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ISSUE NO 323

EASSy parties in disconnect over end of the beginning– negotiations continue

The road to concluding the agreements leading to the implementation of EASSy was unlike the project’s name never going to be easy. There are 23 Governments that NEPAD’s e-Africa Commission is trying to get to sign a protocol called Policy and Regulatory Framework for NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure. Many of those countries have one or more parties already involved in the EASSy consortium. In addition, there are the DFIs (like the World Bank) and beyond them commercial financial institutions that might seek to get involved. And outside of this rather crowded “magic circle” are a range of potential small and medium sized investors waiting on the sidelines for the dust to finally settle before coming forward. Russell Southwood seeks to untangle where things have go to so far.

At the end of August 2006, the Governments involved in the EASSy project and the inland backbone required to make it a success met in Kigali in order to sign up to a Protocol designed to act as the policy framework for all of this work. Seven Countries - Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Lesotho, Malawi, Madagascar and (significantly) South Africa signed. The lack of signature from other Governments (with the exception of Kenya) is explained by those who organised the meeting as being due to non-availability of the relevant Ministers.

Someone close to the process told us:”We’re getting positive feedback from some but there are difficulties from others.” Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan may fall into the latter category. Ministers attending agreed to chase their neighbours and more signatories will be in place by the end of November. If informal estimates are correct, there will be a total of ten by the end of this month and 20 by the end of November. The countries involved are mainly those that are members of SADC and COMESA.

Although progress will made on getting the Protocol signed by a larger number of countries, there remain simmering (and sometimes open) disagreements from three different directions. The Kenyan Government refused to sign the Protocol and has announced that it will support the building of a separate cable, more of which in a moment.

Telkom SA keeps threatening to pull out its contribution and in doing so has created a fairly public linkage between the South African Government’s treatment of SAT3 and its willingness to invest in EASSy. Back in July the Department of Communications was gung-ho to declare the SAT3 landing station “an essential national facility”. More recently a Government Minister said it may not be necessary to do this as EASSy would provide competition for SAT3. (The ability of some South Africans not to think beyond their borders provides plentiful jaw-dropping moments for the rest of the continent. What about everyone else connected to SAT3?)

If South Africa has signed the Protocol it would be hard to endure the loss of face of not having Telkom participate. The Government still has enough clout and shareholding to push it to do so. But in those quid pro quo moments that make these kinds of things happen it looks like the South African Government has agreed to take its eye off the SAT3 ball. If this is the case, it may yet come to regret it.

The third simmering disagreement is with the DFI’s and the existing EASSy consortium members who will be signing their own cheques rather than waiting for the money to arrive from donors.

And it is here that Telkom SA’s frequent bleating has some merit. Both of these sets of parties are arguing privately that the Protocol puts in place a range of conditions that raise the bar so high for private participation as to make it impossible or unlikely. Added to which there remain significant differences over the interpretation of how the hybrid SPV will function. This is hardly surprising as many of the key issues have yet to be settled.

Some of the disagreements are focused around the following issues:

- The Protocol clearly sets out that the return on investment from EASSy will be regulated. The IGA is supposed to set this figure. As another party to the process told us:”There have been no actual discussions on the (RoI) figure that I’m aware of. Although there has been the idea of putting in a framing methodology.” Without a figure, it’s hard to see how an external investor can decide or not whether to become involved.

- There are significant differences remaining as to how the hybrid SPV will operate. The Protocol envisages a more central position for its SPV within the hybrid SPV whereas the EASSy consortium members who will remain outside of the NEPAD sponsored SPV are looking for reasons why they should get involved in the controlling entity. The cynical might say they are still looking for competitive advantage but they have a point when they worry that the controlling entity is liable to Government “capture”.

- The process through which shareholders are chosen to participate continues to strike a false note for those wanting to see more rather than less competition. In particular, international operators need to be approved by the IGA. The Protocol signers want the entity to reflect Africa’s ownership of this “strategic heights” asset. It is as one source close to the process told us:”The Governments have added two bureaucratic layers to the process and it introduces the possibility of “friends” of Governments getting special favours.”

Nevertheless there is a feeling amongst the different parties that these gaps can be closed if the Joint Task Force that convened the Nairobi meeting that agreed the hybrid SPV is re-convened as it acts as a link between the various parties. Without it, there is the danger of a disconnect occurring.

This leaves the falling-out with the Kenyan Government. How has it occurred? The understandable part of the Kenyan Government’s reluctance to sign is a perhaps disbelieving attitude that the many and various parties will get a deal done. To this must be added how the East African sub-region feels about South Africa. The reality of the regional politics mean that article 18 of the Protocol will ensure that South Africa will attend a coronation for its role as Chair of the body and NEPAD is seen as a South African Government vehicle. Close relationships between key parties have already raised eyebrows privately.

So the Kenyan Government’s separate play is a way of putting the Protocol signatories on notice that they must act fast and seek to sort out outstanding issues. Meanwhile it will parallel-track its own connection to Fujairah as a form of insurance, claiming it will raise money from the local Stock Exchange. Whether the Stock Exchange has the capacity to raise this kind of money or wants to has yet to be tested and may take as long to get to as EASSy itself. There is no sign yet of Telkom Kenya pulling out of EASSy so this each way bet is in place for the moment and at least it feels it will have some control over the process.

Meanwhile in two weeks time Flag Telecoms will be in Kenya to meet with KDN about its proposals and the backers it has got together. It is not hard to envisage a situation in which KDN and the Government agree that whoever manages to get the project off the ground will go ahead. KDN remains committed to providing the cheapest available capacity.

The next three months will be “make-or-break” for the EASSy project as both Governments and existing backers seek to convince external investors that this might be a project that’s well worth investing in.

ETHIOPIAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION LOOKS EAST

The Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) last Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with three Chinese telecom companies on a telecom infrastructure development project.

ETC has designed a four-year expansion project which would enable it to increase the number of mobile phones from the existing 1.5 million lines to seven million, the number of landlines from one million to four million and to lay a six-km-long optical fibre backbone network. So far, the corporation has installed a 4,000-km-long optical fibre network across the nation.

The total cost of the telecom infrastructure development project is estimated at USD 2.4 billion. ZTE Corporation, Huawei Technologies and Chinese International Telecommunication Construction Corporation (CITCC) are the three Chinese firms recruited for the project.

Tefera Walwa, Minister of Capacity Building, Junedin Sado, Minister of Transport and Communications, the Chinese ambassador to Ethiopia, Mr. Lin, Lin and other dignitaries attended the signing ceremony held at the Sheraton Addis.

ETC's CEO, Amare Amsalu, said that the corporation, together with the Ethiopian government, has been pursuing various workable strategies to secure the financing required for the implementation of the telecom infrastructure development projects. "Due to the size and complexity of the projects, the corporation devised a scheme in which telecom companies could come up with a fund that would enable them to provide the goods and services required for the project," Amsalu said.

Abdurahim Ahmed, head of the communications department with ETC told The Reporter that the companies were expected to secure loans from international banks and to invest on the projects. "The corporation would re-imburse the fund," Abdurahim said. According to him, the companies will be involved in mobile, landline and wireless telephone network expansion projects. They will be also engaged in the deployment of optical fiber.

Eight companies had submitted financial proposals to the corporation. Western telecom giants like Simens, Nokia, Alcatel and Eriksson are among the list. But ETC selected the Chinese firms. "After conducting serious scrutiny and evaluation of the financing proposals the privilege to facilitate sources of finance for the project is extended to the three companies," Amare said. "

(SOURCE: The Reporter)

SEVEN FIRMS IN RACE TO COMPETE AGAINST TELKOM IN KENYA

Seven telecommunication firms have now been short-listed to vie for the second national operator licence. This means that one firm has been dropped from the list of eight that Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) Director-General John Waweru announced earlier in August to have pre-qualified.

Although Waweru declined to name them as the firms pre-qualified, it has emerged that those in the race include: France Telecom, Telkom South Africa, India's state run Telco, Mahanagar's Telephone Nigam Ltd, Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, a consortium led by Swedtel of Sweden, VTEL from Palestine and Bharti Venturetech of Mauritius.

The CCK chairman, Joseph Njagi, regretted the delay in the licensing of the SNO. "We do appreciate that the country has lost enormously due to the delay of entry of a competitor to Telkom-Kenya," said Njagi. The first attempt to find an SNO was in 2003. It was, however, cancelled after only one bidder was left in the race. According to the CCK plan, the SNO provider will be announced in December.

However, the new operator is expected to start rolling out its services in May next year. "This is because of the equipment must be customised and therefore the winner will have to go back and start manufacturing them to the local specifications," said Waweru at an earlier meeting.

The winner will have a unified licence, which will enable provision of mobile telephone, Internet backbone, international voice gateway, commercial Vsat and long-distance voice and data services.

