News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 897 – 13 October 2017
Top Story
The Great Liberian Hacking Scandal – Who’s the operator that employed the arrested hacker?
13 October 2017
Connoisseurs of African telecoms mysteries might like to apply their minds to this one: who was the Liberian telecoms operator who paid a hacker to take down its competitor? Russell Southwood rakes over the few known facts about the case. On 21 July 2017, a British man admitted in a German court to staging a large-scale cyber attack on Deutsche Telekom last year, saying he was acting for a Liberian client. According to a report in The Guardian in the UK, the November attack in Germany hijacked about 900,000 routers and briefly stopped their owners getting online, affecting about 1.25…
Telecoms
Telkom Suspends New Work With KPMG South Africa
13 October 2017
The Foschini Group Ltd. replaced KPMG LLP’s South African unit as its external auditors as the clothing retailer follows other local companies such as Telkom SA SOC Ltd. in reconsidering…
Telecoms
OnePlus is quietly collecting a ton of data from its smartphones
13 October 2017
Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus is collecting data from its users and transmitting it to a server along with each device’s serial number, according to security researcher Chris Moore. In a…
Telecoms
Paratus already operational in 22 African countries
13 October 2017
Paratus, the fastest growing and also the largest privately owned Pan African telecoms operator, has reaffirmed its position on the continent. The company is fast expanding, it delivers products and…
Telecoms
Huge Telecom pioneers a world first, providing Full Suite Telephony over Wireless.
13 October 2017
Huge Telecom – a trusted provider of first-tier last-mile telephony services to corporate organisations in South Africa – has successfully installed the first ever full suite telephony service over wireless…
Telecoms
Nigeria Records 1% Of Total Populace Employed In ICT Sector
13 October 2017
LAGOS – There are only about 479,000 people employed in Nigeria’s Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector, despite the West African country being one of the economies with rising ICT and…
Telecoms
BBM Messenger brings Girl Talk to Nigeria and South Africa
13 October 2017
Creative Media Works, operating as BBM Messenger, announced on Thursday 12 October 2017 that the company has partnered with Springster, Girl Effect’s global mobile-first platform for vulnerable young women, to…
Telecoms
In brief
13 October 2017
The ECOWAS Ministers in charge of ICT approved on 6th October 2017 in Praia, Cabo Verde, a regulation for free regional roaming amongst all ECOWAS Member States. The implementation will…
Internet
iWayAfrica Kenya acquires Callkey Networks terrestrial and VSAT customer base
13 October 2017
iWayAfrica Kenya, has secured regulatory approval to acquire the terrestrial and VSAT customer base of Callkey Networks, a Nairobi-based corporate communications service provider and subsidiary of ImaraSat. In a strategic…
Internet
Speedcast Awarded Managed Services Contract for Major Oil and Gas Operator in Equatorial Guinea
13 October 2017
Speedcast International Limited has announced that the company has been selected to provide MEO Ka-band managed communications services to a production asset owned and operated by a major U.S.-based operator…
Internet
Malawi - Chilima warns against social media abuse, urges utilization of ICT for Malawi development
13 October 2017
State Vice President Saulos Chilima has warned against the abuse of Information Communication (ICT) related services but utilise it to do develop the nation. Chilima made the remarks after opening…
Internet
'Internet disruptions in sub-sahara Africa cost $237million' - CIPESA [The Morning Call]
13 October 2017
Internet shutdowns in Sub-Saharan Africa have cost the region up to US$ 237 million since 2015. This is according to a report to be released by the Collaboration on International…
Internet
Vodacom announces free internet access for university students
13 October 2017
The cost to communicate in South Africa has been a hot topic in recent times, given the impact of the economic slowdown on the South African consumer and global trends…
Internet
Early Tech Adopters In Africa’s Fashion Industry See Benefits
13 October 2017
The African tech accelerator space and the continent’s fashion industry might seem as far apart as any two spaces could possibly be. One organisation, however, is looking to change all…
Internet
Kenya: DStv,Telkom Partner to Offer Bundled Internet to Customers
13 October 2017
Nairobi — Kenya's leading video entertainment provider, DStv and Kenya's premier telecommunications provider, Telkom, have renewed their partnership to offer Kenyans value on both entertainment and Internet at an affordable…
Computing
MDXi targets enterprise customers with new ‘Take a Break’ campaign
13 October 2017
The campaign will increase awareness of the MDXi brand as the most interconnected and reliable West African data center company LAGOS, Nigeria, October 9, 2017/ -- West Africa’s premier Data…
Computing
African digital education supported by Germany
