Liberia’s leading GSM firm Cellcom has launched a new promotion dubbed ‘Good morning Liberia’ it hopes will ‘mark a paradigm shift for mobile phone users in Liberia.’ The groundbreaking move is hailed for its potential to provide relief to thousands of Cellcom’s loyal and valued customers. In a statement released Wednesday, John Vasikaran, Cellcom’s CEO noted that after reviewing the present state of the country, Cellcom had designed a new program that would assist thousands of Liberians stay in touch with their families in spite of their financial condition and will be a form of financial relief during this difficult period in…
Author: Robin Okuthe
The National Intelligence and Security Agency is holding Hassan Gessey, a Somali journalist and radio director at the independent Dalsan Radio, without charge. It is claimed that after Gessey criticized a directive to restrain from reporting on military operations. According to news report, Gessey and Abubakar Moyhedin, a presenter and staff manager at the Mogadishu station, were arrested by armed members of the security services at around 9.00 am. Local journalists told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that Moyhedin was released after a couple of hours though Gessey remains in custody and has not been charged. “The arrest comes after…
Mobile phone manufacturer Huawei and telecoms operator MTN Zambia have jointly launched the most recent Huawei G6 mobile handset they say “provides users with the most advanced mobile-based technology.” Commenting on the launch of the gadget, MTN spokesperson Clement Asante said it was a great opportunity for MTN to collaborate with Huawei Technologies in launching the new G6 smartphone in Zambia. “MTN Zambia proceeds to enjoy mutually beneficial partnership with Huawei Technologies of Zambia which allows us to offer our subscribers high quality devices. We are accomplishing this through various initiatives including the provision of the country’s fastest internet through 3G…
Kenya’s power utility firm Kenya Power has developed a new website called ‘PowerAlert,’ it says will help reduce unexpected outages and blackouts as well as make it easier for Kenyans to establish places without electricity. PowerAlert gives realtime power blackouts and status throughout the country. It is divided into eight zones from North Eastern to Coast. According to Kenya Power, the website consolidates all scheduled outages or shutdowns in a single portal for clients to plan their daily activities effectively as well as help minimize inconveniences that may be caused. PowerAlert also allows users to sign in through their Facebook,…
The eighth annual finance options meeting is scheduled for October 30, 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. The principal pan-African executive briefing will host senior-level directors and CEOs to get to “the heart of the issues and opportunities surrounding the financing of power projects within Africa.” According to EnergyNet Ltd, the program will focus on a series of open discussions chaired by regional experts focusing on key trends including the development of IPP programmes, financial frameworks and regulatory environments. EnergyNet Ltd also noted: “As Africa’s demand for power generation continues to outstrip supply, the question of how to finance the future…
Mobile Web Africa is scheduled for September 10, 2014 at Randlords in Johannesburg, South Africa. All Amber, the event’s organizers, announced numerous key partnerships, new measures and an excellent venue to uphold the idea of establishing new standards of excellence for technology conferences continentwide. The first Mobile Web Africa event was held in October 2009 in South Africa and five years on Matthew Dawes, the founder of All Amber is keen to ‘give a special conference experience’. The events industry in SA has massively grown since the event was put together, says Dawes. “It is important for me to see that…
MTN’s internet festival dubbed ‘iFest’ has been launched in Accra, Ghana. Mobile telecoms operator MTN hopes the event will create awareness on the internet and most importantly, promote usage of data on MTN network. with an internet penetration of about 12.3 percent, Ghana is rated 145 in the global internet rankings, shows Global Internet Society’s internet rankings. Speaking at the launch of the fourth edition of MTN Internet Festival, MTN Ghana’s chief executive Serame Taukobong stated that internet data for the first half of 2014 contributed 17.4 percent of MTN Ghana’s total revenue. MTN was top on Ghana’s data market with a market…
Gemalto, global leader in digital security, has announced that it will provide M2M connectivity for SOLARKIOSK, which is a compact, solar powered station, carried onboard a moving vehicle. According to Gemalto, the cabin has photovoltaic panels throughout its roof to produce sustainable energy in areas that are far from conventional power cabling and infrastructures. The Cinterion® modules give rugged M2M connectivity powering a mobile router, provided by INSYS icom, which enables condition monitoring of the SOLARKIOSKs’ photovoltaic panels and tracks energy production and consumption through a web interface. “The SOLARKIOSKs, which are easy and fast to distribute, support simple plug-in…
Samsung Electronics has signed a deal with Nokia to allow its mapping service appear on Samsung smartphones and the Gear S smartwatch. The agreement will see a test or a beta version of an Android app for Nokia’s ‘Here’ maps freely included on handsets. According to Samsung, the move will help the firm distinguish itself from Google, which manages Android. Here, formerly called Nokia maps, is also used by Garmin, Amazon and Yahoo. It provides information about maps for Microsoft’s Bing search engine. 190 countries are covered by the map service as well as offering turn-by-turn navigation, public transport details…
Kenya’s Information Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has cautioned players within the ICT and broadcasting business to send dues owed to the USF (Universal Service Fund) to avoid being penalized by the regulator. Speaking at Radio Africa Group’s office in Nairobi, the CS accused the players who opposed the plan as being insincere because they wasted several opportunities to participate in drafting of the law as well as having an input within the selection of the Universal Services Advisory Council. “Unless the players send 0.5 percent of their yearly revenue to the Universal Services Fund that was established in 2009 to…
Pan African telecoms operator Gondwana International Networks (GIN) has today announced the launch of a new fiber-optic service by its Ugandan subsidiary iWayAfrica. In a statement, Ken Mwai, the Managing Director of iWayAfrica Uganda, stated: “The demand for high capacity internet connectivity within corporate markets and enterprises in the major cities of Entebbe and Kampala were always increasing therefore the need for a substitute provider.” iWayAfrica Uganda has the capacity to provide internet access to businesses at a fixed cost by connecting with Google’s Project Link, which is a metro fiber offered in Kampala. This allows them to deliver cost-effective…
Nigeria’s communication industry regulator Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has named 13 currently inactive telecoms operators in Nigeria. According to NCC, operators turned out inactive after massive loss of customers to the more competitive operators in the sector. “They could no longer provide their customers with competitive services and so the clients decided to port to other network operators,” stated NCC. The decision to declare the operators inactive, NCC says, was to enable it study and distribute the accurate figures of telecoms operations within Nigeria. As listed on NCC’s website, 13 inactive operators include one GSM operator, one national carrier, six…
Aviation Africa 2015, a two-day summit, exhibition and extravaganza, is scheduled for May 10, 2015 in Dubai. In a statement, Aviation Africa revealed Wyverns Consulting from USA and Nexus from Saudi Arabia have joined up with the event to become primary sponsors. “The link with these two companies is a perfect fit for the Aviation Africa event, which has launched to address the growth opportunities in the African continent for the aviation industry, ” says Aviation Africa. “NEXUS, which launched in 2010 and is based in Jeddah has opened a regional office in Rwanda and already identified the opportunities the region…
Ethiopia is planning to launch medium research satellite in the next five years. To this effect, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Sunday between Finland based Space Technology and Science Group (STSG) and the Entoto Observatory and Research Center (EORC). The primary goal of the agreement is to create, develop and launch between 20 and 25 kg medium research satellite in the following five years. According to Dr. Solomon Belay, the Director of EORC who signed the agreement, Ethiopia would benefit a great deal by owning a satellite. Sali Ahmed, the CEO of STSG stated: “My institution is prepared to…
Samsung Electronics has unveiled its latest smart wearable device called Gear S, which is made with an elegant, flexible band as well as a curved Super Amoled display. According to JK Shin, the CEO and head of IT & mobile communication at Samsung Electronics, the company is leading this exciting and fast developing wearable category via progressive innovation. The Gear S redefines the smart wearable idea as well as the culture of mobile communication allowing consumers to live a truly connected life anytime, anywhere. The Samsung Gear S has a two-inch curved Super Amoled display, which provides users a richer…
