Issue no 285
Top Story
KENYA’S SKYWEB TECHNOLOGIES STARTS UP CALL CENTRE USING VOIP
Although Kenyan ISP SkyWeb Technologies has 2200 dial-up customers, its CEO Gilda Odera told us last week that:”The market is getting tougher and this has forced us to look for other ‘value-adds’ so that we can use the ISP as a platform to do other things.” So its first new business has been the introduction of a call-centre business:”We want to focus on this area and grow it locally.” It has 20 seats and has won a contract to carry out market research for a company based in Canada. It is also hoping to sign a telemarketing contract with a…
Telecoms
SOUTH AFRICA - SNO GETS ITS LICENCE AT LAST
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) says it has high expectations of the second national operator (SNO). ICASA councillors officially handed over the Public Switched Telecommunications Service (PSTS)…
Telecoms
NIGERIA:NITEL EMPLOYEES GO TO COURT TO TRY AND STOP SAT3 SPIN-OFF
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja last week gave an interim order stopping the Federal Government from going ahead with the privatisation of the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL). Bidding…
Telecoms
VIRGIN MOBILE INKS LONG-AWAITED DEAL WITH SOUTH AFRICA’S CELL-C
The Virgin Group and South Africa’s Cell C network announced the long-awaited formation of a joint venture last week. The company is expected to be launched during the first half…
Telecoms
GHANA: GHANA TELECOM AND AREEBA SETTLE INTERCONNECT DISPUTE
The Acting Director of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Major John Ray Tandoh (Rtd.), has disclosed that the interconnectivity problem between Ghana Telecom (GT) and Areeba has been resolved. It…
Telecoms
ZIMBABWE: GOVT MAY CANCEL TELECEL'S LICENCE, OUST ITS CHAIRMAN
After withdrawing a licence for the country’s second fixed telephone network, TeleAccess, the Zimbabwean government has turned the spotlight on third cellular operator Telecel Zimbabwe. The state is mulling a…
Telecoms
CABO VERDE TELECOM'S MONOPOLY ENDS JANUARY 2006 AS CAPE VERDE UNILATERALLY LIBERALIZES
Cape Verde telecommunications market is about to witness a revolution. The monopoly of incumbent Cabo Verde Telecom on international communications will end on 1st January 2006. Following four months of…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- In Cameroon work is being carried out by the Committee on Production and Trade will be to amend and supplement some provisions of Law N° 98/14 of 14 July…
Telecoms
TELECOMS RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE
- Uganda telecom has completed a technical project under Northern Uganda Reconstruction Programme (NURP II). The about $7.1m (sh13b) project was funded by Nordic Development Fund. - Both Cell C…
Internet
SOUTH AFRICA: ADSL GAME UP FOR TELKOM
Internet users have welcomed new draft regulations that aim to dramatically increase the speed and lower the cost of Telkom's broadband ADSL services. Draft rules published by the Independent Communications…
Internet
TANZANIA: FBME BANK TRAINS 69 ON INTERNET BANKING
Sixty-nine staff members of FBME Bank Ltd have been trained on FBME direct Internet banking in order to train customers on how to use FBME direct services. The Project Manager…
Internet
AFRICAN BUSINESSES SHOULD BUY LOCAL DOMAINS, SAYS MUTI
African businesses and agencies operating on the internet should promote their country code Top Level Domains (ccTLD) instead of paying foreign companies for .com, .net or .org addresses, said registry…
Internet
MTN RWANDA TO PROVIDE INTERNET AND VOIP
MTN Rwanda has announced last week that the company will become an internet service provider (ISP) by February next year. It will offer VoIP, domain registration, Broadband Wireless Access (BWA),…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- After an extensive free trial offer, Kenya’s Safaricom now has 15,000 regular users of its data service, 6000 of which have bought a card for their laptops. However the…
Computing
ORACLE GLOBAL SUPPORT CENTER IN EGYPT NOW OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Oracle has officially opened its Global Product Support center based within Egypt’s Xceed contact center, the largest of its kind in the southern Mediterranean region. OracleThe facility, one of only…
Computing
GHANAIAN COMPANY RELEASES FIRST LOCALLY PRODUCED CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE
ChildNet Electronic Publishing, Ghana's first local educational software developer and producer will be launching its first product, Squirrel's Compututor. ChildNet Electronic Publishing was formed in 2003 by four University and…
Computing
CISCO SYSTEMS SEES MASSIVE POTENTIAL IN AFRICA
Networking company Cisco Systems expects to sustain annual growth of 10%-15% for the next few years as the volume of traffic carried on global networks surges as much as 500%…
Computing
SOUTH AFRICA - CUTTING PIRACY WOULD BOOST ECONOMY
A 10 % points drop in South Africa's piracy rate could create jobs, increase tax revenues and provide major benefits to the local economy, according to a study by Business…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- Apparently Blackberry will not enter the Kenyan market because its minimum licence agreement is 50,000 users and therefore the market is too small. However those who have investigated selling…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
EGYPT TELECOM IPO LOOKS LIKE BEING HEAVILY OVERSUBSCRIBED
Retail investors bidding for shares in the Telecom Egypt (TE) IPO received 10.6 percent of the number of shares they asked for, Egypt's stock exchange said in a statement on…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
KENYA’S CELTEL RAISES KS4.5 BILLION FROM BOND MARKET
Celtel Kenya has raised KS4.5 billion from the Kenyan bond market. This comes on top of the KS6 billion that it raised from a group of banks and institutional lenders…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
KENYA’S WANANCHI TO GO FOR IPO IN MID 2006
Wananchi’s recent merger with ISPKenya has led it to seek a private placement to help it expand further. The merged company has a 38% market share and the deal has…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
SA’S CYBERHOST BUYS COMPANIES TO ACQUIRE WEB-BASED SOFTWARE
Software and information technology group Cyberhost is to acquire 100% effective shareholding in hospitality group Top Restaurants and Intranet from Queensgate Leisure Holdings. Cyberhost said last week the purchase would…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
BPO INVESTMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA HITS RECORD HIGH
The contact centre and business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in South Africa has enjoyed unprecedented growth during 2005. According to new research conducted by Deloitte, there are now 167 contact…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
On The Money - In Brief
- The buzz rumour swirling round the GSM Conference in Cape Town last week? MTN is to be bought by Orange. Neither party would confirm when asked. The rumour has…
Digital Content
DIRECTOR OF EGYPTIAN OPPOSITION SITE DETAINED BY STATE SECURITY
Ahmed Mahmoud Abdallah, Editor-in-Chief of Egyptian web site Al-Shaab which was suspended last week has been arrested in Cairo on the night of 5 December by state security agents from…
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PEOPLE
* While interviewing Skyweb Technologies’ Gilda Odera for the Kenya special above, her 16th floor office began to sway alarmingly. Both interviewer and interviewee assumed that it must be some…
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EVENTS
-Telecoms conference 2006: Has Telecoms deregulation delivered on its promise? Tuesday January 31st 2006, Cape Town International Convention Centre For further information contact Nicky Floris, nicky@callingthecape.org.za or (021) 487 8655…
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JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES
* Botswana looks for telecom consultant pifelo@bta.org.bw * Regional Correspondent: West Africa, reporting to the Editor, Pambazuka News, part-time. http://www.pambazuka.org/index.php?id=30579 If our correspondent is "off the mark" or you have…
