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WEEKLY PUBLICATION DEADLINE: 12 pm GMT Sunday. ISSUE NO 353 TOP STORY: Second edition of BA voice and bandwidth projections forecast large increase in wireless broadbandAccording to the second annual edition of Balancing Act’s Voice and Data Forecasts the thirst for broadband is driving bandwidth growth. The rapid take-up of broadband in general and wireless broadband in particular has driven increases in Internet bandwidth and will be the prime driver of growth over the next five years. Additional growth from dial-up subscriptions over the forecast period to 2011 will be 689 mbps. But growth from all forms of broadband over the forecast period to 2011 will be 43,529 mbps, almost a tripling of bandwidth required. Wireless broadband may well be a much larger contributor than ADSL to bandwidth growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although ADSL dominates demand in those countries already connected to broadband, the most rapid growth will probably come from wireless broadband. It is difficult to identify this demand precisely, there is compelling evidence that it is the largest component of broadband growth. The second edition of the Balancing Act Forecasts now include all North African countries as well as those countries from sub-Saharan Africa. A wider range of data has gone into producing this edition as Balancing Act has worked closely with a greater number of carriers on this edition. Other findings from the forecasts include: * International voice traffic continues to grow at rates above the world average. Its rate of growth 23.4% CAGR for Africa and 13.8% CAGR for the world - is above the world average. * Improvements in compression technology and a steady transition to the use of VoIP means that this growth is relatively small in bandwidth terms in comparison with Internet bandwidth. * Satellite carried 45.3% of Africa’s international voice traffic in 2006. Although there are a number of marine and terrestrial fibre projects that will come into use, the fall in the use of satellite will be relatively small across the forecast period, dropping to 41% in 2011 if no further international fibre cables are built. However, since at least one will be built to Kenya in the forecast period, the fall in satellite demand is likely to be much greater, particularly towards the end of the forecast period. * Total Internet bandwidth supplied by satellite has dropped from 24.1% in 1998 to 11.5% in 2006. 26 countries get 100% of their international Internet bandwidth entirely by satellite * The bubble for grey market international traffic has burst, but it will remain at around the 20 – 30% in many markets. A combination of rapid price falls in the retail market and improvements in compression mean that the grey market will remain the same in most countries or decline slightly over the forecast period. * Both retail and wholesale prices for international voice traffic have dropped dramatically. Nevertheless falls in both prices remain uneven with a large number of countries maintaining incumbent monopolies that allow them to keep prices artificially higher. If as a carrier, you would like to supply data to Balancing Act for the third edition of the Forecasts in 2008, please send an e-mail to Russell Southwood: info@balancingact-africa.com All data is kept in the strictest confidence and is not published except in aggregated country form. To see a full list of the contents of the Forecast, go to: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/subforecasts.html To order a copy and have it sent to you immediately electronically, go to: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/publications.html
WEST AFICAN CABLE PROJECT INFINITY SIGNS MOU WITH VSNLInfinity Worldwide Telecommunications Group of Companies and VSNL International Pte Ltd. , the international arm of Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (NYSE: VSL), have executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as a first step towards VSNL International assisting IWTGC in its West Africa fiber optic submarine cable project. IWTGC plans to deploy telecommunications services in West Africa using an international and regional integrated fiber optic system and wireless broadband network with an initial estimated cost of over $750 M USD to be privately financed. The system will be operated under the principles of Open Access and will offer its services to all licensed service providers as well as enterprises and consumers on a non-discriminatory basis. Vinod Kumar, Managing Director and President of VSNL International indicated, “Infinity’s stated goal of constructing and operating a cable system along the west coast of Africa is important to the region and I, personally, would like to see them succeed in this endeavor. VSNL International is pleased to assist Infinity by leveraging its expertise in designing and operating large submarine cable systems as well as providing seamless global connectivity using its extensive cable assets.” The Infinity system will significantly increase broadband penetration among users and offer service providers and enterprises total regional connectivity and an international gateway to the World-Wide-Web and major cities around the world. The Infinity system will also greatly contribute to reducing the digital divide currently prevailing in West Africa by bringing desperately needed, increased and diversified capacity to supplement and provide more security to the West African traffic carried on the existing cable system and satellites. Bob Woog, Chief Operating Officer of Infinity added, “The relationship between Infinity and VSNL International will allow us to offer our customers in West and Central Africa access to the world using, where possible, the VSNL International global network. The world’s telecommunications markets are now within our reach from day one.” He further added, “Our developing relationship with VSNL International is likely to be fundamental in the rapid implementation of this critical project for the African continent.” THE ALL-NEW, SINGING AND DANCING TELKOMTelkom South Africa is about to go all “triple play”, aiming to become a one-stop news, communication and entertainment shop. Soon you will be able to turn to Telkom for all your sporting, movie, music, news, communication and entertainment needs. Telkom’s planned offerings -- available through its new offshoot, the R7billion Telkom Media -- include flexible satellite television bouquets, a video-on-demand service, a 24-hour news channel with its own staffers and 20 mobile broadcast units, multiple sports channels, television delivered via broadband and other additional web-based content available on demand. Think of Telkom Media as the ultimate convergence company in a digitising world. It is SABC, e.tv, DStv, Supersport, your local video store, your ISP offering broadband access and web content provider rolled into one. Telkom Media is Telkom’s strategy to combat dwindling voice revenues, and is in line with moves by international telcos who have positioned themselves as “triple play” operators in the search for new revenue streams. A “triple play” operator delivers voice, broadband and video services straight to your home for one monthly sum. Earlier this week, acting Telkom CEO Reuben September appointed Telkom’s chief of corporate affairs, Mandla Ngcobo, as the CEO of Telkom Media. “Telkom Media is born out of the notion that voice revenue is dwindling,” says Ngcobo. “The idea of Telkom Media is to own the home, to own all the entertainment in the house through a triple-play package, a one-stop shop.” Telkom Media’s chief of strategy and operations Rikus Matthyser says it has identified a huge gap in the pay-TV market. “We have identified that 75% of households in South Africa have TVs, yet only 11% of those use DStv,” he says. “So 64% of the TV-owning market doesn’t have access to paid TV. We believe it is on the basis of two criteria. One, that the programming is not suitable for that middle market and, two, that pricing in the market is out of the reach of middle-income earners,” says Matthyser. Telkom Media’s answer was to design a bouquet of 15 channels that middle-income consumers can subscribe to for less than R100. Matthyser says its research shows that this should make pay-TV affordable for another 40% of South Africans. “On top of that, you can buy additional tiers that give you more movies, for example, or more sport,” says Matthyser. This 15-channel bouquet includes a 24-hour news channel that is being set up by veteran news producer Jimmy Matthews, who has worked at e.tv and the SABC. Matthyser says Telkom Media has a sizeable budget available to it in order to secure the best sport, movie, music, entertainment, news and educational content available. Telkom may have applied alongside 17 other hopeful applicants for one of the new subscription broadcasting licences that are to be issued by communications authority Icasa, but it is not restricting its offerings to pay-TV. “IPTV, cable TV, satellite TV and mobile TV are all ultimately TV,” says