Bitange Ndemo, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Information and Communication, hoped the SNO would streamline telecommunication charges. "These prices are still high for majority of users," he said adding that he expects "the second operator to inject the necessary competition to bring" them down.

(SOURCE: The East African Standard)

ILLEGAL TRADE IN CELLULAR LINES STILL RIFE IN ZIMBABWE

The Posts and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) has been accused of failing to tame the illegal trading of mobile phone lines despite banning the activity. Underhand trading of lines at inflated prices is common in Zimbabwe with the newspapers full of adverts offering "brand new" lines for all three networks on a daily basis.

Zimbabwe's three mobile phone service providers Econet Wireless, Telecel and Net*One have failed to meet demand for mobile lines. The authority banned the sale of lines on the black market last year. "That was the end of it because no clampdown of any sort has been made neither have there been any arrests made of those who sell lines on the black market," said an official from one of the network operators.

Announcing the ban then, Potraz Director-General Cuthbert Chidoori said the illegal activity had reached alarming levels, adding that the situation was hampering smooth service delivery by licensed cellular providers. He said in some instances the illegal dealings involved syndicates that were difficult to break.

Commenting on the illegal trade, Econet spokesperson Dakarai Matanga said his company does not have direct control over pre-paid lines once they have been sold to customers. This is despite the fact that the lines would have been sold through a strictly monitored distribution system.

"It is a fact that due to the current shortage of pre-paid lines on the market, a parallel market has emerged where customers decide to sell their lines at prices way above the recommended retail prices," said Matanga. He said they had taken it upon themselves to at least minimise and eventually eliminate the challenge through network expansion.

"This expansion is expected to result in the release of more lines on the market. However, it must be borne in mind that due to the current economic challenges facing the country, it is not yet possible for the company to completely meet the demand for cellular lines, both pre-paid and contract," he said.

Meanwhile, other operators were also carrying out their own expansion projects to meet demand.

NetOne announced last week that it had embarked on a network upgrading exercise that would see at least 60 000 additional lines being released by the end of this month. The firm last year clamp downed on illegal dealing by blocking all lines suspected to have been sold on the informal market.

As at February this year, Econet had 457,228 subscribers while Net*One's subscriber base currently stands at around 500,000. Telecel has a subscriber base of around 39,000.

(SOURCE: The Herald)

BABANGIDA’S SON’S NAME APPEARS ON SOME GLOBACOM OWNERSHIP DOCUMENTS

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has explained that his commission has not yet concluded the investigation into the share ownership of one of the nation's Global Systems of Mobil Communications (GSM), Globacom.

Speaking on the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) monitored in Kaduna last week, Ribadu said his Commission had yet to unravel the real ownership of the company. "The matter is still on up till now. We saw the documents concerning the owners of Globacom, but all of them denied that they are the owners," he said.

Commenting on the claim by the management of Globacom that Mohammed Babangida, son of former military President Ibrahim Babangida, is not a part owner of the company, Ribadu stated that the invitation of Mohammed by his Commission was part of the efforts aimed at unravelling the actual owners of the telecommunication outfit.

He explained that the extension of invitation to Mohammed Babangida was because his name appeared in some of the documents of Globacom, querying: "How come the documents show that he is? If you want to establish a company in Nigeria, there are laws and procedures regarding ownership; you must submit the names of the owners of the company.

"The people who have the company are those included in the registration of the company. The address they gave has not changed.

"We called him (Mohammed) and showed him all these things. We asked him why he was still denying that he was not one of the owners of the company in spite of all the documents. We asked him whether he sold his shares to them; if he sold it where is the money, the money you invested in the company, where did you get it?" Asked to comment on the allegation that Mike Adenuga, Chairman of Globacom, had fled the country, Ribadu said: "We are looking for him, the day we asked him to come back, he left this country. Up till today, we are looking for him."

The EFCC boss also refuted allegations that his Commission is being used to hunt the Vice President, arguing that, "Are you saying that we should keep quiet and close our eyes to a case like this; we should not pursue the truth? "Are you saying that for instance, if America say we should investigate this (VP) case, then we say we cannot do it? Haba!"

The Commission's chairman accused the Vice President of not addressing the issues raised in the commission's report that indicted him of financial impropriety. Ribadu said it was wrong for Atiku not to own up to the Marine Float account and stop dragging President Obasanjo into it, explaining: "The account was opened in 1992. In 1992 there was no Obasanjo, he was not even in prison at that time talk more of coming out to be President. "Even the money they are talking about; the one given by Dariye was given to Marine Float in 2001, and that time there was no presidential campaign.

"The remaining money that was withdrawn from the bank we are talking about and deposited into Marine were done after the 2003 presidential election."

When reminded that the public would be interested in the publication of all the names of people who benefited from the account Ribadu explained: "We cannot bring in things we were not asked to do. This was the aspect we were asked to investigate. This is the money we are investigating. We have traced where the money went, the money was not used for election.

"What the investigation brought to us is that the Vice President went and spoke with this member of the House of Representatives in America, Mr. Jefferson. We discovered that it was the Vice President who authorized that the PTDF money should be taken to the banks."

(SOURCE: This Day)

SA’S VODACOM NOT LIABLE FOR DROPPED CALLS BUT ICASA TO TAKE UP QUALITY ISSUE

Vodacom may have won the right not to be held liable for dropped calls by the Johannesburg High Court last Friday, but it has a new adversary to deal with on the issue – Paris Mashile, Chairperson of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa).

Speaking at the World Wide Worx’s mobility conference in Johannesburg today, Mashile said Icasa will be looking into the High Court ruling and will expect quality of service reports from the cellular networks. “I am sure that millions of Rand is made from dropped calls [by the cellular networks]... The quality of their service to consumers will need to be checked,” he says.

Mashile believes it is an issue of network congestion, one of the reasons for the introduction of happy hours. Mashile says networks therefore should either increase their network capacity or charge a flat rate. In addition, Mashile lashed out at the operators on the issue of per minute/second billing, saying Icasa would address the issue.

“I empathise with consumers on the issue of per minute billing. If someone makes a call and speaks for a few second, they are charged for the full minute or if they speak for four minutes and five seconds, they are charged for five minutes.”

Mashile says the issue needs to be addressed and per second billing should be offered by all operators (across prepaid and post paid scenarios). He warned that while some people may see Icasa as toothless, “They ain’t seen nothing yet. We will challenge anti-competitive behaviour in the market and will put offenders’ feet to the fire.”

Sajeed Sacranie, CEO of Virgin Mobile, also lashed out at Virgin’s competitors at the conference saying consumers lose 40% of airtime to per minute billing and dropped calls. Sacranie labelled his competitors “fat cats” who are “ripping the consumer off to gain super profits. And now these ‘fat cats’ are trying to resist number portability which is scheduled for the 10th of November.” He called on Icasa and consumers to do everything they could to ensure that number portability is not delayed again.

(SOURCE: IntrinsicMedia)

IN BRIEF:

- The introduction of number portability in South Africa has been postponed until 10th November. The decision was made by the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) after pressure from Vodacom, MTN and Cell C. Virgin chairman Richard Branson complained about this delay as the company hopes that number portability will help it win more users by freeing up contract customers to defect from the rival networks. Only 5-million of SA's 32-million users have a contract tying them to one network but they are generally the high spenders who contribute most of the profits

- Amidst ongoing calls by Private Telecoms Operators for effective interconnection between major telecoms operators and PTO's, Globacom, Nigeria's second major operator has signed an interconnect arrangement with Interconnect Clearinghouse Nigeria (ICN), thus becoming the first dominant operator to do so.

- Two South African companies, TDS Directory Operations (Pty) Limited and Pelican Investment 7 (Pty) Limited, have been awarded the latest Telecom Namibia directory tenders. The two will jointly produce the national telephone directory from 2007 to 2012.

- At a press conference this week the DG of Camtel, the national incumbent in Cameroon, has announced that redundancies will be made at the company prior to its privatisation. The 11 potential investors that have been pre-qualified in the tendering process of the privation have been invited to Yaoundé to visit Camtel infrastructure and to provide further information on their respective bids.

- The Uganda Parliament has reduced taxes on public pay phones and landlines. The tax has been decreased from 5% to 3%.

- Senegalese newspaper Wal Fadjiri which covered the opening ceremony of the 4th meeting of the French speaking regulators (FRATEL) reported that the Minister of Post and Telecommunications had nothing new to say about the licensing process of a third national telecommunications operator. According to the local newspaper the government hasn’t make any further progress in the drafting of the legislation that is required to open up the market.

TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE

- Zimbabwe mobile operator NetOne announced its aims to boost its subscriber base from 560,000 in 2006 to 1,500,000 by the end of next year as the mobile phone provider seeks to increase its market share. At the same time, Econet, Zimbabwe's largest mobile network operator based on subscriber numbers - will early next year introduce Third Generation (3G) cellular service initially targeting the capital city Harare, before extending to other major urban centers.

