Taxes are strangling the growth of the mobile phone industry in sub-Saharan Africa, with most mobile operators expected to pay $71 billion in tax by 2012, the GSM Association (GSMA) said on Thursday. The association said in a report that this figure could be higher if governments removed luxury tax on mobile phones and services, and replaced the luxury tax with other taxes, which would spur the sector\'s growth and result in more tax revenue. \"These taxes are holding back mobile adoption in Africa, curbing economic growth and, ironically, are actually lowering the total revenues collected by governments,\" said Gabriel Solomon, Senior Vice President at the GSMA, the global trade body for the mobile industry. \"Mobile consumers in Africa face some of the highest tax rates in the world which hit poorer members of society hardest.\" GSMA said governments need to urgently review luxury taxes and this would enable millions of people to connect and communicate on mobile networks. The removal of the taxes would enable governments to receive incrementally higher tax returns as industry growth boosts total VAT (Value Added Tax) receipts. GSMA, which is the global trade body for the mobile industry representing more than 750 GSM mobile phone operators across 28 countries, said Sub-Saharan Africa, which is dominated by South Africa\'s MTN Group (MTNJ.J: Quote, Profile, Research), would have added 43 million people as new subscribers if mobile specific taxes were removed 2007. By 2012, an increase in tax receipts of 30 percent would be recorded by Chad, 20 percent by Ghana, and 15 percent by Cameroon and Nigeria, compared with a global average of 17.5 percent. Eight governments in sub-Saharan Africa levy luxury taxes on airtime, handsets and more than 25 governments have slapped the tax on equipment. It estimates that every dollar the mobile phone industry invests in Africa generates an average of $80 cents in taxes. (Reporting by Gugulakhe Lourie; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Stakeholders in the public and private sectors in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will meet in Mauritius this week to discuss the use of ICT by governments in the region. The seventh annual SADC ICT in Government Summit and Networking Forum takes place from 29 to 31 May. The event is hosted by local ICT research firm ForgeAhead, with sponsors including Telkom, Microsoft, Standard Bank and the State IT Agency. According to ForgeAhead, the framework of the conference discussions will be based on research conducted by the research firm on the state of public sector ICT. The research was conducted between November 2007 and April 2008, it says. The summit will consist of high-level public and private sector ICT outcomes-based deliberations on how ICT can help achieve the United Nations Millennium Development goals, ForgeAhead says. Participants will look at challenges and opportunities that governments face when deploying e-government services to enhance service delivery. Keeping track ForgeAhead says discussions include a critical evaluation of the status of e-government in Southern Africa, and how government and private sector partnerships can be formed to facilitate ICT development and digital inclusion in the region. ForgeAhead says it has developed e-government indicators for the SADC region, which will be revealed at the summit. The indicators are to be used annually as a basis to measure the adoption of e-government in the region and to provide comparisons to similar initiatives in the other regions of Africa, it says. “The e-government track will also highlight our findings from the research we\'ve conducted into the status of e-government in the SADC region and provide guidance to those governments looking to embark on e-government projects of their own.” The conference also includes country case studies which provide insights into the best practices that have been achieved, with panel discussions at the end of each track, says ForgeAhead. The conference agenda also includes the harmonisation of ICT policy and regulatory environments in Southern Africa for effective government collaboration.

The Philippine government\'s plan to remove charges on text messaging is expected to cut mobile phone operators\' revenues by more than P60 billion annually, says Manila Standard Today. The country\'s two largest wireless operators, Smart Communications and Globe Telecom, in 2007 generated more than P60 billion in revenues from text messaging. Last year, the Philippines had 53.958 million mobile phone subscribers, most of them using cellular phones mainly to send and receive SMS. This translated into an SIM penetration rate of 60.8% in the country last year. Telcos can charge for SMSes An official of the Philippine National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has belied claims of the Department of Transportation and Communications that telecommunications companies (telcos) should not charge cellular phone users for text messaging or SMS, reports ABS CBN News. \"There\'s nothing in the franchise that says telcos shouldn\'t charge consumers for SMS,\" NTC deputy commissioner Jorge Sarmiento told ABS-CBN\'s morning show, \"Umagang Kay Ganda\'. Sarmiento said that although he has not reviewed the telcos\' franchise contracts lately, he is certain the companies are allowed to charge clients for SMS.