Matthyser. “I may want to watch the goal on my mobile phone because I missed the game, but I know that I have the game at home on my PVR -- and if I want to see the match stats, I can go on to the web. “Ultimately, it’s TV. How you deliver it to the customer is irrelevant. It’s about the customer having access to multiple platforms to suit their lifestyle.” Customers opting for Telkom’s Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) offering will be able to receive TV content through their broadband line, but this will in all likelihood be for the higher-income subscriber because of its pricing. IPTV subscribers will be able access content on demand, whether it is the latest video release or a docu_mentary that screened a week ago. They will also be able to purchase event-based content, such as paying to watch a chosen team’s soccer games for the week. IPTV also offers various interactive features, such as personalised recommendations based on previous usage, personal video recorders, access to consumer-generated content and the ability to check the bill on screen. Matthyser says that while subscription broadcasting licences are only going to be awarded in August or September this year, Telkom Media is well on its way to getting content available online. Consumers will be able to access Telkom Media content online by Christmas, but the subscription broadcasting offerings will only be available nine to 12 months after licences are awarded. An Icasa spokesperson says public hearings for the subscription broadcasting licences will be held from May 24 2007, and that the number of licences to be awarded has not been determined yet. According to the Icasa spokesperson, the regulator does not yet have a regulatory framework in place for broadband delivered content. (SOURCE: Mail and Guardian) TELECOM NAMIBIA MADE TO LOCK ITS FIXED WIRELESS OFFER TO SPECIFIC AREAThe deadline has come and gone for Switch users. As from this week Switch users started making and receiving calls from their specified towns or settlement area. They will no longer be able to make use of their devices outside their specified towns. In other words, their fixed wireless phone will be locked to a limited number of cells. The deadline for specifying which town to make use of Switch was 30 April. Customers were required to fill in forms and specify the town in which their phones would be used. Customers who reside in Gobabis, for instance, and have specified as such to Telecom Namibia will no longer be able to use their phones outside Gobabis. The decision to restrict Switch stems from a Cabinet decision to limit the usage of the product to specific geographic towns or settlements with no roaming or handing over of calls between towns for three to four months. The government intervened to cool down the tempos after the Namibia Communication Commission (NCC) and Telecom clashed over Switch. The NCC was under pressure from the two other mobile operators, MTC and Cell One, who expressed concerns over what they called an unfair market practice by Telecom in the mobile telephony industry. They felt the NCC was condoning the practice and asked the regulator to bring order. Telecom felt that it had every right - as given by its constituting Telecom Act - to enter the mobile telephony industry. Portugal Telecom, which has shares in MTC, said it would not have paid over N$1-billion for shares in the company had it known that there was going to be a third mobile operator. Cell One, on the other hand, had the impression that it would be allowed to launch its products and entrench a market position before a third mobile operator would be licensed into the market. The two companies also argued that they had to pay expensive licence fees while Switch entered the market without a license. Cabinet then appointed an ad-hoc committee to investigate the matter. It was on its reports that the Cabinet took the decision to restrict Switch. Switch customers will still be able to receive and make calls, send and receive short text massages (SMS). Telecom Namibia is not taking the decision lying down and is apologising to customers for "this imposed temporary inconvenience" and appeals for patience and understanding. "We will continue to do our utmost to reward your faith and trust in Telecom with good service," said Telecom in its adverts. (SOURCE: Namibia Economist) MTN AND TERRACOM DUEL OVER SMS INTERCONNECT IN RWANDARwanda’s only two large voice players MTN and incumbent Terracom are fighting over SMS interconnections between their two networks. The dispute has not been resolved and Terracom has taken is grievance to the regulator RURA. RURA says that interconnection is mandatory and a key element for competition to be effective among licensed telecommunications network operators, and that the refusal or delay is contrary to the spirit of fair competition. According to the New Times, MTN had until now remained defiant about responding to Terracom's interconnection requirements. But MTN may be innocent. It says it has technical problems and what Terracom wants might cause more problems to MTN's clients. But MTN has remained quiet about what these technical problems are. The Acting Chief Executive Officer of MTN, Andrew Rugege, said of the standoff: "It is true. The company (Terracom) wrote to us over the issues and we clearly told them that we were still experiencing technical problems among a couple of other issues that would not enable us to act immediately." Terracom requested for the interconnection months ago, but MTN is still not moving. Terracom's Chief Technical Officer, Patrick Karimungu, says it is incomprehensible that MTN keeps on saying they have a technical problem and cannot open up the origination centre. "How long will those problems last? They can't even say when we should expect it solved; will the problem last for ever?" he asks. Terracom have their switch open, and that is why MTN clients can see Terracom callers' ID, says the Terracom CTO. "We can't close ours because that is being silly and clients are the ones that would be affected," Karimungufu observes. Although Kariningufu says their clients can send SMS to both MTN and Terracom clients, some of MTN’s staff do not know it. The New Times reporter recently dialled 505050, the customer care service number, and asked the receptionist how much an SMS costs. Surprisingly, she answered that SMS only works with MTN. She said Terracom clients do not send or receive SMS. When I told her their clients can send or receive SMS, she asked her colleague in the room as I listened. "It is Frw50," she replied after consulting her colleague. Few Terracom clients know that SMS works with Terracom lines. Terracom has not officially communicated this, yet the service has been there for the last two months. "I just heard it from my friend and I have had this phone since September last year," said one Terracom subscriber I talked to. But for those who have been using it, they say they were so happy and the service is good. Terracom is cheaper but few like it. The main reason is because they cannot see the identity of their MTN callers. "How do you receive a call without seeing the caller ID?" the client wondered. The situation has caused many to own two cell phones - one with an MTN line and the other Terracom. However, all MTN clients can see Terracom callers' numbers. (SOURCE: The New Times) KASAPA LOOKS TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT FOLLOWING HIGH COURT RULING IN GHANAGhanaian mobile operator Kasapa hot back after a legal action that tried to remove its current Board of directors. The action was bought by two people, one of whom Prince Kofi Kludjeson is currently barred from being a director of any company in Ghana because he was the key culprit in a fraud committed against Kasapa of nearly US$0.5 million. When this action was bought before the courts, Kludjeson offered no defence. This looks like a case of the unacceptable in pursuit of the impossible. The management of Ghanaian mobile operator Kasapa Telecom has responded stridently to a recent High Court ruling that the appointment of its managing director, Robert N Palitz, and chief financial officer, Lung Hien Ching, was done inappropriately and that the name of the company should be changed back to its original name, Celltel. In a press release titled ‘The Facts of the Matter’, Kasapa said it was vital that it responded to the ‘deliberate and malicious spread of misinformation about the judgement of the High Court on 25 April 2007 in the case of Kludjeson International Limited (KIL) vs Robert Palitz and 3 others’. The statement relates to a lawsuit brought by KIL and its representatives, Prince Kofi Kludjeson and Prince Kwame Kludjeson, which argued that the incumbent Board of Kasapa was not properly appointed, the decisions of the current Board were therefore invalid; the change of the company’s name to Kasapa was illegal; and that the appointment of Palitz was improperly carried out. However, Kasapa counters that it is challenging the court ruling – its appeal is scheduled to be heard on 21 May 2007 – and sets out its position concerning the alleged misinformation being spread by KIL. ‘The facts are: The shareholding of Kasapa remains intact and the previous shareholding of KIL in Kasapa has not been restored. Neither Prince Kofi Kludjeson nor Prince Kwame Kludjeson have been restored as directors of Kasapa. No actions of directors since the change of company name have been reversed. No order has been made that would affect the business of the Company or its customers’, it said. Kasapa, a 100% subsidiary of Hutchison Telecom International Limited (HTIL) after Kludjeson forfeited his 20% holding, went on to point out that Prince Kofi Kludjeson is currently ‘barred from acting as a director of any company in Ghana’ until 2010, and that in October 2004 he was found by the High Court to be a ‘key culprit’ in a fraud on Kasapa of more than USD474,000 – a charge he declined to offer a defence for. Speaking to The Statesman newspaper earlier this week, Palitz reassured customers that the court’s ruling would not have any impact on the company, saying ‘it will be difficult to impose a fraudster on us.’ He is confident that the judgement will not be upheld on appeal, but added that he would not be surprised if the hearing was delayed. (SOURCE: Telegeography) 3 BILLION LEONES SHAM FROM THE NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION IN SIERRA LEONEThe recent move by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) in presenting a cheque of Le 3 billion as contribution to the nation's treasury or Consolidated Revenue Fund is suspect at best, according to a commentary in Concord Times. Let us get one thing clear, the NTC is not a dividend paying entity and the law (Telecommunications Act, 2006) that created the Commission makes no provision for that. The law in its current form allows for the Commission to levy license fees, fines and other financial impositions that form the 'financial lifeline' of the commission. However, the law falls short on several aspects of the funding and funds of the Commission and some of these areas relate to the accountability and procedural transparency, and the management of surplus. This move on the part of NTC is high risk and farcical in nature. In February this year, the Ministry of Finance - MoF tabled a Financial Bill in Parliament that will give the ministry the statutory power to collect all monies raised as a result of fees levied by the NTC. Only few weeks ago, bitter objections to this bill had been raised by the Commission through its Chairman. On the surface, it may have looked like territorial or interagency fights. However, positioning the nation's treasury as the master collecting agent for all monies paid to a utility regulator or any 'autonomous' government agency for that matter --- is in line with international best practices. This is done in The Gambia, Guinea and South Africa to name a few. So, why the sudden change in position on the part of the NTC? If you say public relations, you are partly correct. This is definitely a ploy on the part of Kanji Daramy and company to be seen in the limelight as doing something good for the nation. I must admit that it is always a good thing to give any level of financial boost or uplift to our 'starving' treasury and giving three billion Leones to this national treasury is commendable. Nevertheless, I will disagree with the Commission on this particular move. In fact, I had been grinding my teeth at this news (especially the way it is being conveyed) if I were one of these GSM operators being asked to pay huge amounts of money (for licensing) by any standards. The other side of this 'coin' relates to NTC's deficit in accurately and independently figuring out the core objectives of its existence and the approaches required for implementing these objectives. For instance, the cost relating to sector development rests squarely with the sector players. The role of the regulator in this aspect is resigned to facilitating the implementation of policies formulated by the government (sector ministry or the executive branch or the legislative branch). In essence, the regulator can be seen as a buffer between the government and the sector players. "Training of employees of telecommunications operators" is very important for the development of the overall sector --- however, the regulator's role again is more of encouraging the availability of such facilities across the sector rather than financing such activities. In the case where you have some policy directives from the government on matters such as facilities sharing or number management or inter-carrier billing standards, the regulator could then be seen as the agency or entity responsible for familiarizing these policies or measures with the sector at-large. The current position or direction of Kanji Daramy on this issue has all the traits of being counterproductive and 'anti-intellectual.' Kanji Daramy (Chairman - NTC) has been at the helm for seven months and has nothing to show to the people of this nation as value for the existence of the Commission. He will tell you that the agency is young and they need time to start making inroads into society. Other than a detailed fee structure and few letters to operators pressing for the payment of license fees to the regulator, there is nothing else that will tell you what the regulator has done or has in its offing. There exists no strategic document or plan that will tell this nation how the Commission will conduct the people's business and if you ask Kanji he will tell you that the Commission plans to hire foreign consultants to get that done. Just total intellectual indolence and a lackadaisical approach towards domestic capacity building. The Commission at this point does not have an accurate projection of its budgetary obligations. It cannot state for certain its projected administrative and operating expenses. These expenses form the bases for regulatory charges in the first place. There is an acute need for the Commission to be in the position to get a solid picture of these figures by the beginning of the next fiscal year. These charges (regulatory charges) should not be treated as mere profit centers. Rather, they ought to be formula-based figures and directly related to the activity-based expenses incurred in the regulatory process. The first part of subsection (3) of section 16 of the Telecommunications Act of 2006 touches on this. The actual value of the license fee (annual operating) should be based on the actual expenses being incurred annually in the course of administering the related regulatory services. The area of spectrum fees can be treated with a somewhat different approach (getting the market value of the related spectrum allotment plus recovery administrative cost is an acceptable practice). This is only the second quarter into the inaugural financial year (January 1 to December 31) of the commission. Why is the commission paying 'dividend' at this point of the financial year? That answer can only come from Kanji Daramy, the anointed chairman of the NTC. The Commission does not even have a solid count of the many players in the various segments of the sector and so cannot effectively project the revenue to be generated from licenses and permits. The Commission is currently not positioned to identify fully or somewhat accurately the major components of its revenue stream. As a telecoms revenue assurance consultant, I know for fact that the commission may actually benefit from embracing some of the basic tenets of telecoms revenue assurance and revenue optimization. Going forward, MoF will definitely need outside expertise in attempting to get a solid picture of all revenue generating entities (operators, service providers, permit holders, regulatory transactions such as actual fines and related payments, etc.) in the regulatory process. At this stage, the ministry should consider compiling an opportunity map that relates to the process of activity based costing or any other measure that apportions revenues to 'billable' regulatory transactions. The goal here is to project the places or activities where revenues flow and to establish an approximation of expected total revenue from the regulatory process. In trying to mitigate its exposure to regulatory corruption risk, the ministry ought to embark on that endeavor as soon as feasible and before the Financial Bill is enacted. The ministry has to position itself to know what to expect from the Commission as far as monies collected in the course of the regulatory process. Without at least co-ownership of that process, the ministry will never see the full potential and benefit of this bill. In my own preliminary analyses, the Commission could generate between $4m to $6m in its first year if the appropriate measures are employed - but achieving this will be a monumental task for this current Commission. The NTC in my opinion lacks the requisite capacity to handle this and many other pertinent issues of its business. These projected figures can be recognized even with the GSM license renewal fee being set downward from the current rates (flat fees or per user charge). This will