Issue no 571 9th September 2011
top story
-
In most African countries, mobile users are spoiled with attractive mobile promotion on voice services. In Kenya and Uganda, a price war has however left the mobile operators dubious on this approach being the right on. While African mobile operators try to retain their mobile users attention, differentiating their mobile offering from the competitors’ ones remains vital tool for them. Isabelle Gross spoke to Kevin Coleman, Business Development Director EMEA at Digitata and Hilton Goodhead, CTO at Rorotika Technologies about their dynamic billing product/platform for mobile voice services and theirs plans to launch a similar product/platform for data services.
The launch of the “Glo Flexi” tariff plan by Globacom at the beginning of September marks the entry of Digitata dynamic billing platform in the Nigerian telecoms market. According to Kevin Coleman, Globacom is the first mobile operator offering dynamic billing in Nigeria although MTN which is the largest mobile operator in Nigeria has a similar offer “MTN Zone” but the tariff plan is not operational in the country. Digitata dynamic billing platform gives the ability to a mobile operator to offer discounts on voice calls according the time of the day and/or the location of the mobile subscribers. In Nigeria for example, Glo Flexi tariff has been launched with an offering of up to 99% discounts on voice calls for its subscribers. It is still too early to forecast the uptake of the new tariff plan in Nigeria but Digitata has seen at the past some massive uptake to up 80% of the subscriber base in some African markets. The level and the pace of the uptake depend also on how the mobile operator decides to communicate the new offering to its subscribers and while some African mobile operators have relied on the traditional flyers, SMS and word of mouth to promote the new tariffs others have rolled more aggressive information campaigns like sending on the street “road warriors” in charge of explaining and educating subscribers on the benefits of the new tariff plan.
The Digitata’s dynamic billing platform is currently active across 16 mobile networks in Africa and the company is looking further to increasing it footprint on the continent. In a couple of week, there will be further launches in the Southern African region. Kevin Coleman explains further that the product is well suited for prepaid markets where calling costs remain high and customers are very price sensitive. The billing platform often sells well with the number two mobile operator in a country or the ones that want to be more innovative. There are also no limitations on the size of the mobile subscriber base. Digitata’s dynamic billing platform works with a subscriber base as small as 100,000 up to several millions. Although Kevin Coleman didn’t want to give too many details on the price of the billing platform, he added that the technology is competitively priced and that mobile operators can acquire a licence for a one-off fee or chose to make recurring payments based on the number of mobile users registered to the service. According to him, investing in a dynamic billing platform offers to mobile operators good returns on investment in terms of customer churn reduction, network congestion management and additional voice revenue from customers signing up for the service. Hilton Goodhead points out that it can help further mobile operators to reduce capital costs through a more streamlined utilisation of the existing network facilities.
I met Kevin Coleman last November at AfriCom in Cape Town and at that time he already told me that Digitata’s R&D team was working hard on expanding their dynamic billing platform to include mobile data services. Today, we have an official launch date: Q1-2012. According to him, the development of a dynamic billing platform for data services presented quite some technical challenges to overcome. He explains for example that once a data connection is established it is not obvious with what or who the dynamic billing interface interacts with. It could be the device only since most 3G phones keep looking for a connection or a human being holding the device. There were also issues to solve regarding the type of data and their prioritisation. Kevin Coleman is confident that this new product which is aimed at mobile operators in developed and emerging markets will quickly gain traction because across the world (and in Africa), mobile operators that have launched mobile Internet services on their 3G network face and will face more serious network congestions because of the growing number data hungry smartphones hooking up on their networks. Further today mobile data pricing models are pretty dull. They come either unlimited or capped and therefore a pricing model based on time and location will definitely provide a different way to sell mobile data services in Africa and in the rest of the world.
New video clips on Balancing Act’s You Tube Channel:
Jason Njoku, CEO, Iroko Partners on distributing Nollywood and Nigerian Music using You TubeEmma Kaye, CEO, Bozza on South African townships creating their own online content
Julian VanPlato, CEO, Trans Digital Media on a new live streaming mobile service for Africa
Sami Leino, COO, Spinlet on the launch of an "iTunes" for Africa
Ofer Ronen, Business Development Director - Broadcast, Gilat Satcom on its move into African broadcast servicesSouth Africa: Styli Charalambous, Managing Director, The Daily Maverick on its new iPad subscription service
Steve Vosloo, mLabs on supporting mobile innovation in South Africa
Arun Nagar, CEO, Spice VAS Africa on launching its African platforms and live streaming
Robert Aouad, CEO Isocel Benin on opening a carrier-neutral data centre in Benin
Balancing Act's Twitter feed provides a combination of breaking news for telecoms, Internet and broadcast in Africa, direct tweets from countries visited and access to the occasional rumours circulating. You can follow us on:
@BalancingActAfr
telecoms
-
India's Bharti Airtel has announced that it has been awarded a GSM and 3G license in Rwanda, expanding its African continental footprint to 17 countries.
The company added that it plans to invest over US$100 million in the country over the next three years. According to the statement, this also marks the largest investment out of India into Rwanda.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, CMD, Bharti Airtel said, "Rwanda is a key telecom market with immense growth potential and will strengthen Bharti Airtel's footprint in East Africa."
According to the National Statistics Institute of Rwanda, the mobile penetration in the country was 38.4%, as of July 2011.
Last year, the regulator, the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) said that it would award a fourth mobile license when conditions were correct. However, last month, the regulator cancelled the mobile network operating license held by another network operator, Rwandatel for allegedly failing to meet its license conditions.
The market now has just two networks, until Airtel launches its network.
The company may have the option of buying the defunct Rwandatel network to speed its launch into the country.
-
Communications minister Roy Padayachie has downplayed recent statements by his deputy, Obed Bapela, that government may seek to allow law enforcement agencies, through the courts, to get access to the records of people using the popular BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service.
