News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 937 – 10 August 2018
Top Story
Going digital to tackle traffic accidents and crime – Senegal and Rwanda adopt two very different approaches
10 August 2018
African Governments are slowly becoming more ambitious about how to tackle fundamental problems digitally. The noisy and often badly driven public transport and taxi drivers – particularly motorcycle drivers - are often a threat to life and limb and are hot spots for crime. Russell Southwood looks at two different approaches to imposing some discipline on this mayhem, with one example from Senegal and the other from Rwanda. Senegal’s ICT agency ADIE has decided that the licensing of drivers will start to go online. It has launched the Cap Karaange project that will ensure that drivers are registered online in…
Telecoms
Avanti Communications signs Master Distributor contract for HYLAS 4 with iWayAfrica
10 August 2018
The contract will see iWayAfrica deploy high-speed satellite broadband services from Avanti’s HYLAS 4 satellite for consumers and enterprises across Sub-Saharan Africa Avanti Communications Group plc (“Avanti”), a leading satellite…
Telecoms
South Africa: MTN faces court challenge over mast roll-out
10 August 2018
An organisation calling itself the Durban Anti-Cell Mast Alliance (Dacma) on Friday filed papers at the high court in Durban to stop MTN South Africa from rolling out new towers…
Telecoms
Vodacom coughs up over R1-million for violation of O’Sullivan’s privacy
10 August 2018
Vodacom has coughed up R1.2-million in an out-of-court settlement for handing over forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan personal information to jailed former underworld boss Radovan Krejcir's legal team in 2014. O'Sullivan…
Telecoms
Ethiopia: Ethio Telecom Terminates Deals of 47 SMS Service Providers
10 August 2018
Ethio telecom, the state telecom service provider, disconnected the services of 47 SMS providers late last week. The action was taken following constant complaints from customers, according to Abduraim Ahmed,…
Telecoms
In brief
10 August 2018
Ceragon Networks announced that a tier 1 mobile operator in Africa is deploying its FibeAir IP-20 Platform and related services to modernize both its access and backbone networks in multiple…
Internet
Kenya guns for top ICT positions in ATU and ITU
10 August 2018
Kenya is eyeing top positions in Information and communication technology organizations in the continental and at the global level, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) disclosed on Monday.In Africa, Kenya…
Internet
Vodafone deploys fibre node on border between Ghana and Burkina Faso
10 August 2018
Vodafone Wholesale, a subsidiary of Vodafone Ghana, has constructed a second fibre optic network that connects Ghana to landlocked countries in West Africa, including Burkina-Faso, Niger, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire and…
Internet
KT wins order to build optical communication network in Botswana
10 August 2018
BoFiNet CEO, Mabua Lesego Mabua (fifth from left), Chung Eun-cheol, head of KT’s African and American sales team (sixth from left), pose for a photo with other officials from BoFiNet…
Internet
Sahel countries plan free roaming project
10 August 2018
Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad plan to put an end to roaming surcharges on cross-border calls for mobile customers travelling within the Sahel. The proposal was announced by…
Internet
Ethiopia must lift internet outage in eastern region - Coalition
10 August 2018
A group of internet rights bodies, #KeepItOn have appealed to the Ethiopian government to restore internet access to areas in the country’s eastern region. Their call was contained in a…
Internet
Multi-Billion Dollar Tech Company GitHub, Gives Ghanaian Developers Grand Prize of $500
10 August 2018
People are questioning why a company valued at 7.5 billion, couldn't put more monetary support behind the young developers. GitHub—the multi-billion dollar software development company and hosting service—has come…
Internet
MTN Group plays down 5G's short-term impact, plans deployments for specific needs
10 August 2018
MTN Group CEO Rob Shuter has downplayed the short-term impact and potential of 5G, particularly in the markets in which it operates, saying its is a "technology searching for an…
Internet
Google announces updates to “Go” initiative in Africa
10 August 2018
Google hosted its second Google for Nigeria event where it made a number of big announcements aimed at helping more people in Nigeria, and across Africa, benefit from the opportunities…
Internet
In brief
10 August 2018
South Africa’s Rain has ‘temporarily suspended’ the sale of fixed-wireless 4G LTE products through its partner ISPs, in order to ‘better manage capacity’ on its network. Newly appointed Liquid Telecom…
Computing
MDXi joins Data Centre leaders and Uptime Institute to discuss Africa’s digital transformation
10 August 2018
LAGOS, Nigeria, July 31, 2018/ -- West Africa’s leading data centre company, MDXi (www.MDX-I.com) has reiterated the importance of edge data centres to enable African consumers enjoy improved online experiences…
Computing
Liquid Telecom Delivers First Microsoft ExpressRoute With Local Peering In Africa
10 August 2018
Liquid Telecom announced it has delivered the first Microsoft ExpressRoute service peering in Africa. Part of Liquid Telecom’s CloudConnect offering, the service allows businesses to establish private connections to Azure.…
Computing
Mombasa's Pandya Hospital takes 28 hospital processes digital with SAP Business One
10 August 2018
MOMBASA, Kenya, 30th July 2018 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- Hospitals across the continent are confronted with challenges brought by technological disruption and increased demands. According to the World Economic Forum,…
