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WEEKLY PUBLICATION DEADLINE: 12 pm GMT Sunday. ISSUE NO 391 Tomorrow’s Internet users today – African universities play catch-up with online contentAfrican universities are crucial to the future development of the Internet on the continent in two ways. Firstly, they contain one of the largest groups of existing and potential users: today’s student user is tomorrow’s future decision-maker. Secondly, universities should be generators of content that will be used by the same students to increase their knowledge and skills. The Kenyan Government and Google have both said they want to provide free Internet connectivity to students. Russell Southwood looks at what the Webometrics rankings can tell us about how far Africa’s universities have to travel. The “World Universities' ranking on the Web” is an initiative of the Cybermetrics Lab, a research group of the Centro de Información y Documentación (CINDOC), part of the National Research Council (CSIC), the largest public research body in Spain. (http://www.webometrics.info/top100_continent.asp?cont=africa) It provides a raking of over 4,000 universities worldwide based upon four “content” metrics: the number of pages recovered from the four main search engines; the number of unique external links; the number of rich files to download (pdfs and .ppts, etc); and a Google Scholar scoring of the number of papers and citations for each university domain. These scores are turned into a metric for ranking universities globally. Not surprisingly, the premier league globally (top 100) is almost entirely composed of US institutions, with only a sprinkling of European institutions. But the separate African Top 100 contains more surprises and questions. Against fierce global competition, the top 5 South African universities (also top 5 in the Africa Top 100) achieve a particularly high ranking: University of Cape Town (349); Rhodes University (624), Stellenbosch (653), University of Pretoria (686) and University of Witwatersrand (703). This is not just a plus for South Africa in terms of its own ability to create knowledge through academic content but must be something that may attract students from across Africa in greater numbers in the future. These are followed rather more predictably by institutions from the other larger economies of the continent like Egypt and Morocco. Given current circumstances, it is perhaps surprising to see the University of Zimbabwe achieving the 15th place in the top 100. Another pattern throughout these listings is that private universities seem to be more effective than publicly funded institutions in generating university content. The American University in Cairo (9th) outranks Cairo University (13th). Kenya’s Strathmore University (21st) outranks the University of Nairobi (25th). Whilst each country has its own special circumstances, it is worth observing that private universities seem to be faster at understanding and using the web. There is an issue of resourcing but it cannot be the only factor to explain this difference. Another unexpected finding is that there are only 4 Nigerian universities in the listing – University of Benin (42nd), Awolowo University (58th), the Pan African University (83rd) and the University of Ibadan (100th) – and one of them is listed last. With a national economy of the scale it is, you would expect its universities to be generating more work of this kind so the Nigerians are really the laggards in this particular race. Internet company Google recently announced that it would be keen to offer free connectivity to Kenyan universities, as well as start a comprehensive programme that would allow students at facilities around the country to utilise its free-to-use software. In Kenya, 50,000 students at the University of Nairobi will be offered Google Apps, with the services to be extended later to 150,000 students at other universities. Even in smaller countries, university students are a substantial potential user community. The offer to higher education units also includes free online tools, hosted by Google, which allow students to work on files from any Internet-connected computer, on campus, at home or anywhere else. Africa needs universities that can generate original knowledge about the continent that both its own students and others globally will want to use. The first flush of African nationalism almost swept away the original generation of African universities. Now online tools offer the opportunity for them to create online libraries that will enable both their staff and students to mark out their own place in the fierce competition between global knowledge economies.
CCK to Set Up New Licence Regime in KenyaThe Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) plans to introduce a single licensing framework and market structure beginning July 1st 2008. Currently, the regulator said, it is collating views from stakeholders to fine tune the final document, adding that the matter had gone through initial consultations which had yielded a new market structure and a set of guidelines to be used in implementing the new framework. CCK, therefore, said it needed the input of stakeholders in the final outcome. In the new licence regime, CCK has segmented the licenses into three; network, service and content providers. This means network providers, unlike presently when they acquire licenses based on the type of networks, will have a unified licence that will cover satellite, terrestrial, mobile and fixed telephone services. The service providers will be able to offer all services to the end users using the network services of a facility provider. Content services providers will, on their part, cover areas such as radio and television material, and other information services and data processing services. In an advertisement inviting the stakeholders to submit their views on the intended changes, the regulator said it have studied the market since 2004 and was convinced that it was mature for a transition. Convergence in technology and services has led to a situation where different services use a single access and transmission network. "The technological advancements in ICT sub-sector have thus rendered the long-held technology-oriented licensing approach untenable," CCK said. In September 2004, CCK announced its intention to implement a unified technology neutral licensing regime. CCK has also reported that it wants to strengthen its consumer protection role. The interests of consumers of communications services in Kenya will be better protected, following the creation of a Consumer Affairs Division at CCK. The new division will be responsible for strengthening the Commission's capacity to discharge its consumer protection roles. (Source: The Nation) Cost of Pre-Paid Calls to Rise in NamibiaUsers of pre-paid airtime sold by telecommunications providers have been slapped with a 15 percent value added tax (VAT) from February 1st. This follows a 15 percent VAT imposed by the Ministry of Finance, which was originally scheduled for implementation in September last year. The VAT, said mobile phone operators MTC and Cell One, will be levied on the face value of the pre-paid vouchers and will be deemed to be inclusive of VAT. This means that a pre-paid voucher of N$10 will yield an N$8.10 airtime, with the remaining N$1.30 VAT going to the Receiver of Revenue. Residential users of mobile telephones were excluded from VAT when first implemented in Namibia to promote the use of telecommunications services. Pre-paid services were assumed to be predominantly residential in nature and were zero- rated [no tax levied]. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Calle Schlettwein, said theVAT was imposed because it is a legal provision in the VAT Act that needed to be implemented earlier. There is an exemption for landlines. "We have realised that pre-paid airtime remains a VAT-able service," said Schlettwein. The implementation came late, he said, because of operational hiccups experienced by service providers, and hence the second extension on the VAT imposition. "We have a ruling to implement from the Receiver of Revenue and we are unfortunately duty bound to comply. It leaves us as operators with no choice but to pass the new tax onto consumers which will definitely restrict market growth," said Miguel Geraldes, MTC Managing Director. Cell One CEO Lars Christian Luel said the operator would have to implement the new ruling "as best we can". Telecom Namibia has, however, taken a different route, and decided not to pass on the VAT levy onto its customers. "This decision represents an effort to bring relief to the vulnerable groups most susceptible to the increased inflation that the VAT can cause," said Managing Director of Telecom Namibia, Frans Ndoroma. "Here we have in mind a huge number of prepaid card users, most of whom are students, elderly and non-income earners, for whom the imposition of the VAT would therefore worsen their financial plight. By subsidising this VAT, Telecom Namibia stands to lose "millions" per month, said Manager: Finance and Administrator, Robert Offner. A study by Nepru indicates that 92 percent of mobile phone users buy prepaid mobile services. (Source: New Era) Visafone, EMTS go live soon as telecoms market hits 41.5 million lines in NigeriaThe Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms sector regulator said last weekend that two new companies, Visafone and Emerging Market Telecommunications Service (EMTS) are soon to roll out commercial service to increase competition in the telephony market. Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive, NCC, Ernest Ndukwe who confirmed this at the NCC-organised Telecom Consumer Parliament in Lagos says the new entrants will bring additional dial tones to more Nigerians just as a new report by the regulator indicates that the overall market peaked at 41.5million active subscriber lines in December 2007. Ndukwe did not give specific details of the commercial rollout dates of the two new entrants into the market but says that Visafone combines three acquired companies: Cellcom, Independent Telephone Network (ITN) and Bourdex, fused to form the imminent mega telecoms company. This also confirms a Technology Times report of the acquisition of Bourdex by Visafone promoted by Managing Director/CEO, Zenith Bank PLC, Jim Ovia. The new entrant player recently received a vote of confidence when 13 Nigerian banks pooled US$200 million to complement Visafone’s rollout, capacity building and expansion of its planned bouquet of voice, data, internet and allied third generation (3G) services billed to be commercially available this quarter. The participating banks in the US$200 million loan syndication deal include First Bank of Nigeria Plc, GTBank, Oceanic, Zenith, Intercontinental Bank and Eko Bank. Others include Bank PHB, Fidelity Bank, First Inland Bank, Afribank, Sterling Bank, Access and FCMB. The deal also features Afro Financial Corporation. On the other hand, EMTS is the licensee for the US$400 million licence bundling the last GSM frequency and unified access service licence (UASL) issued Mubadala Development Company, the UAE-government investment vehicle that has partnered with Nigerian investors to play in the nation’s telecoms market. Very little is known of the road map of EMTS in the Nigerian market other than the announcement that Mubadala has sold 40 per cent stake to Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat), the UAE telecom company that will operate the planned telecoms business in Nigeria. The remaining 60 per cent is split half way between Mubadala and its Nigerian allies. Meanwhile, according to NCC data, overall active subscriber lines peaked at 41,511,612 lines with the GSM sector in unrivalled dominance of the telecoms market with 39,533,459 lines while mobile while fixed/ fixed wireless sector follows with 1,593,838 lines and mobile CDMA sector with 384,315 lines. MTN leads the overall telecoms market with 15,873,000 lines accounting for 38 per cent of the market followed by Glo mobile with 12,385,959 lines accounting for 30 per cent of the nation’s telecoms market. Celtel placed third on the table with 11,098,500 lines representing 27 per cent of the total market. All players in the fixed/fixed wireless sector with a combined capacity of 1,593,838 lines representing 4 per cent of the market placed fourth on the ranking followed by mobile CDMA sector with 384,315 lines representing 1 per cent of the market. At the bottom is Mtel with 176,000 lines accounting for below 1 per cent market share. Within the GSM market sector with 39,534,296 lines, MTN leads with 40 per cent of the mobile market share; Glo mobile follows with 31 per cent; Celtel places third with 28 per cent and Mtel is a distant fourth with 1 per cent of the GSM subscribers nationwide at the end of December, 2007. (Source: Technology Times) South Africa's SNO Neotel delays residential services launchNeotel has confirmed an updated launch date for its commercial residential services.Last year Neotel said that consumers can expect a commercial residential offering in the first quarter of this year. Recent comments from the company's Managing Director, Ajay Pandey, however cast some doubt on a launch before the end of March. Pandey told The Times this week that Neotel will 'announce a consumer offering within 100 days'. This means that the March 2008 launch date was effectively pushed back to the middle of May. Neotel's spokesman Fani Zulu confirmed 'that we are on track with our plan to launch Neotel's consumer services within the next 100 days. This is in line with the statement recently made by our Managing Director Mr Ajay Pandey," said Zulu. Neotel further said that their pilot programme for the consumer offering is well underway and that they are satisfied with the results. "We have taken a gradual and phased approach to rolling out our consumer services. Our target is to start generating revenue from our consumer offering by the end of the first quarter (March 2008), subject to tariff approval by ICASA. Later, Neotel will then launch its marketing and PR campaign to support the consumer offering," Zulu concluded. (Source: MyBroadband )
In brief:- Pan-African satellite RASCOM has been put in orbit despite the serious problems it encountered during its launch in December 07. Fuel linkages have shortened the satellite life expectancy to 2.5 year. This figure is slightly under the 3 years threshold that the insurance company set for paying for the construction and launch of a new satellite. - At least 320 Telkom Kenya employees in central Rift Valley have been laid off in the restructuring being undertaken by the company. The employees will be get paid a two-and-a-half month salary for every year worked, a golden handshake of Sh150,000 and transport allowance of Sh40,000. They will also get their pending leave allowance and a two-month salary in lieu of notice. Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage- South Africa’s mobile operator, MTN, has become the first cellular network company in the world to introduce fluctuating fees that could see users save up to 95% if they are in a low-traffic area at a low-usage time. Discounts of 5% -35% will be more commonplace as sophisticated new software developed by the company calculates how much bandwidth is spare and lowers the price to encourage people to make more calls and to lure "millions" of users from competitors. - Morocco had 20.029 million mobile subscribers at the end of 2007 up by 25.1% compared to the previous year (16.005 million). The penetration rate has reached 65.66% with Maroc Telecom’s market share standing at 66.54% and Meditel at 33.46%. - Mobile operator Vodacom has started to attract new users to its mobile social networking platform called ‘The Grid’. Currently in beta testing, The Grid, when activated, displays the user’s approximate position on a local street map on their phone, locates friends in the neighbourhood and allows them to leave multimedia messages connected to the places they visit via virtual map tags.
