The Google Africa team has extended its Google Maps application to 29 other countries on the continent following the successful introduction of the application in South Africa and Kenya last year.
Uganda is one of the new 29 African countries where the application has been launched.
“This is a very exciting pan-African launch and we are delighted to be improving our maps functionality for Africa, helping to make information about the continent readily available,” Joe Mucheru, Google’s Regional Lead, sub Saharan Africa said.
Right now, new detailed maps of especially the major cities and towns in the 29 countries are accessible on Google Maps through any web browser or via Google Maps for mobile on data enabled handsets.
“We have seen huge interest in the product and we are collecting some interesting feedback from the users,” Rachel Payne, the country manager, Google Uganda said in an email response.
Mucheru said Google Maps isn't just searchable digitized maps helping one to find a local place, service or product, but rather it is about making information with a geographical dimension available to everyone and allowing users to update the maps and develop on top of them.
“We believe that more accurate, representative local information can greatly improve the breadth of information available about a given area and in turn can help efforts to bolster tourism and business investment in Africa," Mucheru said.
Payne said users will now be able to search up to date online maps, look up businesses, advertise for free via Google Maps local business centre, create their own maps and check locations while they are on the move.
She said Google Maps combines maps, local business search, satellite imagery, street-level search, in one unified service. In addition, Maps provide satellite imagery for the entire world at varying levels of resolution.
Payne said the service helps people find business locations and contact information all in one location, integrated on the map.
“For example, if you search for "hotel in Kampala", locations of relevant listings and phone numbers appear on the map,” Payne said. “You can also view additional information such as opening hours, types of payment accepted, and reviews. With the Local Business Centre, businesses can add their listings for free.”
Payne said the launch of the application across 29 countries followed earlier launches of Google Maps in Kenya and South Africa, as well as Google Street View in South Africa alone.
“Building on the launch of Google Earth Outreach Africa and our Google Maps training sessions....., this is a sign of progress in localising our geo products, and of further exciting things ahead,” Payne said.
“We want to show that the Internet is not just a place to find and consume information, but a place for Africans to create and contribute their own.”
The maps will offer users information on streets, addresses and local businesses and services will now be accessible via a users’ mobile phone when they are on the road or in places a user may not know. Google Maps for mobile can be downloaded for free at m.google.com/maps.
With the maps tool, users will be able to access detailed maps of a total of 32 African countries (including South Africa and Kenya where Maps is already available) and other parts of the world whilst on the go.
The application should be a hit in sub Sahara Africa in countries where the major cities and towns are crowded.
Companies can enter for free information about their business, including their address, hours of operation, phone number and photo. They can also place advertisements on Google Maps even if they don't have their own website.
Users have the option to make searches for companies with similar business in a neighbourhood, both via PC or mobile phone - and then they can access provided links and contact details to the respective services.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
EASSy fibre optic cable lands at Kenya coast
The East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) has landed in Mombasa, Kenya – bringing the construction phase of the project closer to completion.
The fibre optic cable, which was brought ashore on Monday (March 22) morning from the cable laying vessel Ile de Sein was connected directly into the landing station at Telkom Kenya’s telephone house.
It is from Telkom Kenya’s telephone house that this third undersea optic cable will interconnect with domestic and international networks.
“We witnessed the landing of both TEAMS and SEACOM cables and though both are operational stakeholders, the public is yet to experience any remarkable changes in the pricing of bandwidth as had been expected,” Samuel Poghisio, Kenya’s Information and Communication Minister said.
A press statement issued from the EASSy headquarters in Mauritius quoted Poghisio as saying that as government, they expect that when EASSy is operational, it will create a competitive environment where bandwidth prices will fall, so that service providers pass the benefit onto users.
Chris Wood, the chief executive of WIOCC, the EASSy investment vehicle said his company was delighted to be partnering with Telkom Kenya in delivering an improved online experience to consumers in Kenya to improve the country’s connectivity across the East African region and the rest of the world.
Wood said that several organizations interested in securing direct international connectivity to key internet exchanges in Europe and the US were already in discussions with WIOCC and its partners.
“We can confidently assure the stakeholders that we will be able to meet such demands in Kenya and other African countries, including landlocked countries,” Wood said. “We are happy with the progress being made on the vital construction phase of EASSy.”
He said the project continues to run as planned, with nearly 70% of the cable now laid in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
“We expect to start testing the system at the end of April 2010, in readiness for the System Ready for Service date on 30th June 2010,” Wood said.
Donald Nyakairu, the chief legal counsel, Uganda Telecom, which is a partner in the EASSy project said the cable would have landed earlier if there had been no internal interference.
“We will pass on the benefits we intended to our customers,” Nyakairu said.
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Secretary General Dr. Hamadoun Toure said the landing of EASSy was timely, as it will enhance the telecommunications development in Africa, positioning Africa at par with other developed nations.
He said he was optimistic that the internet connection costs would drastically come down, with increased competition in tandem with international trends.
“If this does not happen, then there is a big problem in regulation which must be addressed to ensure fair competition,” Toure said.
