News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 960 – 25 January 2019
Top Story
biNu 2.0 – the data free challenger to WhatsApp that allows companies to offer #datafree access for customers
25 January 2019
A number of different start-ups have tried creating a data-free access service for African customers without success. biNu’s Co-founder and CEO Gour Lentell is a veteran and pioneer of low-cost data access. Russell Southwood spoke to this Zimbabwean-born entrepreneur about offering free data through reverse billing. Once upon time biNu was a successful content platform with optimized data acess for featurephone with significant numbers in several African countries. Cheap smartphones arrived and it morphed to suit them. But now biNu 2.0 is something very different although with the same spirit as the original platform. “biNu has always focused on the…
Telecoms
Rendeavour deploys cell towers to boost communication in Ghana
25 January 2019
African urban developer, Rendeavour has partnered with ATC Ghana, a subsidiary of American Tower Corporation, to deploy cell towers in its Appolonia City development in Greater Accra. Having installed the…
Telecoms
Global Voice Group Hands Over a Platform for Telecom Oversight to the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority
25 January 2019
James Claude, CEO of Global Voice Group (GVG), who attended the Tanzania Handover Ceremony that took place in Dar es Salaam, on Friday, 18 January said: “With the official transfer…
Telecoms
MTN Zambia reduces roaming costs for customers travelling abroad with Kirusa’s Reachme app
25 January 2019
MTN Zambia and Kirusa has announced the launch of a new and innovative roaming service for customers travelling outside Zambia for both business and pleasure. MTN Zambia customers can now…
Telecoms
In brief
25 January 2019
Ethiopia’s former Communication Minister, Bereket Simon, has been arrested by the Amhara regional government at his residence in the capital, Addis Ababa, multiple news sources, state and private, have reported.…
Internet
Construction of the EllaLink submarine cable system started this week
25 January 2019
EllaLink and Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) today announced the start up of construction of the submarine cable system scheduled to begin operations in 2020 to meet the demand for traffic…
Internet
Zimbabwe’s cabinet approves new cyber bill to curb 'internet abuse'
25 January 2019
HARARE - With Zimbabwe’s internet shutdown still partly in place, the information minister says that the government has crafted a new law to curb abuse of the internet. Zimbabweans were…
Internet
Zimbabwe High Court orders resumption of internet services
25 January 2019
Zimbabwe’s High Court has ruled that the country’s mobile operators must restore internet services following a week-long nationwide shutdown ordered by the government. Zimbabwe’s High Court has ruled that the…
Internet
CSquared envisions ‘Fiberising’ Africa through affordable broadband internet connectivity
25 January 2019
Top among CSquared’s priorities is ‘Fiberising’ Africa through synergizing all the technologies that can enhance the ingenuity of Africans CSquared, a pan-african broadband infrastructure provider that enables ISPS and MNOs…
Computing
SAP Africa Code Week exceeds target, trains 2.3m
25 January 2019
SAP, in partnership with public and private sector institutions, trained over 2.3 million youth across 37 African countries during Africa Code Week 2018. This number, released this week, exceeded expectations,…
Computing
European data specialists opens office in South Africa
25 January 2019
DataManagement Professionals (DMP), European specialists in complete solutions for secure and reliable data management, has announced the opening of a South African branch as of January 2019. DMP South Africa…
Computing
Digital Afrique Telecom (DAT) simplifies taxpayers’ lives with Tax Collect
25 January 2019
Digital Afrique Telecom (DAT) (www.DigitalAfriqueTelecom.com) has launched Tax Collect, an interoperable platform for collecting municipal taxes. This multi-channel payment gateway allows taxpaying customers to pay their taxes via an EPT…
Money Transfer
West African banks hit by multiple hacking waves last year
25 January 2019
Banks and financial institutions in West Africa have been hit by four different hacking campaigns last year, according to a report published today by US cyber-security giant Symantec. More security…
Money Transfer
Kenya: Banks and mobile money links used to fund Dusit Hotel attack
25 January 2019
A Magistrate’s Court will Thursday decide whether it will grant bonds to seven suspects linked to the Dusit Hotel with the prosecution terming them financiers. Hassan Abdi Nur, Ismael Sadiq…
Money Transfer
Commercial Bank of Ethiopia Partners with WorldRemit to Launch International Mobile Money Transfer Service
25 January 2019
The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) is to launch its first ever international mobile money transfer in partnership with WorldRemit. This will enable money senders spread across over 50 countries,…
Money Transfer
M-Pesa Fuliza lends Sh1b to customers within 8 days after launch
25 January 2019
A new feature on M-Pesa dubbed Fuliza that allows users access an overdraft facility has garnered one million users eight days after its launch. Safaricom Chief Executive Bob Collymore told…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
AfDB approves additional $2 billion funding for infrastructure projects in East Africa
25 January 2019
The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the African Development Fund (ADF) have approved two billion U.S. dollars to fund infrastructure projects in the East African Community (EAC) over the next…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Berkshire Partners to Invest in Teraco Data Environments
25 January 2019
Teraco Data Environments, Africa’s leading provider of colocation data centre infrastructure, today announced that Berkshire Partners LLC, a Boston-based investment firm, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
In brief
25 January 2019
MTN Uganda could be looking to sell part of its shares to the country’s National Social Security Fund (NSSF), as it looks to comply with new regulations governing local ownership…
Digital Content
The Commander-in-Chief of South Africa's Black Twitter is Actually a Zambian Blogger
25 January 2019
The notoriously controversial parody account of Barry Roux is that of a male Zambian blogger. Ask any South African about the go-to Twitter account for all the files on South…
Digital Content
Social media Apps tackling fake news
25 January 2019
A recent MIT study showed that fake news was 70% more likely to be tweeted. In addition, in the recent Edelman Trust Barometer survey, 59% of people said they were…
Digital Content
Google and Facebook criticised over DRC ads
25 January 2019
A US professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is accusing technology giants Facebook and Google of promoting false information on their platforms about the presidential elections in the Democratic…
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People
25 January 2019
Comviva, the global leader in mobility solutions, today announced Ramy Moselhy as the new Market Unit Head for Middle-East and North Africa (MENA) region. This appointment comes at a time…
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Events
25 January 2019
Africa Tech SummitKigaliFebruary 13th-15th 2019 The Summit will once again provide unrivaled insight, networking and business opportunities for African and international tech leaders and investors who want to business in…
