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WEEKLY PUBLICATION DEADLINE: 12 pm GMT Sunday. ISSUE NO 381 France Telecom scores two in a row – will it make it a hat trick with Ghana?If making acquisitions is your criteria for success, France Telecom seems to be on a roll at the moment. First it snapped up Telkom Kenya and this week it was announced that it had secured the latest licence being offered in Niger and it will soon roll-out in Central African Republic. It also has its hat in the ring for buying Ghana Telecom. Russell Southwood looks at what its increasing presence on the continent means both for its competitors and for competition itself. The prize in Niger is a global licence that covers 2-3G mobile, fixed and Internet and also has an international gateway thrown in for good measure. France Telecom’s bid was made with its investor in Orange Mali Moctoar Thiam and local Nigerien business man Mohammed Rissa. The bid was price was US$71.3 million. Losing bidders included its French rivals Vivendi (through Maroc Telecom) and a local group calling itself Universel Niger. Making the announcement Minister Mohamed Ben Omar said ‘We want a quality service accessible to as many people as possible.’ Before a recent round of network investment by the country’s three operators, 53% of the population (6.9 million people) did not have mobile coverage. By the end of 2006 this figure had fallen to 6.1%. Using its Orange brand, France Telecom will be going head-to-head with Celtel which is currently the dominant player in the market. It has a 60.12% share of overall revenues and 74.3% market share with 222,685 subscribers. The other two players have almost the same modest level of market share: Telecel (38,937) and Sahelcom (38,277). The dominant Internet player is Sahelcom with 3,512 subscribers. Since fixed line incumbent Sonitel was taken over by Libyan investors along with Chinese equipment manufacturer ZTE who have been used to run the company, there have been continuous complaints about low levels of service and it has failed to meet the roll-out targets specified in its licence. Government and the regulator have taken no action to address these failures until now. France Telecom has the classic vertical integrator strategy. This means it will seek to offer all communications services and this global approach increasingly mirrors the universal licence structure being adopted on the continent. Even in places like Mali it is rolling out its Livebox product that can deliver voice, Internet and IP-TV. At present, it has only really developed an IP-TV offering in Mauritius and Senegal and both places have suffered from the lack of attractive content. Kenya will prove to be an interesting market as it offers plenty of potential for this kind of “triple-play” offer but undoubtedly Orange will not have the field to itself. Both MTN and Vodacom are choosing to go the vertical integrator route in South Africa (see issue 378) but it is not clear how quickly either of them will get this strategy out of their home base in South Africa and into the rest of the continent. MTN has had early successes with its Wi-MAX roll-outs in Cameroon, Rwanda and Uganda but seems to be much more conservative (or less successful, on another view) in its approach to mobile content offerings and television. Celtel is notably absent from the roster of vertical integrators, having sold its Internet businesses when it was preparing for the IPO that turned into the sale to Zain (formerly MTC). So this is shaping up to be a fight amongst the big boys and the main losers will be the smaller, under-capitalised companies. However, all may not go according to plan. The success of the vertical integrators depends upon them having the management capacity to run businesses of several different scales all at once. Until now with the exception of France Telecom, most of the contenders have really just been mobile voice companies. MTN has had its toe in the fixed line business but it has really been a high-value customer, niche operator. The vertical integrators face two challenges: one internal and the other external. They have to scale up their niche fixed line and Internet businesses to make commercial sense of them and to add unfamiliar offerings like TV. Both MTN and Vodacom are experimenting with mobile TV but it has yet to take off at scale. And Vodacom has only just become a TV service reseller. Both are big companies and therefore should overcome these issues but it is not a cheque already written. France Telecom has an additional burden in that it will have to manage massive change programmes if it acquires companies like Telkom Kenya and Ghana Telecom. The external challenge is the more interesting one. They will not have the field to themselves as there will be independent challengers who may have a better grip of VoIP voice offerings and television programming. MWeb announced this week a “sort-of” triple-play offering, promising to come up with a full triple play offering shortly. And there are others in the wings in other countries who are waiting to enter the same territory. One of these independent contenders will be sufficiently successful to carve out a substantial minority stake. The real challenge will be whether they can actually see off any of the vertical integrators in their chosen markets.
Safaricom and Google sign Partnership in KenyaSafaricom Kenya and Google have sealed a pact to deliver e-mail services direct to mobile phones. The partnership is expected to increase the number of potential Internet users from the current 2.7 million to 4.4 million by virtue of Safaricom's subscriber base. Under the deal signed last week, Safaricom subscribers with data enabled handsets will now access email services from Google on their mobile phones, toll-free. The partnership follows the unveiling of Safaricom's third generation (3G) license to be made available to subscribers soon. According to Safaricom’s CEO Michael Joseph, "The new deal would enable users to access email and internet services wherever there is network coverage." Under the new deal, Safaricom would also launch a local version of Google Maps for mobile phones, which will offer subscribers in selected areas user friendly maps and local listings, as well as search and navigation capabilities. However, subscribers whose handsets cannot support the new service can access email services by logging on to Safaricom’s website and enjoy the facilities for free. Google's director of Strategy and business operations Matthew Stepka said the deal was timely adding that Google is always ready to support like-minded firms such as Safaricom. Stepka told journalists that the service would benefit mainly small and medium enterprises, most of whom cannot access email and internet services. Other beneficiaries include students in learning institutions, working Kenyans and the general public. (Source: Highway Africa News Agency) Siemens and Nigeria: more skeletons come rattling out of the closetThe Nigerian government is investigating allegations that German telecoms and industrial conglomerate Siemens paid bribes to Nigerian officials in order to secure lucrative contracts for telecommunications equipment in the African country. Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has ordered an investigation and has said that the government will not cover up for anyone found guilty of violating the law. "The President has directed all the relevant security agencies to thoroughly investigate the allegations and take appropriate legal actions against anybody implicated in corrupt practices," said presidential spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi in a statement. The statement continues, "In this Siemens scandal, as in all cases that border on good governance and transparency, there will neither be sacred cows nor a cover up for anybody found culpable of breaching the law.” Local press quoted the Wall Street Journal Europe allegations that Siemens paid-off government and industry officials in Nigeria, Russia and Libya nearly $17.5 million dollars in a bid to win contracts. The newspaper published a list of the suspected recipients of 77 bribes spanning the three countries specifying the detailed amounts that went to each of the officials, from documents released last month by a court in Munich. The court document obtained by the Wall Street Journal indicated €10 million went to a Nigerian senator, an immigration official and four former telecommunications ministers. In Libya, six bribes worth €300,000 were given to two state officials of the country’s General Post and Telecommunications Company. (Source: Telecom