Mobile and Telecoms
Telkom SA Cuts 1GB Data Prices & Launches New 1.5GB Bundle
South Africa’s semi-private telecommunications firm Telkom has cut the price of its 1GB + 1GB All networks data bundle to R79,00 from the previous price of R99. The telco has also announced the introduction of a new 1,5GB + 1,5GB All networks data bundle at R89,00. According to a statement issued by Telkom, these deals will initially only be available on the *180# USSD menu and from 20 September 2021 may be accessed on all other channels. Telkom says that its all-networks data bundles are available for purchase to all new and existing customers (Prepaid, Post-paid and Top-up or Hybrid). Users should know that, while deciding on which data allocation is best for you, the new bundles will be available as once-off or ad-hoc purchases only; no recurring purchases shall be allowed by Telkom. Th...
ITA Launches 600 KM High-Speed Fibre Link Between Angola & DRC
Internet Technologies Angola (ITA), part of the Paratus Group, announced today the launch of its high-speed fibre-optic link connecting Angola to DRC across Noqui (Angola) and Matadi (DRC). The 600-kilometre connection between Luanda and Noqui, with a capacity of up to 200 gigabits per second, will also provide internet services to municipalities along the route, including Nzeto, Tomboco and Mbanza Congo in the province of Zaire. Following substantial investment by ITA and Paratus Group, this link between Angola and DRC signals the first of many to be launched in the SADC region by the group. The fibre from Noqui will benefit DRC by providing internet services in Kinshasa, which has around 17-million. With more inter-SADC fibre connections planned in 2022, this roll-out is part of the ITA/...
5 Reasons Why 5G Makes a Real Difference
Over the last 36 months, 5G has rapidly gained mindshare in society as a vital technology. But not all stakeholders in industries adjacent to the telecom industry understand what makes 5G different from its predecessors. In this post, we describe a set of strategic choices made for previous mobile generations of which we made a single choice. 5G makes it possible to embrace both options, thereby unlocking larger opportunities earlier in the deployment cycle. Here are 5 Reasons Why 5G Makes a Real Difference: 5G is for Both Consumer and Business Users The introduction of 4G was consumer-led, with infrastructure and device technology development centred around smartphones for consumers. Businesses adopted consumer technology through a more visible, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) movement. Inte...
South Africa’s Spectrum Debacle – What is Going On?
Sourced from Business Tech Recently, MTN issued a warning that the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA)’s decision to take back the emergency temporary radio frequency spectrum it opened to the country’s telecoms in April 2020 at the onset of the pandemic would lead to a “digital load shedding” in SA. ICASA is currently planning to close off the spectrum on 30 November 2021. The authority initially released the spectrum in emergency conditions last year to meet a spike in demand for broadband services in the country stemming from the Level 5 total lockdown implemented to curb COVID-19 infections. As more people were required to work from home, more spectrum was necessary to accommodate the switch. Now, according to Jacqui O’Sullivan, MTN SA’s executive for corporate...
Vodacom SA Launches 5G in Northern Cape with ICASA’s Temporary Spectrum
Vodacom Central Region has become the first network provider to launch a 5G mobile network in Kimberly, Northern Cape province of South Africa. The new 5G network supports both mobile and fixed wireless access services. Customers of the carrier with 5G enabled devices, and within a 5G coverage area, are now able to access the new 5G network in Northern Cape province. In May 2020, Vodacom switched on South Africa’s first live 5G mobile network in three cities – Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town. This network supports both mobile and fixed wireless services and is currently available in Free State, Gauteng, Western Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu Natal provinces. To launch the 5G network in Northern Cape, Vodacom used the temporary spectrum assigned by the Independent Communications...
Top 10 Largest Telecom Companies in Africa
Sourced from the Guardian Nigeria. The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred digital transformation initiatives across Africa, but it has also affected the revenues of its largest telecommunication firms. Almost all of the companies in this list had their bottom lines affected by the global pandemic either positively or negatively, however, a key trend is clear – customer bases are growing across the board as Africa is steadily developing. These telecoms represent an important technology in the continent, the technology that enables and facilitates communication. A vital innovation for developing economies. The following list takes into account both total annual revenue and current user base/subscribers to rank the telecoms. Here are the top 10 largest Telecom companies in Africa ranked: 10. Globa...