Computing
Lagos State Government Announces Yaba ICT Cluster project Take-Off
10 August 2018
The Lagos State Government (LASG) is pleased to announce the commencement of the Yaba ICT Cluster project, KITE@Yaba (KITE stands for “Knowledge, Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship”) to provide an enabling…
Money Transfer
Nigeria: Paylater app reaches one million downloads
10 August 2018
LAGOS, Nigeria, August 2, 2018/ -- In Nigeria, a country of nearly 200 million people, 61% of the adult population is un- or underbanked. Fintech companies likePaylater represent a tremendous…
Money Transfer
African Banking Group Absa Forms Partnership With Samsung South Africa to Offer Customers Early Access to Samsung Pay
10 August 2018
Absa, a South Africa-based financial services group, announced this week it has teamed up with Samsung South Africa to offer customers early access to Samsung Pay before the service is…
Money Transfer
Kenya : Mobile cash payments up by Sh108bn in six months
10 August 2018
The value of mobile-based transactions rose by Sh108.86 billion in the first six months of the year, reflecting the growing dominance of mobile payment services, Central Bank of Kenya’s (CBK)…
Money Transfer
African Blockchain Lab Launched in Nigeria
10 August 2018
KAD ICT Hub in collaboration with Coinfirm, a London-based blockchain company have launched the Africa Blockchain Lab in Nigeria. The Africa Blockchain Lab aims at taking up companies focused on…
Money Transfer
Uganda : Unused airtime cards to be converted into mobile money
10 August 2018
Information and Communications Technology minister, Frank Tumwebaze has said that airtime scratch cards that will be not loaded by midnight July 31 will be converted into mobile money. This is…
Money Transfer
Standard Bank launches South Africa’s first virtual card ecosystem
10 August 2018
Standard Bank announced that it has launched Africa’s first virtual card ecosystem. The bank has also launched a partnership with Samsung to enable the Samsung Pay wallet for customers with…
Money Transfer
MTN Ghana pays GH¢98.9 M interest to MobileMoney Customers
10 August 2018
MTN Ghana on Thursday said it paid a total of GH¢ 98.9 million to active Mobile Money subscribers as interest at the end of July after Bank of Ghana approved…
Money Transfer
UBA, GTBank Take Banking Services to WhatsApp
10 August 2018
The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Wednesday announced that its chat banker, Leo has launched its pilot mode on WhatsApp and will be fully available to customers by September 1,…
Money Transfer
Zenith Bank Upgrades Mobile Banking App
10 August 2018
Nigerian financial institution, Zenith Bank Plc has upgraded its Mobile Banking App to include a new feature. The new feature known as QWERTY Banking, allows users to perform banking transactions…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Deadline to complete 9mobile sale process is extended
10 August 2018
Teleology Holdings has been given an extension to finalise its acquisition of Nigerian mobile operator 9mobile, reports This Day. According to the cellco’s CEO Boye Olusanya, the sale deadline has…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Millicom wins Tigo Tanzania ownership dispute
10 August 2018
Millicom has headed off a legal challenge claiming that the operator was not the full owner of its subsidiary Tigo Tanzania. The dispute was brought against Millicom by Golden Globe…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Airtel Uganda takes over the management of K2 Telecom
10 August 2018
The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has decided to entrust the mobile operator Airtel with the management of its competitor K2 Telecom, which was closed last May for failing to pay…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
IHS returns InfraCo licence
10 August 2018
IHS has returned the regional infrastructure company (InfraCo) licence it was awarded by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in January 2015. The Guardian reports that IHS’ decision follows difficulties in…
Digital Content
Kenyans on Twitter protest suspension of influential blogger, Nyankundi
10 August 2018
Kenyans are crying foul over the suspension of the Twitter account of an influential blogger, Cyprian Nyankundi, who has garnered a huge following for exposing illicit government officials and deals.…
Digital Content
Facebook threatens to scrap investment over Ugandan tax
10 August 2018
Facebook has warned it will hold back plans to invest millions of dollars in infrastructure in Ugandan because of the recent introduction of social media tax, reports the EastAfrican. Kojo…
Digital Content
Musical.ly and TikTok unite to debut new app
10 August 2018
Two of the world’s fastest-growing short-form video apps, musical.ly and TikTok, announced that they will unite to create a new global app. The newly upgraded platform, which keeps the TikTok…
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People
10 August 2018
State-owned mobile telecoms firm, NetOne's board of directors, has suspended the company's chief executive officer (CEO) Lazarus Muchenje with immediate effect over alleged gross misconduct relating to the manner he…
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Opportunties
10 August 2018
Applications open for second Egyptian MINT Incubator Cairo Angels and EG Bank have opened applications for the second edition of their MINT Incubator programme. The first equity-free programme concluded last…
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Events
10 August 2018
AfricaCom 2018Enterprise digital transformation is the name of the game13 to 15 November CTICC in Cape Town, South Africa.AfricaCom is the place to find out what's hot in the African…