- Sierra Leone cellco Millicom SL has rebranded under the name Tigo and launched new services. Amongst the features on offer are Back Tones, a ringtone service, and SMSPlus, an information and entertainment service via SMS. Millicom SL currently has around 30,000 customers, ranking it third in the country.

- Celtel Kenya has launched a new internet service called Celtel Access for its pre-paid and post-paid subscribers. The charges will be per download and not with respect to duration. They will be as low as Sh8 per megabyte.

- Mark Procter, COO of mobile operator Tigo in Ghana has announced that his company has plans to expand its network to provide sufficient capacity to serve its customers better.

GVF SUMMIT ASKS: DOES BROADBAND SATELLITE MAKE SENSE FOR WEST AFRICA?

This is one of the many questions that the GVF West Africa Satellite Communications Summit will try to answer in Abuja, 31 October to 2 November. With a welcoming address by Professor Isoun Turner, Honourable Minister of Science & Technology of the Nigerian Federal Government, the Summit will be further enhanced with the expert contribution of several leading figures in the West, and wider, African information and communications technology (ICT) environment, including from the Nigerian National Space Research & Development Agency (NASRDA), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), NigComSat Ltd, the West African Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), the Regional African Satellite Communications Organisation (RASCOM), and the Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON). In addition, the NCC and WATRA have officially endorsed the Summit.

Martin Jarrold, Chairman of the West Africa Satellite Communications Summit, said that "the Ministerial Welcoming Address will be an invaluable contribution to the Summit proceedings, providing international speakers and delegates with a privileged insight into the wealth of opportunity associated with the continuing development of ICT - with particular reference to satellite - in Nigeria and its West African neighbours."

The West Africa Satellite Communications Summit is dedicated to promoting and provisioning the dialogue surrounding the deployment of satellite-based communications solutions across the region, and contributing a key element of this dialogue will be NigComSat Ltd, principal sponsor of the Summit. NigComSat Ltd will manage and operate the NigComSat-1 geostationary communications satellite, commissioned by the Nigerian National Space Research & Development Agency (NASRDA), and scheduled for launch in 2007.

A principal feature of the Summit will be high-level executive participation from end-users of satellite and satellite-hybrid communications solutions in the region's economically vital vertical markets. The verticals to be included in the Summit programme are banking & other financial services, mobile communications, and the energy sector.

The private satellite communications sector will be represented in the Summit programme by organisations including Hughes Network Systems, Sky2Net, Intelsat, Satlynx, TelNet Network Services, Gilat Satellite Networks, and PCCW Global.

With the accelerating growth of the regional communications end-user community creating heightened demand for access solutions, a wealth of international satcoms solutions providers aiming to match their supply to that demand, and Nigeria's domestic satellite initiatives, West Africa is indeed heading for more broadband satellite. But, does it make sense? As always, time will tell, but we haven't got long to wait before we will know for sure.

TELKOM 'OUTAGE' LEAVES MWEB CLIENTS STRANDED

Thousands of businesses and consumers were unable to access the Internet and their e-mail last week morning after a "critical outage" suffered by internet service provider MWeb.

The network failure affected the whole northern part of SA as MWeb's data centre in Johannesburg was out of action for 90 minutes during the peak morning period. Users in other parts of the country were not affected as its Cape Town data centre operated normally.

Chief technical officer Mervyn Goliath placed the blame on Telkom, citing a failure of Telkom equipment in Rosebank, Johannesburg. Telkom was quick to restore the network, Goliath said, keeping the disruption relatively short.

"The entire Johannesburg data centre went off the air," he said. "The Telkom circuit is MWeb's pipeline into the internet so all our services, such as e-mail and website hosting, were affected." MWeb runs the websites for many corporate customers, and those sites went down.

The collapse was bad news for many companies but it could be good news for Neotel, the new telecommunications operator. Last week MWeb was hailed by Neotel as one of its first customers -- but the services it is buying did not include Internet access. That could change after the Telkom collapse. "The only way we can overcome this is to balance our traffic and take some circuits with Neotel," Goliath said. "We are investigating using more Neotel services. Failures like this don't occur regularly because Telkom is fairly stable, but when you have an outage you wish you had an alternative."

(SOURCE: Business Day)

INDIA WIRES AFRICA TO BEAT CHINA

The government of India is awarding millions of dollars in grants to African countries for a cross-continental communications network, in the hopes of selling some telecom gear -- and sticking it to China in the process.

The Indian government is investing $1 billion on a massive joint initiative with the African Union to build a Pan-African e-Network (PAN), which will hook up 53 countries with integrated satellite, fiber, and wireless connectivity.

The project, first outlined in a memorandum of understanding between the two parties in October 2005, is moving ahead with Ethiopia, South Africa, Ghana, and Mauritius as the first beneficiaries and Senegal hosting the network hub.

State-owned Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd. (TCIL) has been selected to implement the network, which India will manage for five years before turning it over to the African Union. An invitation for expressions of interest (EOI) to provide satellite capacity for the network closed yesterday.

According to the tender document on TCIL's Website, "The proposed network is a satellite-based star/mesh network in C-band designed initially to support about 169 VSAT terminals with a hub station in Senegal." TCIL is looking for an initial leasing agreement of one year, to be reviewed at a later date.

The network, which will feature video conferencing and VoIP connectivity, will connect the offices of the heads of state in each country, and also provide a range of applications, including online education, telemedicine, e-commerce, e-governance, and "infotainment."

“The Network will consist of 5 regional universities, 53 learning centers, 5 regional Super Speciality Hospitals and 53 remote hospitals in all countries of Africa," according to a press release from India's Ministry of External Affairs. There will be 6 universities and 5 Super Speciality Hospitals from India linked into the Network,” so that the participating organizations can use “Indian expertise in information technology to bring benefits of healthcare and higher education to all countries of Africa, including in remote areas.”

But the move isn't entirely altruistic -- the Indian government is using it as an opportunity to drum up business for the country's telecom companies, including state-owned equipment vendor ITI Ltd. and TCIL, as well as boost demand for IT services. It also wants to thumb its nose at China.

Government officials have made no bones about the fact they want to plant a flag in Africa's nascent ICT markets before China -- and its goverment-backed telecom vendors -- steps up its investments in the region. For example, at a recent workshop on India-Africa trade relations, R.P. Sehgal, regional chairman of India's Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC), referred to the project as part of India's strategy to strengthen "our economic ties with Africa before we lose out to China," according to media reports.

The project is just the latest example of rivalry between the two nations in the telecom space, where the Indian government is trying to restrict the growth of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. and ZTE Corp. in its domestic market.

(SOURCE: Light Reading)

AFRICA VIRTUAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT PROJECT IS LAUNCHED

Tralliance Corporation, the .travel Registry, working with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) today announced the establishment of the Africa Virtual Heritage Management Project (VHMP) before an audience of travel industry leadership at the Tourism Africa 2006 Conference. The inaugural conference is taking place under the patronage of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and its president Jean-Claude Baumgarten, which also was the first travel trade association to support the global .travel initiative.

The progressive initiative will ensure the registration of each country's place names including cities, towns, heritage and sacred sites, and national parks and reserves for all African nations are rightfully secured within the growing .travel Internet space. In line with the UNWTO's ongoing commitment to develop tourism in Africa, the project will ensure that each African country will be able to market its tourism assets through the .travel brand equally with the rest of the world now and in the future.

The project is designed to ensure that once registered through the VHMP, approximately 4,000 primary Africa place names, from all 55 African nations, will be held in trust by the UNWTO for an initial period of up to five years. At any time, each African nation will be able to request the transfer of respective place names to the rightful authorities within their country in accordance with .travel policies.

The VHMP comes as the .travel Place Name Priority Right deadline is drawing near. The December 31, 2006 deadline is looming large for all nations in the world. After this time, all place names left unclaimed by any country will be open to commercial travel entities. Any businesses that may share a place name will have the legal right to register the name.

With the support of the UNWTO and key African travel and tourism organizations, including the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) and Egyptian Tourist Authority, Tralliance is coordinating the four-month project to ensure that all African place names are registered by the December 31, 2006 deadline. Dr. Tanya Abrahamse, Tralliance's Managing Director, Africa, will be at the helm of the Africa VHMP.

"The Virtual Heritage Management Project will greatly benefit the nations of our extraordinary continent," says Abrahamse. "Through assisting Africa's nations to claim their respective .travel place names, each country on the continent will be able to achieve a renewed, maximum return on their tourism assets for decades to come. The pioneering policies and approach of .travel will guarantee equitable access to global markets."

To ensure that the interim funding is in place while Tralliance identifies the appropriate African development institution, the VHMP initiative has received support from two key patrons and distinguished business leaders in South Africa and Egypt, Cyril Ramaphosa, prominent leader of the liberation movement and member of the South African Tourism Board, and Elhamy El Zayat, Chairman and CEO of Emeco Travel. These African businessmen, from the continent's south and north respectively, recognize the need to support the heritage of their African brothers and sisters and for future generations by committing to back this unprecedented project.