TV) NEPAD fibre project announces its shareholdings – but where will it get its own money?First it was called EASSY before they departed. Then it was the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network for Eastern and Southern Africa, now it’s the Baharicom cable. Three years ago it was difficult to persuade anyone to build fibre cables to Africa, now the place is awash with them. But who exactly is doing what remains confusing, writes Russell Southwood. NEPAD last week announced the intended shareholdings in the cable it intends to build in partnership with Baharicom. African telcos are taking up 45%, international investors 25% and NEPAD itself 30 %. It is not clear where the money for NEPAD’s 30% shareholding will come from. The donor finance institutions are already committed to EASSy but NEPAD seems confident it can attract the money. Perhaps the South African Government has made promises? The budget for the new cable has been set at US$2 billion and will follow more or less the same route as the Seacom cable down the eastern seaboard. It will finally end up being named Uhurunet. It has an increased capacity to all destinations of 3.84 Terrabits per sec, of which 1.2 terrabits per sec will be available to the Nepad SPV, compared with the original 640 gigabits. It is likely to get approval to land in South Africa as the South African Minister for Communications Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri seems to be walking backwards from her earlier ill-judged announcement that no cable could land unless it was majority owned by South African investors. Seacom has already cleared that hurdle. South African telecom operators Telkom, Neotel and MTN together own some 27 per cent of the proposed 50,000 km Uhurunet cable. What is unclear is how these commitments line up alongside other commitments made by these companies. Telkom and MTN are both investors in the EASSy cable and Neotel has been identified as one of the South African investors in Seacom. Also some operators have already begun discussing the idea of building their own cables. And as NEPAD policy adviser Dr Edmund Katiti observed: "Such initiatives would duplicate and render the Nepad Network redundant." The Nepad e-Africa Commission had also urged member countries to expedite the ratification of the 2006 Kigali Protocol by last Thursday. Only 12 countries have signed so far MTC Namibia Wind and Solar Powered Cell Site Trial Successfully CompletedMotorola and MTC Namibia last week announced the successful completion of the wind and solar power system trial conducted with the GSM Association on MTC Namibia’s cell site at Dordabis village in the Khomas region of Namibia. “The Dordabis trial project produced highly encouraging results. To move forward with our growth strategy, MTC Namibia needed an efficient and reliable alternative to mains grid electricity solution. Based on the success of this trial, we are now in a position to place remote base stations, fuelled by renewable energy sources, where we need them. This means that we can continue to deliver on our commitment to our customers,” said Albertus Aochamub, corporate affairs general manager, MTC Namibia. Motorola, the GSM Association, and MTC Namibia chose to run the Dordabis trial during the winter months, when both wind and solar energy would be at their lowest availability. Since May 2007, a solar array and a wind turbine have jointly been generating the electrical power needed to drive a mid-sized cell and support a microwave backhaul installation. “Operators are investing heavily in developing their infrastructures in the African continent and other developing regions, but achieving wide coverage can be a significant challenge when base stations are located in remote areas. Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar make it not only possible but also cost-effective for network operators to deliver mobile voice and data services in remote rural areas where mains electricity is either not available at all or prohibitively expensive. The successful conclusion of the trial with Motorola and MTC Namibia is exciting because it demonstrates to operators that they can break through one of the key barriers to expanding coverage,” said Dawn Hartley, development fund manager at the GSMA. Based on the successful trials conducted in Namibia and previously in the UK, which have generated interest from the operator community, Motorola renewable energy solutions are now commercially available. “The MTC Namibia GSM trial reinforces our commitment to delivering solutions that are tailored to African operators’ needs. We are pleased to work with MTC Namibia and the GSM Association and demonstrate how a combination of wind and solar power can be as effective as mains power in keeping cellular base stations running at peak performance. In addition, the Motorola solutions used needed minimal maintenance, which reduces the cost and complexity of remote-area maintenance for operators. We look forward to continue supporting the growth of operators such as MTC Namibia, through delivering practical and commercially viable solutions,” said Ali Amer, vice president sales, Middle East, Africa and Pakistan, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility.” Though the MTC Namibia trial was delivered on a GSM network, the Motorola solutions can be applied to other wireless networks that have rural cell site power issues. Motorola’s renewable energy solutions for powering wireless network cell sites are part of the company’s Reach GSM portfolio. For more information please review the Solar and Wind trial micro site at: www.motorola.com/reach/windandsolartrial
In brief:- Nigeria's House of Representatives has recommended that the country's GSM operators are banned from selling new SIM cards for a period of twelve months. The drastic suggestion is aimed at preventing networks from overselling their capacity at the expense of quality of service. A parliamentary committee was set up to investigate widespread complaints of poor services being provided by the GSM cellcos MTN Nigeria, Glo Mobile and Celtel Nigeria. - Angola has ordered its own communications satellite to be built by Russian firms. The Russian aerospace agency and Rosoboronexport, the state company handling Russian arms exports, have agreed to cooperate on building a satellite and an earth station, as well as train local technicians, by 2011. - Moroccan fixed line operator Wana has entered in partnership with French communications company Phone Systems & Network to launch a calling service labelled Bladi enabling the Moroccan community based in France to make cheap phone calls to Morocco. - French telecommunications operator France Telecom said it has submitted a proposal to Ghana's government to take a stake in the privatization of the country's national telecom carrier, adding that it is awaiting a decision. - The absence of a board of directors at Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) has thwarted the organisations plans to identify a third mobile company. Government, through its regulator Macra, directed that a third mobile company be identified to bring in competition of TNM Limited and Celtel Malawi. Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage- In South Africa’s Vodacom has announced that it will start selling mobile advertising. Text adverts will be sold on Please Call Me, its free call-back service that generates up to 20 million messages a day and reaches both the lower and higher end of the market. Banner adverts will be sold on the company's mobile Internet portals - Vodacom4me and Vodafone live! - that draw a total of 1.4 million users per month. The ads will offer consumers an optional click-through to a mobile website, allowing them to decide if they want to engage further with the brand. - Pan African operator, Celtel International has expanded its roaming free service, 'One Network' to include Burkina Faso, Chad, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan. These countries now join the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in the network which was initially launched in September 2006. - Subscribers of the Nigerian Mobile Telecommunication Limited, (Mtel) are now to enjoy unlimited free Mtel to Mtel calls and Short Messaging Service (SMS) in a new offering designed to reward loyal customers and new subscribers on its network. - Angolan mobile operator MSTelcom has signed with Intelsat for satellite capacity in order to extend GSM coverage. - In Algeria, the national rate of overall telephone teledensity (fixed and mobile telephony) exceeded 80% in late September against 5.28% in 1999.
