News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 219 on 9 July 2004

WEST AFRICA'S FIRST VOIP LICENCE - NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON'T

It looked like last week's prediction of the first VoIP licence being granted in West Africa had already come true. Guinea Bissau's Eguitel has had a licence for nine months but was about to step things up a notch by carrying international traffic for the new second mobile operator Spacetel. Last week it received a letter from the Guinea Bissau regulator saying that it was revoking the licence. However Eguitel's CEO Abdulai Sila has vowed to continue operating, saying that the recall of the licence is not legal. Russell Southwood investigates. Guinea Bissau's main claim to fame had been its…

SENEGALESE MINISTER ANNOUNCES A LIMIT ON THE NUMBER OF OPERATORS

Minister of Post and Telecommunications Joseph Ndong said during a tour of Sonatel that: "the decision toliberalise the telecommunications sector was taken by the Governhment with the objective of giving…

CHINA GRANTS NIGERIA USD200M LOAN FOR GOVERNMENT RURAL TELEPHONY PACKAGE

In the bid to provide cheap telephone services to rural communities, the Federal Government of Nigeria last week launched a rural telephony programme for the country for which it plans…

ZIMBABWE'S ECONET RESUMES INTERNATIONAL ROAMING WITH RBZ APPROVAL

Zimbabwe's largest cellular phone operator, Econet Wireless, has hailed the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe's decision to change the rules on roaming and says it will resume full international service for…

NIGERIAN GSM KILLER CALLS RUMBLE ON: YORUBA FILM FINDS RUMOUR SOURCE

Two members of a family were said to have been killed by the "phone call of death". A group of concerned artists are taking steps to combat the "Killer GSM…

MTC NAMIBIA CHOOSES LIFETREE'S BILLING PLATFORM

Lifetree Convergence last week announced that MTC Namibia has selected Lifetree's customer care and billing solution @Billity 3.0 for its GSM and GPRS services. The Lifetree solution will include @Billity…

Telecoms News - In Brief

- According to a presentation made by the Prime Minister, the telecommunications sector in Senegal represents 6% of Senegal's GDP. - Comverse, a unit of Comverse Technology, Inc. last week…

TELECOM RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE

- Cameroon's Camtel has invested FCFA5.1 billion to create an additional 7,100 new lines in Garoua and Guider. These new lines will all be digital and operate using Siemens equipment.…

PARADYNE TO OFFER ADSL2+ SERVICE TO TELCOS IN EGYPT

US broadband equipment-maker Paradyne is to provide its ADSL2+ technology to telecoms operators in Egypt under the government's information society initiative. The three-year initiative - announced in May by the…

ALGERIE TELECOM CUTS RATES FOR INTERNET ACCESS AND LEASED LINES

More reasonable access prices are about to become a reality in Algeria as Algeria Telecom has just put in place a new lower price tariff structure. It is now delivering…

GARTNER CLAIMS VIDEO VOIP WILL OUTPACE VOIP

Voice over IP (VOIP) will not necessarily bring the cost reductions companies expect and video deployment will more than likely outpace voice over networks, says Gartner analyst Neil Rickard. Speaking…

TELKOM KENYA PUSHES INTERNET SERVICE CHARGES HIGHER

Kenyan's are about to start paying more for electronic mail access following a decision by JamboNet, the sole Internet backbone provider, to raise its tariffs by up to 40 per…

Internet News - In Brief

agentsales@rumba.co.za http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-02aug04.htm http://www.internet.org.za/AccreditationRegulations.pdf - A new Internet prepaid card has been launched by Fruit of the Spirit co. Ltd. in collaboration with Africanus net in Accra. http://www.iana.org/assignments/ipv4-address-space

UGANDA'S STANBIC BANK COMPLETES SHS41 BILLION NETWORK LINK

Stanbic Bank has completed a Shs41 billion network upgrading that has seen the bank interlink its entire branch network. This is the highest amount ever spent by a single bank…

SOUTH AFRICAN COMPANY INVENTS 4-IN-ONE PC FOR EDUCATION USE

A South African-based company has invented a low-cost, four-in-one personal computer (PC) that could lower the cost of offering information communications technology in learning institutions. Officials of OnPoint Solutions say…

LAGOS CITY POLY TO MANUFACTURE SEMI-CONDUCTORS?

IF the current plans being drawn by one of Nigeria's private polytechnics, Lagos City Polytechnics, are any thing to go by, Nigeria may be on the verge of making landmark…

SA PREFERRED DESTINATION FOR OFF-SHORE OUTSOURCING, SAYS IBM

IBM says that SA is establishing itself as a preferred outsourcing destination, and is rapidly becoming a back-up site for India, the world's number one outsourcing provider, says Abdul Mohammed,…

Computer News - In Brief

- The South African Supplier Selection Authority (SSA) is expected to complete its selection process for the government seat management tender by the end of this month.This was announced yesterday…

MAURITIUS TELECOM CLEANS UP ITS BALANCE SHEET AND SELLS SUBSIDIARIES

Mauritius Telecom will sell off four of its thirteen subsidiaries in order to focus on its core business: fixed and mobile telephony and the internet. Two of these - Southern…

On The Money - In Brief