News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 313 on 30 June 2006
Top Story
Show me the money - English judge on Econet: “serious non-disclosure or misrepresentation of true position”
In handing down judgement between Econet Wireless Ltd and Vee Networks Ltd and ORS, English judge Justice Morison said that:”There was serious non-disclosure or misrepresentation of the true position as to Econet’s access to funds as at 15 May and 18 May 2006.” Russell Southwood looks at the issues raised by the judgement for both the future of Econet and regional mobile players on the continent. The long-running legal battle over Vee Networks Ltd of Nigeria goes back to a shareholder agreement signed between the founders of the company. Although there are many other complicated parts of the story, the…
Telecoms
NIGERIAN CONGLOMERATE TRANSCORP BUYS NITEL FOR $750 MILLION
Federal Government last week sold 75 per cent of national carrier, Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) and its mobile arm, MTel to Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc (Transcorp) for $750 million…
Telecoms
VODAFONE TO FACE $578 MILLION FEE TO UPGRADE TO 3G IN EGYPT
Vodafone Group would have to pay US$578 million to upgrade its second-generation mobile license in Egypt to a 3G license as a knock-on effect of the price paid by a…
Telecoms
CAMEROON’S CAMTEL HAS TEN POSSIBLE SUITORS
There are ten candidates for purchasing 51% of Cameroon’s incumbent CAMTEL. The winner will get a fixed network and a recently started mobile operation. The Government is describing the eventual…
Telecoms
SENEGAL’S SONATEL LAUNCHES ITS IP-TV OFFER
After an experimental period of two years, Sonatel has finally launched its IP-TV service over ADSL. The new product is called Kergui TV and offers around 100 TV channels, the…
Telecoms
N5.5 BILLION FRAUD UNCOVERED IN NITEL
One of Nitel’s “skeletons-in-the-cupboard” came tumbling out this week as the company was sold and saw almost all of the senior management team “offer to resign”. According to a report…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- Lebanese based Comium Mobile says that it has been granted a GSM license in the Ivory Coast. The Ivorian telecoms and mobile GSM markets are set to witness exponential…
Telecoms
TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE
- Celtel Uganda is running trials for GPRS / EDGE services on 1,000 clients. The service expected to be commercially launched in the last quarter of 2006, will also offer…
Telecoms
KENYA: MOBILE OPERATORS GRANTED INTERNATIONAL GATEWAY LICENCES
Mobile phone users may soon pay lower rates for international calls following the granting of international voice gateway licences to the two mobile operators. Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) -…
Telecoms
TELECOMS DISTRIBUTORS ACCUSE NIGERIAN GSM OPERATORS OF IRREGULARITIES
President of Association of Licensed Telecoms Distributors of Nigeria, Dr. Ayo Ojo last week called on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to rise to its responsibility of checking the excesses…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- The Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology of Botswana which has issued a draft of its rural telecommunications strategy, has invited the public to make written submissions. The significance…
Internet
TEAM FORMED FOR ESSAYFIBRE OPTIC PROJECT
A task force has been appointed to spearhead the launch and the completion of a regional fibre optic cable project. A press release issued after a three-day meeting on the…
Internet
VERIZON BUSINESS HAS PLANS TO ENTER CONSUMER BROADBAND MARKET IN SOUTH AFRICA
Verizon Business South Africa, formerly known as UUNet, is making tentative plans to enter the consumer broadband space in South Africa. In the past UUNet were predominantly focused on…
Internet
TELKOM KENYA LAUNCHES CABLE AND BROADBAND WIRELESS SERVICE
Telkom Kenya has unveiled its fibre optic cable and launched a broadband wireless service, all valued at Sh754 million. Telkom Managing Director, Sammy Kirui, said the 500 Km terrestrial cable…
Internet
ICANN’S INNE MAKES CLEAR IT DOES NOT CONTROL INTERNET CONTENT
African policy makers attending the on going training on Internet Governance (IG) at the United Nations Conference Center (UNCC) in Addis Ababa have been cautioned to think about content on…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- Goal Technology Solutions (GTS) are ready to roll out their commercial Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) services in Tshwane, and will undercut the current ADSL prices by a significant…
Computing
