Issue no 474 2nd October 2009
Top Story
Africa’s Internet Exchange Points score well on lowering latency and local download speed but did not contribute to lowering of end-user costs, says new study
Those promoting Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) in Africa (and Balancing Act was one of them) made several broad arguments. They would enable cost savings as a larger proportion of traffic is exchanged using local rather than international bandwidth; They would improve access speeds for users and cut down delays in downloading through reducing latency. They would create revenue opportunities because they allow easier hosting of local domains and improved access speeds make certain types of applications possible. Thirteen years after the first IXP was launched in Johannesburg a research report has been published assessing their impact. The purpose of this…
Telecoms
MTN Ends Talks With Bharti On U.S. $24 Billion Deal
Talks to create the world's third- biggest cellphone group through a $24bn tie-up between MTN and India's Bharti Airtel collapsed last week. The South African Government is again meddling in…
Telecoms
Egypt to offer two triple-play telecom licences
Egypt is to invite bids for two licences for "triple-play" cable, telephone and Internet services which it expects to generate $1 billion in new investments within five years, the communications…
Telecoms
New Telecom company Launches in Uganda
The first fully Ugandan-owned telecom firm, i-Telecom, has launched its services. Operating on code 076, i-Telecom, worth an initial investment of $30m, becomes the sixth operator after Zain, MTN, Orange,…
Telecoms
Will the banking crisis in Nigeria affect the sale of Nitel?
The impact of the Central Bank of Nigeria's banking reforms has started taking its toll as the Federal Government agency saddled with the sale of government interests in businesses in…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- Nigeria’s Bureau of Public Enterprise BPE has extended the deadline for the submission of technical and financial bids in the privatisation process of incumbent NITEL. The new deadline has…
Internet
GLO -1 Berths in Accra
Three weeks after setting off from Lagos, the cable laying ship for Glo 1 has berthed in Accra. It is not clear whether it will now sail on to Dakar…
Internet
Uproar Over Internet Costs in Kenya
The Kenyan Government has accused TEAMS shareholders of colluding to fix internet connectivity prices. Information and Communication PS Bitange Ndemo said the shareholders are making a massive 2,000 per cent…
Internet
Broadmax set to enter wireless broadband market in Malawi
A new telecommunications company, Broadmax Holdings, a joint venture between Angel Wireless from Lebanon and Blantyre International Telecommunication Investments Limited, has entered the local market with an investment of about…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- Internet firm UUNET Kenya has completed its internal migration from satellite powered data solutions to the Seacom undersea cable. It has also doubled the bandwidth capacity of all its…
Computing
Banks Reluctant to Offer Grants for OLPC Project in Rwanda
Both the banks and school administration are not willing to take up risks in a move to facilitate parents purchase computers under the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project. The…
Computing
Concerns on Low Number of Students Taking ICT Courses in South Africa
Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda on Tuesday expressed concern at the low number of university students taking Information Communication Technology (ICT) courses. "The low percentage of learners matriculating with mathematics and…
Computing
Uganda developer offers local search engine
As the drumbeat for the development and use of locally generated African Internet content gets louder, a Ugandan developer has created a search engine that indexes all available local content.…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- In Uganda, the Ministry of Education and Sports is to spend Shs 6billion on digitizing the O level science and mathematics syllabi. Humphrey Mukooyo, the coordinator of the project,…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage (briefs)
- Rwandatel, has restructured its prepaid billing tariffs for calls and Short Messages (SMS) across local networks. The new billing structure now includes per minute tariffs alongside per second rates…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Nigeria’s Government cancels NCC-Netvisa mobile phone anti-theft payment deal
The Federal Government at the weekend slammed a cancellation order on a deal approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to impose a mandatory monthly fee on all mobile phone…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Morrocan Meditel Looking to Float 25% by Year-End
Moroccan telecoms operator, Meditel is planning to float at least a quarter of its shares on the local stock exchange before the end of this year, local newspapers reported. The…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
South Africa’s Altech increases profit by 17%
JSE listed Allied Technologies Limited (Altech) has announced the group’s interim results for the six months ended 31 August 2009. “I am particularly pleased with the strong performance that has…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Globacom denies owing billions of naira to distributors
Nigeria’s second telecommunications carrier, Globacom, has denied that it is owing its distributors billions of naira and is treating them unfairly. Bode Opeseitan was speaking in response to questions by…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
On The Money - In Brief
- The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and Main One Cable Company on Wednesday signed a loan agreement of $61 million towards the development of a submarine fiber optic cable…
Digital Content
Africa Virtual Job Fair 2009 launched
Zebrajobs.com and the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) are launching the first Africa-wide Virtual Job Fair on September 30th 2009, which will run for three consecutive months (Oct 1- Dec…
Digital Content
Helix Wind To Begin Testing Wind Turbines To Power Cell Phone Towers in Nigeria
Helix Wind Corporation has announced that it is intending to have test sites for its novel wind power generators installed in the U.S. and West Africa by November 2009. The…
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People
- Rwandatel's Chief Executive Officer Patrick Kariningufu is set to be moved to another LAP Green operation. Hamidou Isiaka from Niger is set to take over as Rwandatel's new CEO.…
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Events:
INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERSHIPS FOR AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT – CONGO DRC 6-8 October 2009, Grand Hotel, Kinshasa, Congo DRC The Infrastructure Partnerships for African Development (iPAD) DRC 2009 conference and exhibition is a…
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Jobs and Opportunities
* Amy Mahan Research Fellowship Program to Assess the Impact of Public Access to ICTs Up to 12 Research Fellowships will be awarded, each providing a grant of up to…
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Contracts
* Ministry of Education and Nortis Cimecom - Morocco As part of a nationwide programme to modernise ICT capabilities in Moroccan schools, Nortis Cimecom, a VSAT operator and a longstanding…
