News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 364 on 10 August 2007
Top Story
Mali: Mobile service helps bring down infant mortality
In Coura, a district of Mali's capital Bamako, it's now possible to monitor the health of local infants closely in real time with the launch of a new pilot project dubbed Pesinet. Initiated and funded by Alcatel-Lucent, Fondation Orange Mali, Afrique Initiatives, Medicament Export (Medex) and Kafo Yeredeme, the project aims to provide a preventative medical diagnostic service for infants between 0-5 years, based on regular checks on the childrens' weight gain. The service is based on weighing the children every week at home twice a week for children under a year by people who are specially trained. These staff…
Telecoms
Egypt's Mobinil buys 3G licence for US$599m
Egyptian mobile operator Mobinil has been granted a high-speed, third-generation mobile licence for 3.4 billion Egyptian pounds, the Communications Ministry said on Wednesday. The ministry said in a statement the…
Telecoms
Etisalat in talks over Benin spat
Emirates Telecommunications Corp. (Etisalat) said on Monday its African unit would open talks with Benin's government this week to try to resolve a dispute that forced it to suspend its…
Telecoms
Mobitel urges no more mobile licences in Sudan
Sudanese mobile company Mobitel urged the government on Sunday not to issue a further mobile phone licence, saying a new competitor might force it to reconsider a $690 million expansion…
Telecoms
Wana set to give Maroc Telecom a run for its money
Wana is a new Moroccan fixed-line and mobile telephone operator whose ambition is to instil a new dynamic into the local telecoms market. This 450-strong company, a subsidiary of the…
Telecoms
Phone Operators' Head Accused of Extortion in Uganda
It took the intervention of chairperson Irene Ovonji and commissioner Sarah Bagalaaliwo to stop city phone operators from going for each other's throats. Accusations of intrigue, extortion, theft, intimidation and…
Telecoms
Visafone Beats Multilinks and 2 others to Win 800mhz Spectrum Band in Nigeria
Visafone Communications Ltd has emerged reserved bidder ahead of Multilinks and two other telecoms company for the 3 Carriers (3.75 MHz) in the 800 MHz spectrum band license to operate…
Telecoms
Telecoms briefs
- Cable thieves are back stealing and damaging telephone cable (underground and overhead) in the Kumasi Metropolis and parts of Obuasi in Ghana.- Convergent billing specialist Cerillion Technologies has implemented…
Telecoms
Malawi MTL connects network to Mozambique
Incumbent telco Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL) is looking at installing a cross-border fibre-optic link with its counterpart in neighbouring Mozambique, Telecommunicacoes De Mozambique (TDM). The proposed connection will be between…
Internet
Namibia and Botswana to interconnect to SAT3 via Angola
The acting prime minister, Jo‹o Baptista Kussumua discussed in Luanda, with the Namibian first vice minister, Libertina Amathila, about the general principles of the cooperation that Angola will establish with…
Internet
Neotel, WiMAX, price cuts - it's all finally happening in South Africa
Despite what the sceptics say, SA's telecoms landscape is finally changing for the better. If I told you in 2006 that in a year's time South Africans would have a…
Internet
HiREST's Mrakpor calls on Nigerian Govt to encourage broadband growth
The Chief Executive Officer of HiREST Africa Limited, a Nigerian Internet Service Provider; Igho Mrakpor, has called on the Federal Government to put in place policies that will encourage the…
Internet
Internet in a Box' Brings Information to Developing World
Since the year 2000, the University of Iowa has been trying to bring the benefits of the Internet to parts of the world where access is minimal and/or expensive.The university's…
Internet
Internet briefs
- Gateway Communications has begun operating its C-Band 7.3m Earth Station at a co-location Teleport in Krugersdorp, Johannesburg, South Africa. The Earth Station is capable of Point to Multipoint and…
Computing
Intel makes peace with One Laptop Per Child project
MIT's Nicholas Negroponte and Intel have apparently buried their dispute over the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, reports AP. Intel's chairman, Craig Barrett, had derided Negroponte's low-cost machines as…
Computing
New Electronic Transaction Bill ready to go before parliament in Ghana