Despite e-government failing in its implementation so far, government is embarking on a renewed, aggressive drive to fully automate 100 public services. This is according to public services and administration minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, who yesterday announced her department would kick-start this drive with a bid to automate six essential government services that affect the poor directly. According to a request for bids, discussed during a compulsory briefing for interested parties yesterday, ID book applications, birth registrations, foster child grant applications, old-age pension applications, maintenance order applications, and death notices are all to be moved into the digital era. Fraser-Moleketi says her department will not step on other departments\' toes in the process. “We are not taking on other mandates; we are looking at how we can work collaboratively – this is a platform for them [other departments] as well.” She notes the e-government agenda is now an imperative and not a nice-to-have. “We can\'t delay this any further.” According to the minister, the three-month period for the project design, analysis, roll-out and implementation is, therefore, attainable. The bid for the supply and implementation of the next-generation e-government platform has been broken down into seven technical areas: * Portal: has to be a self-service and information platform, has to allow for interaction, content, feedback, push technologies, various languages, blogs and personalisation. * Intelligent forms: Web-based forms have to be designed for all six services identified under the tender, with a common interface and a secure validation process. * Identity and access management: graded, role-based authentication for citizens and employees with reduced sign-ons, as well as the use of biometrics and smart cards. * Process automation: re-engineering processes for e-government workflow, and the alignment of this into the design tools; the creation of common user interfaces. * Data warehousing and business intelligence (BI): provision of an end-to-end, scalable solution covering management, organisation and exploitation; allowing for data-mining and BI. Documents and records management: a turnkey solution that has to bring all the documentation together and provide for different lifecycles; needs documented interfaces. * Data extract, transformation and loading: working from multiple databases to extract secure data for verification purposes. Companies, individuals and consortiums can bid for any one of these technical areas, or all of them. Five work streams have been identified in order to make the project more manageable. These streams are architecture, process and analysis (including documents and process workflow automation), data integration and federation, service delivery (including training, ICT enablement and creating a service delivery culture), the e-government portal infrastructure, and identity management infrastructure. Companies can also bid for any one, or all, of these streams as part of their tenders, but even if more than one stream is awarded to the same company, all the work still has to be delivered within 30 days. Companies have until 20 June to tender. The Department of Public Services and Administration (DPSA) could not attach a timeline to when the tender would be adjudicated.

VODACOM reported a rise in annual profit, as it boosted subscriber numbers, parent company Telkom said today. Telkom said its mobile unit Vodacom had increased its total subscribers by 12,7% to 34 million by the end of the period. Vodacom’s earnings before interest tax and depreciation rose 15,7% to R16,5bn and revenue increased 17,1% to R48,2bn for the year ended March. Vodafone owns a 50% stake in Vodacom and Telkom owns the rest. Vodacom’s profit from operations was up 15% at R12,5bn and cash generated from operations rose 17,8% to R16,3bn. The group has operations in SA, Lesotho, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania. Vodacom will release its full-year results on June 9.

