour department – have operated corruption and complaint hotlines for several years already. However, no specific plans have been drawn up to integrate the various services provided by the different hotlines, says the Presidency. While admitting that a lack of capacity had contributed to poor compliance levels and poor enforcement of legislation, Manyi says the creation of the hotline would ensure the public sector complies with labour laws. "If a labour centre is constantly receiving negative reports from people who call the hotline, steps will be taken against the implicated office. In the event that the office is not performing, such information will be evaluated and used during performance evaluations." The department says it will develop a central case management system, which includes recording, referral, tracking, monitoring and risk analysis. The technology system will keep a record of all calls, names of the callers, ID numbers, the nature of complaints and monitor how long it took to resolve complaints, says the department. Manyi adds that a 10% penalty levy of a company's turnover would be enforced on non-complying employers. Failure to comply with employment equity issues, occupational heath and safety and the basic conditions of employment would be punished, he says. (Source: ITWeb) Social Networking attracts South AfricansOver the last few years social networking has made a significant impact on the online landscape. Platforms such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have altered the way in which people across the globe communicate and relate to each other. Recent statistics show that South Africa is making a fair contribution towards the growth of these web portals, ranking strongly in terms of usage per country. A report filed by Canadian research company Sysmos has indicated that South African users make up approximately 0.85% of the total interaction on the popular micro blogging site Twitter. This ranks local Twitter users as the eighth largest sample population globally, accounting for roughly 467,500 of the website’s approximated 55 million monthly user base. As a country South Africa has more Twitter users than Japan, China, Spain and the Netherlands. The largest user is the US, which accounts for 62.15% of Twitter’s active membership. Facebook, which currently has 300 million active users, is now the largest social networking platform on the Internet. Approximately 1.9 million of these are local users; placing South Africa in the 25th position globally with regards to Facebook usage. This number has grown by over 100% since January 2009, making South Africa one of the fastest growing territories on the list. In terms of Facebook and Twitter usage South Africa is the most prominent African country by a large margin. The trend however does not extend to other popular social networking websites such as MySpace and YouTube. According to web measurement engine Alexa, South Africa does not feature in either the top twenty most prominent countries for MySpace or the top forty most prominent countries for YouTube. (Source: MyBroadband)
People- A former boss of the public company Algeria Telecoms, Slimane Kheireddine, has been sentenced to five years' jail in a multi-million-dollar embezzlement scam. Several other defendants, some of them on the run, were jailed for between one and 10 years for their part in an embezzlement scam totalling more than 23 million dollars (15.3 million euros) at the expense of Algeria Telecoms. Events:MMT 09 - Mobile Money Transfer 26-27 October2009, Dubai. MMT 09 is a 'must attend' event for anyone who is serious about remittances. Over 350 mobile network operators, microfinance institutions, money transfer networks, banks and technology providers will converge at MMT 09 to discuss the best ways to make money from mobile money transfer. Nowhere else in the world will you find so many MMT project leaders all gathered in one place. For more information visit www.mobile-money-transfer.com or email harpreet.sohanpal@clarionevents.com WORLD BANK DAY@ m-HEALTH SUMMIT 28 October 2009, 9am-5.30pm Washington DC time Jointly sponsored by World Bank Group and UN Foundation/mHealth Alliance, in collaboration with FNIH, NIH and others, the World Bank Day @ mHealth Summit will raise awareness of the possibilities for mobile-enabled innovations for improving health care and health care outcomes in developing countries and seeks to: · Contribute to putting m-health on the map of the mainstream public health agenda. · explore options as to how to translate mHealth applications into measurable health outcomes. · provide concrete examples of experience at the country level – what questions to ask, what to look for, what tools are available, and what are the policy implications for implementation. · establish a solid basis for future collaboration and continued dialogue on mHealth You can participate in this event online: - watch live and recorded webcast at: www.worldbank.org/edevelopment/live (please register at: http://go.worldbank.org/BGZ8XU3KF0) - follow the event on Social Media: Twitter, Blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr etc ComBIT AFRICA 2-4 November 2009, Lagoon Conference Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos AITEC has been commissioned to organise this leading annual ICT expo hosted by the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON). This year’s theme is “Setting the Pace for Africa’s ICT Transformation” ComBIT Africa has it roots in Nigeria’s burgeoning telecommunications sector, having been the showcase for the industry since it was launched by ATCON 14 years ago (previously called NICOMM and changed to ComBIT