Telecom Egypt commissions new submarine cable network linking Northern Egypt to FranceTelecom Egypt, the incumbent telecom operator in Egypt, and Alcatel-Lucent announced they have signed a USD125 million contract to deploy a new submarine cable network linking Sidi Kerir in Egypt to Marseille in France. Named TE North, the project will enable Telecom Egypt to expand international connectivity, providing diversity from existing cable routes. Additionally, the TE North submarine cable system will help Telecom Egypt enhance its network capacity to operate as a wholesale carrier to other operators and expand its service offering to businesses and consumers. Spanning 3,100 km, TE North can deliver an ultimate capacity of 128 x 10Gbit/s on eight fiber pairs, which makes it one of the largest cable systems in the region. As a result, Telecom Egypt will be able to meet the growing demand for broadband services of its business and residential users at more affordable costs. Moreover, it will further establish Egypt’s role as international communication hub between Europe and Asia/Africa, and it will also reinforce the city of Marseille as a communications hub with ‘open access’ facilities. "Egypt has a young population with a growing demand for more and more capacity. In addition Telecom Egypt has decades long tradition of being the partner of choice to all Asia-Europe submarine cable systems, by providing the infrastructure for crossing from Red to Mediterranean Seas. Today, through TE North, we extend the Telecom Egypt service footprint by offering an option to extend this infrastructure from the Red Sea to Europe," said Akil Beshir, Chairman and CEO of Telecom Egypt. "Alcatel-Lucent’s turnkey expertise and technological lead in submarine networks shall help us achieve our project and business objectives on time." "Access to advanced technologies is key to operators like Telecom Egypt to best serve their customers," said Georges Krebs, Chief Operating Officer of Alcatel-Lucent’s submarine network activity. "By meeting the requirements of communications infrastructures in terms of capacity, flexibility and scalability, Alcatel-Lucent helps Telecom Egypt respond to the ramping demand for innovative applications." VANS fume over licence conversion process in South AfricaValue added network services (VANS) are decrying the Independent Communications Authority of SA's (ICASA's) delay in converting them to full individual electronic communications network services (ECNS) licensees, and lawyers are warning the regulator could be facing a raft of litigation. Late last year, ICASA issued a matrix for the conversion of licensees from the provisions of the now defunct Telecommunications Act to comply with the provisions of the Electronic Communications Act (ECA). This matrix only allows incumbent telecommunications operators such as Telkom, Vodacom, and MTN to receive full ECNS status, which allows them to build their own networks, thus self-provide and resell that capacity. VANS such as Internet Solutions, Verizon Business and Vox Telecom are so far only to be awarded electronic communications services (ECS) licences, which means they will have to buy capacity from the ECNS holders. “Such a delay is totally unfair and prejudicial to Internet Solutions,” says IS head of regulatory affairs Siyabonga Madiyibi. “Our competitors are already behaving as if they have full ECNS licences and are rolling out infrastructure already.” Domminc Cull, an associate at legal firm Nicci Fergusson and council for the Internet Servers Providers Association, says the news that ICASA is conducting a two-stage conversion process, by giving the incumbents their ECNS licences first, the VANS their ECS licences and then considering their ECNS applications is not seen as being fair at all. “The problem is that ICASA is doing this without having conducted a market study and without having set a proper process,” he says. Janet MacKenzie, a director at law firm Cliffe Dekker, says communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri explicitly said in her budget speech last year that ICASA must expedite the conversion of some of the larger VANS, and by not doing so ICASA is in breach of this policy directive. However, Marcia Socikwa, the ICASA councilor tasked with the licence conversion process, says the regulator has to take into consideration all the legal opinions surrounding the issue of the VANS getting full ECNS licences, and this includes their right to self-provision. “We cannot ignore the historical context of the VANS, meaning the ministerial determinations of 2004,” she says. “We are collecting all the legal opinions about that issue and of the issuing of an invitation to apply for those VANS that want to get full ECNS licences. The latter should be issued by the end of the first quarter.” Socikwa says ICASA's two main objectives in the conversion process are to ensure that VANS enter the telecommunications sector to ensure costs come down, and that the process is legally sound. IS's Madyibi says the delay in awarding his company an ECNS licence is costing it the ability to effectively compete in the market. “Right now we only have a test license for 2.4Ghz spectrum that we have to keep asking to be extended. We cannot put clients on a test licence.” (Source: ITWeb) Google Starts Recruitment Plan to Up Clout in AfricaInternet search company Google Kenya's Nairobi office is searching for five senior executives for its African operations, laying the foundation for a looming market share battle on the continent. The Nairobi office serves as the company's African headquarters. The five senior managers are expected to complement nine other senior level appointments who are already working in the continent. Advertisements posted on Google's website indicate that the company is looking for people with local expertise in marketing, logistics as well as technical support. Google is also searching for office leads in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria and Senegal. Some of the positions were advertised and filled early last year, but the company says the current recruitment should help strengthen the company's operations. The move comes amid increasing finding that emerging markets such as Africa are poised to become the next frontier of growth for global Internet companies. Less than five per cent of the African population is currently hooked on the Internet. Locally, Google appears to be pursuing a low key strategy, with its most notable achievements so far being a partnership with tertiary educational institutions to support students. It has also entered into an agreement with mobile phone service provider Safaricom to offer e-mail and data services to Safaricom's subscribers. The service is expected to offer the first formal Internet experience for millions of rural Kenyans. This partnership has also offered Safaricom a platform to launch a local version of Google Maps to add to its growing portfolio of Internet based services. Google Kenya will be looking for Associate Product Marketing, Geographic Consultant, Office Associate, Strategic Partner