Tigopesa users can now receive or send money to Airtel customers following a move by both companies to put together their mobile financial services. According to Diego Gutierrez, Tigo General Manager, the new service comes after a signed agreement between Airtel and Tigo in June this year. Gutierrez further stated: “We are pleased to work with Airtel to expand the mobile money universe within Tanzania. The same way we co-operate with our competitors on texts and voice calls, we hope to do the same with mobile money and help make Tanzania a worldwide pioneer in digital financial inclusion. “The agreements…
Microsoft’s Windows Live Messenger, originally called MSN Messenger, will be switched off in China in October after marking the end of its 15-year-old service. MSN Messenger came to China in 2005 though faced stiff competition from QQ messenger, designed by Chinese rival firm Tencent. After Microsoft purchased rival Skype, MSN Messenger launched in 1999 was turned off for most users in 2013. By 2009, Windows Live still had as many as 330 million users though the number reduced later as Skype users rose to almost 300 million by 2012. According to Chinese newspapers, most Chinese Windows Live users obtained emails…
The Essar group has signed an agreement for the sale of its telecom business in Kenya. The signing came after CA (Communication Authority of Kenya) approved Essar’s YuMobile to be sold for $120million to Bharti Airtel Kenya and Kenya’s Safaricom Ltd. According to Firdhose Coovadia, board member of Essar Capital, the transaction is an additional step towards attaining Essar Capital’s strategy of depriving Essar Global Fund investments within the global telecommunications sector. Coovadia further noted: “We also think that the transaction with Airtel and Safaricom will offer much needed consolidation within the Kenyan mobile telecommunications market and offer clients with…
Africa’s biggest premium mobile advertising network Twinpine will host an event in Nairobi on September 9, 2014 to demonstrate the outlook and expansion of enterprises in Kenya, and East Africa as a whole. The event dubbed “#KuunganaKe,” whose theme is ‘Discovering the Mobile Web in Africa’, will host brand owners, online content publishers, host advertisers and various industry participants. Main speakers at the event will include Thomas Mbalu, Regional Manager, East Africa; Eniola Moronfolu, Product Management Lead and Twinpine Elo Umeh, Managing Director and CEO. KuunganaKe will feature the introduction of Twinpine’s innovative advert server technology that offers partners more…
In its efforts to raise the digital and social inclusion within the Angolan society, the National Information and Technology Centre (CNTI) has launched a project called “Angola Online.” The project is expected to provide free internet access at public places, main squares and great public concentration places in Luanda. José da Rocha, the Minister of Telecommunication and Information, and Luanda Governor Bento Francisco Bento commented that the project will provide Luanda residents internet access for faster information acquisition. In the first phase the project will promise to offer free internet access within the Luanda city main points including Samba Park, Cazenga’s Historic…
Today, men have turned out to be more unpredictable and slippery when it comes to establishing long-lasting relationships, and with the philosophy of money first then love later, some men find it onerous engaging in committal love affairs. With this in mind, some women look for alternative methods of slipping into the well-protected wallets of stingy men. According to a survey, social media users, particularly some women, are seeking clever means of getting money by tempting unsuspecting men into their traps. Flooding of Social media such as Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook, Badoo and Skype into the market has assisted most women to…
Web search giant Google has announced that its search results will no longer show the names of the writers related to the articles presented. Launched in 2011, the feature aimed at allowing authors claim their content and earning followers by exhibiting the work of the author in search results. An Author Rank feature as well promised to assist users filter out useless information by scoring the author’s reputation for offering worthy information. According to a Google+ post written by John Mueller, Google Webmaster Trends Analyst, Google concluded after a three-year experiment that the feature was not worthy to users as…