"Protecting all of Africa's iconic place names via the Virtual Heritage Management Project will become the cornerstone in preserving African patrimony over its rich and diverse tourism assets," shared Ramaphosa.

El Zayat notes, "It is imperative that Africa establishes its rightful place alongside the rest of the nations of the world. The use of the Internet is one of the fastest growing phenomena in the tourism industry; through .travel, Africa can take a collective leap forward by monetizing all of its tourism assets."

Egypt was the inspiration for the project and has set the example for African nations with the development of its official www.egypt.travel portal, created as part of a national objective to promote all of Egypt's place names through its .travel domain.

"We felt we had another chance to protect our country's key tourism assets, such as our famed pyramids, archaeological and historic sites, but also recognized the opportunity to strengthen Egypt's presence in the global market by establishing our very own space on the Internet," says Ahmed El-Khadem, Chairman of the Egyptian Tourist Authority. "By utilizing .travel as a marketing tool, we are able to communicate to the global traveling consumer that this domain is the source of all Egypt-related online travel information, and are already seeing the benefits. Since its introduction in March 2006, www.egypt.travel has received nearly 2 million unique visitors, a significantly larger number than we have ever seen before."

"The success of Egypt was the catalyst for the AVHM project. We hope all African nations will be encouraged to protect, promote and maximize their tourism assets in the online global marketplace, as Egypt has done, as a result of this initiative," says Ron Andruff, President of Tralliance Corporation, the .travel Registry. ".travel, its attendant directory.travel and search.travel, can empower an emerging Africa, rapidly bringing it into parity with more mature tourism destinations in other parts of the world to the benefit of everyone."

"Without visionaries like Mr. Ramaphosa and Mr. El Zayat, and the commitment of the UNWTO to Africa and the Millennium Development Goals, this would not have been possible."

IN BRIEF:

- Telkom Kenya has announced that work has started on laying the cable linking Nairobi to the border down of Malaba. The Nairobi-Malaba cable will be laid alongside the oil pipeline owned by Kenya Pipeline Corporation (KPC). Telkom will, in return, connect KPC's depots and offices to the cable network. The cost of the project is estimated at about $80 million (Sh6 billion) and is the 2nd phase of expansion coverage plan which has seen the rollout of a similar cable from Mombasa to Nairobi.

- Since its launch in the Moroccan market in November 2003, ADSL subscription has grew at a phenomenal rate reaching 341,859 subscribers at the end of June 2006. ADSL market grew by 138% since June 2005. Dial up connections and leased lines numbers continue to decline and stand as follows at the end of June 2006: 9,053 dial up connections and 1,060 leased lines

- MTN Nigeria announced that it has completed the first phase of its 2,500kms fibre optic transmission network. The ring runs through Lagos-Benin-Asaba-Port Harcourt-Enugu-Abuja-Ibadan-Lagos .The next phase of the fibre optic project will connect Abuja, Kaduna and Kano with the South and East. The national fibre optic project will ultimately cover an area in excess of 3,500km and will span the length and breadth of Nigeria.

NIGERIA'S ATM MARKET IS FASTEST GROWING IN AFRICA

Nigeria in the last few years has recorded technological advancements against all odds. First was the tsunami like rapid growth of the GSM technology which in the last five years has grown in leaps and bounds, making it the fastest growing sector in Africa and the third largest in the world.

The spread of these machines in the deployment of financial services is a technology that cannot be ignored since the consolidation of the Banking sub sector. As at today,over 800 ATMs have already been deployed by the banks on the InterSwitch network in the last three years, making Nigeria one of the fastest growing ATM market in Africa . The combined network may hit over 4000 ATMs by December 2007 if the current rate of operation by the banks is sustained.

According to a recent survey. The survey stated that one of the most visible outcomes of post-consolidation exercise in the banking industry is aggressive deployment of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) by the consolidated banks.The growing trend in the deployment of ATMs show that almost all the banks are deploying cash machines as means of decongesting their shop-floors. Banks that are yet to implement their ATM network have opened letter of credits (LC) to vendors to bring in the cash machines.

However, industry watchers are already concerned by the inefficient deployment of funds by the banks in the setting up of ATM networks. According to industry sources, the banks are not utilizing the opportunities thrown up for collaboration which may lower deployment and branding cost.

Presently, most of the local banks are busy deploying off-site (non-bank branch) ATMs network in variance with global and continent trends. But the local banks are jostling over themselves, and are already leasing locations at prohibitive cost to deploy off-banking site location ATMs. In Nigeria, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), after extensive consultation with the banks, has put in place a statute that empower the banks to release cash to third party organizations outside the financial industry for the operation of ATM networks to encourage a similar growth locally.

CBN's regulatory framework empowers the banks to dish out cash to non-financial institutions as part of its liquid assets. Hitherto, there were no regulations that empowered the banks to give cash to non-financial institution, hence third parties or non financial institutions had to loan cash from the banks to meet their cash need.

Worse hit by the system, ATM Consortium (ATMC), Nigeria 's pioneer and leading off-site independent ATM deployer (IAD) and operator of the QuickCash network, had appealed to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to put in place a national currency management system to ensure that non-bank operators of the facility can access ATM-fit notes in sufficient quantities to support its services.

Perhaps, CBN needs to enforce the regulation by forbidding the banks from setting up off-site banking locations. This will go a long way in attracting private equity into the business and therefore bringing in more professionalism into it.

However, it is pertinent to note that some local banks are already exploiting the outsourcing or subsidiary model, by outsourcing the deployment and management of their ATM networks to ATMC.

According to a banker in one of the consolidated banks, who pleaded anonymity, said the outsourcing option is strategic in ATM business. "There is no alternative to the outsourcing model because for the banks running the ATM network is typically not our core business. We therefore don't focus on the necessary expertise and technical ability to do it. In fact, the alternative to this model is chaos. But I hope the banks realize this early enough", he said

Ironically, banks in smaller African countries are embracing and acknowledging the inherent advantage of scale in this outsourcing model.

Meanwhile, the global trend strongly emerging is that several banks in Europe and the US are building multilateral shared ATM platforms for the operation and management of ATMs in off-banking locations.

In the West, white-label or no name ATMs or better still non-bank branded shared ATMs are deployed by third-parties who make their machines available to bank customers and make money on each transaction. A model where multiple banks could outsource deployment of ATMs to private companies is gaining ground globally.

This outsourcing model option thus frees the banks from the day to day running of the ATM networks, and enables them to focus on their core competencies of financial services. With this model, there could even be private equity players who could look at foraying into this space. The largest ATM network in the United State and Europe are owned by private equity players such as Banktronics, Bank Machines. Even in South Africa , the largest ATM network is not owned by banks but a private equity player called ATM Solutions.

In Tanzania , East Africa , six local banks have teamed up to establish one Automated Teller Machine (ATM) deployer to be known as "Umoja Switch".

To be launched later this year, Umoja Switch would enable customers with accounts in any of the banks to procure services from the banks' shared devices.

The six banks in the Umoja Switch are Akiba Commercial Bank (ACB), Azania Bancorp, Dar es Salaam Community Bank (DCB), Tanzania Investment bank (TIB), Euroafrican bank and Twiga Bancorp.

In Kenya , another East African country, more banks have joined PesaPoint ATM network. In August, National Bank of Kenya becomes the 7th financial institution to be activated on the ATM network since it started operations in November 2005.

Other banks on the PesaPoint ATM network which specializes in deployment of cash machines at off-banking site locations include Fina Bank, Diamond Trust Bank, NIC Bank, Imperial Bank Limited, Prime Bank and Guardian Bank.

Speaking at the launch of the partnership in Nairobi , Mr. Reuben Marambii, Managing Director of National Bank of Kenya said, "National Bank is proud to be the first large bank in Kenya to recognize the value that PesaPoint can bring its customers in keeping with our commitment to meeting their growing needs. Through this initiative we are providing our customers access to one of the largest and most affordable networks offered by any bank.

"Offering services through third parties is increasingly being recognized where these are provided by resourceful and focused partners. PesaPoint's strong branding and innovative positioning will make it easy for our customers to get access to their cash wherever they are", he pointed out.

Even in India Automated Teller Machine (ATM) service providers are in talks with banks to set up a joint venture subsidiary to roll out white-label ATMs. The talks are taking place in anticipation of guidelines on white-labelled ATMs to be issued by the RBI.

Thus, the route of a subsidiary company is being explored by both players. ATM providers are trying to work out a deal where, for the purpose of banking regulation, the cash would be a part of the banks treasury but the infrastructure would be brought in by the service provider.

