Issue no 651 19th April 2013
Top Story
TV White Spaces trial in South Africa seeks to accelerate access to managed spectrum
TV White Spaces offers two potential benefits: immediate use of unused spectrum for rural area deployment and better overall use of existing spectrum. Africa currently has two active trials, one in Kenya (sponsored by Microsoft) and a second in South Africa (sponsored by Google). This week Russell Southwood looks at the second of these two trials to see why it is different from the first one and the potentially revolutionary implications of managed spectrum.The TV White Spaces trial in South Africa started at the end of March this year. The trial partners include TENET, CSIR Meraka, e-Schools Network, WAPA and…
Telecoms
MTN Kenya drops partners and lays own fibre cable in Nairobi
MTN Kenya has built its own fibre optic cable within Nairobi, dropping two of its four Internet infrastructure providers.The firm has been leasing fibre optic capacity from Kenya Data Network…
Telecoms
Mobile phones in Africa and Middle East unprotected
Research released by Norton shows that many mobile phones used in the Middle East and African are not secured and locked posing high risk of mobile cybercrime.The reports released by…
Telecoms
Telecoms – In Brief
- Representatives of Orange's Technocentre in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, came to Dakar, Senegal, as part of a tour of several African countries. Orange partnered with Dakar business incubator CTIC to…
Internet
LTT’s WiMax widely exploited, hackers claim
Claims are circulating amongst IT specialists that the Libya Telecom and Technology (LTT) website has been hacked, making at least some of its estimated 350,000 customer accounts, including those of…
Internet
Nigeria cuts price of Internet domain names to drive uptake
The local managers of Nigeria’s DotNG Internet domain name has slashed the registry fee from N200,000 to N15,000 to drive the massive uptake the country’s online identity within the Internet…
Internet
Spacecom's AMOS-5 Wins $6.5 Million Contract for Ku-band VSAT Services in Southern Africa
Spacecom, the operator of the AMOS satellite fleet, has announced that it has won a three-year contract worth $6.5 million from one of Africa's largest Internet Communications Service Providers (ISPs)…
Internet
Site to recognise African web designs goes online
Huston Malande, founder of Design Afrique, felt most entrepreneurs in the business were ripping off clients by not creating original sites. This prompted him to launch a new product to…
Internet
Kenya: Gladwell, Kiai Launch Website On Poll Petition
A website containing all evidence used in Supreme Court petition has been launched.Gladwell Otieno and Zahid Rajad from Africa Center for Open Governance have partnered with Inform Action director Maina…
Internet
IXP plan backed by operators, regulator
A report from the West Africa Regional Communication Infrastructure Programme (WARCIP) on setting up an internet exchange point (IXP) in Gambia has been validated by local telecoms operators – including…
Internet
Internet – In Brief
- The number of Internet users in Kenya stood at 16.2 million by December 31 last year, an 11.6 percent growth from the 14.5 million users recorded at the end…
Computing
Rwanda: Korea to Fund a U.S. $5.6 Million ICT Innovation Center
The youth and ICT ministry and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Rwanda have on Wednesday signed an MoU to enhance the ICT Innovation center. The center will be…
Computing
Entrepreneurs Can Now Signup To Own ‘Online Stores’ – Konga
Fast rising Nigerian online store, Konga.com, is giving Nigerian entrepreneurs and wholesale businesses the opportunity to own an online store which is accessible to the general public.Konga on Tuesday announced…
Computing
Computing - In Brief
- Government of China continues to demonstrate bilateral commitments to Liberia aimed at enhancing the long-existing ties between the two countries; the latest being the donation of assorted communication equipment…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Kenya: Nokia Starts Mobile Life Improvement Service
Nokia has launched a mobile life improvement service in Kenya as the firm aims to facilitate learning and help bridge information gaps through richly formatted messages without the need for…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Nigeria: e-Wallet apprehension grips farmers
The introduction of the e-wallet scheme, according to the firm in charge of it, has saved Nigeria billions of naira, but is the facility making things easy for farmers as…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Kenya - M-Pesa transactions over Sh300,000 to be checked
The Central Bank is proposing to start investigating all mobile money transfer services above Sh300, 000 a week, a move that may see business people affected for fear of unnecessary…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
DR Congo banking on wage revolution for state workers
For civil servants working in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the arrival of mobile banking has been just short of a miracle.Aside from getting paid on time, workers are now…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Etisalat draws strong bank demand for $8 billion Maroc Tel bid loan
Abu Dhabi telecom group Etisalat is set to sign an $8 billion loan facility next week with as many as 16 banks to help fund its Maroc Telecom stake bid,…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Kenya: M-Pesa Fraud Losses Less Than One Percent - Safaricom
Safaricom yesterday said losses occasioned by fraud arising from its money transfer M-Pesa are negligible compared to credit card fraud.Chief executive Bob Collymore said the money lost in M-Pesa fraud…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Rwanda: Traders to Get E-Tax Training
Traders in the country will begin to receive training on the usage of electronic tax payment platforms in a move aimed at easing the process of tax collection.Starting in May,…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Money News – In Brief
- E-commerce specialist PayPal has launched its services in Egypt. The electronic payment alternative has now launched in Egypt and Lebanon, said Elias Ghanem, the general manager of PayPal for…
Digital Content
Worldreader Launches Worldreader Mobile
Worldreader (worldreader.org), the nonprofit aiming to boost literacy by providing digital books to children and families throughout Africa and the rest of the developing world, has announced a new method…
Digital Content
Solar developers power up Africa's off-grid market
Solar companies are scaling up their operations in Africa as they seek to cash in on the expanding off-grid market, while also cutting fuel bills for thousands of families.South African…
Digital Content
Uhuru joins Africa’s top 10 tweeting politicians
No sooner had Uhuru Kenyatta been declared winner of last month’s General Election than he updated his @UKenyatta Twitter handle to read: President-Elect, The Republic of Kenya.When the Supreme Court…
Digital Content
Africa: Low-Cost Wireless Tech Can Help African Development
Low-cost wireless communications offer a practical alternative to traditional wired systems in Africa, and further development of such communications can help overcome research challenges on the continent, a workshop has…
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Events
2nd Annual Cloud World Forum Africa23rd-24th April 2013Sandton Sun Hotel, Johannesburg, South AfricaCombining the Cloud Computing World Forum Africa and Cloud Africa, this two day conference and exhibition covers every…
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People
WIOCC continues African expansionAfrica’s carriers’ carrier WIOCC is further strengthening its presence in Africa by bringing in three experienced senior telecoms industry professionals: Darren Bedford, from PCCW (formerly Gateway Communications);…
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Jobs & Opportunities
2nd StarAfrica Sounds music contest launchedThe second edition of the StarAfrica Sounds music contest was launched on Tuesday in Abidjan, the Ivorian economic capital in a bid to promote music…
