Issue no 723 12th September 2014
Top Story
Millicom plans to go from being a mobile operator to a digital services company in 3-5 years in some African countries
The discussion about mobile operators making the transition to digital has been relatively muted. MTN said last year this would be the direction it would be going in but did not give details. This week I spoke to Raul Martinez, Commercial Director – Africa, Millicom who laid out their stall for the kind of changes it’s going to be making.The starting point for the transition to a becoming a digital services company is the level of revenues not attributable to traditional streams like voice and SMS. Currently Millicom in Africa gets 83% of its revenues from voice and SMS and…
Telecoms
Rwanda - 4G LTE rollout pushed to October
The long-awaited Fourth Generation Long-Term Evolution (4G LTE) Internet did not kick off on September 1 as earlier envisioned due to “technical and contractual” challenges, an official at the Rwanda…
Telecoms
Zamtel and NEC agree on microwave backbone and access project to boost mobile coverage and capacity across Zambia
The investment will lead to the realization of a state-of-the-art national IP microwave backbone and access networkZamtel and NEC Corporation, global leader in the integration of IT and network technologies,…
Telecoms
East Africans to wait longer for low roaming rates
Late entries by remaining East African countries of Tanzania and Burundi into talks will mean that subscribers will have to wait until June so as to realize their desire to…
Telecoms
BICS provides complete voice and roaming connectivity for Unitel’s newly launched MNO in São Tome and Principe
BICS, a global wholesale carrier for voice, mobile data and capacity services, has provided its complete product range of voice and roaming services for Unitel’s newly launched MNO in São…
Telecoms
Algeria considering opening fixed telephony market to competition
Algerian telecoms minister Zohra Derdouri has revealed that the country’s fixed telephony market could be opened up to competition ‘soon’, Agence Ecofin reports. The minister reportedly said in a press…
Telecoms
Telecoms – In Brief
Telecommunications companies in Niger will have it rough this season as their regulator, ARTP has fined the four of them three percent of their 2013 revenues for failing to meet…
Internet
Zain South Sudan partners with Huawei and UNESCO to power Internet connectivity for schools
Zain South Sudan, the leading operator in the country, and Huawei, a leading global technology solutions provider, have teamed-up with UNESCO to provide Internet access to a number of schools…
Internet
Rwanda: ORN selects Nokia Networks as sole supplier of LTE network
Olleh Rwanda Networks (ORN), a joint venture between the Rwandan government and KT Corp of South Korea, has selected Finnish equipment vendor Nokia Networks (formerly NSN) as the sole supplier…
Internet
Kenya leads African countries in bandwidth per person, lowest costs and fastest speeds, says Liquid Telecom
Kenya currently leads other African countries in terms of connectivity with the highest bandwidth per person on the continent, the fastest speeds, and some of the lowest internet costs, according…
Internet
Botswana to set up regional internet hub
Botswana’s national Internet exchange point will be transformed into the regional exchange hub, which will enable easy Internet traffic switching.Speaking at the ICT Pitso held in Gaborone last week, Director…
Internet
Internet – In Brief
- Yahsat , the UAE-based satellite operator, has announced the manufacturing and launch partners for the Company’s recently announced third satellite, Al Yah 3, set to be launched in Q4…
Computing
Kenya: Oracle's Centre of Excellence to Bridge It Skills Gap in Kenya
A major challenge the ICT sector in Kenya is facing is the IT skills gap as most Kenyan youth lack opportunities to gain technology-related skills that can enable them work…
Computing
South Africa: City of Cape Town Plan to Acquire Drones
Shortly after referring to its CCTV system as "Big Brother" and expressing support for public video surveillance, the City of Cape Town has revealed that it is in the "planning…
Computing
Computing - In Brief
Flexenclosure, a designer and manufacturer of prefabricated data centre buildings and intelligent power management systems for the ICT industry, has opened a new office in Johannesburg, South Africa, to serve…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
MTN SA unveils new My MTNChoice internet price plans
MTN has lowered the voice rates on MyMTNChoice from R1.95 to R1.20 per minute and SMS from 70 cents to 50 cents. MTN South Africa has expanded its My MTNChoice…
Money Transfer
Millicom launches Tanzanian mobile money service with cash back returns
Millicom, the international telecommunications and media company, announced today that its Tigo operation in Tanzania has launched the world’s first mobile money service which offers users the opportunity to automatically…
Money Transfer
Namibia: TMX Online Helps Namibia's Rockhard Accelerate Its Launch
Windhoek — Rockhard Bureau de Change says it has fast-tracked the deployment of business systems at its first outlet in Windhoek by opting for TMX-online from IMX Software, a supplier…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Eaton Towers acquires 3500+ Airtel towers
Independent telecoms tower company, Eaton Towers, will be acquiring more than 3500 towers from Airtel in six countries across Africa.For Eaton Towers, the acquisition is reportedly a major step towards…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Cell C not keen on MTN, Telkom deal
South Africa’s third mobile operator, Cell C, will oppose the proposed mobile network sharing deal between Telkom and MTN.“Cell C has been asked to comment on the proposed transaction by…
Digital Content
How a Ghanaian messaging app got acquired by a US-based tech firm
At a technology event in Nairobi earlier this year Ghanaian entrepreneur Robert Lamptey wowed the audience as he narrated how his chat application Saya Mobile had gained millions of users…
Digital Content
Goodluck Jonathan reacts to controversial slogan
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has asked his supporters to stop using an adapted version of the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag to campaign for his re-election.In one sense you can understand what the…
Digital Content
Facebook Has 100 Million Users in Africa
Facebook now has 100 million users across Africa, the company announced on Monday.This figure is half of all the Internet users in Africa, which sits at 200 million people. More…
Digital Content
Kenya - Samsung launches Blogger Challenge to support local online content
Samsung has launched a blogger challenge that will go a long way into ensuring locally relevant content by supporting upcoming and accomplished bloggers given that Kenya’s digital community growth leads…
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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 &…
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Jobs & Opportunities
Green Pioneer Accelerator Program launches in Kenya, South AfricaA new startup accelerator program was today launched in Nairobi, Kenya, and will target green entrepreneurs with ambitious ideas in Africa.Dubbed the…
