Africa Telecom articles from January 2002

Africa Telecom archives from January 2002

Compaq to deploy wireless location-based services for Vodacom. (Top Story).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... SignalSoft Corp., a developer of the Wireless Location Services Software suite, announced that Vodacom, a mobile operator and member of the Vodafone Group, has signed a contract with SignalSoft's partner, Compaq, to deliver location-based...

Four firms bid for Algeria Network Expansion. (Algeria).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Four major telecoms equipment firms have bid for the expansion of Algeria's mobile telephone network. These bidders are Alcatel, Motorola Inc., Ericsson and Siemens. The Telecommunications ministry, which launched the expansion tender last...

Orascom to Start Algerian Services. (Algeria).(Orascom Telecom, mobile phone services)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Orascom Telecom will start selling mobile phone services for its Algerian network, the network director said. Orascom, which won the Algerian GSM license in July 2001, is operating the network under the Djezzy name. Lionel Coussi, Djezzy's...

Inter WAVE provides fully functional GSM Network Solution for wireless in DRC. (Democratic Republic of Congo).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Continuing to expand its footprint in the African GSM market space, interWAVE Communications announced that a Pan African satellite and last-mile access integrator has purchased interWAVE's GSM Community Network solution for network buildout in...

Orascom Core Earnings up 17 Percent. (Egypt).(Orascom Telecom)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Orascom Telecom (OT) said its third-quarter core earnings rose 17 percent from the previous quarter to 319.4 million Egyptian pounds (US$69.1 million), beating analysts' expectations. One analyst had forecast the regional cellular operator...

Telecom Egypt to receive InterconnecT and Inter-mediatE Billing Solutions from Intec Telecom. (Egypt).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Intec Telecom Systems, a provider of operational support systems (OSS) for telecom companies, has signed a deal with Telecom Egypt. Valued around $1.5 million, the agreement will supply Telecom Egypt with Intec's market leading InterconnecT and...

KenCell launches Internet Service. (Kenya).(KenCell Communications, Swift Global Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... KenCell Communications has launched a service that will allow its customers to access the Internet on their mobile phones. The Access 350 service, which is run jointly with Swift Global Ltd, enables subscribers to access the Internet through a...

Kenya stops telkom sale talks with Econet/Eskom. (Kenya).(Econet Wireless, Eskom Enterprises)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Kenya has ended talks with a consortium led by Zimbabwe's Econet Wireless and South Africa's Eskom Enterprises on the sale of a 49 percent stake in state-owned Telkom Kenya. Finance Minister Chris Obure said that after studying proposals made...

interWAVE extends deployment of prepaid GSM Voice Network in Mauritania. (Mauritania).(Global System for Mobile Communication)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... interWAVE Communications announced that it has initiated the second phase of a fully functional, GSM cellular network for Mattel, a subsidiary of Tunisia Telecom and a mobile operator in the Republic of Mauritania. The $1.6 million second...

Morocco to adopt E-Morocco Strategy. (Morocco).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Moroccan Secretary of State for Posts and the New Information and Telecommunications Technologies announced that the government will adopt in the first three months of 2002 the E-Morocco strategy. The official said that the E-Morocco strategy...

Maroc Telecom to Invest $997 million by 2005. (Morocco).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... Maroc Telecom will invest $996.6 million in the 2001-2005 period to boost its leadership in the highly competitive market. Maroc Telecom, in which French Vivendi Universal holds a 35 percent stake, would devote 5.5 billion dirhams to the...

724 Solutions delivers Mobile Financial Transaction Solution to finance.com group. (Morocco).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Morocco's Fiance.com Group has adopted a solution from 724 Solutions Inc. to power its planned mobile commerce offering. In the first North African implementation for the company, 724 Solutions is integrating its award-winning financial...

Nitel to roll out pay-as-you-go GSM in February. (Nigeria).(Nigerian Telecommunications Ltd., global system of mobile communication)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Nigerian Telecommunications Ltd. (NITEL), will roll out a pay-as-you-go global system of mobile communication (GSM) lines in the first week of February, with emphasis on services to Abuja. According to public relations manager in charge of GSM...

Econet Tops in Nigeria's Mobile Market. (Nigeria).(Econet Wireless)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Econet Wireless has become the largest mobile network in Nigeria, garnering more than 200,000 subscribers barely four months after it launched operations, while the switching capacity of its Zimbabwean network is being upgraded. CEO Strive...

Hybrid Networks Wins Wireless Communications Association Award for Fixed Broadband Wireless System. (Nigeria).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Hybrid Networks Inc., has received the Wireless Communications Association's Underserved Communities Wemmie award in recognition of the company's fixed broadband wireless system deployment in Nigeria. Hybrid's system is deployed in Lagos, Abuja...

Nitel's Board Dissolved. (Nigeria).(Nigerian Telecommunications Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Nigerian government has dissolved the board of state telecoms company Nitel to protect the company's assets until it is privatized next month. The federal government sold a majority stake in Nitel to Nigerian consortium Investors...

Licensing Process for the second national operator commences. (Nigeria).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The process for the licensing of the second national operator (SNO) in the telecommunication industries by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has commenced with the publishing of the information memorandum at the commission's Web site....

