Issue no 548 1st April 2011
Top Story
Tanzania: New survey highlights steady growth of mobile as media
Intermedia has released the latest in its Audiencescapes series of surveys of media use in African countries. The survey covers Tanzania and contains a number of tantalizing clues as to how that country’s consumers are making use of different media. Russell Southwood picks over the findings for clues as to how things will develop in the future. The Audiencescapes survey of Tanzania was carried out in July 2010 and is a nationally representative sample, allowing the researchers to provide accurate breakdowns of urban vs rural use.Internet use has clearly grown in Tanzania but not at the same rate as in neighbouring…
Telecoms
Kenya Gears Up for Mobile Number Portability
After over six years of boardroom talk on implementation of mobile number portability, Kenya's mobile telephony scene looks set to roll out the system beginning Friday (March 25,2011).The plan has…
Telecoms
South Africa: Free SMS messages filtered by mobile operators says FSMS founder
FSMS recently blamed mobile networks for “trying to filter their messages” but operators said that this is definitely not the case. Free SMS service FSMS was launched in June 2010.…
Telecoms
Uganda: Telecom Firms Urged to Reduce Mobile Money Fees
Mobile Money channels have become a convenient way of sending and receiving money in Uganda. However, the cost of transactions remains prohibitive to millions of Ugandans, according to one mobile…
Telecoms
Airtel Sets $25 Million for Massive Network Growth in Sierra Leone
Airtel, Sierra Leone's award winning mobile telecommunication company of the year 2010 has embarked on super strategy to further expand its fast growing mobile network in the country. The company…
Telecoms
Kenya: Vodafone Set to Take Up the Three Key Posts in Safaricom
Experts seconded by UK-based Vodafone will head Safaricom's powerful portfolios of technical/information technology and marketing, it emerged on Thursday, a day after chief executive Bob Collymore unveiled a new management…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- MTN has emerged as Africa's most valuable brand and the only African global brand in the 2011 Brand Finance Global 500.- According to Times Live, South Africa-based telecoms group…
Internet
Tanzania: Internet Service Provider Eyes Bigger Market Share
Tanzanian ISP Raha has resolved to extend its network connectivity services to cover medium and small scale enterprises, in a bid to expand its customer base. Raha's CEO, Aashiq Shariff…
Internet
South Africa: Afrihost runs Free ADSL offer without planned end date
Afrihost’s Free ADSL offer is currently available, and this time there is no fixed deadline on when they will be closing the promotion In October 2010 Afrihost offered consumers 500…
Internet
Rwanda: Country Mapped On Google
Rwandan communities were for the first time, over the weekend, mapped by local cartographers using a Web program called Google map maker, during an exercise dubbed the Rwanda mapping party.…
Internet
Kenya: Flexible Online Learning Clicks With Employers
Companies are slowly reducing reliance on physical training programmes and adding online learning portals to their staff learning systems to improve output while ensuring maximum utilisation of office hours. Experts…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- Côte d’Ivoire, telecoms regulator, ACTI has ordered all mobile operators and ISPs to block independent news websites and websites opposing Laurent Gbagbo.- Intelsat S.A., announced last week that the…
Computing
Omatek launches new product in Ghana
Omatek Ventures Plc, the leading indigenous computer assembling company, has introduced “Style Me” a new range of artistic cover designs for its Smart book and desktop casings. This makes it…
Computing
Kenya: ICTs Centres to Be Set Up in All Public Schools
The government will spend Sh1 billion to construct ICT workshops in public secondary schools in the next three years. Education PS James Kiyiapi said his ministry has given out computers…
Computing
Namibia: Ovaherero Introduce Management System
The Ovaherero Traditional Authority has developed a software management system to register all Hereros on one database. The system would capture various information, including individuals' profiles, paternal and maternal ancestry…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- MTN Business has unveiled a virtualized server solution in Kenya. This solution will enable business to store and secure data at the company's offices. "This solution is an outsourcing…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Telecoms Rates, Offers and Coverage (briefs)
- Western Union has announced that consumers can now send money directly to the mobile "wallets" of Safaricom M-PESA subscribers in Kenya from 45 countries and territories - the first…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Tunisian Government Seizes 51% Stake in Orange Tunisie
The interim government of Tunisia is reported by French news media to have taken over the 51% of Orange Tunisia that was owned by the son-in-law of the country's former…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Orascom Looking to Reduce Stake in Zimbabwean Mobile Network
Orascom Telecom Holdings is looking to reduce its stake in the Zimbabwean mobile network, Telecel Zimbabwe to 49 percent from 60 percent and has entered into talks with Zimbabwe's government…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Tanzania: Government Loses U.S.$308 Million in Airtel Deal
The government of Tanzania lost $308 million by selling Zain Tanzania to the India-based company Bharti Airtel last year, the Public Corporations Accounts Committee (POAC) said yesterday. The POAC chairman,…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Nigeria: Starcomms Moves to Acquire Telkom Multi-Links
Nigerian Code Multiple Division Access CDMA operator, Starcomms, is negotiating to close a deal that will enable it acquire the troubled Telkom Multi-links.ThisDay gathered that the deal was nearing completion…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Money – In Brief
- The government of Uganda has announced it is taking control of Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL), a mobile telephone company, where Libya holds a 69% shareholding through its investment vehicle…
Digital Content
Kenya: New Incubation Centre to Focus On Social Media Applications
Another technology incubation centre will open its doors to software developers in May, signaling desire to tap latent potential in Kenya. The Nairobi incubation Lab (NaiLab) becomes the fourth centre…
Digital Content
Tanzania: Citibank Eyes Phone Banking
Citibank Tanzania is looking into possibility of hooking mobile-phone banking into its system to ease financial transactions to bank-less society, most in remotest areas. At the moment, the bank said,…
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People
- Emmanuel Okonji has been pronounced the winner of the joint 2011 Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) and Don Etiebet Foundation award for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) reporting.- The former…
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Events
Managed Services Growth Markets 20114-5 April, Movenpick Jumeirah Beach, Dubai, UAENow in its 4th year and attended by over 200 attendees in 2010, Informa Telecoms and Media’s Managed Services for…
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Jobs & Opportunities
CALL FOR PAPERSFifth IEEE/ACM International Conference on Information and CommunicationTechnologies and DevelopmentGeorgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA USAConference dates: March 12-16, 2012Paper submission deadline: July 22, 2011 (11:59pm UTC) Conference…
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Contracts
MTN and Alcatel-Lucent - NigeriaAlcatel-Lucent has announced that it has been selected by MTN Nigeria, a subsidiary of South African telecoms operator MTN, for the transformation of the operator’s DSL…