The players are looking at setting up a model where multiple banks could outsource the deployment of ATMs to private company. Among domestic players, there are three private sector banks who are actively examining this option as of now. Development Credit Bank is one of the banks tipped to have received a similar proposal from one of the service providers.

Players such as FSS, e-funds, Reliance Capital and few foreign parties such as Euronet are believed to have evinced interest in the ATM business. Australia-based Banktech group recently set up shop in India where it plans to offer services in the ATM deployment and transaction processing market by setting up white-labelled ATMs.

(SOURCE: This Day)

AFRICANS NEED TO DEVELOP OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE

Jollitte, who was presenting a paper at the Highway Africa conference, said countries like South Africa have developed a lot of software in different areas using open source, but have been prevented from making further improvements because of copyright laws.

"One thing that is hindering the development of software is the issue of patents, for example patenting scientific work and computer software. These patents are designed to curtail the development of open source software in South Africa and other countries," he said. Jollitte described the aggressive way in which patent laws are enforced in Africa as obstructive to software innovation especially in the open source area.

In spite of this, he was quite confident that the market will respond to new and cheaper alternatives and the dominance of proprietary software will not last. This is because more users are increasingly using open source which is rapidly developing, he said.

Jollitte said African countries needed to develop and promote the use of open source software because it opens up development opportunities for users. He explained that open source software gives users the freedom to learn and be innovative with the software.

"Open source gives users freedom to create their projects. We need to be innovative. Proprietary software does not give us that freedom, we cannot change it or play with it to adapt to our needs. We want the freedom to learn, we want to be able to check and change the source code of open source software," Jollitte said.

(SOURCE: Highway Africa News Agency)

NEW INITIATIVE TO PROVIDE COMPUTERS FOR ALL IN GHANA

A new enterprise between the Ghana government and multinational computer microchip maker Intel, is expected to bring affordable computer ownership within reach of thousands of Ghana households and small business owners over the next three years.

A range of inexpensive, brand new computers, supplied with access to the internet, will go a long way towards improving the level of computer literacy amongst the nation’s workforce and will help students with home study as well as improving their computing skills in readiness for employment. And to make it easy for salaried workers to buy the package, an instalment payment plan will be available through their employer or trade association.

A new partnership between computer re-sellers, Internet service providers and banks was inaugurated at a workshop for potential stakeholders and beneficiaries of the project held in Accra. At the workshop, over 150 representatives of employers’ and professional associations, ministries, departments and agencies of government, businesses, church groups, educationalists and the media were introduced to the partnership.

According to Intel representative, Sam Mensah, Ghana is one of a number of developing countries that the company is working with. “We believe this joint venture between us, the government and the other partners is a win-win situation all round with the ultimate benefit going to the computer end user.”

Dr Benjamin Aggrey Ntim, Deputy Minister of Communications pointed out that Ghana’s growth strategy relied heavily on a competent workforce with well developed IT skills. For this to be achieved, it was vital to provide affordable access to internet ready computers both in the home and at work.

Initial target for the project will be substantial employers and umbrella organizations having access to large workforces and with the ability to deduct repayments from their salaried workers or members. Explains Kwami Ahiabenu II of the programme management office “It is important that we achieve economies of scale early in the project lifecycle so that we can move large volumes of internet ready computers into the marketplace quickly. This way, the benefit of home computer ownership at affordable prices will be recognized and passed on by word-of-mouth to friends and co-workers.”

The computers, which are sold under the iADVANCE brand, meet internationally recognized specifications similar to proprietary products which sell on the local marketplace at over twice the retail price. This is achieved by assembling the computers in Ghana from only Intel approved products as well as through bulk buying of their component parts.

The iADVANCE programme, with the theme computer4all, commences immediately and enquiries from employers, associations and businesses wishing to offer pre-financed internet ready computers to staff or members, is welcomed.

IN BRIEF:

- The Government of Liberia has announced the introduction of computer skills training program in several public high schools across the country aimed at making high school graduates computer-literate. About 1,500 computers are expected to arrive in the country to jump-start the program for academic year 2006/2007.

- The first 16 international certificate ITC students at the Namibia College of Open Learning (Namcol) graduated and received the relevant certificates. Thirty-four students were enrolled, of which 12 successfully completed the seven modules of the ICDL by the end of July. In addition, 11 students have obtained start certificates by completing four of the required modules. Relevant Links

- Kenya is among 14 African countries that will benefit from a Sh70 billion Microsoft sponsored programme. Microsoft has made a five-year $1 billion commitment to UP and other programmes meant to bridge the digital divide.

- The co-creator of “Zotob” computer virus, Farid Essebar, has been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by the court of first instance of Rabat in Morocco. Farid Essebar is regarded by the American security services as the co-creator with young Turkish Attila Ekici of “Zotob” computer virus.

- The Angolan Government Information Technology Steering Plan, recently approved by the Cabinet, came into force with the publication of its resolution in the State Gazette number 96.

BOTSWANA’S BTC POSTS USD23 MILLION PROFIT

Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) has announced a profit of P139 million (USD23 million), 18% more than the P118 million the corporation made in 2005.

BTC is extremely pleased with its financial results, which exceeded expectations, showing strong revenue growth, continued profitability, and significant cash flow, the company's Chief Executive Officer, Vincent Seretse noted at a press Briefing on Tuesday adding that a cheque of P34.7 million has been declared to BTC's main shareholder, the Botswana government.

"We introduced a number of new and innovative products and services and continued to provide more effective ways for engaging with our customers. Our ongoing ability to execute against plan and utilise our industry leading technology continues to position us for long-term growth and enables us to provide our customers with best services and most relevant experience" Seretse said.

For the period ending March 31, 2006, BTC's operating costs increased by 4% or P25 million from P544 million to P565 million.

Regarding the debt to equity BTC posed a healthy, stronger balance sheet showing improved debt equity of 25% from 32% of the previous year indicating an improvement of 7%. "This means that BTC can comfortably meet short and long term obligations."

Seretse said BTC started tariff re-balancing in 2003 in agreement with the regulator Botswana Telecommunications Authority in line with government objectives of improving efficiency and opening up the market for competition and widening access to telecommunications services.

BTC and BTA have agreed on tariff changes in the voice telephony business of BTC for implementation in October of 2003 to 2007. "Telephone line rental and local call charges must be increased and most international calling rates must decrease" said Seretse.

Despite market perceptions, BTC tariff's are competitive in comparison with local and regional Telecommunications Company, the CEO noted. BTC's international tariffs have been reduced significantly up to 55% in 2005 with limited increase in volumes. Seretse announced that with effect from October BTC will implement its new tariffs which have already been approved by BTA.

The Corporation Seretse further noted is ready for privatisation which is being done in accordance with the privatisation master plan through which the government moves ownership by government to private sector ownership.

The main reasons for privatising BTC is to create a BTC that supports the government Information and Communication Technology vision and to have efficient and cost effective delivery of telecommunication services in Botswana.

BTC is to be privatised through, sale of 40-49% of BTC equity to strategic equity partner, 5% of shares to citizen employees and 15-25% privatisation trust fund while 25-30% would be retained to be sold at a later date.

(SOURCE: The Voice)

DIALOGUE TO RAISE USD7M AHEAD OF ALTX LISTING

Call-centre specialist Dialogue Holdings aims to raise R51m (USD7 million) in a private placement of 51-million shares ahead of its AltX listing on September 19.

Institutional investors in SA have been courted by the company, and CEO Jason Drew said several were interested in taking a stake. Individuals could also apply, he said, as Dialogue wanted a broad spread of investors to give it liquidity.

The JSE has granted the listing for a maximum of 210-million shares, giving it a market capitalisation of R210m.

However, the remaining shares are held by the directors and the original venture capitalists, who had relinquished only 16-million for the listing.

Dialogue is SA's largest privately owned call-centre operator, with almost 1500 seats at centres in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.

Drew said the offer at R1 a share was good value, and an opportunity to get into a thriving industry that had substantial growth prospects. "If we have one-tenth of the growth that India has seen, it will be a substantial market," he said.

Listing was necessary to boost Dialogue's international credibility and assure clients of its corporate governance credentials, he said. "All our peers around the world are listed, and as we handle more sensitive work for our clients, they want to understand who we are as a business and how we are governed. We also need a good share-option scheme so we can retain and give incentives to our management." The move would also raise enough cash to expand its facilities and employ more staff to handle larger contracts.

"We need more space, more people and more buildings to meet demand from our existing clients and new clients," Drew said. The company may also make some acquisitions to help it offer a wider range of services.

"Three of our large clients have asked for large capacity in other locations, so we are looking at that," he said

Dialogue is forecasting a net profit of R12,2m on a revenue of R114m for the year to December. In the previous financial year, it made a profit of R6,3m on a revenue of R78m. Last year was its first profitable year after it made a loss of R3,6m in 2004, as it set up and expanded its operations, and chased clients for those services. Growth should continue throughout next year, the directors said, when attributable earnings should climb to R19m. Recent client acquisitions include McCarthy Insurance, Media24 and Absa.

