Issue no 638 18th January 2013
Top Story
Metronet Fibre Networx wants to close the last mile fibre gap in South Africa and help open up 4G
While other African countries like Kenya, Nigeria and Mauritius have all started rolling out Fibre-To-The-Home and Fibre-To-The-Cabinet, there’s been a strange commercial caution in South Africa. What should have been one of the first counties to get into the game hasn’t been. It’s spent a lot of time looking at the “chicken-and-egg” problem without giving birth. Russell Southwood talks to Malcolm Kirby and Gary Williams of Metronet Fibre Networx about how things might change.Metro Fibre Networx’s CEO Malcolm Kirby came out of Dark Fibre Africa that laid the first open access, independent dark fibre fibre network in South Africa:”South Africa…
Telecoms
Telecoms News in Brief
- Five companies have expressed an interest in setting up a mobile network in Zambia, the Minister of Communications and Transport Christopher Yaluma has confirmed. The country plans to award…
Telecoms
Senegal – land of the de-facto Internet monopoly – is urged to encourage greater competition and innovation to improve penetration levels
Senegal has always been the country where competition has a very different meaning. In the Internet sector, Orange-owned Sonatel controls pretty much the whole of the market. There are almost…
Telecoms
New round in browser wars: Baidu Targets Africa With Orange Tie-Up
Baidu, the Chinese search engine, is building its international mobile footprint through a partnership with Orange in the Middle East and Africa.China's search giant Baidu has partnered with France Telecom-Orange…
Telecoms
DRC to make cellcos walk the plank after 100 million minutes of calls get ‘pirated’ each month
According to a report by Agence Ecofin, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has announced its intention to clamp down on a growing trend towards ‘piracy’ in the international calls…
Telecoms
Tanzania: TCRA Seeks Lower Phone Costs
The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has proposed a decrease in telephone interconnection charges to an average 34.92/- from 112/- that telecommunications networks currently use.TCRA wants the new rates to…
Internet
Rwanda: Five-Year ICT Literacy Drive Starts
The government will this year rollout a massive literacy awareness campaign to promote and build citizens' capacity and knowledge in ICT.Spearheaded by the Ministry of Youth and ICT, in collaboration…
Internet
As Kingdom Bank acquires its assets we ask; what went wrong at Spiritage?
It’s not well at Brodacom. Not at all. Around this time two years ago, information in the market suggested the company was coming on the scene to change the game…
Internet
Orange hoping to score in South Africa
Orange has launched Orange Horizons, a new subsidiary established to build the brand and source fresh revenue streams for the Group. South Africa is one of the markets targeted for…
Internet
Africa: New Youth Website Will Enhance Understanding of Human Rights and Poverty
Young people in countries around the world have the opportunity to learn about the link between poverty and human rights thanks to a new digital platform launched by Amnesty International…
Internet
Internet News in Brief
- The Internet gender gap is hurting the world's economy as well as millions of women across the globe, says a newly released study. Getting Internet access to an additional…
Computing
Rwanda - Tech giant Microsoft unveils Windows 8 in Kinyarwanda
Microsoft has announced that the newest version of its flagship product, MS Windows 8, will also be in Rwanda’s main language, Kinyarwanda.Microsoft said in a statement that MS Windows 8…
Computing
Computer News in Brief
- In a filing to the French stock market regulator, Maroc Telecom has revealed that it plans to invest MAD10 billion (USD1.2 billion) to upgrade its broadband network. The telco,…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
FNB Connect to offer free Wikipedia browsing in the evening
South Africa's FNB Connect says it will offer its ADSL customers free Wikipedia data browsing between 19:00 hrs and 23:00 hrs in a bid to assist pupils. This follows a…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Samsung, Garmin offer offline navigation in South Africa
Samsung South Africa has announced that it has partnered with Garmin Southern Africa to offer the Garmin Navigon navigation app for free on all Samsung Galaxy Note II devices. Users…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Orange Uganda launches mobile money
French-owned mobile network provider Orange has launched its mobile money service in Uganda in partnership with Post Bank and Pride Microfinance, two of the country’s major financial institutions.Orange Uganda CEO…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Ethiopia moves on mobile money
After months of wrangling, the Ethiopian government has at last approved mobile money in the country and opened the door for banks and micro-finance institutions to provide transaction-based banking online.The…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Kenya: M-Pesa Agents Conned By Safaricom 'Engineers'
Embu West District Security Committee has raised the alarm over theft from MPesa outlets.The committee chairman, acting DC Daniel Obudo said conmen pretending to be Safaricom engineers have swindled M-pesa…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Nigeria Will not Licence Telcos for MobileMoney -Tunde Lemo
Tunde Lemo, deputy governor, Operations, at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has pooh-poohed what appeared to be the global model for mobile money payment system, the Kenya M-Pesa stating…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Ghana to introduce internet-powered payment system for traders
The Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement System (GIPSS) is to introduce an Internet-powered payment system that will link some local financial service providers with their counterparts in Nigeria and Francophone…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Money News in Brief
- Equity Bank and MasterCard on Tuesday announced the launch of Equity Debit and Credit cards featuring MasterCard's PayPass technology. This makes Kenya and Equity Bank the first in Africa…
Digital Content
Evidence lacking on mHealth effectiveness in poor countries
Mobile phone technology is frequently heralded as a solution to many health challenges facing the developing world, but two systematic reviews have found that evidence to back such claims is…
Digital Content
Uganda: New Mobile Service Could Boost Farming
A new information platform for farmers could boost food productivity and improve sales in the agricultural sector where at least three out of four Ugandans depend for a living.According to…
Digital Content
Cote d'Ivoire: Beating Abidjan's Traffic By Sending an SMS
Sick of Monday morning traffic? Or, for that matter, gridlock any other day? Thanks to CivRoute, a project initiated by four tech-savvy Ivorians, driving has become a more efficient, less…
Digital Content
YouTube to broadcast AFCON opening ceremony
Google has announced that YouTube will broadcast the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) opening ceremony and highlights through a dedicated channel.The announcement was made on the Google Africa Twitter account,…
Digital Content
FootballZone releases its first football app: AFCON 2013
Footballzone Afcon AppLocal Football updates startup, FootballZone, has announced the launch of its Afcon 2013 mobile app that went live in the Nokia Ovi Store last week. According to FootballZone…
More
Events
National Enterprise ConferenceJanuary 26, 2013University of Lagos, Yaba.Themed 'Our generation needs to get to work', several of the speakers have been recognised by The Future Awards for their outstanding efforts…
More
People
Cameroon’s MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) Set’Mobile has appointed a new CEO to run the company’s operations. Herve Perrin was announced as the new CEO, succeeding Charles Gueret.
