Telecoms news Africa
Airtel Africa Coughs Up $40-Million for New Kenyan Spectrum
Sourced from Comms MEA Airtel Africa, one of the continent’s largest telecommunications groups with a presence in 14 countries, today announces that its Kenya subsidiary, Airtel Kenya, has concluded its purchase of additional spectrum in the country. According to the announcement Airtel Kenya has purchased 60 MHz of additional spectrum in the 2600 MHz band from the Communications Authority of Kenya, for a gross consideration of $40-million. The current spectrum license is valid from July 2022 for a period of 15 years. “This additional spectrum will support our 4G network capacity expansion in the market for both mobile data and fixed wireless home broadband capability, and will allow for future 5G rollout, providing significant capacity to accommodate our continued strong data growth in th...
Vodacom to Invest $58-Million into Rural KZN, South Africa- The Details
Image sourced from SABC News. South African telecommunications group Vodacom said on Thursday that it is seeking to invest R1-billion, or around $58.2-million, into improving its mobile network in the country’s eastern coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). In a statement seen by Developing Telecoms, Vodacom KZN managing executive Imran Khan detailed the planned billion rand investment and that it would include the deployment of more infrastructure sites and upgrades to existing networks in the area all in an effort to increase reliable connectivity in KZN’s deepest rural regions. “This significant investment into the region’s mobile network drives our goal of building an inclusive, digital society,” said Khan via the announcement. Vodacom is planning to inject $26-million of the total i...
The 15 African Countries with the Most Expensive Data
Image sourced from Iberdrola.com. Countries in Africa generally have some of the most expensive mobile data in the world due to several factors, including the unavailability of telecoms infrastructure and high taxation in the African telecom industry by governments. Many telecom firms may hold key monopolies and simply charge more for data because they can. In 2020, the median price for 1 GB of mobile data in Africa was more than $5 while the price per gig in the European Union (EU) was closer to $3.5 per gig, and while data is getting cheaper, there are still many countries in Africa with incredibly high mobile data prices. Increasing access to the internet is a key target for many developing nations as it promotes access to education and access to financial services, among other benefits...
Zanzibar to Be Fully Covered by Balloon-Driven Mobile Internet – Is Kenya Next?
World Mobile’s balloon-driven hybrid mobile network solution. Image sourced from CityAM. World Mobile, a London, UK-based mobile network provider, is launching a unique hybrid mobile network supported by low altitude platform balloons in Zanzibar, as it plans to roll out its innovative service providing reliable mobile internet to more people at a lower cost throughout the African continent. World Mobile’s balloons will be the first to officially launch in Africa for commercial use, providing a more cost-effective way to provide digital connection to people compared to rolling out legacy internet infrastructure. The remotely controlled aerostat balloons are powered by solar panels, inflated by helium and tethered to the ground. Once airborne, they act as floating cellular base statio...
Paratus Connects East Angola to the Rest of the World
Henriques Manuel (left) – Director of the Office of Administrative Modernization of Luena. Internet Technologies Angola (ITA), part of the Paratus Group, launched its first broadband internet service in Moxico, Angola’s largest province in the east of the country. The new service is a significant intervention to unlock the potential for both the private and public sectors in the province, which spans 223,000 km2 and has a population of close to a million people. In line with the ITA/Paratus strategy to expand its quality network coverage, this new connectivity further consolidates the company’s commitment to the Government’s national telecommunications strategy to deliver inclusive fibre and digital services across Angola. Covering more than 1,000 kilometres, the new link begins in L...
MTN Rwanda Taps Ericsson to Deploy New Operations Centre
Sourced from TheTechieGuy (https://thetechieguy.com/) MTN Rwanda has selected its longtime partner, Ericsson, to deploy a Network Operations Centre (NOC). The five-year contract will support MTN Rwanda to focus on enhancing consumer experience through Ericsson’s Managed Services solution that will deliver an automation-driven Information Technology (IT) operation. Ericsson will provide NOC for a range of MTN Rwanda’s applications and the corresponding IT Infrastructure to support critical business segments and enhance operational efficiency. The new agreement is an important milestone in MTN Rwanda’s modernisation and digital transformation journey, the company says. Through the NOC, MTN Rwanda’s Network Operations Centre and the Incidents Management tools will be automated enabling furthe...
Liquid Eyes Africa’s Largest Tech Markets After $250-Million Boost from IFC
Strive Masiyiwa, Liquid Intelligent Technologies Executive Chairman and Founder with Makhtar Diop, IFC’s Managing Director. The World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) has announced a new partnership with South African tech group Liquid Intelligent Technologies (Liquid) to expand data center capacity and the rollout of fiber-optic cable across the continent. IFC’s equity and debt investments in Liquid, which to date total approximately $250-million, will support the company to grow its hyperscale data center capacity in Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa through its subsidiary, Africa Data Centres. The partnership with Liquid, one of Africa’s leading independent fiber and digital services providers, aims “to increase digital connectivity and inclusion in Africa and ...
Paratus & MTN Namibia Sign Country’s First Roaming Agreement
(L to R) MTN MD Elia Tsouros and Paratus Namibia MD Andrew Hall. Paratus Namibia and MTN Namibia announce that they have signed a national roaming agreement, a first of its kind in the Southern African country. The agreement signals that Paratus and MTN customers throughout the country will benefit from the integration of two networks to deliver better and increased national coverage for all. By collaborating, this agreement allows both Paratus and MTN Namibia to expand their own networks and neither operator needs to duplicate mobile coverage in certain areas of the country. This infrastructure sharing deal marks a milestone in Namibian telecommunications history because the cooperation between two operators will provide not only a better mobile LTE service to customers but also a very at...
Liquid Connects East & West Africa with Brand New Fibre Cable Route
Image sourced from The Zimbabwe Mail. Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a leading pan-African telecommunications technology group has announced the launch of its shortest terrestrial fibre route between the East to the West coasts of Africa, connecting Mombasa, Kenya to Muanda, DRC. With the completion of this route, Liquid establishes a new global internet transit route between Asia and the USA through Africa, avoiding high-risk bottlenecks in the Middle East and Europe. Liquid hopes the new route will serve the tens of millions of people in Africa’s landlocked cities, towns, and villages. “Access to high-speed connectivity is vital to ensuring that organisations on the continent can continue their digital transformation journeys to remain relevant and be part of this growing digital econo...
MTN Announces 5G Roll Out Date in Ghana
Sourced from TheTechieGuy (https://thetechieguy.com/) The Ghanaian arm of the largest telecom company in Africa has announced its intentions to launch and make operational 5G services in the West African country by 2023. This comes as MTN has yet to fully cover Ghana with its 4G spectrum, but projects to gain 98% 4G coverage by the end of 2022. Currently, MTN’s 4G coverage has reached 73% of the country. ModernGhana reports that the company revealed that it is modernizing its infrastructure and working with regulators towards 5G and that it will seek to have 5G mobile connectivity operating in Ghana by 2023. MTN Ghana addresses a cross-section of journalists during its Editor’s Forum. Image sourced from ModernGhana.com. According to the CEO of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh, who made the annou...