In a strongly worded statement on Thursday, Padayachie says he aligns himself with a statement issued by justice minister Jeff Radebe, who is the coordinator of the justice cluster in government that the state has “no intention to regulate or legislate against BlackBerry encryption messenger services”.
“Government is still working on a policy statement on cyber matters, which policy will review current regulatory and legislative instruments with respect to cyberspace matters,” he says.
Bapela made the comments about BBM at Telkom’s annual Satnac conference in East London earlier this week, saying “a lot of criminality” was happening using the BlackBerry service. “We might have to follow Britain and Saudi Arabia to say we need to have [access to] a decryption system if crimes are committed [using the BlackBerry service],” Bapela said.
He later clarified that government wasn’t specifically targeting BlackBerry, but any communications platform that could be used to commit crime.
In his statement, Padayachie says he “welcomes the willingness of [BlackBerry maker] Research in Motion to work closely with government to prevent the abuse of the encrypted messenger services by criminals for unlawful purposes”. But, he says, “government has no intention to intercede or interfere with the privacy of communications between private citizens for lawful purposes.”
-
After criticising the direction of the telecoms industry in Uganda, South Africa-backed MTN Uganda has increased its on-net and off-net tariff to UGX4 (USD0.0014) per second. MTN Uganda’s chief executive Themba Khumalo said that in light of the country’s economic condition, the tariff structure needed to be adjusted to prevent the industry from ‘self-destruction’.
For most of 2011, operators in Uganda’s cramped telecom sector have been offering calls at below cost rates; a practice which the regulator is in the process of taking steps to restrict. During a visit to Kampala last week, Sifiso Dabengwa, MTN’s CEO described the direction of the market as unsustainable, and said that it would likely be to the detriment of the industry as it would hamper investment in the sector. He went on to say that MTN is spending to upgrade its mobile money offerings, which have been suffering from ‘technical issues’.
-
The recent cellphones blackout has given birth to a fresh war of words between giant companies, the Swaziland Posts and Telecommunication Corporation (SPTC) and Swazi MTN.
The two companies are currently embroiled in a legal battle over the One Fixed mobile phones launched by SPTC. MTN is contesting that SPTC cannot run a similar project as theirs before clearing certain things that involve sale of its (SPTC) shares with MTN. Last weekend, the country experienced a blackout that somehow was placed squarely on SPTC’s laps. MTN further apologised to its customers over the blackout.
“SPTC wishes to unequivocally disassociate itself from Swazi MTN’s network outage experienced on Saturday. The statement issued by Swazi MTN imputing that the outage was as a result of a break in the SPTC backbone link between Mbabane and Matsapha is wholly inaccurate and lacks any basis whatsoever,” reads the statement in part.
SPTC management stated that they were not privy to reasons behind Swazi MTN’s unfounded assertion.
“However, we are cognisant of the detrimental effects the statement has on the image of SPTC as a telecommunications service provider both domestically and globally”. There was no immediate comment from MTN.In April High Court Judge Bheki Maphalala declared that there is not a conflict of interest in the SPTC entering the retail market as it was no longer a shareholder in MTN Swaziland, having recently transferred its 41% shareholding to the Ministry of Finance. Further, Maphalala indicated that the SPTC has shed its regulatory responsibilities, handing them over to the government’s Ministry of Communications. In January the SPTC provoked MTN’s ire when it denied the cellco a 3G licence despite the fact that the network had successfully been trialled during the Common Market for Eastern & Southern Africa (COMESA) summit in August 2010. No reason was provided for the licence refusal.
-
- Government has mooted a change to legislation to allow the South African Police Service to get access, through the courts, to the records of people using Research in Motion's popular BlackBerry communications service. Deputy communications minister Obed Bapela says "a lot of criminality is happening" on BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), the instant messaging platform that has caught on like wildfire in South Africa.
- Angolan state-owned incumbent PSTN operator Angola Telecom is set to undergo a restructuring process ‘to better serve’ the public and the state in the telecoms field, the Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technologies, Jose Carvalho da Rocha, announced during a broadcast by Angolan Public Television (TPA). News agency Angop adds that the minister expects the project to include an extensive assessment of the company to evaluate the best way for the government to ‘intervene’. On the same date, the minister said that the government intends to reduce the prices charged by mobile phone network operators in the country, as they are beyond the reach of most Angolans.
- More than three million Kenyan subscribers risk being switched off if they don’t register their mobile telephone lines. President Kibaki has directed that such lines be switched off the networks to protect the public from criminals.
- Mobile phone services have been shut-down in the capital of Swaziland, Mbabane at the start of five days of organised anti-government protests. Local media reports suggested that over 2,000 protestors were marching around the city and buses carrying more protestors were being blocked from entering the city by the army. Whether the mobile network disruption was due to workers striking, or was ordered by the government is currently unknown. MTN is the sole mobile network provider in the country, but is 51% owned by the government.
- Ghana’s telecoms watchdog the National Communication Authority (NCA) has announced that by the end of August 64,700 customers had switched operators via mobile number portability (MNP) since its launch two months earlier. 43,600 numbers were ported in August alone, representing around 0.2% of the total wireless market. The regulator gives no details regarding which operators are receiving the most ports, or losing the most customers, but does note that 515 customers ported back to their original provider after the minimum waiting period, whilst 67 elected to immediately switch to a third operator.
internet
-
Kenya will soon be hooked to yet another undersea fibre optic cable following the near completion of the laying of a France Telecom funded Lower Indian Ocean Network 2 (LION2).
The ship laying the LION 2 — which is set to be Kenya’s fourth undersea fibre optic cable — arrived in Mombasa last Tuesday, marking the completion of actual cable laying.
The cable will now be connected to a main submarine cable in international waters for testing, and is expected to go live in the course of the first half of next year.
The 56.5 million euros (Sh7.5 billion) LION2 will connect Kenya to Mayotte, Madagascar, Mauritius and La Reunion Islands.
LION2 is an extension of LION, which connects the Indian Ocean Islands to the world. The initial LION was laid in March last year.
