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WEEKLY PUBLICATION DEADLINE: 12 pm GMT Sunday. ISSUE NO 338 Jobs SMS services might offer mobile companies the killer appAfrica’s mobile companies have a stiff hill to climb if they are to get 5-10% of their revenues from data services. The current upgrade race to 3G and other less manageable acronyms makes this target an imperative rather than something that can develop organically. Although mobile companies have managers focused on developing this income, few really seem to have the bit between their teeth. This week sees the first evidence coming in from Kenya and South Africa that jobs services may turn out to be one of the killer apps. Russell Southwood looks at what’s happening. M4G LAUNCHES JOBS SERVICE FRANCHISE AFTER SUCCESFUL KENYA TRIALSocial enterprise MobileForGood (M4G) last week launched its franchise scheme to attract investors in its SMS jobs service product after a successful launch in Kenya. Started in 2003 by OneWorld with support from the Vodafone Group Foundation, the company has reached breakeven point with annualized revenues of US$100,000. The service has been used by over 70,000 people and there are 38,000 current subscribers. The service has grown from under 10,000 in its first quarter in 2005 to its current level in the last quarter of 2006. Subscribers sign up for pre-pay credits and are charged KS7 for each SMS telling them about a job vacancy. The service puts out between 150-200 job vacancies a week. 60-70% of these jobs are filled by people who receive the information from the SMS service. Employers value the service because of the speed with which it is possible to fill certain kinds of vacancies: an example given was of a company seeking to recruit a new messenger. The time taken from interview to appointment was much speedier than other methods.Users of the service are quite diverse ranging from graduates to older people seeking employment. Most are aged between 18-40. The “value-chain” for SMS services can often be complicated, especially if there are third party copyright holders. However, with this type of service there are three main parties: the mobile operator (Safaricom), the mobile platform provider (in this instance, Mobile Planet) and the content provider M4G. The income split between the different parties in the value-chain will vary depending upon how much effort the content provider has to put into getting the text for the services. For example, someone running a daily astrology service just has to “look into the future” and write it down. Someone using copyrighted material may have to pay the copyright holder. In the case of a jobs service, there is considerable effort goes into keep a high level of jobs offered. The standard income split would be 50% to the mobile operator, 10-20% to the mobile platform provider and 30-40% to the content provider. Anxious to drive up income from this source, the mobile operators are seeking to take a bigger share of the value in other countries. However, they need to be careful not to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. M4G have also trialled a health information service but the returns from this have been considerably more modest. Plans for developing markets include morning prayers and motivational tips whilst those for more mature markets include: market information, property news, IT tips and local events. Mature markets are defined as those where a large percentage of the population use mobile phones. Examples given include Cameroon, South Africa, Egypt, India and Latin American countries. OneWorld is now seeking franchisees who will invest in developing the service. It is offering three opportunities:1. Developing markets where returns are likely to be more modest.2. Mature markets that have higher projected returns.3. Bulk investment in a group of 5-10 countries. Each opportunity is available in a flexible combination of equity and loan financing. If you are interested in any of these opportunities, e-mail us at info@balancingact-africa.com and we will put you in touch with the OneWorld staff. MOBILE TECHNOLOGY IS THE NATURAL EXTENSION TO ONLINE RECRUITMENTCellphone penetration in SA is massive and, with the Internet fast becoming the preferred way of searching for career opportunities amongst job seekers, it makes sense that mobile technology would be the natural extension to online recruitment. So says Inge de Klerk, general sales manager of Job Mail. “Almost every South African has a cell phone, and the level of technology available to local users, such as 3G, HSDPA broadband and mobile TV, is very much cutting-edge. As such, mobile devices are becoming increasingly popular for data acquisition and for browsing the Internet. “Job-seekers are particularly mobile active and it just makes sense to enable them to access the Job Mail Web site and conveniently search for jobs using their mobile handsets, 24 hours a day and from anywhere,” she says, adding that Junk Mail is one of the first companies, and certainly the first publishing house in SA, to make a mini-browser user-friendly for mobile phone-users. According to De Klerk, the uptake of Job Mail’s mobile service has been tremendous, with the number of page impressions per week on the mini-browser jumping from 18 994 during the first week of the service being launched in April 2006, to an average of 95 000 per week now. Since April 2006, close to 1 500 unique job-seekers have applied for positions via the mobile site. The number of unique visitors has also grown substantially, increasing from 187 to 855 in the last six months. Although De Klerk says this figures is probably higher. “It is difficult to determine exactly how many unique visitors there are on the mini-browser, because logging-in is not compulsory. Furthermore, our Web analysis software only counts unique IP addresses, which is erroneous for mobile usage, as many users are likely to be coming through a single IP address due to the nature of GPRS and 3G connectivity,” she says. De Klerk explains that the technology employed allows for similar functionality to what users have become accustomed to on the Job Mail Web site. At the same time, viewing and navigating the content on the site remains simple and fast. This is because the mini-browser was designed with the mobile user specifically in mind, using reduced graphics and text. As with the online Web site, using the mini-browser site is free and there is no need to register or subscribe in order to scan for jobs. However, to apply for jobs, job-seekers must register for the service. “Users do not have to register specifically for Job Mail mobile. Instead they automatically have access to it when they register via the standard Web site. Once they are registered on the Job Mail Web site and have successfully uploaded their CVs, job-seekers are able to apply for jobs using their WAP-enabled mobile handsets. There is no charge for searching for jobs, uploading CVs or applying for jobs,” says De Klerk. Using the mobile service is easy. Job-seekers just have to enter Job Mail’s Web site address (www.jobmail.co.za) into any cell phone Web browser and connect to the site. Once connected, users can select to search vacancies advertised on the site. Searches can be broad or specific, according to region and industry. Vacancies are then displayed in an easy-to-read format that has been optimised to load quickly in a mobile browser, with the same detail available in Job mail’s print and online products, she adds. The mobile service not only boosts job-seekers’ ability to conveniently search and apply for jobs but, it also allows for enhanced exposure of recruiters’ vacancies advertised on the Job Mail Web site, she concludes. (SOURCE: ICT World)
