News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 252 on 11 March 2005
Top Story
Nigerians experience interactive TV using SMS: Happy birthday and I love messages on screen
As the fourth largest mobile market in Africa, Nigeria currently has more than eight million subscribers and according to a recent UK study, Nigeria’s cellular growth is doubling annually. Subsequently, is it any wonder that more and more mobile value added services (VAS) are emerging in the country, capitalising on the booming number of mobile users. Mapara Syed looks at one such VAS which is allowing Nigerians to use SMS to interact with different television programmes. Txtpert, a Nigerian based company specialising in SMS and MMS streaming, provides many VAS offerings by using interactive applications to generate SMS/MMS and thus…
Telecoms
FOUR MORE NATIONAL OPERATORS JOIN EASSY PROJECT: BURUNDI, ZAMBIA AND LESOTHO
Tanzania Telecommunications Company Limited (TTCL) and three other national operators from Burundi, Zambia and Lesotho will soon join the East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) project. Dr. Fadhili Manongi, the…
Telecoms
SA GOVERNMENT SAYS REGULATOR NOW READY TO ISSUE SNO LICENCE
The Government says the Independent Communications Authority (Icasa) is now ready to issue a licence for the operation of a fixed-line telephone network to the second national operator (SNO) which…
Telecoms
ALCATEL TO PROVIDE ETHIOPIA TELECOMS A FIBRE LINK TO DJIBOUTI
Alcatel announced last week that it had signed a turnkey contract valued at more than Euro14m with Ethiopia Telecommunications Corporation (ETC), to extend the existing transport network in certain parts…
Telecoms
KENYAN REGULATOR CCK SLAMS TELKOM OVER UNMET GOALS
Fixed line telecommunications service provider Telkom Kenya has failed to meet its licensing obligations, the sector regulator has said. In its latest annual report the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK)…
Telecoms
VERIZON'S FEDERAL NETWORK SYSTEMS SIGNS WITH RWANDA GOVT
Verizon-owned Federal Network systems LLC, has finalised discussions with the government to introduce their services into the country to boost the ICT industry. The directors told the press immediately after…
Telecoms
TUNISIA CONNECTS TO 'SEA-ME-WE' INTERNATIONAL FIBRE LINK
Work has started to set up a 102 Km underwater optic fibre cable between Sidi Salem in Bizerta (North of Tunisia) to Palermo in Italy. From there, the cable…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- The Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) has gazetted nine companies for various licences in the telecom sector. The latest issue of the Kenya Gazette Notice indicates that CCK has…
Telecoms
TELECOM RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE
- Almost all public phone operators in Rwanda's Butare town have discarded the popular Rwandatel calling cards following complaints over the billing of the same. According to the phone operators,…
Internet
AFRINIC GETS ICANN APPROVAL AT MAR DEL PLATA MEETING
The ICANN Board of Directors has approved AfriNic as the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) for Africa.The fourteen member board joined other partcipants in a standing ovation as Adiel Akplogan, AfriNIC's…
Internet
TELKOM TO DEBUT 1MBPS SERVICE IN JUNE
Following its recent launch of a low-end 192Kbps DSL product, Telkom plans to release a high-end 1Mbps service in June. Steven White, Telkom's executive for new product development, says the…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- First Banking Corporation Holdings (FBCH) in Zimbabwe is planning to launch Internet and phone banking following the successful rollout of its Flexcube core banking system. According to the bank's…
Internet
TOGO'S CAFÉ INFORMATIQUE OFFERS CHEAPER, PRE-PAY CALLING BY VoIP
Café Informatique (one of Togo's leading ISPs) is offering a VoIP pre-paid card service. How does it do this? It has a perfectly legal international gateway licence from the Government.…
Internet
INTERNET ACCESS STILL LIMITED IN ZAMBIA, VARIOUS FACTORS INCLUDING HIGH BANDWIDTH COST
Cheaper access to the internet in Zambia has been hampered by the lack of good telecommunication infrastructure, limited access to phone lines, high cost internet bandwidth and technological limitations, according…
Internet
WATER BOTTLE WIFI IN MALI WITH DIY ANTENNA FOR USD40
In the great tradition of DIY wireless comes another project underway in Mali. The project is investigating best practices for building small DIY antennas and router enclosures at low-cost to…
Internet
CELLULAR NETWORKS TO SPUR INTERNET GROWTH IN AFRICA