France Telecom, through its subsidiaries in the region — Mauritius Telecom, Orange Madagascar and Telkom Kenya — is a major investor in the second phase of the cable and has put in Sh4.18 billion of the Sh7.5 billion.
The new cable will be a boost to Telkom Kenya, which is actively pursuing deployment of Internet infrastructure in Kenya after it launched a high speed 3G network last week.
-
FNB Connect has announced that it will be offering its ADSL customers free access to YouTube. This means that customers who are registered for FNB Connect Surf can now browse the world’s most popular video viewing site between 7pm and 11pm until August 2012 at no cost. Registration is free and newly registered users also get 1 (one) free GB of ADSL data to browse other sites.
FNB Connect previously launched a free YouTube promotion for a period of 2 (two) months and has now decided to re-launch this promotion based on customer uptake and demand.
Farren Roper, Head of Products and Markets at FNB Connect says “This has been very popular amongst our clients and we achieved a 70% growth rate base on our last promotion. We would like to offer this to our ADSL customers to thank them for their continued patronage as well as attract a new base of customers who want to enjoy this data indulgence.”
FNB has in the past month made strides into the digital world with the launch of South Africa’s first banking App. Roper goes on to say “The increased emphasis on digital is deliberate and in line with our overall approach. We have taken a customer centric view, championing the cause for low cost internet access and an increased digital presence.”
With the free YouTube promotion, FNB Connect now offers their ADSL clients free data in order to access popular social networking sites, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube respectively. FNB Connect offers unshaped data for ADSL, which means that users can expect a faster experience. “Our customers can expect quality free surfing at great speeds,” concludes Roper.
-
President Paul Kagame will, this week, host members of the Global Broadband Commission for Digital Development, to a two-day event that starts September 8, in Kigali.
The broadband commission brings together some of the world's top leaders in governments, industry and international community to devise strategies for accelerated deployment and access to broadband technology globally.
President Kagame co-chairs the commission alongside Mexican Billionaire, Carlos Slim.
"The Commission brings together some of the world's leading figures in government,industry,academia and development community to draw strategies for using technology to address some of the world's most intricate and complex developmental challenges facing mankind," David Kanamugire, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of ICT, said in an interview.
He added that despite the proven benefits of broadband technology, there is always a risk of these technologies taking decades before benefits trickle down to the billions of people in the world that need them.
"Failure to timely seize the technological opportunities renders nations and their societies trapped in poverty and unable to effectively compete on the global arena."
The two day meeting will also bring together African Ministers of ICT, regulators as well as youth from around the continent.
The first day of the meeting will see the commissioners and African policy makers interact with the African youth on broadband opportunities and challenges faced by the youth. On the second day, President Kagame will co-host the commission meeting together with Slim.
-
- Google has announced that they rolled out their popular Google Maps service for 40 new countries, of which six are on the African soil. The latest African countries to enjoy all the mapping benefits of Google Maps are Somalia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Lesotho, Mali and Niger. Google Maps allows users to view local roads, businesses and surroundings in great detail, and can also be used as a navigational tool.
- In a parallel news, Google's G-Uganda event has attracted more than 500 tech leaders and entrepreneurs in Kampala this week.
- The latest Ookla NetIndex statistics reveal the highest broadband network speeds in South Africa. The average South African download speed is 2.91Mbps while users recorded an average upload speed of 1.11Mbps.
- The New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) has teamed up with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to launch the Southern African Internet Governance Forum. The forum will advocate for the development and implementation of universal access policies by member countries to improve Internet connectivity in rural areas. Internet governance issues also include access and diversity, cybersecurity, cross-border Internet security, mobile Internet, domain names and cloud computing.
- South Africa’s ADSL ISP and hosting provider Afrihost unveils their AfriGamer Servers; AfriGamer ADSL packages. The new Afrihost gaming servers sportssome of the most popular online gaming titles, including Counter-Strike Source, Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Brink and Homefront. Afrihost CEO, Visser, said that consumers can expect the first Afrigamer ADSL packages as early as next month (October 2011).
computing
-
Kenya Data Network (KDN) has unveiled a multimillion-dollar state-of-the art data center to be used for hosting data and software applications.
Speaking at the launch this week, KDN Chief Executive Officer Rikus Matthyser said the Data Center, now ready for occupation, is a unique facility offering reliability and convenience for corporate clients and financial institutions looking for international standard facilities.
“This Data Center is testament to our commitment to provide world class services in the field of ICT in this part of the World. The unique facility will enable our clients achieve their business objectives while cutting down on their overheads in telecommunications and data storage infrastructure,” said Matthyser.
“As KDN, we are committed to providing convenient service through innovative products in telecoms in the region and are looking to develop our clients’ efficiency. The center is a facility set up to provide physical environment that will ensure the day-to-day running of various communication equipment and application systems with a main objective of ensuring availability levels meet clients expectations at an affordable costs,” he added.
He said the center was designed with a typical KDN customer in mind and offers world-class services while guaranteeing safety of the data stored in it.
It is proposed that the data centre, located at Sameer Park off Mombasa road, will host applications to serve international and local businesses. It is expected that the centre will relieve the region from the task of seeking back-up services in Europe and America.
Breaking ground for the Sh600 million (about $US 6.4 million) centre in December 2009 Kenya Prime Minister Raila Odinga said government was keen to make Kenya a green economy by 2020.
The solar powered energy data centre will serve Kenya and other African countries willing to safeguard essential data under a secure environment. Technology employed in building the centre will ensure the structure can withstand even a bomb attack.
The centre is classified at security level seven, which is the highest in the world and similar to that of the United Nations and top intelligence agencies across the world where secure data is vital. ICT experts say many companies spend between two to four per cent of their budget on disaster recovery planning.
Completion of the data storage facility is therefore expected to save the companies from losses and damage resulting from interruptions of their infrastructure and data. KDN partnered with Teldor Cables and Systems to supply and deploy a fibre optic network to be used in the new data centre.
