Issue no 382

Africa’s competition laboratory Kenya is the one to watch

No regulation regime is perfect but the three East African countries – Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda – are leading the way in terms of breaking down many of the old barriers to competition. Of these, Kenya is interesting because it was the pioneer and many of the things that are happening there will in time be seen elsewhere in some form. Russell Southwood explains what’s happening in Africa’s competition laboratory. Outside of the large Sub-Saharan markets like Nigeria and South Africa, Kenya stands out because it has both the population level and a density of private sector activity to be…

France Telecom Wins Ghana Telecom Bid

Few days after Singapore Telecom withdrew from the race to take over 51% stake in Ghana Telecom (GT), the Government of Ghana has selected Telecom France as the winner of…

Telkom South Africa double deal flops

Telkom's plans to reinvent itself have been destroyed as talks to sell assets to Vodafone and MTN collapsed this week. The news was partly a surprise and partly no surprise…

$70m Financing boost sets Eassy fibre cable project back on track

Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) has secured key financing, raising hopes that Kenyan consumers can start enjoying cheaper Internet connectivity in early 2009. It becomes the second of Kenya's…

Will a new Board save Gamtel in Gambia?

A new board for the Gambia Telecommunications Company (Gamtel) was this week inaugurated by Neneh Macdouall-Gaye, secretary of state for Communications and Information Technology. The inauguration of the new board…

Telecoms News - In Brief

- In Uganda, the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) has required that Warid Telecommunications carries out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for each of its masts being set up across…

Is the Merger of Pan-African ISPs a good sign for Internet Prices?

Customers subscribing to iWay Internet brand are set to benefit from efficient high, quality and reliable service after the merger of Afsat Communications and MWEB Africa. Afsat and MWEB have…

News24.com hits a new Milestone in South Africa

News24.com, the breaking news and information service in the 24.com network of sites, has recorded more than one million unique South African visitors in a month - the first South…

Egyptian bloggers plan festival of torture videos

Egyptian bloggers, often at the forefront of exposing human rights abuses, are planning an online festival of torture videos to run alongside the 31st Cairo Film Festival, from 27 November…

Internet News - In Brief

- Boudjemaâ Haïchour , the Algerian Minister of ostal Services and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) announced all the communes nationwide will benefit from high-speed internet connections by 2008. Meanwhile…

Nigerian Keyboard Firm Sues One Laptop Per Child Project

The One Laptop Per Child foundation is being sued over its keyboard design by the Nigerian-owned, Massachusetts-based firm, Lagos Analysis Corp. Lagos claims the non-profit outfit illegally reverse-engineered their software…

New Software to Ease Clearance of Goods between Kenya and Uganda

It will now be easier to process clearance transit goods destined to Uganda from Kenya following development of software that enables the revenue authorities of the two countries to share…

Kenya’s Copyright Board Takes Piracy War to Cyber Cafes

Cyber café operators within Nairobi are torn between legalising their Microsoft software operating system, shifting to Open Source Code or closing shop all together following the crack down on illegal…

Computer News - In Brief

- The United Kingdom Engineering Council has given the Accra Institute of Technology (AIT) a full accreditation to offer its engineering qualifications through City and Guilds of London, the body…

Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage

- HITS Telecom, the fourth telecommunications operator to be given a licence to work in Uganda, has successfully conducted its first calls this week. The commercial launch of the service…

Sudatel to Buy 70 Percent Stake in Nigerian company Intercellular

Sudan Telecommunications Company (Sudatel), the national telecoms company of Sudan is to buy 70 per cent share of Intercellular, one of Nigeria's leading privately owned telecoms operator in yet another…

Egyptian Orascom talked with Vivendi about a tie-up

Naguib Sawiris, the billionaire head of Egyptian cell phone group Orascom Telecom, has approached Vivendi about a possible telecoms tie-up but the pair failed to agree on price, Les Echos…

Foreigners to Pay More for Safaricom Shares in Kenya

Foreign investors wishing to buy into mobile phone operator Safaricom Ltd must be prepared to pay much more than the price local investors will pay for the same shares during…

Black-Owned Telecoms Firms Buy Stake in Nokia Unit in South Africa

Two black-owned telecoms investment companies are taking stakes in the local operations of Nokia Siemens Networks. No value has been disclosed for the deal, under which Sekunjalo Telecoms and Africom…

On The Money - In Brief

- Dubai-based private equity group, Alcazar Capital intends to invest some US$58.5 million in Telkom Kenya as part of a France Telecom-led deal that gives 51% of the country's telecommunications…

Web and Mobile Data News

Jump Shopping Goes Mobile in South Africa

South African online shopping search engine Jump Shopping has recently launched a mobile offering of its popular search engine Jump.co.za. Jump Shopping Mobile enables users who are not in front…

Kibaki Makes Use of Websites to 'Woo' Voters in Kenya

Kenya's president and presidential candidate, Mwai Kibaki has released his campaign website to improve his chances of re-election. Kibaki is fighting for re-election and his website includes comprehensive reports and…

People

- Elvis Eromosele, correspondent on the information and communication technology (ICT) desk of Financial Standard Newspaper has won the Best ICT reporter (print) at the Nigerian Information, Technology and Telecommunications…

Events

- MED-IT@DAKAR 2007 4-5 December 2007, Hotel Méridien Président, Dakar, Senegal 3rd B2B exhibition specialised in IT. Exhibition, conferences and business rendez-vous in order to establish strategic partnerships between French,…

Jobs and Opportunities

CORE SUB PROJECT MANAGER – SOUTHERN AFRICA The client is urgently requesting the services of a experienced Sub Project Managerr to work on a project of huge importance. It is…

Contracts

* Neotel, ECI, BroadGate Systems – South Africa Neotel has selected ECI XDM and BroadGate systems for the building of its national next generation transport backbone network. * Algerie Telecom…