News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no. 867 – 10 March 2017
Top Story
Falling into the cracks in data coverage – how a village close to the fibre and 45 minutes from Nairobi can’t get data access
10 March 2017
Kenya has 96% population coverage for voice and it will not be long before it reaches near to 100%. But for data acess it’s a very different story. Even close to Nairobi and within an easy distance of a fibre there are those that fall into the cracks in data coverage. Russell Southwood spoke to John Kieti about one such place where he lives. John Kieti lives in Kathome, 55 kms south-east of Nairobi, just 45 minutes from Nairobi along the road to Machakos. The place where he lives is about 1 kms off the road and along that road…
Telecoms
N377b Debt Crisis Rocks Etisalat: Begs 13 banks
10 March 2017
The Nigerian affiliate of Abu Dhabi-listed telecoms company Etisalat has opened talks with 13 Nigerian banks to renegotiate the terms of a $1.2 billion loan it took out four years…
Telecoms
Ooredoo chooses Telia Carrier for International IoT Connectivity
10 March 2017
Telia Carrier has added another operator to its dedicated Internet of Things (IoT) Backbone. Global communications company Ooredoo has chosen Telia Carrier to provide IoT backhaul connectivity to Ericsson’s DCP…
Telecoms
Econet Leo enters 4G arena in Burundi
10 March 2017
Econet Leo, the Burundian mobile venture owned by Econet Wireless International (EWI), has reportedly launched a 4G network in the capital Bujumbura...
Telecoms
Vodacom Tanzania begins IPO as MD sees acquisitions
10 March 2017
Vodacom Group’s Tanzanian unit will begin an initial public offering on Thursday, the first in a series of listings expected on the domestic exchange that may spur mergers and acquisitions,…
Internet
Cameroon: Anglophone Cameroon Marks 50 Days Without the Internet
10 March 2017
It's been exactly 50 days since Cameroonian authorities imposed an internet blackout on English-speaking regions in the majority French-speaking nation. Hundreds of youths shouted "Bring back our internet! Bring back…
Internet
Vumatel expands to KZN
10 March 2017
Vumatel has acquired Durban-based fibre-to-the-home company Estate Connexions (ECX) expanding its footprint to the KwaZulu-Natal province. Speaking about the acquisition Niel Schoeman, CEO of Vumatel says, "The acquisition allows Vuma…
Computing
Online tool explores countries’ climate action plans
10 March 2017
A new interactive online tool that helps countries to access and compare their priorities and ambitions related to climate action plans has been developed. The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Explorer…
Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage
South African operators propose amendments to ICT policy
10 March 2017
South African telecoms minister Siyabonga Cwele is reportedly considering a proposal from six domestic telecoms operators – named as Vodacom, MTN, Telkom, Cell C, Neotel and Wireless Business Solutions (WBS)…
Money Transfer
The Direct Pay Online Group Expands Operations into Botswana & Namibia
10 March 2017
Nairobi, Kenya, 9 March 2017 – The Direct Pay Online Group, a leading online payments service provider in Africa, has announced today it is acquiring 100% of the equity in…
Money Transfer
Kenyans transact record 33 bln USD on mobile money in 2016
10 March 2017
Kenyans moved a record 33 billion U.S. dollars on mobile money in 2016, up from 27.8 billion dollars from the previous year, the latest data from Central Bank of Kenya…
Money Transfer
Zoona raises US$1 million from IFC and MasterCard Foundation to expand mobile banking in Zambia
10 March 2017
South African based Payments service provider Zoona has raised US$1 million from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the MasterCard Foundation to strengthen the reach of its mobile banking services…
Money Transfer
Mama Money expands to three more African countries
10 March 2017
South African-developed mobile money service, Mama Money, has expanded its operations Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania, with three more countries billed for a launch. Mama Money, which recently celebrated its second…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
TA Associates Acquires Minority Equity Interest in Interswitch
10 March 2017
TA Associates, a leading global growth private equity firm, has announced it has acquired a minority equity interest in Interswitch, an Africa-focused integrated digital payments and commerce company. Financial terms…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
WASPA says surge in data usage behind depletion data
10 March 2017
South Africa's Wireless Application Service Providers' Association (WASPA) says mobile users are spending a declining percentage of their mobile phone budgets on voice calls and a growing proportion of their…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Libya blames Ugandan government for UTL problems
10 March 2017
Libyan state-owned telecoms investment firm LAP Green Network (LAP GreenN) has responded to a move by the government of Uganda to take control of its 69% stake in struggling fixed…
Digital Content
Malawian Developer Invents Legal Wallet Mobile APP
10 March 2017
One of local mobile and web applications developers, Alfred Andrew Kankuzi has invented Legal Wallet Mobile Application to bridge a wider knowledge gap of existing laws among the public. To…
Digital Content
New streaming service iFlix coming to South Africa
10 March 2017
Malaysian streaming video service iFlix plans to launch in South Africa and several other African countries before the end of the year. This is according to the company’s spokesperson in…
Digital Content
BBC launches pilot chatbot from Nigerian developers
10 March 2017
The BBC World Service has made available a new way for audiences to interact with BBC News via its Nigerian-designed pilot BBC Newschatta. It is the latest stage of the…
Digital Content
South African 'Serial' podcast starts with a bloody ‘90s heist and ramps up from there
10 March 2017
The year is 1994, a few weeks before South Africa’s first democratic election, and two security guards are murdered at a Checkers supermarket. One man is convicted, Anthony De Vries,…
More
People
10 March 2017
Florence Seriki | Grief envelopes Omatek amid Founder’s death Omatek Computers, the Nigerian computer maker, has been thrown into grief following the sudden death at the weekend of its founder,…
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Events
10 March 2017
Wi-Fi NOW Africa9-11 May 2017 Meet the Wi-Fi Alliance & many more industry leaders We're also delighted that Liquid Telecom, VAST, and AlwaysOn will be sharing their insights with…
