News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 1010 on 31 January 2020
Top Story
Big shifts in the Ugandan market bring new opportunities – Roke Telecom sees FTTH as having retail potential
31 January 2020
Africa’s telecoms and internet markets are seeing big shifts. The number of MNOs are declining and the digital life is becoming a reality. Michael Mukasa, Chief Commercial Officer, Roke Telecom talked to Russell Southwood about how these shifts are affecting Uganda. Roke Telecom’s initial business model was based on selling minutes using VoIP termination:”There was some liberalization on call termination between 2006-2009. Initially we were a wholesale minutes using VoIP termination. Most people now use Skype or WhatsApp so there’s a falling demand for international calling. Then we started to provide infrastructure to ourselves and fibre to the premises. We’ve…
Telecoms
South Africa: Telkom To Cut 3000 Jobs In Openserve Business -Reports
31 January 2020
Telkom has revealed that it will let go of as many as 3 000 jobs in its wholesale Openserve business – the division that is responsible for the building and…
Telecoms
Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority to Switch Off 15m SIM Cards
31 January 2020
Dar es Salaam — The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) says it will disconnect a total of 19 million subscriber identification module (Sim) cards whose owners are yet to register…
Telecoms
Samsung, Safaricom and M-Kopa partner to roll out Pay-as-You Go mobile phone plan
31 January 2020
Technology firm Samsung has partnered Safaricom and M-Kopa to roll out a Pay-As-You-Go mobile phone solution in Kenya. This initiative is described as a world first mobile security solution…
Telecoms
MTN Uganda says forcing foreign telcos to list locally may not boost Ugandan ownership
31 January 2020
A Ugandan government move to require foreign-owned telecom firms to list on the local bourse may fail to achieve its goal of boosting Ugandan ownership in the sector, MTN Uganda’s…
Internet
Malawi opens the first drone academy in Africa
31 January 2020
In Malawi, 14 million people rely mainly on agriculture as a means of subsistence. In 2017, drought in the country affected more than half the population. This EU-funded project uses…
Computing
Google opens developers’ space in Lagos
31 January 2020
Google Nigeria has launched its first GoogleDevelopers Space in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub. The tech company said it launched the centre to provide a place where entrepreneurs, developers, startups…
Computing
The rise of data centres in Africa
31 January 2020
Now and again, a new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solution sees a combination of factors unite to create a ‘perfect storm’ of demand – one that is exacerbated by…
Money Transfer
MTN South Africa launches network-neutral mobile money service
31 January 2020
MTN South Africa has launched a mobile money service (MoMo) to enable around 11 million people to access financial services. MoMo is available to all South African citizens, regardless of…
Money Transfer
Vodafone opts out of Facebook’s digital currency association
31 January 2020
Vodafone has quit Facebook’s digital currency project, Libra, saying it would focus efforts on its own mobile payments service, M-Pesa. It is the latest to leave the project after earlier…
Money Transfer
MTN South Africa bets on mobile money relaunch to reach millions without bank accounts
31 January 2020
MTN South Africa relaunched its mobile money service on Thursday, more than three years after ditching a similar offering, as it bets on improved technology to attract millions of South…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Cell C Struggles To Make $184 Mil Loan Repayments -Reports
31 January 2020
South Africa’s embattled mobile operator Cell C has once again fallen behind on the payments of interest on its loans. Yesterday the telco’s largest shareholder, Blue Label Telecoms, announced…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Oi sells Unitel, Multitel stakes to Sonangol for USD1bn
31 January 2020
Brazilian telco Oi completed the sale of its 25% stake in Angolan mobile market leader Unitel to Angola’s Sonangol on 24 January 2020, effectively raising the state-owned oil firm’s Unitel…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
SA social media content startup Over gets acquired by GoDaddy
31 January 2020
South Africa-based startup Over, which developed an app that allows businesses to easily create content for social media, has been acquired by American publicly-traded internet domain registrar and web hosting…
Digital Content
Airtel Zambia enhanced its video streaming service
31 January 2020
Airtel TV is the new video streaming experience that is being deployed by Airtel Zambia. The new Airtel TV App enabled customers to enjoy news on the go as well…
Digital Content
Zimbabwe: NetOne’s Franchise Programme Rakes In $200 Million -Reports
31 January 2020
Zimbabwe’s state-owned mobile network operator, NetOne’s franchise programme has reportedly generated close to $200 million since its launch last year. The franchise programme is to improve the telecoms operator’s…
Digital Content
Latest episode in #ToyotaStoriesSA campaign another winner on social
31 January 2020
The latest episode in the #ToyotaStoriesSA campaign from FCB Joburg is another winner on social media with 150 000 Facebook views, 2 224 views on Instagram and over 911 views…
Digital Content
African Banks Faithfully Polish Their Mobile Apps But That Doesn’t Spell A Vendetta Against The Fintech Frenzy
31 January 2020
It is not unheard of that mobile banking is booming in Africa. The uptake and swelling of electronic payments has laid the groundwork for financial institutions across the continent to…
Digital Content
Netflix to add Nigerian local production to its platform
31 January 2020
Netflix will add the Nigerian feature film “Hakkunde”, released in Nigerian cinemas in 2017, to its video on demand platform. The information was made public by the American giant and…
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People
31 January 2020
Cell C Appoints New Board Members South Africa’s debt-ridden mobile operator Cell C has made some appointments to its board. The telco released a statement announcing the appointment of two…
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Opportunities
31 January 2020
Applications open for Cape Town-based FSAT Labs accelerator Cape Town-based incubator and accelerator French South African Tech Labs (FSAT Labs) has opened applications for its latest programme, which offers training…