Matthyser said that the center is targeted at a global market focusing mainly on offering of hosting services to clients in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.
-
Admire Bio has the reassured presence of a successful businesswoman, with an edge that reveals she is still hungry for more. Bio, 28, a single mother living with her parents, set up her first internet cafe in the Sierra Leone capital, Freetown, only a year ago. She has expanded with two more branches, and plans to go national if she can secure a bank loan.
"My biggest motivation is challenging men," she says, "to [get women to] say: 'Yes! I can be successful without you'."
But things aren't easy. "Men make you dependent," says Bio. "Women only get loans with collateral from male relatives. My fiance offered his land. Worse, it's common to be pressured into sex by bank staff, if there isn't a man's backing, when women apply for loans. I'm angry women can't succeed alone."
The swell of internet users in her cafe tells Bio she is on a winning road. Access to the internet and computer literacy is an area of much needed growth and investment. Only around 0.3% of the population are described as internet users, while fibre-optic broadband will not arrive until next year. Bio offers women evening computer courses "to make them stronger".
Meanwhile, mobile phones are ubiquitous, in urban areas at least, with around 26% of people owning one. In the absence of widespread internet access, mobiles have been seen as something of a panacea for development in Africa.
Kenya's M-Pesa money-transfer is hailed by technology gurus and development experts alike as an example of how poverty can be bypassed and development hastened. However, "banking the unbanked" has been questioned by some, as mobile money often caters for already affluent groups.
M-Pesa's success inspired Sheka Forna back to his homeland, Sierra Leone, to start Splash. Since it launched in 2009, Splash has convinced around 100,000 people to forsake real money for the virtual kind, effectively using their sim cards as bank accounts.
Airtel's Zap cash transfer service has changed the way Sierra Leone's city dwellers buy a coffee or receive their salaries. But Splash's growth has been slower than the company's projections, says Forna. "We're a new brand, and phone coverage is low and expensive. Getting nationwide agents to deal in Splash cash has been hard, with poor literacy and a limited mobile-savvy market."
Facilitating microcredit repayments through mobiles was the initial spur for M-Pesa. In Sierra Leone though, the technological leap with microcredit has so far been more of a stumble.
Hope Micro was among the largest microfinance institutions in the country. But it suffered a 20% portfolio loss (around $300,000) when half its customers defaulted in 2009. "With no credit-rating agency, customers held the equivalent of multiple credit cards. It's a blow for women – they're 85% of our clients," says SD Kanu, the institution's director.
Hope Micro embarked on a six-month pilot with Splash to reduce interest rates (currently 36%) and add a competitive edge. "It wasn't successful," says Kanu. "Few of our customers are mobile-literate. Splash agents are small shopkeepers and their revenue wasn't enough to be committed."
To build mobile literacy, Splash and Hope Micro have started a new pilot: dispersing loans "to get customers used to the idea that their money is actually there", explains Kanu. In just one month, the pilot has already dispersed $30,000.
The Sierra Leone technology market is still in its infancy, says Trina DasGupta, director of the mWomen programme, which aims to boost female phone ownership with a view to improving access to services and increasing economic empowerment.
Part of the problem is a gender gap in phone ownership; in Sierra Leone, women are 43% less likely than men to own a mobile. "This means poor women are kept in the financial and information dark ages – relying on men who are the primary phone owners," she says.
This year, the US state department sent a fact-finding mission of women technology experts and entrepreneurs to see how technology can reduce poverty and close the gender gap.
"There wasn't a businesswomen's group to introduce the delegation to," says Naasu Fofanah of Unipsil, the UN's peacebuilding office. "This was a startling gap. We know effective development comes when women are targeted. The same has to be true when improving women's ability to do business, for example, with women's unfettered access to finance and improving their technological knowhow."
"There's a need to nurture a culture of real entrepreneurship to allow women to grow. As a first step, we need to put businesswomen on the map," she says.
Unipsil and local NGO Afford-SL are working with women across the country to establish a national business network. "Once we have this kind of structure we can begin to bridge the gap between urban and rural businesses, for example, through technology, networking and training," says Manja Kargbo of Afford-SL.
"Yes, I'll join a women's network," says Admire Bio. "I always tell women they can be like me - stronger by saving, investing and doing business with technology."
-
With this new approach to learning, the children will become more creative and innovative as the laptops help enhance what they are taught in schools in a more practical way.
The country has invested a lot in technology, as evidenced by the completion of the laying of the fiber optic.
According to the OLPC programme coordinator, Rwanda targets to have half a million laptops in primary schools across the country.
The benefits of such an investment may not be in the short term, however, by starting to impart technology skills to the children at a young age, they will grow to become the future IT experts.
Various sectors including health, banking, transport, infrastructure, telecommunication and local government are adopting modern technology into their daily operations. The country has, in the past, relied on foreign expertise to develop, run and maintain these systems.
But, with programmes like the OLPC, the will be a vast human resource base that is technologically advanced to foster the much needed expertise to propel the country to greater heights.
-
- South Africa’s PC distributor Mustek has become the only local distributor to be registered as an accredited service provider for Acer products purchased from its registered dealer network. The company inked a distribution deal with the PC maker in February, joining existing local distributors, Axiz and Tarsus.
money
-
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has confirmed that France Telecom (FT) is the only bidder for its 49% stake in Congo Chine Telecom (CCT). Already in talks with Chinese vendor ZTE for its 51% share of the company, FT is expected to pay around EUR300 million (USD) in total for the operator, a reflection of its level of debt, rather than its value. Reuter reports that, Elie Girard, FT’s executive director said that this is an ‘important step, but not the final step of the process of the withdrawal of the state from CCT and the acquisition’. The move is part of a broader strategy from FT to increase its presence in emerging markets to offset increasing competition and declining revenues in Europe. France Telecom CEO Stéphane Richard said that the company also looks to bolster its leadership in Egypt.