13 October 2017
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Special Representative for Africa was in Mauritius last week for eLearning Africa's 2017 conference, where he revealed the scale of German support for digital education.…
Computing
StanChart, Strathmore enter training deal for women-led tech startups
13 October 2017
Standard Chartered Bank and Strathmore University have partnered to train women-owned businesses on the use of online platforms to boost sales and manage operations. Under the Sh20 million programme, women…
Money Transfer
Nigeria: OLX Site Recorded N12.1 Trillion Online Transactions in 2016
13 October 2017
OLX, a leading online classifieds site in Nigeria, has released the report of the total number of second-hand items and their value, that were traded on its online site in…
Money Transfer
NAMIBIA: Electronic transfers grew to N$260b
13 October 2017
ELECTRONIC fund transfers grew to N$260,36 billion in the 2016 financial year, compared to the N$9,67 billion for card transactions in the same period. This is a sharp rise in…
Money Transfer
KENYA: Mobile cash posts largest drop in August
13 October 2017
Mobile payments in August posted the largest month-on-month drop this year, coming after intensive political campaigns in July. Latest Central Bank of Kenya data shows cash transacted through mobile money…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Djezzy to invest USD878m in five years
13 October 2017
Djezzy, Algeria’s second largest mobile operator by subscribers, plans to invest DZD100 billion (USD878 million) over the next five years, according to its director general Mathieu Galvani who was addressing…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Nimbus Infrastructure Limited Lists on the Namibian Stock Exchange
13 October 2017
Nimbus Infrastructure Limited (Nimbus) conducted its first Capital Raising on the 29th of September 2017, and listed on the Namibia Stock Exchange via Private Placement on the 6th of October…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
The plan to merge ICASA, .zaDNA, and USAASA
13 October 2017
The Ministry of Telecommunications and Postal Services presented its project to consolidate the entities responsible for regulating the ICT sector in South Africa "The regulation is currently split between different…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
In brief
13 October 2017
Niger’s telecoms regulator, the Authority for the Regulation of Telecommunications and Post (Autorite de Regulation des Telecommunications et de la Poste, ARTP), has fined the West African country’s four mobile…
Digital Content
DHL and MallforAfrica team up to further cross-border e-commerce to the United States
13 October 2017
World’s international express services provider DHL Express has announced its partnership with MallforAfrica, the award-winning global e-commerce company, which will facilitate selling of made-in-Africa products to customers in the United…
Digital Content
Algeria: Leading News Website TSA Partially Blocked in Algeria
13 October 2017
The TSA website has been inaccessible via Algérie Télécom, the country's state-owned traditional Internet Service Provider, and via Mobilis, the state-owned mobile Internet provider, since 5 October. Algérie Télécom did…
Digital Content
Euphoria makes it possible to become a digital nomad
13 October 2017
Euphoria Telecom has introduced tools for entrepreneurs to become digital nomads. They can now use technology to earn a living and conduct their life in a nomadic manner. Digital nomad…
Digital Content
Cell C launches mobile sports betting service with Clickabet
13 October 2017
Mobile operator Cell C has announced a new partnership with online sports betting website, Clickabet, to offer mobile sports betting in SouthAfrica. On Wednesday (11 October) the operator announced…
Digital Content
Facebook journalism project launches in MENA
13 October 2017
Facebook says it has brought together a diverse set of news organizations in Dubai, UAE for a “News Day’ as part of the Facebook Journalism Project. The full-day event was…
Digital Content
Finalists announced for the AppsAfrica.com Awards 2017
13 October 2017
The shortlisted finalists for the annual AppsAfrica.com Innovation Awards 2017 celebrating the best in mobile and tech from across Africa have been announced. The annual Awards now in their…
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People
13 October 2017
MTN Group appoints Twum Asante as VP, SEAGHA Region MTN Group has announced the appointment of Ebenezer Twum Asante as Vice President (VP) of the expanded South & East Africa…
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Opportunities
13 October 2017
Registration is still open for: Wits CIO Certificate, Level 2: CIO Professional Practice (NQF 7) Next Joburg offering begins 16 Oct 2017. Click here And applications are still being accepted for:…
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Events
13 October 2017
Internet of Things and Basic Broadband Access: Spectrum Implications 25 – 27 October 2017 : 99 City Road Conference Centre, London, United KingdomWhile industry experts are busy equipping all things…
