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ISSUE NO 338

Two new deals signal wider investor interest in African telecoms and internet

Two recent announcements have signalled wider investment in Africa outside of new mobile licences: African Telecom’s contested bid for African Lakes (owners of pan-African ISP Africa Online) and India’s Flag Telecom announcing a global US1.5 billion investment in its international fibre network, part of which will include the Kenya to South Africa.

AFRICA ONLINE AT THE CENTRE OF A CONTESTED TAKEOVER BID

On 28 December African Telecoms Company Limited (ATC) formally announced to the London Stock Exchange its intention to “make a cash offer to acquire the whole of the issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of The African Lakes Corporation”. The offer is for £15.50 a share and values the ordinary share capital of the company at approximately GBP4.2 million. ATC has agreement from 27.2 per cent of the shareholders for its offer, that represents the share it owns. It is understood that another shareholder was going to indicate willingness to sell but was persuaded against it.

In the year ending September 2005, the company had a turnover of £9.5 million on which it made a loss of GBP79,000. Its consolidated assets were entered on the books at £1,412,000. Up until March 2003, African Lakes was a publicly listed company and therefore it has to abide by the London Stock Exchange code for ten years after that date. Hence the process of a formal offer announcement for what is now a delisted company.

ATC is owned by Schneider Media and Holding Group LLC (59.60%), Kenyan ISP Wananchi Online (30.26%) and African Technology Media and Telecommunications (10.13%) that is majority owned and managed by Richard Bell’s East African Capital Partners. Schneider Media and Holding Group is owned by the American Schneider family that developed and owned UGC, one of the world’s largest cable providers, before successfully selling out. The son, Mark Schneider has a Kenyan wife.

The bidders believe that “there is substantial pent-up demand for telephony and broadband services in Africa, which cannot currently be catered to because of the lack of copper wire infrastructure, but which could be successfully satisfied through a large scale investment in wireless WiMAX technology.” Richard Bell told us that he was “very excited about what we’re doing. We aim to build a pan-African infrastructure and have put together a complementary team of investors.”

The African Lakes Board resisted the offer in a formal announcement to shareholders the next day saying that it was “currently in discussions with a number of interested parties in respect of the potential offer….ATC was just one of the parties…It is possible these discussions may lead to the announcement of a higher offer or an offer for Africa Online which would result in a return to shareholders in excess of the offer announced by ATC.” It therefore recommended shareholders take no action on the offer. Lesley Davy, CEO and Board Member of African Lakes told us last Friday:”The primary responsibility of the Board is to increase the value of the company to shareholders.”

The serious competing bidder is South Africa’s incumbent Telkom that wants to purchase the Africa Online assets, not the whole of African Lakes. Telkom has been in the acquisitions market for quite some time. It has made a number of announcements about things that it wishes to purchase, most recently its desire to purchase Ugandan incumbent, utl. However it publicly failed with Nitel and its latest acquisition target – Business Connexion – is mired in competition challenges.

The mergers and acquisitions team at Telkom must be under some pressure as there have been more failed acquisition attempts that have not been made public. It is also interesting to think what it would be like for an incumbent to run eight small ISP operations where it controls none of the competitive ground. However, Telkom clearly has regional strategy where it will purchase former incumbents and use these to leverage its international and national buying power.

Buying an ISP to go alongside these purchases would help create a “triple-play” strategy. The only flaw in the strategy is that the company has not yet succeeded in buying anything yet despite having been at it for quite some time. That said, this might be the first one to go through.

  African Lakes is due to make a further announcement this week.

FLAG TELECOM ANNOUNCES IT WILL BUILD KENYA-SOUTH AFRICA FIBRE ROUTE

India’s Reliance Communications is planning to spend US$1.5 billion on four more new undersea cables, rolling out the FLAG Telecom network to an additional 23 countries and upgrading its entire system to next-generation IP infrastructure. An African route will connect Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Madagascar and Mauritius.

Flag Telecom has already four shortlisted contractors for building the cable and will issue contracts shortly. Although it is cagy about timings, it says that all four phases of its plans (including Africa) will be completed within three years.

The model used to raise capital for its Falcon cable gives some indication of the pattern that may occur in Africa. Investors have a choice of either buying discounted advance capacity or financing the landing station for advanced capacity or some combination of both approaches. KDN’s contract with Flag may include both discounted capacity and the landing station. However, Flag will own and operate the cable as a private provider.

Flag is committed to a “low price, high volume” strategy. When making the announcement, its Chairman said:”We live in a world where there is too much bandwidth for some and none for many – there is unequal access to bandwidth in and across continents, countries and communities. The Flag NGN will democratise digital access and give nearly everyone in the world the opportunity to be part of a massive lifestyle change….What’s more, it will make this bandwidth available…at strikingly affordable prices.” However, a company spokesperson was markedly reluctant to talk specific numbers, only saying”It will be whatever is suitable on a case by case basis.”

The project has no relationship to EASSy that seems to be stuck with a wholly unsuitable political protocol agreed by a minority of countries (some of whom are also less than happy). And the private sector players are also unwilling to agree to it (See Internet News below). If it does not get the protocol redrafted and right quickly, there is every chance that the wealthier Consortium members will start defecting soon and the project will be dead in the water.

GET READY TO DIAL WITH 10 DIGITS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Fixed-line operator Telkom says systems are ready for the migration to 10-digit dialling, which begins next Tuesday. From January 16, fixed-line users, like their cellphone counterparts, will have to dial an area code plus the number, even if the caller and the person called live in the same street.

Currently, fixed-line to fixed-line calls do not require an area code when caller and recipient are in the same area. Telkom advised its customers to ensure that speed dial numbers were also put in the 10-digit format.

Telkom also said last week the international dialling code, 09, would be replaced with 00 and would become operational on the same day. "With regard to international incoming calls, there will be no change to the current dialling procedures for any person telephoning SA from overseas," Telkom said on its website.

The changes form part of a new numbering plan demanded by the Independent Communication Authority of SA (Icasa). The digital overhaul has been pending since 2001. Icasa was to have launched the system in May 2002, when Telkom's monopoly expired, but the numbering plan was never formally launched as Telkom's de facto monopoly lingered on.

The new plan will boost the number of fixed-line customers, especially in Gauteng, where numbers are scarce. If Telkom is to enjoy a surge in demand for fixed-line phones, it could allocate an 010 prefix to supplement 011 numbers, allowing millions more numbers to be assigned.

(SOURCE: Business Day)

NIGERIA GRANTS UAE FIRM  5TH MOBILE LICENCE

The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has offered a Unified Access Service Licence to Emirates-owned Mubadala Development Company. The licence includes the fifth and last spectrum in the Global Service for (Mobile) Telecommunications (GSM) 1800 and 900 MHz bands at a price of US$400 million.

Under the terms of the licence, Mubadala will be required to pay the full license fee on or before January 19, 2007, failing which the offer shall automatically lapse. Mubadala has accepted the terms of the offer in full.

The Unified Licensing Regime was introduced by NCC in 2006 to fast track developments in the country's telecommunications sector noting then that a "complicated licensing regime requirements create artificial barriers to new entrants in the market and hinders effective competition."

The Vice Chairman of the NCC, Engr Ernest Ndukwe, had described the unified license, as a tool allowing competing telecom operators and service providers to rapidly deploy new services to meet demand without having to seek new licenses.