Mobile Internet on the rise in South AfricaWith the development of technology such as the 3G card - the mobile success story of 2007 - providing consumers with increasing access to online, banking and other services, mobile communications is at a tipping point similar to that of the Internet a few years ago. This is according to the findings of the Mobility 2007 study released on Tuesday, 20 November 2007. The impact of mobile and wireless technology on South African corporations and SMEs is the subject of the now annual study by Arthur Goldstuck's World Wide Worx, sponsored by FNB. The rise of the 3G data card is probably one of the big stories of telecommunications in the corporate and SME environment in South Africa in 2007, it emerged. Over 100 IT decision makers and 800 SMEs were interviewed for the study. The corporate phase of Mobility 2007, which also includes consumer and small and medium enterprise (SME) research phases, shows the proportion of South African corporations whose staff use 3G data cards rising from 58% in 2006 to 82% in 2007. In contrast, the proportion that facilitate WiFi access by their staff has fallen from 74% to 66%, it was stated in the report. Corporate use of WiFi - small networks that allow wireless access to the Internet - has fallen back after a steady rise in the previous three years. By contrast, the use of 3G - wireless broadband provided by the mobile networks - has rocketed. "We have been warning for several years that commercial WiFi hotspots, especially in hotels and conference centres, are in danger of pricing themselves out of the market," said Goldstuck, who led the research. "And, now that a monthly subscription to a basic 3G service is cheaper than a few hours on most commercial hotspots, the chickens have come home to roost!" Another factor that is having an impact on WiFi is the promise of WiMAX - a high-speed long-distance broadband technology, which is being piloted by a number of service providers in South Africa. As many as 8% of corporations say they are trying it out, which exactly matches the proportion that is dropping WiFi. In contrast, the use of wireless broadband services by SMEs has jumped sharply, from 16% in 2006 to 31% in 2007. As with corporates, most SMEs using 3G are doing so to remain connected when out of the office and as a back-up, rather than as a primary form of connectivity. The findings make it clear that businesses are conscious of both cost and convenience, and will embrace those technologies that make business sense and are easy to use, Goldstuck pointed out. Findings in the research on corporate SA included: Core mobile technologies: cellphone for voice/SMS, laptop, 3G card. Dramatic trend is the emergence of 3G data card - this is one of the big stories of telecommunications in corporate SA in 2007. Eighty two percent of corporates are issuing 3G cards to staff and we are seeing the increasing flexibility of corporate workers in SA. Workhorse mobile technologies: GPRS connectivity for cellphones - 71% of corporate are using GPRS on cellphones. There is a leveling off and marginal decrease due to the arrival of 3G. Technologies in transition: Wifi networks via laptop - mostly for accessing hotspots while on the move. WiMAX being tried out by 8% of corporates. A very important transitional access emerging is back office access - sending in sales information, retrieving sales information via cellphone. Bluetooth is another, and public access radio.Goldstuck explains: "What you see here is the growth of 3G datacards - it is very clear that as the proportion of companies using 3G increased, the level of Wifi access dropped back. Wifi, from a commercial point of view in hotspots in hotels, airport lounges, has lost the attraction. The costs are too high: at R1 a minutes access, it's like getting mugged. The cost of Wifi hotspots in South Africa has priced that out of the market as an option for South African corporate users. 3G is much better value for money. Commercial Wifi hotspots are dead in the water." Mobile technologies in transition: SMEs are embracing new mobile technologies and are going for 3G: 31%; PDA 23%, Wifi 36% - but dropping. Their primarily form of connection is ADSL, but they use mostly 3G. Phone features used: SMS is becoming an SME tool in a big way (over 60%). From 5% in 2006 to 27% are using 3G datacards -from almost nowhere the year before. Email access has rocketed from 0% to 27% on mobile phones in the past year. Planning to use in future: SME decisionmakers don't know what technologies they will be using in the future - 30% believe they will use email in the future on their cellphones, but more don't know how many advanced features they will use on their cellphones in the future; 54% intend using SMS, but 29% don't know; they are less sure about Bluetooth handsfree, the mobile phone as a modem, Internet browsing, Bluetooth networking and location-based services.Consumer research Dashboard marketing intelligence head Peter Searll estimates the number of mobile users at 32 million out of a population of 48 million. Some people believe the number is closer to 40 million; other research believes there is an overstating of figures and that the number is closer to 28 million. Over half the market have had their phone for less than a year. Only 18% of phones are older than two years. Purchasers in the last six months are likely to be younger. People love their phones and 37% want a new phone within the next year. New phones are enablers for advanced data usage. On average there has been a 5% increase in using other mobile services: camera phones, video, online purchases, etc. (Source: Biz-Community) UUNET MD challenges Kenyan Government estimates of low bandwidth costsThe cost of Internet connectivity is unlikely to fall to $500 (Sh33,000) per megabit per month as the Government has projected, UUNET managing director Geoffrey Shimanyula has said. The charges would only fall marginally with the landing of the first submarine fibre optic cable in Mombasa, he said. UUNET- an Internet service provider - which is one of the prospective private investors in government-driven East Africa Marine System (TEAMs), said such a feat would require the cost of internet connectivity to fall by more than 80 per cent from the current average of $5000 per megabit. The submarine cable is expected to land in Mombasa by second quarter of 2009 and terminate in Fujaira, Dubai. "As you present your budgets for 2010 do not present the $500 figure because you may have to go back and justify your adjustments for that item," Shimanyula warned IT marketing executives. "That price can only be for the last mile, the layer two services, and the raw pipe - WiMAX or KenStream that you get from Telkom Kenya. There is no IP service that can be sold for $500 per megabit per month ," he said. IT firms, including UUNET, will have to connect to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) based in Fujaira before bringing the service - with a mark-up to local companies. "That is where UUNET comes in. We will be connecting directly to Verizon Business in Fujaira, who are our principle shareholders hoping that we will get competitive rates from them to pass over to our customers," he said. Information permanent secretary, Bitange Ndemo, however maintained that the $500 price