-
The government expects consumers and smaller operators to benefit from the formation of a new private/public organisation that will build and manage Long Term Evolution (LTE) infrastructure, commonly known as 4G.
The move by the Ministry of Information and Communication is seen as an admission of flaws in the licensing and allocation of 3G spectrum, where operators have been unable to fully roll out infrastructure because of expensive licence fees ($15 million or Sh1.4 billion) and high capital expenditure.
Currently, Safaricom has the most extensive 3G infrastructure with 1,500 base stations on 3G compared to about 2,500 base stations country wide. Telkom Kenya has 220 sites on 3G while Airtel is currently testing its 3G network.
Globally, technology has moved to LTE, which is seen as an answer to connecting rural and under-served areas though the cost of rolling out the infrastructure is prohibitive for operators who are yet to take 3G out of major towns to rural areas.
The expense and slow roll out even by bigger operators prompted the government to invite bids for public private partnership to build, operate and maintain a national open access network, which will bring together operators and equipment vendors.
In the public-private partnership, the government hopes to set a global precedent, where operators can share both active and passive components in the network.
"This will be a first in the world where operators will share both passive and active infrastructure, the benefits will be passed on to the consumer in form of cheaper broadband," said Dr Bitange Ndemo permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication.
Ideally, an open access platform will benefit small and big companies that will have an opportunity to provide services without worrying much about expensive licence fees or the capital expenditure of rolling out the network.
"In principle, having a single (large) network should not be a problem, normally the concern arises around who is going to manage or maintain it and how will it be managed," said Mr Dobek Pater, senior telecoms analyst at Africa Analysis, an ICT consultancy firm.
There has been discontent in the industry over the advert requirement that the private partner must be tier 1 network operator, 20 per cent Kenyan owned and ability to roll out to 47 counties within a year.
Some players feel that the requirements were skewed in favour of the largest mobile network but Mr Ndemo sees the move as a savior to smaller ISPs which have been unable to compete with mobile networks.
"This is the only way to salvage Internet Service Providers owned by small businesses to be able to compete; people need to understand open access and shared infrastructure," said Mr Ndemo.
Globally, there is no uniformity on the spectrum band for use in LTE. For instance, Safaricom is testing LTE on its GSM band, which may interfere with other services already on offer like voice, 3G and 2G.
Globally, LTE is optimised for 2.6GHz but Kenya faces a bigger trick because that spectrum is currently being used by the military.
The Communications Commission of Kenya has been in discussions with the military to migrate its services to fibre and release the spectrum, even though CCK has also maintained that there are other available mechanisms like utilising the analogue spectrum, which will be released by the television stations, once Kenya migrates to the digital platform. The spectrum, commonly known as digital dividend is on 700 MHz band, is expected to be reallocated on a competitive basis.
-
Is French telecommunications giant Orange, the mobile subsidiary of France Telecom, buying JSE-listed IT services company Business Connexion (BCX)? Three separate industry sources, none of whom is employed by either company, have told TechCentral they understand the two parties are in discussions about a deal.
Orange has long been rumoured to be sniffing around the SA market for an acquisition. A couple of years ago, it was rumoured to be interested in Cell C, though that speculation was never firmed up.
A purchase of BCX, one of the largest listed IT companies on the JSE, would cost the French operator — which owns networks in a range of francophone countries in Africa — billions of rand, assuming it swallows the whole company.
BCX CEO Benjamin Mophatlane says he can’t confirm or deny the two companies are in talks. “We do not comment on a cautionary [notice],” he says. An Orange spokesman in France says the company has “no official comment”.
BCX — which is trading under a cautionary notice because it is in discussions that could affect its share price — has a market capitalisation of R2,2bn. An acquisition would be the biggest foreign direct investment in SA’s technology sector since last year’s blockbuster R24,4bn acquisition by Japan’s Nippon Telegraph and Telephone of Dimension Data.
Orange is the world’s fifth largest mobile phone operator, with more than 210m customers. In Africa, it has businesses in Kenya, Cameroon, Senegal, Madagascar, Reunion, Tunisia, Uganda, Botswana, Mauritius, the Central African Republic, Mali, Niger, Equatorial Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire.
BCX, meanwhile, has stated it is keen to expand more aggressively in Africa and analysts polled by TechCentral say a tie-up with Orange would allow it to grow into new markets on the continent where the French company already has operations.
If market speculation is correct — and one source believes a deal between Orange and BCX could be concluded within weeks, pending regulatory approvals — it could send tremors through the local IT services industry.
As telecoms operators and IT services firms increasingly converge on each other’s markets, mergers are becoming more commonplace. Telecoms firms see IT services as a new growth area and IT companies are increasingly considering it necessary to align themselves with operators.
If a deal between Orange and BCX is on the cards, it will be the second time in recent years that the SA company has been courted by an operator. In 2006, Telkom offered R2,4bn to buy the company, but was thwarted by the competition authorities over concerns the deal could have a deleterious effect on competition in the IT market.
-
Airtel Uganda has suspended plans to stop accepting inbound calls from Uganda Telecom following intervention from the government.
Airtel has been in dispute with Uganda Telecom for some time over a US$2.3 million debt that Telecom is struggling to pay.
"They have agreed a new payments plan and so will not to switch off Uganda Telecom calls," Godfrey Mutabazi, the executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) told the East African Business Week. "Both UCC and the ministry of information and communication technology have agreed with Airtel not to go ahead and lock out Uganda Telecom subscribers from accessing their network." he added. The details of the settlement and the debt repayment plan are being kept confidential.
-
- India’s ICT businessmen will tour the African continent in pursuit of new African ICT investment opportunities from 12 to 22 September 2011. The ICT businessmen will be visiting Nigeria and Ghana as part of their global tour. The NASSCOM delegation said in a statement that the visit is part Global Trade Development Initiative to explore new geographies for its members.
