A report in Ghana Business News says the country’s Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) has imposed an immediate ban on the mounting of telecoms masts in Ghana ‘until further notice’ much to the chagrin of domestic operators.
Local reports cited a letter from MEST to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), dated 12 January 2010, confirming the ban. In the report EPA says roughly 50% of all communications masts in the country were erected by service providers who did not obtain the required permit.
However, local cellcos are concerned the edict will adversely affect rural coverage in Ghana. The CEO of Kasapa Telecom, Mr. Bob Palitz, has reportedly accused the Ministry of taking a unilateral decision when there is a committee working to resolve the issue of co-location.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Etisalat Posts 5% Increase in 2009 Revenues
Excluding this exceptional item, net profit after federal royalty for 2009 would have increased by AED1.217 billion, 16% higher than 2008. Total assets increased 13% to AED40.38 billion compared to AED35.62 billion in 2008. Etisalat did not reveal quarterly figures, but Reuters has calculated 4Q09 profit at AED1.99 billion (39% higher than the year-ago quarter), based on previous financial statements.
The number of Etisalat’s domestic mobile subscribers exceeded 7.74 million at 31 December 2009, up 6% year-on-year, while fixed line customers reached 1.31 million (a fall from 1.358 million in 2008) and internet subscribers grew 16% in 2009 to total 1.33 million, although the company did not reveal how many of those were broadband users. In 2009 Etisalat launched its ‘eLife’ fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network and is currently working on making Abu Dhabi the first capital city in the world to be totally connected by fibre-optic infrastructure. The company is also aiming to make the UAE one of the first countries in the world to be entirely covered with fibre-optic services in 2011.
Rotana To Supply Content To Meditel
Moroccan mobile operator Medi Telecom (Meditel) has signed a deal with Saudi Arabian broadcaster Rotana Media as part of a drive to attract more young subscribers with online entertainment content, Reuters reports.
Rotana, part of Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal's Kingdom Holding company, controls 85% of the music market among the Arab world's more than 300 million population and has 60% of its film distribution and production market, according to the article.
The partnership deal with Meditel includes all Rotana content, Rotana Digital Media Chairman Youssef Mugharbil told journalists, whilst the firm plans to strike similar deals with firms in the region and beyond if the venture proves successful.
Rotana, part of Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal's Kingdom Holding company, controls 85% of the music market among the Arab world's more than 300 million population and has 60% of its film distribution and production market, according to the article.
The partnership deal with Meditel includes all Rotana content, Rotana Digital Media Chairman Youssef Mugharbil told journalists, whilst the firm plans to strike similar deals with firms in the region and beyond if the venture proves successful.
Vodacom Tz Acquires NSN Billing System
NSN will deploy its solution – based on the ‘charge@once unified’ software – that allows what it calls ‘predefined marketing scenario’s to be activated on demand.
Vodacom Tanzania (Vodacom) is the country’s leading cellular network operator by subscribers, offering GSM communication services to about seven million customers across the country. It has deployed a range of state of the art technologies for voice, data, leased lines, PABX connectivity, international connectivity, WiMAX solutions, remote communication solutions over satellite and banking solutions.
The operator says its GSM-900/1800 network currently covers 76.47% of the population; GPRS countrywide coverage is 76.47% of the population; EDGE is available in selected towns and cities covering 62% of the population; UMTS with HSDPA in the capital Dar es Salaam covers 14.1% of the population; and WiMAX (802.16d) is provided in five major cities covering 70% of business premises.
'French Firm' To Run Ethiopian telecom
Local news sources report that an unnamed French company is set to take over management of Ethiopian state-owned incumbent Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation (ETC) having beaten off bids from South African and Indian competition. Having attracted the interest of a number of foreign companies on announcing that it was seeking a partner on a revenue-sharing basis, Capital Ethiopia claims that only three companies made it through to the final stage of the selection process; South Africa’s MTN, state-owned Indian telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and the unnamed French company.