Ghana's Electronic Transaction Bill, new legislation designed to regulate electronic communications and transactions in accordance with National Information and Communication Technology Policy, is expected to be presented to parliament for…
Computing
Nigeria has Minimised Software Importation, says NCS's Nwannena
Outgoing President of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Dr Chris Nwannenna, has said his leadership brought about the Federal Government's priority attention to indigenous applications software, thereby minimising the use…
Computing
Gobuntu: freedom-focused Ubuntu flavour
Gobuntu, a flavour of Ubuntu that adheres to the strictest requirements of the Free Software Foundation's "Four Freedoms", now has daily images available.Mark Shuttleworth made the announcement on the Ubuntu…
Computing
Kyambogo in Sh6 Billion Shady Deal in Uganda
Kyambogo University has embarked on a process of contracting an information and communications technology firm that would cost students Shs6.16 billion for a period of seven years without advertising, Daily…
Computing
Computer briefs
- The Chief Executive Officer of Computerise Nigeria Project, Mrs Vivian Abii has expressed concern that a large number of the 3.5 million computers imported into Nigeria annually are refurbished.…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Telecoms Rates, Offers and Coverage
- Zimbabwe mobile operator, Econet Wireless, has installed highly sophisticated software to track down fraudsters. With its new software, Econet will be able to catch people who have been stealing…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
French telecom firm invests US$6m in Liberia
The Paris-based Telecommunications Company, West Africa Telecom has begun operations in Liberia with an initial investment of over US$6 million, the General Manager of the company, Jonathan Medugno said here.…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Diasporan Investors Team Up to Buy Ghana Telecom
A Ghanaian Diaspora professional group, called the Ghana Leadership Union (GLU) has announced plans to pool resources to buy a controlling stake in one of the country's biggest assets, Ghana…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Is the market Under-Valuing Telkom South Africa?
The annual results for Telkom for the year ended March 31, published on June 8, were, at best, described as flat. Diluted headline earnings a share were 1706c, 7,7% lower…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Five Financial Institutions Adopt Neptune's Orbit Banking System in Nigeria
Five financial institutions in Nigeria have signed on to Orbit banking solution after a thorough evaluation and selection process involving several other Microfinance banking solution competitors in Nigeria.These financial institutions…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
On the Money briefs
- Kenya has revised the deadline for submission of bids for a 40 per cent stake in Telkom, pushing back the expected entry of a strategic investor into the company.The…
Digital Content
Rwanda to introduce Phone Banking
Phone banking has finally come to Rwanda courtesy of the commercial bank of Rwanda (bcr). This was announced by the marketing and communication manager of bcr, Hannington Namara during a…
Digital Content
Windhoek City First On E-Service in Namibia
The City of Windhoek is the first municipality in Namibia to introduce electronic services to residents, which will include electronic account enquiries, tender submissions and service applications.These will be available…
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People
- JSE-listed Spescom has announced that CEO and founder, Tony Farah, is to stand down in line with his plans to do so in the company's thirtieth operating year. Farah…
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Events
-SATWIBB AFRICA: AFRICAN SATELLITE & WIRELESS BROADBAND CONFERENCE & VOIP FORUM West Africa: Muson Centre, Lagos, 21-23 August 2007 Theme: 'Broadband bridges across Africa: First and last mile solutions'Local and…
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Jobs and Opportunities
Roll Out Manager 3G - South AfricaThe company requires the service of a Roll Out Manager 3G (Recovery) that will be responsible for a particular project involving swap out of…
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Contracts
* MTN and Alvarion - UgandaAlvarion says that MTN Uganda has chosen its BreezeMAXTM for the 3.5 GHz frequency, as part of a nationwide WiMAX deployment. The main deployment project…
