Issue no 578 28th October 2011
Top Story
Nigerian online content and services begins to make inroads despite the lack of affordable, reliable broadband
Nigerian bandwidth is improving but ever so slowly. There is no sign of a broadband strategy to power this process forward. However, despite this unpromising soil for growth, there are a number of interesting start-ups in the online content and services space that are beginning to establish themselves. Russell Southwood tries to read the tea leaves in a country where data is hard to come by.At STM1 level, international bandwidth is now down to US$225-250 per meg and will continue to drop once WACS and ACE become operational. There also some signs that up-times are improving on national routes, particularly…
Telecoms
Airtel Africa enhances mobile Internet browsing
Customers of Bharti Airtel in Africa will soon enjoy seamless internet connectivity and simpler, more intuitive mobile data services. The operator has selected Nokia Siemens Networks’ Serve at Once Device…
Telecoms
NCC to Sanction MTN, Glo, Airtel for Poor Services
Worried by the increasing and persistent cases of poor service delivery, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has again, threatened to sanction the three major telecoms operators - MTN Nigeria, Globacom…
Telecoms
South Africa: 8ta to roll out LTE network
Telkom’s mobile arm, 8ta, has built six base stations using next-generation long-term evolution (LTE) wireless broadband technology, with 50 sites under construction and plans to expand the network to Cape…
Telecoms
Swaziland Government in Talks to Transfer Stake in MTN
The government of Swaziland is to hold talks with the local subsidiary of MTN regarding the transfer of the government's indirect stake in the company to the government's Ministry of…
Telecoms
ECOWAS adopts draft regulation on submarine cable landing stations
The 11th meeting of ECOWAS Telecommunications and Information and Communication Technologies Ministers (Telecoms-ICT) ended with an adoption of a draft regulation on conditions for access to submarine cable landing stations…
Telecoms
Telecom News - In Brief
- The planned implementation of number portability by the telecom regulatory body, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has elicited joy among telecom subscribers.It has raised hope that the initiative would…
Internet
Broadband Access: Penetration Take Centre Stage at WAFICT Congress
Nigerians last week in Lagos, witnessed a renewed campaign for broadband access and penetration at the just-concluded 3rd West African Information and Communications Technology (WAFICT) Congress, as almost all papers…
Internet
eNews blames DStv after channel freezes
The eNews Channel is fuming after it went off air for 47 minutes on Monday during President Jacob Zuma’s press conference at which he axed two of his ministers and…
Internet
Uganda: NBI to Shake Internet Market
All ministries, government departments and institutions are to be connected to the National Backbone Infrastructure and e-Government Infrastructure cable (NBI/EGI) which was launched on October 7.This follows completion of the…
Internet
MIH shuts down Kalahari sites in Nigeria and Kenya
MIH Internet has announced it is to close down its e-commerce Web sites, Kalahari Kenya and Kalahari Nigeria, due to their lack of profitability.The digital arm of South African media…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- IT security and data Protection Company Sophos is warning of a malicious email attack, one of the first to capitalise on the death of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.The scam…
Computing
Zimbabwean Government & Apple in iPad joint venture
Apple has agreed to enter a joint-venture with the Zimbabwean government to deliver solar-powered iPads to rural and remote schools, reducing the digital divide between rural and urban areas in…
Computing
Kenya: Safaricom Launches Data Storage Services
Safaricom has entered the data storage business as it seeks to diversify its product portfolio from the voice market that has witnessed decline in revenues following a price war in…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- A trade e-portal has been developed by the Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Associations to address the challenges faced in importing and exporting to and from the East…
Computing
36th Dedicated Centre Opened
According to ITWeb, writing for DefenceWeb, the Department of Science and Technology opened its 36th dedicated centre, in the country's biggest province, in a bid to demystify science and raise…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
- Airtel and the Republic of Congo has taken a significant step towards building the largest 3G network across Africa by announcing the launch of a 3.75G platform in the…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Egypt’s Mobinil posts 96% net profit loss
Egyptian telecommunications mobile operator, Mobinil has posted a 96% drop in third quarter net profits.Mobinil received only 10 million Egyptian pounds (about US $1.6 million) in profits in the previous…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Tanzania: Exim Bank Adopts New IT Platform
Exim Bank Tanzania has now moved on to a new state-of-the-art Information Technology (IT) platform for its Core Banking applications.Speaking in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, the Bank's Group-Head, Operations,…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Money News - In Brief
Mitchell Elegbe, CEO of payment services provider Interswitch said that there were 18-20 million credit and debit cards in Nigeria and its Verve card had 60% market share.
Digital Content
Africa: 84 million mobile devices are Internet enabled
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)said the rapid increase in mobile phone deployment in Zimbabwe has created business opportunities for small and medium-scale entrepreneurs in the country.According…
Digital Content
Africa: Activists Use Infomation Technology to Dodge Oppressors, Official Says
Democracy activists in some repressive countries are protecting themselves from harassment with technology training they received from the U.S. Department of State. The U.S. assistant secretary of state for democracy,…
Digital Content
Kenya sees bandwidth surge
Kenya's available international bandwidth increased 25-fold between March and June this year, leaving the country using less than 1% of it, according to new figures from the Communications Commission of…
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People
- Blaise Compaoré, President of Burkina Faso, has been appointed Chairman of the International Advisory Board (IAB) of the International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats (IMPACT), which serves at the…
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Jobs & Opportunities
Senior Huawei 3G Planning and Optimisation Team LeaderPosted by: emiliosrizePosted date: Fri, 28th OctLocation: ZambiaI am currently looking for a senior Huawei 3G Radio network Planning and Optimsation consutlant who…
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Events
AITEC East Africa East Africa Summit2-3 November, Kenyatta International Conference Centre, NairobiEast Africa has become one of the fastest growing ICT investment markets and the region's ICT Summit it designed…
