News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 260 on 14 May 2005
Top Story
WSIS host Tunisia guilty of denying access to information by filtering internet
In November Tunisia will be hosting the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, which according to the President of Tunisia, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, “constitutes a historic opportunity for the international community to agree on a common vision of the Information Society and to develop an approach for action aimed at bridging the digital divide and allowing the advent of an Information Society that is balanced and accessible to all.” Ironically, however, Tunisia has one of the poorest records in allowing freedom of expression and has repeatedly been criticised for denying access to information on…
Telecoms
ATLANTIQUE TELECOM SET TO PURCHASE ORASCOM'S CONGO ASSETS
Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH) announced that it would sell its 65% equity stake in Congo-Brazaville's leading mobile business Libertis Telecom and its 100% indirect stake in DRC mobile operator Oasis…
Telecoms
CAPE VERDE GRANTS TWO CABLE TV LICENCES, ONE WILL DELIVER BY ADSL
The Cape Verde Government has appointed two subscription TV licences and started to renegotiate the end of incumbent telco CVTelecom's monopoly. The Government has approved the new National Telecoms…
Telecoms
BURKINA FASO'S INCUMBENT ONATEL SIGNS USD10.7 MILLION GUARANTEE WITH CEDEAO
As part of its forthcoming float valued at USD30 million on the BVRM (Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières), Burkina Faso's incumbent ONATEL has lined up a USD10.7 million partial guarantee…
Telecoms
ZAMBIAN REGULATOR CAZ SAYS EXISTING OPERATORS CAN USE VOIP
Zambian regulator Communication Authority of Zambia (CAZ) is trying to encourage its public service operators to offer VoIP-enabled services, writes Balancing Act's Zambia correspondent Timothy Kasolo. It made clear that…
Telecoms
HUAWEI TO START MANUFACTURING TELEPHONE HANDSETS IN LAGOS BY NOVEMBER
Huawei Technologies Company Limited, a Chinese-owned firm and one of the world's leading Telecom equipment manufacturers has announced that it would, by November this year, start manufacturing Mobile Telephone Handsets…
Telecoms
KENYAN REGULATOR CCK URGES MOBILE PHONE OPERATORS TO LOWER INTER-CONNECTION RATES
Communication Commission of Kenya on Thursday stepped up pressure on the country's two mobile operators to lower their inter-connectivity charges. CCK Commissioner General John Waweru said the prevailing rates were…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- East African Submarine Systems (EASSy), a project launched to interconnect East and South African countries via high capacity optical fiber, is holding a four-day conference at the Sheraton Addis.…
Telecoms
TELECOM RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE
* Togo Cellulaire has now set up roaming agreements with over 180 countries and is now launching a prepaid roaming offer. The launch was made by Togolese national rock star…
Internet
SA'S TELKOM DROPS ADSL AND DATA PRICES FURTHER
Telkom has reduced ADSL and data prices, with the Internet access product down to R270 per month. Prices for International Private Leased Circuits (IPLCs) via the submarine cable and satellite…
Internet
COMPEL NITEL TO BRING DOWN INTERNET COSTS, INTERSTELLA BOSS TELLS LAWMAKERS
THE National Assembly has been called upon to investigate an alleged plot masterminded by individuals within and outside NITEL, the nation's former sole national telecommunication carrier and by agents of…
Internet
SA MAY LOSE OUT ON WIRELESS BROADBAND BOON - DEREGULATION INDECISION THWARTING WIRELESS GROWTH
South Africa is lagging behind countries such as Botswana, Zambia and Kenya in its adoption of wireless broadband solutions. The respective regulators of these African countries have shown a more…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- KT Corp, South Korea’s largest telco, has announced that it is close to launching a broadband internet joint venture with Algerie Telecom (AT), aiming to roll out an ADSL…
Computing
DIMENSION DATA LAUNCHES IN NIGERIA WITH PURCHASE OF ROE
Dimension Data says that it will deliver an enhanced IT offering to the Nigerian market, following the conclusion of the purchase of a 51% stake in Roe Limited, a Nigerian…
Computing
LOCAL UGANDAN FIRM CLINCHES SINGAPORE ICT DEAL
A Ugandan ICT firm - AB Computer Solutions in partnership with Singapore-based Eternal Power Holdings have launched onto the Ugandan market the very first Pen-Drive MP3 player. The Eternal Power…
Computing
TAKING FOSS TO THE DISADVANTAGED SOUTH OF EGYPT
Egypt has two major GNU/Linux user groups or LUGs: Eglug and Linux-Egypt, both located in Cairo, the national capital. To spread free software and open source to the disadvantaged south…
Computing
HP CONSORTIUM SET TO LAUNCH FIRST NEPAD E-SCHOOL IN UGANDA
HP has announced the forthcoming launch of the first Nepad e-school in Uganda at the World Economic Forum Africa Summit in Cape Town. It is scheduled to take place next…
Computing
PC SALES UP IN SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa is broadly following international PC trends, says a local analyst. This follows Gartner upping its forecast, saying global shipments will rise 10.2% this year to 202.1 million units.…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- THE Computer Society of Zambia (CSZ) has finalised drafting the proposed CSZ Bill, society president Milner Makuni has revealed. "Right now, I can say that we are ready to,…
digtool
MOBILE COMMUNICATION TOOL FOR ESTATE AGENTS
Sybase SA, through its Unwired Practice, and USP Designs have launched CyberAgent Mobile, a mobile communication tool designed to allow estate agents to administer, catalogue and publish properties online, anywhere,…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
SOUTH AFRICAN TELCOS TO UNVEIL RECORD PROFITS, LOOKING FOR ACQUISITIONS
Africa's top telecom firms are set to report record annual profits next week as the world's poorest continent embraces mobile phones, but investors want news on their future plans to…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
VODACOM AND VIRGIN PREPARE JOINT BID FOR V-MOBILE
South Africa’s Vodacom and UK-based Virgin Mobile have announced that they will make a joint bid for a controlling stake in Nigeria’s third-largest cellco Vee Networks (which trades under the…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
On The Money - In Brief
- Spacefon Areeba (formerly Scancom), Ghana’s biggest mobile operator has been granted a USD40 million from the International Finance Corporation to help fund a network upgrade and expansion. Under the…
Digital Content
TACKLING SMS PORN
Your child can be accessing porn simply by watching TV and using a cellphone to send an SMS. Viewers are asked to SMS the choice of their "hot babe" and,…
Digital Content
NEW eBUCKS WEB SITE EVEN MORE REWARDING FOR MEMBERS
eBucks, SA's leading rewards programme in the financial sector, launched its new Web site on Tuesday. eBucks CEO Lezanne Human is delighted with the newly invigorated site. "I am thrilled…
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PEOPLE
* On the move: Andries Matthysen has left South African regulator ICASA and joined Voiptel as Director Technical & Regulatory. The new operation will launch 1 July...Despite some post-contract confusion,…
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EVENTS
CORPORATE ICT STRATEGIES FOR EAST AFRICA'S BUSINESS LEADERS An intensive training retreat for non-technical managers who want to harness the power of ICT to increase efficiency and profitability in their…