MTN AND VODACOM TO LAUNCH “ME-TOO” REGIONAL SERVICES IN EAST AFRICAFollowing Celtel’s lead, MTN and Vodacom will launch “me-too” borderless services in the region this month. This follows the conclusion of talks that will help each of the telecom operators facilitate regional expansion. MTN had already signalled it would do this at GSM Africa in November last year. Erik van Veen, MTN Uganda Chief Commercial Officer, said over the weekend that the single network will be launched before the end of January. He was, however, hesitant to give details on how the system would work. "We will give you details when we are closer to launching," asserted van Veen. "Last year, we mentioned that we shall launch this service in 2007. I can tell you now that preparations are in advanced stages and we shall be launching it before the end of this month," he added. The three companies have been in talks since mid-last year on how they could create synergies to provide a single network. Vodacom Tanzania has a subscriber base of more than five million, MTN has 1.7m subscribers while Safaricom has about 4.7m subscribers. "We are all market leaders in our respective countries. Combined, (the big tree operators) have a subscriber base of more than 10m and this is going to be the biggest service in the region," said van Veen. Analysts estimate that since the launch of Celtel's One Network, the company has gained more that 10% more regional roaming subscribers. (SOURCE: New Vision) TELECOM NAMIBIA’S FIXED WIRELESS PHONE IS LEGAL, SAYS NEPRU STUDYThe CDMA Switch fixed wireless telephone service offered by Telecom Namibia is a welcome relief, is legal and introduces lower fees to Namibians. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the Namibian Economic Policy Research Unit (Nepru), while compiling its latest policy brief entitled 'Switch to competition - Regulatory challenges for Namibia's telecommunication sector'. Namibia Telecom and the regulator NCC have been at loggerheads over the latest service offered by the country's sole fixed-line operator, Telecom Namibia. The country's two mobile phone operators, Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) and PowerCom (Cell One), have also questioned the Switch service, accusing Telecom of flouting regulations. The NCC entered into the dispute with Telecom over the legality of Switch after MTC and PowerCom pressurised the NCC to limit the frequency of Switch, so that it does not operate as a mobile phone service. Launching the policy brief in Windhoek on Friday, Nepru's Senior Researcher Dr Christoph Stork said according to the Posts and Telecommunications Act of 1992, there was nothing wrong with Switch. "Nothing makes Switch illegal at the moment For years we have been longing for competition in the telecom sector that will lead to lower prices and increased economic growth. "Now that the first signs of competition are on the horizon, should we really try and prevent operators from choosing the most cost-effective technical solution to provide telephony?" Nepru's research confirmed consumers' suspicions that MTC's charges are very high (especially compared to other service providers in the region), adding that the entry of PowerCom would not change things much, but with Switch also in the playing field, the situation has changed. Switch, compared to mobile contracts locally, in Botswana and South Africa, proved to be the cheapest. Stork, however, called for implementation of a new Telecommunications Act to bring about the long-awaited sector reform. "The best way would be to issue service and technologically neutral licences to all three operators, Telecom Namibia, MTC and Cell One, to allow them to embrace global trends in a converging world," he said. The introduction of Switch seems to have pulled the carpet from underneath PowerCom, as the second mobile licence holder was expected to launch its product by December last year, but consumers are still waiting to see what the company will offer. (SOURCE: The Namibian) NIGERIAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GIVES UAE FIRM ROLL-OUT DEADLINEThe Federal government has given Mubadala, the United Arab Emirates firm recently granted a conditional Unified Access Service Licence by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) twelve months within which to establish its network infrastructure and roll out services in Nigeria from the day it pays the $400 million licensing fee. This Day learnt that the timeframe is part of the standard licensing conditions given operators granted Universal Access Licences, but will only begin to count as soon as Mubadala scales the first hurdle of paying the $400 million licence fee which fell due last week. When fully paid up Mubadala will then own a broad spectrum licence in the 1800 and 900 MHz bands that will enable it roll out bundled packages such as the fixed wireless services, mobile services, broadband (data and multimedia) as well international gateway services. Mubadala, it was learnt gained entry into the Nigerian market as a deliberate policy of the Olusegun Obasanjo administration to broaden,the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In order to effectively realise the goal and facilitate the company's entry, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufa; Minister of Petroleum, Dr. Edmund Dakorou; and Minister of Finance, Mrs. Esther Nenadi Usman were said to have played prominent roles in wooing Mubadala to invest in Nigeria. Under the terms of the licensing, Mubadala will be required to pay the full license fee on or before January 19 2007, failing which the offer shall automatically lapse. Experts have predicted that as the fifth operator, Mubadala,may capture at least 5-10 per cent of the market within three years through the introduction of triple-play service comprising voice, data and IPTV. If the company is able to offer next generation services to the public at affordable prices, the dominance of older operators could be threatened. Mubadala Development Company is a wholly owned investment vehicle of the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. (SOURCE: This Day) POTRAZ SETS PRICES FOR PRE-PAID MOBILE LINES IN ZIMBABWEThe Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe has -- with immediate effect -- prohibited all local cellular companies from selling pre-paid lines loaded with airtime. The statutory body has also set new prices at which the lines should be sold, which vary from company to company in line with production and packaging costs that the operators submitted. Zimbabwe has three mobile phone operators: Econet Wireless, Telecel Zimbabwe and Net One. An official with Telecel said they would from now on sell their pre-paid Juice-Up brand for Z$6,100, down from Z$20,000. Net One managing director Reward Kangai also confirmed their prepaid brand, Easycall, would now be priced at Z$5,700 down, from Z$10,000. Econet chief executive Douglas Mboweni said the company would make a public statement regarding the pricing of their Buddie and Libertie pre-paid brands. Prior to the latest gazetted prices, Telecel prepaid lines were loaded with Z$17,000 of airtime while Net One's had Z$7,000 airtime's worth. Buddie lines were selling for Z$24,000, including Z$22,000 worth of airtime. Players said the latest move by the country's telecommunications regulator would result in more lines being channelled to the black market. Mboweni said: "All mobile phone companies are into airtime business and selling SIM cards with or without airtime will not make much difference. The reason for loading airtime was meant to ensure that lines would be bought by the final user. Low prices will certainly encourage the parallel market." A senior Potraz official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, warned that penalties would be imposed on companies that would be found selling lines above the regulated prices. "I cannot comment on that one, but we appeal to Econet, Net One and Telecel to stick to the new regulated prices of which failure to comply would result in heavy penalties imposed on them," said the official. "They should also find tight monitoring measures to ensure no lines would find their way to the black market." Players said they would continue engaging Potraz on the rationale of banning loading airtime to prepaid line to reach a compromise. Meanwhile, Potraz has approved new cellular tariffs. Although Herald Business could not obtain the new charges by the time of going to Press, it is understood from a source within the sector that the "approved tariffs are uneconomical" and would "worsen challenges facing the industry". (SOURCE: The Herald) SOUTH AFRICA STILL LOSING OUT BECAUSE OF HIGH TELECOMS PRICESFor the past two years, President Thabo Mbeki's annual state of the nation address has raised SA's high telecommunications prices as one of the key challenges facing the economy. With the president due to deliver his 2007 state of the nation address in the coming weeks, sadly little has changed on the telecoms price front. Granted, the second phone operator -- Neotel -- has finally kicked off. But it is already clear that Neotel will not make a real impact on prices in the short or medium term. It has neither the financial muscle nor the infrastructural reach to do so. It is difficult to quantify exactly how much business in SA has lost as a result of high prices. But there is a clear pointer in this week's announcement by Reuters, one of the world's largest global information providers, that it will not be ploughing any more money into SA. Reuters CEO Tom Glocer argues that while there are attractive opportunities in SA, telecoms services are far more expensive here than in other developing nations and the available bandwidth is flaky. The