Issue no 739 9th January 2015
Top Story
Getting cheaper data delivery for users and better quality networks in Africa in 2015 – 5 things that can be done
Africa’s network operators need to make a New Year’s resolution that they will aim to both make their data cheaper for their users and to improve the quality of the networks they are delivering on. Data in Africa creates significant revenue challenges for operators and they must be prepared to meet them head on when they spend on their networks. Russell Southwood proposes five things that need to be done to bring these things about.All operators but mobile operators in particular live off of a share of African users’ disposable income. At the top of the income pyramid, the richer…
Telecoms
Homework goes mobile for secondary school pupils in Lesotho
There can be no doubting Lesotho’s commitment to education. In 2000, the country began making primary education free; a decade later, in 2010, it became compulsory. Now the country is…
Telecoms
Sub-Sahara Africa mobile penetration to reach 79% in 2020
The mobile penetration in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region is expected to increase from 52 percent in 2012 to 79 percent in 2020, according to a new study. Mobile broadband connections…
Telecoms
Orange Botswana Launches ‘Orange Makoya’, an SMS Advertising Service
Orange Botswana has launched ‘Orange Makoya’, a new mobile advertising service which sends SMS alerts of brand offers and promotions to interested Orange subscribers in a move to connect prospective…
Telecoms
Telecoms - In Brief
Mobile operators in Uganda have abolished international roaming charges on calls to Rwanda and Kenya under the ‘One Network Area’ programme. Cellcos in Rwanda and Kenya implemented the scheme last…
Internet
Mozambique mulls free internet areas
The Mozambican government plans to implement free access on Saturdays as part of a drive to promote technology usage through Digital Resource Centres (CPRDs), an official has announced.Ministry of Science…
Internet
MTN Data Share launching early 2015
MTN has quietly activated a service called Data Share, which lets its subscribers share data bundles between multiple SIMs.It has not officially launched yet, however, and a spokesperson for MTN…
Internet
Price a hindering factor to 4G uptake in Rwanda – retailers
Following the launch few months ago of 4G in Rwanda, retailers have said the uptake of the service would be largely dependent on the price the providers and others are…
Internet
The real word on the street about Burkina Faso’s internet
Last July we came across a great op-ed on news site Burkina24 about how Burkinabé internet users really feel about internet access. Seven people (a mix of students and professionals)…
Internet
Internet - In Brief
The government of Nigeria is looking to connect 50 percent of its population to 3G broadband in the course of this year. According to the country’s Ministry of ICT, this…
Computing
Laptops in Africa's classrooms; saviour or a waste of good money?
AFRICA’S tech boom has made many governments on the continent eager to incorporate e-learning into their education policies, to mixed success.Rwanda’s One Laptop per Child project has seen over 203,000…
Computing
Computting - In Brief
Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye has disclosed that the state government is building an ultra modern e-based learning outfit that will incorporate e-instructional television, e-classroom and e-drama…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
Safaricom Slashes Roaming Rates for Subscribers Traveling to Over 21 Countries
Safaricom has slached down its roaming rates in 21 countries located in North and Central Africa, Europe and New Zealand following successful negotiations with its global network of partners and…
Money Transfer
Kenya’s MyRCPT Wants to be Your Mpesa Receipting Buddy
A new application available on the Safaricom store dubbed MyRCPT aims to help users generate PDF receipts from their Lipa Na Mpesa and Mpesa Paybill text messages and as well…
Money Transfer
Vodacom, Jubilee Insurance sign M-Pesa deal
Vodafone’s Tanzanian arm has partnered with Jubilee Insurance Company Tanzania to make medical services more accessible to those in the low-income bracket, according to a press release from the operator.…
Money Transfer
Money transfers - In Brief
The Angolan Investment Bank (BAI) deployed the country’s first electronic money transfer and mobile phone-based payment service in early January, available nationwide via the Swiss-built Inntrans mobile payment system and…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Kalahari, Takealot merger gains approval
The Competition Commission has approved the merger of Kalahari and Takealot, two of South Africa's leading online retailers. In October, the two companies announced their intention to merge, subject to…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Azur Telecom seeks investment in Gabon, Congo, CAR
Jean Bruno Obambi, CEO of Azur Telecom, is in the process of securing international financing for the company’s operating units in the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo and…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Nigeria - BPE confirms payment of N12.7b for NITEL/MTEL by NATCOM
THE Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has said that the preferred bidder at the just completed liquidation of Nigeria Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) and its mobile arm, MTEL has paid 30…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
ARTCI approves Moov sale to Maroc Telecom
In a document published on 29 December 2014 Ivorian telecoms regulator L’Autorite de Regulation des Telecommunications/TIC de Cote d’Ivoire (ARTCI) has confirmed that it has approved the sale of Moov…
Digital Content
#ISurvivedEbola Mobile App Launched For the Testimonies of Ebola Survivors
A West African multimedia campaign, #ISurvivedEbola, has launched an interactive mobile application that allows Ebola survivors to connect with each other, share public health advice, and update the world on…
Digital Content
Meet Tracking the Wild: the social tool using crowdsourcing to help Africa’s wildlife
One of the biggest tourist attractions in South Africa — and Africa as a whole — is its sprawling wildlife. However valuable this attraction may be, its sustainability is questionable.…
Digital Content
Ghana: MTN gives free access to Wikipedia
MTN Ghana, with the support of the Ministry of Education, has become the country’s first mobile operator to offer free access to Wikipedia. According to MTN, this forms as part…
More
People
Airtel Africa makes management appointmentsAirtel Africa has announced the appointments of Farhad Khan as Chief Commercial Officer and Daddy Mukadi Bujitu as Chief Regulatory Officer. Khan will join Airtel from…
More
Events
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 201518-19 February 2015Kenya School Of Monetary Studies Nairobi, KenyaThrough its range of in-depth specialist Forums, AITEC East Africa 2015 will provide a unique platform for…
More
Jobs & Opportunities
7 start-ups built on Ampion Venture Bus in TunisiaThe Ampion Venture Bus Tunisia 2014 competition took place from December 14-19 and took aspiring Tunisian and international entrepreneurs to coaching sessions…