- Nigerian telecommunications leaders have called on the federal government to investigate the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) over the sale of the state-run telecom operator NITEL. President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) Titi Omo-Ettu says he hopes the government takes their demands seriously. He said that BPE officials had been valuing NITEL properties instead of looking at the license that would bring to Nigeria more financial stability.
- South Africa’s IT company Altec, has bought SetOne, a Germany-based supplier of digital video broadcasting (DVB)-based products and solutions, for an undisclosed amount. South Africa is in the middle of migrating to digital television using the European DVB-T2 standard. Digital broadcasting will be turned off in April with the aim of switching off analogue signal towards the end of 2013.
Web and Mobile, Content and Services
-
Technology company, Google, plans to reduce the cost of smart phones in Africa to an affordable range in order to boost the use of the internet.
The company intends to sell genuine smart phones at prices below Shs225,000 ($80) to encourage more Africans to abandon basic phones with a few functions, according to Mr Nelson Mattos, the vice president for Google Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Smart phones are those designed with the internet and thousands of applications to enable their users to rely on them as mini-computers.
Genuine smart phones from companies like; Nokia, Samsung, Apple, LG and Huawei cost between $90 and $800 a range that is out of reach for ordinary Africans and other developing markets.
“When you look at the disposable income in Africa compared to that in Europe, the price (of smart phones) in Africa today is 100 times more. So, it’s not surprising that the uptake of smart phones in Europe is taking off and not in Africa,” Mr Mattos told Daily Monitor in interview yesterday during the Google conference in Kampala.
He added that Google’s planned partnership with US firm Motorola, maker of Motorola phones, is aimed at creating affordable smart phones for its emerging markets including Africa and Asia.
“We know that majority of people in Africa access the internet via the mobile phone, Motorola being a player in that industry will allow us to speed up access to the internet through the uptake of smart phones,” he said.Uganda has about 4 million internet users who access the internet at least once a month, according to the Uganda Communications Commission.
Google, which has operations in Uganda is playing a key role to promote the use of the internet through creating local content for internet users.
For instance, the company has mapped most key and relevant places in Uganda and has also translated its search engine to Luganda, Kiswahili, Luo and Runyakitara.
-
Social media has moved incredibly quickly from a specialist tool to a must-have channel of engagement with customers.
Building on the unique one on one conversation that social media makes possible, Vodacom has increased the number of people working in its specialist dedicated customer care team and increased their hours of operation.
The customer care team are now live on Twitter (@vodacom111) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/Vodacom) from 7am to 10pm every day, including weekends.
“I don’t think any of us had an inkling what we were letting ourselves in for back in early 2010 when we kicked off our social media activity on Twitter. We made two key decisions which are really paying dividends.
First, we set up the dedicated Twitter channel for customer care, @vodacom111, and made sure that the people resolving the queries were frontline on Twitter with nowhere to hide. We then added to that same team and put them on to the Facebook page as well, scouring customer posts for issues to resolve,” said Portia Maurice, Chief Officer Corporate Affairs.
With more than 27 million customers in South Africa, Vodacom’s social media team were always going to have their work cut out for them. From starting up a year and a half ago, the reality has been beyond any expectations.
The company now has more than 20,000 followers on its two main Twitter channels and is rapidly approaching 100,000 Facebook fans, giving the team a huge volume of customer care queries to handle.
“There’s always a challenge separating customer care activities from all the other engagements that happen via our social media channels but with the structure we’ve put in place, I think we’ve found a good balance,” Maurice added.
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
-
- In South Africa, First National Bank has launched a new service called Pay2Cell that allows its accountholders to make payments to other FNB accountholders using only the recipient’s cellphone number. To make a payment, customers must be registered for cellphone banking. To receive payments, they only need to be registered for inContact, FNB’s SMS notification service. There is a limit of R1 500/transaction.
- Mozambique's publicly owned mobile phone operator, M-Cel, has announced that it is launching onto the market a cell phone that will cost only 449 meticais (about 16.5 US dollars). This phone, which M-Cel claims will be the cheapest on the market, is an Alcatel OT208 multi-functional handset. In June, Vodacom launched what was then the cheapest cell phone on the Mozambican market - the Chinese-made model ZTE S512, which sells for 499 meticais.
- South Africa’s mobile service provider Vodacom has unveiled a new step to protect its customers from cellphone fraud by automatically locking a SIM card if any irregular call activity is detected. Vodacom stated that they saw an increase in the number of cases relating to International Revenue Share Fraud (IRSF), and with this fraud a syndicate steals handsets or SIM cards from victims and uses them to dial international premium numbers which could result in cellphone bills as high as R120 000.
- Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy S II smartphone in Kenya. Speaking in Nairobi during the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S II, Samsung Electronics East Africa Business Leader, Robert Ngeru confirmed that the Android powered smartphone would be hitting the market to further enhance Samsung’s local offering.
- Zimbabwe’s largest mobile operator, Econet Wireless, will at end of the month launch a mobile payment system that makes it possible for Zimbabweans to pay bills using their cellphones. The company said it had spent millions of dollars on developing the system, which will be launched to its over 5 million customers, completely eliminating the need for any notes for purchases below USD20.
- In Liberia, mobile operators Cellcom and Lonestar/MTN have launched mobile banking services. Cellcom has joined ranks with UBA Bank while Lonestar/MTN has partnered with Ecobank. Statistics also show that just about only 10% of Liberians have bank accounts while over 40% of the population has mobile phones. So, with difficult roads and limited formal banking facilities around Liberia mobile banking services will provide the opportunity for more Liberians, particularly in the rural areas to have access to cash, transfer money, pay bills, do business and improve their lives economically.
- News24 and Samsung South Africa have combined to produce the first local Smart TV application. The News24 app can be accessed from any Samsung Smart TV and offers the hooked-in user news reports, the latest sports results, financial indicators, celebrity gossip and much more. The move mirrors the recent UK launch of the BBC News app on Samsung TVs.