In June last year when the SEACOM fibre optic cable went live; followed later by the TEAMS cable, internet users expected a drop in prices, not to mention the super speeds that were promised, but this largely has not been the case.
Internet service prices have remained more or less the same while the speeds and efficiency have barely improved.
The director general of Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), Mr. Charles Njoroge, who was present, said that he believed that the industry would self regulate, with the consumer demand and market forces determining the price.
He however was quick to add that the commission will keenly keep an eye to ensure a level playing field, where the user will be the end benefactor.
WIOCC is the largest investor in EASSy with 30% shareholding.
WIOCC is owned by Botswana Telecommunications Corporation, DALKOM Somalia, Djibouti Telecom, Gilat Satcom Nigeria Ltd, the Government of Seychelles and the Lesotho Telecommunications Authority.
Others are ONATEL Burundi, Telkom Kenya, TDM Mozambique, U-COM Burundi, Uganda Telecom Ltd and Zantel Tanzania.
Wood said that upon commissioning, EASSy will have the highest capacity of all submarine cable systems along the east coast of Africa, with a 1.4Tbps, 2 fiber-pair configuration.
Mombasa is the fifth landing for the cable, having already landed in Sudan, Djibouti, Mozambique and South Africa.
Of the 10,000 kilometres, 4,000 kilometres of cable have been laid. Two ships are laying the cable, one going south from the Red Sea while the other is going north from South Africa.
The fibre optic cable, which was brought ashore on Monday (March 22) morning from the cable laying vessel Ile de Sein was connected directly into the landing station at Telkom Kenya’s telephone house.
It is from Telkom Kenya’s telephone house that this third undersea optic cable will interconnect with domestic and international networks.
“We witnessed the landing of both TEAMS and SEACOM cables and though both are operational stakeholders, the public is yet to experience any remarkable changes in the pricing of bandwidth as had been expected,” Samuel Poghisio, Kenya’s Information and Communication Minister said.
A press statement issued from the EASSy headquarters in Mauritius quoted Poghisio as saying that as government, they expect that when EASSy is operational, it will create a competitive environment where bandwidth prices will fall, so that service providers pass the benefit onto users.
Chris Wood, the chief executive of WIOCC, the EASSy investment vehicle said his company was delighted to be partnering with Telkom Kenya in delivering an improved online experience to consumers in Kenya to improve the country’s connectivity across the East African region and the rest of the world.
Wood said that several organizations interested in securing direct international connectivity to key internet exchanges in Europe and the US were already in discussions with WIOCC and its partners.
“We can confidently assure the stakeholders that we will be able to meet such demands in Kenya and other African countries, including landlocked countries,” Wood said. “We are happy with the progress being made on the vital construction phase of EASSy.”
He said the project continues to run as planned, with nearly 70% of the cable now laid in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
“We expect to start testing the system at the end of April 2010, in readiness for the System Ready for Service date on 30th June 2010,” Wood said.
Donald Nyakairu, the chief legal counsel, Uganda Telecom, which is a partner in the EASSy project said the cable would have landed earlier if there had been no internal interference.
“We will pass on the benefits we intended to our customers,” Nyakairu said.
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Secretary General Dr. Hamadoun Toure said the landing of EASSy was timely, as it will enhance the telecommunications development in Africa, positioning Africa at par with other developed nations.
He said he was optimistic that the internet connection costs would drastically come down, with increased competition in tandem with international trends.
“If this does not happen, then there is a big problem in regulation which must be addressed to ensure fair competition,” Toure said.
In June last year when the SEACOM fibre optic cable went live; followed later by the TEAMS cable, internet users expected a drop in prices, not to mention the super speeds that were promised, but this largely has not been the case.
Internet service prices have remained more or less the same while the speeds and efficiency have barely improved.
The director general of Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), Mr. Charles Njoroge, who was present, said that he believed that the industry would self regulate, with the consumer demand and market forces determining the price.
He however was quick to add that the commission will keenly keep an eye to ensure a level playing field, where the user will be the end benefactor.
WIOCC is the largest investor in EASSy with 30% shareholding.
WIOCC is owned by Botswana Telecommunications Corporation, DALKOM Somalia, Djibouti Telecom, Gilat Satcom Nigeria Ltd, the Government of Seychelles and the Lesotho Telecommunications Authority.
Others are ONATEL Burundi, Telkom Kenya, TDM Mozambique, U-COM Burundi, Uganda Telecom Ltd and Zantel Tanzania.
Wood said that upon commissioning, EASSy will have the highest capacity of all submarine cable systems along the east coast of Africa, with a 1.4Tbps, 2 fiber-pair configuration.
Mombasa is the fifth landing for the cable, having already landed in Sudan, Djibouti, Mozambique and South Africa.
Of the 10,000 kilometres, 4,000 kilometres of cable have been laid. Two ships are laying the cable, one going south from the Red Sea while the other is going north from South Africa.