Dialogue also won a R106m deal to run MTN's call centre for 18 months, one of the largest outsourcing contracts in SA. A deal has also been won with an unnamed US Fortune 500 financial services company. The contracts will generate about R100m in revenue over the next year, and create 400 jobs.

(SOURCE: Business Day)

SOUTH AFRICA’S INTERCONNECTIVE SERVICES RISES ON BIGGER OFFERING, MARGINS

Voice and data specialist Interconnective Solutions has inched its way further into profitability by broadening the range of services it offers and concentrating on those with a fatter profit margin.

In the past it has swung between profit and loss as the take-up for some of its services proved slower than expected.

Yesterday it posted results for the year to June 30 showing revenue up from R30,5m to R33,1m and net profit of R2,5m, up from R1m a year ago. Headline earnings a share doubled to 2,5c.

CEO Mark Smith said lower-margin activities had been replaced with businesses that attracted higher margins. That saw a modest 8% growth in revenue while gross profit as a percentage of revenue rose 17% to 52,4%.

The group's FoneWorx subsidiary provides business and "infotainment" services to Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom. It has hosted more than 500 interactive campaigns for television shows including Strictly Come Dancing and Generations, and has been appointed as a sole provider of such services to the SABC.

In the past year the group spent almost R1m on research and development, with the pay-back from that not yet reaching the balance sheet. Some of the cash went into developing new software that enables clients such as radio and television stations launch their own SMS services.

Another offering is a Fax-to-e-mail conversion service, which grew its revenue by 250%. Since that service is bandwidth intensive, Interconnective bought 40% of the internet service provider ALTONet so it could use ALTONet's network and benefit from those earnings. It also established a new company, SurveyOnline, to conduct electronic surveys using e-mail, websites and SMS.

(SOURCE: Business Day)

IN BRIEF:

- Algerie-Telecom will issuefrom 17 September to 17 October 2006 a 20 billion dinar public bond (nearly US$350 million), the company's chairman, Slimane Kheirdine, announced. The issue of bonds is intended to the public, to artificial and natural persons, including financial institutions, he explained in a news conference conducted in the presence of Posts and ICT Minister Boudjemaa Haichour, and Mobilis (Mobile telephony operator) chairman, El Hachemi Belhamdi.

- The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved US$10 million International Development Association (IDA) grant to the Government of Rwanda to install modern systems. The grant will help establish and equip ministries and district offices with a standard suite of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure such as computers, printers, telecommunications and internet access and support services, enabling them to take full advantage of ICTs via the E-Rwanda Project.

- Kenya’s government says it expects to have sold a further 9% stake in mobile operator Safaricom before April 2007. The government has a 60% interest in Safaricom which is held via the state-owned fixed line operator Telkom Kenya. It is selling off a 9% share in order to raise funds to help with Telkom’s restructuring.

NEW GLOBAL FORUM FOR MOBILE ONLINE USERS

An industry forum working to improve the take-up of Internet services on mobile devices has opened its membership to any company in the sector. The dotMobi advisory group is inviting organisations to join to help ensure the .mobi internet address is operated in the best interests of the mobile community.

The .mobi domain helps consumers to find internet content and services designed to be user-friendly on a mobile device. It also helps industry stakeholders to share ideas for improving the mobile internet experience.

"We want an active membership made up of thought leaders and people who have a stake in delivering to the needs of over 2,5-billion mobile subscribers worldwide," said Michael O'Farrell, who chairs the advisory group. By working closely with .mobi, the group's members could influence the policies, technology innovations and commercialisation efforts to help drive a fair and profitable mobile internet economy, he said.

The domain is run by dotMobi, a company with investors including Ericsson, the GSM Association, Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung, T-Mobile and Vodafone. Through the advisory group, dotMobi can keep in touch with trends and understand the needs of mobile internet users.

The group will hold its first online discussion on the issue of pay-per-click sites tomorrow. Registration for the event is free via www.mag.mtld.mobi/ForumRegistrations.

(SOURCE: Business Day)

BLOGGING AFRICA - A REVIEW OF AFRICAN BLOGS

The following is a summary review of African blogs from around the globe.

African Bullets & Honey (http://bulletsandhoney.blogspot.com/2006/09/is-digital-indaba-internet-berlin.html) takes issue with the Digital Indaba on Blogging taking place in Johannesburg this week. He sees the conference as a way of "codifying" the African blogosphere which will end up excluding those who cannot or do not wish to participate rather than produce an inclusive blogging environment. A kind of colonisation process is taking place by those that seek to codify and appropriate the knowledge and ideas which are individual to each and every blogger. In short, the very aspect of blogging that makes it unique and differentiates it from the mainstream media, is being challenged.

"What really pulls my goat among all the ills of this 'inclusive' event is the corralling of bloggers - most of whom are just doing their own thing - into the donor universe. Consider once again the language of the Indaba which views blogging, at least in one aspect, thus:

"Blogging, because of its far reach and networking qualities, is an essential tool in ensuring that the UN Millennium Development Goals are achieved in Africa and NEPAD remains a united and benevolent alliance on the continent."

But it is not just the "codifying of the African blogosphere" that annoys Bullets and Honey. It is the idea that African bloggers are being manipulated by a group of white "managers" or blogosphere elites who want to show that we African bloggers are not simply "passive observers in the global village", but also that there is the possibility of a "market" or commercial opportunity not to be missed - a kind of new Blogging "scramble for Africa". This ties in well with other ongoing campaigns such as "keep a child alive" fronted by Gwyneth Paltrow posing as an African in the "We are all Africans" poster .

"That we should now blog to show the world (read the West and white folks) that we are somehow worthy of their respectful consideration. What nonsense. Perhaps the way to 'show the world' is to have a conference of black people in the audience listening to panels basically made up of white people. You know? To hope that the authority of whiteness rubs off on the poor little African blogosphere. I wish I will be proven wrong about such panels but the defensiveness of the white Mandelas tells the tale. Ultimately though, whoever the panellists are, and despite the 'rush for white,' the logic of this benignly conducted colonisation of Africa's blog universe will have plenty of rainbow colored African volunteers."

Kenyan Blog, 'You Missed This' (http://kumekucha.blogspot.com/2006/09/sumbeiywo-biography-good-soldier.html) comments on the biography of General Lazarus Sumbeiywo which he says has many inconsistencies that contradict earlier reports. He also considers that much of the material in the book is a threat to national security.

"The account of the coup and the President's confidence does not tally with other eyewitness reports including this blogger's (see my other post on this). At a time when the nation is trying to fill in the blanks on some very important and crucial events in her history, accuracy is very important and this is not really the time to do Andrew-Morton-like biographies designed to clean up images of past administrations. (Andrew Morton was Princess Diana's biographer who also wrote an infamous biography on former president Moi that claimed foreign minister Ouko's assassination was masterminded by fellow-Luo and powerful PS in the office of the president Hezekiah Oyugi for reasons to do with Luo politics.)"

Grandiose Parlor (http://grandioseparlor.blogspot.com/2006/09/dont-talk-about-my-nigeria.html)

Reports on an article by Chizoma Sandra Nwachukwu who disparages Nigerians abroad for criticising the government and Nigerian society.

My fellow Nigerians, stop speaking from a point of ignorance. Purpose to change the status quo. You don't need military might. Just build ties with your people. Stop writing and criticizing the government. Even though it is not living up to its responsibilities, it is better than you are because it is doing something..."

Nwachukwu assumes that all Nigerians abroad are ignorant of what is happening in their country. This is false - we all read the newspapers, talk to friends and relatives and in some cases carry out business activities. To say that the government should not be criticised because, unlike us in the Diaspora it is doing something, makes no sense. Anyone and everyone is entitled to make whatever criticisms they choose of the Nigerian government and any other government.

Nigerian technology blogger, 'Oro' - Oro (http://www.gbengasesan.com/blog/?p=110") asks that foreign governments forget giving Nigerians visas to Europe when what Nigerians need is broadband!

There is, however, a different class of young people in Nigeria. They are passionate, focused, daring... but not empowered. The world they live in is a different one and it has been referred to by those who should know as a global village - in fact, Thomas Friedman dared to call it a flat world.

In this world, location should not matter. In this world, the Internet, new technologies and other forces of globalization should enable a young Nigerian (like his Indian or Ghanaian counterparts) earn more - and live better - without the need to apply for a visa. Unless, of course, he decides to travel for a well-deserved vacation or necessary appointment. Why is it a should-be story? I would argue that the reasons are not far-fetched: young Nigerians see the new opportunities on cable networks and on the Internet; we hear of them when we connect with our friends through Skype; we dream of them after reading past editions of The Economist or Time's features on Innovation. But one single factor that can help us take the next leap is missing. Internet access in Nigeria is plug and pray, not plug and play - and that is even if you can afford it"

Egyptian Chronicles (http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2006/09/end-of-blockade-and-start-of-new.html) comments on what she describes as the new occupation of Lebanon - this time it is UNIFAL - the UN army in Lebanon.

