News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 324 on 13 October 2006
Top Story
Mauritania: arrival of third operator will shake up cosy duopoly
Mauritania’s new third operator has already paid a staggering USD107 million for its unified licence. And all this money for a country that only has a population of around 2.75 million people. Currently there is a fairly cosy duopoly on mobile between the former incumbent Mauritel (now owned by Vivendi’s Maroc Telecom) and Mattel (owned by Tunisie Telecom. In other key areas like international bandwidth and the Internet Mauritel has a de-facto monopoly. The new operator Chinguitel has a unified licence and will start operations in December 2006. The sum for the third bid has raised eyebrows both locally and…
Telecoms
KENYAN GOVERNMENT WANTS CHANGES TO EASSY PROTOCOL
The Kenyan Government has fundamental disagreements with the EASSy Government Protocol signed in Rwanda and it is hard to see how these disagreements will be bridged. Balancing Act’s Isabelle Gross…
Telecoms
VODAFONE TO BID FOR INTERNATIONAL GATEWAY LICENSE IN EGYPT
Vodafone Egypt (VFE) has unofficially announced its decision to bid for one of the two international gateway operators' licenses to be offered by the National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (NTRA) by…
Telecoms
THIRD GENERATION MOBILE PHONE LICENCE GRANTED IN MOZAMBIQUE
Mozambique's largest mobile phone operator, M-cel, on Monday received a licence to operate a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) network, which is part of the so-called "third generation" of cellphone…
Telecoms
RWANDA GOVERNMENT SOFTENS ITS ATTITUDE TO TERRACOM SHARE DEAL
Details emerging from two weeks of talks between the Rwandan government and executives of Terracom Communications over the transfer of Rwandatel shares to a third party firm show a softened…
Telecoms
MOBILE PHONE OPERATORS AWAIT ICASA NOD ON ROLL-OUT FOR POOR IN SOUTH AFRICA
Cellphone operator MTN had not yet been able to meet its obligations to give away 2,5-million SIM cards and 125000 handsets to poor people, or to roll out internet access…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- According to local newspaper Guinée News, the Ministre of Poste and Telecommunications in Guinea has issued a fourth mobile phone licence to Cellcom, an Israeli company. The newspaper disagrees…
Internet
INTERNET SHUTDOWN IN ZIMBABWE
The benighted mess that is the remnants of Zimbabwe’s economy has slid further towards complete disintegration with the news that what limited Internet traffic there was in, and to and…
Internet
DOUALA-YAOUNDE OPTICAL FIBRE CABLES READY IN NOVEMBER
Camtel announced that a range of fibre links will soon connect major cities in the country. The 12 optical fibres to be installed by government through the Cameroon Telecommunications Corporation…
Internet
KENYAN STATE TO RECLAIM INTERNET HUB
The Government has taken steps to repossess the hub used by Universal Satspace and whose disconnection has caused internet disruptions in parts of the country. The Ministry of Information and…
Internet
BROADBAND OVER POWER LINE SOLUTION APPEALS TO PROPERTY SA DEVELOPERS
Gauteng broadband-based Services Company Goal Technology Solutions (GTS) has been contracted by developer Zotos Construction to supply an integrated broadband residential solution. The technology, using the existing electricity grid within…
Internet
BIG DISH SELECTED AS THIRD REGIONAL CARRIER BY AfrISPA
Big Dish have also been selected by the African ISP association, AfrISPA, in response to its request for Service for data transport between the different ISP members of local Internet…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- Mali’s incumbent fixed line operator Société des Télécommunications du Mali (SOTELMA) has launched its first ADSL services in conjunction with Huawei Technologies, the company said in a statement. The…
Computing
SOUTH AFRICA EDUCATION SOFTWARE WINS GLOBAL FANS
International open courseware practitioners have adopted Kewl, an education application framework developed in South Africa. This is according to Philipp Schmidt who says a number of organisations providing open courseware,…
Computing
ARROW NETWORK SYSTEMS SELECTED FOR THE TECH MUSEUM AWARDS
The Tech Museum of Innovation, one of America’s leading science and technology museums, announced today Arrow Network Systems as a 2006 Tech Museum Awards Laureate. The Tech Museum of Innovation,…
Computing
CONSOLE WAR DELAYED IN SOUTH AFRICA
Computer gaming is a growth area worldwide and South Africa is no exception. Gamers in SA can largely be split into two camps: those who use their PCs to play…
Computing