World Bank, Nokia to fund mobile innovators in Africa
The World Bank in partnership with mobile handset maker Nokia is set to fund the establishment of mobile applications laboratories in Africa in a move that will boost innovations in mobile telephony on the continent.
“We hope to increase the competitiveness of innovative enterprises in the mobile content and applications area, and to ensure that locally relevant applications are created to meet growing developing country user demands,” Dr. Tim Kelly, the lead ICT specialist at infoDev, the World Bank said in an interview via email.
Dr. Kelly said the bank is committed to developing technology entrepreneurship in all fields, especially in mobile applications development, where the barriers to entry are relatively low.
“With support from the Finnish government and the Korean ICT for Development Trust Fund, we hope to support similar initiatives elsewhere in Africa, using the tool of social networking to encourage industry collaboration and entrepreneurship,” Kelly said.
He was speaking at the official launch of the Mobile Monday Kampala chapter. The World Bank and infoDev have supported the establishment of the Mobile Monday Kampala chapter. Mobile Monday is the global community of mobile industry professionals, startups, developers and visionaries.
The mobile phone is already becoming the main means of communication for people in Africa – particularly the youth – to access the Internet.
“They will be hungry for local content, for things relevant to their personal success, an outlet for their creativity, really interesting news and more and the bank thinks there is need to innovate locally,” Dr. Kelly said.
The mobile laboratory will help assist mobile applications entrepreneurs to start and scale their businesses.
Through the laboratories that will be set up, the bank and Nokia will work to leverage an existing organisation in a host country.
The laboratory will offer training and testing facilities, identification and piloting of potential applications, incubation of start-ups, business and financial services and linkages with operators.
Dr. Kelly said entrepreneurs will be recruited through incubation networks and mobile social networks like Mobile Monday Kampala, given the role this forum is expected to play in mobile telephony.
The project will grow in geographical scope over time, but the aim is to cover Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole. The laboratories project is part of the US$18 million “Creating sustainable businesses for the knowledge economy.”
Dr. Kelly said the funds will be awarded through a competitive tendering process aimed at potential host organisations.
“We will work with the successful candidate in defining a suite of services to be offered by the lab with the aim of becoming self-sustaining within three years,” he said.
infoDev has a network of around 300 different business incubators around the world, some of which are multipurpose and others of which are specialized in areas such as agriculture and Information Communication Technology (ICT).
This he said will be the first lab the bank has established that is specific to mobile applications.
He said there will be beneficiaries at different levels including the mobile industry in Africa, which will be a direct beneficiary, in terms of operators, equipment manufacturers and other stakeholders.
More specifically, the applications development community will benefit from the services the lab will offer, such as training and accreditation, certification, and mentoring of start-ups.
Dr. Kelly said mobile users in Africa as a whole should benefit from a richer suite of applications available to them.
The project will ride on the back of Mobile Monday chapters and infoDev is looking to have launched the project in four Mobile Monday chapters by the end of this year.
There are two Mobile Monday chapters (Johannesburg and Kampala) in existence on the continent today with a third (Nairobi) due for launch this month.
“We hope to increase the competitiveness of innovative enterprises in the mobile content and applications area, and to ensure that locally relevant applications are created to meet growing developing country user demands,” Dr. Tim Kelly, the lead ICT specialist at infoDev, the World Bank said in an interview via email.
Dr. Kelly said the bank is committed to developing technology entrepreneurship in all fields, especially in mobile applications development, where the barriers to entry are relatively low.
“With support from the Finnish government and the Korean ICT for Development Trust Fund, we hope to support similar initiatives elsewhere in Africa, using the tool of social networking to encourage industry collaboration and entrepreneurship,” Kelly said.
He was speaking at the official launch of the Mobile Monday Kampala chapter. The World Bank and infoDev have supported the establishment of the Mobile Monday Kampala chapter. Mobile Monday is the global community of mobile industry professionals, startups, developers and visionaries.
The mobile phone is already becoming the main means of communication for people in Africa – particularly the youth – to access the Internet.
“They will be hungry for local content, for things relevant to their personal success, an outlet for their creativity, really interesting news and more and the bank thinks there is need to innovate locally,” Dr. Kelly said.
The mobile laboratory will help assist mobile applications entrepreneurs to start and scale their businesses.
Through the laboratories that will be set up, the bank and Nokia will work to leverage an existing organisation in a host country.
The laboratory will offer training and testing facilities, identification and piloting of potential applications, incubation of start-ups, business and financial services and linkages with operators.
Dr. Kelly said entrepreneurs will be recruited through incubation networks and mobile social networks like Mobile Monday Kampala, given the role this forum is expected to play in mobile telephony.
The project will grow in geographical scope over time, but the aim is to cover Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole. The laboratories project is part of the US$18 million “Creating sustainable businesses for the knowledge economy.”
Dr. Kelly said the funds will be awarded through a competitive tendering process aimed at potential host organisations.
“We will work with the successful candidate in defining a suite of services to be offered by the lab with the aim of becoming self-sustaining within three years,” he said.
infoDev has a network of around 300 different business incubators around the world, some of which are multipurpose and others of which are specialized in areas such as agriculture and Information Communication Technology (ICT).