The Consumer Protection Bill, currently making its way through the National Council of Provinces, will have a “significant” impact on the way ICT companies operate, says industry lawyer Mike Silber. The Bill was approved by Cabinet in December and was recently introduced into the upper chamber of Parliament for adoption. It will then go to the National Assembly before being signed into law by president Thabo Mbeki or his successor. Silber says the draft law will have a significant impact across the board. “It is going to bring about a lot of changes in the way hardware and accessories are sold in this country. It may also lead to increases in price, because of the liability insurance everyone will require under this law. That industry [insurers] will benefit substantially.” Silber says the law for the first time introduces “strict liability”, which will have an “immense, considerable and significant impact” on the way ICT goods and services are marketed and sold, and on the way warranties and guarantees are worded and enforced. Section 68 of the Bill will make strict liability part of South African law and will hold every producer, distributor or supplier strictly liable for “any damage caused wholly or partly as a consequence of a product failure, defect or hazard in a good or as a result of inadequate instructions or warnings provided to the consumer pertaining to any hazard”. This, says Silber, means ICT vendors can be held liable not only for a person\'s death or injury – however improbable – but also for a loss or damage to property and for an economic loss. “This is fantastic for consumers,” notes Silber, but less so for vendors or their channel partners. Stuff happens He explains that “economic loss” means the loss of income or profit suffered by a business or an individual as a result of ICT equipment malfunctioning. “It is a lovely concept, very pro-consumer, and a first in SA, but very expensive,” as it will require businesses to heavily insure themselves against such lawsuits and damages, and that cost will be passed on to consumers. “Everybody knows electronic equipment is subject to breakdown. There is a risk in using machinery and you take the necessary precautions, such as keeping spares or having in place a service level agreement with the vendor. What you don\'t do is sue,” he says. World Wide Worx director Steven Ambrose agrees the Bill is veering the country to a nanny state. “The Bill is comprehensive and tries to cover all known technologies and situations. The basic protection of those who are vulnerable is laudable, as [is] the entrenchment of these rights in law. It will reduce the ‘consumer beware\' attitude of many retailers, for example with cellphone contracts.” But the law is attempting the impossible, says Ambrose, and will, therefore, prove “somewhat ineffective” when enacted as the march of technology is inexorable and exponential, and because the law cannot anticipate emerging technology or how that technology will be utilised. “The potential to exploit these technologies for reasons not related to fair use, such as spam, cannot simply be legislated,” Ambrose warns. “The provisions of the Bill are also fairly difficult to police. Proving and taking those who ignore the provisions to court will be far too costly and drawn out for most of us.”

More than 50 previously-disadvantaged individuals have become the latest to benefit from Microsoft and the Universal Service and Access agency of SA\'s (USAASA\'s) software training courses. The individuals have completed Microsoft\'s Unlimited Potential training course and will be deployed at fully-equipped community technology centres across the country that have been set up by the two organisations. This brings the number of people educated in IT skills through this initiative to more than 100. Microsoft SA MD Pfungwa Serima says, to date, Microsoft has invested more than R84 million in digital inclusion and education programmes. Ultimately, the company\'s goal is to provide training to at least 305 000 people by the end of 2009. “I believe that software can play a critical role in helping societies address their most difficult challenges,” says Serima. “Software and technology innovation can help strengthen healthcare, protect the environment, improve education, and extend social and economic opportunities.” More than 30 physically disabled people have benefited from the Unlimited Potential training course. “Even greater competitive advantage can come from strengthening workforce skills through investments in education,” says USAASA board member professor Maredi Mphahlele. “In an increasingly globalised economy, knowledge and skills are the key differentiators of nations, as well as individuals.”

The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) continues to grapple with its process to assign WiMax spectrum to new players. However, operators that already have spectrum have begun unveiling their WiMax solutions. Neotel says it plans to launch its enterprise WiMax solutions in July. According to Stefano Mattiello, executive head of the enterprise group, Neotel\\\'s WiMax solutions are to be deployed as last mile access in areas where the second national operator already has a fibre network. “We are in the roll-out phase of our enterprise broadband wireless network and have already established 22 sites,” he says. WiMax solutions will initially be available in the Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban metropolitan areas, with increased availability as Neotel continues to roll-out its fibre network, he says. Solutions offered to customers are scalable, ranging from 2Mbps to 10Mbps, depending on customer need, he says. Neotel previously noted that WiMax would not be its core offering, as there is greater focus on its fibre offering. The second national operator is expected to spend about R11 billion on infrastructure over the next 10 years. It currently has a 12 000km national backhaul fibre network, as well as metro fibre networks. However, Mattiello emphasises that WiMax does have strong benefits to offer broadband users, as it enables multi-play services on wireless networks (data, Internet and voice). A further benefit of Neotel\\\'s WiMax offering is that it is portable and can be relocated easily when required, he says. “WiMax allows us to provide our customers with the best possible solution to their communications needs, in the fastest possible installation times.”

