News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no. 858 - 6th January 2017
Top Story
Legend passes 150,000 households in Abuja with 350 kms of cable offering double and triple play offers to householders
6 January 2017
The steadily increasing roll-out of fibre in Africa’s cities is leading to a new breed of bandwidth providers offering fibre-to-the-home double and triple play offers. In the Nigerian capital Abuja Suburban Fibre Company is offering these services under the Legend brand. Russell Southwood spoke to its Chief Marketing Officer Gabriel Gab-Umoden. Suburban Fibre Company used to run a fibre route to nearby Benin that had its heyday when Nitel was running the SAT3 landing station very badly. As part of that business, it had a metronet network in the Nigerian capital Abuja has now morphed into a fibre-to-the-home provider, offering double…
Telecoms
Liquid Telecom obtains regulatory approval for the acquisition of Tanzania’s leading ISP Raha
6 January 2017
Liquid Telecom has received the final regulatory approval to close its latest transaction in Tanzania and has become the majority stakeholder of Raha, Tanzania’s leading Internet Service Provider. Raha today…
Telecoms
Hengtong & Huawei Successfully Deliver Avassa Submarine Cable Project
6 January 2017
Hengtong Marine Cable System Co., Ltd. and Huawei Marine Networks Co., Limited have successfully delivered the Avassa Submarine Cable Project recently, which is the first international commercial submarine cable communication…
Telecoms
Arianespace to launch Intelsat 39
6 January 2017
Arianespace has announced that it will launch Intelsat 39 for Intelsat, one of the world’s largest satellite operators. Intelsat 39 will provide broadband networking and video distribution services in Africa,…
Telecoms
Orange Madagascar renews telecoms licence
6 January 2017
The Agency for Regulation of Technology and Communication (ARTEC) has announced that after months of ongoing negotiations, it has reached an agreement for the renewal of Orange Madagascar’s mobile operating…
Telecoms
In brief
6 January 2017
Axilspot, a global vendor in enterprise wireless networking, announced the launch of its operations in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. As part of its regional expansion plans, the…
Internet
Kenya: Safaricom pays Sh2.5bn fees for high-speed Internet band
6 January 2017
The company has been piloting 4G Internet for the past two years but had until last month not received a final go-ahead from the regulator on provision of the services.…
Internet
Zambia's ICT sector grew by 40.02% in 2016
6 January 2017
Zambia's ICT sector grew by 40.2% in 2016, accounting for 1.2% of the nation's total GDP in 2016, according to recent figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). In…
Internet
Kenya Internet Report Charts Increases in Access, E-Commerce and Arrests of Bloggers
6 January 2017
The Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) is a community organization that represents a group of local online-content creators and seeks to empower innovation in this field and improve the quality…
Computing
Windhoek goes hi tech in bid to be Africa’s safest
6 January 2017
Windhoek City Police spokesperson Cillie Auala said its legacy network had been upgraded because “it did not meet our requirements”. Radwin, a global broadband wireless provider, on Thursday said it…
Computing
Uganda speeds visa issuance and strengthens border security with Gemalto Visa Management System
6 January 2017
Gemalto, a world leader in digital security, is supplying Uganda's Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC) with its Coesys Visa Management that combines swift issuance of all visas and…
Computing
Africa's Mobile and ICT Expo (Mobex 2017) launched
6 January 2017
The 2017 edition of the Africa Mobile and ICT Expo (Mobex) has been launched in Accra. The event which will take place somewhere in June next year is also expected…
Money Transfer
Nigeria:Value of POS Transactions Hits N651 Billion
6 January 2017
The value of transactions through point of sales (PoS) channels across the country increased significantly by 65 per cent to N651.37 billion between Janaury and November 2016, compared with the…
Money Transfer
Mobile Money helped 2 percent of households in Kenya rise out of poverty
6 January 2017
Being able to send and receive money by cell phone has helped lift 194,000 households in Kenya out of poverty, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science.…
Money Transfer
UBA Empowers MSMEs with Masterpass QR Payment
6 January 2017
The United Bank for Africa (UBA) has introduced its first merchant-focused app in Africa with the aim of creating a SMART (secure, mobile, accessible, reliable, transparent) network of 100,000 micro…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Only three telecoms operators meet share listing deadline
6 January 2017
A total of 86 telecoms companies in Tanzania have so far failed to comply with a requirement to prepare to list 25% of their shares on the Dar es Salaam…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
In brief
6 January 2017
Orange Cote d’Ivoire has announced the completion of its merger with incumbent fixed line operator Cote d’Ivoire Telecom (CI-Telecom). The move has created a fully converged fixed and mobile provider…
Digital Content
The Best African Memes of 2016
6 January 2017
You know your social media timelines and meme folders on your smartphones aren’t complete until you come across some African memes. It’s still mind blowing to think about how quick…
Digital Content
Kenya's 'panic button' app: shake of phone sends distress signal
6 January 2017
With crime rates high and no efficient emergency number available, an app developed by a student aims to make people in Kenya feel safer Edwin Inganji’s smartphone app quickly connects…
Digital Content
Expanding fitness wearables in Africa, Garmin launches a watch line in Ghana with MTN
6 January 2017
In addition to MTN’s latest smartphone options, fitness conscious Ghanaians can now purchase a Garmin watch and receive a free three-month 900MB data bundle. The entry level price is around…
Digital Content
Monese raises $10M Series A for its banking app targeting immigrants and expats
6 January 2017
Monese, the London-based fintech startup that offers a mobile banking app for immigrants and expats who might otherwise find it difficult to open a bank account outside of their originating…
Digital Content
Qwilt Selected by Afrihost to Improve Online Video Quality for Broadband Customers in South Africa
6 January 2017
REDWOOD CITY, CA – December 27, 2016 – Qwilt, a leading provider of online video delivery and open video caching solutions, in conjunction with local partner Three6Five, announced today that…
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People
6 January 2017
Rajeev Sethi named CCO of Airtel Africa NEW DELHI: Bharti AirtelBSE -0.39 % has appointed Rajeev Sethi as the chief commercial officer (CCO) for its Africa operations. In his new…
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Opportunities
6 January 2017
Get your innovation showcased by UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has extended the submission period for its Closer to People campaign, which seeks to identify…