This he said will be the first lab the bank has established that is specific to mobile applications.
He said there will be beneficiaries at different levels including the mobile industry in Africa, which will be a direct beneficiary, in terms of operators, equipment manufacturers and other stakeholders.
More specifically, the applications development community will benefit from the services the lab will offer, such as training and accreditation, certification, and mentoring of start-ups.
Dr. Kelly said mobile users in Africa as a whole should benefit from a richer suite of applications available to them.
The project will ride on the back of Mobile Monday chapters and infoDev is looking to have launched the project in four Mobile Monday chapters by the end of this year.
There are two Mobile Monday chapters (Johannesburg and Kampala) in existence on the continent today with a third (Nairobi) due for launch this month.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Mobile Monday Kampala (Uganda) chapter takes off
By Edris Kisambira
Following its take off in Johannesburg, South Africa last November, Mobile Monday, the global community of mobile industry professionals, innovators and users, has opened its second chapter on the continent in Kampala, Uganda.
The launch of the Kampala chapter will be quickly followed by the Nairobi, Kenya chapter.
Dr. Madanmohan Rao, the research projects director for Mobile Monday said there is progress in other mobile communications markets to set up chapters.
The Kampala chapter, which has been named MoMoKLA, was founded by representatives that were drawn from Uganda’s mobile telephony industry, product vendors, media representatives, the academia as well as enthusiasts across the information and communications technology sector.
Speaking at launch of MoMoKLA, Rao who is based in Bangalore (India’s IT capital) said the chapter would bring together stakeholders in the Uganda mobile industry to discuss new developments in the sector.
“What we would like to do is create a social movement in Kampala like we have done elsewhere that brings people together on a Monday of their choice to discuss and debate issues in the sector,” he said. Rao said the Kampala chapter in partnership with other global partnerships would help promote mobile start-ups and innovation in Uganda by bringing their founders and international venture capitalists together.
During the inaugural MoMoKLA meeting on Monday, Dr. Idris Rai, the EuroAfrica-ICT regional coordinator said Mobile Monday could be the catalyst for deeper exploration of mobile telephony and its impact on users of the gadgets and services in general.
Rai chaired the first thematic meeting, which discussed the ‘Future of Mobile Broadband in Uganda’ – looking at the new trends and expected innovations in the mobile broadband segment of the industry.
Eduord Blondeau, the Orange Uganda chief officer strategy broadband, who was one of the speakers for the event Orange Uganda hosted revealed Orange Uganda has completed work on a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) network – the first of such a network in Uganda.
Blondeau said HSPDA is a superior network to the 3G networks. He said it offers better service to users in terms of delivering on the different technology platforms. HSDPA also means Orange can launch advancements and new services on top of what they offer today.
Blondeau demonstrated to the audience an internet television service on his iPhone and said the HSDPA network guarantee them faster internet speeds. Orange has also set up the first WAP portal for users to access news on sport, entertainment as well as other services.
Close to 100 professionals in the mobile industry, regulators, academia and the media turned up.
Daniel Stern, the interim head of MoMoKLA who was the chief organizer of the meet said the theme for the inaugural Mobile Monday was chosen because of the increase in telecom connectivity via undersea fibre optic cables to East Africa as well as the fact that the internet segment of the market is developing very fast in that direction.
“Broadband adds a whole new level of richness to mobile media, at different cost points. This can be a game-changer in terms of multimedia content for consumers, organisations and government,” he said. “Mobile users could surf the net on their mobiles and download video and audio content at faster speeds.”
MoMoKLA is scheduled to be officially launched on March 8, prior to the opening of the Digital Africa Summit 2010 that will be held in Kampala.
Rao said start-ups like MoMoKLA, can find partners, markets and advisors from around the world, which creates a good chance to tap into the expertise from around the world.
“There is a lot of excitement in the mobile industry about the emerging potential of markets like Uganda, and MoMoKLA is perfectly positioned as a hub for such discussion and growth,” said Rao.
Mobile Monday, founded in 2000 in Helsinki, Finland now has about 100 city chapters around the world.
Following its take off in Johannesburg, South Africa last November, Mobile Monday, the global community of mobile industry professionals, innovators and users, has opened its second chapter on the continent in Kampala, Uganda.
The launch of the Kampala chapter will be quickly followed by the Nairobi, Kenya chapter.
Dr. Madanmohan Rao, the research projects director for Mobile Monday said there is progress in other mobile communications markets to set up chapters.
The Kampala chapter, which has been named MoMoKLA, was founded by representatives that were drawn from Uganda’s mobile telephony industry, product vendors, media representatives, the academia as well as enthusiasts across the information and communications technology sector.
Speaking at launch of MoMoKLA, Rao who is based in Bangalore (India’s IT capital) said the chapter would bring together stakeholders in the Uganda mobile industry to discuss new developments in the sector.