Broadband Infraco is likely to only receive its licence to operate in the third quarter of the year, sources say. This is according to sources within the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), speaking yesterday after the budget vote speech by public enterprises minister Alec Erwin. During a news conference before the start of the speech, Erwin would only say his department was working with its opposite at the Department of Communications to resolve the issue. The Electronic Communications Amendment Act requires Broadband Infraco to present its business plan to communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri for approval so that she can then issue the regulator, ICASA, with a directive to issue a licence. However, the sources say, the longer-than-expected time taken to issue the licence should not impact the roll-out of Broadband Infraco\'s terrestrial and undersea networks, but it does mean the state-owned enterprise would not be able to sell capacity directly to its customers. Broadband Infraco currently operates under an arrangement with second national operator Neotel, whereby the latter has an exclusive four-year marketing contract. DPE director-general Portia Molefe says the plan was always that Broadband Infraco would operate as a wholesaler of bandwidth and never approach end-users directly. “We are confident that all the issues will be resolved and Infraco will work as we originally planned,” she adds. During the debate on the budget speech, ANC MP Christopher Wang said Broadband Infraco was in the national strategic interest, but that he worried about the tight deadlines the rolling out of the network would entail. “We have to ensure the network is ready for the 2010 Soccer World Cup,” he said. Erwin did not mention Broadband Infraco at all during his speech and focused on a proposed law that would be a corporate governance equivalent of the Public Finance and Administration Act. This law would delineate the lines of accountability between the management and boards of state-owned enterprises, the responsible ministries and the parliamentary oversight committees. It would also prescribe what information such companies would be able to make available in public forums, without compromising their commercial secrets. “Part of our problem with working out if Broadband Infraco was not only necessary, but a viable proposition, is obtaining the feasibility study, which the DPE has told us is a commercial secret. Maybe this law will help resolve such issues,” one MP said later.

