News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 264 on 1 July 2005
Top Story
Kenya Telkom's new MD Sammy Kirui promises explosive growth and action on revenue leakage
According to the widely leaked recent report from PKF Consulting on Kenya Telkom, it has 3052 watchmen, messengers and porters amongst its total payroll of 17,480. The Senegalese incumbent Sonatel, with the same number of fixed line customers as Telkom Kenya, had only 2,000 employees. PKF Consulting has recommended that 12,281 of these employees should be laid off. On this basis, Telkom would still have double the employees it needs. The cost of making 12,281 employees redundant? According to the consultants it will cost somewhere between USD74-232.5 million. With pension costs included the figure rises to between USD146.8-304 million. The…
Telecoms
SOUTH AFRICA'S MTN SPENDS USD60-70M ON 3G LAUNCH
MTN, Africa‘s biggest mobile phone operator by sales, launched its third-generation network on Tuesday and said it hoped the service would snare half a million users within a year. South…
Telecoms
NIGERIA TO GET 3G NEXT MONTH WITH LAUNCHES FROM AXCERA AND AFRICA NETCOM
Nigeria, Africa’s biggest and most vibrant mobile market, is set to become even more lively with the announcement that two companies, Axcera and Africa Netcom, will make 3G services available…
Telecoms
ZANTEL TO SHARE VODAFONE NETWORK ON TANZANIAN MAINLAND
Zanzibar-based ZANTEL and Vodacom Tanzania have entered into an agreement of co-operation whereby Zantel will provide national coverage on the Mainland using Vodacom's infrastructure. Under this co-operation agreement, the two…
Telecoms
ETHIOPIA'S TELECOM SELECTS SIX SIM CARD VENDORS
The Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) has selected six local companies in its first outsource effort to sell prepaid mobile SIM cards. The selected companies, Dire Industries, Aron Computers Plc, Glorious…
Telecoms
NIGERIA's JIGAWA STATE TO GET ITS OWN MOBILE NETWORK BUT HAS NO INTERCONNECT WITH NITEL
The Nigerian state government of Jigawa has begun trials of a GSM-based local mobile network in the region. The state is currently testing 1,000 lines, most of which are being…
Telecoms
SOUTH AFRICA's NEW CLICKS STARTS SELLING VIRTUAL AIRTIME
New Clicks Holdings is one of South Africa’s premier retail groups, with more than 900 stores operating under brands including Clicks and Discom. The group focuses on health, beauty and…
Telecoms
MALAWI LOOKS SET LEGALISE VOIP SHORTLY
Malawian regulator MACRA has said that it will give a wide legalisation of VoIP services. This was meant to happen in July but has been delayed as the enabling legislation…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- Both Kenyan mobile operators Celtel and Safaricom are building building their own teleport which will put yet another dent in Kenya Telkom's revenues. - South African cell phone operator…
Telecoms
TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE
* Ghana Telecom has expanded its fixed line network in the Upper East Region of Ghana, upping capacity and replacing outdated equipment in the area. The incumbent has also expanded…
Internet
ALGERIE TELECOM SELECTS EUTELSAT ATLANTIC BIRD™ 3 FOR NATIONAL BROADBAND COMMUNICATIONS
Eutelsat announced the signature of a contract with Algérie Télécom, Algeria's incumbent operator, to support a far-reaching satellite broadband programme that will serve public administrations and enterprises throughout the country,…
Internet
ANGOLAN GOVERNMENT TO INVEST USD200M IN FIBRE TO CONNECT WITH NAMBIA AND SOUTH AFRICA
The Angolan Government is investing about USD 200 million in the installation of a new telecommunication system that will facilitate the access to Internet and other telecommunication services across the…
Internet
GHANA'S NCS LAUNCHES ITS OWN AFRICAN VERSION OF SKYPE: CLICKTEL
Ghanaian ISP NCS has just launched its own version of Skype called Clicktel (www.clicktel.biz) to its own customers. It offers free PC to PC telephone commmunication and global PSTN calling.…
Internet
CITY OF JOHANNESBURG HOLDS MEETINGS ON MUNICIPAL BROADBAND INITIATIVE
The City of Johannesburg’s Economic Development Unit in conjunction with BMI TechKnowledge Group held a series of workshops last week to discuss a broadband strategy for Johannesburg. Role players from…
Internet
ABSA IN LINE TO ROLL OUT THE SMART CARD SYSTEM IN SA TO CREATE MORE SECURE INTERNET PURCHASING
Shopping over the internet will become more secure when magnetic stripe credit and debit cards are replaced by more secure chip cards. At the moment, consumers can be swindled if…
Internet
CACTEL COMMUNICATIONS CONDUCTS POWERLINE DEMO IN GHANA
Cactel Communications (formerly Intell Solutions) has carried out what is probably the first test of powerline transmission in Africa outside of South Africa. Tshwane Municipality (which covers Pretoria) has also…