require more specialized skills and efforts from the regulator --- exactly what is expected of a regulator collecting such premiums to manage and regulate this telecom sector. In 'giving' this Le3b to the government at this particular moment, Kanji and company have confirmed our fears. This exposes Kanji's deficiencies in management (financial, technical, personnel, strategic, etc.). Kanji is projecting his budget to be Le4.5b for this fiscal year and has collected the sum of Le5.89b (inaccurate number in our estimation) so far this year. He has already identified an additional sum of Le3.75b as outstanding payments from three other GSM operators. Thus, the total of committed monies (current) to the Commission is Le9.65b. So, don't you think it would have been financially prudent on the part of the Commission to cover its budgetary obligations first before rushing to 'give' this gift or dividend of Le3bn to the government? Why did the government encourage this sham? How did the Commission arrive at its proposed budget in the first place? What has the Commission procured since its inception? What are the projects and programs being planned for by the Commission? Why Kanji's focused quest for consultancy support? How serious is Kanji about managing and regulating this dynamic sector? These are all questions that we should be asking Kanji and the 'powers that be.' We are directing these questions to Kanji Daramy since we believe he is the public face and voice of the Commission and the 'brains' behind its strategy. Kanji must recognize that the 'independence' in the independent regulator does translate to being independent from government or government policies or to develop policies. Being independent merely means that the regulator is independent from any outside influence in performing its functions as prescribed in the law and the policies of the government. The MOU between the 'government of Sierra Leone' and the NTC just reconfirms our unwavering conviction of Kanji's 'emptiness' in telecommunications and management. This agreement should be between the NTC and another organ (NRA or MoF) of government --- but not GOSL as NTC is part and parcel of GOSL. This is another example of Kanji's 'impaired' cogitation and the MOU is full nonsense. We are convinced that this concordat was the sole work of Kanji and his supporters and without the active participation of MoF. One could produce a ten page write-up just poking holes through Kanji's so-called MOU, but we shall leave that for another day. At this point in the game, Kanji should be telling us how the government plans to achieve universal access, promote the development of human capacity (institutions of higher learning), promote 'pervasive' connectivity (regional), standardize inter-carrier relationships (billing, interconnection, etc.), broaden the pool of access technologies, influence the growth of the pool of users for existing services, promote cost reduction across the board (sector-wide), control the abuse of dominant positions (DSPs), combat fraud (e.g. mobile theft, illegal traffic, etc.), and address pending issues bordering on international telecommunications. These are items Kanji and company should be working on independently without any technical assistance or help from foreign consultants or Bretton Woods (e.g. World Bank) institutions. The Commission is getting paid serious money for its work and should be seen taking ownership of it existence and destiny. This is a Commission that does not even have a stated vision and mission to date and cannot even articulate its core values. In conclusion, this whole deal smells funny for our comfort and getting the State Lodge involved waters down the seriousness of the move and surely undermines the integrity of not only the NTC but the government or administration as a whole. Telecommunications is a serious business and professionally regulating the telecoms sector is just as serious a business. NTC should not be paying this money into the government's treasury. Instead, MoF through the NRA should be collecting all monies generated from the regulatory process. This is not only the correct thing to do politically --- it is the correct thing to do morally and professionally for this sector and nation all together. Kanji is destined to wreck this ship if he is not stopped. (SOURCE: Concord Times) C & W REBUTS THIS DAY’S NITEL BANKRUPTCY STORYThe article we carried last week based on a story by This Day that Cable and Wireless was to put Nitel into bankruptcy for unpaid SAT3 bills has been denied in a letter from Cable and Wireless’ Taj Onigbanjo, Business Development Director - Africa He says the story “is mostly inaccurate and misleading. We have no intention, nor have the power, to shut down Nitel or its SAT3 connection. Nitel is a private company that has its own relationship with the SAT3 administrator. Whilst Nitel do have a certain amount of debt with us, we are actually working very closely with their Executives to not only manage this debt but to further build on a relationship that stretches back many years”. “Our main focus is to ensure that our vast number of Enterprise and Carrier clients continue to enjoy the services we provide via Sat3 and Nitel and that we can meet the ongoing demand for these services. As the largest partner to Nitel on International connectivity it is not in either of our interests for the SAT3 link to be closed”. However, the kicker is in the final paragraph of letter and must make depressing reading for any potential SAT3 customer in Nigeria:”The main issue with Nitel is still its inability to activate new circuits on SAT 3 because of the debt owed to the SAT 3 consortium and we are currently working together to resolve this”. So not going bankrupt but certainly not going anywhere very soon. Meanwhile Cable and Wireless has denied that it is to split the company up into separate UK and international companies and sell them to private equity groups or other telcos. But the denial had something of the “Oh, no, it’s too early to discuss that” about it.
IN BRIEF:- On April 5th, a little more than 60 days from the failure of NSS-8, the SES Global Board approved the capital expenditures necessary for the replacement of it with a new, hybrid spacecraft to be located at 57E. It has completed the technical specifications for this satellite and it intends to execute a procurement contract within the coming week. It fully expects to have the new satellite delivered in orbit by mid- 2009. - According to the ANRT, the Moroccan regulator’s first quarterly report for 2007, the growth of the number of fixed line has reached 27% with a net addition of over 340,000 lines. This is the result of Wana’s, the third fixed line operator launching a fixed wireless service at the beginning of the year and ending the quasi-monopoly of Maroc Telecom. It shows how competition can rejuvenate a market that had even registered a decrease in 2006. - In Zimbabwe, a Consortium formed by Powertel, Transmedia and Africom to push for the country’s second fixed network licence has collapsed with two of the members saying they are now pursuing the licence independently. The consortium trading as Afritell was formed in 2004 before applying for a fixed network the following year. The company is understood to have collapsed after it failed to get a positive response from the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz - The local newspaper Wal Fadjri has reported that Saudi Group Binladen is interested in acquiring a third mobile licence in Senegal. The company has already won the construction contract for a new airport in Diass. TELECOMS, RATES, OFFERS AND COVERAGE- Etisalat has launched Egypt's third mobile phone network tomorrow, and will be operating over a 3.5G platform. The new network has been built by Ericsson and Huawei at a cost of USD1.2 billion. The network will initially cover Greater Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan, Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada and Luxor. - MTN Nigeria is to spend $650 million on network expansion aimed at providing the necessary infrastructure for 3G services and quality service. The network expansion, will also increase MTN's base stations from 2661 to 3500 before the end of the year. - The mobile telephone company UNITEL recently started offering roaming services in Finland (DNA), Pakistan (WARID) and South Korea (KTF). - Starcomms Limited, Nigeria's largest CDMA 3G Mobile network, has rolled out a Instant Mobile Messenger which allows Starcomms subscribers to have real time two-way chat with multiple users or any online MSN or Yahoo! Messenger contact over any Starcomms phone using text messaging (SMS). - The licensing of second national fixed telecommunication operator has been announced following a ministerial meeting chaired by President Ben Ali on the future of the telecommunication sector in Tunisia. - Onatel in Burkina-Faso has launched a fixed wireless service based on CDMA technology. According to local newspaper “Le Pays”, the company has embarked on a modernising phase since it has been purchased by Maroc Telecom.
