Mobile growth in Sub-Saharan Africa “will be twice global rate”
Mobile internet subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa will reach 930-million by the end of 2019, according to the June 2014 Mobility Report on Sub-Saharan Africa published by Ericsson. The study says phone users in the subcontinent are currently accessing 76 000 terabytes of data a month, more than double the 2013 figure of 37 500 TB a month. It predicts that traffic growth will increase at twice the global rate in the next five years, a surge it attributes largely to the rise of social media, content-rich apps and video content accessed from a new range of cheaper smartphones.
ITU promotes international standards for mobile money
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has established a focus group on digital financial services to promote financial inclusion using ICT. More than 2,5-billion adults, most of them in developing countries, do not have access to formal bank accounts. Internationally standardised mobile-money platforms will increase financial inclusion, reducing the costs of these services. “The extraordinary impact of mobile money solutions in developing countries has highlighted that ICTs are at the heart of innovation in financial services,” said ITU secretary-general Hamadoun I. Touré. The focus group, which is open to participation by all interested parties, will develop an international standardisation roadmap for interoperable digital financial services as well as a regulatory toolkit to help national policy makers and regulatory authorities encourage the adoption of these services.
Yahsat set to launch third satellite in Africa
UAE-based satellite operator Yahsat plans to launch its third satellite service in Africa as it extends its coverage to 17 countries and 600-million users across Africa, the Middle East, and South West and Central Asia. According to Yahsat CEO Masood Sharif Mahmood, the Al Yah 3 satellite service, which is scheduled for launch in 2016, will use advanced technology with a unique design that optimises cost, capacity, coverage and flexibility to deliver affordable broadband to homes and business across Africa.
17 000 km East African Internet cable ring completed
Liquid Telecom has completed laying a 17 000-km fibre-optic cable installed across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. This “internet ring” will automatically re-route Internet traffic if another cable fails. “Customers will immediately start to feel the benefits from our $20-million investment in the region,” said CEO Nic Rudnick in a statement. “The completion of the East Africa Fibre ring is a step towards building Africa’s digital future and giving better value for everyone using our network.” The cable is said to be the largest single fibre network and the first of its kind in Africa. Previously, internet connections had to be routed through Europe in order to be delivered to African customers. Frequent outages and slow connections have been common.
Vodafone acts to avert further network downtime in Ghana
Vodafone Ghana has installed new equipment aimed at preventing a repeat of recent problems that have hampered its provision of telecom services. The problems left some subscribers unable to make calls, recharge credits, or browse the Internet. CEO Haris Broumidis said it has conducted a thorough investigation into the cause of failure, which was due to an electrical surge that resulted in six boards in three of the network’s routers not responding correctly. “We have not only replaced these six boards but taken additional steps which will improve further the reliability of our network in the future. We are also undertaking a detailed technology and power audit to ensure the future strength of our network, and we will share this with the National Communications Authority.” The company has agreed to pay compensation to customers who experienced inconvenience.
Kenya hopes online procurement system will stem corruption
All government tenders, bids and contracts in Kenya are being posted online, instead of being advertised in newspapers, in a bid to improve efficiency and stifle corruption. Following intensive testing of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), it went live on 1 July. The system aims to infuse transparency into the procurement process in an effort to rein in inflated prices, increase supplier competition, shorten the procurement-payment cycle. IFMIS will eliminate the need for vendors to visit Government offices, thereby reducing the likelihood of bribes and corruption taking place, according to national treasury cabinet secretary Henry Rotich. More than 5 000 officials have been trained to run the system.
Liberian universities, colleges to be linked by 4G system
Cellcom has announced a new goal to ensure that all universities and colleges in Liberia will have access to its 4 G network within the next few years. Chief corporate communications strategist Dr. Kimmie Weeks announced this at the dedication of the company’s newest 4 G tower on the Cuttington University campus. Prior to the building of the tower, the Cutting University campus had very limited access to GSM signals and poor or non-existent access to mobile Internet services. Not only the campus but surrounding communities now have access to network. Cellcom has been investing heavily in technology that will advance Liberia’s education sector, said Weeks.
Nigeria invites bids for first phase of broadband infrastructure
A scheme by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to deploy affordable and pervasive broadband services across Nigeria has been launched with an invitation to infrastructure companies to submit bids for the first phase of the programme, which will cover Lagos state and North Central zone of the country. In a notice of invitation to interested bidders, NCC executive vice chairman Dr. Eugene Juwah said the companies would be expected to deploy metropolitan optic fibre infrastructure and associated transmission equipment on an open-access, non-discriminatory, price-regulated basis. Bidding consortia must include at least one Nigerian-registered company. The deadline for lodging bids is 4 August 2014.
Tanzania: “We will meet digital migration deadline”
Tanzania is confident of meeting the ITU deadline for global migration to digital terrestrial television of 17 June 2015. Minister for Information, Youth, Culture and Sports Dr. Fenella Mukangara said the migration exercise is going smoothly with analogue being switched off by phases, and awareness campaign activity at a high level. Nearly one million set-top boxes (STBs) have been sold since digital broadcasting started in December 2012, she said.
Telecel plans US$200-million boost to Zimbabwe mobile network
Telecel Zimbabwe requires US$200-million to pump up its mobile network subscriber base from 3,3-million to 5,5-million as it seeks to take advantage of opportunities in mobile money services. Giving evidence before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communication, Technology, Postal and Courier Services, Telecel general manager Angeline Vere said the company is on course to move 1,2-million Telecel subscribers to its mobile money service, Telecash, by year end. Vere urged parliamentarians to pass legislation to make it mandatory for mobile network providers to share infrastructure. “Government should make it mandatory for us to share the infrastructure,” she said. “We feel it should be done on a commercial basis, where the person who puts up the infrastructure benefits more from their investment but allows other players to benefit from it as well.”
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