"The Unifal will guard the Lebanese shores and airports, and also the northern borders between Syria and Lebanon too.

The Unifal will search any luggage in the harbors and airports with weight more than 20 kg as Katyusha missiles are weighted 67 kg!

The French army is back again to Lebanon after 51 years of independence with thousands of soldiers ,same as the Turkish which will return back to Lebanon after 88 years of independence from the Turkish Ottoman rule ,ironically I saw a report on CNN last week about the Lebanese Armani minority objection on the Turkish contribution in the Unifal troops , as some of you may know the Turkish Ottoman armies did massacres against the Armani people in Armani in WWI in year 1915 and till now the Armani people didn't forget it even those who live outside Armenian , anyway their objection got no importance because the Turks are coming back to Lebanon whether they like it or not."

Israel has successfully deployed the UN as a proxy army to defend its own interests in Lebanon. So far despite offers from Indonesia and Bangladesh, no Muslim countries have been permitted to join the UN forces. Israel continues to make new demands, the latest of which is the deployment of armed UN troops along the entire Syria, Lebanon border. Egyptian Chronicle rightly concludes

"You know this reminds me with the time of colonialism, in the 1936 agreement between Egypt and UK , the British army would guard the Egyptian borders too in time of war....Well the age of colonialism is back again after all."

'Gambian blogger', - Home of the Mandinmories (http://gambian.blogspot.com/index.html) comments on the 5th anniversary of 9/11: Much of the African blogosphere has been silent on 9/11, other than a few posts remembering those who were killed on that day 5 years ago. Mandinmories is the only one that takes a critical position on the direction of George Bush's war on terror.

"With the September 11 anniversary around the corner, King George and his minions will be beating the war drums again. They will try to convince the citizens of this nation that Iran is coming to get us. Iran is the new bogey man. Remember the big bad wolf of Mesopotamia (Saddam)? He supposedly has weapons to annihilate civilization or that was the rational Georgie and his handlers told us what will happen if they don't get him first. We all know how well that thingy turned out. Yeah Saddam is in jail but Iraq is teetering on the brink of disintegration. What a noble venture it has turnout to be. In the last week or two they have started their disinformation campaign again. First defense secretary Rumsfeld compared anti war Americans to Nazi sympathizers in a speech to the American legion. He later claimed to be quoted out of context after a barrage of counter offensive from the other side led by MSNBC's Keith Oberman."

Black Looks (http://www.blacklooks.org/2006/09/a_pact_against_freedom.html) has two posts in which she comments on the recent outings of gay men initially and then of lesbians last week by the Red Pepper magazine in Uganda. In the second outing, the news magazine calls on readers to phone in the names of neighbours so they (Red Pepper) can shame them by publicizing their names.

"The horrific events taking place in Uganda should be a wakeup call for everyone. People may think that they are safe from harassment and arrest because they are heterosexual. Not so, a witch hunt affects everyone irrespective of their sexuality. Your neighbour takes a disliking to you and before you know it you are being accused of being gay or a lesbian. People may think this is not their problem because they are not Ugandans. Think again, it happened in Cameroon, it's happening in Ghana right now and with the new laws in Nigeria it may soon happen there. The fundamental human rights of African citizens are slowly being eroded in Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Cameroon as religious extremists and repressive governments join in a pact against freedoms."

(SOURCE: Fahamu)

DSTV'S MONOPOLY CRASHES IN NIGERIA

Last month, the Federal Government decided to break the monopoly of Digital Satellite Television (DSTV) over the broadcast of some programmes in the country, notably the English Premiership League (EPL). And now, the management of EPL has separated Nigeria from the rest of Africa in its marketing deals, thereby removing the nation from the grip of Multichoice, owners of DSTV. This has set the stage for a healthier competition in the local media market.

This is a major departure from the past. That it took so long to deregulate the DSTV monopoly is shocking. Despite the near-cult following of English football in many parts of Africa, with the potential of willing and capable investors, Multichoice had secured the exclusive rights, on behalf of all African countries, to transmit EPL and channels like Discovery, Reality TV, National Geographic to the continent. And to ensure that it remains the only advantageous satellite subscription company in Africa, it has used, over the years, its enormous resources to negotiate for foreign programmes, on the pretext of doing so for the good of the continent. But while it is wrong to question the right of Multichoice to strengthen its profit base, the tendency of the South African company to stifle competition and maintain its stranglehold on the broadcast industry in Africa amounts to unfair trade practice.

The EPL gesture will enhance Nigeria's quest for social and economic status as the country now own the rights to air EPL matches via satellite. Not only that, domestic free-to-air television organisations have also been permitted to broadcast two games every week freely. In addition to liberalising the choices of Nigerians, these are, no doubt, remarkable contributions to the growth of soccer in the country. And if EPL's plan to invest in a Nigerian television station is actualised, the local football league that has wallowed in mediocrity for long will receive a big boost. But before then, both sporting and media stakeholders need to maximise EPL's offer.

The effort of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation in facilitating this breakthrough is commendable. Its directive to the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to inform the managers of EPL of government's resolution is directly responsible for the concession. The minister, Mr. Frank Nweke, represented the mood of the nation in London on September 4 when he declared: "Nigeria would do anything within its power to ensure that its local businesses are protected ... you will all understand that any government that fails to protect its local economy is not worth being called a government."

That pronouncement should not stop at mere rhetoric. Rather, it should be taken as a self-imposed marching order. The task of creating the environment for proper private sector participation is the government's. That means the infrastructure and policy framework that would enable the new licensee to attain and possibly surpass DSTV's achievements should be put in place. And for the local business community, this is one opportunity to justify the EPL management's confidence in Nigeria's capacity to perform.

(SOURCE: This Day)

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES - COMING SOON ON YOUR DESKTOP AND MOBILE PHONES

In the session dubbed "Television: yesterday, today, tomorrow", Devan Naidoo, of South Africa's Department of Communication, said that in a world where two billion people are mobile phone subscribers, with South Africa alone accounting for 25 million SIM cards, there should be preparation for the convergence of TV, broadcasting and telecommunications.

"Mobile telephones the world over have ambushed all kinds of communications. Legislation and licensing in the industry have to change because TV, radio, the Internet and telecommunications all seem to have a uniform infrastructure," Naidoo warned. Naidoo's presentation was directly related to the South African Electronic Communications Act, legislation created to harmonise the recent trends in TV and broadcast technology over the telecommunication platform. The session, chaired by Happy Ntshingila of Absa, included panellists Ben Ankoh of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and Vera Franz of the Open Society Institute.

Franz talked about how intellectual property rights treaties would retard technological innovation. Ankoh argued that with this technological convergence blurring boundaries, "elements are falling into place to deliver high-quality video from the Internet directly to viewers in their living rooms and on their mobile phones". He said that software has been developed to ensure the quality of video distributed over the Internet. Companies such as Microsoft and Cisco Systems' Linksys are developing products that enable TV viewing on any platform, including the Internet.

Apple Computer, which has changed the music industry with its iPod music players and the iTunes Internet music shop, has already introduced and launched a department that sells episodes of popular TV shows, such as Desperate Housewives and Lost, that can be watched over the Internet. Franz argued that despite the technological advances to move the TV industry to different heights, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) "casting treaty" is likely to retard technological innovation and hamper competition as well as restrict access to knowledge and information in the public interest.

(SOURCE: Highway Africa News Agency)

NO POLICY SHIFT ON BROADCASTING LICENCES IN ZIMBABWE

There has been no change of Government policy in barring foreign ownership of broadcasting licences in terms of the Broadcasting Services Act, Acting Minister of Information and Publicity Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana said last week.

Mangwana told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Communications that there appeared to be confusion on the provisions of the Act pertaining to the restrictions on foreign funding. The minister was presenting oral evidence on the state of the public media.

Mangwana said the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) had made submissions to the Government in which it proposed some amendments pertaining to the management of the Act.

"I told them (BAZ) that there was no change by the Government on foreign ownership of licences. There has been some misunderstanding in terms of the provisions on foreign funding," he said.

The Act, Mangwana said, prohibited foreign ownership of broadcasting licences but did not restrict the borrowing of funds.

Mangwana said applications for private broadcasting licences that had been lodged with BAZ in the past had been turned down because they did not satisfy the provisions of the Act and this was mainly due to ignorance on the part of the applicants. Some applicants also did not disclose the source of funding as stipulated in the Act.The minister said there was need for a public debate on the Act for a better understanding of its provisions.

Chairperson of the committee Leo Mugabe, who is Makonde lawmaker (Zanu-PF), said the Act should be amended in order to create a conducive environment as there were problems on its adjudication.

