Telecoms News - In Brief

- Portugal Telecom (PT) has confirmed that it is considering making an application for a mobile licence in Mozambique when the government’s auction for the country’s third operating concession goes ahead later this year. A report from Dow Jones Newswires says the company has confirmed an earlier statement made by chief executive Zeinal Bava, who had been quoted by Portuguese news agency Lusa as saying: ‘When the terms and conditions of the investment opportunities in Mozambique are known, PT will surely analyse it.’

­Users of Prepaid Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards in Seychelles will, in the future, have to register their telephones with their providers under a new law that will be passed soon, the Director General of Communications at the Department of Information, Communications and Technology (DICT), Dr George Ah-Thew announced Sunday in the Seychellois capital, Victoria.

- Ghana Telecom will be renamed Vodafone Ghana Limited by the middle of this year.

- South Africa's telecoms markets received a boost with the launch of O-Tel, the latest entrant into the rapidly hotting-up telecoms space. "O-Tel can provide anyone within Telkom ADSL or Vodacom 3G coverage with a telephone line for R99 (excl VAT) per month with no contract necessary," said Mohammad Patel, CEO of O-Tel.