NIGERIA'S FIRST INTERNET EXCHANGE READYNigeria's first Internet eXchange Point IXP, the result of the collaboration between the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Internet Service Providers (ISPs), is ready for operation. A statement disclosed that the IXPs which is located in Lagos, Nigeria is set for commissioning in two weeks and will be managed by private sector stakeholders on a not-for-profit basis. At the conclusion of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) held in Tunis in 2005, the need for an IXP for Nigeria became vital. President Olusegun Obasanjo put his weight behind encouraging the establishment of an IXP for Nigeria. This led to the Minister of Communications being issued a directive by the presidency to ensure the establishment of a Nigerian IXP within the shortest possible time. The aim of building a Nigerian IXP is to keep and interchange local internet traffic such as e-mail, download of local website content, etc, within Nigeria and allow only international traffic to be exchanged at points outside Nigeria. The Interim Board of the Nigerian IXP was inaugurated on March 13, 2007 at the new corporate headquarters of the NCC, during which the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, charged the members to regard the assignment as a national service. The 11-member Interim Board of the IXP comprises of Chima Onyekwere as Chairman and Mohammed Rudman as Chief Executive Officer. Other members are Mrs. Zubaida Rasheed, Sunday Afolayan, Engr. Sam Adeleke, Engr. Aminu Tijani, Chioke Ogugua, Akinwale Goodluck, Prof. K. R. Adeboye, Yen Choi and Dr. S. A. Ehikioya. (SOURCE: This Day) IBURST ADD NEW FEES TO THEIR BROADBAND OFFERINGSiBurst has introduced two new fees for services which were previously free, a move which may surprise some segments of the broadband industry. iBurst has announced that from the beginning of May there will be an activation fee for new iBurst subscribers of R 99-00. The company further introduced a fee of R 171-00 for all downward migration on month-to-month packages. These price increases follow on the heels of their much criticized out-of-bundle price hikes a few weeks back. iBurst said that these new fees were needed “to bring iBurst’s pricing more in line with the industry.” They further indicated that these additional fees would help retain customers and discourage the downward migration of month-to-month subscribers. “As part of its commitment to becoming a world-class wireless broadband provider, iBurst constantly evaluates the way it does business. After studying industry standards and norms, iBurst decided to introduce two categories of fees that other providers have always charged,” the company said. Activation fees are however not necessarily the norm, casting a shadow of doubt on iBurst’s claims. Sentech had an activation fee when they first launched their broadband services a few years ago, but it was scrapped back in 2005 and currently none of their broadband offerings carry any activation fees. Telkom has also done away with activation or installation fees when opting for their self install option, and is in fact giving away a free ADSL modem to clients going the self-install route. While MTN and Vodacom have general activation fees for all new contract subscribers, there is no activation fee for new pre-paid subscribers using their broadband offerings. Existing contract subscribers can also start using their broadband offerings without paying an activation fee. iBurst’s new activation fee applies to both month-to-month and contract subscribers. (SOURCE: MyADSL) TERRACOM CONNECTS INSTITUTIONS TO FIBER OPTIC IN RWANDAOver 90 Government and private Institutions in Rwanda are currently under the Terracom fiber network that allows the sharing and distribution of computing and educational resources, Freddy Kamuzizi, the in charge of Fiber services at Terracom has said. Terracom is currently Rwanda's largest internet provider. According to Kamuzizi, the network includes connection of schools, government ministries and institutions health services and the banking sector. He says that Terracom has successfully completed the laying out of fiber in different parts of Kigali and the Southern Province and is now looking forward to extending the company's fiber infrastructure to Bugesera , Kagitumba and Rusumo all in Eastern Province to enable residents there get high-speed data service. Kamuzizi says that Fiber is a key part of ensuring Rwanda has a world class infrastructure making distance learning and advanced computer architectures possible. "Our aim is to provide Rwanda and Rwandans with a state of the art backbone network and reliable communication," said Kamuzizi. This backbone supports all voice, data and video communications for government, individuals and corporations.The use of fiber optic technology has certain distinctive features over other means of communication. In terms of broad bandwidth capability, fiber optic systems offer users more potential bandwidth than any other type of transmission medium. The Terracom fibre cable provides across Rwanda linking Kigali to Gitarama, Nyanza, Ruhango and Butare has provided a strong backbone for communication. Soon the Terracom Fiber Network will extend to both Uganda and Burundi to support local businesses direct fiber access to those markets. (SOURCE: The New Times) SOUTHERN AFRICAN ADSL COSTS – TECTONIC COMPARATIVE SURVEYSouth Africa, despite being far and away the most developed country in Southern Africa, does not outdo its neighbours on Internet connectivity. Tectonic did a little digging into ADSL costs in Botswana, Angola, Mozambique, Lesotho and Zimbabwe to see just where South Africa fits into the regional picture. Direct comparisons are fairly difficult, with differing package compositions, different languages and problematic currency conversions. So instead of compiling everything into a table, all the information that was gathered has been displayed as best. Interestingly, and adding further testament to the poor state of South Africa's telecoms industry, the Telkom ADSL line was down during the writing of this article. As a basis of comparison, the following figures on Telkom's newest and most competitive offering (see story) have been used: 384 Kbps with a 1GB cap for R279
These costs include the Telkom ISP cost, but exclude the cost of the analogue line. Botswana: Botswana's national provider, BTC has the following offers: 256 Kbps download with 64 Kbps upload for R222
Standard Installation costs R327, while an extended installation which includes indoor cabling, costs R458. These costs exclude the costs of the analogue line rental and ISP. Mozambique Mozambique's national supplier, TDM, offers the following: 128 Kbps download, 64 KBps upload with 1GB cap for R276
Each of these packages include an additional 1GB which can only be used between the hours of midnight and 6am. Installation for each package costs R166 and additional bandwidth costs R18 per additional 100MB Lesotho: Lesotho's provider, Telecom Lesotho, offers the following: 192 Kbps download, 64 Kbps upload for R300
Angola Angola's national provider, Angola Telecom, offers the following: 256 Kbps: Basic for R793, Plus for R1 199
On the English version of the website, there is no indication as to what the difference is between the "Basic" and "Plus" service, nor is there any mention of a cap on the service. Installation costs R480. Zimbabawe: Zimbabwe Online, offers the following (please see note for explanation on conversions to rands): 64 Kbps download: 300MB for R55, 750MB for R77, 1.75GB for R113
Using the official exchange rate, all rand amounts are in thousands. However, the black market rates, more indicative of the currency's true value, are roughly 100 times that of the official rate. For example, the 64 Kbps service with the 300MB cap would officially convert to R55 000, while the realistic black market equivalent would place the service at a cost of R550. Namibia Telecom Namibia do not appear to have an ADSL service on offer, but they do have ISDN (see rates). They also have a wireless broadband service (see rates). (SOURCE: Tectonic) IN BRIEF:- Benin Telecom has announced that it has increased its international capacity on SAT3 from 45Mbps to 155 Mbps. - With an upgrade to its satellite operator license granted recently by the NTRA, Inmarsat can now offer its dull services in Egypt, including BGAN, and its upcoming maritime and aeronautical versions. - President Olusegun Obasanjo last week announced that the first Nigerian Communication Satellite called 'NigComSat-' aimed at introducing information and communication technology (ICT) through electronic transaction, particularly rural telephony, is to be launched before May 29, 2007.