Businesses and consumers in most parts of Africa now have a compelling alternative to the erratic Internet coverage that fixed-line operators in most parts of the continent provide, as GSM…
Computing
OPEN SOURCE WILL CHANGE COURSE OF AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT, SAYS BRAZILIAN PROFESSOR
At the ICANN conference, Brazilian Professor Hartmut Glaser was positively beaming while explaining how the software is likely to change the direction and pace of Africa's technological development. "We know…
Computing
FUJITSU-SIEMENS COMPUTERS WANTS HIGHER NIGERIAN MARKET SHARE
Bombarded all around with major headline news about the opportunities that abound in the huge Nigerian IT market, Fujitsu-Siemens Computers finally took the decision to play a more active role…
Computing
SCHOOLNET AFRICA SIGNS FIRST LARGE VOLUME PC DONATION TO ITS CAMPAIGN
SchoolNet Africa has signed its first agreement on a donation of 10,000 PCs for African schools with KPN, a Dutch-based telecommunications company on 6 April 2005. According to Ad Scheepbouwer,…
Computing
COMPUTER SYSTEMS OF ECOWAS CUSTOMS TO BE INTERCONNECTED
Customs administrations in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have been advised to ensure interconnection of computer systems of member states. The position was canvassed at a meeting…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- The Western Cape Education Department has marked the delivery of computer labs to at least 320 schools in the province. The laboratories were installed through the Khanya Technology in…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
GILAT BUYS OUT IP PLANET
Israeli Gilat Satcom Ltd , a wholly owned subsidiary of Satcom Systems Ltd., has announced the acquisition of another Israeli company IP Planet Network Ltd. Both are major satellite bandwidth…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
UNISYS SELLS BEE STAKE
Unisys has become the latest multinational to sell equity in its local operation to a black economic empowerment (BEE) company. Unisys Africa announced that it had signed a letter of…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
On The Money - In Brief
- Billionaire Naguib Sawiris said Wind SpA, the unprofitable Italian phone company he's offered to buy for 12 billion euros ($15.4 billion), will eventually be merged with Orascom Telecom Holding…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
APOLOGIES
Apologies to all our readers for sending out last week's issue twice. Due to a DNS resolution problem at our service provider the first issue appeared to disappear into a…
Digital Content
SMS DIRECTORY SERVICE COMING
An instant SMS directory enquiry service, iFind, which offers users access to information about where to find businesses or services, will launch in SA this month. The listing service will…
Digital Content
GLOBAL SOFTWARE UNVEILS SMS
Global Software Solutions Limited, is showcasing a Windows based application designed to enable users send bulk or multiple recipient SMS messages using the GSS gateway engine. The product christened Global…
Digital Content
NEW ONLINE RESOURCE FOR SMES
Microsoft has launched a small business Web site to help owners of small companies in South Africa to improve their business operations. “The Web site is aimed at helping small…
Digital Content
GSM LOWERS SENEGALESE FISHERMEN INSURANCE PREMIUMS
The Senegalese fishermen equipped with GIS, the Manobi GSM based, location-based and rescue system will now, be covered by the insurance companies. The Federation of Senegalese Insurance Companies (FSSA) and…
Digital Content
Web And Mobile Data News - In Brief
- African countries will now be better able to guard against invasive pests that threaten their forests, sometimes from as far afield as North America, thanks to a new United…
Digital Content
SEEN AND HEARD AT VoIP WORLD
* Both Sasol and Standard Bank have installed VoIP networks. The latter has been the target of several unsuccessful “denial-of-service” attacks. Standard Bank has rolled out VoIP to its offices…
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EVENTS
AITEC INDIAN OCEAN Mobilising ICTs for Development in Mauritius, Madagascar, Reunion and Seychelles. 6-8 July, Mauritius (le Meridien Hotel) www.aitecafrica.com/events/2005/IndianOcean/index.htm
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JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES
SENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER Company: telecentre.org Location: Ottawa Level: M ($73,743- $88,492) Duration: 4 years Closing date: April 15, 2005 http://web.idrc.ca/en/ev-72479-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html SENIOR WEB PROGRAMMER SANGONeT’s Technology Services programme seeks to employ…