In the published declaration of its intention to begin the unified licensing regime, the NCC had stated that: "The market shall be opened up by adopting a unified licensing regime which shall allow existing fixed wireless and mobile licensees to provide both services subject to geographical/regional limitations contained in their licenses;

"For the post exclusivity period, all wireless licenses shall not be segmented in terms of mobile and fixed services categories. Once a spectrum is allocated, licensees shall be free to offer voice, data or multimedia services as they deem fit and;

"All active wireless licenses issued prior to the expiration of the exclusivity period shall be amended accordingly." Though a total of eight companies have been granted unified licenses, its take-off has been relatively slow.

The new regime effectively removes all segmentation in terms of mobile and fixed services categories and enables a service provider to offer voice, data or multimedia services once a spectrum is allocated.

(SOURCE: This Day)

EGYPTIANS CROSS FINGERS AS LOSER CRIES TELEPHONY FOUL IN KENYA

A bid by an Egyptian firm to buy a 70 per cent stake in Kenya's tottering multi-million telephony gadgets assembling firm, Gilgil Telecommunications Industries, has hit a hitch after a loser lodged an appeal saying the tender award was "irregular".

The complainant, Muringa Holdings, allege in their appeal that Telkom Kenya "changed the applicable rules and criteria that had been advertised" to their detriment and that the state-owned firm amended the request for proposal issued in September 2006 after the commencement of the bidding process.

Telkom Kenya Managing Director, Sammy Kirui, confirmed that the matter has temporarily been shelved but said that it will not stop the restructuring of the parent company. "The appeal will delay the process of divestiture from GTI but will not effect on the other restructuring processes," said Kirui.

In their winning the bid, the Egyptian firm had proposed to pay 20 per cent of the bid immediately and the rest over a five-year period. Muringa Holdings, a specialist in pole treatment, was said to have failed to meet the technical requirements for the bid.

Kirui explained that when they sent out the expression of interest, most of the companies that came forward were interested in the pole treatment plant only. Some of the companies that had initially shown interest included Kenya Power and Lighting Company, Timber Treatment International, Muringa Holdings, Electronic Tech Company, Treated Timber products and Sao Hill Industries.

"This led to fears that this would lead to asset stripping thus defeating the purpose for which GTI was established: that is job creation and technology transfer. Our objective is to get a partner who will revamp the whole institution and as long as the pole plant remains the only focus then our fears remain valid," said Kirui.

(SOURCE: The Nation)

NIGERIA’S NCC TO OFFER 3G LICENCES BUT ARE THEY VIABLE?

  With a fast-growing market, it could be a good time to look into the potential of 3G, some might say, and certainly the Nigerian Communications Commission seems to feel that way. It held a consultation with the country's operators recently to discuss the allocation of 40MHz of FDD spectrum - and relevant TDD-spectrum pairings - for the deployment of 3G services in April. A spectrum tender is likely to follow in mid-2007.

It is not clear whether this tender will involve an auction or a beauty contest, but even before that has been decided there is controversy over whether national GSM operators are being favoured over the country's regional CDMA operators, which have begun to expand their footprints to offer nationwide services since the award of unified licenses last year.

But does this war of words amount to much, given the unproven potential of 3G in Nigeria? GDP per capita is only US$1,000, leading observers to doubt whether 3G will take off. One answer comes from national and regional operator Celtel, which said that its planned launch of 3G would have the main function of alleviating pressure on its GSM networks in congested urban sectors, rather than to offer video calling and other advanced services.

But that is not the only approach of African operators to 3G. A different application was recently suggested for the Mozambique market, where the country's largest operator, M-Cel, plans to launch 3G commercially in the capital, Maputo, and other urban centres in mid-to-late 2007.

M-Cel's commercial director, Michael Anderson, has said that the operator plans to target the country's internet market, which is currently restricted because of the low penetration of fixed line services, adding that a "significant" number of M-Cel subscribers were already using 3G-enabled handsets, meaning there would be an instant demand for the service when it launched.

Although he did not give predictions for the take-up of the service, this business model will be music to the ears of those that have argued for the fixed line substitution potential of 3G in emerging markets. In essence, mobile data can replicate the dominance of mobile voice, which came about because developing world fixed line services are often inadequate but now look further north where Tunisia has been widely forecast to be among the first countries in north Africa to deploy 3G because of the country's small population and high GDP per capita.

The country was the first to experience 3G, with the construction of a trial network by ZTE for the state-owned Research and Studies Telecommunications Center (CERT) in 2004/5. The government plans to commercialise the network in 2007 by selling it to the country's incumbent mobile operators.

But leading operator Tunisie Telecom's CTO, Michael Foley, said 3G was far down the list of priorities for the operator, arguing that, despite the increasing number of 3G rollouts around the world, the business case for the service had yet to be proven, either in developing or developed markets, and that, in terms of what the customer actually wants, EDGE can offer virtually anything that 3G can do at a fraction of the cost. The country's number two operator, Tunisiana, is also said to be in no hurry to adopt 3G at the moment.

This is not the trend in the rest of North Africa, however. In September, Libya's number two operator became the first operator in north Africa (and the fourth on the continent) to launch 3G services, with 11 operators forecast to follow suit in 2007. Libyana has reported a brisk take-up of its 3G service, which had 10,000 subscribers at the end of its first month. An operator spokesman, echoing the Mozambique argument, suggested that the service had proved popular because of the country's poor Internet penetration.

Analysts remain unconvinced, however, saying that 3G services are likely to be confined to niche high-spending corporate users in the medium term and that operators will struggle to get a return on investment for their network roll-outs. Tunisia's operators clearly agree.

(SOURCE: Vanguard)

MTC REACHES OUT TO REMOTE AREAS IN NAMIBIA WITH SATELLITE

The country's first mobile phone operator, Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC), has invested N$17 million in satellite technology that will expand its network to remote places.

In an interview, MTC spokesperson Albertus Aochamub said a contract had been awarded to Advanced Telecoms for the implementation of a GSM backhaul to support the rapid growth of its mobile subscriber base. Advanced Telecoms will be supported by SatCom, a local satellite implementation company. Aochamub said this new development was in anticipation of future demand and would help deliver better service to the more than half a million MTC subscribers.

The project will see terminals deployed countrywide and will enable MTC to expand its coverage into the rural areas, and into places like the desert where it is difficult to set up base stations. The first phase of the project was completed in November last year to cater for some 15 new base stations while many others should be ready by end February.

Meanwhile, on a related note, the Namibian Economic Policy Research Unit (Nepru) will this week launch a policy paper on the regulatory challenges the country's telecommunications sector is facing with last year's introduction of Telecom Namibia's Switch service. According to Nepru the introduction of the fixed-wireless Switch service in December changed the sector.

"Due to the market constellation, CellOne's (second mobile phone operator) entry into the Namibian market would not have moved prices downwards by much, the unexpected competition through Telecom Namibia on the other hand will get prices moving.

"Lowering ICT access costs is crucial for Namibia to catch up with its neighbours and benefit from the economic potential that ICTs offer for Namibia's development," said Nepru.

Dr Christoph Stork of Nepru said the policy brief aimed at providing facts for the discussions taking place between policy makers and various stakeholders around the regulatory environment, and legality issues regarding Switch. CellOne is yet to launch its product after failing on promises to enter the market by the end of last year.

(SOURCE: The Namibian)

LIVING WITH NEW MARKETING TRICKS IN GAMBIA

At the beginning of December Gambians were treated to what was in fact the first instance of a marketing gimmick the like of which they had never seen before. The country's second mobile telephony service provider, the private-owned Africell Ltd decided to launch what its officials called The One Million Dalasi Africell end-of-year raffle bonanza.

Tens of thousands of Gambians bought SIM-cards from the company in order to take part in daily media quiz and get the chance of winning the jackpot trophy of a million dalasi. They then kept on buying top-up scratch cards to answer nonsensical daily questions that were posted every day for the whole month. The questions could be as stupid as, "Do you Want To Be A Millionaire? If yes Call Number X if No Call Number Y."

