OA News: July 18-23, 2011
July 23, 2011 » NewsNo Comment
- Africa Business Panel recently conducted a survey among 800 professionals. The main question: which nations do you consider ICT key players in the next five years. Unsurprisingly, SA, NG, and KE rank at the top:
Who are Africa’s ICT key players? {IT News Africa} - Five centers in Africa will be used to test tech equipment once it is imported into the region. Many West African nations are interested:
UNIDO seems to favour Ghana for ICT test centre in West Africa – ITU Official {Ghana Business News} - The Voice of America provides the pro and con of Kenya’s Open Data portal. For one, it increases the government’s accountability and allows citizens to better understand government. On the other hand, detailed information on the backgrounds and financial situation of officials is left out:
Kenyan Government Online Information Gets Mixed Reviews {VOA} - Can another ‘Silicon Valley’ ever exist? Kenya and South Africa (among India and Israel) both claim the title every now-and-again:
Silicon Valley: Will it ever be replicated? {memeburn} - Ugandan President Museveni has begun emphasizing the importance of educational institutions in advancing technology. An ICT centre is in the works:
University alumni raise money for ICT centre {IT News Africa} - Local requirements in many African nations are limiting mobile banking uptake. Although mobile penetration is high, access to general banking is less common. Furthermore, the Kenyan success model is not applicable to all nations:
Mobile banking ‘slow in Africa’ {BusinessDay} - No operator is dominant in the DRC market and 17% of people are estimated to have mobile devices (2G):
France Telecom targets DR Congo mobile operator {Reuters} - Median advertised broadband download speeds in South Africa aren’t far behind international averages:
SA’s broadband speeds: Mobile to the rescue {MyBroadband} - Zimbabwe needs better licensing protocol. Services are available, but the lack of adequate legislation are hindering ICT growth:
Legislation: Where art thou? {The Zimbabwean} - Mobile penetration in Senegal was estimated at 65% at the end of 2010:
93% mobile services penetration forecast by 2016 (Senegal) {Wireless Federation} - Commercial LTE offerings are expected in SA within 3 years:
LTE trial networks in South Africa {MyBroadband} - In Nigeria (and all nations, in fact), less reliance on generators for power will ease the entry of broadband in rural areas, as will a national broadband policy:
Main One Identifies Power as Challenge to Broadband {ThisDay} - Mobile subscriptions are quite common in Burundi, and mobile high-speed Internet has been available for some months:
Burundi operator says mobile subscribers soar {Reuters} - Morocco’s telecom revenue is expected to grow 4% annually through 2015:
Morocco’s attractive broadband network {IT News Africa} - Kenya will have a great opportunity to showcase its services during the 6th annual Internet Governance Forum in September:
Nairobi prepares to host international ICT meeting {Business Daily} - A critical e-commerce milestone is when more than 1% of retail sales come through online means. South Africa is currently at 0.4%, but mobile commerce is expected to grow the share:
E-tailers in SA to see growth in mobile commerce {Mail & Guardian} - Slides visually summarizing mobile adoption in Africa (mainly South Africa):
Insights into the Mobile Internet in Africa {Jon Hoehler} - The government of Malawi shut down at least 3 private radio stations, but not the Internet:
Malawi did not block social media networks to quell protests {Face of Malawi} - Why every nation should have a national ICT plan in the pipeline:
Does your country have a National Information and Communication Infrastructure Plan? {ICTWorks} - KIXP traffic is at all-time high levels. Google caching has contributed to some of the recent growth:
Kenya internet exchange point hits 1Gbps {CIO East Africa} - Blogger Mfonobong Nsehe reviews a start-up Cameroonian job search engine and aggregator:
Africa’s Best Tech Startups: Njorku.com {Forbes Blog} - Brodacom brings 4G to Zimbabwe:
Zim gets first 4G service {BiztechAfrica} - 3G is on the horizon for Niger, but mobile phone us is still estimated at less than 20%:
Niger courts bids for two 3G phone licences {Reuters} - Miscellaneous East African tech stories:
TOP ICT AND TELECOM HEADLINES {allAfrica ICT and Telecom}
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