SAHARA TO START ASSEMBLY PLANT IN MOZAMBIQUEThe government of Mozambique has agreed in principle to the opening of a 3000 unit per month Sahara assembly operation in Maputo. This development is seen as the foundation operation for what all stakeholders anticipate will be a joint venture involving Sahara Holdings and the Mozambique Information & Communication Technology (MICT) organisation. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the operation was signed by Sahara Holdings and Professor Doutor Eng. Venancio Massingue, the Minister of Science and Technology in Mozambique. MICT is a semi-government organisation involved in various sectors, including education, business incubation and a Science Park. The agreement makes provision for a 3000 unit per month plant that will assemble and distribute both laptop and desktop units. It represents the preliminary stage of the launch of a 5000 square metre ICT and component distribution plant. “Sahara plans to invest over three million US dollars in equipment and infra-structure in a phased manner to set up a state-of-the art assembly operation,” says Atul Gupta, MD at Sahara Computers. Sahara Holdings, in conjunction with MICT, has identified a number of areas that will benefit from the solutions provided via this plant. These areas include government, education and the local corporate sector, with a strong focus on ICT and telecommunications development. (SOURCE: ICT World) SOUTH AFRICA'S E-READINESS? – CHOOSE YOUR STATISTICSSouth Africa has shot up the rankings of the world's most technology- ready countries -- but only if you believe the Economist Intelligence Unit rather than the World Economic Forum. In conflicting reports that may prove nothing more than that statistics can be highly suspicious, SA has been praised for its smart government policies in an e-readiness survey. The report ranks SA as sharing the top honours with Israel as the most e-ready countries in the Middle East and Africa. The study by the Economist Intelligence Unit and IBM evaluates the information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure of 69 countries as well as their economic, political and social assets, and the ability of consumers, businesses and governments to use ICT to their benefit. A statement issued by IBM SA quotes Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri as saying: "This ranking confirms our conviction that, in spite of a limited skills base, we have a policy environment that is ground-breaking and competes well in the world. This is why our government's focus is now on investing in strategic ICT infrastructure as well as increasing access, uptake and usage of ICT by all of government." IBM SA manager Mark Harris said the category for government policy and vision aimed to demonstrate how crucial policies were in shaping a country's e-readiness by providing a path for individuals and businesses to use digital technologies in innovative ways to spur economic development. In addition, SA ranked second for its legal environment and consumer business adoption, third for its connectivity, technology infrastructure and business environment, and fifth in the social and environmental criteria. In the global version of the survey, SA ranked 35th overall, with Denmark and the US topping the list. The report is in sharp conflict with a study released in March, which showed SA had slipped down the rankings of the world's most connected countries. That report was the World Economic Forum's annual Networked Readiness Index, which is the world's most respected study of the impact of ICT on development and competitiveness. In that study of 122 countries SA ranked only 47th, down a substantial 10 places from the previous year. SA had dropped because of slow liberalisation in the telecoms sector, showing that the two different reports came up with vastly different findings. Possibly the only similarity is that Denmark came top in both. The World Economic Forum found every sub-Saharan country had slid down the rankings, except Nigeria. Governments must take the blame, the study said, citing lack of infrastructure, too many regulations, poor governance and low standards of education. (SOURCE: Business Week) 'DIGITAL VILLAGES' TO BE SET UP ALL OVER KENYA TO SPEED UP ACCESS TO DATAThe Government plans to set up 'digital villages' throughout the country, to ease access to information for its citizens. Information assistant minister Koigi Wamwere said during the weekend that the villages to be set up in all the 210 constituencies, will facilitate easy access to information that would trigger economic development in those areas. The minister was speaking in Kisumu during the commissioning of the Od Mikayi satellite information centre, where the project by the Government also received a major boost with the approval of a Sh8 billion grant by the World Bank. This will see local communities exposed to new technologies such as the internet and SMS banking. "We intend to roll out the first of these projects in August," said Mr Wamwere. He added, "The laying of fibre optic cables throughout the country is on course and when completed, Kenyans are going to enjoy the benefits of high speed internet connectivity." This initiative is intended to double the number of people having access to such services from 2.7 to 6 million, he said. Also targeted will be telephone subscribers, whose numbers are expected to rise significantly from the current 8.5 million to 15 million before the year ends. "We also intend to set up E- learning centres in all schools in addition to computerising all Government departments in the country. This will enhance transparency in the running of Government affairs," said the minister. (SOURCE: The Nation) UGANDA’S GOVERNMENT CLEARS SH219 BILLION NATIONAL ICT DEAL WITH CHINATHE government has cleared the establishment of a national network system to spearhead the development of Information and Communication Technology in the country. The government has entered an agreement with China in which Uganda would receive a US$120m (about Shs219.6 billion) loan for development of the national Information Communication Technology (ICT) system infrastructure. Appearing before the ICT committee chaired by Kigulu North MP Kafufu Baliddawa on Tuesday, State Minister for ICT John Alintuma Nsambu, said the Chinese government had accepted to takeover a five-year project which would help to overhaul the ICT sector. "We want to be able to rollout ICT systems and services in a more coordinated fashion under our ICT strategic plan. Through the project we want ICT facilities to trickle down to the grassroots because the country has to appreciate ICT in order to fight poverty," Nsambu said. With the ICT master plan in place and funding available, the government through the ICT Ministry intendeds to create the Directorate for ICT Support, which would build up the core competencies necessary for information resource management. But according to MPs, specialised human resource capacity remains a challenge ahead of the project. According to Nsambu, the establishment of a national ICT backbone infrastructure would make internet connectivity easy. "With the completion of the project, commercial Internet Service Providers (IPS) in the country would find it cheaper to do business. Our aim is to increase ICT usage in the country," Nsambu said. The completion of the national ICT backbone would compete with the current link provided by the two national operators, MTN (256/512Kbps) and UTL (1.024 Mbps/2 Mbps. This will also help to expedite the detting up of a national network for delivery of Internet through a network linking higher education and tertiary education institutions in the country. According to Nsambu, Uganda will borrow $106 million from the China Export-Import Bank to build the national backbone infrastructure. But Daily Monitor has learnt that a Chinese company, Huaiwei Technologies, has already started the job even before Parliament approved the loan request. "I apologise to parliament for the omission. It was not intentional but the circumstance under which the ICT ministry was formed coupled with the urgency for the Chogm this year, we had to beat deadlines," Nsambu said. In any case Chinese are using their money not ours," Mr Nsambu said. "We hope to have cheaper and faster connectivity all over the country for voice, data and video. It would also enable e-government to be a reality because infrastructure would be developed. We are grateful to the Chinese government and as MPs we want our people to appreciate ICT," Baliddawa said. (SOURCE: The Monitor) IN BRIEF:- Angola has won the first category prize of the Technology In Government in Africa (TIGA) awards on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) with the project "Government's Portal", in the category of better public services to citizens and communities through the ICTs. - In Algeria, a first class of ICDL (International Computer Driving Licence) had finished training in the national centre of the professional training at distance (CNEPD). Some 13 candidates succeeded to obtain last the ICDL certification. - Numara Software has announced that Onsoft, its distributor for southern Africa, has become Numara Software SA, a fully fledged representative office for the company's products and services in sub-Saharan Africa. - Hardware vendor Dell confirms plans to offer Ubuntu Linux operating system on select desktop and laptop models from this month.
