Mobile and Telecoms
Paratus and Telecom Namibia to Land Subsea Cable in Namibia
Telecom Namibia CEO, Stanley Shanapinda and Paratus Group CEO Barney Harmse Paratus and Telecom Namibia have agreed to land subsea cable, Equiano, in Namibia. This move is expected to provide Namibian networks with greater capacity, stimulate economic growth and support a competitive telecommunication sector. “This is a major milestone for Paratus,” says Paratus Group CEO, Barney Harmse. “We are honoured to be co-investing with Telecom Namibia on the Equiano subsea cable project because this matches our goals of delivering unlimited connectivity and building Africa’s quality network with all the Internet capacity it needs.” In 2019, Google first announced its subsea cable project would connect Africa with Europe, running along the west coast of Africa, between Portugal and South Africa. Th...
Starlink Internet Service Available for Pre-Order in South Africa
Satellite internet service, Starlink is now available for pre-order in South Africa. The SpaceX subsidiary is offering a limited number of subscribers the chance to experience its high-speed, low-latency broadband beta service – said to be suited for areas where connectivity has been unreliable or completely unavailable. Starlink uses satellites that are over 60 times closer to Earth than traditional satellites, resulting in lower latency (the time it takes to send data from one point to the next) and the ability to support services typically not possible with traditional satellite internet. According to the company, during the beta phase, users can expect to see data speeds vary from 50Mb/s to 150Mb/s and latency from 20ms to 40ms in most locations over the next several months. There will...
MTN to Sell R1,8 Billion Stake in Belgian Telco, BICS
Sourced from Business Tech MTN Group has announced its plans to sell its 20% stake in Belgacom International Carrier Services SA (BICS) to Proximus NV/SA for approximately R1,8 billion. The telco is expected to use this to pay down US dollar debt. BICS was classified as a non-current asset held for sale and this transaction has resulted in a remeasurement of its carrying value resulting in a reduction of R397 million for the year ended 31 December 2020. According to MTN, it will record a profit on disposal amounting to approximately R1,2 billion during the first half of 2021. The closing of the sale is dependent on customary regulatory approval. MTN Launches Supersonic AirFibre in South Africa MTN has launched its Supersonic AirFibre offering in South Africa. The product is said to overcom...
Telkom Introduces Unlimited Voice Plans for South African Businesses
Telkom has introduced an unlimited voice plan offer for small businesses in South Africa. This product is expected to allow subscribers to save up to 30% on calls for just R199 per month. “Through the unlimited voice calls product, we are subsidising the Small & Medium Business customers who have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is aimed at helping small businesses to get back up on their feet by reducing their operational costs. Voice calling is a critical inout into an SME’s business operation,” says Dumisani Bengu, CCO at Telkom Business. “The price point is set at R199, which we believe many small businesses will be able to afford in order to gain access to unlimited voice calls every month,” he adds. The offer will be available until the end of July 2021 but due...
Airtel Africa to Sell Stake in Airtel Money
Sourced from Comms MEA Airtel Africa has revealed its plans to raise cash by selling a minority stake in Airtel Money – its mobile financial platform. According to Business Daily, this move is part of the company’s strategy to sell some assets. “We are actively pursuing the sale of the remaining owned tower sites that sit across several of our operating countries and the group is in discussions with various potential investors in relation to possible minority investments into Airtel Money,” reads a trading update from the telco. “Discussions are ongoing between the parties and there can be no certainty that a transaction will be concluded or as to the final terms of any transaction.” Airtel did not disclose the amount it expects to raise. However, its revenues reached $291 million across i...
OPPO Partners with MTN to Offer Affordable Range of Devices
OPPO has joined forces with MTN South Africa to introduce the A15 and A53s devices. This collaboration is said to make state-of-the-art technology available at more affordable rates. Here’s a closer look at the OPPO A15 and A53s devices: OPPO A15 OPPO A53s Screen Size and resolution 16.52” with 1600 x 720p HD+ 6.5” with 1600 x 720p resolution Camera 13MP Main Camera 13MP Triple Rear Main Camera Storage 2GB + 32GB 4GB + 128GB Operating System ColorOS 7.2 based on Android 10 ColorOS 7.2 based on Android 10 Colour Dynamic Black, Mystery Blue Electric Black, Fancy Blue Processor MediaTek Helio P35 Processor Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon “Having OPPO’s high-end and superbly crafted handsets available at MTN stores offers our customers a wider selection of affordable devices th...
Telkom Group Appoints New CFO
Telkom has announced the appointment of Dirk Reyneke as Chief Financial Officer – to be taken on with immediate effect. He succeeds Tsholofelo Molefe who has resigned to join MTN Group. According to TechCentral, Reyneke was previously CFO of Telkom’s wholesale division, Openserve, and before that, he was CFO of its property business, Gyro. He was also a director of finance and operations at ABSA. The company has also announced changes to its board which include naming Kholeka Mzondeki as the chair of its social and ethics committee, Fagmeedah Petersen-Cook to a member of the nominations committee and Keith Rayner to the investment and transactions committee. Airtel Africa and Telkom Under Investigation by the Communications Authority of Kenya Airtel Africa and Telkom have been placed under...
Top 5 Telephony Trends to Expect in 2021
2020 highlighted the importance of secure, reliable communications networks. Following a revealing year that made digital communication channels and remote working the norm, there are a few tech trends that are likely to play out over the foreseeable future. With this in mind, Nic Laschinger, CTO of Euphoria Telecom, has shared five telephony trends to expect in 2021: 1. Farewell to the landline As the world embraces digital communication systems, the traditional landline is being left behind. Telkom’s recent discontinuation of its copper line-based ADSL service is yet another strong indicator that South Africa is moving more towards higher bandwidth, more reliable connectivity solutions. In South Africa, between 20 and 22 million people in South Africa use smartphones. And an ever-increas...
Airtel Africa Renews Spectrum License in Nigeria
Sourced from Comms MEA Airtel Africa has paid N71.6 billion to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to renew its 900 and 1800 MHZ spectrum licence for the next 10 years. Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Africa, Raghunath Mandava says that their current license was due to expire at the end of November 2021. He goes on to say that the Nigerian market is the “largest market and we remain focused on bridging the digital divide and expanding our broadband capability in the country.” “On behalf of Airtel Nigeria and the Group, I would like to thank both the government of Nigeria and the NCC for their cooperation and support in this important process.” The new license is expected to remain vaild until 30 November 2031. Nokia and Airtel Partner to Lay 5G Foundations in Kenya Nokia and Air...