“What we would like to do is create a social movement in Kampala like we have done elsewhere that brings people together on a Monday of their choice to discuss and debate issues in the sector,” he said. Rao said the Kampala chapter in partnership with other global partnerships would help promote mobile start-ups and innovation in Uganda by bringing their founders and international venture capitalists together.
During the inaugural MoMoKLA meeting on Monday, Dr. Idris Rai, the EuroAfrica-ICT regional coordinator said Mobile Monday could be the catalyst for deeper exploration of mobile telephony and its impact on users of the gadgets and services in general.
Rai chaired the first thematic meeting, which discussed the ‘Future of Mobile Broadband in Uganda’ – looking at the new trends and expected innovations in the mobile broadband segment of the industry.
Eduord Blondeau, the Orange Uganda chief officer strategy broadband, who was one of the speakers for the event Orange Uganda hosted revealed Orange Uganda has completed work on a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) network – the first of such a network in Uganda.
Blondeau said HSPDA is a superior network to the 3G networks. He said it offers better service to users in terms of delivering on the different technology platforms. HSDPA also means Orange can launch advancements and new services on top of what they offer today.
Blondeau demonstrated to the audience an internet television service on his iPhone and said the HSDPA network guarantee them faster internet speeds. Orange has also set up the first WAP portal for users to access news on sport, entertainment as well as other services.
Close to 100 professionals in the mobile industry, regulators, academia and the media turned up.
Daniel Stern, the interim head of MoMoKLA who was the chief organizer of the meet said the theme for the inaugural Mobile Monday was chosen because of the increase in telecom connectivity via undersea fibre optic cables to East Africa as well as the fact that the internet segment of the market is developing very fast in that direction.
“Broadband adds a whole new level of richness to mobile media, at different cost points. This can be a game-changer in terms of multimedia content for consumers, organisations and government,” he said. “Mobile users could surf the net on their mobiles and download video and audio content at faster speeds.”
MoMoKLA is scheduled to be officially launched on March 8, prior to the opening of the Digital Africa Summit 2010 that will be held in Kampala.
Rao said start-ups like MoMoKLA, can find partners, markets and advisors from around the world, which creates a good chance to tap into the expertise from around the world.
“There is a lot of excitement in the mobile industry about the emerging potential of markets like Uganda, and MoMoKLA is perfectly positioned as a hub for such discussion and growth,” said Rao.
Mobile Monday, founded in 2000 in Helsinki, Finland now has about 100 city chapters around the world.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Essar enhances Africa position with purchase of Warid's operations
One of India’s largest telecommunications operators, the Essar Telecom Business Group has enhanced its presence on the African continent – the fastest growing mobile telecommunications market, by agreeing to buy a stake in Warid Telecom’s Africa operations.
This means that Essar is ahead of rivals Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications. The two cellular giants from India have all made unsuccessful attempts so far to enter the African mobile market.
They both have tried tie-ups with African giant Mobile Telephone Networks (MTN) of South Africa, but something has on all occasions prevented the merger.
The Essar Group, which is the holding company for Essar Telecom has signed definitive agreements with the Dhabi Group, the owners of Warid Telecom for an investment by Essar into the telecom assets of Warid Telecom in Uganda and the Republic of Congo.
Warid Telecom Uganda is a new comer to the telecoms market here but is gaining fast in terms of subscriber numbers on its rivals MTN, Zain and Uganda Telecom.
A press statement said the agreements were signed by His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Mabarak Al Nahayan on behalf of the Dhabi Group and Prashant Ruia, the Group Chief Executive Essar Group in Abu Dhabi on November 15.
The enterprise valuation of the Uganda and Congo operations is collectively valued at
US$318 million. According to the statement, the Essar Group has committed growth capital to both telecom operations to facilitate network expansion and marketing.
Upon completion, the Essar Group will acquire a majority stake (51 percent) in both operations. “The partnership is also expected to bring operational efficiencies to the African operations,” the statement reads in part.
“We are pleased to join hands with a Group that both complements and extends our synergies to expand further into Africa,” Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, the chairman of Dhabi Group said.
“Warid has expanded its greenfield operations to become credible competitors and challengers in the market where it operates; the time is now right for the next stage of its growth and evolution.”
Ruia expressed delight to partner with the Dubai group saying the tie-up is in line with Essar’s plan to be a part of the growing telecom market in Africa.
“This transaction with the Dhabi Group augments our successful launch of telecom services in Kenya under the brand ‘yu’ which was a stepping stone for Essar to expand its telecom footprint to the African continent,” Ruia said.
He said Essar’s investment in Warid Telecom in Africa is a part of its strategic plans to grow its business in Africa and the Middle East as it explores business opportunities by foreign partnerships with prominent business groups.
After the successful launch of mobile services in Kenya under the brand ‘yu’, Essar Telecom is now expanding its footprint in East Africa with Uganda and Republic of Congo operations.
Regarded as one of the fastest growing telecom operators in Kenya, Essar Telecom Kenya has over 600,000 subscribers and expects this number to grow significantly as it completes its rollout across Kenya.
The Dhabi Group transaction is subject to regulatory approvals in Uganda and Republic of Congo.
