ICT

Google Maps lands in Ghana

Wednesday, 24 February 2010 12:55

Google Maps of most Ghananian towns are now accessible via web browsers or enabled mobile handsets. Users will be able to check out online maps, search for businesses, create maps, look for locations while on the move and advertise for free.

(3 Votes)

Tags: Google maps - Google Maps Local Business Centre - Estelle Akofia-Sowah - Google Ghana - Ghana

Kenya wins GSMA award for mobile broadband strategy

Friday, 19 February 2010 12:29

The GSMA, which represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry, presented the prestigious annual Government Leadership Award to Samuel Poghisio, Kenya's Minister for Information and Communications.

(3 Votes)

Tags: GSMA - Samuel Poghisio - Communications Commission of Kenya - TEAMs - SEACOM - Rob Conway - Kenya

Vodafone launch 'world's cheapest phone'

Tuesday, 16 February 2010 13:12

Mobile phone operator Vodafone has launched what it says is the "lowest-cost mobile phone on Earth". The Vodafone 150, unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, will sell for "below $15" and is aimed at the developing world.

(2 Votes)

Tags: Vodafone - mobile - ICT - handset - cheap - UN - Mobile World Congress - ITU - Hamadoun Toure - Africa

Africa: 448 million mobile network subscribers

Thursday, 11 February 2010 15:52

Mobile subscribers in Africa have reached 448 million representing a 20% rise, according to a latest report from Ovum Research. An additional 75 million new people have been recorded in just one year.

(2 Votes)

Tags: mobile - subscribers - research - numbers - growth - Nigeria - Africa

UBA Uganda introduces mobile banking services

Friday, 05 February 2010 14:51

United Bank for Africa (UBA) will introduce mobile banking facilities to boost the penetration of banking services in Uganda, according to Uganda's daily, The Monitor.

(1 Vote)

Tags: United Bank for Africa - UBA Mobile Money - Bank of Uganda - Uganda

Tanzania to complete fibre-optic link in June

Wednesday, 03 February 2010 15:05

Tanzania expects to finish building a $300 million fibre-optic network linking its major urban centres in June, its communications minister said on Tuesday.

(2 Votes)

Tags: SEACOM - fibre optic network - Peter Msolla - ICT hub - Zambia - Malawi - Burundi - broadband - China - VOdacom - Zain - Zantel - Tigo - Sasatel - Tanzania

Africa telecom investment to exceed $70 bln by '12

Monday, 01 February 2010 13:33

Africa's telecom sector will have private investments of more $70 billion by 2012, surpassing the $55 billion promised by investors at a U.N.-backed meeting in 2007, the head of the U.N. telecoms agency said.

(2 Votes)

Tags: UN - telecom - investment - backed - Rwanda - growing - economy - Hamadoun Toure - Africa

East African mobile communication market to reach $9 billion in 2015

Friday, 15 January 2010 11:07

The mobile communications markets of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda earned revenues of $2.62 billion in 2008 combined and are expected to deliver $8.99 billion in 2015.

(2 Votes)

Tags: ICT - communications - markets - network - Frost & Sullivan - study - growth - Kenya - Tanzania - Uganda - Rwanda - East Africa

Private network to interconnect universities in Kenya

Thursday, 14 January 2010 13:37

The Kenya Education Network Trust has revealed an ambitious technological plan to interconnect more than 70 educational institutions in the East African country.

(3 Votes)

Tags: Kenya Education Network Trust - East Africa - software - network - universities - organisation - ICT - Kenya

Econet exceeds 3 million subscribers in Zimbabwe

Wednesday, 06 January 2010 11:37

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe has emerged as the country's leading cellular telephone operating company in the country, with a subscriber base that now exceeds 3 million.

(2 Votes)

Tags: Econet - cellular - subscriber - Douglas Mboweni - Rangarirai Mberi - Zimbabwe

Kigali to become wireless city

Monday, 04 January 2010 10:49

Kigali will soon go wireless after the government launched a $7.66 million wireless broadband (WiBro) facility that is set to make it the first "hot spot" capital city in Africa. The service will go commercial in three months.

