Issue no 491 12th February 2010
Top Story
Satellite to fibre – Africa’s big change is really under way, says new report
2010 is not shaping up to be a good year for satellite operators and resellers in Africa. There have been rumours that for the first time one operators’ sales in the continent have slipped down several percentage points. This year sees the arrival of four more international fibre cables: Glo One, Main One, EASSy and LION. Balancing Act’s latest report – African Fibre and Satellite Markets – takes the temperature of the current market and seeks to predict where things will be in three years time. As an acknowledgement of the huge changes that have occurred, this report has gone…
Telecoms
Tanzania: Zantel Records Growth despite economic downturn
Zantel has experienced potential growth in the past 12 months despite the economic downturn. This growth is attributed to an aggressive expansion programme embarked 18 months ago which saw the…
Telecoms
Nigeria’s NCC Steps Into content provides dispute with mobile companies over access and revenue shares
Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Telecommunications Commission (NCC) Engineer Ernest Ndukwe has said that the commission was determined to resolve the lingering differences between service…
Telecoms
Lack of Power Hampers Rural Mobile Uptake in Kenya
Lack of power is to blame for the slow expansion of the mobile phone network in rural areas, Safaricom chief executive, Michael Joseph, said on Monday, adding that although the…
Telecoms
Ethiopia: France Telecom wins bid to reform Ethiopia Telecom
France Telecom has been selected to manage ETC, the Government-owned telco incumbent, a government official has disclosed. ETC attracted many foreign companies when it floated a bid, a few months…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- South African regulator ICASA has given the green light to cellular operators to cut interconnect rates by 36c from next month, which it says will benefit consumers. This week,…
Internet
West Africa: Main One Submarine Cable Project Inches Near Completion
The Main One Cable Company has announced the commencement of the final laying of its high capacity fibre optic cable from Seixal, Portugal, through the coast of West Africa to…
Internet
Fresh Storm Brews Over Uganda’s National Fibre Optic Cable Project
The government has ditched technical safeguards for proper construction and functioning of the multi-billion national optic fibre backbone infrastructure, according to a report in the Daily Monitor.Our investigations show that…
Internet
South Africa: MTN to Match Competitors in Fast Broadband Offering
MTN has fallen into step with competitors Vodacom and Cell C by announcing that it would be rolling out HSPA+ broadband services at speeds of up to 21 megabits per…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- The East Africa Submarine Cable System is set to land in Mtunzini, on the north coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal this weekend. This will be the only landing of the…
Computing
ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD ORDER REPORTS 'INCORRECT'
Reports that Brazil, Nigeria, Argentina and Thailand have each committed to buying a million laptops from the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) programme are "incorrect", a spokesperson for the project…
Computing
RWANDA IS SELECTED AS MODEL FOR E-TOURISM
Rwanda Office for Tourism and National Parks (ORTPN) has been selected to be a model for executing e-tourism in Africa. This development followed a long-term partnership between the United Nations…
Computing
NEPAD TO LAUNCH E-SCHOOLS INITIATIVE IN UGANDA
The New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) will launch the first demonstration of the Africa e-school project at Kyambogo College School in Kampala. The initiative aims at equipping African schools…
Computing
ETHIOPIA IN OPEN SOURCE PUSH
Since the inception of the Ethiopian Free and Open Source Network* (Efossnet), in February 2005, the open source software movement in Ethiopia has picked up strong momentum. It is showing…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- Microsoft has made its Setswana Language Interface Pack (LIP) for Windows XP available. The product, which forms part of the company's worldwide Local Language Programme (LLP), transforms the operating…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
- In Nigeria, CDMA operator, Starcomms Plc, has introduced tracking service for its subscribers in the country tagged 'StarTrack.' Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Starcomms, Maher Qubain, said that the location…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
MOBINIL 1H PROFIT SLIPS, DESPITE STEADY REVENUE GROWTH; DELAYS 3G DECISION
The Egyptian Company for Mobile Services (ECMS), which offers services under the brand name MobiNil, has reported a 3% fall in net profit for the first half of 2006, down…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
VOXTELECOM BIDS FOR LEADERSHIP OF VOICE SOLUTIONS MARKET AFTER ACQUISITIONS
VoxTelecom, the specialist voice carrier of telecommunications group DataPro, will use two recent acquisitions to position itself as "a significant player in the booming voice service provision arena", says Managing…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
UGANDAN MINISTER WANTS PHONE TAX REVISED
Doctor Ham Mulira, the ICT minister, wants parliament to revisit taxes on mobile phone airtime and fixed lines. Telecom companies pay a 12% and 5% duty on mobile phone airtime…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
SA IT TO OUTPACE GLOBAL GROWTH
South African IT budgets are expected to grow faster than their international counterparts this year, a Gartner conference has heard. Globally, IT budgets are expected to grow at 2.7% this…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Money News - In Brief
- The Chairman of the National Investment Commission (NIC), Richard Tolbert, has challenged Liberian business entrepreneurs to forge partnership with multilateral financial institutions in the United States and Africa, especially…
Digital Content
SOFTWARE ON THE WEB SET TO REVOLUTIONISE IT SECTOR
Hi-Tech companies seeking the next big thing in the IT sector to enliven their sluggish revenues finally seem to have found it: the ability for customers to access the software…
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People
* Eyal Copitt has been appointed as the District Manager (Africa) at Network Appliance Inc. (NetApp), a unified storage solutions provider. Copitt will be leaving his position as Gilat Satcom's…
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Events
THIRD ANNUAL AFRICAN VOIP FORUM 21-23 August 2006, Muson Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria The event offers a high-powered educational opportunity for Africa’s ISPs, telecom operators and corporate VoIP users.…
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Jobs and Opportunities
* MGW O&M ENGINEER – KENYA The company is currently looking for an MGw O&M Engineer with at least 2 years proven Media Gateway (MGw) Administration, MGw activities in telecoms…