While the selection process has been concluded ETC CEO Amare Amsalu is quoted as saying: ‘I am out of the [Addis Ababa] and it is difficult to give releases without referring to documents.’ Additionally, it is understood that, while the winning bidders has been picked, further negotiations are still required, providing further reason for the lack of information being released regarding the deal.
What is known is that the firm selected to take over management of the telco will be responsible for introducing new schemes to reform how ETC conducts its core operations, from service provision to infrastructure maintenance. According to previous comments by Diriba Kuma, Transport and Communications Minister, the winning international firm will also be expected to boost ETC’s revenues.
At present ETC is undertaking a large-scale expansion scheme of all its networks and services, with improvements expected to include the rollout of a fibre-optic network. Previously Chinese vendor ZTE had been selected by ETC to assist with the construction of a new national infrastructure in three phases; currently ZTE is working on the third phase which covers expansion to rural and remote regions, and was started in October 2008, and is due for completion in the near future.
Commenting on the introduction of the ETC’s new management partner Minister Diriba noted: ‘The transformation process the new company is to lead will kick off as soon as the ongoing expansion with ZTE is completed.’
While the selection process has been concluded ETC CEO Amare Amsalu is quoted as saying: ‘I am out of the [Addis Ababa] and it is difficult to give releases without referring to documents.’ Additionally, it is understood that, while the winning bidders has been picked, further negotiations are still required, providing further reason for the lack of information being released regarding the deal.
What is known is that the firm selected to take over management of the telco will be responsible for introducing new schemes to reform how ETC conducts its core operations, from service provision to infrastructure maintenance. According to previous comments by Diriba Kuma, Transport and Communications Minister, the winning international firm will also be expected to boost ETC’s revenues.
At present ETC is undertaking a large-scale expansion scheme of all its networks and services, with improvements expected to include the rollout of a fibre-optic network. Previously Chinese vendor ZTE had been selected by ETC to assist with the construction of a new national infrastructure in three phases; currently ZTE is working on the third phase which covers expansion to rural and remote regions, and was started in October 2008, and is due for completion in the near future.
Commenting on the introduction of the ETC’s new management partner Minister Diriba noted: ‘The transformation process the new company is to lead will kick off as soon as the ongoing expansion with ZTE is completed.’
KPLC Signs Pacts With Safaricom, Janii and Wananchi
The country’s monopoly power firm will sign contracts with Safaricom, Jamii Telecom and Wananchi Group in the next few days to seal the deal which will allow the operators to access the 1,500km transport network, which connects Mombasa to Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu, Kiganjo and Nanyuki. As reported by CommsUpdate on 30 November 2009, Kenya has a burgeoning fibre market, with Telkom, KDN, Jamii Telecom, Wananchi, Access Kenya and the government all owning their own optical infrastructure.
Main One Targets Nigeria And Ghana for Its Under Sea Cable
Telecoms infrastructure firm Main One Cable Company has revealed it has begun the final stage of deploying its high capacity fibre-optic cable from Seixal in Portugal through the West African coast to Ghana and Nigeria.
It is expected that the cable, which is scheduled to go live in June 2010, will bring much-needed international capacity into a region where rapid growth in telecoms has been blighted by limited global connectivity. ‘Now that the 7,000km trunk of the cable is being installed, we are pleased that our efforts over the last 18 months are coming to fruition,’ noted Funke Opeke, CEO of Main One.
In November 2009 Main One successfully completed the installation of the shore ends of the cable in the Nigerian capital Lagos, Accra in Ghana and Seixal. The company is also building two landing stations in Accra and Lagos, scheduled for completion next month. Equipment installation and end-to-end testing of the cable system will then follow, prior to service launch in June.
Main One says it will provide open access to 1.92Tbps of capacity to the West African region at less than 50% of current wholesale capacity prices. The company adds that it will help to minimise the difficulties of switching traffic between African countries and eliminate the inconveniences and added costs of first routing traffic to Europe.
Main One Cable Company is wholly-owned by Nigerian companies African Finance Corporation, FBN Capital, Skye Bank project sponsor Main Street Technologies, as well as South Africa-based Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund.