(2 Votes)

Tags: Kigali - government - wi-fi - wireless broadband - Africa - Korea Telecom - Rwanda

Zain Zambia subscriber base hits 3 mln

Friday, 18 December 2009 11:24

Zambia's largest mobile communication provider, Zain, increased its subscriber base by about 11 percent to 3 million in 2009 after investing over $50 million in its network, the company said on Thursday.

(1 Vote)

Tags: Zain - Mobile phone - David Holliday - Cell-Z - Zambia

Econet launches new solar handset in Burundi

Wednesday, 09 December 2009 11:44

Burundi mobile operator Econet launched a new rechargeable solar handset on Monday that it hopes eventually will boost subscriber numbers to 800,000.

(2 Votes)

Tags: Econet - solar handset - mobile phones - Darlington Mandivenga - Burundi

Windows 7 to be translated into 10 African languages

Monday, 23 November 2009 12:08

Microsoft plans to make its newly-released Windows 7 operating system available in 10 African languages - including five of South Africa's official languages - by the end of 2011.

(2 Votes)

Tags: Microsoft - Windows - translation - language - Vis Naidoo - South Africa - Kenya - Nigeria - Ethiopia - Africa

Egypt: internet to speak Arabic

Monday, 16 November 2009 16:36

Egypt's communications minister on Sunday announced the introduction of the first Arabic domain, in a step easing Internet access to millions of Arabic speakers around the world.

(2 Votes)

Tags: arabic - domain - internet - Sharm el-Sheikh - Tarek Kamel - Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers - Sha Zukang - Egypt

Mobile phone use soars in Africa

Friday, 23 October 2009 13:49

The mobile phone industry in Africa has defied the global economic crisis with a monumental boom in mobile subscriptions between 2003 and 2008. In five years the number of subscriptions grew by more than 500%.

(2 Votes)

Tags: mobile - phones - ICT - growth - economy - poverty - UN - Torbjorn Fredriksson - Gabon - Seychelles - South Africa - Algeria - Egypt - Morocco - Tunisia - Africa

Nigeria's anti-graft police shut 800 scam websites

Friday, 23 October 2009 13:11

Nigeria's anti-corruption police said Friday they had shut down some 800 scam websites and busted 18 syndicates of email fraudsters in a drive to curb cyber-crime the country is notorious for.

(2 Votes)

Tags: Cyber crime - Internet - Anti-corruption - Economic and Financial Crimes Commission - Farida Waziri - Nigeria

IFC invests $100m in Nigeria telecom

Wednesday, 21 October 2009 11:15

The International Finance Corporation is investing $100 million in Helios Towers Nigeria (HTN) to ensure better access to telecoms across Nigeria. The IFC is leading a $250 million capital injection that will help HTN increase its network to 2,000 sites.

(3 Votes)

Tags: Telecommunication - International Finance Corporation - Helios Towers Nigeria - Helios Investment Partners - Mohsen Khalil - Kayode Akinola - NIgeria

Tanzania first to lower internet rates

Monday, 19 October 2009 12:12

Tanzania Telecommunication Company Ltd customers will from this month enjoy a 50% cut in Internet charges, making Tanzania the first East African country to lower Internet charges.

(2 Votes)

Tags: Internet - Tanzania Telecommunication Company Ltd. - Said Amour Said - Seacom - Tanzania

Africa's handset demand shoots up

Friday, 16 October 2009 14:31

The mobile phone market in Africa will see an upsurge in demand, says a new report from Frost & Sullivan. It revealed that over 139 million handsets were shipped to sub-Saharan Africa in 2007 and this is expected to reach 400 million by 2014.

(3 Votes)

Tags: Mobile phone - handsets - Frost & Sullivan - Spiwe Chireka - sub-Saharan Africa - Africa

Africa telecoms investment to reach $141bn by 2013

Thursday, 15 October 2009 11:44

Investment in Africa's telecommunications markets could increase to $141,1-billion by 2013, ICT market research and analysis firm BMI-Techknowledge said in a report. The 2008 investment figure was around $76,1 billion.