Africa Connects - Mobile Phones On the Rise in Africa, Internet Use Inching Up. Nairobi — Seven in ten Africans own their own mobile phones, with access essentially universal in Algeria and Senegal, according to Afrobarometer findings from across 34 countries.
The report, based on face-to-face interviews with more than 51,000 people, reveals that 84% use cell phones at least occasionally, a higher level of access than reported previously by the United Nations. Internet use is less common - with only 18% using it at least monthly. These technological trends are detailed in Afrobarometer's report, "The Partnership of Free Speech and Good Governance in Africa," released today at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Nairobi. Written by Winnie Mitullah and Paul Kamau at IDS, the report identifies the countries with the highest and lowest use of information and communications technologies. Key Findings. Why the world’s technology giants are investing in Africa. 14 October 2013Last updated at 19:00 ET By Fiona Graham Technology of business reporter, BBC News, Accra Young people gaining access to technology is key for Africa, tech companies say.
Africa Seeks Cheaper Internet. Developing countries seek cheaper internet because government policies hinder competition and should be scrapped, a new alliance backed by Google, Yahoo and Microsoft says reports Sky News.
The Alliance for Affordable internet, which was launched in Nigeria’s capital, said it will push for an ‘open, competitive and innovative broadband market’ to boost access, especially in Africa, where only 16 per cent of the population is online. Other members of the alliance include the British and US development agencies, as well as Facebook and the inventor of the World Wide Web, Britain’s Tim Berners-Lee. ‘There is simply no good reason for the digital divide to continue.
African banking sector goes mobile. BCI’s best ever result was taken from its annual accounts for 2012, which have been approved and include growth of 36.88 percent in its net income (2.66 percent in 2011) to 1,239 million meticais (around $43.5m).
In a year characterised by a particularly difficult economic environment – on an international level into an across-the-board crisis and contraction of investment scenarios – and on a local level into a significant increase in banking sector competitiveness, much has changed the financial landscape. The most relevant indicators of this growth are the customers, with 563,500 (up 38 percent over 2011); 128 branches (up seven percent over 2011); 320 ATMs 320 (up nine percent); 3,862 POS terminals (up 57 percent); and 1,906 staff (up 12 percent). Africa Attracting Technology Companies. Kenya’s iHub technology incubator AFRICANGLOBE – Africa is not only a growing market for hi-tech products, but may soon be a base for a lot more hi-tech companies.
The continent is expected to see growing competition to meet the needs of its rising young and middle class populations. DHL calls itself the “logistics company for the world,” providing transportation via rail, road, sea and air. And Company officials see Africa as a place where its business can boom. For that to happen, though, more international companies will need to invest in the continent and base their operations there. Africa: VOIP Services in Africa Already Driving the Transition to Data - Video Will Accelerate That Trend. London — For years VoIP services in Africa were the grey market in voice calling, which was seen as rather grubby by the mainstream operators.
VoIP came of age with widespread use of consumer apps like Skype and Viber which have continued to increase in popularity, particularly among high-end consumers. Now a corporate version of this kind of VoIP calling is being adopted by companies in Africa. Russell Southwood spoke to Marc Israel, Microsoft Office Division Director and reflects on what this means for traditional mobile operators. Skype has millions of users in Africa, although as elsewhere the number of paying customers is much smaller. In my own experience, I tend use Skype as my main means of international calling in the office in the UK unless I get the rather prim response that "using Skype is not company policy. " The number of countries in Africa where a good, solid call can be conducted has increased several fold.
But what about issues of quality that have dogged VoIP? If Internet.org Succeeds, The Developing World Will Gain Billions In Online Work. Wi-Fi is an answer for AfricaIT News Africa – IT news, Telecom news, Mobile news from an African perspective. Across Africa demands are changing, access models are changing and consumers are blurring the lines between corporate and personal spaces – becoming more vocal in terms of what they want, says Ruckus Wireless, Inc.
And what they want is access. Google pushes TV white space to connect rural AfricaIT News Africa – IT news, Telecom news, Mobile news from an African perspective. Earlier this year, search engine giant Google teamed up with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) to launch a pilot project using TV “white space” technology.
Google teamed up with ICASA to launch a pilot project using TV “white space” technology (Image source: File) The aim of the test was to demonstrate that white spaces spectrum – which is unused radio and TV frequencies – could be used to provide broadband internet connectivity to rural areas. The issue surrounding spectrum allocation and licensing has been a hot topic in South Africa for a while now, with the Department of Communication (DoC) facing increasing pressure from cellular companies and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to aloocate additional spectrum in order to make broadband available to more communities in South Africa.
