Issue no 448 3rd April 2009
Top Story
Ugandan’s Lord’s Resistance Army uses technology to elude capture
Many of the continent’s rebel armies have taken the new communications technologies, including things like satellite phones, to heart. They allow them to co-ordinate between themselves but Government armies are fighting a cat-and-mouse game to try and track their communications. Shelby Grossman looks at how the Lord’s Resistance Army escaped encirclement by the armies of three countries. In December 2008 military forces from Uganda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo began attacking camps belonging to the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in a Congolese national park. With helicopters, jets, and ground forces, the joint offensive destroyed five LRA camps…
Telecoms
Burundi plans Onatel privatisation this year
Burundi plans to privatise its main state-owned telecoms company Onatel this year to make it more competitive, government officials. Onatel runs a landline network, GSM and Internet services. It launched…
Telecoms
700,000 Orange mobile subscribers in Kenya since September
Kenya's Orange is confident of becoming market leader in data services once high-speed Internet hits Kenya this year, having won 700,000 mobile subscribers since launching mobile services last September. Orange,…
Telecoms
G-Mobile has ten months to roll out operations in Malawi
G-Mobile, Malawi’s third cellphone network company is within the next 10 months expected to roll out its operations in the country after it was awarded a licence by the Malawi…
Telecoms
Zimbabwe’s ICT Minister in discussion to grant second fixed line licence
Information Communication Technology Minister Nelson Chamisa said that he would meet the Attorney General to discuss whether TeleAccess can be granted a license to start operations. Chamisa told an ICT…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced it will begin to implement number portability within GSM networks in May, allowing subscribers to move freely from one network to another,…
Internet
Rwanda has High Expectations of new, low connectivity prices with fibre
The wholesale costs of connectivity in Rwanda are expected to reduce from $3,000 to $25 for each Mbps. Information Communication and Technology (ICT) can dramatically improve the quality and availability…
Internet
South Africa’s Altech Acquires ISP Technology Concepts
JSE listed Allied Technologies Limited (Altech), announced the acquisition of 100% of the equity in and claims against Lateral Technology Concepts (Pty) Ltd (Technology Concepts), an Internet service provider (ISP)…
Internet
5,000 VSAT Nodes to Be Deployed by Galaxy Backbone in Nigeria
At least 5,000 VSAT nodes of the National Information Communication and Education Programme (NICEP) network would be deployed to different parts of this country by Galaxy Backbone Plc before the…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- MainOne Cable Company has commenced the main route survey operations of its submarine cable project. Tagged Kommandor Jack, this first phase is expected to extend from Portugal to Nigeria…
Computing
Zimbabwe’s Government Takes ICT Seriously
Government has met stakeholders in the information communication technology industry to map the way forward for coordinated policies and discuss a proposed national strategic framework. In his opening remarks the…
Computing
Developers get hacking as MXit goes open source in search of a PC client
South African social computing giant, MXit has announced a R100,000 competition for developers and budding computer cowboys. The competition, which runs from 01 April to 01 June, is to source…
Computing
IT agency outlines OSS progress made in South Africa’s government
South African government’s State IT Agency (Sita) Free and Open Source Programme has released its second public newsletter outlining the progress of open source software in government. Among the range…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- Ethiopia’s college of Engineering and Technology is striving to put in place a laboratory infrastructure for nurturing competent and qualified students. The College is currently providing degree and diploma…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage (briefs)
- Econet Wireless has commenced its mobile operations in Burundi, as it connects its subscribers for a one-month network testing, which will take place in 16 provinces. Yanick Mugisha, the…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Electronics Firms Urged to Boycott 'Blood Minerals' of Congo-Kinshasa
The world's mass consumption of cell phones, laptops and other electronics fuels widespread sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to a new study released Wednesday by…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Nigeria’s Telecoms Infrastructure to Gulp U.S. $10 Billion
An estimated $10 billion will be needed for the provision of key infrastructure in the telecommunications industry over the next ten years. Operators in the sector stated this last week…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
OPIC Loan Brings Mobile Banking to Underserved in Uganda
A loan from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) will enable the deployment of transformational financial infrastructure in Uganda that will provide Ugandan citizens, currently left out of the formal…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
2009 Africa Wireless CAPEX to Drop 11.8% to $9.4 Billion
African wireless capital expenditure spending is forecasted to decline 11.8% in 2009 after growing 16.4% in 2008, according to the latest report from EJL Wireless Research. "The spending levels for…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
On The Money - In Brief
- According to Bloomberg, MTN is the front-runner among suitors interested in taking control of Congo-Chine Telecom, the country's third-largest player. Bloomberg estimates Congo-Chine Telecom to be worth $400m and…
Digital Content
South Africa’s mobile social network giant creates multi-platform bridge between social communities
MXit’s 12 million+ worldwide users will be able to reach contacts across multiple instant messaging (IM) communities such as Yahoo, Windows Live Messenger, G Talk and ICQ, when it switches…
Digital Content
Telkom Media was bad decision, says CEO
Telkom should never have considered providing content; rather its networks should only be used to carry content. This is according to Telkom CEO Reuben September, speaking at a media briefing…
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Events
*AFTLD ANNUAL EVENT 13-17 April 2009, Arusha, Tanzania Under the theme "Securing Africa’s Internet Infrastructure”, the AfTLD annual African ccTLD event for 2009 will include a detailed three (3) day…
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Jobs and Opportunities
* Information and Communications Technology Manager - South Africa FoodBank South Africa is an exciting new Section 21 company established to alleviate hunger in South Africa by creating a national…
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Contracts
Algerian Railways and Nortel - Algeria Nortel Networks has been selected to deploy a GSM-R wireless communications system for a new railway line in Algeria. The line links the cities…
