News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no180 on 7 May 2004
Top Story
AFRICA'S DIGITAL DIVIDE INITIATIVES - TIME FOR A REALITY CHECK - AN OFF-THE-RECORD BRIEFING
Interest is using ICT for development is probably well over 20 years old. But interest in the digital divide seemed to come into sharp focus with the G8 Dot Force three years ago. The attention span of world politicians is notoriously fickle. Other important issues - Afghanistan, HIV/AIDS and Iraq - to name but a few always seem to come along. Democratic politicians are often gone in five years. So as we’re about halfway through the five year cycle it seemed like a good idea to take stock of what’s happening on the digital divide front in Africa. In this…
Telecoms
WORLD BANK SET TO FINANCE RESTRUCTURING OF DRC’S INCUMBENT OCPT
DRC’s Minister of Post, Telephones and Telecomms had a three-way meeting last Thursday between the Government, the World Bank and state telco incumbent, OCPT. On the agenda for this meeting…
Telecoms
ANGOLA TELECOM SIGNS INTERCONNECT DEAL WITH GATEWAY COMMUNICATIONS
Gateway Communications has announced a bilateral interconnection agreement with Angola Telecom, the dominant fixed-line and GSM operator in Angola. The agreement will assist Angola Telecom in remaining ahead of the…
Telecoms
VODACOM FACES NEW OBSTACLE TO BUYING ECONET WIRELESS NIGERIA
The battle for control over the Nigerian cellphone operator Econet Nigeria took another convoluted twist last week, with SA’s Vodacom facing legal action for allegedly enticing the Nigerian operator to…
Telecoms
SA’S TELKOM LOSES LEAST COST CALL ROUTING CASE
The Pretoria High Court struck a blow for the bottom line of thousands of businesses last week, ruling that they can continue using a system that saves them millions of…
Telecoms
NIGERIA’S GLOBACOM, OTHERS ACCUSE MTN OF STALLING INTERCONNECTIVITY
For allegedly refusing to open its interconnection circuits, MTN Nigeria Communications Limited has been dragged before the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for anti-competition practices. In the trenches for the war…
Telecoms
BRITISH COUNCIL OPENS ETHIOPIAN TELECENTRE IN DEBRE BIRHAN
The Debre Birhan Multipurpose Community Telecentre was officially opened on Monday last week at Debre Birhan Public Library. The aim of the Centre is to provide computers and telecommunication facilities…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- Business Parks of Mauritius which is managing the "cyber-city" project in Ebène has issued a new tender document for the supply and implementation of a telephone network on the…
Telecoms
TELECOM RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE
- Celtel Zambia limited gave all its subscribers free calls to other Celtel subscribers on Independence day last Friday October 24, as part of the firm’s independence bonanza. - The…
Internet
TUNISIA HOSTS ICANN MEETING THIS WEEK IN CARTHAGE
The international conference of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers (ICANN) will be held in Carthage, Tunisia, 27-31 October 2003. More than 500 Internet domain name experts will…
Internet
SA’S REGULATOR ICASA DECLARES WIFI HOTSPOTS LEGAL BUT LIMITED
It appears as though wireless Internet access (WiFi) is here to stay, as the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has reached the conclusion that it is legal as long…
Internet
EGYPTIAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY SET TO ENTER E-COMMERCE FOR EXPORT
The Egyptian textile industry is to take its first steps in e-commerce in the next few months, experts said recently. Small-and medium-scale textile factories will be able to market and…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- Three companies have applied to the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) seeking licenses to provide public data communications network and value added services. CCK Director-General, Sammy Kirui, said the…
Computing
CS HOLDINGS, TELKOM FUND SYSTEM FOR SA’S LEGAL AID BOARD
In a deal worth R14.4m, JSE-listed CS Holdings, in partnership with Telkom, is to develop and implement an administration and financial management system for the Legal Aid Board, an independent…
Computing
DATAFIN CLINCHES OUTSOURCING DEALS WITH UK-BASED COMPANIES
DataFin has successfully completed outsourcing contracts with three UK-based companies. Plans to set up further similar alliances are under way. The projects involved recruiting and setting up development teams for…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- JSE-listed UCS Group has been named Top IT Company in Gauteng at the Top 300 National Companies Awards held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Gauteng on October 16.…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
KENYAN GOVT TO SPEED UP TELKOM SALE, COMPLETE BY JUNE 2005
The Government plans to fast-track the restructuring of Telkom Kenya in preparation for the sale of its equity at the stock market. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
ECONET WIRELESS SHARES TUMBLE BY 40 PERCENT ON NEWS OF NIGERIA BATTLE
Econet Holdings Limited’s shares have lost 40 percent of their value over the past few weeks. An analysis on the counter showed that the share tumbled by almost 45 percent…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
On The Money - In Brief
- Vodafone Egypt announced its 1Q FY04 results ending in June and the company posted impressive 144.3% net profit growth to LE199.8 million, versus a LE81.8 million realized in…
Digital Content
THE DMOZ ROUTE TO BETTER PROFILE FOR AFRICAN WEB SITES
African web sites are not as well listed as they might be, argues our e-commerce correspondent Cordelia Salter-Nour" "A while back I volunteered to be the editor for the Africa…
Digital Content
African Web News - In Brief
www.noseweek.co.za http://www.fondationolivier.com/ - flysaa.com has opened an African web site that allows people in other African countries to book tickets on the airline. - Zimbabwe’s Anstey Global has launched its…
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PEOPLE
* Chief Alaba Joseph, president and chief executive officer, Mobitel Nigeria Limited, a national private telephone operator (PTO) and president of Association of Telephone Companies of Nigeria (Atcon), has said…
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EVENTS
NTIC et Entreprenariat - l’Art de concrétiser ses projets Balancing Act et Afribone en partenariat avec l’IICD organisent le 05 Novembre à l’hôtel Salam à partir de 8H00, un atelier…