was achievable with the a fibre optic cable. "We have structured the pricing in such a way that even after factoring in the cost of onward connectivity the highest an operator may charge is $700. Anyone who will be charging consumers more than that in the first year of operation will just be serving the cause of greed," he said. Dr Ndemo said the cost of connectivity was expected to continue dropping gradually in the subsequent years as the demand for the bandwidth picks up. "The reason we are working on these figures is that we do not plan to make money from the pipes but only from the services rendered and by taxing the jobs that will be created," said Dr Ndemo. The Kenya government has a 40 per cent stake in the project with Dubai's Etisalat holding 15 per cent. A 45 per cent stake has been reserved for private telecommunication companies. Shareholders will have access to large amounts of capacity with a 13 STM1 (Synchronous Transport Module ) - basic rate of transmission of fibre optic network - for a minimum of five per cent equity investment. Capacity will be allocated at cost with TEAMs investors paying $400,000 per STM1 per year. This translates to $2580.645 per megabit per year up to Fujairah and $ 215.00 megabit per month. TEAMs shareholders are expected to operate on an Internal Rate of Return of 32.71 per cent with a pay back of 2.4 years. Share holders in TEAMs will have the freedom to either use or sell excess capacity allocated to them through a pool or directly to the market under a bilateral sale arrangement. CCK has said that only licensed operators will be allowed to sell capacity directly to the market - all other shareholders will be allowed to sell their excess capacity through jointly coordinated pool sales. TEAMs shareholders will also benefit from the flexibility of selecting onward connectivity carriers from Fujairah. Dr Ndemo said TEAMs shareholders could get a better deal by collectively bargaining for capacity from Fujairah onwards and offer even more competitive point to point connectivity prices. Transit costs from Fujairah to Europe and US stands at between $55,000 to $100,000 per year, which Dr Ndemo insists is still in line with the government's estimates. (Source: Business Daily) Major technical failure hits Ghana Telecom’s broadband service – no apologies to customersGhana Telecom’s much heralded broadband service collapsed unceremoniously on Monday 12 November due to a major technical failure. According to a member of their technical team, who preferred not to be named, the network breakdown was due to the installation of new billing software which failed to work when the data from the existing system was transferred to it. “We are trying to contact the software vendor because the IP address of each account on the original system did not migrate correctly to the new system,” said a clearly harassed technician. The company, which has not made any formal announcement to its fast growing network of increasingly disenchanted customers, is continuing to accept new applications for Internet service from an unknowing public. Say’s database administrator, James Quarshie, “Broadband4U has been experiencing intermittent breaks in connectivity and poor bandwidth management leading to a steady deterioration in service since we started subscribing a year ago. This means we frequently have to fall back on the dial-up service which means paying the service provider twice over to get connected.” Ghana Telecom announced its intention to unilaterally change its billing system to a new, pre-paid scheme through a series of recent newspaper advertisements. Ironically it was this very changeover to new billing software which has brought about its downfall. And while most corporate businesses on the scale of Ghana Telecom have a disaster management plan, there does not appear to be any sense of urgency about getting the network back into shape again. It appears that GT executives and technical staff are unlikely to allow the disruption to affect their day-to-day routine or leisure activities. No reference is made to the situation on GT’s website, no advertisements of apology or concern have been made in the press or on radio, no signs posted-up in the now rather jokingly named Care4U Centres and those who dial 100 for advice are politely requested to switch off their computer and modem and switch them back on in reverse order! Ghana Telecom apparently has no plans for its staff to work extra hours to rectify the problem. Say’s Quarshie, “We had to put a lot of pressure on our local Care4U Centre to get an engineer to reconfigure our computers to the network. When he finally arrived at 5.45pm on Friday night, he couldn’t complete the job because his office had closed and everyone had gone home. So he went away again.” Ghana Telecom is preparing to sell off a share of its business to a strategic partner. “It may be harsh to suggest that executive management is far too busy working out its severance packages in anticipation of the impending deal, but until Ghana Telecom come out and tell us what they plan to do about the situation, people are bound to speculate.” says Quarshie. In brief:- South African ISP MWEB is planning to offer a triple-play service consisting of ADSL, IP telephony and pay-TV. The broadband component will be a 384kbps download DSL service with a 1GB per month usage allowance, which will be packaged alongside MWEB’s Broadband Talk service and MultiChoice’s DStv premium offering. According to a report in FMTech, the bundle will cost ZAR599 (USD88) per month, compared to ZAR715 for each component separately. An MWEB spokeswoman was quoted as saying that strictly speaking, the MWEB service is not actually triple-play as the signals are not all being carried down the same line, but the company has plans to introduce what it calls a ‘true triple-play’ service in the future, following the launch of MWEB’s next-generation of MultiChoice PVR decoders next year. The new devices will cater for HDTV, be ADSL-ready and able to carry voice-over-IP (VoIP) calls. - The Minister of State for Information and Communications of Nigeria, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande, has called on African countries to use Nigeria's second Satellite Communication Project (SAT 2). - In South Africa, Telkom Internet is undergoing a trial in which local ADSL bandwidth will be uncapped. Users of Telkom's ADSL service will still be given access to local websites upon reaching their monthly limit. MyADSL said that Telkom plans to, at a later and as yet undisclosed stage, place a reduced fee on this uncapped local bandwidth. For the time being however, the service is not being charged for. - Nigeria’s second national operator Globacom has started the first phase of a NGN83 billion (USD700 million) country-wide fibre-optic backbone project. At present, Globacoms’s fibre network links the cities of Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ijebuode, Ore, Benin, Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria and Kano. Upon completion of the first phase, the network will span 10,000 km, covering all the major cities in the country, including Warri, Port Harcourt, Aba, Umuahia, Owerri, Onitsha, Enugu, Oturkpo, Makurdi, Lafia, Ilorin, Jebba, Mokwa, Bida and Minna. Work on the Minna to Abuja link has now begun.