Development (SPD), Local Markets, and Technical Support Associate. (Source: Business Daily) In brief:- Uganda’s Ministry of ethics, Nsaba Buturo, has announced that the Government has plans to review the pornography law in place. "The anti-pornography bill will soon be tabled in Parliament for approval as another strategy of tightening laws on pornography on the Internet” said the Ministry. - Droit-Algerie.com, a website devoted to business law in Algeria and the first-ever created according to its designers, has just been launched in France to serve as a "working tool for entrepreneurs, jurists, lawyers, functional managers, administrations, which operate regularly or not in Algeria." The non-free website covers all the aspects of Law : Trade law, corporate law, fiscal law, labour and social security law, investments law, environmental law, oil and gas and mining law, customs law, technical regulations, etc, its designer French company of legal publishing, Droit-Afrique said in a release. - As of the end of December 2007, Morocco has registered 526,080 Internet connections, an increase of 31.6% when compared to figures from a year ago (399,720 in December 06). Broadband connections stand at 476,414 and represents 90.6% of the overall Internet connections in the country. Wireless internet connections has also made a break through via alternative telco WANA which launched its CDMA offer at the beginning of last year. Wireless Internet access has grown by 510% over last year to reach 42,612 subscribers. - South Africa’s ISP iBurst has launched a new ExpressCard modem for use in new generation laptops featuring ExpressCard Slots instead of PCMCIA slots. - Madagascar’s Government has launched a website containing details of all public tenders at www.armp.mg - The website «http://www.cndhl.cm» www.cndhl.cm", of the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms (NCHRF) was officially launched in Yaoundé last week.
Federal Government Bans Import of Tokunbo (secondhand) Computers in NigeriaNigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) last week banned the import of secondhand computers and other used electronic items otherwise known as Tokunbo. Briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting in Abuja, Minister of Information, John Odey, said the ban would however be implemented through a restrictive tariff regime to discourage the importation of such items. The minister said the ban on unserviceable electronic items was informed by the need to check the environmental hazards being constituted by such items. He explained that the banned items were usually imported into the country, disassembled and sold in parts to service similar products, contained toxic parts which are dumped indiscriminately. Odey also announced that a National Council on Vision 2020 and a Steering committee for its implementation would be inaugurated on February 28. He said the council which would be headed by President Umaru Musa Yar'adua , would have as members, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Attorney General of the Federation and one governor each from the six geo-political zones of the country. The Minister of National Planning, will serve as the council's secretary. Odey said the council will meet bi-annually to deliberate the report of the steering committee. (Source: Daily Trust) Translate.org Recognised for Multilingual Software in South AfricaSouth Africa's leading developer of multilingual software, Translate.org.za, has been recognised by the Pan South African Language Board, for its ground-breaking work in this field. The PanSALB award for Multilingualism and Nation Building in the eBusiness Institution category recognises Translate.org's invention of the country's first multilingual keyboard and open source spell checkers. The award also recognises the company's work in translating software including OpenOffice.org and Mozilla Firefox into South African languages. Their latest project entails helping people across Africa translate their indigenous languages into popular software. Speaking to BuaNews on Wednesday, Translate.org.za Director, Dwayne Bailey, said the award is not about recognition for them, but about promoting the use of vernacular languages. Bailey said the project had proved that South African languages were in no way inferior to others. "If we can't protect them [languages], they will die and if we care about them, we should use our hands and pens to promote them," said Mr Bailey. PanSALB, which conferred the awards, is a statutory body established to create conditions to develop and promote the equal use and enjoyment of all 11 official South African languages. PanSALB actively promotes an awareness of multilingualism as a national resource. Criteria for the awards include a landmark language-related work, a campaign to increase public awareness of the linguistic profession, a specific event or programme or a number of endeavours or sustained services over a certain period. Among Translate.org.za's other is a successful "translation marathon" event held in May 2007, aimed at making indigenous African languages visible on the Rhodes campus. During the event, about 60 isiXhos speakers and IT specialists huddled around computer screens and dictionaries in an attempt to translate the 10 000 words that make up the Rhodes email system. isiXhosa speakers translated the interface for Rhodes University's. The translated software was the first application of its kind that allowed the institute's students and staff to access email in their mother tongue. The event was organised by Translate.org.za, the Telkom Centre of Excellence in Distributed Multimedia and the South African-Norway Tertiary Education Development project amongst others. In 2004, Translate.org.za successfully translated OpenOffice.org into Zulu, Northern Sotho and Afrikaans and by 2005 they had translated it into all 11 official languages. Microsoft is currently working on a software tool to help computer programs to be translated into six African languages, Zulu, Afrikaans, isiXhosa, Setswana, Swahili and Sepedi. Translate.org.za also won the African ICT Achiever award in 2006, for their efforts towards bridging the digital divide in Africa. (Source: BuaNews) Nigeria: Much scepticism about OPLC projectOne Lap Top Per Child Project has been putting a brave face on the pull-out of Intel from its project. However, the tide of scepticism is growing about the project as it seems to have failed to gain traction in terms of sales to developing countries that must be the acid test of its success. The analysis below a journalist from Nigeria’s This Day summarises many of the reasons – both rational and irrational – that the project will find hard to overcome. With the expectations built around the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project initiated by Nicholas Negroponte and the recent hiccups/challenges it faces following the pull out of Intel, Efem Nkanga of This Day assesses the viability of the project for Nigeria and other developing countries If you embark on a tour of public schools in Nigeria, your senses will be