Issue no 785 10th July 2015
Top Story
Understanding Sub-Saharan Africa’s Mobile Financial Services ecosystem - analysis in a new report to be released August 2015
Like Topsy, Africa’s m-money sector has just grown and grown with success in some markets and only slow growth in others. But the sector has spawned a whole undergrowth of suppliers and service integrators; you can do everything from sending remittances to paying for insurance. Confused? You won’t be after you read our latest report on Mobile Financial Services. In Sub-Saharan Africa’s, Mobile Financial Services have been growing rapidly to become one of the key investment opportunities within the financial services and ICT markets. In many countries, there are now more mobile accounts than bank accounts. New players have sprung…
Telecoms
ARTP: Senegal added a net 319,507 mobile connections in Q1
Senegal’s industry regulator L’Autorite de Regulation des Telecoms et des Postes (ARTP) has released its latest update on the country’s telecommunications market, highlighting that mobile operators Orange, Tigo and Expresso…
Telecoms
South Africa telecoms giant ordered to halt job cuts
One of South Africa's largest telecommunications companies, Telkom has been ordered to abandon plans to retrench thousands of workers. The order by the Johannesburg Labour Court was hailed as a…
Telecoms
Parliament set to discuss rules to tame Safaricom’s dominance
Mobile telephony market leader Safaricom may be forced to split its businesses, subject interconnectivity fees charged to other providers to government approvals and share some of its platforms including its…
Telecoms
Elegant and cool come together in the Huawei P8
The mobile phone has come a long way. From a communication tool to a lifestyle, fun and entertainment gadget. All this comes together in the Huawei P8, the latest from…
Telecoms
Kenya: Safaricom Updates Next of Kin On How to Claim Unused M-Pesa Funds
Safaricom has informed its customers on requirements needed for one to claim unused funds from M-Pesa accounts of loved ones - either relatives or friends - who have passed away…
Telecoms
Telecoms – In brief
MTN Uganda, the country’s leading mobile operator by subscribers, has announced the expansion of its LTE network. From today (9 July) services are available in all major towns, including Mbale,…
Internet
Telkom denies putting Web users at risk
Telkom has rejected claims that it is employing the same techniques used by malicious hackers in so-called “man in the middle” attacks to edit code on websites in order to…
Internet
Rethink over SA internet censorship
Earlier this year The FPB published draft regulations that would require pre-classification of any "film, game or certain publication" on the internet, but those terms came under criticism for being…
Internet
Africa: Liquid Telecom to Compete With Google in Offering Africa DNS Server Addresses
Liquid Telecom has announced that their DNS server addresses can be used in Africa, and that they can be used by, people in the continent, in place of Google's DNS…
Internet
Ethiopia Releases Detained Bloggers and Journalists
Five imprisoned Ethiopian bloggers and journalists have been released in Addis Ababa, after government prosecutors dropped the charges against them, Al Jazeera has learned. The bloggers and journalists, who have…
Internet
Internet – In brief
The City of Cape Town has taken the first steps to making Wi-Fi internet access readily available to passengers on MyCiti buses, it said in a statement on Thursday. "The…
Computing
Huawei and Vodacom launch e-Libraries programme in SA
Vodacom, Huawei, the Department of Basic Education and the Nelson Mandela Foundation launched their e-Libraries programme in South Africa. The move is aimed at helping advance literacy development, one of…
Computing
Morocco Seems to Have Hacked UN Computers With Hacking Team Technologies
According to confidential documents, Morocco is the third largest customer and has disbursed over 3 million euros to Hacking Team. Of this amount, 1,19M euros for the DST, 1.93M euros…
Money Transfer
Bitcoin Company, BitX Launches in Nigeria
International Bitcoin company, BitX has announced that it will be launching its Bitcoin Wallet, Exchange and Merchant services in Nigeria. In a release made available to TechCabal, the company said…
Money Transfer
Ghana: Mobile money licence required by telcos
Mobile Money has become an extremely popular service within Africa; however, the service has taken a heavy blows recently. In Uganda, the service was deemed illegal. While not deemed illegal…
Money Transfer
Uganda: Court Dismisses Case Against MTN Mobile Money
Court has dismissed a case challenging MTN Mobile Money services as inconsistent to the registered customers' interest and satisfaction citing complainants' failure to disclose any cause of action. High Court…
Money Transfer
Kenya’s Kopo Kopo launches bulk payments service
Kenyan startup Kopo Kopo, which provides mobile money merchant software, has launched a bulk payments service enabling organisations to schedule large numbers of payments in minutes. Kopo Kopo, which launched…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Burundi: Econet Wireless becomes Econet Leo, following buyout of U-Com, subsidiary of VimpelCom
(Agence Ecofin) - The telecom group Econet Wireless Group, belonging to the Zimbabwean businessman Strive Masiyiwa announced on 7th July 2015 the completion of the merger of its Burundian subsidiary…
Digital Content
Zapacab relaunches as white-label solution to save SA taxi companies from Uber
Uber’s disruptive nature in South Africa’s taxi sector is more heated than ever before. So much so that it just prompted the relaunch of a white-label product which taxi companies…
Digital Content
App launched to ‘simplify’ SA child visa laws
Controversial child visa laws have the South African travel industry in a spin but a local car rental agency wants to make life easier for travellers after launching a new…
Digital Content
Digital Content - In brief
SERMO, a leading social network for doctors with more than 382,000 members announced additional international expansion, opening its doors to the approximately 42,000 doctors in South Africa. SERMO, available in…
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People
Bharti Airtel Taps MTN Executive to Boost African Operations Bharti Airtel has poached a senior MTN executive to head up some of its African operations. Airtel named the now former…
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Opportunities
DotconnectAfrica Opens Applications for its $5000 Grant Competition for African women in STEM DotconnectAfrica (DCA), a non-profit organization, has opened applications for Miss Africa $5000 competition to support women and…
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Events
The LINK Centre's Certificate in Telecommunications Policy, Regulation and Management starts on 20 July 2015 • Neo who? What will the buyout mean for telecomms competition in SA? • A…
