Issue no 668 15th August 2013
Top Story
The irresistible Law of Circles – getting mobile and online content to African users in a fragmented market
For those launching mobile content and services, Africa’s mobile users are a fragmented bunch. Overcoming this fragmentation is one of the key challenges for both entrepreneurs and developers face. Russell Southwood looks at how the Law of Circles can help you understand how to overcome these challenges.Imagine if you will, all phone users in a country as a circle, the largest circle in the image I’m going to ask you to imagine. Then imagine putting in other proportionally smaller circles to represent basic, feature and smart phones. These numbers vary by African country but let’s say in our imagined African…
Telecoms
Valley Technologies of Zimbabwe Put Under Provisional Liquidation
Struggling telecoms company Valley Technologies has been put under provisional liquidation following a High Court application by one of its creditors, DHL International Zimbabwe (DHLIZ).According to the applicant's founding affidavit,…
Telecoms
Globacom widens lead over Airtel Nigeria as telecoms market crosses 120m active phone lines
Lagos. August 13, 2013: Globacom has floored Airtel Nigeria in the duel for the number two position in the mobile telephony market as the Nigerian telecoms industry crosses a milestone…
Telecoms
Zimbabwe: Telecel International to Be Local Shareholding Compliant By Month End
Telecel International, the Egyptian controlling shareholder in Telecel Zimbabwe, has committed to addressing its lopsided shareholding in the mobile phone operator by the end of this month in what will…
Telecoms
MTN Zambia using mobile base stations to boost capacity and cover special events
With a view to boosting capacity on its mobile network, MTN Zambia has introduced a mobile base transceiver station (BTS) dubbed ‘Cell on Wheels’ (‘CoW’). A network tower mounted on…
Telecoms
Namibia: MTC Spends N$13 Million on advertising
Mobile telecommunications company MTC spent over N$13 million in the last financial year on advertising.This was confirmed by Tim Ekandjo, Chief Human Capital and Corporate Affairs Officer of MTC, who…
Telecoms
Nigeria: MTN Foundation Spends N7 Billion On Projects in 36 States, FCT
The mobile telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria has disclosed that it has invested through its subsidiary, MTN Foundation, over N7 billion in executing various projects in 338 locations across the 36…
Telecoms
In Brief
- Vodacom, one of the three mobile phone companies operating in Mozambique, says it expects to install over 325 new masts throughout the country by December this year.The enhanced coverage…
Internet
Sierra Leone’s fibre-optic infrastructure project still on track
Julius Kamara, the project coordinator of the West African Regional Communications Programme (WARCIP-SL), a project within Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) created to provide the infrastructure for…
Internet
SkyVision successfully implements project to install and manage UNACOOPEC’s satellite private network consisting of 97 branches in Cote d’ Ivoire
SkyVision Global Networks announced last week that it has successfully completed the installation of a private satellite network solution for UNACOOPEC-CI (National Union of Savings and Credit Cooperatives) consisting of…
Internet
TelOne lights Victoria Falls fibre link, offers high speed Wi-Fi
Zimbabwe fixed line operator TelOne has launched its high speed broadband services in Victoria Falls, ahead of the United Nations (UN) World Tourism Organisation General Assembly in Victoria Falls and…
Internet
In Brief
- Tanzania Telecommunications Company Ltd (TTCL) has reduced its data services tariffs effective from this month. The company has also increased the speed of the bandwidth offered to improve services.The…
Computing
Microsoft set to launch youth portal in Nigeria
As part of its far-reaching 4Afrika Initiative, Microsoft will be partnering with The Future Enterprise Support Scheme (TFESS), a social enterprise organisation, to develop a national website, helping Nigerian youth…
Computing
In Brief
-President Uhuru Kenyatta's adviser on political affairs Joshua Kuttuny has asked Kenyans to support Jubilee's laptop project saying the gadgets are vital in developing nations. Kuttuny criticised leaders opposed to…
Computing
Rwanda: A New Program Installed in OX Laptops - OLPC Program
XO Laptops, those distributed to schoolchildren in the country's 'One Laptop per Child' program (OLPC) are being installed with a new program called "e-solution," which delivers digital content in mathematics,…
Computing
Kenya: Jubilee Recalls IEBC BVR Laptops
The government wants Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to donate 43,000 laptops used in the biometric voter registration to the Ministry of Education.Education PS Belio Kipsang told a committee of…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Rates Offers & Coverage
-Nigeria ended June 2013 with a total of 120.36 million fixed and mobile telephone subscribers, up from 117.28 million three months earlier and 113.21 million at the start of the…
Money Transfer
State Law Office of Kenya starts M-PESA payments
The State Law Office has partnered with Safaricom for easier payment of services like registration of companies, societies, or weddings using M-PESA.Solicitor General Njee Muturi said that the deal with…
Money Transfer
MTN Ghana Makes Striking Success In Mobile Money Revenue
Mobile operator MTN Ghana says revenue from its popular mobile money service, MTN Mobile Money, jumped from GH¢30,000 when it was launched three years ago to GH¢300,000 in 2012. The…
Money Transfer
New Rules Set to Protect Mobile Money Users in Uganda
Individuals who receive mobile money that is wrongly transferred to their account but decline to return it to the owner could soon land in jail if new penalties are enforced.MTN…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
MTN South Africa reports 22% rise in first-half profit, beats market estimates
South Africa-based regional wireless operator MTN Group has reported a 22% increase in profits for the six months ending 30 June 2013, beating market expectations, buoyed by a strong rise…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
South Africa’s Broadband Infraco posts another loss
State-owned broadband infrastructure operator, Broadband Infraco has reported a 40% decline in revenue for the financial year ended March 2013, to R237.4 million, citing shrinking volumes of business from Neotel.The…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Algeria’ Djezzy GSM reports 2.6% growth in revenues to DZD36.7bn
Algeria’s leading cellco Djezzy GSM has posted its financial results for the second quarter of 2013 ended 30 June, reporting 2.6% growth year-on-year in revenues to DZD36.7 billion (USD464.157 million)…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Dimension Data extends AccessKenya offer
Dimension Data has announced that its offer to AccessKenya shareholders has been extended by one day, as a result of the Idd-ul-Fitr public holiday last Friday.AccessKenya said in a statement…
Digital Content
Ugandan App for Pain-Free Malaria Test
Kampala — In his 21 years Brian Gitta has had malaria too many times to count. And over the years, because of the numerous times he has had to have…
Digital Content
South Africa: Mobile Transport App Launches in SA
US technology company Uber has launched its mobile transport application in South Africa's largest city, Johannesburg, promising to provide an efficient transportation service and to make the city more accessible…
Digital Content
South Africa: SA Census App to Improve Planning
South African mapping firm mapIT has released a location-based business intelligence application, MarketScope, based on Statistics South Africa's census 2011 data, as a tool to improve government and business planning.The…
Digital Content
Kenya: UAP Insurance Launches Mobile APP
UAP Insurance has started the process of moving its product range into the digital realm by developing a mobile application for individual medical insurance customers. Known as AfyaImara the mobile…
Digital Content
Rwanda: Using Mobile Applications to Ease Business Processes
With technological advancement, businesses no longer have to spend huge sums of money on adverts to reach out to clients. ICT firms are now able to build and avail mobile…