IT College Students to Get Laptops in BotswanaStudents studying at the NIIT have been given an opportunity to own laptops, which they would return at the end of their studies or take home as a start to their careers. Speaking to Monitor, NIIT general manager Ravi Srinivasan says the laptop scheme is meant to improve the quality of education at the institution that focuses more on Information Technology (IT). "We teach the students the bolts and nuts of IT hands-on and when we analysed the situation we realised that they only practise while at school and do not have the opportunity to do so at home and so we started this scheme," Srinivasan said. He said the students are not taught how to work on the programmes at the institution but how to create the programmes, even if they are all not going to be programmers. "They will at least be able to analyse the programmes," he said. The scheme, that is open to the second year students would see them pay cautionary fees of P500 and P100 yearly towards the maintenance of the laptop, which will be done by NIIT's technical department. "At the end of their study they may choose to return it and claim their P500 or take it at a mutually agreed amount," he stated. Srivivasan indicated that taking the laptop would be the best option as coupled with their degrees and all the programmes that they could have used during their study would be a good start for anyone wishing to further their careers. "By doing this we are also developing ICT and introducing it to many people as those students will surely share their laptops with their families, thus strengthening the pillar of an educated nation as envisaged under Vision 2016," he said. However, he explained that if a student loses the laptop he/she would be expected to file a complaint report that would be forwarded to the insurance company and the student would meet all excess costs. Government started sponsoring students to NIIT late last year as part of its programme to increase their access to tertiary education. NIIT is currently building a state of the art campus that is expected to be completed by next January, behind the Game City shopping complex. (Source: Mmegi/The Reporter) How does Kenya Cope with Recycling Electronic WasteUsed electronic equipment poses health risks to people who might want to recycle them. Martin Muteti, a consultancy manager with Practical Action, an NGO, points out that the country is sitting on a time bomb if no legislation is enacted against irresponsible disposals of electronic equipment. Some people have turned to electronic waste for spare parts and other items that are sold to second hand dealers or the recycling industry. Unlike in source regions where manufacturers adhere to safety disposal rules, there are no laws in Kenya and other African countries guiding the refuse management. A survey conducted by Practical Action found that mobile phone repairers exposed themselves to some health dangers. E-waste contains both valuable materials such as gold and copper as well as highly toxic substances, such as lead and mercury. But recycling of discarded equipment without adequate safeguards can bring health and environmental hazards. A high influx of ICT equipment has been witnessed in recent years, especially in Personal Computers (PCs) and mobile phones. Circuit's board found in PCs contains hazards substances that interfere with the lungs and at times expose them to high risks of contracting skin cancer. The Cathode Ray tubes CRTs are also of special concern due to the lead oxide which should be handled with care when the equipment are dismantled to recover copper. In Kenya, however, some of these products have been turned into money generating projects. The Computer for School of Kenya (CFSK) project which recycles used computers has initiated a safe programme of dismantling these tubes in an effort to recover valuable metals. Under the e-waste programme, CFSK converts the dead monitors into TV sets which are affordable to low income earners. The organisation has also an E-Waste programme that ensures that PC boards are sent back to Europe and Asia where they are recycled. Experience from China and India show that e-waste recycling is mostly done in the informal sector with little or no legal regulation. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that up to 50 million tonnes of electronic waste is generated annually in the whole world. (Source: Business Daily) Ghana Association of Software & IT Services launchGASSCOM to promote the growth of information technology services and business process outsourcing in Ghana Anybody with the misfortune to need help or advice from a public utility, government agency, hospital, airline or even some big businesses in Ghana will know the frustrations, delay, expensive time wasting leading to annoyance of the frequently proffered expression ‘go and come’ or I’m working on it.’ In more sophisticated economies where the consumer is ‘king’ and doesn’t hesitate to point out that ‘it’s me who’s paying your salary,’ more and more organisations outsource their front office services, and other operations, to a contact centre where customers can be accorded due time and diligence by trained staff who can answer queries at a computer keystroke. This is designed to improve customer satisfaction, reduce costs, diversify corporate risk in the event of a disaster and minimise bureaucracy. To promote the growth of business process outsourcing (BPO) as a major business opportunity, a number of private sector information technology organisations have come together to form the Ghana Association of Software and IT Services (GASSCON) The Association, which is supported by the World Bank, was launched on 5 November in the presence of its founders by Ghana’s Minister of Communications, the Hon Benjamin Aggrey-Ntim. Ceremony Chairman, academic Kofi Bentil, described Ghana business as ‘strong on talk but slow to act.’ Meanwhile, BPO companies from India including HCL, realising that they were losing the competitive advantage in their own territory, were already migrating to and investing in Ghana. World Bank representative, Mavis Ampah, recounted that she had just returned from a fact finding visit to Kigali in Rwanda where she was astonished at the speed of BPO development. There was a determined push by the Rwandan government to create jobs in the sector fast and they were marketing themselves much more effectively than Ghana to potential customers in the outside world. CEO of Persol Systems and founder member of GASSCON, Michael Quarshie explained that a significant factor inhibiting BPO development in Ghana was the high cost of workspace as well as bandwidth. Drawing comparisons with America where many organisations outsource to developing countries including the Phillipines and China, Mr Quarshie said that the cost of bandwidth in Ghana was $4,200 compared with $300 for the same bandwidth in America. He went on to say that the remit of GASSCOM was to act as a catalyst to encourage and guide the industry. In his keynote speech, the Minister of Communications said that his Ministry, through the Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) Secretariat, anticipated that the sector, currently employing around 2,500 was anticipated to grow to 40,000 generating about $750m in foreign currency earnings over the next five years, with each job within the industry likely to generate employment opportunities for a further four people in support. The Ministry was already taking action to provide office space at the Technology Park in Tema at modest cost and a recent cut in bandwidth costs from $7,000 to $4,200 was likely to be followed by further cuts in the future. The Minister urged BPO companies to market themselves, both collectively and individually, more powerfully to potential customers using high quality brochures containing irrefutable information and facts. After ITES director, Kofi Adu-Gyan had introduced the interim executive committee of GASSCOM, a vote of thanks was proposed by Kofi Hayford, CEO of e-Services who underlined the need for Ghanaian companies to grasp this major opportunity whilst the window of availability remained open. In brief:- Under new separate deals signed with the Rwanda Ministry of Infrastructure and the Kenya Education Network (KENET), Google, the internet search giant said it would provide free Google Apps software. Rwandan government officials and students in both African countries will have access to free communications tools including email, shared calendars, instant messaging and word processing, the firm said in a statement. - The French customer service group "Data Base Factory" has recently set up a branch in Casablanca under the name "Data Base Factory Maroc". The new facility, which specializes particularly in contacts, subscription management, logistics and direct marketing, is expected to employ some 300 people. - Mozilla has announced the release Firefox 3.0 Beta 1, intended for testing purposes to gain feedback before developing the browser further. Although still buggy, it features improved security, easier use, improved performance, a better platform for developers and more customisation options.
