Issue no 587 13th January 2012
Top Story
Maintenance and up-time – the Achilles Heel of Africa’s new fibre network revolution
The reach of Africa’s fibre networks is extending relentlessly in ways that would have been barely imaginable ten years ago. The speed and the capacity of the new fibre networks have made the use of them more essential, both by businesses and individuals. Gone are the days when the like’s of Burkina Faso’s Onatel could shut the Internet down for three days with only a “sorry everyone” ad in the newspaper. New speed and capacity have encouraged Service Level Agreements that measure delivery. But this week’s news of the burning down of the SAT3 landing station in Benin raises serious…
Telecoms
Namibia: Telecom network switch hurts farmers
Some farmers in the south of Namibia, especially those farming in the Kalahari, have been cut off from the rest of the world after Telecom Namibia is alleged to have…
Telecoms
LAP Green to contest any challenge to ownership of Zamtel stake
Amid continued debate over the sale of Zambian fixed line incumbent of Zamtel to LAP Green Networks (LAP Green) of Libya, the latter is reported to be deeply concerned regarding…
Telecoms
New Mozambique mobile operator starts test phase
Mozambique's third mobile phone operator Movitel has launched a test phase of its network one year after it was awarded an operating licence, the company said. “The Movitel network actually…
Telecoms
Libyan government to review African telecom investments
Libya’s transitional government said that it would review ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi-era investments across the country and in Africa. The National Transition Council said it would also be looking at…
Telecoms
Sierra Leone set to deregulate international gateway
To demonstrate its commitment to key regulatory and policy changes, the government of Sierra Leone has released a road map for activities leading to the revision of telecom laws and…
Telecoms
Kenya debuts M-Wingu, a cellphone data backup service
A back-up system to store data from a user's cellphone has been unveiled in Kenya, and is said to be the first such service in Africa. The system, known as…
Telecoms
Lonestar Cell Fined US$500K for Disrupting Phone Line During Nov. 7 Monrovia
The Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) has imposed a fine of US$500,000 (Five hundred thousand United States dollars) on Lonestar GSM Company to be paid within a week, for negligence and…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- Vimpelcom and Algeria’s Ministry of Finance have signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the sale of a majority stake in Orascom Telecom Algerie (OTA) by the…
Internet
Airspan Networks Selected by AfriConnect for 4G Network in Zambia
AfriConnect Zambia, an Internet Solutions Provider in the Vodacom Group of companies, has selected Airspan 4G equipment to deliver broadband services to the capital of Lusaka and several other major…
Internet
Nigeria: Social Media Inspires Fuel Subsidy Protests
As Nigerians woke up to a third day of protests on Wednesday, the virtual world was waking up too: "Now, Nigeria controls its own media and Nigerians control their own…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- Tanzania’s Deputy Minister for Communications, Science and Technology Charles Kitwanga told the 'Daily News' on Tuesday that his ministry was aware of increasing nature of cyber crimes in the…
Computing
Rwanda: KIST Gets Ultra Modern ICT Facility
Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremye, together with visiting Chinese official, Li Yuanchao, yesterday launched a state of the art e-Learning facility at Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).The laboratory…
Computing
Nigeria: Kudos, Knocks for Draft Harmonised ICT Policy
Varied reactions have greeted the recent release of the country's draft National Information and Communications Technology (ICT) policy, which seeks to harmonise all existing disparate ICT policies into a single…
Computing
Kenya: City Council of Nairobi Services Are Now Digital
Queries on council services will now be possible with a click of a button on your mobile phone. The City Council will this morning launch the phase one of its…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- Nigeria: As part of efforts to boost electronic payment system in the country, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed banks in the country to begin the implementation…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Telecoms Rates, Offers and Coverage
-The release of a new Safmarine shipping application for all mobile devices using the Android operating system will allow Safmarine customers to access and download essential shipping information from these…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
South Africa: Absa Trials Payments Via Mobile Phone
Banking group Absa conducted South Africa's first live user trial of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology on mobile phones in December, with 500 of the bank's staff members using the…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Gamtel/Gamcel turns in a profit on 2010 accounts but challenges ahead for Gamcel
Gambia’s National Assembly has approved the annual reports and financial statements of state-run PSTN operator Gambia Telecommunications Company (Gamtel) and its cellular network operating subsidiary Gambia Telecommunications Cellular Company (Gamcel)…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Kenya: Mobile Phone Money Transfers Race Ahead of Debit Cards
Four in five new cell phone subscribers are signing up for money transfer services, the latest industry data shows.The new statistics indicate that the handset has become a key tool…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Money News - In Brief
- AItel Tanzania has signed up over 10,000 local money agents to handle its mobile money service transactions.- Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali has met with Qtel’s chairman Sheikh Abdullah…
Digital Content
Kenya: Local Firm to Map Out Somalia Crisis
A Kenyan-based non-profit software development firm has teamed up with Al Jazeera media to use its technology to assess the impact of the conflict in Somalia on the citizens.Ushahidi and…
More
People
- Safaricom has appointed a new head for its technical division from rival France Telecom, completing the reorganisation plan that saw the firm trim its management to cut reporting layers…
More
Jobs & Opportunities
Attention all Client Services Directors! - Ref:CCLAS47278- PermanentOur client, a leading web/brand/marketing agency based in Johannesburg, is looking for an experienced Client Services Director to help drive account strategy implementation…
