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Telecom Egypt to create Egypt’s first virtual mobile network

Telecom Egypt’s new CEO Tarek Aboualam has announced that the company is waiting for approval from the National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority to establish Egypt’s first virtual mobile network.

Telecom Egypt hopes to create the country’s first virtual mobile network (image: Gadgets Arabia)

He also announced that the company lost EGP 100 million due to cable smuggling and the illegal transfer of international calls. In response to this, the company has embarked on restructuring its administrative and regulatory structure to address these issues.

The company has also been waiting for the establishment of a new government in Egypt following last year’s uprising in order to bid for the country’s fourth mobile phone license. The predominantly landline operator has been struggling in recent years to maintain revenue levels as mobile phones take over the country.

TE has also faced strikes and internal power struggles in recent months, culminating in a shake-up of top management, including the top CEO position.

Sarah Sheffer

January 26, 2012/by actualize

Orange to provide free access to mobile Wikipedia

In the first partnership of its kind, mobile telecommunications operator Orange and the Wikimedia Foundation will provide more than 70 million Orange customers in Africa and the Middle East (AMEA) with mobile access to Wikipedia – without incurring data usage charges.

Orange and the Wikimedia Foundation will provide 70 million Orange customers with mobile access to Wikipedia (image: PHP Magazine)

Orange and the Wikimedia Foundation today announced a major partnership designed to make knowledge more easily available to Orange mobile customers throughout Africa and the Middle East.

In the partnership Wikipedia, Orange and the Wikimedia Foundation will provide customers in both remote and urban areas of AMEA with access to Wikipedia.

“Wikipedia is an important service, a public good — and so we want people to be able to access it for free, regardless of what device they’re using,” said Sue Gardner, Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation.

“This partnership with Orange will enable millions of people to read Wikipedia, who previously couldn’t. We’re thrilled to be Orange’s partner in this important endeavour.”

In 2009, Orange and the Wikimedia Foundation formed the world’s first mobile and Internet partnership to expand the reach of Wikimedia’s projects through channels on Orange mobile and web portals in Europe.

“In countries where access to information is not always readily available, we are making it simple and easy for our customers to use the world’s most comprehensive online encyclopaedia. It is the first partnership of this kind in the world where we are enabling customers to access Wikipedia without incurring any data charges; and shows Orange’s ability, once again, to innovate in Africa and the Middle East, and bring more value to our customers,” added Marc Rennard, Group Executive Vice President of Orange, Africa, the Middle-East and Asia.

This new partnership will be gradually launched throughout 2012 across 20 African and Middle Eastern countries where Orange operates, with the first markets launching early in the year.

Staff writer

January 24, 2012/by actualize

Agriculture, Mobile, Mobile Money, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Credit Agricole Egypt moves closer to mobile banking

Egyptian bank Credit Agricole Egypt launched has announced on Tuesday it had launched new banking that would allow both customers and non-customers to pay bills without a CAE debit or credit card. Analysts believe this is one step closer to full-on mobile banking in the country.

Analysts believe this is one step closer to full-on mobile banking in the country (image: stock.xchng)

The move is seen as a step toward making banking easier for customers in Egypt, long fraught with difficulties and red tape.

“It’s a wonderful endeavour that will hopefully push the country into the realm of great possibilities and personally, I am getting to use it already because I want to try it out and see if it will be successful,” securities and trade expert for CI Capital Mohamed Naguib said.

The move is in cooperation with Fawry and makes CAE the first such bank in the country to off the service to both customers and non-customers, which allows people to pay bills using cash or other bank cards.

“I see it as a move toward better technology within the banking sector and could be a jumping point for other IT related banking initiatives in the country,” added Naguib.

Customers can now pay at their leisure and has launched a new website to enable customers to do so online.

“Bill payment represents a more efficient, fast and reliable method of payment by allowing consumers to instantly pay their bills anytime at their convenience through Crédit Agricole Egypt’s nationwide network of ATMs,” the company said in a statement.

Currently, the new bill payment service is offered to all mobile subscribers, as well as Egypt Telecom, TE Data, Linkdotnet, Air Arabia, the Food Bank and CIL insurance payments, the statement said.

“Crédit Agricole Egypt is the first bank to offer the cardless ATM bill payment option. This new service does not require the possession of a CAE debit card. Thus, with our bill payment service, no one will have to worry about unpaid bills no matter where they are,” said Jean-Francois Drion, managing director, Crédit Agricole Egypt, in the same statement.