In South Africa, Telkom’s results are down and Vodacom’s are upProfit from Telkom's core business of voice calls has dived a punishing 19% in the past six months, compounding its woes as it looks for ways to earn income in future. Although its revenue has risen steadily, net profit plunged 17.1% to R3.7bn for the six months to September, triggering a 2% share price slip yesterday as investors mulled over its prospects. Acting CEO Reuben September reiterated a three-point strategy of growing into Africa, boosting revenue from data services, and offering a combination of fixed and mobile services. But with talks to sell its 50% stake in Vodacom under way, he could not say how it would continue to provide mobile services. One possibility is to team up with mobile operators in the different countries that it aims to enter. Acting chief financial officer Deon Fredericks said it had been a difficult six months, with increased competition and initiatives to cut its fees to increase customer spending. Revenue rose 8.3% to R27.2bn, but basic earnings per share fell from 868c to 724c. Fixed-line business took a bruising, with net profit down from R5,3bn to R4.2bn and its profit margin slumping from 43.9% to 38.2%. September admitted Telkom had been too frugal in investing in infrastructure and customer service, and was paying the price to catch up. The landscape was changing fast with new rivals and business models emerging. Telkom had to provide bundles of fixed and mobile offerings spanning voice and data services, and to take those into Africa, although acquisitions were becoming costlier. Telkom lost its bid this month for 51% of Telkom Kenya, with its offer of $281m trumped by a $390m France Telecom bid. Telkom hopes its acquisition of Africa Online (R150m) and MultiLinks (R2bn) will help it march into Africa. Africa Online offers internet services in nine countries. MultiLinks is a Nigerian fixed and mobile operator. However, Africa Online is making a loss and is not expected to go into profit for several years. In parallel to the announcement that Vodacom was finally ready to strike its R7.5bn empowerment deal, despite uncertainty about its future ownership, CEO, Knott-Craig presented the company’s interim results . They showed continued phenomenal growth. Revenue rose 17.2% to R22.8bn and net profit rose 17.5% to R3.7bn for the six months to September 30. The profit margin slipped 0.5% to 33.3% but it lifted its dividend by 10% to pay R2.75bn to shareholders. Customer numbers jumped 22,6% to 31.6-million. Vodacom has easily maintained its dominance over MTN in SA, despite wiping 2.9-million names off its list -- subscribers inactive for 13 months. The average monthly spending of customers has fallen 4% to R119 each as the less affluent join. Knott-Craig sees the answer to that as converged services of broadband internet access, music, TV and mobile video. At present, 1,2-million people use its mobile internet website, 265000 connect their personal computers and laptops to the internet over its cellular network and 35000 people watch its mobile TV channels. (Source: Business Day) MTN ups Rwanda stakeThe MTN Group has concluded an agreement to purchase a further interest in MTN Rwanda, increasing its shareholding from 40% to 55%. The purchase of the stake from Tristar Investments, which will retain a 35% shareholding after the transaction, will be effected through MTN's wholly-owned subsidiary, MTN International (Mauritius), the company says in a statement. MTN was awarded a national GSM licence in Rwanda in April 1998, launching MTN's expansion on the continent. Since then, MTN Rwanda has performed well, reporting 576 000 subscribers for the quarter ended 30 September 2007, up 18% from 486 000 subscribers the previous quarter, the group states. “This acquisition demonstrates MTN's confidence in the Rwandan economy and its resolve to consolidate its position in the region,” says MTN Group CEO Phuthuma Nhleko. “We are pleased that this transaction has the endorsement of all shareholders.” The company says MTN Rwanda continues to invest in infrastructure, products and services in the country. New investments include a 3G network, which will soon be piloted in the capital city, Kigali. MTN Rwanda recently launched seamless roaming services with MTN Uganda; Safaricom, in Kenya; and Vodacom, in Tanzania. Seamless roaming allows subscribers free roaming between the four networks. The operation has also rolled out fibre optic backbone infrastructure within Kigali and from Kigali up to the border of Uganda. WiMax, which has been rolled out in Kigali, is also being implemented in 12 towns across the country. (Source: ITWeb) Sudan’s telecoms firm shrugs off US sanctions to expand in AfricaU.S. sanctions on Sudan’s telecoms company Sudatel are having no effect at all as it pursues an expansion into Africa by seeking stakes in Nigerian and Congolese operators, its Chief Executive said on Friday. Sudatel, which is 26-percent state-owned, featured on a list of 31 Sudanese companies barred in May from doing business with American firms, as Washington ratcheted up pressure on Khartoum to halt violence in its Western Darfur region. Sudatel CEO Emad Ahmed, visiting Senegal to hand over a $200 million cheque for a new telecoms licence, said the sanctions were not inhibiting its growth into West Africa, where it started mobile phone operations in Mauritania earlier this year. "We are now in discussions with the government of Nigeria: we have already been discussing with an existing operator to acquire part of it," Ahmed told Reuters, adding the company was also in talks to join an existing operator in Congo. "In Niger, there is a (mobile phone) tender which is already launched. We are going to participate in that tender." Ahmed said Sudatel was focusing on West Africa, which has one of the continent’s fastest growing telecoms markets, and regarded southern African markets as more saturated. Analysts expect the number of subscribers in West Africa to double by 2011 to more than 100 million. Sudatel, which is listed in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, has in recent months paid $100 million to start mobile phone services in Mauritania before winning the licence for fixed-line and mobile services in Senegal, seeing off competition from Celtel, a subsidiary of Kuwait’s Zain . Sudatel expects to start services in Senegal in six months and have coverage of all of Senegal’s main towns within three years. It expects to spend $500 million on rolling out its network over at least five years. "By the end of the year, we hope to be in Mauritania, Senegal, Nigeria and one other West African country," Chief Commercial Officer Ihab Osman told reporters. Sudatel had no intention of busting the U.S. sanctions and had notified its suppliers — including Ericsson , Nokia , Alcatel , Siemens and Huawei — that they must not introduce any U.S. components into Sudan, Ahmed said. "The sanctions do not affect Sudatel at all. We are still dealing with the main builders of telecommunications ... except American companies," Ahmed said. "The technology is available everywhere: it is available in Europe, it is available in the Far East and China, especially in China." (Source: Reuters) Telemasters' Cautious Approach Pays Off in South AfricaTaking a conservative attitude in its pre-listing forecast has paid off for telecoms company Telemasters, allowing it to post maiden results that handsomely outstrip the expectations set by its directors. Good trading conditions also helped to generate a net profit of R11m on revenue of R150m, instead of the forecast R7,2m profit on revenue of R129m. Headline earnings per share of 