Imagine, if you were able to fast forward two years to experience the future and see how a society lives, communicates and consumes. It\'s not impossible. Spend a week or two in a country where the internet has become part of consumers\' daily lives: Korea, Japan, the US, possibly even most of Europe... and you\'ll see the massive changes in how people work, live and communicate. It feels anthropological; similar to how the early explorers \"studied\" civilisations they came across. Working class Koreans use the internet all the time. They use computers at work and have laptops or PCs at their homes, and these machines are connected to high-speed, always-on broadband. South Korea has very fast mobile networks, and was the first country in the world to deploy this technology commercially. WiMax is also available pretty much everywhere, but the speed and availability of HSDPA has stunted the adoption and use of WiMax. Throw away your ideas of Google and Yahoo being all-powerful. Sure, those US companies have Korean versions of their sites, but everyone in Korea (literally everyone) uses either the biggest search engine Naver (70% of the market), or a portal-like effort (similar to Yahoo) Daum. E-mail is as pervasive as it\'s become globally, so there\'s no real shock there. Koreans shop online. All the time. The main reason is obvious: if you\'re going to be spending most of your working day sitting in front of a computer and if you\'ve got a fair amount of disposable income, you\'re going to want to shop. Throw in some fairly sizable discounts as an added incentive (like most online retailers), and you\'ve got a captive market. Koreans buy clothes, cosmetics, food, toys, phones, computers, cameras, televisions, and pretty much everything else on the web. Even pizza is ordered online. It\'s quick, easy (doesn\'t require you to actually speak to someone!), and you save around 20% on your order. Planning things like a doctor\'s appointment, trips to an unfamiliar part of Seoul or catching the bus happen online. A host of tools and services that we can only dream of make this type of planning possible. An interactive site will allow you to choose departure points, zoom around areas, and find a destination and transport options (taxi, bus, subway) will be presented along with relevant (and detailed) information. By far the majority of cars have GPS devices, and using these have become second-nature while driving. South Africans are familiar with booking flights online, but try imagining this on a local scale. While the idea of getting our news from online sources is not new (you\'re reading this online right now), getting video clips with any regularity is, thanks to their size. But not in Korea. Video is being touted as the \"next big thing\" on the web. Buffering, waiting for the video to load or skipping are not issues. It is like flipping through TV channels but few companies globally who produce video understand how users (accustomed to high-speed internet) are watching the clips. My South African host in Korea\'s morning starts like this: wake up MacBook Pro from hibernation, and open cnn.com. Scan the available video and watch the clips he wants to watch. He\'s in effect tailoring a morning \"bulletin\" to suit his tastes and interests. Not much sport (cause it\'s all NFL and NBA anyway!), a bit of business/market news, some big world events (updates on the shocking incest story, the Olympic torch reaching the top of Mount Everest, for example, and some offbeat pieces about crazy accidents/stupid criminals). Plus there\'s very little interruption from adverts (and those that are part of the streams are obscure American ads not targeted to him). Even information-type programming (the kind on National Geographic, for example), is consumed online via YouTube or the channel\'s website. This is despite the fact that a TV (with cable subscription to around 70 channels including National Geographic and CNN) is two feet away from his desk. Access to broadband is disruptive to existing media, and we\'re starting to see the effect online classified and job advertising is having on newspapers. It\'s worth mentioning that the cable TV and broadband connection costs less than R300 per month! It\'s a good thing that this column was abandoned halfway while in Korea. Returning to SA has reinforced just how much will change when cheap broadband becomes a reality (which seems like midway through next year). Commentators speak about how \"far behind\" South Africa is when it comes to broadband penetration and telecommunications costs. But the key here is that the costs are prohibitive, not the actual availability of high speed internet. Thanks to the deployment of 3G and HSDPA networks, our broadband speeds match that of overseas cable/DSL operators comfortably. However, because we\'re (mostly) relying on mobile technology (plus the exorbitant cost of international bandwidth), our experience of \"true broadband\" is stunted. Pretend cost and capping are not a factor and that your internet connection at home and at work was as fast as 3G, and almost perfectly stable, and you\'ll begin to have an idea of what true broadband is.

The Connect Africa initiative is on track – since its launch in October 2007 – to meet its target to connect over one billion people by 2012. This was announced at ITU Telecoms Africa 2008, taking place in Cairo this week. According to Gabriel Solomon, GSM Association (GSMA) director of government and regulatory affairs, the mobile industry has invested in infrastructure to extend coverage to reach an additional 550 000 square kilometres. This area is occupied by 46 million people, and is the equivalent size of France, he said. It took the operators one year to do something it took France 10 years to accomplish, he said. Mobile connections also increased by 70 million, to 282 million, due to the increased infrastructure investment, he noted. \"The Connect Africa initiative is delivering on its promises.\" Last October, the GSMA announced its industry members planned to invest $50 billion between 2008 and 2012 in networks in Africa, covering 90% of the population. \"The broadening coverage and the falling cost of mobile communications are enabling tens of millions of Africans to become connected for the first time in their lives,\" he said. The Global VSAT Forum, which was not part of the official media briefing, also made an unexpected announcement that it would invest $20 billion in satellite capacity to support Connect Africa. African New Skies, a satellite manufacturer, said it would deploy two new satellites in Africa in the next couple of years. Details of the satellite investments will be provided in due course, said Yves Feltes, African News Skies media relations VP. Additional financing also includes an 8.5 million euro financial commitment by the African Development Bank, to fund research on harmonising regulatory policies in Africa, said Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, director of the ITU\'s Telecommunication Development Bureau. The government of Spain has also committed $1.5 million to fund ICT capacity-building in Spanish-speaking African countries, he said. These initiatives include developing a centre of excellence and setting up Internet training centres.