It is expected that the cable, which is scheduled to go live in June 2010, will bring much-needed international capacity into a region where rapid growth in telecoms has been blighted by limited global connectivity. ‘Now that the 7,000km trunk of the cable is being installed, we are pleased that our efforts over the last 18 months are coming to fruition,’ noted Funke Opeke, CEO of Main One.
In November 2009 Main One successfully completed the installation of the shore ends of the cable in the Nigerian capital Lagos, Accra in Ghana and Seixal. The company is also building two landing stations in Accra and Lagos, scheduled for completion next month. Equipment installation and end-to-end testing of the cable system will then follow, prior to service launch in June.
Main One says it will provide open access to 1.92Tbps of capacity to the West African region at less than 50% of current wholesale capacity prices. The company adds that it will help to minimise the difficulties of switching traffic between African countries and eliminate the inconveniences and added costs of first routing traffic to Europe.
Main One Cable Company is wholly-owned by Nigerian companies African Finance Corporation, FBN Capital, Skye Bank project sponsor Main Street Technologies, as well as South Africa-based Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund.
Tanzania Makes It Mandotary For Firms To List On Bourse
Tanzania’s parliament has passed a new telecommunications bill that will make it mandatory for all mobile network operators to list on the country’s Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE).
Local newspaper The Citizen says the move has provoked immediate and vocal condemnation among the firms affected who say it is a retrograde step for the industry. ‘It takes the country back to the era of nationalisation when individuals were forced to sell their companies or shares to the government,’ Vodacom Tanzania’s head of legal and regulatory affairs, Mr Godwin Ngwilimi.
However, many MPs considered the bill in light of what they see as cellcos’ unfair treatment of end users and their withholding of billions to the state by way of taxes.
The new Electronic and Postal Communication Bill 2009 was presented by the Minister for Communication, Science and Technology, Prof Peter Msola, who said it would help set up a legal framework for providing comprehensive regulations for electronic communication service providers.
Once the bill enters into law, domestic telcos will be forced to offer shares to the public and will also be required to list with the DSE within three years of it entering the statute.
Local newspaper The Citizen says the move has provoked immediate and vocal condemnation among the firms affected who say it is a retrograde step for the industry. ‘It takes the country back to the era of nationalisation when individuals were forced to sell their companies or shares to the government,’ Vodacom Tanzania’s head of legal and regulatory affairs, Mr Godwin Ngwilimi.
However, many MPs considered the bill in light of what they see as cellcos’ unfair treatment of end users and their withholding of billions to the state by way of taxes.
The new Electronic and Postal Communication Bill 2009 was presented by the Minister for Communication, Science and Technology, Prof Peter Msola, who said it would help set up a legal framework for providing comprehensive regulations for electronic communication service providers.
Once the bill enters into law, domestic telcos will be forced to offer shares to the public and will also be required to list with the DSE within three years of it entering the statute.
Vodacom Cuts Its Broadband Charges
Ermano Quartero, managing executive of Vodacom Business, has announced his firm has implemented a range of broadband price cuts which will see business clients pay, on average, 50% less for broadband usage, BusinessDay reports.Quartero said that the cut had been made possible by ‘increasing competition between undersea cable providers, which in turn creates a sustainable competitive international bandwidth market in South Africa.’ SEACOM, a 15,000km, 1.28Tbps cable system connecting South Africa with Europe and Asia, launched operations, pledging to reduce bandwidth charges across Africa.
The cable partially liberated the South African market, which had previously relied on a single submarine cable, the Telkom-controlled SAT-3, to provide the bulk of international traffic. On 20 November 2009 SEACOM expressed its disappointment in a lack of take-up in South Africa, stating that incumbent operators would need to take the lead and drop prices to see broadband expansion in the country.
However, Quartero claims that today’s cuts could spur on a spate of price reductions nationwide, saying: ‘This cut is absolutely permanent: the price can never come up, because the pressures are just too extreme.’