SOUTH AFRICAN MTN SUBSCRIBERS SOAR, SHARE PRICE UNMOVEDAN 11% growth in subscriber numbers by cellular operator MTN has done nothing to impress investors, with its shares edging up marginally 0,97% to R102,99 as 7,2-million shares changed hands in brisk trade last week. The cellular giant added 4,25-million customers in the quarter to March to reach a total of 44,3-million, up from 40-million at the end of December. Its most active operation was in Nigeria where 1,1-million customers joined, a growth of 9% to reach 13,3-million users. SA was far more sluggish with only 547000 new users. The company described that as "a healthy improvement" of 4% to hit 13- million customers. MTN has never managed to beat its rival, Vodacom, on their home turf. Vodacom's latest figures are for the three months to December, when it signed up 1,58-million customers to surpass 21,7-million. More worrying for analysts is a punishing 10% drop in the average revenue per user (arpu) in SA to R148 a month. That measurement of how much each customer spends is a more useful indication of success than subscriber numbers, as operators can have millions of customers who rarely generate profits. MTN said the decline in arpu was "in line with seasonal trends". Last week's figures showed that its network in Iran is finally making headway after a disappointingly slow start. It signed up 926,000 customers in Iran during the three months to finally crack the 1-million mark. Initially, it had hoped for that number by Christmas. When CEO Phuthuma Nhleko unveiled MTN's annual results in March he acknowledged that the Iranian network was losing money, but said it should win 5.5-million more users this year. It will have to step up its pace dramatically to achieve that, however, as the first quarter saw it gain less than 17% of this year's target growth. Nhleko has told analysts to expect a 41% boom in subscribers for the group as a whole this year. "I am pleased with subscriber growth in the first quarter, which is in line with expectations. Assuming the continuation of market conditions, we expect to continue the healthy subscriber growth trend across all our operations and to consolidate our position as the leader in emerging markets." (SOURCE: Business Day) TRANSCORP SET TO INJECT N11BN TO REVIVE M-TEL IN NIGERIAAfter having had great difficulty in raising funds for its new investment in Nitel, its new owners Transcorp have chosen to invest N11.3 bn in its mobile arm M-Tel, perhaps as a way of getting some cash flow moving. However it is unclear whether Transcorp or the commissioned equipment vendors are putting up the lions’ share of the investment. M. Ladi Williams, acting Chief Executive Officer of M-Tel, stated in a statement Wednesday that his team has mapped out a strategic plan to "revitalise and reposition" the ailing firm. He said that the new initiatives for M-Tel would ensure a quick return to the path of recovery for greater competitiveness in the mobile telecommunications market in Nigeria. Ladi Williams, also disclosed that the Board of M-Tel has endorsed a two-pronged quick-fix solution of "network restoration and network expansion in order to fast track the current effort to get M-Tel back on to a competitive strength." While expressing great optimism on a positive swing for M-Tel in the highly competitive and dynamic mobile telecom market in Nigeria, the CEO stated that the quartet of Messrs. Ericsson, Motorola, ZTE and Huawei are going to be involved in the plan to restore M-Tel. The acting CEO said an initial $345m (approximately N4,347,000,000) for the network expansion job with the four multinational, while another N7b would be expended on the network restoration project. He noted that all four firms are up to the task having had a well-grounded understanding of the profile of M-Tel network in particular, as well as the mobile telecommunications landscape of the country and the competitive vista in general. Sounding very sanguine on the avalanche of opportunities for M-Tel to play catch up with the market leaders in the mobile sector of the nation's telecommunications market, Ladi Williams, said that the current statistics showed that Nigeria has more than 38 million subscribers. And drawing value from the current 140 million Nigerian population, he projected that the nation still has the capacity to absorb additional 30 million subscribers. "I believe that there are approximately 38 million subscribers in Nigeria and this country can take another 30 million. There is nothing wrong with M-Tel grabbing 5 -- 6 million of that number," said Ladi Williams. (SOURCE: Vanguard) ETISALAT INCREASES STAKE IN ATLANTIQUE TELECOM TO 70%Etisalat has increased its shareholding in West African operator Atlantique Telecom with the acquisition of an additional 20% of the company’s shares taking its total stake to 70%. Atlantique Telecom holds various majority shares in seven telecoms operations in the Ivory Coast, Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Niger, Togo and the Central African Republic. These countries hold a combined population of approximately 60 million and mobile phone penetration of less than 10% at present. Etisalat initially acquired 50% of Atlantique Telecom in 2005, and also assumed management rights for the organisation through a 10-year contract. With Etisalat’s support, Atlantique acquired a license to enter the largest market in West Africa, the Ivory Coast, with the company officially launching its services in July 2006. In the first five months of operations the operator, which is branded Moov, acquired a 21% market share with a subscriber base of 500,000. "Etisalat aims to develop services across all its investments in 14 countries in Africa and Asia. Etisalat's international achievements have mirrored the growth, development and innovation in the UAE,” commented Saeed Al Hamli, senior manager, Portfolio Management & Integration, Etisalat International Investments. (SOURCE: ITP)
LEADING EGYPT BLOGGER GOES OFFLINE DUE TO HARASSMENTOne of Egypt's most prominent political bloggers has decided to call it a day, citing harassment by security services as his main reason to quit. The Egypt-based blogger, known only as "Sandmonkey" - a derogatory term for people of Arab descent - posted his last entry Saturday. "One of the chief reasons [for quitting] is the fact that there has been too much heat around me lately," he said. Sandmonkey, who describes himself as, "extremely cynical, snarky, pro-US, secular, libertarian," started posting two years ago and has since been one of the main animators of Egypt's vibrant blogosphere. The blog offered stinging commentary on the Islamization of Egyptian society, as well as virulent criticism of President Hosni Mubarak's 26-year regime. Sandmonkey regularly reported on the arrests of political activists, police brutality, and videos recently posted on the Internet of alleged vote-rigging in a referendum for constitutional amendments, which critics say curb civil liberties. "I no longer believe that my anonymity is kept, especially with state security agents lurking around my street and asking questions about me, since that day," he said, referring to anti-referendum protests last month in which he participated and several demonstrators were detained. Egypt's bloggers came to public attention during the political turbulence surrounding elections in 2005, and have since been targeted by the regime, drawing international condemnation. In April, security forces detained blogger Abdel Moneim Mahmoud for criticizing the government's human rights