News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa – Issue no 175 on 5 December 2003
Top Story
SA’S SENTECH TO LAUNCH WIRELESS BROADBAND BY THE END OF THE YEAR
In a presentation at ISPA’s iWeek Dr Angelo Roussos, Group Executive Multimedia, Sentech signalled that the company will launch its wireless broadband service by the end of the year. It will be targeting South Africa’s main cities and looking for "advanced residential customers’, SOHOs and SMEs. It claims to have cheaper technology to deliver a service that will be "very competitively priced" against Telkom. The question is whether a parastatal can deliver a competitive market service. Russell Southwood listened to the pitch. Sentech wants to become the pre-eminent and default supplier of broadband services in South Africa (and on into…
Telecoms
NIGERIAN CELLPHONE USERS SWITCH OFF IN PROTEST: CAMPAIGNERS CLAIM 80%
Many cellphone users in Nigeria switched off their phones on Friday in protest against poor service and high tariffs charged by mobile networks. The unprecedented action was a response to…
Telecoms
MAURITIAN CONSUMER ASSOCIATIONS ATTACK NEW TELEPHONE CHARGES
According to L’Express, Mauritian consumer associations are protesting to the regulator ICTA about the new tariff rises. "This rise is exagerrated. If you calculate it on the former ready reckoner…
Telecoms
COTE D’IVOIRE: ORANGE INCREASES THE CAPACITY OF ITS NETWORK
Cellular provider Orange Cote D’Ivoire has introduced new equipment to add capacity to its network. According to Bernard Clivet, its Director-General the growth of clients in the last ten months…
Telecoms
TUNISIANA’S SUBSCRIBERS REACH THE 351,000 MARK END AUGUST
Private sector Tunisian operator Tunisiana (owned by Orascom and Al Watanya) has upgraded its network in the holiday areas of Djerba, Raf-Raf and Hammamet and has hit the 351,000 subscriber…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- Kenyan mobile phone service provider, Safaricom, has completed a Sh1.6 billion network project covering the entire Mombasa-Nairobi-Busia highway. The network now serves all trading centres and towns along the…
Internet
DRC’S CITRACO TO DEPLOY WIRELESS NETWORK IN KINSHASA
According to an interview in Le Phare Richard Cibangu Muamba of Congo International Transaction Company (Citraco) intends to offer telephony, data and video services using IP protocol. It plans to…
Internet
SES ASTRA EXPANDS SATELLITE BROADBAND TO ALGERIA
SES Aatra has signed five new contracts for the provision of Astra one-way satellite broadband services at Europe’s orbital position of 19.2 degrees East. The high speed satellite Internet services…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- The first African root name server was installed at the South African internet exchange, JINX this week. - The Lagos IXP looks set to launch in September 2003. AfrISPA…
Computing
AFRICAN BANKS FIND IT EASIER TO MEASURE TECH RETURNS, SAYS UK EXPERT
African banks find it far easier to measure return on investment on new IT systems than their European counterparts do, because of the obvious improvement in customer service levels, writes…
Computing
KENYA’S UCHUMI STORES COMPLETE SATELLITE LINKED IT SYSTEM
Uchumi Supermarkets have completed the implementation of a new satellite-based IT system that links its entire stores. The new technology, the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), places all Uchumi’s 28 stores,…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
BOTSWANA’S CITIZENS INVESTMENT LOSES MASCOM BID
Citizens Investments, owned by Gaborone businessman Kagiso Mmusi and lawyer Rizwan Desai, has lost the bid to acquire a 50.01 per cent stake in Mascom Wireless. According to The Star…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
FLAK FLIES IN BATTLE FOR CONTROL OF ECONET WIRELESS NIGERIA
The attempt to recapitalise Econet Wireless Nigeria is causing major turbulence amongst the shareholders and management of the company: - The three State Governments that are shareholders Lagos, Akwa Ibom…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
On The Money - In Brief
- Uganda Telecom Ltd listed a 54-billion Uganda shilling ($27 million) five-year issue of commercial paper on the Uganda Securities Exchange on Tuesday to raise funds to finance its expansion…
Digital Content
SA’S SOFTWARE FUTURES IMPLEMENTS ONLINE BOOK CLUB FOR KALAHARI.NET
Software Futures has implemented the kickbackclub, said to be SA’s first online book club within a virtual mall, for Kalahari.net. Sean O’Connell, Software Futures Cape regional GM, says that N-Direct,…
Digital Content
African Web News - In Brief
www.meraka - According to Nhalanhla Mabaso, Centre Manager, Open Source Centre, CSIR in his presentation on open source in South Africa, Mozilla has been translated into Zulu and Open Office…
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EVENTS
FIRST AFRICAN CONFERENCE ON THE DIGITAL COMMONS (JANUARY 11-15 2004) CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA Organised by the Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA), the African Virtual Open…
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JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES
www.catia.ws CATIA component 1f is inviting tenders to establish and develop two Centres of Expertise in ICT Policy in Africa: - One Centre located in and working on behalf of…