- Mobile operator, Cell C has deployed its HSPA+ network in Welkom, Kroonstad and Koppies, extending its coverage in the Free State. The latest expansion of the network now puts Cell C's national coverage at 63% of the South African population.
More
-
Nigeria Com
20 - 21 September, 2011, Lagos, Nigeria
The 2nd annual Nigeria Com returns to Lagos. Gain unique market perspectives and insights from a 40 strong speaker-line up including 25+ Operator leaders. The 2 day agenda equips you to capitalise on new networks and services, while the 60 stand networking exhibition will showcase the world’s foremost technology and solutions available for your business. With 700+ attendees, if you do telecoms business in the region, this is an event you cannot afford to miss!
For more information visit here:Mozambique National ICT Congress
5-6 October 2011, Centro Internacional de Conferencia Joaquim Chissano, Maputo
Held under the auspices of the Mozambique Ministry of Science & Technology and organised by AITEC Africa, this is the annual gathering of Mozambique’s rapidly growing ICT community, with a two-day conference and industry expo. Users and vendors of ICT systems and solutions will be sharing challenges, knowledge and ideas in the stimulating conference programme, with high-level local and international speakers. There is simultaneous translation between English and Portuguese to facilitate international participation. The event will also include the second annual National Communications Roundtable, providing operators, ISPs, users and service providers with an opportunity to discuss the country’s national communications strategy with the regulator. For the full programme log on to the organiser’s website here: To book exhibition space, email info@aitecafrica.comNorth Africa Com
11 - 12 October, 2011, Tunis, Tunisia
Now in its 6th year, the ONLY conference and exhibition dedicated to the North African telecoms market moves to Tunisia to address the dynamic French-speaking markets.
The expanded conference agenda is now in development and will feature a host of new topics led by a speaker panel featuring some of North Africa's leading telcos. Contact us today to apply to speak in the conference, or reserve your sponsorship or exhibition package. Be one of the first to see the 2011 agenda and sign up for your copy.
For more information visit here:CDN World Summit 2011
26 - 28 October 2011, Hilton Hotel Paddington, London.
The 3rd annual CDN World Summit promises to be the largest and most
comprehensive CDN event ever.The full value chain is represented including content providers,broadcast operators, traditional and telco CDNs, represented by industry leaders such as; FilmFlex Movies, BT Wholesale and AT&T.
For more information visit here:
Digital Migration and Spectrum Policy Summit
29 October to 01 November 2011, Nairobi, Kenya.
For more informtion visit here:Africa Com
9 - 10 November, 2011, Cape Town, SA
Join 5,000 of Africa’s leading telcos in Cape Town this November for what is set to be the biggest and best AfricaCom yet. The conference agenda has doubled to incorporate a record 150+ speakers presenting across 4 strategic keynotes, 11 in-depth focus sessions and 2 co-located events – AfricaCast and Enterprise ICT Africa. What’s more 250+ international solutions providers will be showcasing their latest products in the networking exhibition. For more information visit here:
World Telecom Summit 2011
9–11 November, 2011, Singapore Marriott Hotel
World Telecom Summit 2011 is the must-attend event of the year. Bringing together top level executives and key decision makers of preeminent telecommunications companies from around the world, this is the perfect opportunity to meet the who’s who of the telecommunications and mobile industry. It is the summit that addresses the evolving needs of telecommunications and mobile community. Get up to date with the latest innovations and technological advancements in the industry and gain access to the minds of the movers and shakers of the industry.
Take advantage of the Limited Early Bird Rates for Operator Pass!
For more information please visit here: or contact Vivian at vivian.ho@olygen.comAITEC East Africa East Africa Summit
2-3 November, Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi
East Africa has become one of the fastest growing ICT investment markets and the region’s ICT Summit it designed as the region’s forum to bring together users and vendors of ICT technology in a stimulating educational and business networking environment. The 2011 Summit programme will focus on the following themes:
• Data Security
• Mobile Apps
• Cloud Computing
For the conference programme, log on to the organiser’s website here: To book exhibition space, email info@aitecafrica.comICT Infrastructure Summit: Banking Solutions in Growth Economies
29-30 November, 2011,
Kingsway Hall, Great Queen Street, London WC2
Though technology innovation for banks in growth economies is ripe for growth, development is being stalled by some major infrastructural barriers including poor connectivity, a lack of political support, incorrect regulation and a lack of capital. The ICT Innovation for Banks in Growth Economies conference will arm you with the tools to upgrade your telecommunication infrastructure and scale up your branchless banking operations in order to reach millions of unbanked households. For further information please click here:
AfriHealth
30 November – 1 December 2011, Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi
The leading continental forum on e-health, m-health, health management systems and capacity development. AfriHealth 2011 will focus on current research, development and implementation of ICT technology and resources in the African Healthcare arena. A key objective of the conference, now in its fourth year, will be to share knowledge and experience from practical mobilization of ICT-based healthcare systems and projects, to showcase best practice through practical case studies and highlight potential for scaling up success stories at national and regional levels. For the conference programme log on to the organiser’s website here: To book exhibition space, email info@aitecafrica.comAITEC Banking & Mobile Money COMESA
7-8 March 2012, Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi
Now in its sixth year, this has become the leading educational, networking and marketing event for Eastern and Southern Africa’s financial services sector. In addition to the conference’s established intensive education programme covering core banking, mobile money and microfinance topics (over 100 speakers in 2011). For the conference programme log on to the organiser’s website here: To book exhibition space, email info@aitecafrica.com
InsureAFRICA
7-8 March 2012, Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi
Insurers seeking effective performance in service delivery, cost reduction and profit levels need to embrace technology, viewing it not as a support function but as a key enabler of competitive advantage at all levels of operation. InsureAFRICA is the first specialised conference for the African insurance and pensions industry to evaluate the systems and innovative channels needed to compete and thrive in a rapidly expanding industry. With the theme “Effective management strategies and systems for a new era of expansion and inclusion”, the conference will be the continent’s first forum to gather knowledge and experience for a rapidly growing industry. For the Call for Papers, log on to the organiser’s website here: To book exhibition space, email info@aitecafrica.comMobile VAS Africa 2012
14 - 15 May 2012, Johannesburg, South Africa
Mobile VAS Africa 2012 will bring together industry experts and representatives from leading financial institutions, mobile operators and solutions providers to provide a strategic insight into mobile VAS while exploring collaborative business models, innovative applications, technologies and straegies. For more information visit here:Roaming & Interconnect
16 - 17 May 2012, Johannesburg, South Africa
RIC Africa 2012 will uncover new strategies to boost roaming traffic and retain existing roamers. During the conference we will look at the innovative roaming solutions and pricing, supplementing roaming with alternative revenue streams, the latest EU regulations and their impact on operations in Africa, as well as the importance of hubbing and convergence. For more information please visit here:
AITEC Banking & Mobile Money West Africa
6 June 2012, Accra International Conference Centre
Now in its fifth year, the conference will cover a wide range of strategic and technology topics to empower West Africa’s banking, microfinance and insurance professionals with the knowledge they need to lead their organisation effectively through the turbulent market and regulatory conditions they face. For the conference programme log on to the organiser’s website here: To book exhibition space, email info@aitecafrica.com -
- Rene Meza has quit as CEO of Airtel Kenya after a three year stint at the second largest mobile phone service provider locally. Meza who joined Airtel Kenya on July 7th 2008 has now joined Tanzania's Vodacom in the same capacity. Airtel had in July denied unofficial reports that the MD had left the company. Airtel has been undergoing a restructuring program and in recent months has seen the exit of some senior managers.