reasons for SA's current high prices are well documented, having their genesis in the 1998 privatisation deal where government gave Telkom a five-year monopoly in return for US and Malaysian investors buying a 30% stake in the organisation. The monopoly period was compounded by the failure to create a strong and independent regulator in the form of the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa), or to empower it with transparent rules of the game. The rise of cellular phones, wireless broadband and voice over internet protocol has improved services and lowered costs in small pockets of the industry, but Telkom's firm grip on the fixed-line market has left SA dangerously far behind the curve internationally. This situation will not be fixed by government's current strategy of "managed liberalisation", particularly when the process is overseen by a weak regulator that is underfunded, overstretched and has been crippled by a management crisis. Far more dramatic action will have to be taken if the goal of lowering the cost of doing business in SA is to be achieved. And that action will have to be led by Mbeki since his Communications Minister, Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, has repeatedly failed to make any real progress on opening up the market or empowering the regulator. The first step is to implement government's plan to unbundle the local loop: the copper cable that connects customers to the network. This will give other operators and internet service providers access to Telkom's telephone exchanges, allowing them to offer services on the lines now controlled by Telkom. The time for protecting Telkom is well and truly over. Both Telkom and the market have been given more than enough notice of such a move. (SOURCE: Business Day) CCK STUDY SUGGESTS AIRTIME PRICE CAPS IN KENYAThe Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) should get powers to set maximum limits to what subscribers and mobile operators pay for calls, a firm conducting an industry study has recommended. A draft report released on Friday by British firm Analysys Consulting suggested CCK should consider price caps as well as other interventions for retail and interconnection charges. Retail charges are what subscribers pay, while interconnection charges are 'wholesale' prices paid between different operators. "CCK should regulate charges so that they reflect costs of the service and not the wishes of the operators," said Analysys Managing Director Bram Moerman. His firm was hired by CCK last year to look at telecommunication network costs in Kenya. They looked at what made up service costs as well as how operators decided on their prices. The firm was also asked to say whether it was necessary to have "a regulatory framework" (guidelines and controls) on pricing. Releasing the results on Friday, Moerman said that CCK regulation would ensure charges were cost-based and reasonable. Currently the industry regulator is only empowered to intervene whenever there is a dispute between different operators in the market. CCK should have powers to define services it wants to regulate and how to implement regulation, Moerman said. His firm's suggestions include price controls on services in which an operator is dominant, and requiring disclosure of key financial, operational and technical information among other interventions. The report will be handed to telecommunication service providers and the Communications Minister to come up with the regulations framework by March this year. The Commission's Director General, John Waweru, said that while it is necessary to regulate interconnection charges, it should be noted that they have come down significantly, from Sh23 in 1999 to Sh8.20 currently. "A regulatory framework would nevertheless ensure reasonably priced services," he said. On the supernormal profits being raked by mobile phone operators, Boerman said that this is a reward for the risks that these firms took investing in Africa. Waweru said that the profits are being ploughed back into infrastructure. "With seven million subscribers, we still have more than 80 per cent of the population not connected," Waweru said. He said high prices were a good thing while the industry was growing. If call charges were to drop too far, he argued, networks would collapse, as they would not be able support the surge in the number of new subscribers. (SOURCE: The East African Standard)
IN BRIEF:- Morocco has going ahead with the partial unbundling of the local loop. According to ANRT, the telecoms regulator, an access price has been defined with Maroc Telecom (the national incumbent) and fixed at 50 dirhams per month ($5.82). The total unbundling of the local loop is scheduled for July 2008. So far new entrants can only access the copper cable (to offer ADSL service for example but not VoIP because it is illegal). At least there is some hope for the devastated Moroccan ISP sector. However the low frequency part of the copper pipe dedicated to traditional telephone services remains the monopoly of Maroc Telecom which can carry on banking on the revenue generated by the line rental and the phone calls. - Uganda telecom (utl) has completed upgrading the Next Generation Network (NGN) allowing the communication services of a company to be delivered through one channel instead of having separate networks delivering their voice and data services, all services even video can be delivered over the network. - Econet Wireless Kenya moved to challenge a decision by the High Court to dismiss its application to block the licensing of second landline telephone operator. Justice Visram ruled that if the orders sought by Econet were granted, the country would lose Sh1.5 billion in revenue and would also send wrong signals to investors. Econet says licensing VTel would "render void an appeal it has lodged with Kenya Communications Appeals Tribunal." The firm has asked the tribunal to set aside the award. - German technologies group Siemens is planning to withdraw from Sudan, in view of the current humanitarian situation in Darfur region. The company says that it will no longer accept any further orders from Sudan. Until now, the group has had an annual turnover of tens of millions of euros in Sudan. The German firm is under pressures from US divestment activists who consider the firm as one of the western firms dealing with the Sudanese regime. Last October, Siemens has signed a global frame agreement with Mobitel Sudan, part of Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) Group, to supply 2.5G radio wireless infrastructure in a deal worth US$25.2 million. TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE- Wataniya Telecom announced that its commercial operation in Tunisia, under the brand name Tunisiana, has surpassed the three million subscribers mark in the Tunisian telecom market. - The highest mountain in Namibia, the Brandberg, is to receive a base station for mobile communication in order to increase the range of cellphone contact for locals and tourists in the area. The 3G HSDPA network commercial launch is scheduled for the first quarter of 2007. - Vodacom Tanzania says that it has switched on its 3G HSPDA network in Dar-es-Salaam. With the installation of a 3G HSDPA network, Tanzania is only the second country in Africa with such technology, the first being South Africa. - Econet Wireless announced plans to install 90 base stations countrywide in a move to boost network efficiency and coverage in Zimbabwe. This is part of the expansion Econet announced last year to increase capacity from 500,000 to 800,000 subscribers.At the same time, state-owned Zimbabwean cellco NetOne has announced that it intends to deploy at least 200 new GSM base stations this year in addition to commissioning a second mobile switching centre, aiming to relieve congestion on its network and expand coverage to hitherto inaccessible areas. - Médi Télécom (Meditel), Morocco's second largest cellco, has revealed that it had signed up 100,000 residential fixed line customers by the beginning of this month, having launched wireless in the local loop (WiLL) services last May under the Tilifoune Dialdar banner. Meditel won the country's second national fixed line licence in July 2005, whilst ISP Maroc Connect was awarded the third operating concession in September 2005. This week Maroc Connect unveiled a new brand name, WANA, under which it will launch a rival telephony service. - ProFax, a company within the listed telecommunications DataPro Group, has announced the launch of a managed faxing solution that is claimed to undercut Telkom's national and international rates. The launch of the solution follows the signing of a joint venture agreement between ProFax and AmVia at the beginning of December.