Desmond Shephard

January 18, 2012/by actualize

Agriculture, Mobile, Mobile Money, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Nigeria’s Central Bank to issue more mobile money licenses

Nigeria’s Central Bank announced it would issue more mobile money licenses in an effort to streamline the process and deliver more options to Nigerians.

Nigeria’s Central Bank announced it would issue more mobile money license (image: BBC)

The Deputy Director of Domestic Payment Division of the Central Bank of Nigeria Emmanual Obaigbona, said that the move is to assist banks in their ability to move the program forward, which officially began on 1 January.

Obaigbona added in a statement that the aim is to broaden the overall participation in mobile money system, in general, and the cash-less policy in particular.

He added that “the apex bank has already licensed 11 mobile operators who successfully passed the pilot studies conducted for them last year.

“The 11 licensed operators are not the end of the list. The CBN intends to license more operators to meet the set standards for operating mobile money services in the country,” Obaigbona said.

He continued to say that the apex bank’s decision to issue the mobile money license “was to reduce the unbanked population to the barest minimum and subsequently develop the economy.”

Still the move has many analysts worried that it could create too many restrictions in the country, especially after the central bank barred telecom operators from promoting any specific mobile money product.

“I am a bit concerned that this will open the market up too wide and destroy companies and peoples’ ability to understand what they are participating in right now,” said Asamoa Hiran, a telecom and banking specialist in Lagos.

He told IT News Africa that there is “too much confusion right now to really understand what is going on, so we are all waiting to see what the future will hold.”

The launch of mobile money banking hopes to move Nigeria, which has the largest population not using banks, into the financial system.

David Eto

January 12, 2012/by actualize

Agriculture, Mobile, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Orange Money attracts 3-million customers

Orange Money, the mobile payment service from telecommunications company Orange, has reached the threshold of 3-million customers in the eight countries where it is now offered, thus becoming one of the most powerful electronic money services in Africa.

Orange Money has reached the threshold of 3-million customers (image: stock.xchng)

Orange Money has tripled its customer base in the past year and continues to grow with the recent launch of services in two new countries: in Botswana in partnership with the Standard Chartered Bank, and in Cameroon in partnership with the BICEC (BPCE group).

In countries where it is available, mobile phone customers may open an Orange Money account whether or not they have a bank account. Orange Money allows customers to carry out simple banking operations and transactions in total security.

Orange plans to expand the Orange Money offer in the near future to include the possibility of receiving international money transfers. Orange and Western Union, a global leader in international money transfer services, have joined forces to develop this new service, which will enable Orange Money customers to receive transfers directly on their mobile phones via Western Union’s global system.

According to the World Bank, countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia (AMEA) in which the Group operates receive more than 25 million transfers every year.

“Orange Money is a very important part of our strategy in Africa and emerging markets. Mobile payment services have the potential to bring cost-effective and secure access to banking services to people with low incomes, who often live in rural or remote areas. By providing our customers with the means to save money, pay bills, run their businesses and receive money from abroad, we are not only reinforcing customer fidelity but we are also able to play an active role in the economic and social development of the country,” said Marc Rennard, Orange’s Executive Director for AMEA operations.

January 5, 2012/by actualize

Agriculture, Mobile, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Warid Telecom launches cross-network money service

Warid Telecom in Uganda has launched its own money transfer service, called WaridPesa, and it will allow users to transfer funds to other users, no matter which network they are on.

Warid Telecom launches cross-network money service (image: stock.xchng)

“The technology revolution is transforming Uganda’s population in a profound way and this is leading to economic development,” said minister for ICT Dr Ruhakana Rugunda.

Warid’s Chief Commercial Officer Shailendra Naidu added that it’s a great way for users to send money to other users. “Not only will it provide another choice, it is an easy, convenient and quick money transfer service across all networks,” he said.

“To register, customers have to visit a WaridPesa outlet with a passport photo and a copy of their identity card. The activation of the account is instant and the client can make transactions immediately,” noted The Observer.

Charlie Fripp – Acting online editor

December 27, 2011/by actualize

Agriculture, Mobile, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Kenya’s Mpesa to experience more disruptions

Safaricom in Kenya has warned users of its mobile phone money transfer service Mpesa that further disruptions to the service will occur as demand grows.

Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore (image: file)

“We wish to advise our esteemed customers and agents that they are likely to experience some delays on the M-PESA service. Consequently, they should wait for a confirmation SMS before they can issue or receive cash,” said Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore.

The festive season causes a peak in user activity and is one of the busiest times for the service, which will cause more technical problems to the transfer system that has had its fair share of outage this year.