  Though the questions were all dumb, the idea behind the gimmick was quite smart. The participants in the month long marketing exercise were expected to themselves pay up for the cost of the prizes through their buying SIM-cards and the daily credits used to place the calls or the text messages sent to answer the questions. That way the company could make money over the cost of prices, increase its subscriber base and establish Africell as a strong competitor in the relatively small Gambian market. The marketing exercise may not be unconnected to the imminent arrival of a new competitor in the market. A new mobile telephone service provider has been issued with license to operate in the country and they are to start operating any time soon. So Africell's marketing team might have been positioning the company stronger before the new comer's arrival.

The exercise almost got Gambians into hysteria throughout all of December. The questions could be repeatedly heard over radio and television sets all over the country, and many were getting fed up with the hare-brain questions heard at work, market and other public places.

At the end however, the gimmick brought an exciting rise in the fortune of a 20-year-old lady. The program was held at Africell headquarters on Kairaba Avenue. The 20-year-old Maimuna Sanyang of Tallinding Sicap successfully won the much sought after prize, after the second draw between Edrissa Badjie, Maimuna Sanyang and Manding Daffeh. Lots of other prizes were given away to various winners. The first runner-up, Manding Daffeh, walked away with a giant television set while the second runner-up, Edrissa Badjie, went home with a large fridge.

Speaking earlier before the draw, the Managing Director of Africell, Meheddiene Makkaoui, described the marketing gimmick as one that is "geared towards the development of The Gambia, adding that it seeks to address challenges, unite the efforts of institutions and maintain the Gambian economy." The Africell boss also claimed that his company has expanded its coverage with the establishment of nine new sites to enhance communication in the country, especially in the rural areas, noting that Africell has been contributing to the socio-economic development of The Gambia.

The lucky millionaire was accompanied home by a cultural troop called Manding Culture of Bakau, some staff of Africell, friends and well-wishers. The Gambia Journal naturally shares the joy of the young lady as she strolled triumphantly out of a fate of poverty, but calls for stricter marketing regulations that will protect the interest of the general public.

(SOURCE:  The Gambia Journal)

IN BRIEF:

- A new telecom firm, Yo, Uganda Ltd is to provide cheaper  international calling services using VoIP after successful tests. This is the second company that has come up with cheaper international calling rates. Last year, Talk Telecom introduced a callings-cards-based solution. Calls to China and Singapore are the cheapest at sh350, while calls to India and Pakistan are the highest at sh450. Calls to the US and Canada will be at sh380.

- The government of Botswana has embarked on the first stage of its plan to partly privatise Botswana Telecommunications Corporation by requesting expressions of interest for advisory services. Joshua Galeforolwe, CEO of the country’s Public Enterprise Evaluation and Privatisation Agency, told Engineering News Online that the closing date for applications for the advisory service role is 15 January, and that the government hoped to select a strategic equity partner to take control of between 40% and 49% of the telco by the end of 2007.

- Boudjemaa Haïchour, the Minister of the Post, Telecommunication and ICT of Algeria has announced that 3G licences will be delivered in 2007. Asked about a fourth mobile phone licence, he replied that there were no plans for it at the moment.

- Neotel, the SNO in South Africa is on schedule to offer international and national private leased circuits (leased lines) to large enterprises from February, providing alternative routing for existing services in SA for the first time.

 - Under the monitoring of the regulator, the process of unbundling the local loop has started in Morocco and will be completed in 2008. Meditel and Maroc Conncect, the two main competitors  of  Maroc Telecom  will be able to access Maroc Telecom infrastructure for a fixed fee. This will enable both Meditel and Maroc Connect to start offering fixed line and Internet services.

TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE

- MTSFirst,wireless  in  Nigeria has reduced its tariffs for subscribers on its Per Second Billing platform. The telecommunications outfit announced in a statement made available today disclosed that the new tariff option offers the lowest tariff in town with a call rate that is as low as 12 kobo per second.

- Motorola has announced the completion of a GSM network expansion project with Egypt's Mobinil, which has allowed the operator to extend its coverage in Cairo, Delta, Alexandria and the North Coast regions and increase capacity by three million subscribers.

- Uganda telecom (utl) will give incentives to dealers this year, the company's retail and distribution manager, Robert Semakula, has revealed:”We are giving our traders incentives like EVD machines that sell electronic airtime, coin counting machines and others."

- Mobile phone network operator Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) says its sales increased by 20 percent in December as demand for the company’s products surged due to promotions, among other factors.

EASSY PROJECT DISPUTE TAKES NEW TWIST

The protracted wrangle between the NEPAD's e-Africa Commission and a consortium of companies that initially conceived the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) project now looks set to result in the construction of two competing submarine cables, Daily Monitor has learnt.

What is still unclear is to what extent this new development will affect the pace of development of the cable project and how it will impact its ability to meet its overriding objectives, mainly bringing down the costs of communication and spurring the Information, Communication and Information (ICT) industry in the region.

EASSy is an ambitious initiative to connect countries of eastern Africa via a high bandwidth fibre optic cable system to the rest of the world. It was first mooted by a group of about 15 telecom companies meeting in Nairobi, Kenya in 2003. They included Uganda's MTN and UTL, Telecom S. Africa, Kenya Telecom and others.

They planned to lay a fibre optic cable along the East African coast that would offer a direct connection to the world's information superhighway. It was to enable the region have access to a broadband network which would permit ultra-fast transmission of digital traffic and at cheaper prices.

Donald Nyakairu, UTL's Legal Counsel and Chairman of EASSy Finance committee asserted in a recent interview that the e-Africa Commission's hijacking of the cable was unfair and opportunistic and that its actions were being totally disregarded. The consortium has repeatedly rebuffed entreaties from the commission to stop their plans and join in the NEPAD project.

"While the e-Commission is busy making everybody believe that they're in charge of the project, for us we are advancing pretty fast and real construction is starting soon," Mr Nyakairu said.

He said the original companies that conceived the idea later signed an understanding and constituted themselves into a consortium that was supposed to develop, own and operate the cable.

The e-Commission was invited in the subsequent meetings, as an observer but to the astonishment of the consortium, it soon started to show deep interest in the project's details and even demanded active involvement. "We thought they were attending to see the progress, but all of a sudden they started to make demands which shocked us," Nyakairu said.

Right now, the e-Commission is pursuing its own project in concert with the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the governments of South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, DR Congo, Rwanda and others which are also signatories to the EASSy protocol.

The conflict between the two sides principally stems from the mode of the project implementation. NEPAD e-Africa Commission insists that a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) develops, owns, and operates the cable while the consortium wants companies to take charge exclusively.

Nyakairu said if the commission wants to construct a parallel cable, then it must find its own name and stop encroaching on the intellectual property of the consortium (EASSy). However, the Commission's regulatory advisor, Dr Edmund Katiti dismissed claims that it was hijacking the EASSy name. "The regional network is currently referred to as the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network" he said, adding that it consists of two interconnected segments - a submarine cable and a terrestrial network (intra-country cable). He said the shareholders in the SPVs are the ones who will decide what name(s) to give to the network and its segments.

As a way of attempting to defuse the differences and accommodate the concerns of the Commission, Nyakairu said the Consortium members had decided to also have an SPV that would act as a collective investment vehicle for all smaller telecom concerns in the region. This SPV will then buy shares in the cable as a single investor. "We really think we have done everything to address all these accusations," he said.

Even then, the two sides seem to be far from striking any agreement. Dr Katiti said the Nepad ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network Protocol is scheduled to go into effect in the first quarter of 2007, which would also mark the commencement of construction. On the other hand, the consortium has already awarded the construction contract to Alcatel and work is beginning early this year.