The prohibitive cost of broadband in Africa, despite investments currently hitting 6.4 billion US dollars in the continent was the thrust of a paper presented by Eric Osaikwan, the Executive Secretary of African Internet Service Providers Association (AfrISPA) . Osaikwan speaking at the ongoing Telecoms Africa conference in Cairo, Egypt on \"the Impact of Fibre Optic Links on Mobile\" stated that unless Africa has available and effective broadband at affordable prices which will drive growth, the continent will still be behind other developed countries. He reiterated that Africa needs optic fibre highways , if it must have broadband to aid its development. Osaikwan who called for a massive deployment of Fibre optic links across the continent stated that it was unacceptable that if someone in America pays one dollar for broadband access, another in Africa should pay 40 times more. He also decried the situation that after 6 years of deployment, SAT 3 has less than 5% usage because of the closed club deal\" approach to building - incumbent PPTs on Monopoly. He stated that for example in Cameroon an E1 cost $32,000 while same costs $3500 in Ghana and Nigeria . Emphasising that the people of the continent are hungry for broadband access, he disclosed that the demand for bandwidth has been increasing steadily across the continent. Giving a breakdown, Osaikwan stated that bandwidth demand rose by 19% in the 2001, 28% in 2002 and 37% in 2003. He also revealed that an incumbent telco spends US$3.2 million on satellite transmission, of which US$2.4 million is spent on routing calls within the country, with the balance spent on international calls in one of the poorest countries in Africa. Osaikwan who stated that Africa annually loses over 500 million dollars to the practice of routing local calls internationally said it is one of the impediments to telecoms growth in Africa. He urged that all hands must be on deck to stop the transiting of local calls through third parties , saying that as a result of this practice, making a call from Ghana to Nigeria requires the call going through Europe before reaching Nigeria, thus adding to the cost of the call. He singled out, Nigeria\'s Second National Carrier Globacom for its GLO-1 for West Africa project which from Nigeria is connecting to the United Kingdom. He stated that Globacom with 2billion international voice minutes annually was in the forefront of the quest to have broadband everywhere in Africa and its fibre optic project across Africa will be up this year. He also added that Infinity Telecoms, would also join Globacom this year to launch its fibre optic cable in a move that will make bandwidth cost the lowest in the West African region. The project will start in Nigeria and expand across the rest of the continent. He called for other additional fibree optic cable projects to be speedily built across Africa in the quest to ultimately bring down cost of access across the continent.

According to a report from The Economic Times, telecommunications regulator TRAI has launched a consultation on internet telephony guidelines. Today, India\'s regulations do not permit ISPs to offer internet telephony to terminate on landlines and mobiles within the country. However, since January 2006, all telecom service providers are allowed to offer full-fledged internet telephony services. So far, only state-owned MTNL has launched internet telephony services within India. \"Telecom companies have failed to launch internet telephony as they fear that that this would eat into their revenues. For instance, if ISPs are allowed to launch these services, we can offers ISD at Re 1/minute, STD at less than 50 paise/minute and local calls between 10-15 paise/minute. This is a fraction of the cost offered by the large telcos for similar services,\" explained an ISP representative. \"Use of internet telephony for calling landlines and mobiles abroad has already generated competition in the International Long Distance (ILD) sector and reduced tariffs. Opening of the Internet telephony can impact National Long Distance (NLD) sector also in the same way,\" TRAI said. The regulator is seeking comments from the industry on issues that need to be addressed before internet telephony provision is opened, the issues include: examination of interconnection, numbering, lawful interception, emergency number dialing and quality of service. TRAI data shows that India used 340.96 million minutes of international internet telephony in 2006-07. That number represents growth of greater than 50% year-over-year.

Prepaid Vodacom subscribers now have access to discounts of up to 99%. These are available through Yebo4Less, a new service launched today. On-net calls will be discounted by up to 99%, while off-net calls will get discounts of up to 65%. The offering is similar to MTN Zone, launched in February. This offers discounts ranging between 5% and 95%, depending on location and time of day. However, MTN\'s offering is restricted to on-net calls. Says Vodacom chief communications officer Dot Field: “Discounts on Yebo4Less applies to all voice and video calls made to other Vodacom customers, as well as to customers on other networks in SA, regardless of the time of day, so Vodacom prepaid customers can phone whenever they feel like it without the need to wait for off-peak times.” Yebo4Less discount rates will be displayed on the customer\'s cellphone, during the course of the day, based on the customer\'s location and calling patterns on the Vodacom network, says Vodacom. The discounted rates are not available for data or roaming calls. Prepaid customers will have to move to the new plan in order to benefit from the lower tariffs.

