Issue no 804 20th November 2015
Top Story
AfricaCom 2015: Back to the Future – Africa’s mobile operators struggling to transform themselves
Chart below: AfricaCom 100 - 2015 survey extract. Africa’s biggest annual meet-point and gabfest is always a good point to take the pulse of the industry. Shocks and changes seem to be coming faster than ever. The mobile incumbents are publicly saying many of the right things but a close up look reveals a sharp contrast between aspiration and reality. Russell Southwood had his ear to the ground throughout the event. One of the developments that seemed to set the tone of this year’s event was the MTN fine in Nigeria. Nearly everyone I spoke to at some point…
Telecoms
Vimpelcom officially announces takeover of Telecel by Zimbabwe government
Vimpelcom finally announced officially the takeover of its subsidiary Telecel Zimbabwe by ZARNet the Government owned ISP, for a sum of US $40 million. The current Telecel CEO, Angeline Vere,…
Telecoms
Mozambique: Assembly Passes Telecommunications Bill
Maputo — The Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, on Wednesday passed the first reading of a government bill amending telecommunications legislation so that telephone operators will be obliged…
Telecoms
ARTCI slaps USD163m price-tag on licence renewals
The Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications in Cote d’Ivoire (Autorite de Regulation des Telecommunications de CI, ARTCI) has reportedly raised the mobile licence renewal fees due to be paid by the…
Telecoms
Nigeria postpones MTN’s fine payment deadline
Nigerian authorities have agreed that the NGN1.04 trillion (USD5.2 billion) fine imposed on MTN Group’s local unit will not be payable until negotiations between the parties have been concluded, the…
Telecoms
Tigo announces “Wagiftishe” Smartphone X-Mass offer
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, November 18, 2015/ -- Tigo has announced the launch of a new offer of Techno Y3 Smartphone with a fully-embedded Kiswahili menu as a gift to…
Telecoms
Outrage as Econet disconnects 1 Million Customers
Last Wednesday (11/11/15), Econet Zimbabwe disconnected more than 1 million subscribers from their network after they reviewed their registration documents, thereby cutting the company’s full-year forecast for subscription from 9…
Telecoms
Telecoms – In brief
World Panel Inc. has showcased its latest products at AfricaCom and announced a deal with Vodacom as a key retail partner to sell its new SunStream™ in select stores. Executives…
Internet
Orange Horizons to offer ADSL services in South Africa
Orange Horizons is planning to soft-launch ADSL services in South Africa, with technical testing of the broadband services said to have already begun, MyBroadband reports. Sebastien Crozier, the CEO of…
Internet
Nigeria: Facebook Activates 'Safety Check' After Nigeria Attack
Facebook activated its "Safety Check" feature in Nigeria after more than 30 people were killed and dozens wounded in a blast at a market in the northeastern city of Yola.…
Internet
Spacecom providing hybrid cellular-satellite broadband in Cameroon
AMOS-uplink1Satellite operator Spacecom is providing rural settlements and educational institutions in Cameroon with hybrid cellular and satellite-delivered broadband via the Amos-5 satellite at 17° East. Spacecom is cooperating with Ringo…
Internet
Africa: Airtel Africa, Facebook Partner to Launch Free Basic Services in 17 African Countries
Airtel Africa, which operates in 17 countries across Africa, has announced its partnership with Facebook which will see the launch of Free Basics in Africa. Free Basics is a set…
Internet
Open access a disruptor that drives value for customers
It may not be common knowledge, but open access is disruptor and one that will ultimately lead to better business and value for end users. This is according to Sven…
Internet
ACE submarine cable: launch of the Sao Tomé & Principe to Cape Town segment
Orange, together with the other members of the ACE consortium, announces the start of the next phase of the ACE submarine cable system to expand broadband connectivity and digital services…
Computing
EWaste - an opportunity for economic growth
To help ease the high unemployment levels throughout the continent, organisations need to be innovative and create new commercially viable business opportunities. eWaste has captured the headlines in recent months…
Money Transfer
MTN fined over EzeeMoney sabotage
The Commercial court has ordered telecom giant MTN Uganda to pay a sum of Shs 2.3bn (about $662,000) in damages to EzeeMoney Limited for sabotaging its business. Justice Henry Peter…
Money Transfer
Africa: Mybucks and Opportunity International Partner to Drive Financial Inclusion for 460 Million Unbanked Citizens of Africa
Chicago and Luxembourg — First-of-its-kind partnership between international NGO and leading fintech company will transform lives and forever change the face of poverty in the developing world Opportunity, Inc., a…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
BTCL IPO to be announced by end-2015
The government of Botswana expects to launch an initial public offer (IPO) for shares in national fixed line operator Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited (BTCL) by end-December. The much-delayed privatisation will…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
'Disgruntled manager' sues Vodacom DRC for R200bn
Cape Town - Mobile operator Vodacom is being sued for $14bn (R197bn) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by a controlling shareholder of a minority partner in that…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Allied Mobile Africa and PIC sign $55 million funding agreement
Allied Mobile Africa announced today that they have signed a strategic finance and partnership agreement with the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) for debt funding facility of $55 million (approximately R800million).…
Digital Content
Nigerian job placement technology entrepreneur wins Anzisha 2015 Grand Prize
The Anzisha Prize is thrilled to announce this year’s winner of the US$25,000 grand prize in the fifth year of Africa’s premier award for youth entrepreneurship. Chris Kwekowe (22), founder…
Digital Content
Updated Winners of the AfricaCom Awards 2015
Cape Town, 18 November 2015 – The African continent’s most prominent ICT and Technology industry’s annual awards event took place in Cape Town this evening with customary flair and anticipation.…
Digital Content
Orange announces the winners of the 2015 Orange African Social Venture Prize
The first prize was awarded to Bassita, an Egyptian start-up that has developed the idea of “click funding CAPE TOWN, South Africa, November 19, 2015/ -- Orange announced the winners…
Digital Content
YouTube enables offline downloads in SA
Cape Town - Google-owned internet video giant YouTube has switched on offline playback in South Africa, Kenya and Ghana for mobile users. Users of the YouTube mobile application will be…
Digital Content
Airtel Africa announces innovative platform to support music artists across Africa
Nairobi, Kenya, November 19th, 2015: Bharti Airtel Africa, a leading telecommunications service provider with operations in 17 countries across Africa, has today announced a new platform to support music artists…
More
Opportunities
IAB SA Bookmark Awards keeps pace with the ever-changing digital industry With only 10 days to go until the deadline for submissions to the IAB Bookmark Awards, digital marketers have…
More
Events
IIC Telecommunication and Media Forum, Johannesburg8-9 December, 2015Best practice decision making to drive connectivity, accessibility and competitivenessSupported by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), the International Institute of…