In its home market, Essar holds a 33 percent interest in Vodafone Essar, a joint venture with the Vodafone Group, and is one of India’s largest cellular service providers, with over 85 million subscribers.
This means that Essar is ahead of rivals Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications. The two cellular giants from India have all made unsuccessful attempts so far to enter the African mobile market.
They both have tried tie-ups with African giant Mobile Telephone Networks (MTN) of South Africa, but something has on all occasions prevented the merger.
The Essar Group, which is the holding company for Essar Telecom has signed definitive agreements with the Dhabi Group, the owners of Warid Telecom for an investment by Essar into the telecom assets of Warid Telecom in Uganda and the Republic of Congo.
Warid Telecom Uganda is a new comer to the telecoms market here but is gaining fast in terms of subscriber numbers on its rivals MTN, Zain and Uganda Telecom.
A press statement said the agreements were signed by His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Mabarak Al Nahayan on behalf of the Dhabi Group and Prashant Ruia, the Group Chief Executive Essar Group in Abu Dhabi on November 15.
The enterprise valuation of the Uganda and Congo operations is collectively valued at
US$318 million. According to the statement, the Essar Group has committed growth capital to both telecom operations to facilitate network expansion and marketing.
Upon completion, the Essar Group will acquire a majority stake (51 percent) in both operations. “The partnership is also expected to bring operational efficiencies to the African operations,” the statement reads in part.
“We are pleased to join hands with a Group that both complements and extends our synergies to expand further into Africa,” Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, the chairman of Dhabi Group said.
“Warid has expanded its greenfield operations to become credible competitors and challengers in the market where it operates; the time is now right for the next stage of its growth and evolution.”
Ruia expressed delight to partner with the Dubai group saying the tie-up is in line with Essar’s plan to be a part of the growing telecom market in Africa.
“This transaction with the Dhabi Group augments our successful launch of telecom services in Kenya under the brand ‘yu’ which was a stepping stone for Essar to expand its telecom footprint to the African continent,” Ruia said.
He said Essar’s investment in Warid Telecom in Africa is a part of its strategic plans to grow its business in Africa and the Middle East as it explores business opportunities by foreign partnerships with prominent business groups.
After the successful launch of mobile services in Kenya under the brand ‘yu’, Essar Telecom is now expanding its footprint in East Africa with Uganda and Republic of Congo operations.
Regarded as one of the fastest growing telecom operators in Kenya, Essar Telecom Kenya has over 600,000 subscribers and expects this number to grow significantly as it completes its rollout across Kenya.
The Dhabi Group transaction is subject to regulatory approvals in Uganda and Republic of Congo.
In its home market, Essar holds a 33 percent interest in Vodafone Essar, a joint venture with the Vodafone Group, and is one of India’s largest cellular service providers, with over 85 million subscribers.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Nokia’s Ovi Mail comes to East Africa
Mobile phone handset maker Nokia has launched its Ovi mail offering in East Africa – the service is available to users in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The launch in East Africa is part of a global launch in all markets “but especially the emerging markets.”
Ovi Mail is an email identity that Nokia has primarily developed for first-time email users.
The offering will especially be popular with users in developing markets where people do not have an email account or have difficulty accessing a PC, which is usually required to create an email account.
“Ovi Mail gives such users the opportunity to create an email account directly on their devices and start communicating with their family and friends,” Dorothy Ooko, the communications manager for Nokia in Eastern and Southern Africa said via email.
In more developed markets where users have email accounts and find it easier to access PCs, Ooko said Ovi Mail gives them the opportunity to create a new email account that will also give them contextuality, as well as cross access to other Ovi services.
Ovi Mail enables Nokia mobile device users to create and use email accounts (username@ovi.com) directly on their mobile phone.
Last week, Nokia launched the offering in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania and already the response from users has been good.
“We have received mail from consumers telling us how this has transformed how they do business,” Ooko said.
“The most memorable was a woman in Kajiado, Kenya who said she no longer has to travel to a cyber cafe for mail as she can communicate directly with many of her clients.”
Ovi Mail was developed for first-time email users and advanced Email users – the primary targets being users in developing/emerging markets who do not have a pre-existing email account, or who have little or no access to a PC.
The secondary target base according to Ooko includes users who have other email accounts but would like to create another secondary email account that is designed for mobile use.
Ooko said the service so far has local language support for 11 languages with future plans to support over 80 languages.
Ovi Mail can be set up and accessed directly on users’ service-optimized Nokia Series 40 devices.
The service provides the mobile client interface and mobile service that enables users to access their pre-existing email accounts from over 1000 ISPs (including Gmail and Yahoo mail) around the world on their mobile device.
Ooko said the key drivers for a new email account for those who already have web Email include the ease of setup, ease of access, and also the number of access points.
“We are giving users the opportunity to easily create a new email account for themselves, directly on their devices without needing to use a PC first, so that they too can stay connected,” Ooko said.
