News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 297 on 10 March 2006
Top Story
Kenya – legal VOIP begins to shake up the market and bring prices down
Kenya is now open for legal VoIP business and its impact has been to lower international calling prices by just under 80%. But the medium-term impact will be to act as a “can-opener” on questions about the cost of calling both regionally and nationally as the new operators go into discussions with the existing fixed and mobile incumbents. Back from a recent visit Russell Southwood looks at the runners and identifies where competition has still not happened. When Telkom Kenya was the only legal voice carrier and before the rise of the grey market, it was relatively easy to get…
Telecoms
MAURITANIA GOES LOOKING FOR INVESTORS WITH A CALL FOR INTEREST
The Mauritanian government has just issued an international call for interest for the provision of new telecommunication services for the country. This includes mobile phone services, the routing of international…
Telecoms
SAFARICOM: GOVT COULD EARN BILLIONS FROM SALE OF 9PC SHARE TO VODAFONE
Until last week, the government was still clinging on to its shares in Safaricom Ltd, literally sitting on a jewel even as Telkom was tottering towards insolvency. It has emerged…
Telecoms
UNITEL IN ANGOLA TO EXPAND ITS GSM NETWORK
Omnitele says that it has been contracted by operator Unitel to provide support services for the network expansion projects in Angola. Unitel has operated a GSM network in Angola since…
Telecoms
SOUTH AFRICA: TELKOM EYES STAKE IN PORTUGAL TELECOM
Telkom may make a bid to expand its footprint into several African states in one large leap, by teaming up with potential bidders for Portugal's biggest telephone group, Portugal Telecom.…
Telecoms
UGANDA: CMI, NETWORKS DENY PHONE TAPPING CLAIMS
The head of Military Intelligence and mobile telephone network operators have denied claims of mobile phone tapping and bugging. The claims, detailing the technical process, capacity and staffing were placed…
Telecoms
RACE FOR TUNISIE TELECOM STAKE HEATS UP
Six companies are reported to have placed bids to acquire a 35% stake in Tunisia's state telco Tunisie Telecom, according to the Tunisian communication ministry. Tunisie Telecom is the monopoly…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- Nokia opened an office in Nairobi in a move aimed at capturing the expanding regional market. Previously, Nokia was serving the East African region from Dubai. The office would…
Telecoms
TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE
- Glo Mobile in Nigeria has announced additional 30 towns in its network. These include coverage of over 35 major cities, towns and expressways at the beginning of this year.…
Internet
TELKOM FORCES INTERNET SOLUTIONS TO HALT ADSL SIGNUPS
Internet Solutions (IS) has decided to suspend the provisioning of any new IS ADSL users on their network due to capacity problems. In a statement released on Tuesday they said…
Internet
ETHIOPIA: TEN HOSPITALS TO BEGIN TELEMEDICINE SERVICES SOON
Ten selected hospitals in the country will soon begin telemedicine services to fight poverty and increase the current poor health coverage, officials said on Wednesday. The hospitals to get the…
Internet
GHANA TELECOM TO CREDIT OVERCHARGED INTERNET OPERATORS
The management of Ghana Telecom (GT) is to credit its Internet clientele operating within Hohoe District who were overcharged by the company. Emmanuel Amoah-Duah, Commercial Manager in charge of Billing…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- Djaweb, a subsidiary of Algerie Telecom, has launched in Algiers an e-learning service through prepaid cards. Carried out in partnership with multinational companies Thomson Netg and Microsoft, this first…
Computing
WEB TOOL BUILDS AFRICAN LANGUAGE COMPUTING
LocaleGEN, an online tool to help build African language locales in up to 700 African languages, will be released. Alberto Escudero-Pascual, a software localisation developer known for his work on…
Computing
A COMPUTER FOR AFRICA
Ochuko Onoberhie is from the Fantsuam Foundation in Nigeria, a non-profit founded in 1996. Among the many many projects pursued by the organisation one -- the Solo computer -- stands…
Computing
ONLINE AUCTIONING ROAD SHOW UNDER WAY
Online marketplace Bidorbuy is running a national road show to inform existing and potential traders how to auction their wares online. The Bidorbuy seminar-style road show started in Pietermaritzburg on…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) has launched plans towards the computerisation of its services as well as the scaling up of its mail delivery speed from seventy-two (72) hours to…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
COMPUTER MANUFACTURER PINNACLE PROFIT UP 143% TO R16,8M
Computer manufacturer Pinnacle Technology has increased profit 143% after efforts to win more customer loyalty paid off in results for the six months to December released yesterday. Pinnacle manufactures the…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
CONTROL BUYS US HI-TECH SUPPLIER OF COMPUTERS
Fleet management technology company Control Instruments has concluded a $3,5m move to buy 51% of Texas-based Tripmaster, a supplier of onboard computers to the trucking market. The acquisition gives Control…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
On The Money - In Brief
- Telecom Egypt (TE) has posted an 80% rise in net profit for 2005, up to EGP1.8 billion (USD313 million), as an improvement in the Egyptian economy helped push up…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Readers’ responses: Issue 296
EASSY FIBRE PROJECT – THE “BEHIND-CLOSED-DOORS” DEBATE ABOUT HOW IT WILL BE DONE COMES INTO THE OPEN I wish to say that EASSy has been shrouded in a real grey…
Digital Content
PANAFRICA: AFRICA: BLOG GIVES HIV-POSITIVE PORTUGUESE WOMEN A VOICE
The Portuguese service of the HIV/AIDS news agency PlusNews is providing a space for HIV-positive women in Africa's five Lusophone countries to tell of their experiences. Launched during International Women's…
Web and Mobile Data_old
ANGOLA: CABLE TELEVISION IN LUANDA
The first integrally digital cable television network in Angola officially started operating in Angola on Friday with the inauguration of its technical installations. An investment worth over USD 30 million,…
Web and Mobile Data_old
AN EXCUSE OR REALITY: SENTECH WARNS OF 2010 SOCCER BROADCAST CHAOS!
SA will not be ready to broadcast the 2010 Soccer World Cup to a worldwide television audience estimated at 3,6-billion unless it makes substantial, multibillion-rand investments in digital broadcasting transmission,…
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PEOPLE
* Romain Murenzi will fill the new post of minister for Information Communication and Technology, as part of a plan to turn Rwanda into a regional IT hub. * MTN…
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EVENTS
- Digital broadcasting switchover forum 2006 organised by the CTO 3rd- 5th April To register and other general enquires contact Bhavna Kerai on b.kerai@cto.int or call +44 (0) 207 024…
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JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES
IGCB TRAINING PROGRAMME, 1 APRIL - 1 NOVEMBER 2006 DiploFoundation, in cooperation with various partners, is currently accepting applications for the Internet Governance Capacity Building Training Programme. This programme aims…