(SOURCE: The Monitor)

TERRACOM AND MTN TO TUSSLE OVER GOVERNMENT DEAL IN RWANDA

Terracom and MTN Rwandacell are set to compete for the provision of internet services in the country, after a two-year contract that the government signed with the former expired amid squabbling, The New Times has established.

Rwanda Information Technology Authority (RITA) in December 2004 came to the 'much-awaited end', last month, "with most government institutions and members of the public dissatisfied with the company's performance."

  The sources further said that the dismal performance by Terracom prompted government to notify other internet service providers including MTN Rwandacell, to bid for the multimillion Franc deal that involves providing data communication to all government institutions. And, already word doing round is that MTN is poised to get the contract.

Though also new in the data provision business, MTN Rwandacell remains the only local ISP capable of handling a mega deal like the one on offer, and, Moses Bayingana, the National Coordinator NICI Implementation Programme at RITA seemed to confirm what already looks a looming certainty.

"The contract with Terracom has expired and good enough, as anticipated, MTN has just started offering Internet services. We did it for two years, knowing that after that period, another provider would be in place," Bayingana told The New Times at his office Thursday. According to RITA, the country has been facing internet problems mainly because Terracom was enjoying a monopoly.

"As a client I always want the best. The provider may also give his reasons. I wouldn't say 'yes' but given the fact that he was a monopoly, that limited us," Bayingana said.

He added: "RITA has written to Terracom to come and start negotiating on new contract terms but RITA is also aware that now, it's not only Terracom but MTN as well. We need to look at both with the aim of getting the best."

But other sources that talked to The New Times doubt MTN's capacity if it scoops the deal. Already, they argue that the MTN Internet service on mobile phones that began mid last year, is lacklustre. "Those using their services say it is always impossible to download photos or pictures using the MTN internet cards," the sources told this reporter.

And, asked whether RITA was convinced MTN would succeed where Terracom had encountered problems, Bayingana was also equivocal. "As of now, we have not said we are going with MTN. There is even a possibility of going for both. It depends on how the negotiations will go. Our technical teams will sit down, analyze and the best way forward shall be determined," he said.

But pundits say that even engaging both companies is likely to cause more confusion. They claim that the two companies have previously 'fought' each other, with MTN at one time maintaining a blockade on Terracom-MTN calls until the latter opted for a gentleman's settlement.

Further still, word doing the rounds is that MTN is yet to give Terracom the green light to begin using its established SMS line for the latter's subscribers to begin sending and receiving short messages.

(SOURCE: The New Times)

EGYPT MOVES TOWARD WIRELESS BROADBAND REGULATION

Egypt’s National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (NTRA) is pushing forward with its second phase plans to introduce Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) regulation in Egypt.

The regulator has announced a conference to be held on January 24, in order for NTRA representatives to present the outcome of the current BWA consultation process to enterprises that have expressed interest in securing one of two Egyptian BWA 3.5GHz licences. The conference will permit the exchange of opinions on the final draft of NTRA’s BWA regulatory framework.

Egypt’s NTRA has received 23 responses to the announcement of a 3.5GHz Wireless Broadband licence tender from national and international operators, solution integrators and vendors, component vendors and SMEs; including Egyptian operators Vodafone-Egypt, Telecom Egypt, Orascom, Alkan, EgyNet, Nile Online and TEData as well as major international vendors Alcatel, Huawei, Motorola and Siemens.

Due to a raft of government initiatives and policies, including mandated tariff cuts and infrastructure roll-out, Egypt has experienced a 1,011% growth in Internet usage over the last five years. The country currently has over 500,000 Internet users that represent 7% of the population, as well as one of the highest levels of broadband subscribers in the MENA region. 

(SOURCE: ITP)

ANTI-FRAUD SITE CREATOR TAKES ON THE FRAUDSTERS

In a new book published at the end of last year called Greetings in Jesus Name!, author Mike Berry describes how he and a network of anti-fraud activists have taken on these tricksters at their own game.

It involved playing on the fraudsters own sense of greed to get them to do a series of increasingly unlikely things and in a couple of instances, actually getting them to part with money on the promise of a 419 deal going through. In one case Berry persuaded the fraudster to join the fictional Holy Church of Tattoed Saint and to send through a picture of the special tattoo that was supposedly a condition of joining the Church.  In another case he claims to have handed money over to a fraudster’s associate and begins to stir up bad blood between the two of them.

But what might be mildly amusing if told at article length drags somewhat over the book’s 500 plus pages. Although the characters change, the stories have a certain predictable quality after you’ve read one or two of them. Also whilst revenge on these duplicitous individuals that takes advantage of their greed has its funnier, laugh-out-loud moments, you still have to ask yourself why people respond to the e-mails in the first place. Surely there be few other circumstances in which the credulous , desperate and greedy would believe that someone was going to give them a very large sum of money supposedly for nothing.

Nevertheless the book does have some surreally funny moments…Berry does a reverse-scam in which he asks a fraudster to take part in art competition for which there is supposedly a large cash prize. The entries have to be an exact sized reproduction of a specified object. When the object arrives (at some cost to the fraudster), Berry e-mails the fraudster to say that the object has shrunk and that the fraudster must submit again or lose the chance of the cash prize.

Greetings in Jesus Name! – The Scambaiter Letters by Mike Berry is published by Mike Berry. Cost: GBP8.99 It can be found on Amazon.

SHOPPERS GET THE HANG OF BUYING ONLINE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Local consumers are finally catching up with the rest of the world, with more of them going online to shop, according to auction company bidorbuy, which has seen a steady growth in the past five years. Gillian Meier, business manager for bidorbuy.co.za, SA's version of the successful eBay, said last week that the site had seen a boom in the past nine months, especially over the festive season.

Its traffic went from an average of 3.3-million impressions a month to top 5.1-million. This resulted in a monthly increase in sales of R1.49m last month. "In the five years the company has been in existence we have seen a steady increase in registered users," she said. "Most of them have been banking online for about three years and have finally worked up the confidence to move on to on-line shopping."

The company now has more than 8000 sellers offering everything in new, used or refurbished goods. It now has more than 300000 registered users, compared with 50000 users a few years ago. The peak shopping season saw a 21% increase in new registered users and almost 70% more product listings on bidorbuy's site.

Meier believes the boom over the festive season could be attributed to the company's first advertising campaign. Users tend to be between the ages of 24 and 35, The group is almost equally split between male and female users. In the past year, however, the site has started attracting older users, particularly sellers, many of whom are 45 years old or older, said Meier.

"I think it's an indication that the population is getting more comfortable with technology."

Bidorbuy is ranked 10th or 15th for visitors on the SA Online Publishers Association, which compares 180 local sites. Other member sites selling items online are Ananzi, Aardvark, Autotrader, Yellow Pages and Junkmail. However, the top sites for the third quarter last year were: news24.com, iol.co.za, mweb.co.za, M&G online, iafrica.com, health24.co.za, ananzi.co.za, fin24.co.za, tonight.co.za; motoring.co.za, wheels24.co.za, careerjunction.co.za and women24.com.

Bidorbuy, which has a loyal base of people selling antiques, collectables and coins, also auctioned some unusual items last year. One seller successfully auctioned a single matchstick for R50. The matchstick itself was unremarkable. Its only significance was that the seller said she intended to use the money to buy another product to sell. The goal was to eventually raise R10,000.

Other items for sale that proved profitable included a half-drunk can of coke, breast milk, a tombstone, and a date with a seller's girlfriend. Also successful was an online break-up service. A product that did not sell, despite a lifetime guarantee, was a cockroach.

