Tunisie Telecom Delivers BlackBerry into Tunisian Market

Tunisian mobile network operator, Tunisie Telecom has announced the commercial launch of the BlackBerry solution in the country - with the system being supplied by Alcatel-Lucent. Based on its distribution agreement with RIM, Alcatel-Lucent will leverage its local presence in the region to provide Tunisie Telecom the end-to-end implementation, launch, and on-going support for delivering the BlackBerry solution to the Tunisian market.

“As the historical operator in Tunisia, our commitment is to efficiently meet the market demand and provide our professional customer with best of class communications solutions”, said Montassar Ouaili, CEO, Tunisie Telecom. “We are pleased to offer the BlackBerry smartphones - an innovative and revolutionary solution already used by millions of subscribers worldwide.”

“This agreement strengthens Alcatel-Lucent’s leading position worldwide and in the region,” said Vincenzo Nesci, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s activities in the Middle East & Africa. “Tunisie Telecom will expand their business opportunity and enable their customers to benefit from the high flexibility offered by BlackBerry smartphones for staying connected any time and everywhere.”

Figures from the Mobile World tracker show that Tunisie Telecom ended last year with around 4.3 million customers - and an almost exactly 50:50 market share with rival, Orascom Telecom Tunisie

Zimbabwe Orders Cuts in Phone Rates

Zimbabwe’s telecommunications regulator has revised telephone tariffs downwards by up to 40 percent in a move meant to make communication affordable for ordinary Zimbabweans, APA learns here Saturday.

The Posts and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) ordered service providers to slash telephone tariffs by between 25 and 40 percent pending the completion of an ongoing review of the charges.

The review is intended to balance the affordability of services by consumers and the viability of operators.

The move by POTRAZ comes after a massive hike in Zimbabwean telephone charges since January when service providers were first allowed to charge in foreign currency.

The average tariff before the latest POTRAZ order was 30 US cents per minute.

Zimbabwe has four telephone companies, three of which provide mobile telephone services.

The POTRAZ would see telephone tariffs declining to an average 20 US cents per minute.

XOF 29 Billion Raised from Onatel IPO

Burkina Faso has raised XOF 29 billion from the sale of 20 percent of telecoms operator Onatel through an initial public offering of shares. The shares in Onatel, which is 51 percent owned by 

Maroc Telecom, will be listed on the West Africa franc zone regional BRVM bourse based in neighbouring Ivory Coast by 1 May, Alexis Lourgo, MD of lead manager SBIF, told Reuters. 

Investors in Onatel include Burkinabe individuals and companies, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank.

The Burkinabe state is the biggest shareholder in the firm, retaining 20 percent after Maroc Telecom. 

MegaTech Invest US$500m to Begin CDMA Rollout

Nigerian telecom operator, MegaTech Networks says that it plans to invest at least US$500 million to roll out a CDMA based network across 23 of the country's 36 states. The company was recently granted a Unified Access Licence from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which includes support for 3G services.

The company has already signed a US$100 million contract with China's ZTE for network infrastructure supplies. Services are expected to be launched before the middle of this year.

Chairman of the company, Alhaji Aliyu Abubakar said at a recent press conference that the company is seeking an outside investor to assist in financing the national network rollout

MTN Cote d'Ivoire Obtains Finance for Expansion

Citibank has announced the successful closure and signing of a XOF 76.1 billion (US$150 million) financing in favor of MTN Cote d'Ivoire. The bank noted that this is the largest locally raised XOF syndicated term loan facility for an Ivorian corporate borrower.

MTN borrowed the money to finance the capital expenditure requirements of its network rollout and for the consolidation of its existing debt.

The facility, which was launched at XOF 60 billion (US$120 million), has been increased to XOF 76.1 billion (US$150 million) following strong oversubscription from lenders - which makes a change for the current economic climate.

"The successful closure of this loan facility is an indication of the confidence that banks have in our company," said MTN Regional Vice President, Christian De Faria. "It also reflects the confidence that both MTN Cote d'Ivoire and the financial sector have in the Ivorian economy."

"In the past, we had heavily relied on bilateral facilities from individual banks with diverse maturities, terms and conditions," he added. "Now dealing with one single syndicated loan helps us ease the burden of managing several different facilities and further provided the opportunity to redefine our relationship with partner banks."

