Issue no 671 6th September 2013
Top Story
Welcome to Gulu – What it feels like being an Internet user at the edge of the network
African data networks have improved immeasurably in the last 3 years. There are still many problems like under-provisioning and vandalism but they are beginning to start to work. However, go only a short distance from the core networks and it’s a very different picture. This week we talk to Brian Longwe, Programme Manager, Internet Now! about the forgotten Internet users of Gulu.If there’s connectivity and power, an e-mail can take a matter of seconds to get from Uganda’s capital Kampala to the Northern region capital of Gulu. However, it can take 6 hours to do the drive. Despite the region…
Telecoms
Cape Verde has 90.5 pct mobile telephony penetration rate
Cape Verde’s mobile telephone service posted growth of 9.6 percent year on year in the first half of 2013 with over 457,000 subscribers in a country with a population of…
Telecoms
African 3G Subscriptions to Reach 210 Million by the End of 2015, Says ABI Research
At the end of 2Q-2013, the total subscriptions in Africa reached 863 million—a strong growth of 9.3% year-on-year (YoY), which is substantially more robust than other regions around the world.…
Telecoms
Nigerian Consumer Group Demands $3.6 Billion in Compensation for Poor Phone Service
A Nigerian consumer rights group is demanding that the big four GSM mobile networks offer N602 billion (US$3.6 billion) worth of airtime credit for poor services.The National Association of Telecoms…
Telecoms
Uganda: SIM card registration deadline case dismissed
The High Court has dismissed a case filed by activists led by the Uganda Human Rights Network for Journalists and the Legal Brains Trust challenging the national SIM card registration…
Telecoms
Telecoms - In Brief
- Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM), the country’s second largest mobile operator by market share, crossed the two million customer mark in July.- Ghana's Airtel has started rolling over unused mobile…
Internet
ITU, Facebook launch online safety project in Ethiopia
As part of the Child Online Protection (COP) Initiative, the ITU is partnering with the African Child Online Protection Education and Awareness Centre (ACOPEA) to run a pilot exercise in…
Internet
Telecom Namibia starts to provide Fibre-To-The-Home and Fibre-To-The-Building
Zhone Technologies, Inc., a provider of FTTx network access solutions, this week announced that Telecom Namibia, headquartered in Windhoek, Namibia, will deploy Zhone’s MXK and several additional Zhone services to…
Internet
Nigeria: Swift Networks Plans LTE Launch With 500 Volunteers
High speed broadband internet and data services provider, Swift Networks, has announced that 500 volunteers will test-drive its brand new Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in preparation for its launch…
Internet
Internet - In Brief
- Airtel has become the second operator in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to lease capacity on the nationwide fibre-optic network deployed by the Societe Congolaise des Postes et…
Computing
Huawei allegedly installs hacking devices on ISPs in Zambia
Based on the information the Zambian Watchdog claims to be in possession of, all emails which originate from or pass through Zambian-domiciled ISPs could be hacked when the Patriotic Front…
Computing
Africa: UN Initiative Mines Big Data to Direct Development
Analysing vast sets of digital data from social media activity, phone records and Internet search behaviours can make development activities more effective by providing decision-makers with fast and actionable information…
Computing
Computing - In Brief
- Uganda: ASYCUDA World, a web-based customs clearance system, which will help lessen clearance time to only four hours, was rolled out on September 2. ASYCUDA is an acronym for…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
- South Africa ISP Afrihost started a two-for-one offer on top-ups for its mobile data service. Afrihost's standard top-up rate is ZAR 99 per GB, so the new offer makes…
Money Transfer
Tanzania: TRA, Vodacom Partner On Tax Collection via mobile money
The partnership between Vodacom Tanzania and Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) on the collection of vehicles road licence fee has proved success, with 2bn/- collected through M-Pesa in the first three…
Money Transfer
Kenya: Paynet Invests in Chip Technology
Paynet Group has invested in upgrading their systems for issuing EMV chip cards to help banks migrate to the more secure ATM system.Paynet Group General Manager Karimi Ithau says the…
Money Transfer
E-commerce picks up in Kenya
With about 10 million people having access to the Internet in Kenya, entrepreneurs are quickly shifting their strategies to tap into this growing market.Experts term e-commerce in Kenya a ‘mammoth’…
Money Transfer
Etisalat launches mobile wallet ‘Flous’ in Togo
Etisalat Group, the leading telecoms operator in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, has launched a mobile phone-based commerce service through subsidiary Etisalat Moov that will give much of Togo’s…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Ethiopia: CSM Signs Pact With Ethiopian Govt
City based IT solutions provider CSM Technologies has signed an ETB3.6 million agreement with the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (FEACC) under the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), to develop a…
Digital Content
Egypt Goes Quack Over #SpyDuck
Egypt last week announced it had arrested a “duck” – with a spying gadget attached to its feathers. The duck turned out not to be a duck, perhaps a swan…
Digital Content
Gabon Provides .ga Domain Names for Free
The My GA Registry has opened up registration for .GA domains. My GA - the Gabon domain name - is operated by the Agence Nationale des Infrastructures Numeriques et des…
Digital Content
Nigeria’s growing digital music distribution market valued at N16.2bn
The growing online platform for digital music distribution in the country is now being valued at $100 million, about N16.2 billion, according to analysts with Spinlet, with iROKING and iTunes…
Digital Content
Track and Protect Animals From Poachers With This App
Conservationists are installing advanced cameras in remote parts of Africa so you can keep track of endangered animals in real time via an app and even help protect them against…
Digital Content
Kenya: Gare Website Under Investigation for Role in Kenya Clan Clashes
Kenyan authorities are investigating garreonline.com, a website they say is a national security threat and foments violence among rival clans in northern Kenya.Police Inspector General David Kimaiyo has directed the…
Digital Content
South Africa: Obami Digitizes Annual National Assessments
Locally based, social learning platform, Obami, recently launched a digitized revision paper campaign in time for the upcoming ANAs (Annual National Assessments) that are to be carried out across South…
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People
WACREN HAS A NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORSAfter a search and nomination process by the WACREN community, the Search and Nomination Committee mandated to drive this process is happy to announce…
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Jobs & Opportunities
Venture fund calling for entrepreneurs with web-based ideasVenture start-up funder 88mph is calling on entrepreneurs with new web-based ideas to enter its programme. The applications will open next month.The strategy…
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Events
The Social Media Week Lagos Team is excited to announce that our official schedule is now LIVE and registration is open! At present we have 84 events scheduled and will…