These sites have also created a number of entrepreneurs, including a former street hawker who now sells beaded products online. A 25-year-old student started off selling his mother's coffee machine and now sells a wide range of products, including promotional gifts.

Meier said the public was getting more confident online. They started off buying small cash items online. Then, as confidence grew, "they move on to bigger items. Last week someone bought a R700,000 property online."

(SOURCE: Business Day)

IN BRIEF:

- Canada's Infotec Business Systems Inc, which uses webcams to broadcast live footage of wild animals on the web, says its 'Africam' site has captured the first live kill of an animal in the wild streamed through the Internet. The site showed six lions hunt and kill a buffalo live on Christmas Day at the Nkorho Pan on the edge of South Africa's vast Kruger Park, Infotec BSI said on Tuesday.

EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY IS MOVING TOWARDS REGIONAL E-GOVERNMENT

The East African Community (EAC) is in the process developing and having a harmonised e-government strategy. This will act as an add-on onto the other objectives of the sub-regional grouping which include a common Customs Union, Common Market as well as Monetary Union.

During a recent workshop held in Nairobi for Kenya's MPs with the theme "Empowering Parliamentarians for Building an Inclusive Information Society", Andrew Gakiria, a member of the EAC's regional working group on e-government (EAC/ IWG) said that the implementation of the regional Customs Union will to a greater extent need the use of ICT in government processes, both national and cross-border.

The protocol on the establishment of the East African Customs Union was signed on March 2 2004. In his presentation to participants at the two-day workshop, Gakiria said: "It is in this regard EAC has recognised the need to develop a harmonised and co-ordinated sub-regional e-government framework."

The idea of a regional e-government strategy was mooted during an earlier workshop held in Tanzania in 2004 by Africa IT Exhibitions and Conferences (Aitec) with support from the EAC, and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (Uneca).

The Tanzania workshop was aimed at examining, consolidating and sharing views as well as agreeing on strategic priorities for e-government. The major issues discussed at the meeting were the strategic objectives and goals that the EAC as a region wants to achieve, the financial, technical and human resources dedicated to achieving the e-government goals as well as the political will and availability of national and regional champions to lobby and lead the implementation of the process.

At the end of the workshop, participants agreed on the need to establish a regional Working Group on e-government (EAC/ IWG), and engage a consultant to develop a draft Regional e-Government Strategy for East Africa. They also resolved to develop a start up work plan whose main action points include the operationalisation of the Regional e-Government Working Group (IWG), development of the Regional e-Government Strategy for East Africa and mobilisation of technical assistance.

Gakiria said that a study commissioned by the EAC/IWG came up with several issues that needed to be addressed as well as recommendations. These included the creation of an enabling legal and regulatory environment which the study report noted was "a critical enabling factor for effective implementation of e-government strategies at national and regional levels."

The report also said that "operational efficiency of any e-government strategy will need a strong back-up support of necessary legislation on data security, network security, cyber crime, information systems and electronic transactions."

The study report concluded that "to deliver e-government, leadership and long-term commitment are sought from policy makers at all levels, senior managers in the public service, private sector and the civil society."

According to Gakiria, upon the establishment of such structures, the region would move towards the realisation of such ICT-enabled applications like e-Customs, e-Parliament, e-Commerce, e-Health, e-Procurement as well as on the delivery of information on meteoerolgy.

(SOURCE: The East African Standard)

E-COMMERCE IN NIGERIA - WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

Today, thanks to e-payment solution companies like MasterCard, InterSwitch, VisaCard and e-transact, Nigerians can not only pay, withdraw or transfer funds anywhere in the country, they can also make purchases with their e-cards. This is a welcome development, especially in the light of the recent increasing growth and development of Western shopping malls in the country.

What about shopping online? We are also slowly taking advantage of this new kind of shopping. At the moment it is restricted to shops abroad but hopefully this will change as websites in Nigeria become more developed and more people utilise their bank cards. Right now one of the popular sites to buy from is Amazon where one can buy books, CD's and other such items and receive the goods in Nigeria.

But is Nigeria ready for e-commerce on a larger scale as it is known in the United States? Executive Director of Passport USA, Tim Tokun says there is no time like the present. He said, We have to keep in mind that the US online retail sector came into its own approximately 10 yrs ago and the advent of the dot.com, the gold rush as some would ruefully recall, propelled that sector into another stratosphere. The nature of the sector defies all regular logic of growth hence tried and tested compound annual growth rate indicators have not been passed fit as barometers of measuring growth in this sector. The key instruments for evaluating potential success of e-commerce in a specific region, is head count, consumerism and mobile flow of capital (albeit exhibiting non-uniform distribution in Nigeria) - 3 areas where Nigeria remain healthy. E-commerce once implemented here, will display exponential growth.

Online shopping systems give consumers a much greater choice with regard to their desired products and services, and offer much more in terms of ease and convenience, as against overseas travels for shopping purposes. Also, the direct cost-of-sale for an order taken from a web site is lower than the traditional retail or paper based means, as there is no human interaction during the online electronic purchase order process.

In spite of these advantages, many Nigerians still travel abroad to shop. Some of the reasons are that there have been limitations on what one can buy online and, there are rigours associated with online shopping systems, and the restrictions in the global market. Also, the threat to safety and security of online transactions, posed by internet scammers or yahoo boys, has been a major deterrent to potential online shoppers.

Up until now that is: forward thinking companies like Passport USA (PUSA) believe they have solved the many problems which plague online shoppers in Nigeria, with the introduction of an online shopping card.

The shopping card, which is being initiated in partnership with MasterCard, will give Nigerian consumers un-restricted access to the over 3million online stores in the United States. They will be able to order their desired goods online, and have the goods delivered directly to their door steps in approximately four days.

From simple items such as school books, DVDs and the latest Gucci designs, to the more complex automobile like the BMW range, Nigerians can have all they want, with just internet access and a PUSA shopping card.

The PUSA card is packaged with the latest e-security technology to guard against internet fraud. The partnership with a courier services company effectively eliminates the popular Shipping Clerk scam. In addition, users will enjoy the shortest turn-around time on all enquiries made and regular updates on the delivery status of goods ordered.

E-commerce offers great benefits to any economy. As it continues to gain acceptance in Nigeria, the initial divide between Nigerian consumers and the rest of the global market will be bridged. Nigerian consumers will have direct contact with merchants of their choice, in any region of the world. Nigerian businesses will also be able to take advantage of the global reach, to open new and profitable markets for local goods and services, in the not-too-distant future.

(SOURCE: This Day)

SECOND LIFE OPENS TO DEVELOPERS

Linden Lab, creator of 3D virtual world Second Life, is releasing the code of its viewer application to the open source community. Developers can now make modifications and add new features to the online world's viewing software.

The Second Life viewer is used by subscribers or 'residents' to access the virtual world's grid and control their in-world avatars, interact with each other, create content, buy and sell objects, access multimedia content and navigate around the virtual environment.

The simulator and server code will not be released, but Linden Lab says they will keep an open mind about opening more of Second Life. Further moves will be decided based on the success of open sourcing the viewer.

"Open sourcing is the most important decision we've made in seven years of Second Life development. While it is clearly a bold step for us to proactively decide to open source our code, it is entirely in keeping with the community-creation approach of Second Life," said Cory Ondrejka, CTO of Linden Lab. "We don't know exactly which projects will emerge - but this is part of the vibrancy that makes Second Life so compelling."

"We were the first virtual world to enable content creators to own the rights to the intellectual property they create. That sparked exponential growth in the richness of the Second Life environment. Now we're placing the viewer's development into the hands of residents and developers as well. This extends the control residents can have over the Second Life experience and allows a worldwide community to examine, validate and improve the software's sophistication and capabilities," said Philip Rosedale, CEO and founder of Linden Lab.