According to Rob Lith, Business Development Director for Connection Telecom, LTE (Long Term Evolution) is also a promising solution for mobile broadband deployment. Quand les opérateurs télécoms se font fournisseurs d'énergie. Mobile banking prioritised as Kenya, Morocco woo investors. The Morocco government this Monday held closed door discussions with senior Kenya government officials in effort to overcome barriers of trade between the two sea-port endowed countries.
The talks, which also highlighted the opportunity that exists within mobile banking, were held in the sidelines of a business exchange visit to Nairobi by over 106 Moroccan investors under the banner of the Maroc Export Promotion Centre. Kenya and Morocco have strengthened trade links and prioritised mobile banking as an attractive market for investors.
(Image source: mobile phone via Shutterstock.com) Trade Minister for Morocco, Dr Abdelkader Amara while addressing a room packed with Kenyan and Moroccan business class, termed an agreement signed between the two countries as a “significant first step towards improved trade volumes between the two countries.” “We are among other things, reviewing several incentives to encourage bilateral trade and investments. Projet Loon : un accès internet alimenté par des ballons. ABI: Africa’s Mobile Market To Pass 80% Subscriber Penetration In Q1 Next Year; 13.9% Of Global Cellular Market By 2017. With shiny new 4G smartphones clamouring for attention, it’s easy to forget about the humble talk-plus-text mobile phone.
But the device continues to dominate in emerging markets, such as Africa, where access to third generation cellular — let alone 4G — is not even close to being widespread. ABI Research says GSM (2G) mobile subscriptions now account for 62.7 percent of mobile subscriptions in Africa, while 3G, in both CDMA2000 and WCDMA flavours, only represents 11 percent of the overall market. Forget the Internet, Education Through Radio is Bigger, More Affordable! It was 5pm in Tado, a small village in the center-est of Togo in West Africa. Adjovi nervously chased away the domestic nanny-goat which was yelling to gather its babies before sunset. It was time for Adjovi’s third radio course on small business accounting. She is eager to learn, because she wants to improve her seamstress business. Adjovi’s seamstress business was doing well, but has dramatically slowed down in the last months. She is worried. Africa’s 450m mobile users to leapfrog development challenges.
By Emmanuel Okwuke Appropriate deployment of technology can help African countries solve some of their development challenges. This was the consensus view that emerged during discussions on a new flagship report titled “e-Transform Africa” at the ongoing African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Annual Meetings in Marakech, Morocco. For the AfDB, supporting ICTs is key to improving the lives of Africans and driving entrepreneurship, innovation and economic growth throughout the continent. Africa’s most active ICT regions. Based on information being supplied to media, Africa’s ICT industry is growing – boosted by the advent of mobile product and services, but sustaining this momentum is dependent on the identification and implementation of the right investment in ICT, skills and innovation, as well as connectivity.
Africa's most active ICT regions. (Image source: Africa telecommunications via Shutterstock.com) According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Information Technology Report 2013, South Africa ranks 70 th out of 144 economies surveyed. In the global audit, sub-Saharan Africa is not faring much better either, as the report suggested that a number of regions are not doing enough to boost connectivity. “Latin America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa still suffer from a serious lag despite infrastructure improvements, an expansion of coverage and a push into e-government.” Top 10 African countries on Facebook. Shares of social network giant Facebook were officially floated on the NASDAQ on 18 May with an estimated value of $100 billion. The company’s IPO is priced at $38 per share, turning it into the largest tech IPO in history. The social networking website has a 900-million strong user base – a significant portion of whom reside in Africa.
Le téléphone mobile emploie plus de 5 millions de personnes en Afrique. (Agence Ecofin) - Le développement de la téléphonie mobile en Afrique au cours de la dernière décennie a induit la création de nombreux métiers périphériques, les Call Box , les cabines téléphoniques et cybercafés, les fabricants, administrateurs, constructeurs de réseaux, gestionnaires de système, vendeurs de terminaux ou rapporteurs. Comme le fait observer le cabinet Fontier Economics, les opportunités de création d’emplois indirects dans le mobile sont particulièrement élevées en Afrique : « Les statistiques disponibles montrent que le mobile génère, pour un emploi direct, dix emplois indirects au Nigeria, 57 en Ouganda, 89 au Kenya, 98 en Tanzanie et 169 au Rwanda. » Selon un rapport du Cabinet Deloitte commandé par GSM Association, une organisation mondiale qui gère les intérêts de 800 opérateurs de 220 pays, « on estime que l’écosystème mobile emploie, directement et indirectement, plus de 5 millions de personnes (en Afrique).