SOUTH AFRICA’S BROADBAND PLANS IN QUESTIONThe South African Government’s ambitious new broadband company, Infraco, may be still born with internal dissent and regulatory uncertainty currently blocking progress on the deal to create it. Andrew Mthembu, the lead consultant on the project, appears to be on his way out, after Director General of Public Enterprises, Portia Molefe, declined to renew his contract beyond January. Meanwhile, tardiness at the Department of Communications, disagreement with the private shareholder, the Indian conglomerate, Tata, and a lack of clarity over the licensing requirements for the company are making it impossible to finalise the transactions that would create Infraco, according to people familiar with recent discussions about its future. Mthembu could not be reached for comment, but sources close to the project told the Mail & Guardian that Molefe had decided to terminate his involvement with the company, and suggested that he had clashed with Tata over both pricing - which the government wants kept to a minimum - and the details of a proposed undersea cable. Public Enterprises spokesperson Gaynor Kast flatly denied those claims. “The allegation that Andrew Mthembu’s contract will not be renewed is completely unfounded,” she insisted, saying “everything is on track”. Mthembu, previously managing director at Vodacom, was hired by Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin a year ago, and he has been the key architect of Infraco. He devised the arrangement to transfer Eskom’s extensive fibre-optic network to a new company, in which the government would hold 74%. The remaining 26% was to be held by VSNL, a subsidiary of Tata, which owns a similar stake in the second network operator, Neotel. Finance Minister Trevor Manuel in his October medium-term budget policy statement announced an initial allocation of R647-million in government funding for the company, which, officials say, was earmarked for the acquisition of Eskom assets by Infraco. The idea was that Infraco would sell the capacity available on this network to, Neotel, enabling it to bypass Telkom for a substantial portion of its local bandwidth needs without raising fresh capital. It was originally envisaged that Neotel would buy the Eskom assets outright, but with other Neotel shareholders short of cash, the Infraco plan enables Tata to get same effective share of the Eskom backbone through a separate structure. The government, meanwhile, gets to keep firm control of Infraco’s pricing. That, it seems, created a sharp -- and predictable conflict between Tata and Mthembu’s team, which has not been resolved. The second --and more controversial - element of the plan was for Infraco to lay a new undersea cable, bypassing the SAT 3 cable that is currently controlled by Telkom. The intention was to boost dramatically international bandwidth and bring down the ruinously high access costs that international investors and local businesses have repeatedly complained are a constraint on growth. The new cable has always been a sticking point with the Department of Communications, which sees Infraco as a threat to its own plans. For three years Communications officials have been punting Sentech, the state owned signal distribution company, as a significant player in the local bandwidth market and they have recently been pinning their hopes on the new East African submarine cable (EASsy) to help break Telkom’s stranglehold on international traffic. Sources sympathetic to Mthembu say Tata is now trying to frustrate plans for a third cable because it has already cut deals to gain access to the existing connection and Neotel can profitably exploit those deals without interference from a government shareholder, which will insist on low prices and tight margins. Tata had not responded to requests for comment at press time. And, despite a fiat from Erwin to “get it done”, the weakness of the regulator, Icasa, and the lack of enthusiasm from the Department of Communications means neither Tata nor the government knows just what the rules governing the new operator would be. Director General in the Department of Communications Lyndall Shope Mafole told the M&G through a spokesperson that Infraco was a government project, not a public enterprises project, and there was no dispute over it. (SOURCE: Mail and Guardian) COMPLAINTS ABOUT GHANA TELECOM’S BROADBAND BILLINGThe article below comes from Ghanaian newspaper Public Agenda and is a complaint about the billing for Ghana Telecom’s ADSL service: ”When GT outdoored their Internet services many Ghanaian internet users nursed the hope that at long last frustrations they encountered surfing the net were going to be a thing of the past. Like many organizations Public Agenda switched to the GT broadband sometime in May 2006 with hope that the nightmares we had with our previous service provide would end. For sometime we enjoyed uninterrupted service until lately when GT resorted to cutting us off without adequate notice. Public Agenda, like other customers were made aware that since the installation was through an ADSL, the account and services were to be divided into voice and data with different accounts numbers. That is the beginning of our frustrations with GT. Payment made on the data account on several occasions, have been credited to the voice. The end result is that GT usually disconnects the broadband without caring to check why the voice account was being over-paid. As a result of the wrong crediting of our data account to the voice account, we had a comfortable ¢1.2 million sitting in the voice account, while GT disconnected us for non-payment of the data account. At the heart of the problem is a simple payment system that cannot be synchronized by GT and Ecobank, which it appointed to receive payments on its behalf. Our investigations have revealed that GT has failed to clarify to the bank that there are separate accounts for voice and data. For this reason, any payment made to Ecobank is automatically credited to voice whether or not the payment is for data. They then bill customers and in fact disconnect customers for non-payment of broadband bills. The sad twist is that when a customer pays the so-called arrears the transaction fails to register at all the departments of GT, but when a customer owes, it automatically registers at all the departments for prompt action to be taken. To get GT to reconnect is usually the beginning of the battle. Customers who call the much advertised GT Care4u centres only speak to people who sound very caring on phone, but after the customer hangs up that is the end of their much advertised care for customers. Public Agenda has suffered unwarranted disconnection three times in less than six months. In August 2006 the paper's broadband service was terminated for non payment of bills. It took several exchanges and proof of payment of the bills for the line to be reconnected. Then in December 2006 the line was disconnected again for the same reason, when in fact we had paid up all the bills on the broadband. Here again phone calls to GT to complain of the wrongful disconnection did not yield any response until we sent a strong delegation to argue out our case. With just a few weeks into the New Year, GT's handling of the voice and data accounts, a simple administrative procedure raises many questions on the efficiency of the staff manning the various departments. Last week, without checking whether this newspaper had paid up its broadband bills, they disconnected us yet again, only to realize that it was a mistake. The impression of this newspaper and indeed many customers is that GT operates on a principle of complete disregard for customer care. We stand to be corrected and hope to see a change attitude of GT workers as we celebrate our 50th Anniversary”. (SOURCE: Public Agenda) INTERNET SOLUTIONS EXPANDS FTP SITEInternet Solutions, a converged communications services provider, has upgraded its ftp site - ftp.is.co.za - to 8TB of storage space, and completely replaced the old platform. “This has allowed us to take on new shareware mirrors and provide a better service to the SA community,” says Anthony Southgate, marketing executive at IS. “Slow transfer rates are now a thing of the past.” Users will find the following distributions on the site: Linux distributions; SuSE, OpenSuSE, Redhat, Fedora, Mandriva, Ubuntu, Debian.