“While they may use their web-based Ovi Mail accounts to send and receive files (playlists, images, videos, etc.), we don’t expect them to exceed 1GB of web storage space each.”
The Ovi service is available on the new Series 40 devices that Nokia launched this year.
Ooko however was quick to add that there are currently 36 Series 40 device models that are optimized for Ovi Mail.
Ooko said the market need and opportunity for mobile provisioning of new Web-based email accounts lies in developing markets where the Nokia Series 40 devices are extremely popular. It is expected that the same capability will be introduced for Nokia Series 60 devices over time.
Ovi Mail is Web mail, and like all Internet services, mobile access requires a data tariff.
What Nokia has done is it has removed the barrier for users to set-up and start using Ovi Mail on their devices for free.
“However, users will be charged by the local operators based on the amount of data used to send and receive emails,” Ooko said.
To access Ovi Mail, a user simply needs to go to the email setup wizard on their Nokia Series 40 device or Nokia S60 device such as the Nokia N97. Ovi Mail is also available on the web at https://mail.ovi.com/.
Over one million Ovi mail accounts have been activated over the past six months elsewhere the service was introduced.
The top five countries for Ovi Mail subscribers are India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia and South Africa. Since its inception in December 2008, Ovi Mail is available in more than 180 countries and supports 20 languages.
The launch in East Africa is part of a global launch in all markets “but especially the emerging markets.”
Ovi Mail is an email identity that Nokia has primarily developed for first-time email users.
The offering will especially be popular with users in developing markets where people do not have an email account or have difficulty accessing a PC, which is usually required to create an email account.
“Ovi Mail gives such users the opportunity to create an email account directly on their devices and start communicating with their family and friends,” Dorothy Ooko, the communications manager for Nokia in Eastern and Southern Africa said via email.
In more developed markets where users have email accounts and find it easier to access PCs, Ooko said Ovi Mail gives them the opportunity to create a new email account that will also give them contextuality, as well as cross access to other Ovi services.
Ovi Mail enables Nokia mobile device users to create and use email accounts (username@ovi.com) directly on their mobile phone.
Last week, Nokia launched the offering in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania and already the response from users has been good.
“We have received mail from consumers telling us how this has transformed how they do business,” Ooko said.
“The most memorable was a woman in Kajiado, Kenya who said she no longer has to travel to a cyber cafe for mail as she can communicate directly with many of her clients.”
Ovi Mail was developed for first-time email users and advanced Email users – the primary targets being users in developing/emerging markets who do not have a pre-existing email account, or who have little or no access to a PC.
The secondary target base according to Ooko includes users who have other email accounts but would like to create another secondary email account that is designed for mobile use.
Ooko said the service so far has local language support for 11 languages with future plans to support over 80 languages.
Ovi Mail can be set up and accessed directly on users’ service-optimized Nokia Series 40 devices.
The service provides the mobile client interface and mobile service that enables users to access their pre-existing email accounts from over 1000 ISPs (including Gmail and Yahoo mail) around the world on their mobile device.
Ooko said the key drivers for a new email account for those who already have web Email include the ease of setup, ease of access, and also the number of access points.
“We are giving users the opportunity to easily create a new email account for themselves, directly on their devices without needing to use a PC first, so that they too can stay connected,” Ooko said.
“While they may use their web-based Ovi Mail accounts to send and receive files (playlists, images, videos, etc.), we don’t expect them to exceed 1GB of web storage space each.”
The Ovi service is available on the new Series 40 devices that Nokia launched this year.
Ooko however was quick to add that there are currently 36 Series 40 device models that are optimized for Ovi Mail.
Ooko said the market need and opportunity for mobile provisioning of new Web-based email accounts lies in developing markets where the Nokia Series 40 devices are extremely popular. It is expected that the same capability will be introduced for Nokia Series 60 devices over time.
Ovi Mail is Web mail, and like all Internet services, mobile access requires a data tariff.
What Nokia has done is it has removed the barrier for users to set-up and start using Ovi Mail on their devices for free.
“However, users will be charged by the local operators based on the amount of data used to send and receive emails,” Ooko said.
To access Ovi Mail, a user simply needs to go to the email setup wizard on their Nokia Series 40 device or Nokia S60 device such as the Nokia N97. Ovi Mail is also available on the web at https://mail.ovi.com/.
Over one million Ovi mail accounts have been activated over the past six months elsewhere the service was introduced.
The top five countries for Ovi Mail subscribers are India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia and South Africa. Since its inception in December 2008, Ovi Mail is available in more than 180 countries and supports 20 languages.
Uganda’s ICT ministry in hot water over $106m data backbone
Uganda’s young ministry of information and communication technology (ICT) is in hot water over the US$106 million National Data Backbone Infrastructure (NBI) and E-government infrastructure projects.
Legislators investigating the alleged mishandling of the two projects have ordered a forensic audit of the first phase.
The ministry has over the last few months been battling allegations of fraud and mismanagement of the $30 million first phase, which was contracted to Huawei Technologies of China under the terms of the agreement.