assaulted by the level of decay and rot in the schools. Many places of learning in the country today have become obsolete centres with no chairs and tables for the children to sit, the buildings are dilapidated and it is not uncommon to see children in some parts of the country taking lessons under trees and in some other places they take their own chairs to school. All these in a major oil producing country in the world, a giant of Africa ,with over 140,000,000 million people and still counting, a country that cannot be described as poor, a country blessed with enviable natural resources, a country referred to by some as the headquarters of the Almighty, filled with highly religious people, yet engulfed by decay, corruption and lawlessness. This is why when Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of the "One laptop per child" visited Nigeria to solicit for the participation and partnership of the Nigerian government in the project sometime last year, many stakeholders wondered where the initiative that would have cost the Nigerian government over US$200 million would lead to. The project would have made laptops available to about one million Nigerian children. But since that visit was broadcast with Negroponte shaking the hands of President Obasanjo in a seemingly conclusive way with assurances on both sides for money and laptops to change hands, nothing has come out of the deal. Now the recent announcement by Intel's rival body that had joined the OLPC project after initially criticising Negroponte has in recent times not only raised doubts about the initiative but called to question the viability of the project for Nigeria. Stakeholders see the action of Intel, which has its own rival laptop for children called the classmate PC as a pointer showing that the OLPC project might after all be a dream that cannot fly. Intel joined the OLPC board which began production of the laptops in China less than six months ago in a collaborative effort that will make millions of the laptop available in some developing countries. The questions begging for answers at the moment is why did Intel really pull out? While some are of the view that Intel pulled out after getting information about the inner workings of the project team, others are of the view that Intel might have stumbled on a managerial and technical error within the OLPC project management team that showed that the project was going no where soon or a clash of interest that will negatively affect Intel's own initiative could not be resolved. Though Intel's boss came out a few days ago to clarify that Intel pulled out because the OLPC team wanted it to stop the promotion of its own Classmate PCs, many are still nonplussed and not sure of what really went wrong. What effects will the pull out have for Nigeria, given the fact that the country had shown interest in the project in 2006? Stakeholders in the information technology sector have diverse opinions as to the viability of the project for Nigeria. In the first place, because of the rot in the education system in the country in recent years, a lot of people are of the opinion that there are other critical areas begging for attention in the sector that the US$200 million could solve. The laptop in question, a green and white coloured XO machine designed specifically for children has a hand crank that the children can pull when it runs down. It's a rugged laptop said to have been built with the harsh conditions in developing countries in mind. The laptops initially expected to cost only $100 though now costs $188 due to increased production cost and would no doubt translate to double costs that would be borne by the beneficiaries. Nigeria's interest in the initiative raised questions in some quarters given the fact that in most public schools, amenities are totally lacking and most students don't even have chairs to sit on. They don't have books, and other basic ingredients that make learning conducive and attractive, so how can a laptop make a difference when the main substances required to make the right pudding is not there. Dr Igwe Aja-Nwachuku, Nigeria's Minister of Education is one of the many Nigerians who are skeptical of the project. He once remarked that the education ministry was more interested in laying a solid foundation for quality, efficient, accessible, and affordable education and wondered "What is the sense of introducing One Laptop per Child when children don't have seats to sit down and learn; when they don't have uniforms to go to school in, where they don't have facilities?" Many Nigerians would have been more receptive and tolerant of the one laptop per child initiative if the project promoters were offering these laptops free to Nigerian children. Then and only then will people really believe that they are really out to better the lot of the children, but a situation where you seemingly give with one hand and take back with the other is not acceptable to a people already struggling with several challenges that impede their development. Some also see the laptops as toys that would not stand the test of time. Children are notorious for using their toys for a short while and discarding them and what happens when it gets broken or malfunctions, where do they take it for repairs and who pays for the repairs? Going forward, the reality is that such an initiative for now is not the solution to the educational quagmire that the nation is presently battling. Other things that are more pressing in the sector should be tackled first before such funds is wasted on a wide goose chase leading nowhere and ultimately benefiting no one, certainly not the Nigerian child. (Source: This Day) In brief:- South Africa has rolled out its new next generation network across its main public administrations at a cost of R454m. Neotel won the contract ahead of Telkom last year with a bid roughly 8.5 times cheaper, ousting the incumbent as sole provider of state networking services. The previous network was switched on in 2003. State demand for bandwidth had since risen 150% a year every year yet there have been no big upgrades to boost the old network capacity. -In an effort to boost ICT development, the Benin Government has lifted import taxes and VAT on IT equipment including software, printers and spare parts. However IT consumables will remain taxable. - Two black-owned technology start-ups are growing in stature by taking their products to India. Mundial has developed Yambi, a messaging and collaboration tool that incorporates e-mail, contact lists, instant messaging, texting, calendar and files and can be accessed from anywhere, with any device. Another small company, InnoVent Rental and Asset Management Solutions, founded by black chartered accountants DJ Kumbula and Zakhe Khuzwayo, has financed technology equipment worth almost R1bn. - Cape Town-based open source software developers KnowledgeTree have just expanded their operations into the Iberian peninsula in a deal with Sybase SBS Software in Spain and Portugal. The master distributor deal will see Sybase SBS Software develop a network of new reseller partners in the region.