- Shivan Bhargava has been appointed Airtel Kenya Managing Director to replace Rene Meza who has quit to join Vodacom Tanzania in the same capacity. Bhargava was the firm’s Chief Operating Officer, a position he occupied until his appointment.
-
IT- Account Management Reference Number:
AJS0011422
Preferred Degree: Relevant Qualifications
Job Type: Permanent/Full Time
Job Country: South Africa
Job Location: Pretoria-South Africa
Experience (Years): 2-4
Job DescriptionTitle: IT Advisory Analyst
Business Unit: IT Advisory
Reporting to: ITA Directors
Purpose of the Job:
Working as part of a national team of professionals to advise clients in managing risks associated with IT infrastructure, information management, information technology governance, business systems, projects, information security and strategic IT consulting.
Key job duties or responsibilities:
Forming part of a team responsible for client service delivery to scope on various IT
Advisory and Assurance engagements;
Extensive client liaison, working mainly off-site at client premises (travel is involved)
Building a solid of understanding of the clients we service – the issues they face, key developments in their industry sector, etc.
Conducting reviews of clients general and application controls, documenting findings and compiling reports
Working to deadlines
Act as a peer advisor to new / junior team members
Developing areas of specialisation in line with the division's objectives;
Building sustainable business relationships with both internal and external clients.Critical Technical Skills or Competencies
IT audit experience – reviewing diverse application and general control environments
IT Risk Management interest and understanding.
Experience in business process analysis
Understanding of tools and audit process methodologies
Effective written and verbal communication
Ability to spot problems and recommend solutions
Interest in IT Consulting, and a desire to build a long term career in one or more of the following areas:
IT Audit
IT Performance and ROI
IT Risk and Compliance
IT Governance
IT Security and Privacy
ERP Implementation aCritical Interpersonal or Interactive skills
Potential candidates must demonstrate strong business acumen, analytical skills, good client relationship development aptitude, high energy, an enquiring mind and professional integrity.
Good time management skills
Conscientious approach to delivering results on engagements
Ability to follow instructions accurately
Ability to work well in a team environment
Able to remain calm and focused, even when under pressure
Proactively evaluate own skills and knowledge, able to identify own strengths and areas for development
Qualifications and experienceMinimum of 2 to 3 years relevant experience in an IT Audit or IT risk consulting environment
Completed B degree (B com / B Sc) is required
Further relevant qualifications/certifications desirable (PMP, CISA, CISSP, CGEIT, etc)For further information please visit here
The deadline for submitting projects for the Orange African Social Venture Prize has now been extended to 30 September.
The Orange African Social Venture Prize, which was launched in June 2011, will be part of the prestigious AfricaCom Awards. In this context, the prize-giving will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, on November, 9th.
Through the establishment of this Award, Orange is actively supporting dynamic, youngentrepreneurs and start-ups across its footprint in Africa. The prize aims to offer support to entrepreneurs who have innovative ideas for promoting social development by using IT and telecommunications technology, but do not necessarily have the financial or technical resources to put their ideas into action.
Following numerous requests by interested candidates and to allow entrepreneurs to complete their file, the deadline for submitting projects has now been extended by two weeks. Candidates are invited to submit their dossiers via www.starafrica.com by 30 September to be eligible for the award.
The Orange African Social Venture Prize will be awarded to three entrepreneurs or start-ups that offer solutions based on mobile networks or IT systems that are designed to address various social and welfare issues faced by Africans across the continent. Projects may range from banking or payment services to applications in essential areas such as healthcare, education and agriculture.
In addition to the prestige of winning the award, Orange is committed to financially supporting and offering expert assistance to the winning entrepreneurs or start-ups. The three prize winners will receive an endowment of between EUR 10,000 and 25,000, and will benefit from six months of support from management and ICT experts at Orange.
Any entrepreneur or company that has been in existence since June 2008 may participate at no cost and with no restriction on nationality. Submitted projects must be designed to be deployed in at least one of the 17 African countries in which Orange operates.
The Orange African Social Venture Prize is coherent both with the Group’s strategy for development and with its Corporate Social Responsibility policy. By encouraging social entrepreneurship, Orange hopes to underscore the role that telecommunications technologies can play in the economic and social development of emerging countries.
