Issue no 463 17th July 2009
Top Story
D-day for East Africa - Seacom fibre arrives but SAT3 monopoly is still in place
The Seacom international cable is due to go live next week on Thursday and it will fundamentally change much of the underlying economics of the communications business. It will be followed by the TEAMS cable some time in Q4 this year and by EASSy at the end of June 2010. There will be something like full competition for international capacity and prices will fall considerably. The same will also happen on the west coast of Africa but the current reality is that the SAT3 monopoly is still very much in place. Russell Southwood looks at the quickening pace of events.…
Telecoms
Cabinet orders mobile tender in Mozambique
The Mozambique cabinet has ordered that regulators begin preparations for the launch of an international tender for the country’s third national mobile licence, Bloomberg reports. The Instituto Nacional das Comunicacoes…
Telecoms
Botswana’s Be Mobile to make profit in second year
Be Mobile’s CEO Thapelo Lippe predicts that this latest entrant into the cellular network provider market will make profits in its second financial year. Be Mobile is the third cellphone…
Telecoms
West African regulators meet in Gambia for 7th WATRA meeting
In his opening statement to the 7th annual general meeting of WATRA, the West African telecoms regulatory association Alagie Gaye, Director of the public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) said that…
Telecoms
No cost clamp for interconnection rates in South Africa
The Independent Communications Authority of SA's (ICASA's) new draft interconnect regulations have not clamped down on high incumbent costs. Smaller industry players have had much riding on ICASA's interconnect decisions…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- Turkey’s largest mobile operator by subscribers Turkcell has announced that it will bid for a licence to provide fixed line and mobile telephony in Libya. In a statement to…
Internet
Wananchi to use KPLC network for fibre rollout in Kenya
Kenya’s Wananchi Group is to use the national electricity transmission network to build a fibre optic platform expected to open a new front in the bruising battle for control of…
Internet
Zambia connects to SAT3 fibre via Namibia
Zambian ISP Zamnet has made the first link to the SAT3 fibre from this landlocked country going via Namibia to the South African landing station. The link opened on 1…
Internet
Telkom Kenya enters residential broadband market
Telkom Kenya has revamped the Orange Internet residential service by utilising the unused capacity in copper wires. Through the new service dubbed Broadband Nyumbani. Orange will focus on providing ADSL…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- ICASA Chairman Paris Mashile recently indicated that the process for licensing the sought after 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz spectrum - typically referred to as WiMax spectrum - will…
Computing
Programme to train students in computer repairs launched in Ghana
A programme to train students in technical institutions to repair and service computers has been launched by the Ghana Education Service in Accra. The Computer System Support Programme (CSSP) is…
Computing
Bushenyi Schools to Lose 500 Computers in Uganda
Bushenyi district might lose a donation of over 500 computers if the Government goes ahead to implement a ban on the importation of used computers. While presenting this year's budget…
Computing
Poor Conditions Cause Breakdown of Election Commission’s Computers in Mozambique
The Electoral Administration Technical Secretariat (STAE), the electoral branch of the Mozambican civil service, says that the repeated breakdowns of computers used in the current voter registration are due to…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- Nigeria’s Senate has begun the process of amending the 1945 Evidence Act to permit the admissibility in court of electronic- and computer-generated evidence. The Act only provides for the…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage (briefs)
- Ugandans will now have to press harder to be able to use telecom services as telephone firms increased their call tariffs. Over the weekend, MTN announced a 9% increase…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
France Telecom Makes Fresh Bid to Settle Egyptian Dispute
France Telecom is reported to have made a new offer to buy all the shares in the Egyptian Company for Mobile Services (ECMS) in a new move to resolve the…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
South Africa’s Teraco Closes Series-B Financing Round
Teraco Data Environments (Pty) Limited , the first provider of vendor neutral co-location facilities in South Africa, has topped up its operating capital with a further R50-million in a successful…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Tunisian Telecoms Market to Reach $2.2 Billion in 2014
Tunisia's telecom market will be one of the fastest-growing markets in the Africa/Middle East region with total telecom revenue estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.4 percent over the…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
CA South Africa A breaks free with EOH
CA Southern Africa has re-entered the technology sector under its new parent, EOH. The company announced it had entered into a partnership with EOH in late January, sparking fears that…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
On The Money - In Brief
- IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has provided a $90 million loan and mobilized an additional $70 million in syndications to help Zain Ghana expand its mobile…
Digital Content
Nokia and DMTV Partner On Mobile TV in Nigeria
Mobile telecommunications Giant, Nokia and Digital Mobile Television (DMTV), a subsidiary of Multichoice last week signed a memoranda of understanding (MOU) on mobile TV services. With the partnership, consumers can…
Digital Content
A Plea for African Digital Libraries
African countries are falling behind in building digital libraries and archives to provide continent-wide access to local knowledge - and the poorest are likely to bear the brunt of this,…
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People
- Taha Khalifa has been appointed as new Intel Egypt Country Manager, Elamrawi takes on the role of Regional Director for Enterprise Solutions in the Middle East; Mohammed Amer as…
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Events:
* Mobile Banking & Financial Services Africa 20-22 July 2009, Southern Sun Grayston Hotel, Johannesburg Building on the highly successful inaugural event last year, the conference will again deliver timely…
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Jobs and Opportunities
ISOC Fellowship to the IETF The Internet Society has announced that it is seeking applications for the next round of the ISOC Fellowship to the IETF program. The program offers…
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Contracts
* Absa Bank and ACI Wordwide - South Africa ACI Worldwide, an international provider of electronic payments software, has won a contract from South African financial services organisation Absa to…