26,95c healthily exceeded the initial target of 17,28c, allowing the company to declare a dividend of 12c a share for the year to September. A higher dividend was not declared as some of its cash may be needed to fund future acquisitions, the directors said yesterday. The company offers tele- phony management services to corporate clients, including least-cost-routing services that divert calls on to the cheapest network. The net profit was 51,74% higher than Telemasters forecast in a prelisting statement in March, while revenue was 16,1% higher. The figures were up because of better than expected trading conditions, a one-off incentive payment of R1,5m from a supplier, and cost saving measures within the company. No figures were given for its past performance as Telemasters was incorporated only last year, and listed this year after a private placement of 2,9-million shares. It has increased its sales force 25% in the past quarter and expects organic growth to boost its revenues about 20% in the coming year. Some opportunities for acquisitions have also been explored. The board is finalising those potential deals and expects at least three new lines of business to be brought in to diversify its offerings within the next few weeks. Those deals also include black empowerment manoeuvres. (Source: Business Day) In brief:- Strong indication have emerged that the Federal Government may revoke the sale of Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) to the Transnational Corporation plc (TRANSCORP) as the Senate and the government endorsed a review of the deal. - Etisalat, the UAE's leading telecom operator, plans to invest $5.5bn in Africa, including $4.1bn in East Africa and $1.4bn in West Africa, reported Gulf News. The company's chairman, Mohammad Hassan Omran, said Africa is 'absolutely the next big battleground.' The telecom operator has already invested $4.5 billion in international expansion. - Safaricom initial public offer moved another step on with the completion of a draft information memorandum to be presented to the capital markets regulator. In a statement Dyer and Blair deputy managing director, Mohamed Hassan said that "they expect the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) to respond to the team in a week's time (after presentation of the draft memorandum), so that we can embark on finalising the prospectus." - Post Bank Uganda has entered into an agreement with Map International, the New York based multi-dimensional financial systems that link consumers, merchants, banks, mobile operators and service providers to deliver modern banking services throughout the country, particularly in rural areas. - South Africa’s software company Zaptronix is selling 30% of its shares to Royal Bafokeng Capital in a deal that will qualify it as fully compliant with the government's black equity ownership demands. - IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has signed an agreement to take a 10 percent equity stake in WIZZIT trading as WIZZIT Bank, a division of South African Bank of Athens Limited, that enables users to operate bank accounts using mobile telephones. WIZZIT will use the funds to expand banking services for the poor and people in rural areas, first in South Africa and eventually in other countries. By providing access to financial infrastructure, it will help more people participate actively in the economy. - According to The East African newspaper Uganda Telecom (UTL) is being restructured in order to prepare it for an initial public offering (IPO) in January 2009.
CMA Reviewing Proposals on Online Trading in KenyaThe Capital Markets Authority (CMA) is reviewing the proposals by the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) on the implementation of remote trading through a wide area network. The authority confirmed that the NSE recently submitted for approval the proposed changes to the existing automated trading system (ATS) as well as the trading rules to incorporate remote trading. Sammy Mulang'a, CMA manager for research and market development told Business Daily that the authority was evaluating the proposals to satisfy itself of their efficacy. "This should not in any way be construed to mean that the Authority is delaying the process," he said. But he would not go into details of what stage the review was, not exactly what aspects of the proposals the authority was trying to satisfy. Mulang'a was responding to concerns raised by the NSE that its plan to trade in stocks online had been held back due to a delay to change rules to allow the new method.The current rules stipulate that stock brokers enter client orders in the system from the trading floor at the NSE. In a statement, NSE chairman Jimnah Mbaru, had said that remote trading requires a minor change in the trading rules for which an approval was being sought from CMA. He said the boursewas ready to activate WAN to facilitate remote trading if only the CMA had approved the amended trading rules. The NSE had earlier indicated that the system would go-live on November 1, 2007 but this deadline was delayed by some technical problems which had been solved. Mr Mbaru said as part of the preparation process, tests have been conducted for the system functionalities to ensure it works smoothly once it goes live. A workshop has been held for NSE-member firms and other stakeholders such as the Central Depository and Settlement Corporation (CDSC) and custodian banks to familiarise them with the system. The implementation of the WAN, which cost Sh35 million is a milestone for the exchange, as it marks the second phase of the ATS implemented in September ,2006. NSE believes that WAN will help the stock exchange be more efficient since brokers and investment banks will be able to participate in the market without a physical presence on the trading floor. (Source: Business Daily) Health Tips on the InternetA leading web resource for HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria 'GlobalHealthReporting.org' has launched a new video library providing television reporters and filmmakers with AIDS-related, rights-free, cover footage of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, India and Latin America. The website, run by the Kaiser Family Foundation provides journalists with the latest information and reporting resources on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria. In a press release availed to HANA, Senior Vice President of the Kaiser Family Foundation Matt James notes, "Quality television reporting requires quality images," the press release reads in part. James is quoted as saying that by creating a video library that's easily accessible and free to journalists around the world, the foundation hopes to make it easier for them (journalists) to cover HIV/AIDS and other global health issues and increase awareness of the global health challenges the world faces today. According to James, the clip reels are organized by region and contain a variety of video sequences including doctors treating patients, AIDS drug manufacturing, AIDS counseling sessions, HIV prevention and awareness classes, blood tests and city and rural settings. "The clip reels can be screened online and then ordered in a variety of formats," he said. The library will be updated periodically and expanded to include more regions and other global health conditions. According to the press release, the library currently contains footage contributed by Family Health International, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs and the News Hour with Jim Lehrer on the Public Broadcasting System. Journalists, filmmakers and organizations who have material they would like to contribute should email their work to VideoLibrary@KFF.org. The Kaiser Video Library is a free, online service for journalists around the world who report on public health issues and the latest addition to GlobalHealthReporting.org, a free Web site operated by the Kaiser Family Foundation with major support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Web site, with content available in six languages, helps journalists, and others, cut through a wealth of information to efficiently search the latest and most accurate news and facts about global health conditions and access the latest statistics and reports. In addition to the new video library, the site provides access to: 1. Language-specific and region-specific reporting guides on HIV/AIDS which provide glossaries and basic facts, and address the challenges of reporting on HIV/AIDS, treatment and prevention strategies, and global financing efforts. 