record. In February, an Egyptian court sentenced blogger Abdel Karim Suleiman to four years in prison for insulting religion and defaming the president, a verdict condemned by rights groups as an attack on free speech. (SOURCE: AFP) BANK OF UGANDA LAUNCHES WEBSITEBank of Uganda has launched a modern website that will bring about transparency between the Central bank, commercial banks, and the general public on key financial matters. The $49,000 (Shs84 million) website was designed to enable the stakeholders in the banking sector keep pace with the latest developments in the industry. Speaking at the launch of the website on April 30 BoU Deputy Governor Bank of Uganda, Mr David Opiokello said: "In this regard everything will be done to ensure that the contents are up-to-date to meet the needs of the users and other stakeholders and to periodically modernise it to match the emerging trends." He said the development is a further demonstration of BoU's commitment to transparency and accountability. He said in future expects will enhance its website with the introduction of e-Banking and e-Commerce and conversion PDF files into the database to facilitate analysis and research. The new website at www.bou.or.ug, will also hook BoU to international information on central banking in a globalised world. Mr Opiokello said the process took a considerable period of time to make it more user-friendly and versatile with update information on key financial indicators and other operations of the Bank. The Programme Director of Financial Development Systems at GTZ, Mr Peter Rhode said BoU has taken the right step forward in opening the banking industry in Uganda, because the website provides bankers and the general public with an over view of what is going on industry in transparent manner. (SOURCE: The Monitor) IN BRIEF:- South Africa’s online technology publisher ITWeb is launching a website as a social hub for readers of its digital lifestyle titles. The My Digital Life website will let people with an interest in digital technologies communicate with each other and share their knowledge and experience about the subjects.
PEOPLEIndependent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) councillor Mamodupi Mohlala has tendered her resignation and asked to be released from her duties two months early. Outgoing State IT Agency (SITA) CEO Mavuso Msimang has been appointed director-general of the Department of Home Affairs. After 15 years with the MB Technologies group, Guy Whitcroft has resigned to take up the post of chief operating officer with the Middle East's leading distribution group, APTEC Holdings. Peter Ibbotson joins the MB Technologies team and will take on the role as chief executive officer (CEO) of Ingram Micro (Pty) Ltd. EVENTS- TELECOM FINANCE MIDDLE EAST AFRICA ASIA 2007 23-24 May 2007, Madinat Jumeirah Hotel, Dubai Telecom Finance MEAI conference is the premier networking hub for senior executives at telecom operators and supplier organisations, private equity investors, investment bankers, legal advisers, and other financiers and professional intermediaries focused on the emerging markets. The 2-day event will feature more than 30 speakers Issues under discussion at the event will include: Expansion strategies for the Middle East, Africa and India; Accessing local and international capital markets: How to finance growth beyond the Gulf; Broadband provision for growth markets: Wireless versus fixed convergence strategies; Building a regional platform in the Middle East; Greenfield opportunities in Africa and India: and capturing market share in new growth markets. Early Bird Registrations close 27 April - 3 for 2 offers available - register now at www.tmtfinance.com/tfmeai07 - 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 -USING MOBILE PHONES FOR HRO IN AFRICA 28th May – 2nd June 2007, Nairobi, Kenya The conference is organised by Fahamu on the use of mobile phones by human rights organisations in Africa. For further information visit www.fahamu.org - 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 HIGH SPEED ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES CONFERENCE 19-21 June 2007, Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg, South Africa IQPC's 2nd Annual High Speed Access Technologies conference is perfectly positioned giving you answers at a critical time offering an objective platform for you to hear case studies on current obstacles and successes of Broadband. You will also be able to join us for a Site Visit To the Eskom Test Site. This site visit will show you what progress has been made over the past few years and what MainNet is doing to promote broadband over Power Lines. For more information please contact Susan Theron on +27 (0) 11 669 5019 or visit our website http://www.iqpc.com/za/highspeed - 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 - ICT Africa 2007 October 1-5, 2007, Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, Kenya ICT Africa is an annual continental information and communications technology conference addressing all aspects of ICT development in Africa. The conference is convened by NEPAD council in collaboration with the NEPAD Kenya secretariat. The 2007 event will be organized by Global Conferences, Cape Town, South Africa. For further information contact rjacobs@globalconf.co.za JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIESERICSSON MICROWAVE INSTALLATION SUPERVISOR / COMMISSIONING ENGINEER – SUDAN The successful candidate will have the below listed experience: - Commissioning and maintenance of MDRS 155 or equal Long distance Microwave equipment (min 1 year experience) - Supervision of the installation team for proper and efficient work - Experience to lead people of southern mentality to get efficient result - Self initiating way of work and find of solutions to solve blocking points or fix issues. For further information contact advertising@balancingact-africa.com ICANN NOMINATING COMMITTEE In order to provide additional time for candidates to submit Statements of Interest, the 2007 ICANN Nominating Committee has extended the deadline for Statements of Interest until 18 May 2007 23:59 UTC. Candidates should submit completed Statements of Interest to nomcom2007@icann.org. CONTRACTS: WHO'S SELLING WHAT TO WHOM?GLOBACOM AND ALCATEL – NIGERIA Globacom has announced the signing of a contract with Alcatel-Lucent to install West Africa's first wireless network based on Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service/High Speed Packet Access (UMTS/HSPA), technology. ECONET, ERICSSON AND ZTE – ZIMBABWE Econet Wireless on Wednesday signed two contracts with Ericsson of Sweden and a Chinese state-owned company ZTE Corporation in a drive to expand its subscriber base from 800 000 to 1,2 million by year end. The statement said Erickson would supply equipment for expansion of its network as well as base stations in Harare and the northern part of the country, while the Chinese company will install base stations in Southern Zimbabwe. ETC AND ZTE – ETHIOPIA The Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation (ETC) and ZTE, a Chinese Telecom Company on Friday signed a 200-million-dollar deal close to 1.39 billion Birr providing for the execution of three telecom service expansion projects just ahead of the release of seven abducted Chinese workers in the country. TUNISIE TELECOM AND MICROSOFT – TUNISIA Tunisie Telecom has signed a three years service agreement with Microsoft with the aim to modernise the telco’s IT infrastructure.
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