News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa - Issue no 982 – 28 June 2019
Top Story
Orange pulls out of Niger over tax dispute – One of likely buyers is a tax avoider named in the Panama Papers
28 June 2019
There is a tendency by African Governments to see mobile operators as a convenient cash cow that can be milked through taxes. The latest example is in Niger where two mobile operators were asked respectively for 50% and 70% of their current turnover. Russell Southwood looks at what happened and the likely buyers of the former Orange subsidiary. As markets go, Niger is a comparatively small one with four main players: Orange (who entered in 2008), Airtel, Moov (Maroc Telecom) and Niger Telecom (a merger of former state incumbent Sonitel and Sahelcom). At the end of 2017, there were 8.78…
Telecoms
Orange poised for West Africa bank launch
28 June 2019
Orange Money paved the way for wider financial services in its African markets, the operator’s MEA CEO Alioune Ndiaye explained, with the company prepared to launch fully-fledged banking in several…
Telecoms
Alma IT orders Flexenclosure’s eSite x10 for rollout in Central Africa
28 June 2019
Alma IT, a telecom and IT-focused infrastructure and services provider, has placed an order for Flexenclosure’s eSite x10 telecom site power system. The Site x10s will be used to power…
Telecoms
Vodacom reaches deal with Congo over 2G licence
28 June 2019
Vodacom Group has reached an agreement with the Congolese government to end a standoff over the suspension of its 2G telecoms licence, the telecommunications ministry said on Friday. The ministry…
Internet
ZOL Zimbabwe confirms data roll-over from August
28 June 2019
Zimbabwean ISP ZOL says it will allow for data roll-over with effect from August 2019, a move that is expected to be replicated by other data service providers and ISPs…
Internet
Egypt ICT minister holds talks with Google over cooperation
28 June 2019
Egypt’s ICT minister Amr Talaat has held talks with a delegation from Google Middle East and North Africa (MENA), headed by Managing Director for Google MENA Lino Cattaruzzi. They discussed…
Internet
Sudan Internet Shutdown - Another Court Case Filed
28 June 2019
Khartoum — A large number of people have filed a lawsuit against Zain Telecom related to an ongoing internet blackout in Sudan, which has reportedly cost companies more than one…
Internet
Isocel discloses further details of FTTP service; includes 100Mbps symmetrical access
28 June 2019
Robert Aouad, general manager at Beninese internet provider Isocel, has given additional details of his company’s upcoming fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) service in an interview with Agence Ecofin. Mr Aouad confirmed that…
Internet
In brief
28 June 2019
AirtelTigo, Ghana’s second largest cellco by subscribers, has announced it is partnering with Huawei Technologies on a USD30 million network modernisation project intended to provide a faster internet experience to…
Computing
Vodacom Tanzania Extends Partnership With Optiva on Path Toward Leveraging Cloud Strategy
28 June 2019
Optiva Inc, an innovative software provider of mission-critical, cloud-native, monetization solutions to leading communication service providers (CSPs) globally, announced today that Vodacom Tanzania has expanded its partnership with Optiva for…
Computing
Launch afriQloud: Leapfrogging Africa’s innovation agenda with local cloud solutions
28 June 2019
Pan-African connectivity provider, BringCom, in partnership with science and technology investor, Imprimatur Capital, and European edge cloud software company, GIG Technology, have together birthed what is to provide the African…
Money Transfer
BTC launches mobile money wallet SMEGA powered by Comviva’s mobiquity Money platform
28 June 2019
Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited (BTC), Botswana’s fastest and widely available mobile network, has revamped and introduced SMEGA, its mobile money service. SMEGA now works on Comviva’s mobiquity® Money platform, one…
Money Transfer
Egyptian operator deploys AI for unbanked subscribers
28 June 2019
fonYou Begins Deployment of Digital Distribution of Airtime and Bundles with Egyptian Operator fonYou has announced it reached an agreement with a mobile operator in Egypt to deploy its iCarrier…
Money Transfer
Zimbabwe: Stanchart Launches First Digital Bank
28 June 2019
Standard Chartered Bank on Wednesday launched its first digital bank in Zimbabwe, another landmark innovation by the financial institution that aims to tap on the growing mobile penetration in the…
Money Transfer
Safaricom launches an anti-fraud API for the financial sector
28 June 2019
Telecommunications service provider, Safaricom, has introduced an anti-fraud system dubbed International Mobile Subscriber Identity aimed to support financial institutions curb fraud incidents targeting customers. Last year the company lost up…
Money Transfer
Morocco: Inwi announces its Mobile Money service for September
28 June 2019
In Morocco, the mobile operator Inwi announced it is launching its Mobile Money service Wana Money by next September. Information was disclosed by Nicolas Levi who managed Wana Money, Inwi's…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Maroc Telecom completes the acquisition of Tigo in Chad
28 June 2019
Maroc Telecom has announced that it has finalized the acquisition from Millicom of the entire share capital of its subsidiary Tigo Tchad. This transaction allows the first telecom operator to…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Morocco pension fund acquires 16m Maroc Telecom shares
28 June 2019
Morocco’s retirement pensions fund Regime Collectif d’Allocation de Retraite (RCAR) has acquired 16.229 million shares of Maroc Telecom (IAM), following the government’s decision to float 8% of the company’s shares…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Telkom CEO offloads R11 million in shares
28 June 2019
Telkom Chief Executive Officer, Sipho Maseko has cashed in on the group’s meteoric share price, offloading 112,368 of his shares, amounting to R10,800,531. Shares in Telkom have seen a marked…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
Airtel Africa receives pre-IPO interest worth about $200 mln
28 June 2019
One of the bookrunners handling Airtel Africa Ltd’s IPO-AIRTA.L planned initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange said on Monday it had received indications of interest worth about $200…
Digital Content
MTN & MultiChoice partner for Dstv Now app in Uganda
28 June 2019
MultiChoice has partnered MTN Uganda to promote the DStv Now services. The new partnership was launched together with Patricia Kiconco, from MultiChoice and Susan Kayemba, MTN Digital manager, at MultiChoice…
Digital Content
'The Spread' Is the Sex-Positive Kenyan Podcast Offering a Safe Space for Women and LGBTQIA+ Issues
28 June 2019
'The Spread' is the podcast dedicated to "decolonizing" the way Africans talk about sex and sexuality, say it's creator Karen Kaz Lucas. Karen Kaz Lucas is the revolutionary brainchild behind…
Digital Content
Vodacom launches employee engagement app
28 June 2019
Vodacom has announced its internal rollout of employee engage platform, Vodacom Engagement App aimed at enabling its employees to easily engage with the company, as well as gain access to…
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Opportunities
28 June 2019
Training offered on Internet Protocols within the AV industry As part of the Association’s drive for Continuous Professional Development, SACIA contracted Mike Dhonau of Training for TV Ltd (UK) to…
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Events
28 June 2019
SAFNOG-5 & iWeek 2019 We are proud to announce that for the 5th instalment of SAFNOG, we will be returning to Johannesburg, South Africa where it all began. SAFNOG and…