Initial projects may include: bug fixes; improvements to compatibility with less common hardware configurations; support for additional multimedia types; user interface changes; and potentially new look and feel 'skins' for the viewer itself.

The source code and additional information will be available from Second Life's website at http://secondlife.com/developers/opensource.

This move towards the open sourcing of an online virtual world follows events last month which saw the Free Software Foundation pledging money to the Free Ryzom campaign in order to purchase the game and release it as open source. The campaign was unsuccessful, with the bid for the massive mulitplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) Ryzom going to Gameforge, which will continue the game on a commercial basis.

Members of the Free Ryzom campaign are looking at either purchasing an existing game engine or building one from scratch. Should they succeed, it will be released to the open source community to make a truly open source virtual world.

(SOURCE: Tectonic)

IN BRIEF:

- The central bank of DRC has announced that it is going to roll out a new accounting and financial software at the beginning of February 2007. The bank is also testing another software to improve the management of foreign currency transactions

GLOBACOM TO TAKEOVER WESTEL IN GHANA?

Speculation is rife that Nigeria’s SNO, Globacom is set to take over the operations of Westel communications in Ghana.

Westel was granted a license to operate a mobile service late last year after it satisfied the requirement needed by the National Communications Authority. Though the company is currently plagued with problems of meeting its targets as far as their fixed line service is concerned, they have expressed optimism that they will surpass the other existing mobile service providers in terms of quality service. The company is expected to commence operations by the end of March next year after it has completed its privatization process.

Sources close to CITI FM say Globacom is set to make a takeover of the company even as they prepare to commence the mobile service. The takeover, which is expected this year, is set to inject the needed cash flow and resources to enable the company stay competitive.

(SOURCE: Ghana Web)

MYSTERY SURROUNDS WAR VETS ASSOCIATION'S TELECEL SHARES IN ZIMBABWE

Mystery surrounds the sale of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans' Association's shares in Telecel Zimbabwe's second largest shareholder, the Empowerment Corporation, with several legitimate members in the dark over the disposal of the stake.

The Empowerment Corporation, a local consortium, has a 40 percent stake in the Zimbabwe's third largest cellular company. Telecel International holds the remainder.

Sources this week indicated that the shares were sold without their knowledge and they would launch investigations to establish the identity of whoever authorised the sale. It is understood that the transaction was done above board, effectively distancing the Empowerment Corporation from any wrongdoing.

Only that it was done outside the knowledge of other rightful members within the association, however. The shares that the association used to have in the group could not be ascertained.

The association's name was even struck off from the records of the Registrar of Companies. Only four groups now constitute the Empowerment Corporation and are listed in the records of the Registrar of Companies. These are Kestrel Corporation, Seplon (Pvt) Limited, the National Miners' Association and the Indigenous Business Women Organisation.

It is understood that some members of the group could have benefited from the "clandestine transaction" at the expense of others who are now keen to come to the reality of what transpired. "It is not a secret that we used to have some shares and we all know that they were disposed of," a source within the association said. No comment could be obtained from the Empowerment Corporation by the time of going to print.

Telecel Zimbabwe has been given up to June 30 this year to restructure its shareholding in compliance with the country's telecommunication regulations which stipulate that a foreign company - in this case, Telecel International -- can have a maximum of 49 percent equity in a local mobile phone firm. This effectively means Telecel International has to dispose of 11 percent of its stock. Empowerment Corporation, as the holder of the preemptive rights, is expected to up its stake to 51 percent before the deadline. And no outsider can purchase the shares at stake unless the consortium fails to raise money required to finance the acquisition of the stock.

(SOURCE: The Herald)

SETPOINT SHARE RALLIES ON TALK OF POSSIBLE TAKEOVER OFFERS

Shareholders in SetPoint Technology seem eager for a shake-up within the industrial hi-tech group, with its shares surging 28% on news that it may no longer survive as a stand-alone entity.

Brisk trading last week saw its shares gain 16c to shoot from 54c to 69c after expressions of interest from various parties to acquire some of its divisions, or to acquire all or at least a material percentage of its shares. CEO Errol Gregor said approaches from two different parties were being assessed, but the board was not yet in a position to make any recommendation to shareholders. He would not give any details of who had made the partial or wholesale takeover offers, but said the company had a duty to take them seriously.

SetPoint's major investors are Sabvest with 18%, the Haroon Habib Family Trust with 17% and Zirconia with 15%. Although the bids were at a premium to SetPoint's trading price, the swift price rise yesterday will have partly annulled those premiums.

SetPoint's organogram shows 16 divisions. It runs Africa's largest analytical services for the oil industry, offers precious metals exploration analysis and equipment for moving minerals underground.

SetPoint lost R13,6m on revenue of R315m for the year to August after accounting irregularities within one of the companies it had acquired. The revenue and profits within that division, Seran Engineering and Supplies, were overstated to cover up an operating loss of R19m. SetPoint had to impair Seran's intangible assets by R14m, and eliminated the final dividend that shareholders had come to expect.

When SetPoint reported those results, it said Seran would continue to supply "first-class products and services" to the mining industry, although its project division would be axed and its manufacturing and services divisions streamlined.

Analyst Warwick Lucas of Imara SP Reid said SetPoint's takeover of Seran had confirmed that the company was not good at acquisitions, particularly since some earlier acquisitions had also needed cleaning up.

Gregor said the problems at Seran were a "hiccup" that had been resolved. The company was back on track. Gregor also said the instant rise in its share price had nudged SetPoint closer to the 80c mark where it had traded before its year-end figures triggered a decline.

(SOURCE: Business Day)

CORRECTION: ISSUE 336 – Vivendi goes into Sub-Saharan Africa with Onatel purchase

In the e-letter (but not on our website) we made a mistake in the subscription price comparisons. US$58 should have course of read US$580 and US$72.50 should have read $725. It should have been obvious from the context but apologies. More haste, less speed…

NAMIBIA GOVERNMENT  WEBSITES INACCURATE, SOME UNCHANGED SINCE 1999

Judging by the outdated information on the Namibian Government's website, Namibia seems not to have made it into the new millennium yet. The Internet address - www.grnnet.gov.na - takes the browser to the official Government website where links are provided to the websites of the different ministries.

Most of the ministerial websites have not been updated since 1999 while others managed to stay up to date with their own activities until 2002. The home page of the Office of the President opens up with the speech made by former President Sam Nujoma during Namibia's celebrations of 10 years of Independence in 2000. Nothing can be found on the last presidential elections or the nation's current leader, President Hifikepunye Pohamba.

The introduction to the site is the speech delivered by Hage Geingob on the same occasion, when he was still Prime Minister of Namibia. Since then, the Prime Minister has changed twice.

On many ministerial websites a link can be found to www.republicofnamibia.com , a domain that is for sale and only supplies links to sites from foreign countries, including a connection to the home page of a dating service for homosexuals.

According to information at www.healthnet.org.na, a prototype site sanctioned by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Libertina Amathila, who has served as Deputy Prime Minister since March 2005, still holds the reins as Health Minister. No new information had been posted since 2002, but the site is still accessible to viewers across the world who may not know any better.

When she was still heading the Health Ministry, Amathila remarked on the use of information technology: "We see the development and maintenance of a site on the Internet as one way to improve and expand dissemination of information about good health practices. [We should] use the power of the Internet to meet the challenges to promote Health For All - not By, but Beyond the year 2000."

However, the Ministry's site, www.mhss.gov.na, contains nothing but a list of medicines registered in Namibia. No mention is made of current or recent health issues such as HIV-AIDS or the polio outbreak of last year.