Stakeholders who keenly follow the ICT sector first raised the red flags on the problems within the ministry some two months ago when comments were made on a popular mailing list (i-network@dgroups.org).
Members pointed out the problems around the NBI/EGI projects and the controversy surrounding the composition and recruitment of the board members of the newly created National Information Technology Agency (NITA) Uganda – the management arm of the ministry.
Badru Ntege, a technology enthusiast and investor pointed out that the ministry has failed to contract an entity or set up a special purpose vehicle to manage the two projects and as a result sections of the fibre network have been damaged and equipment was stolen.
A recent tour of the two projects by the legislators on the ICT committee confirmed Ntege’s comments.
The legislators discovered that work on the $30 million first phase, which was completed, tested and handed over to the ministry in September 2007 has sections of it that are not operational as a result of the damage and stolen equipment.
A status report from the ministry itself also points out that power generators and air conditioners were stolen from three of the four towns that were connected in the first phase.
Keen watchers of the sector, which is ever taking on a more important role in people’s lives have always wondered why the NBI has never been connected to privately run fibre networks to boost user capacity within the country.
The committee also concluded that the fibre cables that were installed may not be able to support growing internet traffic in the near future as there is not enough provision for future upgrade of the fibre cable.
It was further noted that there was no Network Operating Centre for the first phase, and neither is there a data centre and disaster recovery centre for a project of that magnitude.
It is against this backdrop that the committee has recommended that the first phase be switched on and is operational as the forensic report is awaited.
The members of parliament also called for security of equipment at the transmission sites to avoid further losses.
In 2006, the Uganda government secured a $106 million concessional loan, with a 2% interest rate payable over 20 years, with a grace period of five years, from the Chinese government to undertake the NBI/EGI.
The two projects are meant to allow for an e-government policy, reduction of expenditure in public administration and provide communication to rural communities and improve service delivery in the fields of health, education and agriculture.
The NBI project entails the laying of 2500kms of fibre optic cable countrywide to provide high speed data transmission while the EGI connects government ministries, departments and local governments into an e-government network.
The second phase of implementation, which will commence after the mess that surrounds the first phase, has been sorted. The second phase will link Uganda's borders with those of neighboring countries – taking in those areas that private players consider unviable.
According to a project brief, the backbone is to be built and owned by government, but will be used by both public and private consumers. Once completed, a special purpose vehicle will be created to lease out the lines in the backbone to whoever is interested.
Legislators investigating the alleged mishandling of the two projects have ordered a forensic audit of the first phase.
The ministry has over the last few months been battling allegations of fraud and mismanagement of the $30 million first phase, which was contracted to Huawei Technologies of China under the terms of the agreement.
Stakeholders who keenly follow the ICT sector first raised the red flags on the problems within the ministry some two months ago when comments were made on a popular mailing list (i-network@dgroups.org).
Members pointed out the problems around the NBI/EGI projects and the controversy surrounding the composition and recruitment of the board members of the newly created National Information Technology Agency (NITA) Uganda – the management arm of the ministry.
Badru Ntege, a technology enthusiast and investor pointed out that the ministry has failed to contract an entity or set up a special purpose vehicle to manage the two projects and as a result sections of the fibre network have been damaged and equipment was stolen.
A recent tour of the two projects by the legislators on the ICT committee confirmed Ntege’s comments.
The legislators discovered that work on the $30 million first phase, which was completed, tested and handed over to the ministry in September 2007 has sections of it that are not operational as a result of the damage and stolen equipment.
A status report from the ministry itself also points out that power generators and air conditioners were stolen from three of the four towns that were connected in the first phase.
Keen watchers of the sector, which is ever taking on a more important role in people’s lives have always wondered why the NBI has never been connected to privately run fibre networks to boost user capacity within the country.
The committee also concluded that the fibre cables that were installed may not be able to support growing internet traffic in the near future as there is not enough provision for future upgrade of the fibre cable.
It was further noted that there was no Network Operating Centre for the first phase, and neither is there a data centre and disaster recovery centre for a project of that magnitude.
It is against this backdrop that the committee has recommended that the first phase be switched on and is operational as the forensic report is awaited.
The members of parliament also called for security of equipment at the transmission sites to avoid further losses.
In 2006, the Uganda government secured a $106 million concessional loan, with a 2% interest rate payable over 20 years, with a grace period of five years, from the Chinese government to undertake the NBI/EGI.
The two projects are meant to allow for an e-government policy, reduction of expenditure in public administration and provide communication to rural communities and improve service delivery in the fields of health, education and agriculture.
The NBI project entails the laying of 2500kms of fibre optic cable countrywide to provide high speed data transmission while the EGI connects government ministries, departments and local governments into an e-government network.
The second phase of implementation, which will commence after the mess that surrounds the first phase, has been sorted. The second phase will link Uganda's borders with those of neighboring countries – taking in those areas that private players consider unviable.
According to a project brief, the backbone is to be built and owned by government, but will be used by both public and private consumers. Once completed, a special purpose vehicle will be created to lease out the lines in the backbone to whoever is interested.
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