News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 272 on 5 May 2006
Top Story
Ethiopia puts off privatising ETC but rolls out nationwide fibre network
Sometimes dubbed the “North Korea” of regulatory change, Ethiopia stands out as the country resisting the tides of change that have begun to engulf the rest of the continent. Occupied but never really colonised, it has always gone its own way. In the modern period it has been governed in succession by a monarch and a communist regime, the defining feature of both has been the secretive culture of authoritarian government. The existing Government has inherited many of the same tendencies and has recently claimed to have won a disputed election, writes Russell Southwood. The Government has gone from being…
Telecoms
SURGING DEMAND FORCES SAT3 CABLE TO UPGRADE
Growing demand for bandwidth hungry applications and services in Africa has forced the SAT-3/WASC/SAFE Consortium to upgrade its 28,000km cable network linking the continent with Europe and Asia. Four years…
Telecoms
KUWAIT'S MTC SET TO ENTER EGYPTIAN MARKET AS THIRD OPERATOR
A leading executive of the Kuwaiti MTC Group said on Tuesday last week the Mobile Telecommunication Company (MTC) is planning to compete in the Egyptian market. Executive President of the…
Telecoms
SA'S SNO TO BE LICENSED BY NOVEMBER, SAYS ICASA CHIEF
South Africa’s second national operator (SNO) will receive its operating licence in November, according to the head of the Independent Communications Authority South Africa (ICASA). ‘The licence will be issued…
Telecoms
NIGERIA PLANS TO LAUNCH OWN SATELLITE IN 2025
Nigeria will launch its first indigenously built satellite by 2025, it was reported last Sunday. Robert Borofice, director general of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), was quoted…
Telecoms
ZIMBABWE'S TEL*ONE FACES USD350M DEBT BY TRYING TO SPEED UP BILLING
The state-owned fixed telephony network company, Tel*One (Pvt) Ltd's huge debt profile poses a serious threat to its central role in the telecommunication system, sources have said. Information obtained this…
Telecoms
MOTOROLA LOOKING TO LAUNCH ITUNES IN SOUTH AFRICA
On the back of Motorola and Apple's launch of the world's first iTunes phone in Australia, Singapore, Philippines and Israel, Motorola Southern Africa has announced that it is considering a…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- Egyptian mobile operator MobiNil claimed 5.165 million active subscribers at the end of June 2005, up from 4.43 million three months earlier. The company has exceeded analyst expectations of…
Telecoms
TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE
* Kenyan mobile operator Safaricom has begun a nationwide rural network expansion programme, aimed at facilitating rural development. The project is being funded by the cellco’s KES14 billion network expansion…
Internet
UUNET KENYA UPGRADES ITS INTERNET NETWORK ADDING MPLS
Uunet Kenya has completed the first phase of its nationwide system upgade. The company that provides business communication solutions announced last week it had introduced a new feature known as…
Internet
MAURITIUS: GOVT WANTS ADSL TO BE MORE DEMOCRATIC BY REDUCING COSTS
The new government is reviewing a number of measures that could bring down the cost of Internet access and extend the use of high-speed ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) connections…
Internet
SA'S NETWORK OPERATORS SAY THAT BROADBAND AS CHEAP AS ELSEWHERE IS 'UNREALISTIC'
It is unrealistic for South Africans to expect broadband services to become as cheap as they are in other countries, networking companies have warned. For once MTN, Telkom and other…
Internet
ALGERIAN GOVERNMENT ORDERS CYBER-CAFES TO SHUT BY MIDNIGHT
The Algerian Government has ordered all Algerian cyber-cafes to close by midnight. This is despite the fact that a great deal of cyber-café use happens after this time. This follows…
Internet
SHARP INCREASE IN SOUTH AFRICAN INTERNET COURT CASES
Since the start of 2005 there has been a significant increase in the number of Internet related judgments from South African courts. In the past, fear of our courts not…
Internet
AMERICAN EXPRESS, DIDATA AIM TO OPTIMISE NETWORK PERFORMANCE