South Africa: Cellphone banking grows up as penetration rate doublesThe penetration of cellphone banking in South Africa has more than doubled in one year, according to the Mobility 2007 research study, released in November 2007. And that usage will climb even more sharply in the coming year. The latest edition of World Wide Worx’s annual study of mobile technology, mobile commerce and cellphone banking in South Africa, Mobility 2007, was once again sponsored by First National Bank (FNB). It is respected in the mobile industry for its in-depth research among consumers, corporate technology decision-makers, and small and medium enterprises. In last year’s consumer phase of the project, a survey among urban cellphone users, 17% of respondents said they had used their cellphones for banking services, compared to only 8% of urban respondents in 2006. The numbers were even more dramatic when cellphone users were asked about their intentions for this year: an additional 24% are expected to begin using cellphone banking. Head of FNB Mobile and Transact Solutions Len Pienaar said the bank’s own research findings had uncovered a similar growth pattern on a national level. "It’s been many years in the making, but we finally see evidence of cellphone banking maturing in the South African market. Acceptance of the channel across all market segments is significant and accelerating. In the mainstream market, in particular, latest figures illustrate that it is now the most used electronic banking channel among FNB customers in this segment." The good news is that FNB Cellphone Banking, which last year celebrated reaching its 1-million transactions per month mark, is still widely believed to offer the best mobile banking services across all mobile bankers. According to Pienaar, the secret to the bank’s ongoing success in the cellphone banking industry lay in FNB’s approach to strategy development, which has always targeted the mainstream market with innovative solutions. "Cellphones allow the delivery of essential services like prepaid airtime and electricity to even the most rural doorsteps, as cellphone coverage and penetration is constantly improving within Africa." "To date, FNB has focused on getting the African cellphone banking market established by addressing customers’ concerns around simple registration, ease of use, and affordable access to the service and security. Through this exercise, we are turning the improved market awareness of cellphone banking into customer behaviour that embraces it as a convenient banking channel," said Pienaar. One of the most unexpected findings of the research is that the likelihood of using cellphones for banking services increases with age, in contrast to the usage of most advanced cellphone functions going down as users get older. "Urban cellphone users aged from 46 to 55 years are twice as likely to use cellphones for banking as those in the 19 to 24 age group," says Peter Searll, CEO of Dashboard Research, who led the field work for the consumer research on behalf of World Wide Worx. "This may be counter-intuitive, until one considers that more economically-able consumers would be more likely to embrace most forms of financial service. This is backed up by the fact that, after 55, people are less likely to use cellphone banking," explains Searll. There are substantial differences in cellphone banking from region to region, with Gauteng residents being the most likely to use the channel, as well as the most likely to take it up in the future. There is also a big gender gap – for now. In 2007, cellphone banking was dominated by men. Twenty percent of male respondents, versus 15% of female respondents have already used the channel. However, in 2008 the numbers will begin balancing out, with the same proportion of men as women intending to take it up. Mobile commerce – purchases and payments via a cellphone – has also increased significantly, from 7% of urban cellphone users in 2006 to 12% in 2007. However, most of these purchases are for prepaid airtime top-ups – simple to do on a cellphone – as opposed to product or service payments. Despite this, future prospects for mobile commerce are bright: 58% of respondents were aware of the possibility of payments by cellphone, compared to only 32% in 2006. "This does not mean mobile commerce will take off at the same rate as cellphone banking," says World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck, who led the overall research project. "Just as cellphone banking only began showing substantial growth when it became extremely simple to use, so mobile payments must first overcome numerous obstacles, including access to the service and ease of use. But the research shows that, if the channel gets it right, the market is ready," says Goldstuck. (source: Engineer IT) Uganda’s Mbire Sells 50 Percent of Nilecom to South Africa FirmThe Celcom Group, a South African telecom company, has acquired a 50.5% stake in Nilecom, one of MTN's exclusive dealers in Uganda. Nilecom is owned by Charles Mbire, a city businessman and chairman of MTN Uganda. Sources said the Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed group did a due diligence on Nilecom "and were very satisfied with the company." Nilecom will now trade as Celcom Uganda. Nilecom said in a statement that Celcom would have the option to buy another 15% in 2009. "But the remaining shareholding will stay with Nilecom current shareholders," the statement said. Celcom is the leading distributor for MTN in South Africa and in Nigeria. The group is also involved in other ventures like fleet management. The statement said the acquisition would enable Celcom establish a presence in the fast-growing Ugandan cell phone market. Uganda has 4.7m cell phone subscribers for a population of 30m people. A source said Celcom would use Uganda as a springboard to expand to Africa. "Our key focus for the year remains consolidating and strengthening our existing operations." However, the Nilecom transaction represents an important opportunity to establish the right partnerships at the right time to exploit the emerging cell phone markets in Africa and so help secure future growth," Stefano Brachini, the Celcom chief executive, said. "The transaction will establish a retail footprint and subscriber-base opportunities for the Celcom Group in Uganda and open the opportunity for cross-selling into the Ugandan market of products and services from our other group companies like VPS and Triple Play." (Source: New Vision) Nokia Siemens, Huawei Renew Commitment to TD Joint Venture in NigeriaNokia Siemens Networks and Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei) have announced the signing of a formal agreement to reinforce the R&D capability of their joint venture, TD Tech by injecting new technologies, and assume responsibility for marketing, sales and service of TD-SCDMA products. A statement made available to This Day disclosed that under the agreement, TD-Tech will be transformed into a product and technology center of excellence for TD-SCDMA, providing TD-SCDMA radio products to Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei. In 2008, Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei will provide world-leading technology platforms to TD-Tech to support the roll-out of new TD-SCDMA radio solutions. As integrated solution providers, the parent companies will provide their country-wide marketing, sales and services networks as well as end to end capabilities to support business development of customers and promote the adoption of TD Tech solutions. Zhang Zhiqiang, Head of Nokia Siemens Networks Greater China Region said: "Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei Technologies have demonstrated long-term commitment to the success of TD-SCDMA. Through this agreement, we can now ensure that our TD-SCDMA customers benefits from an even stronger portfolio of end to end technologies and our global experience. Our expertise in services and network optimization will go into TD-SCDMA solutions to ensure they operate at the peak performance levels required for 3G applications. Hou Jinlong, Vice President of Wireless Product Line of Huawei also