Africa in 2008). The event has grown to be the country’s premier ICT event. In light of Nigeria’s leading regional role and to the era of rapid convergence, the event has been expanded to be Africa-wide in perspective, as well as covering the full spectrum of ICT technologies and strategies. It is ATCON’s mission to develop the event as the continent’s premier ICT industry event. For the full programme visit Aitec Africa’s website (www.aitecafrica.com) 3RD IT EDGE WEST AFRCIA CONVERGENCE FORUM 4 November 2009, International Conference Centre, Abuja, Nigeria FORUM 2009 is free, sponsored by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Ericsson. This year, the event holds in Abuja for the first time since 2007 and drawing greater participation from the public and private sectors with the theme: Content & Policy Dynamics in the Converged Market. For further information visit IT Edge News website www.itedgenews.com BarCampAfrica UK 2009 7 November 2009, Vodafone HQ, London, UK This event will bring together a group of talented entrepreneurs, technologist, charities, engineers, designers, bloggers, artists, with a passion for African development. This is a Free Event and Tickets will be given on a first come first served basis. For further information visit their website http://barcampafrica.com/uk OUTSOURCING & CONTACT CENTRES EAST AFRICA 11-12 November 2009, Laico Regency Hotel, Nairobi Now in its fourth year, this is East Africa’s leading BPO conference, gathering international outsourcing companies and buyers of outsourced services with local service providers to explore partnerships and business opportunities. For the full programme visit Aitec Africa’s website (www.aitecafrica.com) CUSTOMER SERVICE & CONTACT CENTRE WEST AFRICA 24-25 November 2009, Oriental Hotel, Lagos This year’s theme is “Achieving excellence in Customer Service & Increasing Market Share during an Economic Downturn”, it is aimed at organisations in the region with established contact centres – and those planning to set up centres – to learn about world trends and latest developments in contact centre technologies and management strategies. Telecom operators, banks and other financial service companies, outsourcing operators, oil companies, public utilities and government departments will be the key target sectors. For the full programme visit Aitec Africa’s website (www.aitecafrica.com) ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN 2009 2-4 December 2009, Berlin, Germany Innovate, Share, Succeed – is the theme of OEB 2009. This year’s agenda will be about your learning innovations, your expertise and the great ideas that will lead your organisation, company or school to success. For the full programme visit the organiser’s website TANCon AFRICA 2009 4-6 December 2009, Taia Resort, Freetown, Sierra Leone This years conference will explore the theme "Virgin Territories: A New Market for Innovative Investment" through the use of case studies on Sierra Leone and other liberalizing African markets. TANCon Africa is hosted by TAN a global non-profit organization that fosters entrepreneurship and technology among people of African descent. TAN was founded in Silicon Valley, California in 2004 to provide a support structure and network for entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, and community leaders worldwide. This year, the TAN Africa conference is held in collaboration with the Internet Society of Sierra Leone and supported by the Ministry of Trade & Industry and Sierra Leone Import Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA). TANCon Africa 2009 will attract over 250 local and international attendees from the United States of America, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Ghana and the rest of the world. Conference participants will range from industry leaders and key decision makers of global financial institutions, fortune 500 companies in ICT, Finance, Agriculture, Tourism, Infrastructure, Social Entrepreneurship and Renewable Energy. For more information on the conference, see the conference Web page at: Jobs and Opportunities* Marketing Director for Telecom Company - Kenya The Marketing Director develops and directs the company's marketing activities and policies to ensure a strong and well positioned product portfolio and effective market approach. Requirements: 15+ years relevant experience. 7+ years leadership experience. Proven ability to analyse complex business issues and identify, design and implement effective practical recommendations. IT literacy. Able to operate in a performance driven organisation. Culturally aware and adept at working across multiple geographies. University Degree in business, sales or marketing. Fluency in English and/or French. For further information on this job or to apply visit the job agency’s posting http://www.jobsoffborders.com/index.php?option=com_neorecruit&task=offer_view&id=40 * Various positions/ Telecoms Operator – West Africa The magazine Jeune Afrique has posted online a serie of job opportunities from Glo Mobile for its operations in West Africa. To view details click on the following link http://www.jeuneafrique.com/UPfichiers/ ContractsMTN, Wavion and Balton - Uganda Rwandan telecoms operator MTN Rwanda has selected Wavion and Balton Uganda for the deployment of a large scale Wi-Fi network in Kigali. The new network is based on Wavion WBS-2400 base stations, which will provide high speed wireless connectivity to SMEs and residential users in the capital. In the first phase of the project, around 100 base stations will be installed on rooftops and at MTN’s existing cellular sites.
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