2. Country-level data and statistics on HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria and other emerging health problems such as avian flu, displayed in color-coded maps and charts, available on the companion Web site, GlobalHealthFacts.org. 3. Country spotlights on nearly 80 countries, providing a snapshot of the diseases' impact, recent news stories and resources, with other countries added on a bi-weekly basis. 4. An overview of the three diseases and frequently asked questions. Daily summaries of news from around the world (featured in the GlobalHealthReporting.org Weekly TB and Malaria Report), links to new reports, web casts from key global health organizations and a calendar of upcoming events related to HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria and health journalism. The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit, private operating foundation dedicated to providing information and analysis on health care issues to policymakers, the media, the health care community, and the general public. (Source: Highway Africa News Agency)
People- Telkom SA’s acting CEO Reuben September has been given the top spot in a permanent capacity. - Brian Longwe has received the Top ICT Businessman award at the Africa 2007 ICT Achievers Awards. - Khadija Ghariani of Tunisia has been appointed General Secretary of the Arab ICT Organisation. - Antoine Declerck has been appointed Marketing Director at Orange Mali Events- 3RD AFRICAN OUTSOURCING & CONTACT CENTRE CONFERENCE 27th – 28th November 2007, Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya This conference and exhibition provides a business networking platform for the entire regions outsourcing industry. This is a unique opportunity for companies looking for outsourced services to meet operators in this emerging outsource destination as well as for local operators to learn about international trends, best practices and business opportunities. For further information visit www.aitecafrica.com - 3rd WEST AFRICA SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS SUMMIT (WASCS3) 20-21 November 2007, Protea Hotel, Oakwood Park, Lagos, Nigeria WASCS3 will focus-in on the latest developments in the evolutionary deployment of satellite broadband networking to serve the leading commercial and enterprise verticals of the region. The Summit programme focuses on such leading regional verticals as the oil & gas industry, the banking & wider financial sector, and distribution & enterprise, both the Summit discussions – and the provision of practical VSAT installation training – will be supportive of the these wider national, regional and continental satellite connectivity requirements. For further information visit www.gvf.org or contact martin.jarrold@gvf.org in the UK office. - 3rd REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON MEDIAS AND ICT ISSUES IN WEST AFRICA 13-15 december 2007, Dakar, Senegal The workshop entitled “new journalism, new technologies, improved governance” will aim at promoting uses of blogs and new ICT tools by medias for improved governance in West Africa and strengthening reporting on ICT in the region. For further information on the workshop please contact Judith Lenti jlenti@panos-ao.org or Ken Lohento contact@cipaco.org at PIWA. - ICT AFRICA 13-15 February 2008, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia CT Africa 2008 offers: A Plenary session featuring policy makers, Business leaders and key ICT research leaders High quality, peer reviewed technical presentations Technical tutorials on emerging ICT technologies Workshops on ongoing projects Industry exhibition For further information contact visit http://ictafrica.nepadcouncil.org/ - THE AFRICAN BANKING TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE 19 -21 February 2008, Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, Kenya The conference theme is “sharing knowledge and best practices in banking across Africa”. For further information click on www.aitecafricac.om Jobs and Opportunities* Huawei Core Network Team Leader The company is a large operator. They require 2 core network engineers (1x GSM and 1x CDMA) to work in Africa. It is vital that applicants have Huawei experience to be considered! For further information contact advertising@balancingact-africa.com * Call for Papers for eLearning Africa 2008 The Call for Papers for eLearning Africa 2008 is open until December 7, 2007. You can submit a proposal for a session, presentation, workshop or discussion. Please send us your proposal using the online submission form at www.elearning-africa.com Contracts* MTN and AIRCOM – South Africa South African giant Mobile Telephone Networks (MTN) has enlisted AIRCOM International to provide consultancy services as it installs its nationwide 3G network and continues to serve customers on its 2G network. AIRCOM will provide network quality benchmarking services for MTN South Africa over the next two years. The contract involves testing and analysis of both 2G and 3G network quality data, enabling MTN to identify quickly areas of its network requiring further optimisation. * Monarch and Alvarion - Nigeria Israeli vendor Alvarion has been contracted to supply a WiMAX equipment in three cities to Monarch Communications, a privately-owned company and WiMAX licence holder in several different states of Nigeria. Monarch plans to offer WiMAX services to both businesses and private customers. * Celtel and Motorola - Nigeria Motorola announced that it has received orders valued at $70 million from Celtel Nigeria, part of Zain Group, to further expand and enhance the operator’s GSM coverage in the Southern part of Nigeria. As part of Celtel’s comprehensive network expansion strategy, Motorola will deploy its latest Motorola Reach GSM solutions, including EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) capability for mobile data, and will provide comprehensive network expansion planning, integration, support and optimization services to Celtel as it extends network coverage to a growing subscriber base in this densely populated and strategically important oil-producing region. * MTN and Redline Communications - Cameroon Canadian wireless broadband vendor Redline Communications, has been chosen by cellco MTN Cameroon to supply equipment for a twelve city WiMAX network. The first phase of MTN Cameroon's WiMAX roll-out will include Douala and Yaounde, with ten additional cities connected by the end of 2008. * MTL and Huawei - Malawi Incumbent fixed line provider Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL) has contracted Chinese vendor Huawei Technologies to construct a fibre optic network across the country for an an initial investment of USD22.9 million.
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