"The transaction came at a time of significant challenges both in the local and international capital markets," Martin A. Mugambi, Director & Africa Head of Corporate Finance for Citi added, "In this challenging environment, a total of nine local banks were able to participate in this successful transaction which testifies to the strength of the local bank market".

The nine participating institutions are Citibank N.A, Bank of Africa Cote d'Ivoire, Banque Internationale pour l'Afrique de l'Ouest Cote d'Ivoire, Ecobank Cote d'Ivoire, Omnifinance, Societe Generale de Banque de Cote d'Ivoire, Societe Ivoirienne de Banque, Standard Chartered Cote d'Ivoire and United Bank of Africa Cote d'Ivoire.

SMS Tool For NGO's Has Been Developed

A new SMS based tool has been released which is aimed at NGOs and researchers working in developing countries who use mobile phones to collect data. Today many NGO field workers manually collect information, entering information into a centralised database over time – for example, when returning to headquarters. With the FrontlineForms tool a single mobile phone can be used to collect structured data while off-line. Collected data can then be sent via SMS from a mobile phone in the field to a central database where it can be aggregated, analysed and shared.

Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) conducted field-tests of FrontlineForms in Niger – a country of more than thirteen million people in which remote populations live in some of the harshest deserts in the world. “Simplicity is crucial for on-the-ground organisations using data collection and dissemination systems,” said Grégory Rebattu, Niger Representative for TSF. Rebattu continued, “We see a real potential for FrontlineForms to collect important health indicators and monitor cases in remote areas.”

FrontlineForms is an enhancement to FrontlineSMS – kiwanja’s free, multi-use text messaging platform which has helped NGOs in more than forty countries use text messaging to deliver a range of humanitarian and development initiatives. Masabi – a developer of secure mobile applications – built FrontlineSMS and FrontlineForms. Students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology validated the new SMS tool’s architecture with the needs of isolated communities in mind.

“Technologies that advance social change in the developing world will continue to centre on mobile applications and rural community realities,” said Ken Banks, kiwanja.net Founder. Banks explained, “In this sense the potential for FrontlineForms will be fully realised once it gets into the hands of individuals who can and will use the tool to revolutionise ways NGO’s advance rural development initiatives.”

Orange Begins Uganda Operations

Orange has launched mobile telecommunications services in Uganda. The company said its GSM network will be further expanded, not only in terms of coverage but also in terms of services and technologies. 3G broadband services will also be offered in the next few months, following the planned upgrade of the network.

With this launch, Uganda becomes the 15th African country in Orange's international footprint and joins a worldwide community of 123 million Orange customers. Uganda has a mobile penetration rate of less than 27 percent, and four other mobile network operators are already active in the country.

The launch of operations by Orange Uganda follows the acquisition by France Telecom of a 53 percent stake in Hits Telecom Uganda in October 2008. Orange's service offering in Uganda includes a unique national flat rate per second or per minute, a range of international tariffs and an exclusive call-back service. Orange Customer Service will be available from a toll-free hotline 24/7 to answer any queries, provide information or give technical assistance. Orange will use the 079 number prefix and charge UGX 8 per second for on-net calls and UGX 310 per minute to other local networks.

Orange Uganda director Abu Mukasa said SMS to local networks and Orange Kenya will cost UGX 90 and UGX 220 for other international destinations. Orange has signed an agreement with Warid Telecom to share 300 sites. Under the arrangement, the company will build 150 sites and share Warid's 150 sites already in place. 

Five Years for Two Phone Thieves in Ghana

­Two Ghanaians have been sentenced to five years in jail - with hard labour - after being convicted of being members of a mobile phone snatching syndicate operating in the country's second-city, Kumasi. Kwame Anokye and Yaw Nkansah pleaded guilty to conspiracy and stealing and were convicted on their own plea. A third man is still evading arrest.

The three men were suspected after being in the same taxi as a woman who lost her phone. When the police were alerted, they tried to escape, but one was arrested on the scene, while the other was picked up later.

The two men who have just been sentenced are facing a charge of robbery in another case pending before the court.