On the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website, a link to Namibia's Foreign Policy Initiatives leads to a blank page. Either the information was last updated before the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) was renamed the African Union (AU), or the Ministry has not taken notice of the name change.

The tab 'Multilateral Affairs' contains a list of international organisations that Namibia belongs to. The link to the OAU leads to a list of websites irrelevant to Namibia or the AU, such as travel agents in South Africa, the Law Library of Uganda and one that reads 'African Women for Dating - African women seek love, dating and marriage.

"Currently Namibia inhabits a seat on the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member for the term 1999 - 2000..." Namibia no longer occupies a seat on the Security Council.

A prospective investor in Namibia who browses through the website of the Ministry of Trade and Industry is likely to lose interest, since the last news update was in December 2004. The tab 'Investment Opportunities and Projects' takes the browser to a document that was published in January 2003.

The website of the Ministry of Education was last updated in 1999 when Basic and Higher Education were still run by two separate ministries. No mention is made of The Education and Training Sector Improvement Programme (ETSIP) that is currently considered as a spark of hope to turn around the Namibian education system that has for many years been the target of fierce criticism.

The MET website is the best developed of all ministries. It contains a list of contact persons and phone numbers, the latest tourist figures, management reports and the latest news update was published in September 2006. When the Mines and Energy website was last updated, the implementation of regional electricity distributors (REDs) was only a proposal while several REDs have been in operation across the country for a number of years now.

Under the list of existing mines, Roessing is still the only uranium mine in the country and the current uranium boom in the Erongo Region has seemingly gone unnoticed. The only news for 2006 was reports on the fuel price increases. A footnote at the bottom of the site reads: please note that the Ministry is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this list.

The upkeep of Government websites is the responsibility of the Office of the Prime Minister. Wilma Deetlefs, deputy director for media liaison in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, was still on leave last week. Fanie van Staden, head of Information Technology (IT) in the Prime Minister's office, was reported to be on leave. One man in the IT department, who requested anonymity, said he was updating the websites and the task should be completed by the end of the year. "The IT team of the Government is scattered at the moment. Some are still at the Prime Minister's office and others are at the Ministry of Information." According to him, the team experienced problems because information was not fed to them.

(SOURCE: The Namibian)

‘WHITE ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT’ WEBSITE LAUNCHED

A new website, formed to assist white people in business to ‘take action to survive economically’, was recently launched. The White Economic Forum ( http://www.blankeekonomieseforum.org/Englishindex.html ), a website for white business owners to meet, is a new entrant in the SA social networking arena. According to the website, the forum is a meeting place where white business owners can gather and through unity create economic pressure and negotiation power for a better future for whites.

“There is discrimination on a big scale against White South Africans, in legislation, appointments and economic opportunities. Whites will only survive if they stand together and use economic strength to uplift themselves and to negotiate change by way of financial strength,” stated the White Economic Forum website.

The idea to start a forum of this nature was in reaction to what founding member, Dr. Willem Pienaar calls, “the exclusion of white South-Africans from the economic world as reflected in the Employment Equity and the Black Economic Empowerment acts.“

“Effectively it means that whites will take action to survive economically, independent of any discriminating laws or efforts to exclude them from economic participation,’ said Pienaar.

Pienaar is quick to add that this forum does not in any way encourage aggressive or military behaviour, the group does not subscribe to any particular culture, political grouping or religion. He also added that this group does not plan to break any laws but will work within South Africa’s legislative framework.

The forum charter states that this is a peaceful forum where ‘aggressive and degrading behaviour towards fellow South Africans’ is not endorsed.

According to the website the members are: “The whites in South Africa. This includes all whites irrespective of language or heritage. Like Sotho’s, Zulus, Xhosas etc. grouped together are “black” people. So also are Afrikaans, English, Scottish, Greek, Portuguese, German, Jewish and other ‘white people’ grouped together.”

According to .org records the website address was registered by ‘Lukas du Preez’ from Eldopark in Gauteng. The forum started on the 17th of September 2006 and an invitation was sent out to the public in Die Rapport to join. Pienaar said that the response to this initiative looks promising and that their membership grows by around 80 people a day.

“Currently we send mail to approximately 2000 people and our website is visited by approximately 300 people per day. Responses from the public indicate that approximately 30 000 people read the newsletters that are released weekly. Numbers are growing by approximately 80 people per day,” said Pienaar.

(SOURCE: My ADSL)

WEB MAPS SHOW OLD VIEWS OF AFRICA 

A collection of rare maps of Africa, dating from 1530 to 1915, has been made freely available on the internet by Northwestern University in the US.

Curator David Easterbrook says the antique maps not only show the growing geographical knowledge of Africa but the progression of colonisation.  "Early cartographers had not visited or surveyed the land, so they had to do their best guesswork," he told the BBC.

All of the 113 maps can be examined in detail on the site or downloaded. You can see overtime how the shape of Lake Victoria changes  "The earliest maps show just how unreal the knowledge of Africa was in Europe at that time," Mr Easterbrook says.  The cartographers were often working from multiple and often varying accounts.

In some early examples, the River Nile is in the wrong place and many mountains, lakes and sources of precious minerals were based on hearsay.  "You can see overtime how the shape of Lake Victoria [in East Africa] changes from a sock-like elongated profile to a more rounder shape," he says.  Easterbrook also argues that the maps, many of which are highly decorated with artistic flourishes as well as topographical features, should also be savoured for their aesthetics.

The African slave trade is depicted in this map from 1892. "They are just fascinating to look at," he says. Old African kingdoms are also mapped, like Abyssinia in the oldest map of the collection.  The map of Dahomey in West Africa is illustrated with depictions of the slave trade, and another shows the southern empire of Monomotapa.

A map of West Africa from 1747 refers to the region as "Negroland".  The most recent map in the collection from 1915 shows the town plan for Dakar, Senegal's capital.

The collection, which can be browsed by date, country, and other categories, forms part of the university's Herskovits Library - the largest separate library for the study of African studies in the US.

 (SOURCE: BBC)

JUMPTV SIGNS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH ORASCOM'S LINKDOTNET

JumpTV Inc, the world's leading broadcaster of ethnic television over the Internet, has signed a strategic partnership agreement with LINKdotNET to market all of JumpTV's channels on a subscription basis across each of the company's 10 web portals including the number one portal in the region MSN Arabia. MSN Arabia alone has more than 8,000,000 unique visitors per month, of which a significant number reside in North America and Europe.

Owned by telecommunications giant, Orascom Telecom Holding Company , LINKdotNET owns and operates 10 portals including MSN Arabia, Masrawy.com, Mazika.com, ArabFinance, Yallabina.com, CareerMidEast.com, bSolutions.com, El3ab.com, Otlob.com and Yallakora.com.

The agreement will provide LINKdotNET users with access to all of JumpTV's 250+ channels with a focus on JumpTV's 45 Arab-focused channels including Aljazeera, Aljazeera English, MBC 1, Al Arabiya, Dubai TV, Mehwar Channel and 2M.

"The core element of this partnership revolves around the ability of LINKdotNET users to join the JumpTV community with one click. We are confident that this will significantly increase our baseline subscriber numbers and lower our subscriber acquisition costs," said Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, president and chief executive officer of JumpTV International.

"LINKdotNET is dedicated to providing users in the region with the most innovative relevant internet-based services. As Internet television increases in popularity, it is important that our users have access to video content that they will find relevant to their own lives," said Mohamed Sultan, chief products officer of LINKdotNET.