“Mpesa has the biggest subscriber base among the four mobile phone service operators. Statistics by the firm show that by last month, Mpesa had 15 million customers and about 34,000 agent outlets countrywide with 800 organizations now accepting their bill payment via the service,” wrote the Nairobi Star.

Charlie Fripp – Acting online editor

December 26, 2011/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Fiber cable cut in Egypt

Reports on Tuesday indicated that a fiber optic cable in the northern part of Egypt had been damaged, resulting in the loss of all telecommunications in Egypt’s second largest city of Alexandria and parts of the Nile Delta region.

Contractors lay the East African Marine Cable (image: Reuters)

One official told IT News Africa that “a Telecom Egypt fiber line near Alexandria has been damaged resulting in loss of telecommunications for all three mobile operators.”

The official, however, did not give details as to why the cable was damaged, and it remains unclear whether it was an attack or a miscue on the operator’s part.

Telecom Egypt, the country’s state-owned fixed line monopoly is responsible for all ADSL Internet connections and the three mobile phone operators in Egypt also use the cables for connectivity.

Egypt is not unfamiliar to telecom cuts. In recent years, the country has lost Internet service after Mediterranean cables were cut, leaving the country largely blacked out for days.

The official, who was not authorized to speak to the media, did say that they were attempting to rectify the problem “as soon as we understand exactly what happened.”

Users across the country reported immediate drops in speed and connectivity. At local cafes in Cairo, users immediately saw a difference in connection speed.

“I hope they get this sorted out quickly, because I have to upload things daily and this cut is affecting how I work,” said an Egyptian blogger and journalist, who added that the “Internet is my life. If it goes down, it really hurts my ability to work.”

Joseph Mayton

August 16, 2011/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

African operators kick off LTE trials

Magnus Mchunguzi, MD Ericsson SA

Ericsson is currently conducting Long Term Evolution (LTE) trials with a number of African mobile operators including Econet, Movicel and Unitel.

This is according Magnus Mchunguzi, Ericsson South Africa Managing Director.
“It is interesting that for the first time in Africa a lot of operators are asking for LTE, perhaps not on a large scale but as a trial offer. A lot of companies are trying to offer LTE on a network shared level,” says Mchunguzi.

“There is definitely a lot of movement in the LTE environment, he adds.”

Ease of deployment

Ericsson’s base stations have reduced the cost of deploying new broadband technology.

“One can get 2G, 3G, HSPA, and LTE on one base station. In the past if you wanted to offer new technology, you had to remove the hardware and install a new one. The cost of deploying new technology was very high. Today this will be driven purely by software updates. The platform remains the same and you simply update the software,” says Mchunguzi.

Ericcson is fully LTE ready according to Magnus: “Our new base stations, known as multi-standard radios, that are already offering 3G and HSPA have been deployed, we just need to update the software and they will be LTE ready.”

MTN pilot implementation

In early July 2011, MTN South Africa in partnership with Ericsson launched its LTE network in the Gauteng area of South Africa.
MTN SA’s Chief Technology Officer Kanagaratnam Lambotharan said the launch would give selected MTN customers a glimpse of the future.

“Being the first operator in Africa to launch an LTE pilot network of this scale is a reaffirmation of MTN’s vision to be the leading telecoms operator in emerging markets and emphasises our technology and innovation leadership in mobile communications.

On MTN’s investment in technology he says: “Full deployment of LTE in future will allow MTN to maximize its infrastructure investment to provide its subscribers with a quality experience that is richer, faster and with significantly more capacity than that provided currently.”

Bontle Moeng

July 27, 2011/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Morocco’s attractive broadband network

Morocco has a rather attractive broadband network

Morocco’s growing broadband network and an increase in competition for video has placed the region at the forefront for regional ICT investments.

“Whether it be VOIP providers, broadband Internet repackaging, or pay-TV installers, the smaller companies will be called to duty and therefore present a viable option for investors looking to capture a share of the projected $1.44-billion data segment by 2015, or other promising indicators,” says Majd Hosn, a telecoms analyst for Pyramid.

The North African country’s telecom sector revenue will see a 4.1% annual growth rate over the next five years. The telecommunications projections position the industry at $5.47-billion in 2015.

Moroccan communications ministry official Ibrahim Saeed told ITNewsAfrica that he is hopeful that these projections will maintain excellent prospects.

“We have worked hard to build a strong IT and telecom sector and hopefully Pyramid’s report will turn out true,” says Saeed.

“The leadership changes and popular uprisings that have spread in North Africa will take their toll on the stability and growth of Morocco,” adds Pyramid.

“However, (the country will) maintain a strong position compared to other Middle Eastern and North African communications markets.”

Jonathan Terry

July 18, 2011/by actualize