commented, TD-Tech is dedicated to the R&D of TD-SCDMA radio access products, and will enormously drive the long-term development of TD-SCDMA technology. We are confident that with our deep customer understanding, leading network solutions and global network deployment experience, Huawei Technologies and Nokia Siemens Networks can ensure that TD Tech has the opportunity to become the leading supplier of TD-SCDMA products to the industry. This new operational model will bring more value to our customers and accelerate the commercialization of TD-SCDMA. (Source: This Day) Mobile Phone Tax Revenues Hit Sh4.8bn in KenyaThe mobile phone industry's importance in the domestic economy grew significantly last year pushing the service providers to the league of top tax payers, official data indicates. Monthly Economic Review data for December 2007 indicates that the mobile phone sector tax revenues grew by 30 per cent in 2007 compared to the year before. Mobile phone use accumulated excisable airtime tax worth Sh4.8 billion in the first 10 months of 2007 up from Sh3.7 billion collected during a similar period in 2006. Telecom sector analysts reckoned that continued rise of the mobile industry as a revenue source for the government should yield a reduction in taxes on airtime. Mobile phone airtime attracts hefty tax related charges including a 10 per cent excise tax on airtime and a 16 per cent VAT. "We would welcome a drop in excise taxes as this would allow us to lower charges and reduce the total cost of owning and using a mobile phone," said Claire Ruto, the head of regulatory affairs at Celtel. "More people would be able to communicate, yielding more revenues for all stake holders," she said. The GSM Association has cited Kenya as one of the last markets in the world where such high charges are levied on airtime. High charges are seen to drive up the total cost of owning a mobile phone and ultimately limiting its contribution to the national economy. It is estimated that a reduction in taxes would significantly increase subscriber numbers and the sector's contribution to the economy. A World Bank study found that an increase of 10 mobile phones per 100 people translates to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of up to 0.6 per cent per year. "Any optimisation of the tax structure to make services more available to the consumer or more funds available for reinvestment into the business are welcome," said Robert Mugo, CEO of Flashcom, a local loop operator. Transport, Storage and Communications sectors contributed to 10.89 per cent of Kenya's GDP in 2006. Nearly 90 per cent of firms consider the mobile phone an important part of their businesses according to the World Bank. Rates for excise tax were raised from five per cent to 10 per cent in the 2003 Budget, and has the target of concerted lobbying efforts by telephony players who want the figure reduced to 2003 levels. Meoli Kashorda of the Faculty of Information Technology at Strathmore University advocates that excise tax on airtime should be reduced to five per cent to increase mobile telephony user base and added that the funds collected from the tax should be used to build rural ICT infrastructure. Speaking during an industry forum on the effect of the mobile sector on economic growth last year, Prof Kashorda said he was surprised the Government was taking business process out-sourcing so seriously yet studies showed that effective usage of ICT locally could hasten economic growth faster. Additional data from the GSM Association says a cut in excise duty from 10 per cent to 5 per cent on mobile services today would lead to an increase in total tax receipts of up to five per cent between 2008 to 2017. A corresponding increase in Gross Domestic Product would be realized, with up to Sh34 million, the equivalent of 1.3 per cent, gained in the next ten years. (Source: Business Daily) In brief:- The Public Enterprises Evaluation and Privatisation Agency (PEEPA) has signed a contract agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to act as transactional advisors in the Privatisation of Botswana Telecommunication Corporation (BTC). IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is set to advise on increasing private sector participation, reducing telecommunications charges and extending telephone coverage at BTC. - ICT giants BT and Hewlett-Packard have announced the launch of the BT HP Alliance in SA, firmly demonstrating the two companies' "undimmed enthusiasm" for the South African market. Through the alliance, the two are partnering to target high-volume clients looking for integrated ICT solutions, with BT providing communications services and HP providing IT services.
90 Percent Internet Fraud in Nigeria targeted at the financial sectorKalu Ndukwe of the Nigerian Internet registration Association, NIRA has stated that over 90% of internet scams in the country is targeted at the financial sector. Ndukwe who made the disclosure in Lagos while unveiling the policies and structures that will guide the Nigerian Internet community. reiterated that NIRA holds every domain in trust for Nigerians. He stated that after the new policy governing the nation's Internet space becomes effective, NIRA will launch the domain with 1000 corporate top level institutions. He also added that all currently held domain names hosted outside of the country will expire after thirty days. He stressed that domain names owners will have the benefit of an automatic renewal of the domain names and they also have an option to keep the name for a year or two. He called on Nigerians to move away from the one-way traffic concept in order to effectively compete with the rest of the world. The only way out according to him is for Nigeria to have its own domain to enable a two-way traffic. Ndukwe who disclosed that the community will have four key elements, stated that NIRA has commenced plans to engage the services of a consultant to help structure the proposed secretariat and recruit the required personnel. He expressed the desire of the organisation to have a structure and manpower that would be highly effective and efficient with all sense of professionalism. He stated that the board has released the first set of policies and procedures for public input towards the determination of the final policies. These and other policies to be developed in the future according to him would guide the operation of NIRA and its primary function of the .ng ccTLD management. He also stated that the policies including domain policies like domain name policy, privacy policy, domain dispute resolution policy, corporate governance policies and complaints policies are available for public inputs till the end of February. After which all inputs would be collated and presented to the Executive board for final amendments and approval, while the final approved policies would be posted by March 10 at the latest. He further stated that from February 4, NIRA would commence the process for the accreditation of Registrars and Dispute Resolution Service Providers. He called on all potential and interested firms to send in their applications based on the published process. "With the provision to allow for Nigerian in Diaspora and companies owned by them, we expect interest to be from all continents", he stated. Commenting on NIRA's jurisdiction to handle complaints, Ndukwe stated that NIRA's jurisdiction is limited to matters relating to the -ng domain space. According to him, NIRA specifically handles complaints about -ng domain names and registrants domain complaints and complaints about -ng domain name services provided by NIRA accredited registrars and their resellers. He emphasised that NIRA does not have the jurisdiction to handle complaints about, generic Top Level Domains e.g. .com, .net, biz, .info, etc or other country code Top Level Domains e.g. .nz, .uk, .us, etc; web hosting, website management or website design services; Internet access or email services; or possible breaches of Nigerian law relating to Information Technology, telecommunications, broadcasting or unfair business practices. He stated that for complaints about these matters, Nigerians would have