News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 941 7 September 2018
Top Story
Study shows Uganda’s OTT taxes have hit economic growth but Benin jumps into the OTT tax hole
7 September 2018
There are now three African countries – Uganda, Tanzania and Benin – who have put some kind of tax on social media that will damage its growth. The respected African research and policy organization Research ICT Solutions has released a report showing the short-term damage in Uganda. Russell Southwood looks at why these kinds of taxes are wrong. So far Uganda, Tanzania and Benin have all put taxes on what the telecoms sector calls OTT services. Tanzania’s tax is aimed at bloggers and in some ways is slightly different but it has all the same troubling freedom of expression aspects.…
Telecoms
MTN vows to stay in Nigeria, despite troubles
7 September 2018
MTN Group CEO Rob Shuter said the company is committed to Nigeria even as the continent’s largest wireless carrier considers how to respond to an order to return US$8.1-billion in…
Telecoms
SA govt denies taking over spectrum control
7 September 2018
Director-General of the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services of South Africa Robert Nkuna has refuted claims the government is attempting to usurp control of spectrum from regulator ICASA (Independent…
Telecoms
South Africa: Spectrum trading to be allowed under new telecoms bill
7 September 2018
The South African government is poised to liberalise radio frequency spectrum in South Africa, allowing the free trading of spectrum assignments, subject to regulatory conditions, TechCentral writes. The latest draft…
Telecoms
The Djibouti Data Center is selected by Expresso Telecom as a Strategic Hub for pan-African and Middle East Expansion
7 September 2018
The Djibouti Data Center (DDC) will provide a bridge between Expresso Telecom and Sudatel Groups’ West African and East African operations to enable seamless connectivity Djibouti City, Djibouti, September 4,…
Internet
Africa registry launches gateway system for domain names in Africa
7 September 2018
Africa Registry, part of the CentralNic Group has announced a new programme from its gateway service RRPproxy to empower domain name vendors, registrars and resellers in Africa to sell domains…
Internet
Tizeti Secures $3 Million Series A Led by 4DX Ventures
7 September 2018
Nigerian ISP start-up Tizeti and its consumer facing brand, Wifi.com.ng has closed a Series A round of $3M, led by 4DX Ventures with participation from existing investors Y Combinator Continuity,…
Internet
Africa registry launches the world’s leading gateway solution for domain names in Africa
7 September 2018
London, United Kingdom, September 4, 2018/ -- Africa Registry, part of the CentralNic Group, is a leading provider of domain names for Africa since 2005, is delighted to announce a…
Internet
Internet Solutions launches first iDirect DVB-S2X network in Africa
7 September 2018
VT iDirect has announced that Internet Solutions, a leading Pan-African telecommunications services provider, has launched the first iDirect DVB-S2X network in Africa, which is currently live across more than 300…
Internet
Africa - Internet: Community Networks Key to Connecting Africa, says Internet Society
7 September 2018
Eastern Cape, South Africa, September 3, 2018/ -- As Internet access continues to grow in Africa, with over 450 million people now connected to the Internet, more than 60 percent…
Computing
South Africa: Women Innovators honoured at the MTN Women in ICT event
7 September 2018
The premier ICT women’s event saw several accolades awarded to candidates at a gala event held in Johannesburg on 30 August 2018. The premier ICT women’s event saw several accolades…
Computing
Nigeria, China to Sign U.S.$328m Agreement On ICT As Buhari Arrives Beijing
7 September 2018
Abuja — President Muhammadu Buhari arrived Beijing yesterday to attend the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) holding on Monday and Tuesday.During the 6-day official visit of…
Computing
Ethiopia aims to become Africa's Artificial Intelligence (AI) giant
7 September 2018
What if, 20 years from now, robots walked the streets alongside humans, doing many of the same jobs that you and I do today? There is no question for Ethiopian…
Money Transfer
WorldRemit launches digital money transfers within Africa
7 September 2018
Leading international money transfer companyWorldRemit has launched a new digital service within Africa, making it easier to send and receive money across the continent. The new digital service will…
Money Transfer
Equity set to roll out cross-border mobile money
7 September 2018
Equity Group will in November roll out a cross-border e-commerce money transfer and payments platform through its Finserve subsidiary. Group chief executive James Mwangi said the platform, mKey, will ride…
Money Transfer
SA: Post Office closer to a banking licence
7 September 2018
A critical element of CEO Mark Barnes’s plan to save the loss-making Post Office entails that it be licensed as a fully fledged bank. The SA Post Office has…
Money Transfer
Kenya:Transactions through mobile money platforms close to half GDP
7 September 2018
Cash transacted through mobile money platforms in the year to June 30 equalled nearly half the national production, according to latest official statistics. The payments hit Sh3.574 trillion between July…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Safaricom : Claims of international fraud cartel in Safaricom’s Sh450m fine dispute with CA
7 September 2018
Serious claims of an illegal international calls syndicate that could have exposed subscribers to fraud and breached national security have emerged in an ongoing dispute between Safaricom, the regulator and…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
BringCom Completes Acquisition of Uganda Privately Owned Network Service Provider, Datanet
7 September 2018
STERLING, Va. — BringCom Incorporated, a leading provider of connectivity solutions to developing countries, announced that it has completed the acquisition of Datanet.Com, LLC in Uganda after receiving final approval…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
MTN completes IPO of Ghanaian unit
7 September 2018
MTN Group has completed its initial public offering (IPO) in Ghana, with the company selling around a third of its shares on offer, raising GHS1.1 billion (USD237 million) in the…
Digital Content
Benin to tax social media
7 September 2018
President of the Benin Republic Patrice Talon has adopted a decree, created in July 2018, which prescribes levies on telecom operators based on taxes related to use of OTT services…
Digital Content
Report: Africans spent more than 4 million hours reading online in 2018
7 September 2018
African mobile users have spent more than 4 million hours reading books on their mobile phones in 2018. This is according to Opera and Worldreader, a global non-profit organization that…
Digital Content
UBA’s Leo launched on WhatsApp
7 September 2018
Pan-African financial institution, United Bank for Africa (UBA) has announced the commencement of its chat bank ‘Leo’ on the WhatsApp platform. With Leo on WhatsApp, customers who are users…
Digital Content
Google Launches Data-Light YouTube Mobile App For South Africans With Slow Internet
7 September 2018
A specialized data-light version of the the Google-owned online video service, called YouTube Go, has been made available to South African users through the launch of a mobile app in…
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Opportunities
7 September 2018
Applications open for SA Wine Industry Innovation Challenge Winetech has partnered Stellenbosch University-based incubator LaunchLab and Faculty of AgriSciences for the first Wine Industry Innovation Challenge. The challenge…
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Events
7 September 2018
Wits JCSE and LINK Centre present: Cybsecurity Professional Practice and Leadership Managing high value or high volume electronic transactions? Managing e-identity? Managing personal data in the cloud? Then this course…
