Issue no 612 6th July 2012
Top Story
Liberia: Cellcom rolls out HSPA+ network and gains a technology edge over its competitors
On June 21st, Cellcom officially launched its HSPA+ services at a ceremony attended by a crowd of over 400 VIPs. For a day, Monrovia’s City Hall was decorated with Cellcom’s red and white flags and banners with the slogan “4G The First. The Fastest”. Isabelle Gross, who attended the event, looks at what it takes for a small mobile operation to launch a new 4G network and, at the commercial potential that becoming the technology leader in the data market may bring. One thing is for sure: no mobile operator is ever 100% ready when it comes to rolling out…
Telecoms
Botswana watchdog tells operators to share infrastructure
The Botswana Telecommunications Authority (BTA) has issued a notice to operators to develop infrastructure-sharing plans, following the drawing up of passive infrastructure sharing guidelines. The three-month notice is in line…
Telecoms
Orascom in talks to manage Libyan mobile operations
ccording to an unverified report by Egyptian news website Alborsa, telecoms tycoon Naguib Sawiris has indicated that his Orascom Telecom Media and Technology (OTMT) holding company is actively pursuing management…
Telecoms
Cameroon: Special Telecoms Fund - Operators to Pay 3 Per Cent
Telecommunications operators in the country will pay in, annually, 3 per cent of their business turnovers to an account at the Central Bank opened by the Minister of Posts and…
Telecoms
Samsung to give boost to Nigerian apps industry
Leading electronics and mobile phone maker, Samsung Electronics West Africa has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Co-Creation Hub (Cchub) Nigeria’s foremost technology innovation centre. The agreement will allow…
Telecoms
Telecoms News - In Brief
- South Sudan’s Ministry of Telecommunication and Postal Services has asked mobile subscribers of the newly independent country to register their details, in line with a resolution passed by the…
Internet
Airtel Rwanda introduces 3.75G Internet in Kigali
Airtel unveiled the 3.75 G Internet in Rwanda’s capital Kigali. The mobile phone service provider terms it as “the fastest Cellphone Internet in Rwanda.”Commenting on the new service, Airtel's Rwanda…
Internet
Google’s Youtube Launches in Ghana
The world’s largest Video sharing website, Youtube has officially launched in Ghana with a domain name, youtube.com.gh The website is expected to feature the most popular videos in Ghana, together…
Internet
Mauritania mulls internet monitoring to counter extremism
In a bid to prevent youths from falling prey to terrorist propaganda, the Mauritanian government may tighten control over internet use. Mauritania's cabinet recently discussed the possibility of establishing a…
Internet
WACS international fibre optic cable sets the stage for a broadband boom in Namibia
Namibia was one of the last countries in Africa to introduce competition in the mobile communications sector when a second network finally launched in 2007. Despite this, the country has…
Internet
Internet News - In Brief
- Vodafone Wholesale has completed an interconnectivity project that connects Ghana through Togo to Burkina Faso. The 120km fibre link project - the Bolgatanga–Cinkasse International Fibre Connectivity Project - is…
Computing
Liberia: New IT Academy for Kids Soon
The Starz College of Technology has developed an information technology program under the name "Starz for Kids" to provide IT skills training and education in various disciplines such as math,…
Computing
Computer News - In Brief
- Nigeria’s Websoft is launching its new Vantium m1 tablet PC this month, bundled with business applications and DSTV. The 7-inch Android m1 is bundled with business and entertainment applications…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Telecoms, Rates, Coverage and Offers
- AppChat mobile voice network operator is set to revolutionize South Africa’s telecom sector with its promise of affordable local and international calls.AppChat promises per-second billing for daily off-net calls…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Paga Processes Over 270,000 Transactions Worth More Than N2.6 Billion
Nigeria’s mobile payment startup, Paga has processed over 276,000 transactions that are worth more than N2.6 billion (about $9.8 million) transaction volumes to date.The company recently announced a recent series…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Dahabshiil denies Telcom Somalia takeover speculations
Dahabshiil Group, a leading remittance company in East Africa, officially denied rumours on Sunday that it has purchased a majority stake in Telcom Somalia.The chief of media relations and public…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
East Africa: UN Agency Calls for Regional Mobile Money Laws
EAC countries need to harmonize mobile money regulations to allow the expansion of such services in the region, a UN body has said.The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Money News - In Brief
- MTN Uganda has been taken to court over its mobile money offers, as the service is unregulated. A local businesswoman Kimberly Kasana and MP Abdu Katuntu have filed the…
Digital Content
Ugandan ICT Students Invent Pregnancy Scan Machine
Second-year students at the Makerere University College of Computing and Information Technology (CIT), in Uganda, have invented a hand-held pregnancy scan-like machine called WinSenga.The machine, which consists of a funnel-like…
Digital Content
Botswana’s app geared up to end music piracy
A mobile developer in Botswana has come up with an app set to frustrate music piracy specially through file sharing. This move, he says, was motivated by the fact that…
Digital Content
Nigeria - Job seekers get help from Globacom
Globacom has introduced a service that allows subscribers, especially job seekers send their Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resumes to prospective employers through Short Messaging Service (SMS).In a statement, the company…
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People
Vodacom’s Pieter Uys resignsSouth African mobile operator Vodacom announced today that CEO Pieter Uys would be stepping down from his position, which he has occupied since 2008. Uys will remain…
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Jobs & Opportunities
ASP.NET & MySQL Developer Finance in Motion GmbHVacancies: 1Location: Anywhere, KenyaDeadline: 30 Sep, 2012Job Description: Finance in Motion develops its core business tools in-house and is currently looking for an…