to contact the relevant government authorities. (Source: This Day) Why You Should Switch Off Your Bluetooth?Your Bluetooth could land you into a lot of problems if left unattended. While a Bluetooth offers a number of interesting features that can simplify our daily lives, savvy blue jackers are always on the look out. "It is not only dangerous to leave your Bluetooth on, but it can cost you your phone," said Anail Sharmal of Simba Telecom Ltd. Sharma says blue jacking allows phone users to obtained data from someone else's phone at times without their consent. One does not have to be a techie to go into your phone using Bluetooth. Blue jackers with an entrepreneurial mind can send business cards anonymously using the wireless technology., but is does not entail the removal or modification of any data from the device. These business cards often have a clever or flirtatious message rather than the typical name and phone number. Blue jackers often look for the receiving phone to ping or the user to react. They then send another, more personal message to that device. Once again, in order to carry out a blue jacking, the sending and receiving devices must be within range of each other, which is typically 10 metres for most mobile devices. Nokia customer care manager East Africa Nicholas Maina warns that the most predominant problem of leaving Bluetooth was the risk of contacting a virus. The viruses unique to cell phones entrench themselves into the system hence interfere with functionality of the phone. Others may send music videos, funny clips as well as corky messages. "Most people are curious to accept the messages, yet they are not sure who the sender is. The minute one accepts information in the phone, it is an irreversible act, therefore if it is damaging, it will be already too late," said Maina. The only caution is to switch off Bluetooth when not in use. Hackers can view one phone book as well as lift numbers and other information without the recipient's knowledge but security upgrades over the past few years now make that much more difficult. Bluetooth provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices such as mobile phones, laptops, PCs, printers, digital cameras, and video game consoles over a short-range radio frequency. (Source: Business Daily)
People* The management of Celtel Nigeria has announced the departure of Henry Imaseka and Tito Alai from the company's board. In a related development, the Management of Celtel Nigeria has also announced the departure of Boye Olusanya from the Company effective 1st February 2008. * Andy Baker has been appointed as the new Chief Operating Officer at Altech. Events* ICT AFRICA 13-15 February 2008, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ICT 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 www.ictafrica.nepadcouncil.org/ * AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST NEXT GENERATION NETWORKS SUMMIT 2008 18th - 19th February 2008, Indaba Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa The conference revolves B2B, B2G, G2G Next Generation Networks business opportunities and challenges, convergence challenges, security, quality of service, pricing and billing, operator strategy, mobile content and applications, interoperability, network and infrastructure etc. Attendance is by invitation only. For further information Abas,Patahul at abas.p@kl.unistrategic.com * 2nd ANNUAL CALL CENTRE CONFERENCE 20-21 February 2008, Birchwood Executive Hotel & Conference Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa This annual conference twill give you the ideas and insights you need to achieve outstanding service in South Africa’s most challenging work environment. For more info contact Neliswa Duma on +27 11 880 8540 or by email at neliswa@knowres.co.za * CAPACITY MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA 2008 25th – 26th February 2008, Dubai Now in its 3rd successful year Capacity Middle East & North Africa 2008 provides the leading high-level, important meeting point for executives from international telecommunications companies and companies in the GCC and North Africa to discuss strategic domestic and international wholesale telecommunications market opportunities. Capacity Middle East & North Africa 2008 provides attendees with the optimum networking forum to forge business partnerships and execute business deals. Offering high-level content in the form of interactive panel discussions and presentations, this event is not to be missed! To register please contact Clare Heath on Tel: +44 208 481 3460 or Email: clare.heath@capacitymedia.com or for more information please visit www.capacitymedia.com/conferences-events.asp * THE AFRICAN BANKING TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE – “New dates” 28th March – 4th April 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.aitecafrica.com * MED-IT@ALGER 2008 22- 23 April 2008, Algier, Algeria The fifth edition of this B2B exhibition will provide plenty of opportunities to develop contacts and relationship with local companies in the IT and Telecoms sectors. The exhibition main topics are: new mobile services, call centre solutions and equipment, VoIP, IT security, banking software, CRM, ERP and storage solutions. For further information please http://www.medit.eu.org/2008/algerie/presentation.htm * E-LEARNING AFRICA 29-30 May 2008, Accra, Ghana eLearning Africa 2008 is a conference organised by ICWE GmbH and Hoffmann & Reif that focuses on ICT for development, education and training in Africa. The event establishes and links a Pan-African network of decision makers from governments and administrations with universities, schools, governmental and private training providers, industry, and important partners in development cooperation. For further visit www.eLearning-Africa.com * SEMINAR ON E-GOVERNMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT: STRATEGIES AND POLICIES 13-27 June 2008, Washington DC, USA This intensive face-to-face seminar includes lectures, panel discussions, and interactive workshops presented by leading e-Government experts from USAID, USTTI Board member corporations, private sector firms, universities, NGOs, and multinational organizations. For additional information about the content of the course, how to apply, as well as funding, visit the USTTI website at http://ustti.org Jobs and Opportunities* Operations Manager – Congo (Brazaville) The company is looking for an experienced and mature O&M Engineer to lead a team of 4 O&M engineers ( Core Network, IN, OSS, BSS ). The team shall temporarily take care of O&M routines in Congo B. Understanding of processes and procedures for O&M; Experience from O&M in any of the mentioned areas: Core Network, IN, OSS, BSS; Ability to coordinate a small group of O&M engineers, proved experience of having managed resources (team leader); DURATION of the assignment: 3-6 months, depending on a decision of extending the O&M service; Interface to client O&M Manager (being recruited) and CTO to discuss their O&M requirements and create all necessary reporting For further information contact advertising@balancingact-africa.com Contracts* Zain Group and Det Norske Veritas - Africa Zain Group, owners of Celtel International, a leading mobile telecoms operator across the Middle East and Africa, has pledged to comply with the rigorous international ISO standards. It has also announced the signing of a 3-year 'framework' agreement with DNV (Det Norske Veritas). At the signing ceremony, Zain Group Excellence Manager, Alan Hil said the agreement would help ensure that Zain's operations in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa are fully compliant with ISO standards. * Wanan and Cambridge Broadband Network - Morocco Moroccan telecommunications operator Wana has awarded Cambridge Broadband Networks a significant contract for the provision of its VectaStar transmission platform. Wana is using VectaStar to backhaul multiple services including corporate access and CDMA cellular traffic with WiMAX set to follow later in 2008. The network will operate on two frequency bands, 3.5 and 10.5 GHz, simultaneously.
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