Kenya : la Silicon Valley de l'Afrique. Cloud computing firms scramble for EA market - Technology. By ISAAC KHISA The EastAfrican Competition for East Africa’s cloud computing market is set to intensify with the recent entry of One Solution Uganda into the arena. The information technology firm targeting small and medium enterprises as well as corporate firms plans to use Kampala as its hub to expand into Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia. “Our services will help companies increase efficiency, cut operational costs and ultimately promote economic growth in East Africa,” Claude Vendette, CEO of One Solution Uganda, said. Cloud computing allows one to use files and applications over the Internet via a data centre. L'Afrique nouvelle star du high-tech. Africa to launch own Internet exchange point - Technology News. Big growth seen in mobile Internet users by 2020. €5.1-million fund to increase African Internet exchanges: AU.
ŸþM i c r o s o f t P o w e r P o i n t - A f r I S P A I n t r o - 2 0 0 8 - L i l o n g w e . p p t [ C o m p a t i b - WStucke-111108.pdf. Exploring the Start-up Tech Hubs in Africa. By Chrissy Martin, Guest Columnist. New SatNav has pan-African coverage. NOLLYWOOD TV PART A LA CONQUETE DE L'AFRIQUE FRANCOPHONE. The Stream - Africa's tech challenge. Telecom Reach in Africa: Who’s Connected? A look at mobile subscribers and internet users of the world’s second most-populous continent. Africa hungry for homegrown online content. Surfing the internet at a cyber cafe in Nairobi, Kenya. For Africans, the internet is a content enabler, writes Michelle AtaganaAfricans in the diaspora are underexposed to content from the continent, she saysBozza, iROKO and Wabona are startups distributing African content online Editor's note: Michelle Atagana is the managing editor of memeburn.com, a social media and technology news site.
Invest Africa Episode 13: ICT & Telecoms. New apps transforming remote parts of Africa. Africa completes digital migration. WaveTek Nigeria to improve broadband coverage in Africa with Carlson wireless agreement. Understanding the African digital consumer. Africa’s Information Highway - The AfDB Launches Open Data Platforms for 20 African Countries. Croissance en Afrique : Les enjeux des télécoms et de l’Internet. Le Top 10 des pays africains où l'Internet est le plus rapide en 2013.
The World Needs African Solutions. Investing in startups targeting the African market. Deepening broadband penetration across Africa. Africa focused on a connected future. Airtel Africa, UN sign MoU to empower female farmers. Intel, iHub target mobile app development in Africa. Africa's latest cell-phone revolution - Gateway to Africa. Real African Success - 20k to 6Mn subscribers in 4 years. 2011-2016-Africa-SelfPaced-eLearning-Market-Abstract.pdf (application/pdf Object)
Comparing African fixed broadband prices. African apps take on mobile gaming industry. Satellite tech powers 3G revolution for rural Africa. Mea12atkearneyafricapresentation.pdf (application/pdf Object) Africa Trends. Africa's mobile healthcare revolution: PROGRESS-africareview.com. Top_25pays_mobile_Afrique - Les nouvelles informations et actualités d'Afrique. Le marché africain du mobile est plus important que celui des Etats-Unis ou de l’UE - Les nouvelles informations et actualités d'Afrique.
Alcatel Lucent broadband services for Tunisia. Africa will be rising star in mobile revenue. How mobile technology is shaping the African market. Africa’s Top 10 Tech newsmakers in 2012. Top 10 African mobile operators to follow on Twitter. Share of the Africa market. Operating Systems market share. Africa’s mobile phone market overtakes EU and US - report. List of African IXPs - Euro-IX. Information and Communication Technology is Revolutionizing Development in Africa. Mobile network infrastructure investment in Cameroon, Ivory Coast. Open Innovation Africa Summit²
Coverage Area. What is dotAfrica? Mobile payments speed up in Africa. Le Maroc lance une chaîne satellitaire Bloomberg sur l’Afrique francophone. Samsung set to double its market in Africa. Increased Wi-Fi access will ease Nigeria’s network congestion, CISCO says. Bytes and FrontRange integrate to provide cloud services in Sub-Saharan Africa. WENDEL : signs its first direct investment in Africa and selects the telecommunication infrastructure sector.
00041763:cb6d314bacfd94ea5457b8169c3e6d8c.pdf (application/pdf Object) Africa smartphone trend drives antenatal app. In Five Years, Most Africans Will Have Smartphones. RRsat increases distribution to and from Africa. MultiChoice entrenches its monopoly. _Solutions_Africa.pdf (application/pdf Object) Future - Technology - Inside East Africa’s technology hubs. Google in Africa: waiting game. Early 4G launches in Africa more about marketing than technology leadership. Orange bringing Facebook to all phones in Africa. Africa Leads 4G Revolution. Mobile hotspots in Africa - Q3 2011. Virgin eyes Pan-African mobile virtual network market. SAP on the move in Africa. Several African countries ahead of Europe in the race to LTE. Technology - Megan Garber - How Africa Tweets. Quick Hits Around African Tech (May 2012) Datatec Acquires Weston Africa. How some western entrepreneurs are abandoning Silicon Valley for Africa.