Issue no 706 23rd May 2014
Top Story
Satellite in Africa – Huge opportunities but it’s time for some disruptive business models
African satellite industry event Satcom 2014 took place this week in Johannesburg. As the satellite sector digests the loss of backhaul traffic to fibre, it is clear that there are new but potentially difficult opportunities. Russell Southwood tries to pick apart what might connect these new satellite opportunities to customers and what’s holding them back.Before fibre arrived, satellite was Africa’s primary means of getting its bandwidth. Even when the first international fibre cable landed, its monopoly prices meant that satellite was still able to hold prices at the same or just below pre-fibre days. Now that international fibre wholesale prices…
Telecoms
Number of mobile phone users in Burundi rose 13 percent in 2013
The number of mobile phone users in Burundi rose 13 percent in 2013 from the year before as most operators expanded their infrastructure networks, the industry regulator said on Wednesday.Mobile…
Telecoms
Emerging Markets Communications to Support NetHope and Its Members in Delivering Technology to the Developing World
Emerging Markets Communications announced today it is pleased to support NetHope's mission of providing Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) with technology resources to be more efficient and effective in pursuit of their…
Telecoms
Ghana's Expresso Banned from Sales Until Next Month
Ghana's Expresso has been banned from signing up new customers until next month following complaints about poor network quality.The telecoms regulator, the National Communications Authority (NCA) imposed the ban that…
Telecoms
Kenya: Orange Kenya Unveils Biashara Talk
Orange Telkom Kenya has launched Biashara Talk, a wireless fixed voice post-paid service targeted at Small office Home office (SoHo) customers and small businesses.The post-paid service that will be provided…
Telecoms
Rwanda's Airtel Outlines Network Upgrade Plans
Rwanda's Airtel has outlined plans to invest around USD30 million in network upgrades this year. According to a statement from the company, it is looking to improving and expanding its…
Telecoms
Vodacom faces competition probe
Vodacom has revealed that the Competition Commission has decided to investigate a complaint lodged by Cell C, in which the smaller mobile operator has accused its larger rival of abusing…
Telecoms
Telecoms – In Brief
- UAE-based Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat), which agreed to acquire Vivendi’s controlling 53% stake in Moroccan incumbent telco Maroc Telecom last week, has submitted a mandatory tender offer to buy…
Internet
West Africa’s largest data centre to be commissioned in July
MainOne’s US$25 million data centre, currently under construction in Lagos, Nigeria, will be commissioned in July, according to Temitope Osunrinde, the company’s marketing support analyst.Speaking to HumanIPO on the sidelines…
Internet
SEACOM Partners with Level 3 for Faster Internet Speeds
SEACOM has announced that it will work with network provider Level 3 Communications to deploy its content delivery network (CDN) nodes into data centres connecting to the SEACOM Pan-African IP/MPLS…
Internet
Samsung Launches Solar-Powered Internet Schools
Samsung Electronics East Africa has launched the first Solar Powered Internet School (SPIS)in Kenya in a bid to improve the quality of education provision regardless of the schools ability to…
Internet
Nokia and ZTE confirm roles in Algerie Telecom’s LTE network deployment
Finnish vendor Nokia has confirmed that under the terms of a contract with Algerie Telecom it has provided its Single RAN Advanced solution based on its high-capacity, scalable Flexi Multiradio…
Internet
Internet – In Brief
- Smile Communications Limited, has announced its readiness to roll out its 4G LTE internet service in Abuja and Port Harcourt in August this year. The plan is sequel to…
Computing
Gemalto selected for Algerian ePassport
Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, announces it has been chosen to provide the Algerian governmental agency “Hôtel des Monnaies de la Banque d’Algérie” with its Sealys eCover for…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
- Telecel Zimbabwe has launched a promotion to allow subscribers access Facebook Zero, the Facebook mobile web-site optimised for speed with zero data charges. Whether with or without airtime, the…
Money Transfer
Zimbabwe: Mobile Money Software Released
Local technology firm, Cash Application Universal has released its first version of truly and wholly Zimbabwean Windows based mobile money management software called CAPU. CAPU is an industry standard mobile…
Money Transfer
Airtel Money Introduces Self Help PIN Reset Service
Airtel has introduced a self-help PIN reset service to enable Airtel Money customers reset their Account access PINs instantly from their handsets without contacting the call Centre as long as…
Money Transfer
Standard Bank launches mobile payments app
Standard Bank, a pan-African banking organization, has launched a new mobile payments application called SnapScan. Mobile commerce is becoming quite popular in Africa, especially as more people in various countries…
Money Transfer
Fifth of mobile phones to have m-wallet features by 2018
One in five mobile handsets will have mobile wallet functionality by 2018, compared to less than one in ten at the end of 2013, according to Juniper Research. Growth is…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Telecom Namibia bows out of Neotel
Vodacom SA’s agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Neotel, in which Telecom Namibia (TN) is a minority shareholder, comes shortly before TN’s annual general meeting during which the…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Telkom Agrees to Buy Business Connexion to Boost Offering
Telkom SA agreed to acquire Business Connexion Group Ltd. (BCX) as Africa’s largest fixed-line phone company plans to boost its cloud-based offerings of information and communication technology services.Telkom is offering…
Digital Content
Startups bring education to African students’ fingertips
A growing group of entrepreneurs is capitalising on Africa’s lack of access to laptops and computers. These entrepreneurs are banking on the fact that this population does have cellphones and…
Digital Content
Kenya’s health management software ZiDi bags ICT innovation award
Kenya’s ICT Authority has named health management software ZiDi as a 2014 Innovation Award Winner in the Health Care Delivery sector. ZiDi is a monitor service that automates a range…
Digital Content
Jovago Begins East African Expansion
AIH’s online hotel booking service Jovago.com, has began its rapid East African expansion with over 5000 hotels signed up on Jovago.com and over 130 in Uganda, over 158 in Tanzania…
Digital Content
Malawi vote counting system collapses
Malawi election officials have had to resort to fax and email to tally votes from this week's election after the electronic system broke down, delaying the release of any results,…
Digital Content
Moov Togo launches new ‘Sports Connect’ platform for mobile users
Mobile operator Moov Togo has selected leading voice messaging and media mobile apps developer Kirusa to supply it with its social media messaging service – ‘Sports Connect’ – enabling Moov…
Digital Content
Zimbabwe Startup Weekend crowns winner: Kwese Music
Zimbabwe’s first Startup Weekend was hosted by the local tech hub Hypercube recently and saw a three-day event full of mentors, judges and pitches. Out of all the entrepreneurs who…
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Events
AITEC Banking & Mobile Money15 - 16 July 2014Eko Hotel, Lagos NigeriaDear Colleague,For a number of reasons, including the recent dismissal of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria,…
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Jobs & Opportunities
Orange Launches The 4th Edition Of The Orange African Social Venture PrizeOrange has launched the 2014 edition of the Orange African Social Venture Prize. A new category has been introduced…