Zimbabwe’s Midlands State University (MSU) has introduced a centralized system that digitalizes each service provided to a student. Among them is the e-Sadza system that flawlessly bills student for food eaten within the University’s canteen. This fast, smart and simple system serves not less than one student per every 10 seconds. The University’s in house programming system powered Changamire is a homegrown initiative that makes use of very simple cards with an inserted electronic chip that contains the entire database of a student, which includes a virtual bank that automatically draws down the cash as the student accesses various services.…
Malawi-based ICT firm Bits and Bytes Limited was honored with a major ICT award by Cyberoam at an event held in South Africa Sunday. Bits and Bytes Limited, which was established in 2008, offers business community and the government sustainable ICT solutions. It also makes sure that citizen in Malawi access ICT services at all levels. According to Ahmed Osman, the executive director for Bits and Bytes Limited, the award will “surely” motivate the firm to offer better services to clients. “Cyberoam is among the largest ICT companies in the world and giving us this award will help people recognize…
The Kenya National Library Services (KNLS) has unveiled an e-granary server referred to as “the Internet in a Box” at its Nakuru branch. The facility offers instant access to over 32 million digital resources for researchers with insufficient internet access. According to Joseck Olala, the ICT officer at Kenya National Library Services, the platform provides instant access to a broad variety of educational resources including websites, books, audio, video and journals. “The information contained within the e-granary can be shared between readers. A single e-granary joined to a wireless or wired LAN (local area network) can serve very many users.” The e-granary…
USA-based World Panel, a triple-bottom line company that deals in production of micro-solar products, has launched the durable World Panel solar panels that charge mobile phones in Lusaka. Speaking during the launch, World Panel Zambia’s chief executive Jacob Sikazwe said he has worked for many years to empower people in rural Africa to improve their economic well-being and opportunities in life, adding that “this utility-grade personal solar charger finally delivers on my dream to aid and empower people living without regular access to electricity.” In a statement, World Panel Zambia revealed that the first shipment that contains thousands of World…
Zambia Immigration Department has taken an initiative to begin implementing electronic visa application, which will help in attracting several tourists to the country. According to Felix Chaila, the managing director of Zambia Tourism Board, most countries in Southern Africa, which were using the online visa application system, were attracting many tourists therefore the Immigration Department decision was timely because it would promote the tourism sector. Chaila further said in an interview in Livingstone that the introduction of the online visa application would make easy the processing of visas for individuals hoping to visit Zambia. “The Immigration Department has already begun…
SingTe, in partnership with Ericsson and Samsung, has unveiled the world’s first commercial 300Mbps 4G LTE-Advanced service for smartphones in Nigeria. The service became accessible this week when Samsung Galaxy S5 4G+, which is currently the first smartphone worldwide to be compatible with 4G LTE-Advanced networks, was launched in Singapore. According to SingTel, the Samsung GALAXY Alpha 4G+ another compatible smartphone will be available beginning September 2014. “From websurfing and uploading selfies to streaming videos, users are doing a lot with their smartphones. With this launch, SingTel clients will be the first worldwide to enjoy the benefits of the fastest…
Apple is set to introduce two new iPhones — as well as its largest iPad — in September. Apple could also unveil its first wearable device dubbed “iWatch” next month. According to Re/code’s John Paczkowski, the wearable device will most likely use Apple’s new “HealthKit” for iOS 8, which was announced earlier this year. HealthKit is intended to get health and fitness information from your wearables. “The “iWatch” may also work together with Apple HomeKit software that controls things around the home. The first HomeKit enabled device is a lock that you can control using your smartphone,” Paczkowski added. Apple…
Each month Silicon Valley hosts dozens of hackathons, though Facebook hosted one with a twist on Monday. Instead of college-aged programmers that normally dominate the coding marathons, the only participants at the first women Vets in Tech event were female veterans. Approximately 30 female veterans attended the hackathon, with the women pitching various ideas such as Bohdi therapies, an app that provides therapy to vets suffering from anxiety and Puppyness, a crowd-sourced app that would inform dog owners which stores and restaurants within their area are dog friendly. Beginning at 7am, Facebook engineers worked with the women veterans to develop…