Southgate continues: “Monthly downloads average in excess of 1,4TB of data, of which more than 1TB was to local users. Our role here is to add value to the SA community by providing a local ftp service that rivals those seen internationally and providing fast, cost-effective downloads.” (SOURCE: ICT World) IDIRECT SATELLITE SERVICES TO BE DEPLOYED IN LIBYAPhoenicia Group Libya LLC, a U.S-Libyan diversified business and consultancy group, announced its intention to deploy iDirect VSAT terminals in Libya for the first time, to support clients across Libya with more reliable, efficient and cost-effective satellite communications technology. Al-Waha IT & Telecommunications, a subsidiary of the Phoenicia Group, provides DVB-RCS based turn-key integrated VSAT solutions; comprising systems and hardware procurement, installation, servicing and secure high-bandwidth dedicated Internet connectivity packages. The decision to switch technologies will translate into better service and reliability, according to a representative. (SOURCE: Libya News) IN BRIEF:- The Moroccan parliament has agreed to a law extending the role of the ANRT, the telecom regulator, in relation to electronic certification and management of the domain .ma. According to law 29-06, the ANRT will be in charge of the administration of domain names in the country (it used to be Maroc Telecom). The regulator will allocate domain names and represent the country at the international level. - Rumours are floating around South Africa about the possible launch of an ADSL 2+ service with the added allure of Telkom muttering about WiMax plans. Telkom is installing ADSL2+ enabled DSLAMs, but that does not necessarily mean that they will be launching an ADSL 2+ service. Telkom is also currently trialing a WiMAX offering and plans for its implementation will be communicated once the trials are completed. This does not give consumers a clear idea as to what to expect from Telkom, and the telecoms provider may not want to show its cards before Neotel’s launch of corporate and residential telecoms services.
IT WORLD GROUP WANTS PRESIDENCY TO SHUN IT COMMISSION BILL IN NIGERIAThe Joint Action on Information Technology Awareness and Development (JACITAD) has appealed to President Olusegun Obasanjo to withhold his assent to the National Information Technology Commission Bill 2006 over fundamental provisions in the proposed law that subverts the aspiration of the Nigerian Internet community. "JACITAD would like to bring to the urgent attention of Mr President that the Bill seeking to establish the National Information Technology Commission to plan, develop and promote the use of IT in Nigeria includes provisions that threatens to undermine Internet growth in Nigeria", said President, JACITAD, Mr Shola Fonawopo. JACITAD observes that following the intervention of President Obasanjo to broke peace among contenders for ownership of the national resource, he had directed the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to supervise the setting up of a Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD .ng) Manager in the form of a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that will represent the internet community in Nigeria. The JACITAD president said that even though the NGO, which is called the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA) various provisions have found their way into the final Bill that will hijack the smooth running of this body if the proposed law goes into effect. "Significantly, the version that was passed by the National Assembly is at variance with proposals forwarded by the Nigerian internet community during series of extensive public hearings of which various stakeholders including JACITAD participated", said Fonawopo. "We would also like to place on record that those provisions were not included in the draft Bill that was presented to stakeholders during the review and subsequent public hearing undertaken at the National Assembly on the matter", he added. In line with President's Obasanjo's directive on the way forward to resolving the domain name issue, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) was appointed 'Technical Contact' and to midwife the setting up of NIRA. Founder of Technology Times and Member Board of Trustees (BOT) of NIRA, Shina Badaru, said that other stakeholders, through their representatives on NIRA have equally expressed concern over the disclosure that final version of the Bill that was passed, "was not the version that was presented for review by stakeholders." "We were surprised to see that some supplementary provisions have made their way into the final version of the Bill that was passed which grants broad powers to NITDA or any other agency created by the proposed law over what should ordinarily a body that reflects the diversity of the Nigerian internet community", said Badaru, who represents the Nigerian media on the NIRA BOT. According to Badaru, "we align our position with that of other ICT industry stakeholders who believe that the proposed law calls for urgent review as the foundation of the domain name management is quite pivotal to the growth and development of a virile internet community in Nigeria" (SOURCE: Daily Trust) POWER OUTAGE’S THREATEN SOUTH AFRICA’S IT SECTOREskom's latest power outage has raised concerns in the ICT industry that economic and sector growth could be hampered for the next decade. An economist, who did not want to be named, believes the impact on the economy will be felt for between the next five and 10 years as investors lose confidence in the country and move large projects elsewhere. The SA Chamber of Business has also warned SA could lose investors as offshore companies' confidence in the country drops. Government is currently trying to attract investors as part of its plan to grow economic output – or gross domestic product (GDP) – by 6% a year by 2010. One of the focus areas of this growth plan – the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of SA – is to encourage offshore companies to locate contact and call centres in SA. However, the economist warns that companies, which rely on the continuous supply of electricity, will not invest in the country. “More than just an interruption, it's a confidence issue; it will take a long time to establish our credibility again.” Luke Mills, MD of CallingtheCape, a business process outsourcing industry association, says most members have disaster recovery plans in place and, as a result, power outages are an inconvenience, and not mission-critical. More of an issue is the impact on investor confidence due to Eskom's apparent failure, he