Sultan continued, "JumpTV provides an offering that allows our portals to carry an unparalleled array of television programming and affords our users living away from home with access to more than 250 television channels from 70 countries that would typically only be available within a specific country or region."

Amir Hegazi, JumpTV's general manager for the Middle East and North Africa group commented, "With the addition of LINKdotNET as a partner, JumpTV's television channels will now be available on the top Arab-focused portals around the world -- increasing our exposure to a key market for the Company."

JumpTV's streamed content will be presented through the LINKdotNET's portals as part of a broadband content offering which is slated to launch by First Quarter, 2007.

(SOURCE: Market Wire)

MULTICHOICE RELAUNCHES DSTV BOUQUET IN ZIMBABWE

Multichoice Africa has relaunched the DStv Compact bouquet, now featuring 25 satellite television channels and more than 50 music and radio channels. DStv Compact is designed as an alternative to the Premium Bouquet, which features the full range of more than 50 television channels as well as the music and radio channels selection.

The monthly fee for the service is discounted and makes available DStv viewing to people who cannot afford to pay for the full bouquet. Included in the relaunch are several new channels, notably ActionX, SuperSportZone, BBC World and National Geographic. In addition, the popular horse racing channel, Teletrack is included in the bouquet.

"Although the DStv Premium Bouquet remains the first choice for most satellite television viewers, DStv Compact is also proving popular and enables access to the DStv service to a wider number of people, given its discounted subscription level," said Kirsty Brien, marketing manager of MultiChoice Zimbabwe.

Other channels available to Compact viewers include movie channels Hallmark and Africa Magic, SuperSport Update and the internationally renowned sports channel ESPN, which features a range of sporting attractions, including European soccer. Other Compact channels range from CNN and SABC Africa to The Series Channel and BBC Prime, as well as Reality TV, BBC Food, Trinity Broadcasting Network, Cartoon Network, Channel O and MTV. Various educational and specialist channels make up the remainder, which also includes ZTV.

"In the context of Zimbabwe's challenging economic environment, the availability of an alternative channel offering a strong selection from the Premium Bouquet at a discounted rate is extremely positive and opens DStv to a wider audience across the country," said Ms Brien.

(SOURCE: The Herald)

PEOPLE

* Jackie Manche, CEO of South Africa’s regulator ICASA has been quietly dropped, after she was allowed to resign rather than face a disciplinary inquiry.

* MTC’s Chief Operating Officer, Mahmoud Hashish has been appointed to the Board of Directors at Celtel Kenya. Hashish has also been named the Vice President for Celtel International, in charge of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Madagascar.

* Thari Pheko has been named the new chief executive officer (CEO) of Botswana Telecommunications Authority (BTA), with effect from January 1, 2007. He will replace Cuthbert Lekaukau who has retired.

* Thapelo Lippe, the outgoing Orange Botswana, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)  will  join Microsoft in Kenya as the country manager, covering both East and Central Africa where he is going to be in charge of Microsoft offices in 13 countries.

* A major shake up has taken place in the managements of the Gambia Telecommunications Company (Gamtel) and the Gambia Cellular Company (Gamcel). The following people have left Gamtel:

Omar Ndow, CEO, replaced by Katim Touray.
Ebou Ceesay, Director of Maintenance and Operations
Alieu Nyang, Director of Finance
Yusupha Jallow, ICT Adviser to The Gamtel CEO
Lamin Jagne, Quality Adviser to The Gamtel CEO
Bolajay Williams, Director of Human Resource

At Gamcel, only Sulayman Suso, Director of Technical Services, has seen its service terminated with immediate effect.  Meanwhile, Phoday Sisay, Deputy Managing Director of Gamtel, has been appointed new General Manager of Gamcel, while Pierre Cherry, senior member of Gamcel's management, got appointed as his deputy.

Finally a Board of Directors for both GAMTEL and GAMCEL state-owned companies has been inaugurated. The chairperson of the new board of directors is  Edrisa Jobe of Elton. He is joined by the new GAMCEL Managing Director Phoday Ceesay and the GAMTEL Managing Director, Katim Touray.

EVENTS

DIGITAL BROADCASTING SWITCHOVER FORUM 2007

29th January – 1st February 2007. InterContinental Sandton Sun & Towers, Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa

Hosted by ICASA and organised by the CTO  the digital switch-over forum will have meeting with regulators, policy makers and senior level decision makers from across the pan-African broadcasting industry.

For further information visit www.cto.int

MEETING AFRICA’S BANKING NEEDS: WORLD-CLASS OR ALL-CLASS BANKING SYSTEMS?”

5-8 February 2007, Nairobi, Kenya

The African Banking Technology Conference will provide the region’s banking community with in-depth briefings from African and international experts that will enable them to assess latest banking technology systems and strategies to achieve an effective and profitable balance.

For further information visit  www.aitecafrica.com

- BROADBAND SUMMIT 2007

26-27 February 2007, Southern Sun, Grayston, South Africa

South Africa faces a huge broadband demand, from all sides. However, the broadband access media and business strategies in South Africa still do not resemble the international standards. In order to reach these standards you as ISPs, mobile and/or fixed operators, need to assess the current and future potential of the African broadband market.

For further information visit http://www.iir-conferences.co.za/eventInfo.php?e=1202

- SMB ROADSHOW 2007 - MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

26th March 2007, Nile Hilton, Cairo, Egypt.

IDC's SMB Roadshow provides a comprehensive and trustworthy platform for discussing strategic IT issues directly impacting the SMB sector. Debate led by recognised experts and based on best practices and sound technology analysis provide objective and critical insights required by leaders in this sector. This event will target IT decision makers - by vertical industry sector - within SMBs across the region.

For further information visit http://www.idc-cema.com/events/smbeg07

- 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

- ICTS FOR CIVIL SOCIETY CONFERENCE

June 2007 – South Africa

The conference and exhibition organised by  SANGONeT will be aimed at increasing NGOs’ awareness of the strategic importance of  their websites and the online environment in general.

For further information visit http://sangonet.org.za

- TELECOMS WORLD AFRICA

31st July - 2nd August 2007,  Johannesburg, South Africa

Key decision-makers in South Africa and leading international players will share their expertise and forge invaluable business relationships in a highly interactive environment.

For further information visit www.terrapinn.com/2007/telecomza

- WI-WORLD AFRICA 2007

27 – 30 August 2007, Michelangelo Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa.

In Africa, fixed-line infrastructure is lacking and there is a major problem with copper wire theft. Wireless communication is therefore a great alternative.

For further information visit www.terrapinn.com/2007/telecomza

JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES

CUSTOMER PROJECT MANAGER - NETWORK ROLL OUT – SOUTH AFRICA

The company is looking  for an Ericsson & Huawei experienced Customer Project Manager to be based in South Africa. The position also involves some travel within the region and requires a minimum 5 years of solid network deployment experience.

For further information contact advertising@balancingact-africa.com

TELECOMS, INTERNET AND COMPUTING WRITERS NEEDED

Balancing Act is looking for writers who can contribute to its pay-for reports in the coming. We pay for contributions but writers need to be able to demonstrate an understanding of the subject areas. In particular, we are looking for authors for our new African Telecoms and Internet Markets series that looks at these markets in different African countries. Send your details and some examples of things you have written to editorial@balancingact-africa.com

If our correspondent is "off the mark" or you have factual amendments, mail them to us and we will include them in subsequent News Updates. If you'd like to contribute, write and let us know.
If you need information about a particular place or issue, just send your questions in. We are always happy to follow up on readers concerns.

News Update is a free e-letter produced by Balancing Act that covers African internet content and infrastructure developments, It goes out to government, the private sector, education and NGOs. To subscribe, send a message saying "I want to subscribe" to info@balancingact-africa.com