American Express has selected Dimension Data (DiData) for a bandwidth optimisation solution, aiming to enable it to prioritise business-critical traffic across its existing WAN. DiData's bandwidth optimisation solution is designed…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- Sunday Folayan of Nigeria's Skannet has just rung in to demonstrate the impact of connecting to the SAT3 fibre connection. Skannet is based in Ibadan, Nigeria's second city and…
Computing
BANK OF UGANDA INSTALLS SH1.8B SOFTWARE
The Bank of Uganda (BOU) has signed up for Richmond Software worth sh1.8b for its foreign reserve management operations. "There was a need for a pro-active financial management system to…
Computing
YOUNG LEADERS SIERRA LEONE LAUNCHES COMPUTER CENTRE
Young Leaders Sierra Leone Chapter, unveiled on Monday two Computers, Scanner, and a Printer at the National Museum Conference Hall, Cotton Tree donated to them by United Kingdom branch. Spokesman…
Computing
MEDSCHEME MIGRATES INFRASTRUCTURE TO LINUX WITH UNISYS
Medscheme, the largest medical aid administrator in southern Africa, recently made history, saved money and substantially improved its performance by upgrading its IT infrastructure. The project saw Medscheme upgrading its…
Computing
LOW COST, LOW ENERGY COMPUTER FINDS WAY TO DEVELOPING MARKETS
A group in Sweden have quietly developed a new, low cost computer, specially designed for use in developing countries. Features include sturdy case, low energy consumption as it runs on…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- A Liberian women and children NGO, the Volunteers for the Care of Abused and Abandoned Children- (VOCAAC) has donated a set of computers to the Center of Media Studies…
digtool
VODAFONE LAUNCHES SOLAR CHARGER FOR MOBILE PHONES IN NIGERIA
Vodafone launched a solar charger for mobile phones enabling users to recharge batteries anywhere where the sun is shining. This is another important addition to the independence and mobility offered…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
NITEL SIX PREPARING BIDS; SALE DUE BY YEAR END
The sale of a controlling stake in state-run Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) will be completed by the end of the year, according to Nigeria’s Minister of Communications Cornelius Adebayo. ‘It…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
KENYAN GOVT SEEKS SH25B TO FUND TELKOM KENYA REDUNDANCY PACKAGE
The Government is sourcing for funds to finance retrenchment exercise at the Telkom Kenya, Information Minister Raphael Tuju said last week. He gave no clues as to where the money…
Digital Content
KENYA: PARLIAMENT WEBSITE SHUT AFTER MEDIA REPORTS
The Kenyan Parliament has shut down its website amid reports that the The Standard’s exclusive report of well-guarded secrets embarrassed some MPs. Last weekend, http://www.parliament.go.ke was blank after the two-day…
Digital Content
BA INTRODUCES ON-LINE PAYMENT IN KENYA
Kenyans can now buy British Airways tickets on a secure on-line booking and payment website, the ba.com. The on-line payment is available to anyone with an international credit card and…
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PEOPLE
-South Africa's fixed-line phone carrier Telkom has appointed Thami Msimango as Chief Technical Officer after a management shake-up, the company said on Thursday. Msimango replaces Reuben September, who was named…
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EVENTS
E-LEARNING AFRICA ELA conference, an annual event for building eLearning capacities in Africa UNCC, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, May 24 - 26, 2006 eLearning is high on the agenda in Africa.…
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JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES
MICROSOFT ENGAGEMENT MANAGER Location: Nairobi, Kenya Description: Microsoft is looking for an Engagement Manager to focus on East Africa, based in Nairobi, Kenya. Purpose of the job: Develops an account…
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MICROSOFT INFRASTRUCTURE ARCHITECT
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa Description: Microsoft West, East and Central Africa is looking for a talented Infrastructure Architect to work across the whole region. Responsibilities include: -Provide responses to tneders…