says. “When we sell SA to international investors, we sell it on the basis of a robust infrastructure and power outages undermine that.” Telkom has already warned it is seeing the impact of outages. Customers experiencing problems are primarily those whose services are dependent on customer premises equipment such as telephones, modems and PABXs, says Telkom media specialist Ajith Bridgaj. Bridgaj notes Telkom's core plant remains largely unaffected by the outages, owing to the fixed-line operator's backup power generation capability. “Appropriate contingency measures are also in place to ensure the quality of our service delivery.” SA's latest power outage, which resulted in rolling blackouts last week as Eskom attempted to balance the load, is not expected to be the last. An analyst, who commented anonymously, says – while he cannot quantify the impact this will have on the sector – the problem is “very serious”. He says if GDP growth is affected, the ICT industry – which has grown off the back of solid economic fundamentals – will be affected. “Government needs to shoulder some amount of blame for the situation.” Eskom yesterday notified the public it was “experiencing a higher than planned number of generating unit outages along with a higher than expected demand for electricity during this period”. However, the unplanned outages of 4 600MW have not been fully explained, says the analyst. Koeberg's unit one, which was shut down after mechanical failure, only accounts for 900MW. The analyst says this indicates bigger problems down the road. The rapidly growing South African economy and resultant electricity demand caught Eskom off guard, says CEO Thulani Gcabashe. He said last year the utility was under pressure due to rising demand. “The growth in GDP came faster than we all expected and we responded by accelerating the entire process forward. We are bringing projects forward to cope with the demand.” The utility company started planning additional capacity – especially during peak use periods – a while ago. However, additions to the national grid take some time to build, while SA requires an extra 1 000MW of capacity each year. Eskom says it will spend R100 billion in the next five years to augment its production capabilities. The capacity-outlook from 2003 to 2022 indicates the country currently has installed capacity of about 38 000MW. However, peak demand is presently 34 000MW and will hit 55 000MW by 2020. Market commentators argue that by the time Eskom started seriously planning, it was already too late. The utility should have been planning as long ago as 1999, not 2003, they note. Eskom is in the process of bringing three disused service stations back online, adding 3 612MW to its capacity by 2011. It is also at various stages of investigating the feasibility of new plants, including coal-fired stations, gas stations, nuclear plants, water-driven power stations and wind-fuelled plants. (SOURCE: IT Web) UNIDO AND MICROSOFT PARTNER TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH IN UGANDAThe United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Microsoft have jointly announced the launch of a new programme designed to focus on how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can be implemented to support the development of micro and small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) across rural Uganda. The announcement was made at a launch event yesterday, ‘Achieving Productivity and Competitiveness: ICT Solutions for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises’ which took place in Kampala, Uganda. The new project is the result of a partnership agreement signed between UNIDO and Microsoft in July 2006, and builds on UNIDO’s already established presence in Kampala. The core objective of the project is to provide integrated business solutions to MSMEs through District Business Information Centres, which are themselves businesses, established to provide sustainable information services. “UNIDO greatly values the commitment and resources brought through partnership with the private sector” said Dr Kandeh Yumkella, director-general of UNIDO. “Through involvement in this programme Microsoft is contributing established expertise in rural computing, founded on research conducted in India. It is also working with us on innovative applications of its technology, tailored to the needs of rural micro and small businesses. The technology leadership provided by Microsoft is a key component of the programme.” The second phase of the programme will extend the services of UNIDO’s One-Stop Shops that support MSMEs from six districts in January 2007 to a total of eight districts throughout rural Uganda. This expansion will ensure broader access to integrated information solutions and services for rural based businesses. In addition, the centres will provide training in ICT and entrepreneurship, as well as offer fast and reliable access to the Internet. “MSMEs play a vital role, as grassroots organizations, in promoting sustainable economic growth and in poverty alleviation. Focus on Digital Inclusion programmes to make ICT available to students and communities, often overlook entrepreneurs” said Dr Cheick Diarra, Chairman for Africa, Microsoft Corp. “With this programme we are able to make ICT and skills available to adults and young unemployed Africans who want to start a business.” Taking into consideration the gender composition of MSMEs in Uganda, the programme will also ensure that women are provided with the opportunity to develop both their ICT and entrepreneurial skills. IN BRIEF:- Seychelles is the latest COMESA member country to receive financial and technical assistance from the organisation to set-up a national ICT committee. The National Information and Communication Technology Consultative Committee will provide the government with policy direction and advice on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) developments in the country. - Cisco Systems has declared Weco Systems International Limited, a systems integration company, as its Best Growth Partner for the Emerging Africa region covering West, Central, East and Southern Africa. - Diamond Bank in Nigeria has invested in a banking application, Flexcube Universal Banking Application. The application, rated number one in the industry is developed by Iflex Solutions of India. The new application is deployed to upgrade the Retail, Corporate and Internet banking services of the bank. - ESET Distribution Middle East announced that it has signed three new distributors to promote its anti-virus software, ESET NOD32, in Libya, Syria and Sudan.
