Issue no 736 5th December 2014
Top Story
Comoros Telecoms – The challenges of privatizing Africa’s remaining state-run monopolies
Comoros is a tiny telecoms and Internet market but has failed to develop as successfully as its more competitive neighbors in the Indian Ocean. All attempts to open the market and to privatize the state-run monopoly telco Comoros Telecom have run into the sand. Russell Southwood looks at what has happened in one of Africa’s smallest market and what lessons it might hold.The Comoros are an archipelago of islands in the Indian Ocean off Madagascar: there are six islands that make up the independent state of Comoros and a seventh island, Mayotte, which is a French Overseas Department. According to…
Telecoms
Ooredoo Algeria extends 3G++ network to six more provinces
Mobile operator Ooredoo Algeria has extended its 3G++ network to six new provinces (wilayas), namely Naama, Tizi-Ouzou, Mascara, Oum El Bouaghi, Tiaret and Relizane. The company said it would continue…
Telecoms
Nigeria: NATCOM wins $252 million bid for Nitel & Mtel
NATCOM Consortium, has emerged as the winning bidder for the assets of Nitel and Mtel.IT News Africa has been following the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (Nitel) and Nigerian Mobile Telecommunications Limited…
Telecoms
No ‘concrete’ offer from Orange for Mobilis stake; Vodafone also interested in entering Algerian market
Zohra Derdouri, Algeria’s Minister of Post and ICT, has refuted media reports that the government has refused an offer by French telecoms giant Orange Group to acquire a stake in…
Telecoms
Tanzania: Vodacom Launches Electronic Subscriber Registration
Vodacom mobile subscribers can now register their SIM cards instantly upon purchase and immediately gain access to services without having to wait.This comes with the launch of Electronic Subscriber Registration…
Telecoms
Kenya: Safaricom Launches Advanced 4G Network in Kenya
Safaricom has launched its LTE Advanced 4G LTE network making it the first mobile operator in the Sub-Saharan region to launch the 4G Technology.The technology formally known as LTE Advanced…
Telecoms
Telecoms - In Brief
ZIMBABWE’S telecommunications regulator sees mobile phone operators and ICT firms saving up to 60 percent in capital expenditure if the industry adopts infrastructure sharing. The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority…
Internet
ZICTA launched online licensing system for radio, numbers and domain names
The Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) has officially launched the online licensing system for three licenses.The three licenses that will be accessible online for application are the radio…
Internet
Internet – In Brief
Global broadband wireless services provider, Radwin has announced that a large operator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has deployed Radwin's systems to deliver high capacity connectivity to…
Computing
Permira Buys 100% of South Africa’s Data firm Teraco Data Environments
London-based Private Equity firm Permira, has acquired 100% equity in Teraco, a provider of carrier neutral datacentre services in Sub-Saharan Africa. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Lex Van Wyk,…
Computing
Tell Nigerians What You Found After Invading Our Data Centre, APC Dares DSS
APC has called the DSS out to tell Nigerians what they found in their data centre after they recently invaded the place and arrested some workers. In this press statement…
Computing
Computing – In Brief
Director of Information Communication Technology with the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), Mr Phares Magesa, has been appointed to a panel of judges to evaluate entries submitted for the International Association…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Massive Cell C data price cut
Cell C has announced that it has slashed the price of its once-off 2.4GB data bundle, and increased the data allocation on its Infinity Select contract.From Sunday, 7 December 2014,…
Money Transfer
Ghana joins Better Than Cash Alliance for greater financial transparency
NEW YORK/ACCRA, 1 December 2014,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The Government of Ghana joined the Better Than Cash Alliance to enhance fiscal transparency and promote financial inclusion for all its citizens.…
Money Transfer
Wirecard & Rocket Internet Partner To Offer Payment Solutions
The technology services provider Wirecard has signed an agreement with Rocket Internet to help its online companies accept and process international payments easily through Wirecard global multi-channel platform.Rocket Internet has…
Money Transfer
M-Pawa to the (one million) M-people
Vodacom Tanzania’s mobile money service M-Pawa has passed the one million subscriber mark according to Mobile Money Africa. The service, launched in May 2014, allows users to open and operate…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Opera Buys AdVine To Expand Its Mobile Ad Network In Africa
Opera — the Norway-based company that develops data-compressed web browsers, app storefronts, and other cloud-based services for mobile and other platforms — has made another acquisition to build out Mediaworks,…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Telecel Zimbabwe up for sale
VimpelCom intends to sell its shareholding in Telecel Zimbabwe and has invited bids from interested investors, the Herald reported.VimpelCom owns 60 percent of Telecel Zimbabwe, and the remaining 40 percent…
Digital Content
Figure 1: Instagram for doctors launched in SA
A medical application that allows healthcare professionals to share photos of cases and get input from their colleagues worldwide has been launched in South A medical application that allows healthcare…
Digital Content
Infographic: how data is helping to stop violence against girls
To tackle rising HIV infections, countries in sub-Sahara Africa have devised six tech innovations to stop violence against girls In 2007, the government of Swaziland, Unicef, and the US Centres for…
Digital Content
Kenya breaks 'Chinese-run cyber crime network'
Kenyan police say they have cracked a cyber crime centre run by 77 Chinese nationals from upmarket homes in the capital, Nairobi.Police believe they were involved in hacking and money…
Digital Content
British Council, Airtel target 500,000 learners through digital hubs located in nine Sub-Saharan Africa States
NAIROBI, KENYA: Over half a million teachers and learners in nine countries in Sub-Saharan Africa would benefit from increased access to digital education resources in their schools, thanks to a…
Digital Content
Ethiopia's Zone9 Bloggers Face the Limits of International Law
In April of this year, the government of Ethiopia arrested six members of Zone9 along with three affiliated journalists in Addis Ababa. They were held for months without a formal…
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People
Millicom CEO steps downMillicom CEO Hans-Holger Albrecht has revealed that he will be stepping down from his position at the end of 2014. According to Albrecht, the reason for the…
