Africa Telecom articles from November 2005

Africa Telecom archives from November 2005

Reducing Internet connectivity costs in Africa.(Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System)
November 1, 2005

World Bank offers East African fiber consortium EASSy funding.(ACROSS AFRICA)
November 1, 2005... World Bank's Pierre Guislain outlined the financing offer the Bank has made to the East African fiber project EASSy. The offer has been under negotiation since November 2004, and this was the first public announcement of the Bank's proposal....

African universities come together to set up NRENs and buy international bandwidth.(National Research and Education Networks )
November 1, 2005... Africa's universities took a step nearer joining their developed-world colleagues when a group decided that they would bid for international fiber capacity in the EASSy fiber project and that they would seek to encourage the setting up of...

MTN bid for Mascom not yet finalized.
November 1, 2005... MTN's US$128 million (P716.8 million) bid for 44 percent of Mascom Wireless Botswana--40 percent owned by Econet Wireless--is not finalized, and the sale is subject to arbitration, a key Mascom shareholder has said. DECI Investments, which...

Telecom Egypt selects Ericsson-Cisco solution to upgrade fixed network.
November 1, 2005... Telecom Egypt (TE) has chosen Ericsson in cooperation with Cisco Systems, as one of the suppliers to upgrade its fixed network to a carrier-class, Internet Protocol (IP) Next-generation Network. The deal, which will address both classic...

HP signs contract with Cairo Bank to provide integrated IT solution to ensure 24x7 online service availability HP has recently been appointed by Cairo.(EGYPT)
November 1, 2005

Egypt's mobile connections outstrip their fixed-line counterparts.
November 1, 2005... Leading industry analyst and forecaster, BIS Shrapnel, has launched its Egypt Mobile Communications, 2005 report. Report author Mr. Wisam Francis explains that Egypt's cellular market is currently experiencing unprecedented growth, a phenomenon...

VoIP telephony has come of age in Ghana.
November 1, 2005... Although Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony has been largely illegal in Ghana, pressure on the government and on telecommunication regulator National Communications Authority (NCA) is leading to the opening of the VoIP market there....

Internet costs set to go down.
November 1, 2005... The "digital divide" between rich and poor countries could, in Kenya, be measured by the amount of time it took for an e-mail to be sent from one neighbor to another--via Europe. Like many developing countries, Kenya lacked fiber-optic...

Starcomms in fresh network expansion moves.(Starcomms Limited)(China Export Import Bank)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Starcomms Limited, Nigeria's foremost private telecommunication industry operator, has entered into a financial agreement to obtain a loan worth $23 million (about N32 billion) from the China Export Import Bank. The loan, which is first of...

Vmobile launches service in five communities.
November 1, 2005... Vmobile Nigeria has fulfilled its promise to launch commercial GSM service within 45 days in the towns that won the first phase of its on-going SMS (Short Message Service) Competition. The company's base stations came live in five...

Nigeria communications satellite for launch soon.(National Space Research and Development Agency )
November 1, 2005... Director General, National Space Research and Development Agency (NSRDA) Prof. Robert Boroffice reaffirmed Nigeria's commitment toward advancing its space program. In addition to its earth observation satellite, NigeriaSat-1 launched in...

Sentech further expands broadband wireless network with Cambridge Broadband's VectaStar equipment.
November 1, 2005... African operator Sentech has further expanded its broadband wireless access network with Cambridge Broadband's VectaStar equipment. The network offers a variety of services to government, business, and residential customers. The company's goal...

Cost of phone calls likely to remain outrageous.
November 1, 2005... South Africans, who face some of the most exorbitant telecommunications costs in the world, can look forward to little relief in the future. The second network operator (SNO) is still not up and running, and deregulation of the industry in...

Tunisia's telecom market: at the threshold of major changes.(TUNISIA)
November 1, 2005... The planned privatization of Tunisie Telecom will be a major event in Tunisia's telecom history. This privatization, along with the government's liberalization plans, should usher in a new era of growth and potential in the Tunisian telecom...

Etisalat prequalifies for Tunisia Telecom bid.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) has announced its prequalification for the bid that will soon be underway in Tunisia. The Corporation has been selected along with 12 other international companies, who will all participate in...

Latest satellite TV technology comes to Zimbabwe.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... One of the biggest technological developments in satellite television in recent years has come to Zimbabwe, and is poised to revolutionize the way viewers enjoy their digital satellite television (DStv) experience. As a first for Africa,...