AFRICA ONLINE SEEKS TO REASSURE CUSTOMERS OVER TAKEOVER DEALFollowing press coverage of the contested deal for its takeover, Africa Online issued a press release in Nairobi that sought to reassure its customers that their services would not be affected. According to CEO Lesley Davey:”We are in the middle of very delicate negotiations with a number of interested parties but at this stage no deal has been reached. For customers, we would stress that it is business as usual and we do not expect any radical changes in our service offerings in the near future.” However, the fear must be that the longer the takeover takes, the more money that is spent on lawyers and professional advisers, the less money will actually finally be invested in the company or its assets (if Telkom takes them over). Therefore to paraphrase Lady Macbeth, if it were done, ‘tis best it were done quickly. In more modern parlance, time for Telkom to put up or shut up. SINGTEL PUTS AFRICA IN ITS SIGHTSSingapore Telecommunications Ltd. is looking for investments outside of its traditional Asian-Pacific comfort zone, with Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia on its radar screen. “We’ve got to be a little bit bolder and take a wider interpretation of what we mean by Asia-Pacific,” SingTel’s chief executive for international operations, Lim Chuan Poh, said in an interview yesterday. The comments mark a change in SingTel’s investment strategy because until now the company has largely invested in Asia, with a particular focus … (Source: Wireless Mobile) JSE WOOS ICT FIRMS IN SOUTH AFRICASouth Africa's bourse, the JSE, is going all out this year to attract “sexy” ICT companies to its boards. Noah Greenhill, GM of marketing and business development at the JSE, says the exchange is “going to be more creative to attract more companies in specific sectors, including ICT”. As part of this plan, the JSE intends having a presence at the Futurex & Equip exhibition in Sandton later this year in a bid to woo ICT companies to the bourse.The pipeline of companies aiming to list “looks good”, says Greenhill, with ICT companies on that list. He expects to more than beat the number of listings that took place last year, especially as the JSE aggressively markets itself to ICT firms. Out of the 12 000 ICT companies in SA, about 50 are listed on the bourse. Only the baby bourse – the Alternative Exchange (AltX) – saw ICT listings last year, says Greenhill. This is something the bourse aims to change, hoping to attract larger companies to the main board. Greenhill sees more companies listing on the smaller bourse this year, but says the exchange aims to attract larger companies, arguing that Business Connexion would not be the takeover target it is today were it not listed. “ICT has been an interesting focus for us.” The bourse has seen some interesting developments in that sector, he says. Greenhill highlights changing trends in the bourse's showcases – mini show-and-tell days for companies to present to investors – as an example. “More small and medium companies are participating.” He adds that companies are seeing the benefits of listing, with the status opening up business opportunities, encouraging other listings in the sector. ICT companies are also showing “slow, steady growth”, nowhere near that seen just before the dot-com bubble burst. “The ICT sector is a sexy sector.” Despite this, Greenhill says the ripple effect after the boom-and-bust time at the turn of the century persists and many investors are concerned about investing in ICT companies in case they fail. This is a “myth” the JSE aims to debunk. “We are trying hard not to repeat the 1997 hot initial public offering period. The more we perpetuate the myth about the bubble, the more we constrain growth and potential for ICT companies.” Companies listing currently are quality firms that have strict regulatory processes: “We are seeing quality companies, we are not seeing fly-by night entities.” Overall, local ICT firms are expected to have a good year. ICT companies listed on the JSE's main board have seen their share prices tick up recently on the back of good fundamentals and can no longer be viewed as bargain buys, comments an analyst. While companies are not “massively expensive”, there is not much surplus value to be had, he says, in comparison to share prices at the same time a year ago. This year has already seen the JSE hit an all-time record in its all share value. Most shares are trading at either fair value, or just below that, he says. A year ago, JSE-listed ICT firms were trading at a 30% to 40% discount on fair value. “The economy is doing well, and companies need to spend on their IT systems, so the outlook is solid.” Said Noah Greenhill, GM of marketing and business development at the JSE. Companies that have seen share price increases since listing on AltX include Simeka BSG, which listed in August 2004 at 50c and closed on the first day at 58c. Its share price has increased 45% since then and closed on 7 January at 84c. DataPro, which listed in October the same year at 64c and closed down at 59c on the first day's trade, has seen a 49% increase. Alliance Data Corporation, listing at R1 in March 2005 and closing at R1.30, has seen a 142% increase in its share price up to 7 January. Celcom has lost a percent in its share price, closing at R1.10 on listing in November last year and closing at R1.09 on 7 January. The Dialogue Group, which listed last September at R1, has gained 50% to trade at around R1.50. Silverbridge, a software firm, listed last November at R2, and has lost 41% of its opening close price of R3.40. African Cellular Towers moved marginally up from its opening close of R1.20 in November to R1.23, a 3% gain. (SOURCE: IT Web) MPS QUERY PAYMENTS TO MEERA, UTL IN UGANDAMembers of Parliament (MPs) want the finance ministry to halt payment of sh337.2m to Meera Investments and uganda telecom (utl) until investigations are done. This was after legislators on the public accounts committee discovered that the Director of Public Persecutions (DPP) owes sh213.6m to Meera in rental fees and sh123.6m to uganda telecom as telephone dues. The assistant DPP in charge of administration, Amos Ngolobe, said the directorate rented the offices at Crane Chambers after being chased from Parliament's building.Ngolobe and other officials were answering queries raised by the Auditor General in the 2004/05 financial year report. He explained that the offices were handed over to the directorate by the Office of the President. "We were verified by the Auditor General. The finance ministry has made a commitment to clear the dues," he said. The MPs told Ngolobe to produce a copy of the agreement that was signed between the President's Office and Meera. MPs William Nsubuga (Buvuma), Elijah Okupa (Kasilo), Nandala Mafabi (Budadiri West) and Euku Simon Ross (Kalaki) demanded to know why the directorate was paying telephone bills of over 10 years ago to a company that was privatised. But Ngolobe failed to explain who receives the telephone payments. However, Ngolobe said in the 2006/07 financial year, the ministry provided sh214m for rent and sh107m for telephone expenses. "You mean State House did not clear its bills? I hope it is not double payment. To whom are you paying the telephone bills? You mean the Government is paying itself?" committee vice-chairman Ssebuliba Mutumba (Kawempe South) asked. (SOURCE: New Vision) MAURITIUS TELECOM SELLS SHARES TO EMPLOYEESThe Mauritius Telecom company, is to sell 1.9 million shares to its 2,000 employees, from late January, at 50 US cents a share, representing 1% of the State-owned equity in the company, an official said here. The company`s Executive Director, Sarat Lallah, said the decision to sell shares to employees was approved by the government recently. The State owns 34.45% of the Mauritius Telecom shares, France Telecom, has 40%, while the State-run Mauritian bank has 19% and the National Pension Fund 6.55%. The company, which also has interests in Burundi and Madagascar, operates a network of about 359,000 land lines in Mauritius, representing tele-density of 30 lines to 100 inhabitants. (SOURCE: AGOP) IN BRIEF:- The Public Procurement Complaints Review and Appeals Board in Kenya dismissed a complaint lodged by Muringa Holdings against the awarding of a tender for the sale of the Gilgil Telecommunication Industries (GTI) to an Egyptian telephone firm.
BATTLE FOR STATE HOUSE IN KENYA GOES ON THE WEBFlair and elegance will mark this years' presidential campaigns as candidates prepare for the epic race to State House battle. The internet, mobile phones, FM radio, public relation firms and individual election pledges are set to play bigger roles than in previous polls. Presidential hopefuls and aides who are crafting these strategies say the stakes will be very high in the December elections. As if on cue, a number of contestants have adopted a high level of sophistication, even establishing websites for their campaigns. ODM-K presidential hopefuls Raila Odinga, Musyoka and Ruto have taken the lead by going on the web. They have established www.raila07.com ,www.kalonzomusyokaforpresident.com andwww.williamruto.com respectively. Kanu chairman Uhuru Kenyatta is set to revive the website he used in 2002 for the elections: www.uhurukenyatta.com . Other ODM-K candidates - Musalia Mudavadi, Najib Balala, Julia Ojiambo, Nazlin Omar and Ford Kenya's Musikari Kombo - are yet to establish websites. Issues of image, eloquence and political finesse have also come into play. Billboards and flyers are no longer in vogue, with candidates hiring public relations firms to package them for the campaigns. The aspirants, however, declined to reveal the companies they have contracted. The firms, too, cited political sensitivity when asked to reveal their clients. As the opposition stakes its claim, the Nation learnt that President Kibaki was putting up a new team to endear him to voters. It was said there were fears in his camp that some ministers would diminish his standing if they took the lead in his campaigns. (SOURCE: The Nation) ONLINE BOOKING FAILURES SHUT DOWN UGANDA’S VICTORIA INTERNATIONAL AIRLINESVictoria International Airlines (VIA) Uganda said last week that it had been forced to suspend its flight operations until further notice because of the poor performance of its on-line booking device in Kenya and Uganda. "As a selling tool we have found it to be slow and travel agents are still unable to issue tickets. As a result our projected passenger uplifts have fallen short of our expectations," a statement from the one-month old airline reads in part. VIA took to the skies on a maiden flight that took it to Nairobi on November 30, 2006, following a communication glitch between Uganda and Kenya over landing rights to Uganda's flag carrier. The airline's selling efforts have been hampered by the poor performance of its distribution system. The airline chose an on-line booking proposition via the Internet in order to keep its costs down, ultimately allowing the airline to offer lower fares than any of its competitors. "We are extremely disappointed with the performance of our on-line booking device particularly in Kenya and Uganda," the company statement said. "It does not make commercial sense to continue flying if our customers find it difficult and time-consuming to book a seat on the airline. There is no doubt that they will choose an easier alternative." An industry source who preferred anonymity told Business Week that the distribution system of an airline can only hamper its sales when it fails to work. "VIA chose that system but it was not ideal for them," said this industry player. Now the airline has to either select another on-line booking engine or the more costly option of being distributed through one of the Global Distribution Systems (GDS) like Galileo or Amadeus. Signing up to any of the two distribution systems offers an airline opportunities of selling themselves through agents in the air travel business. "You don't sell yourself optimally when you chose an online platform," said the industry source. (SOURCE: East African Business Week) IN BRIEF:- Egypt Yellow Pages Ltd., the official publisher of Yellow Pages branded products in Egypt, today announced the global release of the Egypt Yellow Pages search plugin for Nokia Mobile Search. Now millions of Nokia users around the globe, the Middle East and Egypt can benefit from easy, fast and direct search access to the YellowPages.com.eg website through NokiA Mobile Search.
UBC TO UPGRADE BROADCASTING FACILITIES IN UGANDAThe Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) will have its technical facilities upgraded and new radio and television channels installed by the Chinese government. A Chinese delegation is currently in the country to assess the technical needs, following an agreement signed between the two governments that will see the national broadcaster obtain a grant to establish the channels and upgrade facilities. The 10-man delegation will be in Uganda for two weeks, and will take inventory of all UBC's technical facilities to establish what tis needed to set up the channels. The team has requested the UBC management to indicate any other technical facilities they might need so that a formal request can be made to the Chinese government to provide them. Jane Kasumba, the public relations manager, said, "This grant will be instrumental in ensuring that our national broadcaster continues to provide quality broadcast services for the years to come." UBC was created from Uganda Television, the former national broadcaster. (SOURCE: New Vision)
PEOPLEMichael Foley resigned from its position at Tunisie Telecom. He was appointed as Chief Entreprise Transformation Officer by Dubai Holding which has a majority stake in Tunisie Telecom. Robert Gumede has taken over as executive chairman of Gijima Ast, giving the South African technology company a black figurehead to boost its already strong black empowerment credentials. Lahouari Belbari, Microsoft director in Algeria, has resigned. He occupied this job since 2003. Mawuena Dumor has been appointed as Corporate Services Executive at MTN Ghana. EVENTSDIGITAL BROADCASTING SWITCHOVER FORUM 200729th January – 1st February 2007.
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,
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,
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 OPPORTUNITIESCALL CENTRE MANAGER – NORTH AFRICA Call Centre Manager required to set up and manage a new contact centre. Telecoms experience would be useful as would experience in African countries. Strong call centre experience with 2-3 years management. For further information contact advertising@balancingact-africa.com VAS SPECIALIST - NIGERIAVAS Specialist required with good knowledge of the CCN Platform, Flexible Bearer Charging configuration. The candidate should also have vast knowledge of the messaging and voicemail platform, charging SMS, New eneration Comverse Insight Voicemail platform, intgration of SMS Gw, SMS Router, etc. For further information contact advertising@balancingact-africa.com CONTRACTS: WHO'S SELLING WHAT TO WHOM?ICT PARK EL GHAZALA AND SCS – TUNISIA Tunisian-French technological cooperation was recently boosted with the recent signing in Tunis of an agreement cooperation protocol between the consortium made of the technological poles of El Ghazala, Sfax and Sousse, specializing in ICT's on the one hand, and the French "Solutions Communicantes Securisees" (SCS) technological pole, on the other. The objectives of the agreement are to reinforce partnership between industry and technology while encouraging innovation in the field of ICT's and microelectronics. Exchange of information in addition to the setting up of a center of technological resources are also part of the goals of the agreement. ANGOLA TELECOM-EP AND COGNITO INTERNACIONAL B.V. – ANGOLA Angola's Cabinet Council recently published the contract for the supply of telecommunication equipment it approved on October 4 last year signed between Angola Telecom-EP and Cognito Internacional B.V. The Cabinet Council considers that the implementation of a national multi-services Hub will bring about such benefits as satellite transmission services, focusing on the support to telecommunication and TV broadcasting operators. MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ZTE – NIGERIA Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications (MoC) has contracted Chinese vendor ZTE to take part in Phase II of the National Rural Telephony Programme (NRTP), which will involve deploying over 250,000 lines covering 138 cities in the twelve states of northern Nigeria. The network will use CDMA2000 1xEV-DO technology enabling high speed voice and data communication. ZTE is already engaged in Phase I of the NRTP, installing similar infrastructure across the major cities. Phase I is due for completion in the first half of this year. SATCOM AND THURAYA – ZAMBIA Thuraya Satellite has signed a service provision agreement with SatCom, to promote and distribute its satellite services in Zambia. The agreement is a continuation of Thuraya’s strategic focus on providing satellite services in African markets, and will see SatCom, a UK-based supplier, distribute the entire range of Thuraya products and services across Zambia, a country which is still lacking mobile and fixed line coverage in many areas. The agreement will also see Thuraya’s Africa Talk tariff plan, which was launched last year, be made available to Zambians.
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