Issue no 679 1st November 2013
Top Story
VoD platforms in Africa will be a key driver of the next spike in bandwidth capacity
This week Balancing Act is publishing a report on VoD platforms in Africa. Operators need to understand that all the evidence points to VoD platforms meeting a need that up until this point has been met by pirated DVDs. There is now a bewildering array of film and music platforms in particular. Russell Southwood looks at how things are changing now that high speed bandwidth is increasingly available in African countries.Two conversations have stuck in my mind this week as I finished editing VoD in Africa - A review of existing VoD services, their challenges and opportunities in 2013:1. The…
Telecoms
New US$250 South African smartphone targeted at lower-income consumers
How We Made It In Africa reported that two South African technology companies, Seemahale Telecoms and CZ Electronics Manufacturing, recently signed a memorandum of understanding to locally manufacture and assemble…
Telecoms
Telecel Zimbabwe launches business product
Zimbabwe’s second largest mobile operator, Telecel Zimbabwe, has launched Telecel Business - a monthly subscription offer for businesses and other organisations. According to the telco the price plan could help…
Telecoms
South Africa: Vodacom, ICASA settle the score
The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has one less operator at loggerheads with it over licensing fees, since a R77.8 million matter between the authority and Vodacom has been…
Telecoms
Ghana: Mobile-Technologies Co chosen for SIM and Number Management Systems. By mobile operator
Mobile-Technologies Co has been chosen by mobile operator in Ghana as the answer to a growing need for an efficient and automated SIM and number management system. The increase of…
Telecoms
Angola to ramp up mobile competition
Angola’s national director of telecommunications, Eduardo Sebastiao said in an interview in the capital Luanda this week that four fixed network operators, including state-owned Angola Telecom and MSTelecom, a subsidiary…
Telecoms
Telecoms In Brief
- The Green Kigali project, which leverages the use of green technology, reduces greenhouse gas emissions within Airtel. Since the inception of the initiative in July 2013, Airtel Rwanda has…
Internet
Rwanda's ambitious 4G rollout begins, education cited as major beneficiary Of Technology
"In the case of Rwanda, we have made some modest progress in the area of using ICT," says the country's president Paul Kagame speaking at the Transform Africa 2013 summit…
Internet
Morocco Censors the Web: Collateral Damage Allowed
On the morning of October 19, many Moroccan netizens woke up to the blocking of a large number of websites, among them popular social media platforms Instagram and Pinterest. Noticeably,…
Internet
Internet In Brief
- The estimated number of Egyptian Internet users has grown by around 15 percent, reaching some 36 million in June this year, compared to 31.21 million during the same period…
Computing
MainOne to open West Africa’s biggest data centre
MainOne has officially broken ground for what it says will be West Africa’s biggest Tier III + Data centre.The plan for the MainOne Data Centre, the largest of its kind…
Computing
Computing In Brief
- A software development company, Logicode (Private) Limited, was launched in Harare last week. The company has been in existence for more than two years. Speaking at the launch, Logicode…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Telecoms Rates, Offers & Coverage
South Africa's Telkom Mobile has expanded its SIM-Sonke service nationwide after signing a national roaming agreement.
Money Transfer
Tyme taps Kana for m-banking customer support
South African mobile-only bank 'Take Your Money Everywhere' (Tyme) is using Kana technology to enable customer support for its mobile banking service for consumers across South Africa. Tyme has adopted…
Money Transfer
Air Uganda Unveils New Payment Option for Customers with MTN Mobile Money
Air Uganda in conjunction with the leading Mobile Money service provider MTN has introduced a new, fast and convenient mobile money payment option on its billing platform.The new payment option…
Money Transfer
MTN Introduces Life Insurance Service
Coming behind Airtel, the mobile telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria, has introduced an airtime-based life insurance service for its subscribers, in collaboration with one of the leading insurance companies in the…
Money Transfer
Will a scientific trial show the value of cash donations?
One way for aid agencies to help those in hardship is to see that they get livestock or textbooks; in effect, to decide what people need and then buy it…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Expresso for sale
Sudanese Telecom group, Sudatel has initiated plans to sell off its stake in Expresso. Sources familiar with the development say a number of companies have expressed interest in buying the…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Etisalat Nigeria in possible $400mn tower deal
Mobile operator Etisalat Nigeria could sell cell-towers as part of a $400 million deal. This is according to a Reuters report that says banking and industry sources familiar with the…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Dutch fund buyout deal values Kenyan website at Sh220m
A Dutch-based venture capital firm has raised its stake in a Kenyan restaurant guide website, EatOut, in a transaction that values the online portal at Sh220 million.The buyout of a…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Maroc Telecom reports 6.9% increase in profit to MAD8.7bn for 9M13
Maroc Telecom, a subsidiary of French media group Vivendi, has published its financial results for the nine months ended 30 September 2013, reporting a 6.9% year-on-year increase in net profit…
Digital Content
Kenyan President unveils new website
President Uhuru Kenyatta has unveiled a new website that allows members of the public to communicate directly to him.Incorporated in the website is a platform for the public to report…
Digital Content
Wikipedia Will Start Texting Info To Users In Kenya Who Lack Internet
Wikipedia Zero is an experiment in bringing the Internet's encyclopedia to anyone who owns a cell phone, through text messages.Wikipedia is probably a regular part of your online life. And…
Digital Content
FNB launches Share Investing on the FNB app
If you are an FNB customer with many investments to keep track of – here is something that is sure to make your life a little easier.The new function is…
Digital Content
Senegalese entrepreneurs introduce tech solutions to hospitality industry
When Senegalese brothers Alioune and Moustapha Ndoye completed their engineering studies in the US they chose to move back to Africa to run their own technology company.“We went to the…
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People
When Andrew Waititu appeared as a guest Deejay on CapitalFM's morning show a few weeks ago, most people who know him as the East Africa Managing Director of SAP were…
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Jobs & Opportunities
African Digital Woman of the Year Award: Call for nominationsWe would like to inform you that the first African Digital Woman Award will be organized during the ICT Days, 14…
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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…
