News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no. 853 18 November 2016
Top Story
Angola: In tough times, Unitel focuses on CSR to combat malaria and keeps betting on content as a driver of data
18 November 2016
With the oil price on the floor, Angola’s economy is experiencing really tough times. But privately-owned Unitel is focused on doing right by the country and wants to keep developing its content offer despite the difficulty of not being able to buy international content. Russell Southwood spoke to its Marketing Manager, Miguel Soares at this week’s AfricaCom in Cape Town. Soares sees two growth areas in the company: its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects and its focus on local content to drive data use. Angola has recently suffered a very bad malaria outbreak:”At the beginning of the year hundreds of…
Telecoms
South Africa: Intracom Telecom Supplies Its Streetnode Platform to MTN for Trial in South Africa
18 November 2016
Intracom Telecom announced that it has successfully completed the live field trial of StreetNode, its SON (Self Organizing Network) based Point-to-Multipoint (PtMP) platform, implemented by MTN's South African operation. Intracom…
Telecoms
Senegal: ARTP gives 4m unregistered mobile subscribers one week to fall into line
18 November 2016
Senegal’s telecoms watchdog the Authority of Regulation of Telecommunications and Posts (L’Autorite de Regulation des Telecommunications et des Postes, ARTP) has confirmed that the deadline for mobile network operators (MNOs)…
Telecoms
Egypt's NTRA, mobile operators to establish mobile towers network worth 750 mln pounds on all main roads
18 November 2016
Egypt’s telecom regulator, the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has set a strategic plan to cover all main roads with telecom signal strength towers, a source in the NTRA told…
Telecoms
More mobile operators in West Africa are targets of SS7 attacks than any other African Region, AdaptiveMobile reveals
18 November 2016
AdaptiveMobile, the world leader in mobile network security, today announced at AfricaCom 2016 new research findings that show mobile operators in West Africa are the highest target for SS7 attacks…
Telecoms
Afrimax-Vodafone Group Deploys Airspan's LTE Network Architecture in Zambia
18 November 2016
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA--(Marketwired - November 17, 2016) - Airspan Networks Inc. a leading provider of LTE small cell and small cell backhaul solutions announced today that Afrimax-Vodafone Group has…
Telecoms
Airtel Nigeria enhances smartconnect package
18 November 2016
Airtel Nigeria has rejigged its Smart Connect package, specifically designed to give new customers six times the value on every recharge to include a family and friends feature, reports Vanguard.…
Internet
Angola Cables and Etix Everywhere combine their expertise to offer a Low Latency Route between the Americas and Africa
18 November 2016
Angola Cables has announced that it is has selected Etix Everywhere (www.EtixEverywhere.com) as its partner to build its critical infrastructure globally as part of an ambitious project to offer a…
Internet
InterCEL + and Cambridge Broadband Networks (CBNL) build breakthrough Wireless Network to boost Broadband in Guinea
18 November 2016
Cambridge Broadband Networks, a market leader in licensed point-to-multipoint (PMP), has today announced a landmark partnership with InterCEL + (www.InterCel-Guinee.com), a subsidiary of Expresso Telecoms Group, to build a major…
Internet
SES partners MADA to provide high quality connectivity in South Sudan
18 November 2016
SES has announced a multi-year agreement with MADA Communications International S.A.L (Offshore), a licensed Voice and Data Communications Internet provider, to provide Internet services to an Internet Service Provider (ISP)…
Internet
Gilat Satcom Connects DRC Customers Over Reliable, High Performance O3b Network
18 November 2016
O3b Networks and Gilat Satcom have announced that Gilat Satcom has gone live on O3b’s unique ‘Fiber in the Sky’ satellite network, offering latency and throughput comparable to fiber over…
Internet
Facebook outlines Plans to grow its African Ecosystem at AfricaCom 2016
18 November 2016
Facebook had a strong presence at AfricaCom 2016 in Cape Town, in line with its commitment to fostering a strong relationship with its connectivity partners and application developers across Africa.…
Computing
Malawi ICT service provider Sparc Systems eyes business in West Africa
18 November 2016
In its desire to be become a major ICT provider in Africa, Malawian company, Sparc Systems Limited has announced plans to open an agency in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)…
Computing
Etisalat partners DevHub for legislative summit on SDGs
18 November 2016
The thought leadership summit, which will hold on November 22 and 23 in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, is aimed at producing a National Legislative Forum on the SDGs (NLF-SDGs)…
Computing
T-Systems private cloud meets international assurance standard Featured
18 November 2016
In a bold move to provide documented assurance to customers, T-Systems South Africa (TSSA) has undertaken to have its private cloud platform ISAE 3402 audited by reputable audit firm, Deloitte…
Computing
World Bank Group, CTIC Dakar Launch Tech Lab to Spur West Africa’s Digital Economy
18 November 2016
DAKAR, Senegal, Nov. 3, 2016 — The World Bank Group and CTIC Dakar today launched the Jambar Tech Lab, a business acceleration program to help West African tech start-ups commercialize…
Computing
Teraco aims for 50-megawatt data centre offering in South Africa
18 November 2016
Africa’s largest colocation data centre provider, Teraco Data Environments, today announced that it has kicked off construction on a new data centre in River Fields Bredell, 20km north of the…
Money Transfer
Nigerian Military, eTranzact launch e-payment cards for pensioners
18 November 2016
E-payment service provider, eTranzact International Plc, in collaboration with the Military Pensions Board, has launched an electronic payment card to offer identification, verification and rewards to all members of the…
Money Transfer
MTN Nigeria pledges support for mCash
18 November 2016
Telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria has thrown its weight behind a new cashless initiative, mCASH, launched recently by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc, NIBSS. The platform is a mobile payment…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Togo into one: govt to merge Togo Telecom and Togocel
18 November 2016
The government of Togo has confirmed its intention to move onto phase two of the full reorganisation of state-owned operators fixed line PTO Togo Telecom and mobile operator Togo Cellulaire…
Digital Content
Broadpeak and Eutelsat to offer live TV and VOD to mobile devices
18 November 2016
Broadpeak and Eutelsat Communications are combining their complementary skills to offer content providers a satellite-based solution for multiscreen video delivery to connected devices. The new offer is a game-changer for…
Digital Content
AppsAfrica.com Innovation Award Winners 2016 Announced
18 November 2016
Ten winners of the AppsAfrica.com Innovation Awards 2016 were announced at a pan-African mobile and tech awards party in Cape Town, South Africa. The Awards supported by Opera Software, The…
Digital Content
Kirusa’s InstaVoice® Service breezes past 100 Million monthly Active Users
18 November 2016
InstaVoice, based on Kirusa’s patented technology, helps mobile users to be connected with each other using missed calls, voicemail, and Voice SMS CAPE TOWN, South Africa, November 15, 2016/ --…
Digital Content
Huawei debuts video cloud platform for Africa
18 November 2016
Huawei believes video should be positioned as a basic service for operators. Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei has launched its ‘Huawei Envision' hybrid video solution, which is designed to assist carriers…
Digital Content
Uganda: Kawunyemu App Warns Drink-Drivers of Police Checks
18 November 2016
If your country's police force has a reputation for corruption, how comfortable would you feel as a motorist about spot checks for drink-driving? One software developer came up with his…
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Opportunities
18 November 2016
Orange announces the winners of the sixth edition of the Orange Social Venture Prize for Africa and the Middle East Orange is announced the winners of the 2016 Orange Social…