Nigeria Mobile Users Up by 55.9%, Hit 63m mark

Nigeria's mobile subscriber base reached 62.99 million at the end of 2008, up 55.9 percent annually. The country's regulator, the NCC said on a quarterly basis, net additions stood at 7.15 million, only just short of the national record of 7.38 million, set in Q2 2008.

According to the regulator, market leader MTN had 23.08 million customers at the end of the year, after having seen a quarterly increase of 2.91 million. In second place, Zain had just under 17.2 million customers. It overtook Glo Mobile in the third quarter last year, due to the latter's loss of customers. In the fourth quarter, Zain posted a net gain of 1.29 million customers, more than double Glo's additions of 0.63 million. At the end of the year, Glo had just over 16 million customers.

With 2.21 million customers at the end of the year, Visafone was the largest CDMA operator in the country and the fourth largest network operator overall. It added 0.98 million customers in the quarter, only its fourth of commercial mobile service.

Meanwhile, Multi-Links added 0.51 million to finish at 1.99 million customers, Starcomms gained 0.36 million to 1.16 million and Reliance added 0.07 million to finish on 0.70 million in its second quarter of operation. The CDMA sector totals 6.05 million customers. The country also counted another 1.31 million fixed wireless lines. 

Zain "Acquires 31% of Morocco's Wana"

Middle East and Africa mobile operator has acquired 31% of Morocco's Wana Corporate.  La Vie Eco quoting a reliable source says there has been an exchange of shares between Zain and the Wana share holders, 51% shareholder Ona and INS that has been with a 49% stake.

The report says it is not clear what stake either of the current shareholders have surrendered in the deal.

MTN Launches New Switch for Southern Sudan

MTN Sudan has inaugurated a new Mobile Switching Center (MSC) that will serve MTN’s network in the Southern Sudan region. The network currently covers five cities in the region and is expanding its network to five more this year.

Chief Executive Officer for MTN Sudan, Mr. Hassan Jabber told the Sudan Tribune: "The development of Sudan in general and more specifically Southern Sudan telecom is of paramount importance to MTN. MTN is committed to extend its network coverage to provide the South Sudan consumer to cellular communication access, exciting offers for best value for money and telecom affordability,"

He said MTN is also implementing community development programs to promote economic development for the people of Southern Sudan. "Our role as a corporate citizen towards Corporate Social Responsibility is to provide programs to uplift and empower communities as well as promote positive engagement with the government", he added.

Figures from the Mobile World report that Sudan ended last September with an estimated 9.5 million mobile subscribers - representing a population penetration level of just under 22%. Last April, Zain launched a GSM network in Southern Sudan, having deployed 50 base stations in the main urban areas. Another network Vivacell launched earlier this year.

Southern Sudan is an autonomous region intermediate between the states and the national government. Southern Sudan is scheduled to have a referendum on independence in 2011.

Vodacom to List on JSE as Vodafone Stake Increases

South African mobile operator Vodacom will be listed on the Johannesburg stock exchange on 5 May after joint-owner Telkom distributes a 35 percent stake to shareholders. Telkom is selling its remaining 15 percent stake in Vodacom to Vodafone, increasing Vodafone's interest in the company to 65 percent.

The transactions are subject to various conditions, including the approval of shareholders of Telkom at its general meeting on 26 March. Vodacom issued a pre-listing statement, saying the JSE had agreed to it listing on 5 May and that Telkom would distribute its remaining stake to shareholders as expected. Telkom confirmed it would pay a ZAR 19 per share special dividend to its shareholders.

Vodacom anticipates a dividend payout ratio of about 40 percent of headline earnings for the year ended 31 March 2010. Dividends will be paid semi-annually with the first dividend payable for the first half of 2010.

As Vodacom is to become a public company, there will be changes in the board of directors to ensure an experienced and well-balanced board. The board will consist of thirteen directors of which ten will be non-executive and four of those independent non-executive directors.

Millicom COO Becomes New CEO

Luxembourg based telecoms holding firm, Millicom International has announced that Marc Beuls is stepping down as the firm's CEO - and is to be replace by Mikael Grahne, currently Millicom's Chief Operating Officer.  Millicom operates under the Tigo brand in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Millicom Chairman, Daniel Johannesson, said: “As the Company moves into a new phase the Board believes that our focus on operational excellence should be driven from the top. Mikael Grahne has the experience, personality and qualifications necessary for this new challenge.”