MTN Ghana Expects to Launch 5G in the Country Next Year
Sourced from TheTechieGuy (https://thetechieguy.com/) Selorm Adavehoh, CEO of MTN Ghana, has expressed his expectations that the operator will be able to launch 5G services in the country as early as next year. This comes from recent comments that Adavehoh made at the MTN@25 Business Executive Breakfast held at the Pan-African telecommunications company’s headquarters in Ghana, reported by Techgh2. “Innovation has been a key pillar of our growth,” Adavehoh said, quoted by Developing Telecoms. “We are always trying to make sure we can be the first to launch the next technology, but not only to be the first but to actually bring that technology to the market and create value out of that technology. So 2G, 3G, 4G, and now 5G hopefully next year.” MTN Redoubles Infratructure Plans In order to ...
SA Competition Commission Approves Afrihost, Cool Ideas Merger
Image sourced from DT Architecture. South Africa’s Competition Commission, the country’s business practice watchdog, has unconditionally approved the merger of ISPs: Afrihost, and Cool Ideas. In June, Afrihost and Cool Ideas said they had concluded a deal in which Afrihost would purchase a majority stake in Cool Ideas. However, the new deal does not see Afrihost absorb Cool Ideas, instead, the companies plan to hold separate brands going into the merger. Cool Ideas is also reported to keep the same management and employees for the immediate future. “The Commission found that the proposed transaction is unlikely to result in a substantial prevention or lessening of competition in any relevant markets. The Commission further found that the proposed transaction does not raise any public inter...
Top 10 African Countries Ranked by Internet Speed in 2021
Sourced from Redbubble and iStock. Internet and connectivity speed tester Ookla last month released its global market analysis, ranking all countries in terms of fastest mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds. Countries are ranked based on their Speed Score, which incorporates a measure of each country’s total download and upload speed to rank network performance (90% of the final Speed Score is attributed to download speed and the remaining 10% to upload speed because online experiences are typically more affected by download speed). Ookla places the most emphasis on the median speeds as those represent what most mobile internet customers will experience on a day-to-day basis. Here at the top 10 African countries ranked by fixed broadband internet speeds: 10. Burkina Faso – Global Ran...
MTN Appoints New CEO of Simfy/ayoba
South Africa’s MTN Group yesterday announced the appointment of Burak Akinci as CEO of Simfy (ayoba), reporting to the MTN Group Chief Digital and Fintech Officer Serigne Dioum. Akinci will also be in charge of the company’s ayoba super app. Effective 1 September 2021, Burak joins MTN from Turkcell, a converged telecommunication and technology services provider, founded and headquartered in Turkey, where he was CEO of BiP, an instant messaging platform with millions of users across 192 countries. Burak, with over 20 years of experience in marketing, digital businesses and technologies, led the build-out of the BiP platform, which has more than 30 million users. In his new role, he will be based in Cape Town. “We are thrilled that an executive of Burak’s calibre is joining us. His appointme...
4 Fastest Mobile Internet Operators in Kenya Ranked
Internet and connectivity speed tester Ookla last month released its market analysis for Kenya, ranking the country’s fastest mobile internet operators. The analysis only takes into account top mobile operators in the country, ones which account for 3% or more of total test samples in the market in Q2 2021 – smaller providers are not tested, and thus are not included in the rankings. All operators are ranked based on their Speed Score, which incorporates a measure of each provider’s download and upload speed to rank network performance (90% of the final Speed Score is attributed to download speed and the remaining 10% to upload speed because online experiences are typically more affected by download speed). Ookla places the most emphasis on the median speeds as those represent what most mo...
4 Fastest Mobile Internet Operators in Nigeria Ranked
Internet and connectivity speed tester Ookla last month released its market analysis for Nigeria, ranking the country’s fastest mobile internet operators. The analysis only takes into account top mobile operators in the country, ones which account for 3% or more of total test samples in the market in Q2 2021 – smaller providers are not tested, and thus are not included in the rankings. All operators are ranked based on their Speed Score, which incorporates a measure of each provider’s download and upload speed to rank network performance (90% of the final Speed Score is attributed to download speed and the remaining 10% to upload speed because online experiences are typically more affected by download speed). Ookla places the most emphasis on the median speeds as those represent what most ...