MICROSOFT INTRODUCES INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE PROGRAMMES
Microsoft (MS) is working towards unifying communities through the use of indigenous languages, the Regional General Manager for West, East, Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands, (WECA) Thomas Hansen said…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- A frame contract entitled ‘Contrat Progrès 2006-2012’ for the development of the ICT sector has been signed between the Moroccan Government and the ABEPI, the association representing the interest…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE
- MTN Uganda has unveiled a tariff designed for the youth. The Late Chat tariff is a per second billing and it will be introduced to different universities. The new…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
KIMUNYA LEADS KENYA'S TEAM TO UK TALKS OVER SALE OF SAFARICOM
Top Kenya Treasury officials are in London to negotiate a multi-million-dollar deal with UK mobile phone conglomerate, Vodafone plc. The UK company wants to acquire 9 per cent of local…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
TELECOM EGYPT ANNOUNCES VODAFONE EGYPT SHARE OFFER
Telecom Egypt on Wednesday announced its offer to buy up to 24.4 percent of Vodafone Egypt in a move to increase its stake in the mobile phone operator. British group…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
WITH NEW DEALS, ETC BIDDERS OFFER FINANCING
The Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) is examining project proposals from four European companies that include financing programs from governments and international banks, a service usually handled by ETC itself outside…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
SEXWALE, ZIM CONSORTIUM GETS DISCOUNT ON SAHARA STAKE
Black investors including the high-profile Lazarus Zim and Tokyo Sexwale have taken a stake in technology supplier Sahara Holdings, buying its shares at a 33% discount. The R173m deal sees…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
On The Money - In Brief
- Mauritius Telecom, a 40%-owned subsidiary of France Télécom, reported net profits of USD52 million in 2005, up 19.3% year-on-year, officials said in a statement. The group’s mobile arm Cellplus…
Digital Content
BIBLE NOW AVAILABLE ON SOUTH AFRICAN MOBILE PHONES
South African Christians seeking a quick spiritual boost will be able to download the entire bible on to their mobile telephones phones from Wednesday as part of a drive to…
Digital Content
TUNISIAN JOURNALIST FROM WEBSITE WWW.BAKCHICH.INFO EXPELLED
http://www.Bakchich.info "This expulsion demonstrates once again that journalists who criticise President Ben Ali are not welcome in the country," the worldwide press freedom organisation said. "It recalls the banning of…
Digital Content
Web And Mobile Data News - In Brief
- Microsoft owners of the email portals, Hotmail, has appointed a Lagos based Media and Marketing firm - Seed Media Limited - as their Online Sales Representative in West Africa.
Web and Mobile Data_old
PENDUKA DENIES DEFRAUDING NBC IN NAMIBIA
Penduka, the defunct broadcasting licence fees-collecting agency, a subsidiary of the J and P Group, has broken its silence on alleged financial irregularities which led to the termination of its…
Web and Mobile Data_old
SOUTH AFRICA’S TELEVISION INDUSTRY MOVES INTO THE DIGITAL AGE
Sentech says that there is no doubt that Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) will benefit the citizens of this country, as well as Government, which has championed broadcasting as a critical…
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PEOPLE
* Mac Allman has been appointed as the first CEO of Powercom, the latest entrant into Namibia's mobile telecommunications market. He joins the company from Telecom Management Partner (TMP), a…
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EVENTS
- WORKSHOP ON BROADBAND OVER POWERLINE 3-4 October 2006, Dakar, Senegal The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) is holding a workshop on Powerline Communications (PLC), the alternative last mile platform utilizing…
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JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES
* ERICSSON CORE NETWORK DESIGN ENGINEER – SOUTH AFRICA The company is looking for an experienced Ericsson Core Network Design Engineer. Must have at least 3 years experience on Ericsson…
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CONTRACTS: WHO'S SELLING WHAT TO WHOM?
* GENIAC COMPUTERS PARTNERS AND VIA TECHNOLOGIES- NIGERIA In line with the Federal Government's efforts to make PCs affordable to Nigerians,Geniac Computers,has gone into partnership with a VIA Technologies, a…