Internet
KENYAN BATTLE ROYAL RAGES OVER MUSIC ON THE INTERNET
An all-out war is raging in the music industry over the sale and distribution of Kenyan music and videos in the Internet. Some unscrupulous Kenyans, mainly in the US and…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- Mweb is looking at going into three other African countries (including Cameroon) once it is happy with progress in Nigeria. - Reports reach of us from several directions of…
Computing
ICTe-AFRICA EVENT IN NAIROBI BOMBS OUT IN SPECTACULAR FASHION
The recent ICTe-Africa event in Nairobi bombed out completely. Visitors and delegates reported extremely low numbers with often fewer than 30 people present outside of speakers and exhibitors. The event…
Computing
INTEGRATED FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM A BOON FOR UGANDAN GOVERNMENT
As part of a long-term strategy for improved public expenditure management to drive its macro-economic environment and reduce poverty, the Government of Uganda’s Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development…
Computing
SOUTH AFRICA’S YOUNG COMPANIES EYE UK MARKETS
Liquid Thought, one of a clutch of successful young IT companies to emerge from Cape Town in the past few years, has opened an office in London to source new…
Computing
NEPAD SIGNS MOU WITH HP AND UGANDAN GOVERNMENT
The NEPAD e-Africa Commission has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hewlett-Packard (HP), thereby formalizing Uganda’s participation in the NEPAD e-Schools Demonstration Project. The occasion took place on Friday…
Computing
MICROSOFT COUNSELS NIGERIAN BANKS ON CONSOLIDATION
Microsoft Nigeria has counseled banks in the country to focus on exploring Windows Server System solutions that could make their business operations easier, cheaper and more secured. According to the…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- Qatar's Minister of Finance H E Yousuf Hussein Kamal, who is also deputy chairman of the IT and communications supreme council, arrived in the Tunisian capital to chair Qatar's…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
SAFARICOM PROFIT GOES UP BY 64 PERCENT
Safaricom made a Sh8.4 billion profit before tax for the year ending March 31, compared with Sh5.13 billion the previous year. The growth was 64.62 per cent against that for…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
ARIVIA.KOM FINANCIAL RESULTS INDICATE INVESTMENT IN GROWTH
Leading SA IT solutions and services provider arivia.kom on Wednesday announced its financial results for its fourth year of being in business. Revenue declined by 7,8%, from R1,728bn in 2004,…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
ZAMBIANS TO OWN SHARES IN CELTEL
Celtel Zambia has started the process of offloading ten percent of its shares to Zambian investors, Celtel Zambia managing director David Venn has disclosed. And Venn has announced that Celtel…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
On The Money - In Brief
- Celtel Uganda is seeking a court order to recover UGS2.9 billion (USD1.67 million) in interconnection fees, plus damages and 28% interest it claims is owed to it by Uganda…
Digital Content
FIRST ATLANTIC BANK PROVES SMS BANKING GAINING GROUNDS
SMS Banking may not be making the headlines but it is certainly growing and fast too as one of Nigeria’s pioneer of Internet banking First Atlantic Bank has found out.…
Digital Content
WORLD BANK GIVES $56M FOR KIBOGA WEBSITE
Kiboga district will go online following a $56m (sh98b) World Bank grant for creation of websites, Paddy Galabuzi, the district planner, has said. Galabuzi said this recently during the launch…
Digital Content
Web And Mobile Data News - In Brief
- Tupperware Southern Africa has concluded an agreement with CreditPipe and service partner MTN to use MobileCredit, a service that enables credit card payments to be processed securely via a…
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PEOPLE
* The legendary Yossi Barkan, VP Sales of IP Planet has announced that he is leaving after five years. The company has recently been merged with Gilat. He will continue…
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EVENTS
2ND ANNUAL POWER LINE COMMUNICATIONS IN AFRICA 2005 July 20 & 21, 2005 - CSIR International Convention Centre, Tshwane, Pretoria For more information: kallie.calitz@iqpc.co.za COMMUNITY INFORMATICS RESEARCH NETWORK 2005 CONFERENCE…
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JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES
MISA LOOKING FOR TALENT! Deputy Regional Director/Programmes Manager The Media Institute of Southern Africa – the leading organisation advancing media freedom, free expression, media Independence and diversity in the region…