Senegal Adopts New Telecoms Framework. (Senegal).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... On December 22, 2001, the Senegalese president announced the new telecoms framework passed by the National Assembly. It promotes a number of principles that include: transparency, equal treatment for users, confidentiality, and a universal...

interWAVE Partners with Sonatel Provide Wireless Communications. (Senegal).(interWAVE Communications)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... interWAVE Communications, a pioneer in compact wireless voice communications systems and broadband wireless data networks, announced that its GSM Network-In-A-Box (NIB) solution is currently in field trials with Sonatel, a strategic partner of...

Internet Returns to Mogadishu. (Somalia).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Telecom Somalia has brought the Internet back to Mogadishu after a two-month absence. "We started providing Internet online services as of January 22," said Abdullahi Muhammad Husayn, the deputy general manager of Telecom Somalia. Internet...

M-Web launches fixed-fee server hosting service. (South Africa).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... M-Web, a dialup Internet service provider, has launched a "fixed-price" server hosting service aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. According to a statement issued by M-Web, its hosting package will differentiate itself from competitive...

Airspan Networks selected to provide Eskom Enterprises with high-speed broadband access. (South Africa).(Airspan Networks Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Airspan Networks Inc., a worldwide equipment provider of wireless DSL networks, has signed an agreement with Siemens to initially provide US$3.3 million of Airspan's AS4000 wireless DSL systems to Eskom Enterprises for a major new network in...

UUNET, SmartCom and TeraiTech bring first wireless ASP to market. (South Africa).(Application Service Provider)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... UUNET SA, SmartCom and TeraiTech announced a partnership that brings South Africa's first wireless ASP (W-ASP) solution to market. Named "TeraiTech over the Air", the end-to-end solution for corporations allows mobile applications to be...

Elcom to partner with Verang Pty Ltd. (South Africa).(Elcom International Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Elcom International Inc., an international provider of remotely-hosted e-procurement and private e-marketplace solutions and leveraged e-procurement services for IT products, announced an agreement to partner with Verang Pty Ltd., one of South...

South Africa sells M-Cell's 20 percent stake for $475 million. (South Africa).(Ice Finance B.V.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2002... South Africa sold its 20 percent stake in M-Cell to an interim buyer in a move aimed at supporting the sickly rand but which leaves the mobile operator still hunting for a strategic equity partner. Dutch-based investors Ice Finance BV paid $475...

ICASA to continue Telkom tariff fight. (South Africa).(Independent Communications Authority of South Africa)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Telecoms regulator ICASA said it would not back down from a court battle with Telkom over tariff increases, but expressed concern about mounting legal costs. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) was responding to...

Equant to build a customized data network for South African Breweries. (South Africa).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Equant has won a five-year, $5 million contract to build a customized corporate data network for London-based South African Breweries. Initially, Equant will interconnect 12 SAB sites in Europe and South Africa, using Equant IP VPN, Managed...

Telkom adds two new features to its TalkPlus range. (South Africa).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Telkom has launched two innovative additions to its TalkPlus range--MyRing and MyRing Call Answer. With MyRing, single-line customers will now be able to enjoy the benefits of one or two additional telephone numbers on their existing lines, as...

Tiscali buys Vodacom's 40 percent stake from World Online. (South Africa).(Vodacom World Online)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Tiscali, a European Internet communications company, has bought Vodacom's 40 percent stake in Vodacom World Online, making it a wholly-owned Tiscali subsidiary. The deal was based on an undisclosed cash payment, reportedly in the region of $2.7...

TeleAccess set to take over Telecel. (Zimbabwe).(aims to buy Telecel International's 40% interest in Telecel Zimbabwe)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... TeleAccess, one of the companies aspiring to be awarded a license to operate a fixed telephone network in Zimbabwe, has emerged as the leading bidder for Telecel International's 40 percent stake in Telecel Zimbabwe. Sources within the industry...

Spescom to distribute Stratex Networks broadband equipment in Africa. (Regional).(DMC Stratex Networks Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... DMC Stratex Networks Inc., a solution provider for mobile applications and broadband wireless access, recently concluded a landmark agreement with Spescom Ltd. whereby Spescom will distribute Stratex Networks' world-class broadband...

Microsoft signs moviles for Mobile Hotmail. (Regional).(Telefonica Moviles)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Microsoft has signed up Telefonica Moviles in a deal that will bring its e-mail service to over 28 million cellphone users in Europe, Latin America and North Africa. It is the first big wireless telecoms operator Microsoft has signed for its...

Brightpoint to distribute Sierra Wireless' Equipment. (Regional).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Brightpoint Inc. announced that certain of its subsidiaries have signed distribution agreements with subsidiaries of Sierra Wireless Inc. Under these agreements, Brightpoint will distribute Sierra Wireless data modems and software products,...

Samsung Networks renews Data Network contract with equant to Interconnect 50 sites in Europe, Middle East and Africa. (Regional).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Samsung Networks, an information technology affiliate to the Samsung Group, has signed a one-year contract renewal to continue using a customized Equant data network solution to interconnect 50 offices in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent...