News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 972 – 18 April 2019
Top Story
Stop Press: Angolan President cancels fourth mobile licence after shareholding controversy
18 April 2019
Late this afternoon (18 April 2019) The Angolan President João Lourenço cancelled the awarding of the fourth mobile licence to a shell company with a General as its main shareholder. Watch this space to see what happens next. The awarding of the fourth mobile licence in Angola shows that for all the talk of reform by the new President nothing ever changes. Russell Southwood looks at the pattern of shareholdings in the telecoms sector and what they tell us about how Angola operates. In December 2017 I wrote an article about the granting of the fourth mobile licence in Angola.…
Telecoms
NCC approves transfer of 800MHz spectrum to MTN
18 April 2019
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has finally approved the transfer of Visafone’s 800MHz spectrum licence to MTN Nigeria, following a public inquiry into the transaction, reports Bloomberg. In April 2015…
Telecoms
Telstar secures mobile phone license in Angola
18 April 2019
Telstar has secured mobile phone license in Angola. The telecom operator was awarded this license after winning the tender issued by the Angolan government. Its network will be operational within…
Telecoms
Jamii Telecom secures 4G licence in Kenya
18 April 2019
Jamii Telecom put a request through the Communications Authority of Kenya to pay the 4G spectrum fee of KES 2.5 billion in instalments. The proposal was forwarded to Parliament for…
Telecoms
5G network coming to Zambia-Mushimba
18 April 2019
The Zambian government has opened talks with Chinese tech giant Huawei over the possibility of deploying 5 Generation Internet in Zambia. 5G is the next generation of mobile internet that…
Telecoms
South Africa: MTN introduces Bundle Bonanza promotion to its new Prepaid customers
18 April 2019
MTN South Africa says its prepaid customers will now receive integrated bundles when they recharge with ZAR 20 or more. The ZAR 20 recharge will unlock the free benefit of…
Telecoms
In brief
18 April 2019
Orange Guinea has announced the launch of its new LTE service, which is available for customers with compatible SIM cards and handsets. According to the cellco’s network coverage information, LTE…
Internet
PCCW Global and TESPOK to launch first African roaming IPX
18 April 2019
PCCW Global, the international operating division of HKT, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider, and Kenyan technology service provider TESPOK have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide Africa’s first…
Internet
MainOne, Facebook invest $20 million in Nigerian fiber infrastructure project in Edo and Ogun States
18 April 2019
Broadband infrastructure company, MainOne in collaboration with social media giant, Facebook has expended $20 million to develop terrestrial fibre technology in Edo state, Nigeria. The disclosure was made by the…
Internet
Africa's Amazon set for New York IPO as online retail grows
18 April 2019
When Christophe Fofana, a 29-year-old taxi driver and student in Ivory Coast, needed a birthday present for his daughter last year, he did something he hadn’t done before. He went…
Internet
AfricaOnline Ghana launches JOLA Ka-Band high-speed broadband Satellite service on Avanti’s HYLAS4
18 April 2019
Accra, Ghana - AfricaOnline, one of Ghana's oldest ISPs and a Gondwana International Networks (GIN) subsidiary, has announced the launch of its new JOLA service, a high-speed broadband satellite service…
Internet
Nigeria seeks AFDBs support in ICT development
18 April 2019
Nigeria wants the African Development Bank to support in building the trans-Saharan optic fiber backbone. The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, at meeting with AfDB Group team explained that the…
Internet
The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance emphasizes the need for dynamic spectrum access in order to connect millions of people in Africa to internet access
18 April 2019
Johannesburg, South Africa, 11 April 2019: Utilizing alternative spectrum technologies is key to connecting millions of people in Africa to the internet, as the amount of bandwidth available will increase…
Computing
Kenya: 8mn registered on Huduma Namba so far
18 April 2019
At least eight million people across the country have so far been enlisted under the National Integration Identity Management System (NIIMS), popularly referred to as Huduma Namba. Interior Cabinet Secretary…
Money Transfer
Zambia doubles mobile money agent numbers
18 April 2019
Zambia’s central bank hailed the impact of partnerships between mobile money service providers, as the country booked a rapid increase in the number of accounts and agents during 2018, IT…
Money Transfer
How South Africans will make payments in 10 years
18 April 2019
The way people around the world pay for goods and services is constantly evolving, although it is not certain which route consumers will choose. There has been a global migration…
Money Transfer
Absa brings data centre operations back to South Africa
18 April 2019
Absa Group has successfully migrated its banking platform, used by its subsidiaries, from the UK, where it was run by Barclays, to South Africa. The platform, used by six of…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Nigeria: Jumia Becomes First African Firm to List Shares On New York Stock Exchange
18 April 2019
Pan-African e-commerce platform, Jumia Technologies, has officially announced its listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The listing on the NYSE happened yesterday in New York, USA, with shares…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Sudatel revenue, profit hit by currency devaluation
18 April 2019
Sudatel Telecom Group has reported revenue of USD325.6 million for the twelve months ended 31 December 2018, a decrease of 36.6% from USD513.2 million the previous year. Net profit totalled…
Digital Content
DHL Express launches a new online shopping app in partnership with Mall for Africa
18 April 2019
DHL Express has launched a new online shopping app, DHL Africa eShop in partnership with Link Commerce – a division of Mall for Africa. The demand for online shopping is…
Digital Content
Bizarre ANC faux-pas drags small Irish town into the 2019 Elections
18 April 2019
Are the ANC fans of small parish towns in Ireland, or did their spellcheck malfunction? The party have scored another own goal ahead of the 2019 Elections. Do the ANC…
Digital Content
Ingeni.io closes Agreement for Digitization and TraceAbility of Ghana and West Africa Commodities and an update on Urban Transportation Agreement in West Africa.
18 April 2019
Ingeni’s CEO Ian McNeill announced today the closing of a material agreement for Digitization and TraceAbility of Ghana Commodities. In addition, ingeni is working on a digitization for revenue and…
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Potraz considering adopting licensing for Walkie Talkies
18 April 2019
POTRAZ is considering the adoption of Class Licensing for Private Mobile Radios (PMRs) 446 and DMR446 radios, in line with SADC Guidelines and established international best practice. Due to the…
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Opportunties
18 April 2019
Applications for Google’s 2019 Africa Certification scholarships now open Earlier this week Google announced that applications are open for the next round of its Africa Certification Scholarship 2019, with developer…
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Events
18 April 2019
The 4th edition of Nextv CEO Africa14th to 16th May 2019African Pride Arabella Hotel & Spa in KleinmondSouth Africa. The 3-day conference annually hosts over 200 attendees where industry leaders…