Mikael Grahne commented: “I am delighted to succeed Marc Beuls as Chief Executive. Although I take on this role in a challenging economic climate, I look forward to leading our talented and experienced management team and building on Millicom’s success.

Millicom Chairman, Daniel Johannesson added: “I know that I speak not only for the Board, but for everyone at Millicom, when I thank Marc Beuls for his leadership and substantial contribution over the last 11 years as Chief Executive. He has been responsible for leading the Company through a period of extremely high growth to create the force that Millicom is today in emerging markets. We wish him every success in his future career.”

Marc Beuls commented: “My period as Chief Executive of Millicom has been both enjoyable and immensely fulfilling. I have worked closely with Mikael and I wish him well as he now takes the helm.”

Mikael Grahne (born 1953) joined Millicom in February 2002 as the Chief Operating Officer, having previously been President of Seagram Latin America. Prior to joining Seagram, he was the regional president of a division of the EMEA region at PepsiCo and held various senior management positions with Procter & Gamble. Mr Grahne has an MBA from the Swedish School of Economics in Helsinki, Finland.

Uganda Prepares Phone-Tapping Bill

Uganda’s Minister for Security Mr. John Amama Mbabazi on Monday presented a bill on regulation of interception of communications to the Parliamentary Committee on Information and Communication Technology.

The bill gives powers to the Minister of Security to authorize interception of communication which may be suspected to be a threat to national security or perpetuating crime.

Mbabazi who is also a Member of Parliament told the committee that the interception is specific in nature only targeting communication that is suspected to be involving crime. Legislators were however sceptical that it would invade individual privacy

The minister illustrated with an example of what happened in the United States of America where terrorists sent powder infected with anthrax in envelopes through the post office to various recipients, adding that the US government had to intercept this communication to fight the threat of infecting the public.

He assured the legislators that private communication would not be affected by the proposed bill’s provisions and nor will it gag media freedom.

Some members however argued that the bill might seek to place too much powers in the hands of the Security Minister

Maroc Telecom Wins Mali's Sotelma Bid

Maroc Telecom has agreed to acquire 51 percent of the Mali national operator Sotelma from the local government. The Mali government declared the Moroccan operator the provisional winner of the auction, reports news agency APA, citing a statement from Maroc Telecom.

Maroc Telecom reportedly offered EUR 252 million for the controlling stake in Sotelmea, beating offers from Sudatel and Portugal Telecom. The Mali government will maintain a 20 percent stake in Sotelma. 

Zain Annual Profits up 6 percent to USD 1.2billion

Middle East and Africa mobile operator Zain reported a net profit of USD 1.2 billion for 2008, a 6 percent increase over the previous year. Zain, which is present in 22 countries, recorded revenue of USD 7.44 billion, an increase of 26 percent compared to 2007, while EBITDA increased 15 percent to reach USD 2.78 billion.

Year-on-year customer growth across the two continents in which Zain operates was 50 percent, with the Zain Group serving 63.54 million active customers at 31 December 2008. The Kuwait-based company has recommended a cash dividend of KWD 0.50 per share. During the year Zain committed over USD 3 billion to network upgrades and expansion, primarily in growing markets such as Ghana, Iraq, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.

This is expected to contribute to a further 30 percent increase in many of its financial indicators in 2009. The company raised USD 4.49 billion in September 2008 in a share issue, which will support further expansion. Zain has recently paid back a Murahaba facility of USD 1.2 billion as well as the first installment of USD 525 million for the purchase of Iraqna and several other financial obligations.

The company noted that profit growth was limited last year due to higher borrowing rates in the second half of the year and an adverse USD 138 million currency exchange cost, predominantly in Africa. Zain said it views the world financial crisis as an opportunity to make further acquisitions, given valuations of many prime telecom assets are considerably lower than they were six months ago, and the company is actively pursuing such prospects.

Zain will also adapt its strategy to use share swaps and minority stakes if acquisition opportunities are attractive