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Orange Kenya Ends Year With 1.2 Million Users
The company plans to spend between KES10 billion and KES16 billion in 2010, with the introduction of a mobile banking product and possible entry into the country’s 3G market on the firm’s agenda.
Telkom is currently trialling 3G services across parts of its network, but the country’s USD25 million licensing fee could prove prohibitive to a commercial rollout.
Artel Dishes UTL For Rwanda Government Network
State-owned ISP New Artel Rwanda has said that it will now deliver high speed internet access from SEACOM’s fibre-optic cable through the national backbone, local daily The New Times reports. The company had in November planned to land the submarine cable through Uganda Telecom's (UTL’s) Point of Presence (PoP) Rwandatel that month.
However, officials have since discovered that incumbent telco Rwandatel does not have the capability of delivering the 155Mbps capacity. ‘In order to have a more reliable connectivity, the capacity will be delivered through the national fibre-optic backbone by UTL from Gatuna to Kigali,’ commented Francis Karemera, CEO of New Artel.
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB)-ICT expects to deliver the national backbone to the Gatuna border by the end of February to route the data to Kigali. New Artel plans to provide 155Mbps to the Kigali Metropolitan Network to connect government ministries, universities and districts. The network aims to connect 97 government agencies in Kigali and 226 in the districts, linking 36 main nodes nationwide.
However, officials have since discovered that incumbent telco Rwandatel does not have the capability of delivering the 155Mbps capacity. ‘In order to have a more reliable connectivity, the capacity will be delivered through the national fibre-optic backbone by UTL from Gatuna to Kigali,’ commented Francis Karemera, CEO of New Artel.
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB)-ICT expects to deliver the national backbone to the Gatuna border by the end of February to route the data to Kigali. New Artel plans to provide 155Mbps to the Kigali Metropolitan Network to connect government ministries, universities and districts. The network aims to connect 97 government agencies in Kigali and 226 in the districts, linking 36 main nodes nationwide.
Cell C Inks USD378m Contract With ZTE
Under the USD378 million contract ZTE will provide Cell C with GSM-based equipment while supporting the cellco’s ongoing network expansion.
Cell C is planning to invest heavily in its networks over the next twelve months, spending a total of ZAR5 billion (USD659.98 million) on network upgrades, including the deployment of a 3.5G HSPA+ network.
Somalia's Hormuud Telecom Orders Harris Stratex radios
Wireless network solutions provider Harris Stratex Networks has announced that Somali telecoms operator Hormuud Telecom has placed an order for 100 of its high capacity Eclipse radios to extend its microwave backbone.
The new deployment forms part of a long standing relationship between the two companies; Harris has already installed over 200 Eclipse series radios for Hormuud. ‘We are happy to sign this expansion agreement with Harris Stratex Networks, and we are looking forward to building upon our existing relationship,’ noted N. Olo, Hormuud Telecom's chief procurement officer, adding, ‘We work well with the regional team of Harris Stratex Networks in Nairobi, and find their service and support capabilities a crucial aspect of partnership and operational success.’
Hormuud Telecom was founded in 1992 and today provides fixed and mobile telephony, as well as data services in Southern and Central Somalia.
The new deployment forms part of a long standing relationship between the two companies; Harris has already installed over 200 Eclipse series radios for Hormuud. ‘We are happy to sign this expansion agreement with Harris Stratex Networks, and we are looking forward to building upon our existing relationship,’ noted N. Olo, Hormuud Telecom's chief procurement officer, adding, ‘We work well with the regional team of Harris Stratex Networks in Nairobi, and find their service and support capabilities a crucial aspect of partnership and operational success.’
Hormuud Telecom was founded in 1992 and today provides fixed and mobile telephony, as well as data services in Southern and Central Somalia.
Neotel Plans Individual Fixed Line Number Portability
South African second network operator (SNO) Neotel has announced plans to implement individual fixed line number portability in April 2010.
