Issue no 722 5th September 2014
Top Story
Uganda’s Beyonic looks to extend the reach of bulk m-money payments through partnership with Mercy Corps’ Agri-Fin programme
M-money services take-up has taken time but as it passes the “critical mass” moment, two things begin to happen: firstly, their use spreads out beyond the first wave of users and secondly, more sophisticated service elements get built on top. Russell Southwood spoke this week to Luke Kyohere and Dan Kleinbaum about the work they’re doing.Luke Kyohere had a software business that used to do SMS and mobile technology work. He then went to the USA for “grad school” which is where he met Dan Kleinbaum and together they created the Beyonic platform. They wanted to make it easier for…
Telecoms
Airtel Kenya looks to change game after adopting 2.55M yu Subscribers
Airtel Kenya has announced that it has finalized an agreement with Essar Telecom Kenya Limited (ETKL), which operates as YuMobile telecom service in Kenya, for the acquisition of its part…
Telecoms
PCCW Global and Paratus Telecom collaborate to enhance HD voice and MPLS network coverage in Namibia and neighboring countries
PCCW Global, the international operating division of HKT, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider, and Paratus Telecom of Namibia have signed an international MPLS and IPX interconnection agreement to enhance…
Telecoms
Egypt approves unified telecoms licence; TE to divest Vodafone Egypt stake by end-2015
Just a few days after reports suggested that Egypt’s unified license regime would go live in early September, according to Reuters the country’s government has approved the concessions. In announcing…
Telecoms
Liberia: Cellcom to Pay Subscribers for Using Network
In the face of the ongoing national crisis, Liberia's number one GSM Company has announced yet another ground-breaking move aimed at providing relief to thousands of its valued and loyal…
Telecoms
SEACOM Deploys Two PoPs in Uganda
SEACOM has moved to strengthen its pan-African presence with the direct deployment of two Points of Presence (PoPs) in Uganda.With the Uganda Communications Commission giving its clearance to SEACOM Uganda…
Telecoms
Telecoms – In Brief
Earlier this summer Google introduced a new initiative called Android One. The idea is to partner with device makers to offer low-cost, high-quality Android phones that run Google approved software.…
Internet
Umhlanga unveils free Wi-Fi network
Kwazulu-Natal’s Umhlanga has become the latest area in South Africa to give its residents and visitors free Wi-Fi internet.A private initiative, the Umhlanga Wi-Fi connection project was aimed at enticing…
Internet
Orange Foundation funds Khan Academy platform in French
The Orange Foundation has spearheaded a project to create a French version of Khan Academy web platform for education. Orange is providing financial support for the project, with translation provided…
Internet
M:lab to host first Africa YouTube & Internet Personalities forum
The first Africa YouTube & Internet Personalities forum/seminar will be held at the m:lab, Bishop Magua Centre, 3rd floor from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on September 6th 2014 and…
Internet
OpenWeb breaks the bank
Local Internet Service Provider OpenWeb will be launching a new range of Capped Unshaped ADSL packages with prices below R2 per GigaByte and uncapped packages will start at only R149…
Internet
Uganda: iWayAfrica offering fibre access to SMEs
The demand for high capacity Internet connectivity within enterprise and corporate markets in the major cities of Kampala and Entebbe are ever increasing, and an alternate provider was becoming a…
Internet
Internet – In Brief
Siyabonga Cwele, South Africa’s telecoms and postal services minister, has announced that a final policy on high-demand frequency spectrum for mobile broadband services, including Long Term Evolution (LTE), will be…
Computing
SkyVision gives Education and e-Learning kits to Orphans In Ghana
SkyVision has donated its flagship satellite connectivity solutions to further support students at Ghana’s Crossover International Academy.SkyVision’s donation included upgrading the academy’s communications equipment with the support of VT iDirect,…
Computing
Pamoja’s Cloud Service ecosystem taking shape in Africa
Pamoja, a leading Cloud services and content aggregation business entity in the SEACOM stable, has entrenched the value of its service in East Africa and officially made this high-growth region…
Computing
Computing – In Brief
The Ugandan government is facing a lawsuit from a local IT firm over its plans to siphon off half of the country’s ICT fund and rechannel it into a consolidated…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
MTN Nigeria celebrates 13th anniversary with free data
Nigerian mobile operator MTN is celebrating 13 years of operations in Nigeria, offering users of its data services 100 per cent extra data.Under the offer, a subscriber that buys a…
Money Transfer
Mobile Telecommunications KSC : Zain launches ‘Hassa’, Sudan’s first Mobile Financial Service with Bank of Khartoum
Zain Group, a pioneer of mobile telecommunications in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa, announces that its mobile operation in Sudan has launched the country's first ever mobile…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Nigeria’s CcHUB launches USD 500k investment fund
Lagos based incubator the Co-Creation Hub (CcHub), part of VC4Africa’s partnership network, has launched a USD 500,000 seed investment fund to boost its incubation program and support early stage startups…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Djezzy secures USD1bn loan from ‘large national bank’
Vincenzo Nesci, president and CEO of Algerian mobile operator Djezzy GSM, has reportedly revealed that the company secured a USD1 billion loan from an unnamed ‘large national bank’, Agence Ecofin…
Digital Content
'SwaziLeaks' looks to shake up jet-setting monarchy
As WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange prepares to end a two-year forced stay at Ecuador's London embassy, he may take comfort in knowing he inspired resistance to secrecy in places as…
Digital Content
A new ‘video introduction’ mobile app simplifies recruitment in South Africa
Byte Orbit, a bespoke software development company based in Cape Town, South Africa, has developed a new mobile application that could “revolutionize the face of recruitment.”Impress Me is a video-based…
Digital Content
Surprising Europe, an Open Archive of Stories About Migration
There are millions of them. They live scattered across our continent, Europe. They are all categorised as immigrants. Despite this, none of them have the same story. Each one is…
Digital Content
New app Nal’ibali brings books to Mxit to help tackle SA’s literacy problems
One of the lesser appreciated problems in South Africa which, if tackled correctly, could have a knock on effect for everything from business acumen to social understanding to basic education…
Digital Content
Unyazi IV Electronic Music Festival reveals final line-up
NewMusic SA has announced the complete schedule of Unyazi IV Electronic Music Festival, which takes place as part of the Fak’ugesi: Digital Africa Festival line-up, at Wits and the Goethe…
More
Jobs & Opportunities
Facebook’s First Ever African Hackathon To Hold In South AfricaFacebook will on September 18 host its first Creative Shop Hackathon in Africa, as attention turns to Africa’s creative sector.The workshop,…
More
People
Talking Drum Entertainment’s CEO selected for Prestigious Screen International JuryMoses Babatope, CEO Talking Drum Entertainment is to be a judge on a panel of top UK film industry executives for…
More
Events
The 7th edition of DCD Converged Johannesburg Monday, 13th October 2014Join us for this engaging learning opportunity and the chance to network with over 250 data center professionals.- IT &…
