Issue no 816 - 26th February 2016
Top Story
Selling microinsurance to African consumers by mobile – how a marriage made in heaven produced mixed results
African mobile companies are struggling to get to grips with the products and services that they can sell on their channel to produce the next generation of income. But their understanding of how to work with others is deeply flawed and their business processes to sell new services are not fit for purpose. This story is written under the cover of anonymity because some things are easier said when everyone does not have to arrange it for public consumption. It’s not a story of success or failure but just an account of how things are by way of thinking about…
Telecoms
South Africa: Telkom restores airtime recharge glitch
Johannesburg - Telkom has restored a glitch in its airtime recharge service that affected customers trying to load airtime. Customers who used Telkom’s mobile transactional services, such as airtime recharges,…
Telecoms
Jolla Signs African OEM Mi-Fone To Sell Sailfish-Powered Handsets
Mobile OS maker Jolla, who with its Android alternative Sailfish has been trying to carve out a niche for a third platform in the smartphone space for the past five…
Telecoms
Zain Sudan secures 4G licence
Zain Sudan, the country’s largest mobile network operator by subscribers, has been awarded an LTE licence by the local regulator the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC), paving the way for the…
Telecoms
South Africa: Fibre network expansion boost for MTN
MTN is inching closer to its goal of building a fibre broadband network as part of an aggressive expansion plan. The operator announced on Tuesday that it concluded a transaction…
Telecoms
NCC, GSMA open talks on capacity building to grow networks
The GSMA, the umbrella body for all Mobile operators has opened talks with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on capacity building, and other sundry ways to attain an accelerated growth…
Telecoms
Nigeria: N1.04trn Fine: MTN offers N50b ‘towards amicable resolution’
MTN Nigeria today said it has paid N50 billion to the government towards “towards an amicable resolution” of the impasse sparked by the N1.04 trillion fine imposed against the mobile…
Telecoms
Telecoms – In brief
Vodafone Ghana has provided customers with free toll booth passes to aid in their travels across the country. The package involves an already-paid for access at the customer's chosen toll…
Internet
NiRA To Reduce .ng Fees To Attract Nigerian Website Domains
The Nigeria internet Registration Association (NiRA) said it would further slash fees for the purchase of the .ng internet domain names to encourage the uptake and population of Nigeria's e-commerce…
Internet
Ethio Telecom Reduces Internet Cost
Ethio telecom announces a broad mobile internet service tariff revision and new mobile internet service packages starting from February 23, 2016. These new mobile internet tariff revisions and service packages…
Internet
WIOCC establishes peering internet exchange services
Mauritius, 22nd February, 2016 – Africa’s carriers’ carrier WIOCC has established peering internet exchange points (IXPs) in Virginia (Equinix Ashburn), New York (NYIIX), Amsterdam (AMS-IX) and Frankfurt (DE-CIX ), giving…
Internet
Nigerian regulator dispels fears of ‘clampdown’ on WhatsApp, Facebook, others
Prof Umaru Danbata, the nation’s telecoms regulatory chief today said that fears that Nigeria plans to regulate activities of social media platforms like BBM, WeChat, WhatsApp, Facebook and others “are…
Computing
Egypt to Launch African Digital Hub for Diseases Control
The Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development at the weekend announced its plans to develop a new African digital hub for disease control in Egypt. Launched during the Africa 2016…
Money Transfer
Huge increase in African mobile money transfers
Cape Town - Kenya’s Mpesa mobile phone-based money- transfer service is becoming more sophisticated and will soon be growing quickly across the continent, according to Western Union vice president for…
Money Transfer
HomeSend and Vodafone to Extend M-Pesa Remittance Agreement to Five New Markets in 2016
Today at Mobile World Congress, HomeSend, the international payment and money transfer hub, announced the expansion of its global framework agreement with Vodafone Group for M-Pesa, including the launch of…
Money Transfer
GSMA vows to cut mobile money gender gap
The GSMA today announced the launch of the Connected Women Commitment Initiative, aimed at reducing the mobile gender gap. Initial commitments by GSMA operator members, with over 75 million mobile…
Money Transfer
Money Transfer - In brief
eServGlobal Powers Mobile Money Solution for Djibouti TelecomThe mobile money solution will be offered to all Djibouti Telecom subscribers to provide state-of-the-art cash management and e-payment services on mobile phones,…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
MTN drops Nigeria fine lawsuit, makes NGN50bn payment
South Africa-based regional operator MTN Group has announced that its Nigerian mobile unit has withdrawn its lawsuit against the local telecoms regulator and has made a ‘good faith payment’ of…
Digital Content
Airtel Supports 2016 Lagos Social Media Week
Airtel Nigeria has expressed its desire to throw its weight behind the Social Media Week (SMW) Lagos, 2016, which started yesterday and will end on February 26 at the Land…
Digital Content
Jamii fires up pay TV market with low cost Internet device
Kenya’s pay television and theatre market is headed for a major shake-up with the entry of high speed Internet connectivity devices that enable the streaming of movies, premium sports content…
Digital Content
Africa's first music download service launches in Senegal
Africa’s first homegrown platform for legal music downloads has launched in Senegal with a mission to promote African artists, pay them properly and fight internet piracy. Internationally famous musicians such…
Digital Content
How Ugandans Overturned An Election Day Social Media Blackout
When Ugandans went to the polls last Thursday in presidential and parliamentary elections, they participated in the most heavily-contested political battle since multiparty democracy began in 2005. But they also…
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Opportunities
Change the World with Vodacom Vodacom Change the World gives volunteers the chance of a lifetime to work for an NPO for a year – and Vodacom pays the salaries!…
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Events
Education Innovation Summit17 March 2016 Protea Fire & Ice, Johannesburg. South Africa Education reform is essential to provide learners with what are commonly called 21st century skills — those competencies…