Angus Hay, executive head of technology at Neotel, said: ‘The porting of numbers in blocks of 10,000 or 1,000 has been available for some months now. Unfortunately that excluded many businesses, as it is only relevant to very large corporations. We are already testing 100 block porting, and as of April will be able to do 100 block and individual porting for any customer.’
Neotel believes that the introduction of individual number porting will increase competition in the sector, challenging fixed line incumbent Telkom South Africa’s dominant market position. Hay added: ‘This is what South Africans have been waiting for, the ability to port their individual fixed line telephone numbers. This truly puts consumers in charge of their own destiny when it comes to service providers.’
Angus Hay, executive head of technology at Neotel, said: ‘The porting of numbers in blocks of 10,000 or 1,000 has been available for some months now. Unfortunately that excluded many businesses, as it is only relevant to very large corporations. We are already testing 100 block porting, and as of April will be able to do 100 block and individual porting for any customer.’
Neotel believes that the introduction of individual number porting will increase competition in the sector, challenging fixed line incumbent Telkom South Africa’s dominant market position. Hay added: ‘This is what South Africans have been waiting for, the ability to port their individual fixed line telephone numbers. This truly puts consumers in charge of their own destiny when it comes to service providers.’
Tigo Ghana Sells 750 Towers To Helios
Additionally, Tigo Ghana and Helios Towers have entered into a long term leasing agreement where Helios Towers will provide Tigo Ghana with wireless communications towers, including a build-to-suit agreement to support the company's wireless networks. Helios Towers will seek similar agreements with other operators in Ghana. The transaction is expected to create savings in both capital and operating expenditure for Tigo Ghana.
Mikael Grahne, President and CEO of Millicom, said: "This agreement marks our first substantial commitment to outsourcing passive infrastructure, and is entirely consistent with our strategy of improving both our capital and operating efficiency by focusing on our core activities. Operators around the world are increasingly recognising that owning and operating all of their own network infrastructure does not confer a competitive advantage. The new venture will allow Tigo Ghana to focus on areas of genuine differentiation: sales, marketing, distribution, service innovation and customer care."
The specific number of towers and final purchase price will be determined at closing. First closing of the transaction, subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to take place in approximately 90 days.
Egypt Mulls Over 4th Mobile Licence
Eygpt may consider offering a fourth mobile operator licence, reports the Reuters news agency, citing the local al-Mal newspaper. The tender for the license is being a Damoclean Sword being held over the incumbent operators if they do not adapt recent rulings on the tariffs they charge to customers.
"There are no obstacles to issuing a fourth mobile licence in Egypt ... but offering the licence will mainly depend on market demand in the coming period," the paper quoted Amr Badawi, head of the National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (NTRA), as saying.
The newspaper added that the operators have objected to recent pricing policies issued by the regulator.
"Before setting these rules and regulations, we sent queries and surveys to the mobile operators but we received no replies from the companies ... (They) have the right to approach the administrative court to object about the authority's decisions," Al Mal quoted Badawi as saying.
Egypt currently had three operators, and based on figures from the Mobile World analysts, their market shares are: Mobinil (45.2%), Vodafone (42.6%) and Etisalat Misr (12.2%). The country has a population penetration level of 62%.
The regulator is already planning to issue two fixed line licenses aimed at triple-play operators outside the capital, Cairo.
"There are no obstacles to issuing a fourth mobile licence in Egypt ... but offering the licence will mainly depend on market demand in the coming period," the paper quoted Amr Badawi, head of the National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (NTRA), as saying.
The newspaper added that the operators have objected to recent pricing policies issued by the regulator.
"Before setting these rules and regulations, we sent queries and surveys to the mobile operators but we received no replies from the companies ... (They) have the right to approach the administrative court to object about the authority's decisions," Al Mal quoted Badawi as saying.
Egypt currently had three operators, and based on figures from the Mobile World analysts, their market shares are: Mobinil (45.2%), Vodafone (42.6%) and Etisalat Misr (12.2%). The country has a population penetration level of 62%.
The regulator is already planning to issue two fixed line licenses aimed at triple-play operators outside the capital, Cairo.
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