Mugabe said there was need for BAZ to advertise again for new applications from prospective broadcasters.

In response, Mangwana said if Zimbabweans could invest in farming and mining, they could also likewise invest in the broadcasting sector without foreign funding.

He would liaise with BAZ on the issue of flighting advertisements inviting broadcasting applicants.

Tsholotsho legislator Professor Jonathan Moyo said even if one were to get a radio or television licence it would be impossible to transmit due to the absence of transmitters.

Prof Moyo, who is the former Minister of Information and Publicity, said it was prudent for private broadcasters to be allowed to provide their own transmission equipment.

Mangwana said he would look into the issue of the possibility of allowing private broadcasters to install their own transmitters.

Government, he said, had taken a number of steps in implementing recommendations made by the committee in regard to the public media and these included the restructuring of Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH) and New Ziana.

He said a new ZBH board was now in place while recruitment of the group chief executive officer was underway.

Mangwana said ZBH was working towards digitalisation and refurbishment of the four radio stations and negotiations on the project with an Iran firm were at an advanced stage.

He assured the committee that there would be "minimum losses" of employment resulting from the restructuring programme.

Turning to New Ziana, Mangwana said he would soon be announcing a new board for the news agency.

He said the agency was strategic to the extent that it should continue to receive Government grants until it was in a position to sustain itself together with the Community Newspapers Group.

Government, Mangwana said, had seen it fit to transfer the proposed New Ziana radio station that would be based in Gweru to ZBH.

He said funds had been availed for the shortwave radio station that was meant to counter propaganda by hostile media organisations, Studio 7 included, by telling the true Zimbabwean story.

The minister also said the issue of Studio 7 broadcasting to Zimbabwe from Botswana was being handled diplomatically through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

(SOURCE: The Herald)

PEOPLE

* Jackie Manche, CEO of the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa), returned to her office after a 10-month suspension, but still faces a disciplinary hearing about allegedly violating the Public Finance Management Act.

* Aldean Prior has been appointed as the new Marketing Manager of Axiz, a local IT infrastructure distributor in South Africa.

EVENTS

- REGIONAL SEMINAR ON BROADBAND WIRELESS ACCESS FOR RURAL AND REMOTE AREAS IN AFRICA

18th-21st September 2006, Yaoundé, Cameroon
The seminar will examine the technological, economic and regulatory factors that influence the availability and deployment of wireless broadband services. The event will provide an opportunity for wireless broadband business, technology and regulatory experts to share their knowledge, experience and views on the future of the industry with ITU and hosting administration attendees.
For further information visit http://itu.int/ITU-D/imt-2000/BDTActivities.html

- WORKSHOP ON BROADBAND OVER POWERLINE

3-4 October 2006, Dakar, Senegal
The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) is holding a workshop on Powerline Communications (PLC), the alternative last mile platform utilizing the electricity network. The workshop will address keyissues such as technology, invest and business case, standardisation, hybrid platforms (Satellite, Wireless, Fibre & PLC) and others.
For further information visit the ATU website at www.atu-uat.org.

- 2ND INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERSHIPS FOR AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT (IPAD) CENTRAL AFRICA

3rd-5th October 2006, Grand Hotel, Kinshasa, Congo Democratic Republic
2nd Infrastructure Partnerships for African Development (iPAD) Central Africa will take place from the 3rd-5th October 2006 at the Grand Hotel, Kinshasa.
For further information visit www.ipad-africa.com

- ACHIEVING BEST VALUE IN HUMAN RESOURCE AND SKILLS MANAGEMENT USING INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

23rd-24th October 2006, Johannesburg South Africa.
ICT enables Human Resource Practitioners in Africa access to information, best practices, concepts and processes such as streamlining their recruitment and selection process which is of added value in building and retaining skills in Africa, it also drives down the cost of HR services delivery.
For further details visit www.africarecruit.com

- WEST AFRICAN SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS SUMMIT

31 October - 2 November 2006, Le Meridien Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria
The summit is dedicated to the deployment of satellite and satellite hybrid-based communications solutions across the region of West Africa and will provide an unparalleled networking opportunity for global and regional satellite communications providers to meet with ever-expanding communities of vertical market communications end-users.
For further information visit http://www.gvf.org/gvf/events/index.cfm

* GSM-3G WORLD SERIES - NORTH AFRICA

8-9 November 2006, Sheraton Tunis Hotel, Tunis, Tunisia
"What are the market impacts of additional competition and 3G licensing in North Africa? How can you attract new users to drive forward penetration? And more importantly what plans do your suppliers, clients and competitors have for this region? The 5th GSM>3G North Africa is the one forum in the region vital to manufacturers, application developers, operators and regulators who are active, or seeking to be active, in the North African market.
For further information visit www.gsm-3gworldseries.com/northafrica"

- 1ST INTERNATIONAL ICT INVESTMENT CONFERENCE FOR AFRICA

14th – 15th November 2006, Tunis, Tunisia.
Under the auspices of Secretary General United Nations Conference on Trade & Development (UNCTAD) Regarding sponsorship or delegate attendance, please contact Dan Morrissy in London on +44 207 2871326 or at dmorrissy@i-ep.com

- eLEARNING AFRICA 2007

28-30th May 2007, Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
The subject is Building Infrastructures and Capacities to Reach out to the Whole of Africa, reflecting the significant efforts of African countries to set up their national and regional ICT infrastructures to create access to education, training and services for all.
For further information visit www.icwe.net or call +49-30-327 6140

JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES

* CUSTOMER PROJECT MANAGER, ERICSSON – SOUTH AFRICA

A customer project manager is required with a stong Ericsson background. Managing Core and Service Layer projects, you will have a background in a similar role developing your skills with customers.

For further information contact advertising@balancingact-africa.com

* MMS CONSULTANTS – KENYA

We are currently looking for an MMS Consultants with the following skills. He must have MMS . The folowing would be an advantage, "MIEP, ADC, IP, C7, SS7, frame relay, UNIX based on SUN platform, preferably. Additional Requirement Specific pre-sales activities(offering preparation, technical solution, data collection); solution design; solution implementation and integration; solution upgrades and updates.

For further information contact advertising@balancingact-africa.com

* CALL FOR SUBMISSION OF VIDEO PODCAST – UNESCO

Within the framework of its international project, (Harnessing ICTs for the audiovisual industry and public service broadcasting in developing countries), UNESCO is launching a call for submissions of video podcast proposals for a series of production grants.

For further information contact creativecontent@unesco.org

* ACCESS TO LEARNING AWARD

We invite you to apply for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s annualAccess to Learning Award.This award recognizes excellence in providing access toinformation by utilizing new information and communication technologies in an innovative way,at no cost to the user. The recipient will receive an award of up to US $1 million. The award is administered by the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP).

Completed applications should be sent to INASP and must be postmarked or emailed by 31 December 2006. A PDF version of the application will be available for downloading to your computer from www.inasp.info/ldp/awards.

* GSM ACADEMY - BSS O&M TRAINING FOR AFRICAN PROFESSIONALS

Starting October 2, 2006, TOP will provide a GSM curriculum for Expert Training on BSS Operation & Maintenance. The boot camp includes 3 months oflectures and hands-on labs and is completed by 6 months of apprenticeship at a European GSM network operator. This heavily sponsored program targets on African engineers / technicians to improve their job possibilitiesin their home countries.

For further information visit http://www.topbusinessag.com/e/news/07-04-2006_gsmacademy.php

CONTRACTS: WHO'S SELLING WHAT TO WHOM?

* GLOBACOM, FIRST BANK PIC AND INTERSWITCH – NIGERIA

The second national operator Globacom, and Nigeria's foremost bank, First Bank PIc, in conjunction with the country's frontline switching company, Interswitch, introduced an innovative card product called GloFirst. The new product is expected to boost the country's electronic payment system. It can be used for a variety of transactions, including withdrawing cash from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and day-to-day purchase transactions in outlets with point-of-sale terminals (POS).

* SHELL AND UNISYS – SOUTH AFRICA

Shell has renewed Unisys Africa’s maintenance and support contract for its southern African site systems in a deal worth R24 million. The three-year contract affects retail sites in South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho, Mozambique and Botswana.

* DCC SATELLITE &NETWORKS LTD AND COMPUTER ASSOCIATES – NIGERIA

DCC satellite and Networks Ltd,a subsidiary of Computer Warehouse Communications has gone into partnership with Computer Associates CA to help companies manage their IT systems efficiently by deploying CA's IT management software.

* NEOTEL AND ARIVIA – SOUTH AFRICA

Neotel and arivia.kom announced plans to collaborate and co-operate on various ICT-related projects as strategic alliance partners. This will enable the two companies to jointly develop converged electronic communications services and products leveraging off their complementary areas of expertise and core services.

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