PRESIDENT OBASANJO TO LAUNCH COMPUTER FOR ALL NIGERIANS INITIATIVE
The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,President Olusegun Obasanjo last week unveiled a novel initiative that will make personal computers more affordable to Nigerians. The project, dubbed the ˜Computer…
Computing
IT SKILLS GAP MAY THWART SOUTH AFRICA’S TECH BOOM
Hopes that liberalisation of the telecoms sector will let SA use new technologies to catch up in the global economy could be thwarted by a severe skills crisis. Firms eager…
Computing
RADIO FREQUENCY TAGS COULD FRUSTRATE BAGGAGE THIEVES AND SAVE MILLIONS
Airport baggage theft and mishandling, which cost the global airline industry $750m annually in compensation claims, could soon be a thing of the past should the new radio frequency identification…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- The NEPAD e-Africa Youth Programme Interim Steering Committee was today elected in the final day of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission Youth Programme conference being held in the resort town…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE
- Ghanaian GSM network operator ONEtouch has launched a new value added service, OneChat, which allows customers to send and receive SMS messages anonymously in chat rooms. SMS messages are…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
INTELSAT, PANAMSAT MERGER SET TO TAKE ADVANTAGE AS BARRIERS TUMBLE IN AFRICAN TELECOMS INDUSTRY
Intelsat has completed its $6,4bn acquisition of PanAmSat to become the world's largest provider of satellite services to telecoms companies, governments and the media. The deal is important for Africa…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
MILLICOM ENDS TALKS ON POSSIBLE MERGER
The emerging-market phone company Millicom International Cellular said on Monday that it had pulled out of merger discussions with a potential buyer, which has previously been identified as China Mobile…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
TWO MORE BLACK EMPOWERMENT DEALS IN SOUTH AFRICA
Two more black empowerment deals have been announced in the information technology (IT) sector. TuringSMI has signed a deal that puts 49% of its South African subsidiary into local hands.…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
On The Money - In Brief
- Overseas Telecom AB, where TeliaSonera owns 65 percent of the capital, has sold its 32 percent holding in the telecommunications operator MTN Uganda to MTN International (Mauritius) Ltd, wholly…
Digital Content
SOUTH AFRICA SITE OFFERS GLIMPSE OF CRIME
South Africans outraged at high levels of violent crime launched a new Web site last week dedicated to giving visitors "a preview of death and violence" in the country…
Digital Content
RWANDA GATEWAY DESIGNS NEW MINEDUC WEBSITE
A new dynamic website for the Ministry of Education that is being designed by Rwanda Development Gateway (RDG) is scheduled to be up and operational within one month. "It is…
Digital Content
Web And Mobile Data News - In Brief
- Intoegypt.com, Egypt’s first internet booking engine and travel portal, has been selected as a model for e-commerce companies in the Middle East region following a series of studies on…
Web and Mobile Data_old
NAMIBIAN CABLE PROVIDER AIMS FOR SERVICE LAUNCH IN OCTOBER
Namibia's first cable television broadcaster hopes to be broadcasting live by October or November, says the Executive Group Chairman of Galaxy Communications. Hermanus Kasper made these remarks when he introduced…
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PEOPLE
* Microsoft has announced that Michel van der Bel has been promoted to the position of VP for the public sector for the EMEA region. * Larbi Guedira will manage…
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EVENTS
- STORAGE CONTINUITY INFOSECURITY AFRICA 2006 10 - 14 July 2006 Sandton Convention Centre, Sandton, Johannesburg For further information please see http://www.terrapinn.com/2006/sciza/ - ICT GOVERNANCE AND POST WSIS STRATEGIES IN…
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JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES
* TRANSMISSION CONSULTANT - CONGO The company is looking for a transmission onsultant, The role involves transmission network design consultant responsible for NCP, low level design, LOS, pathloss, NRO of…
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CONTRACTS: WHO'S SELLING WHAT TO WHO?
* UGANDA GOVERNMENT AND HUAWEI - UGANDA The Uganda government has signed an integrated e-Government project Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China's biggest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment, Huawei Technologies Company…
