News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 246 on 25 March 2005
Top Story
TELKOM KENYA DISCONNECTS VoIP CALLING CARD SEMA AS IT PUTS HEAT ON ITS INTERNATIONAL REVENUES
Telkom Kenya has disconnected individuals and business using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calling cards from making international calls. Telkom whose exclusivity ended in June last year have done this by disconnecting a line they issued to ISP Kenya Limited through which Sema calling card holders were able to make international calls. Brian Longwe, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at ISP Kenya last week blamed Telkom Kenya for disconnecting the service that allowed Kenyans affordable international calls. Through the Sema calling card, a minute call to USA and Europe costs about Ksh 10. Longwe said his company has a contractual…
Telecoms
BURKINA FASO'S ONATEL DEPLOYS USD4M IN ALVARION EQUIPMENT
Alvarion last week announced that ONATEL (Office Nationale des Telecommunications), the national exchange carrier of Burkina Faso, has deployed an additional $4 million worth of Alvarion equipment. This is the…
Telecoms
TANZANIAN MONPOLOY ENDS FOR TTCL AS ZANTEL HEADS FOR THE MAINLAND
The Tanzanian incumbent's monopoly ended on Tuesday last week as the country's industry regulator announced it was ready to hand over a licence to a competitor this week. Industry insiders…
Telecoms
NIGERIA RURAL TELEPHONY PROJECT EQUIPMENT WORTH USD23M ARRIVES IN LAGOS
Equipment worth USD23m for the Nigerian Rural Telephony Project arrived in the port of Lagos from China. The equipment ordered by contractors to the project, a Chinese consortium of Alcatel…
Telecoms
EGYPT: GOVT SET TO PRIVATISE TELECOM EGYPT IN THE COMING YEAR
Throughout the economic downturn of the past five years, Egypt’s telecoms sector has been one of the few lucky ones not to suffer. Now, with the bad times seemingly behind…
Telecoms
PRIMUS ENTERS GHANAIAN MARKET WITH GSM SERVICE
Primus Mobiles has embarked on its global expansion with the launch of GCS™ (Global Communication Services) in Ghana. Supported by a considerable initial investment, the unique GCS™ service offers low…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- Incumbent operator Telecom Namibia has signed a three-year maintenance and support contract with DiData SA. The agreement, valued at approximately R14m, will see DiData providing maintenance and support to…
Telecoms
TELECOM RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE
- SA's Thinta Thinta Telecoms (T3) and MTN have signed an agreement that will see T3 use the MTN network to provide telecommunications services in the Ugu region of KwaZulu-Natal.…
Internet
SOUTH AFRICAN ISP CMC LAUNCHES NEW VOIP SERVICE
Gauteng-based Internet service provider (ISP) CMC Networks is now ‘voice-ready' following the launch of its voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology, VO-X (Voice over Xcellence). "We have comprehensively taken advantage…
Internet
UNIVERSITY OF COCODY OPENS A STUDENT INTERNET ACCESS CENTRE
Thirty computers were connected to the internet with a broadband connection last Thursday for students of the University of Cocody in Abidjan to use. These computers form part of the…
Internet
SA'S CUASA WANTS MORE BROADBAND COMPETITION AND WARNS AGAINST NEW OFFERINGS
While welcoming the new products and price reductions announced by Telkom, the Communications Users Association of SA (CUASA) has warned consumers to be cautious about adopting the new offerings. CUASA…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- According to a report by the Arab Advisors Group, the number of internet accounts in Egypt is expected to grow at an annual rate of 23.7% between 2003 and…
Computing
SENEGAL: AQUADEV IMPLEMENTS REAL-TIME MICRO-FINANCE SOFTWARE
Despite the importance of the sector, there are few micro-finance institutions with ICT systems capable of generating financial information in real time. NGO Aquadev has now developed such a piece…
Computing
IBM JOINS BLACK IT AWARENESS WEEK
IBM has joined the International Black Technology Awareness Campaign to promote the value of technology in black communities. This year's event, named Black Family Technology Awareness Week (BFTAW), will see…
Computing
MAC MINIS HIT SA SHELVES LAST WEEK
A limited number of Apple's entry-level mini desktop computer will go on sale in Johannesburg and Cape Town this weekend, says distributor Apple IMC Southern Africa. Announced over a month…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- The Ministry of Mines in Zambia will implement a computerised system for the management of mining licensing information in 2005. The Technical Director of Spatial Dimension, a mineral services…
digtool
PHOENIX INTRODUCES MAXIMUM MP3 FOR MUSIC LOVERS
According to software republisher, Phoenix Global Software, music lovers in SA will shortly have access to the PC industry's most comprehensive music management software suite, with the local release of…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
NITEL: 'PENTASCOPE SQUANDERED N105BN IN 20 MONTHS,' ACCORDING TO EX-NITEL MANAGER
The account below of a parliamentary committee hearing in Nigeria is a masterful attempt to shift all the blame for Nitel's current financial position on to the now-sacked Pentascope. Nevertheless…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
ECONET TO USE BOTSWANA AS GLOBAL LAUNCHING PAD
International telecommunications company, Econet Wireless International (EWI) has injected US$140 million (P616 million) into the Botswana-headquartered Econet Wireless Global (EWG) in a development that will see the company launching…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
WINNING BIDDER FOR LIBERIA'S LTC REVEALED TO BE INVOLVED IN "FORGERY, TAX EVASION AND FRAUD"
The man at the center of the controversy over the privatization of the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation, James S. Yarclay, was once allegedly embroiled in forgery, tax evasion, fraud, and an…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
PIC, ELEPHANT IN TALKS ON TELKOM TRANSFER
The state pension funds administrator Public Investment Commissioners (PIC) yesterday said it was still in talks with Elephant Consortium in a bid to determine how the black economic empowerment consortium…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
On The Money - In Brief
- China's ZTE Corporation International, a firm linked to telecommunications sector, will finance about USD 400 million for Angola, a press release issued by the Cabinet Council announced. From this…
Digital Content
PHONE IN FOR FREE ELECTRICITY
Prism Holdings has piloted a project that allows prepaid electricity consumers to access their free basic electricity entitlement using a mobile phone. The pilot was carried out in Atlantis in…
Digital Content
NOW TOURISTS CAN SURF THE CAPE
Cape Town tourist guide magazine, The Other Guide, has launched an Internet tourism portal to provide visitors to SA with helpful information. The Other Guide is an independent publication launched…
Digital Content
GLO BEGINS MOBILE BANKING WITH 23 BANKS
Subscribers of Glo-mobile will from February 28 benefit from electronic banking as the telephone company commences trials of its mobile banking service which will network with 23 banks. This service…
Digital Content
Web And Mobile Data News - In Brief
- Zanet Internet Service who registered and hosts AfrISPA.org have enhanced their website with more features and content, which can be seen at www.afrispa.org. On the resource section of the…
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PEOPLE
- VICE President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has lamented over the poor Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use in Africa, saying that Africa has only 2.5% of the world’s telephone lines…
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EVENTS
NEWCOM AFRICA GENERATES HIGH LEVELS OF INDUSTRY SUPPORT Increasing demand for sustainable African telecommunications has driven private- and public-sector collaboration and innovation to unprecedented levels, a trend that will take…
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JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES
- PRODDER: SENIOR INFORMATION COORDINATOR SANGONeTis looking to appoint a Senior Information Co-ordinator for PRODDER, a new web-based database of South African NGOs and development organisations. The position will focus…