Satellite is facing a strong threat as governments look for alternative technologies to provide connectivity and competition, says Ugandan ICT minister Alitumba Nsambu. Nsambu delivered a keynote address at Satcom 2008, which began in Sandton, this morning. He said many African countries regard satellite as an old and expensive technology. “When we bring our complaints to service providers that the price of telecoms is too high, they tell us it\'s because they use satellite technology and it\'s very expensive,” he said. Citizens are also led to believe the high cost of telecoms is brought about by the high cost of satellite. In response, African governments in East Africa, including Uganda, looked for cheaper connectivity and are involved in the construction of undersea cables and optical fibre networks, he said. No foe David Hartshorn, general-secretary of the Global VSAT Forum, noted that the satellite industry also recently faced the threat of having the spectrum it needs being reallocated for terrestrial. “We do not see the terrestrial wireless industry as a foe, but as a customer. So the idea of taking C-band spectrum that satellite uses to backhaul the wireless industry was ironic. We worked hard against the notion of giving away this spectrum.” He said the issue was resolved at the Radiofrequency conference in November, when government, policy-makers and regulators unanimously showed an overwhelming support for preservation of the band\'s continuous satellite usage. It was the first clear signal for the terrestrial industry that winning was not a foregone conclusion, Hartshorn said. He noted that the battle for spectrum was not fully won, as there were 70 nations that reserved the right to someday deploy the band for terrestrial purposes. There were extremely stringent conditions set for such an eventuality, he added. Hartshorn also noted that the use of this spectrum for new generation technologies such as WiMax and LTE is interfering with satellite services. Servicing the poor SA\'s science and technology minister Mosibudi Mangena noted satellite still had a critical role to play in SA, in addressing the disparity of connectivity. Satellite can be used in SA to provide connectivity in under-serviced areas, he said. “We view satellite as very important – integrating the country, building a more equal society.” Hartshorn agreed, stating that the biggest satellite roll-out has been for e-government services. Satellite services are finding their way into the mix and developing applications to serve the poor. “So it\'s an exciting time for them.” The only way for satellite owners to make money in Africa is by going back to basics and considering the income per capita of Africa\'s citizens, said Nsambu. “The money is in the rural communities; people who really need to communicate.”

The first National Master Scarce Skills List for SA indicates the country has a critical shortage of nearly 40 000 ICT workers. This morning, the national Department of Labour (DOL) released the master list, in which ICT features prominently as one of the most-needed skills in the country. This is in contrast with previous efforts to quantify the country\'s skills shortage. Within the ICT field, ICT managers, software and applications programmers, and ICT network and support professionals are some of the skills that are highest in demand, all requiring more than 6 000 people to satisfy current demand. The total figure of professional ICT workers needed is 37 565 and covers areas as diverse as sales, human resources and technical workers. The national master skills list was drawn up by the DOL by combining information from various Sector Education and Training Authorities, with information from national government departments, such as the departments of Home Affairs, trade and industry, public enterprises, and science and technology. According to the DOL, the list is intended to assist it with the creation of skills development interventions, as well as to enable the Department of Education to steer students towards these high-demand areas. It is also a guide for the Department of Home Affairs to draw up quota lists for foreign nationals with the relevant skills. In addition, national targeted interventions, relating to the skills shortage, such as the Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition, are also set to benefit from the list. Previously, government said it would look at importing skills where necessary and even repatriating South Africans who have left the country. While the figures that have been released now are not meant to be the equivalent of a quota list for the importing of skills, it is meant to act as a guideline in drawing up such a list.

Open source telephone hardware and software distributor Connection Telecom is to hold the country\'s first boot camp to prepare technicians and engineers for their professional certification in open source telephony. Rob Lith, one of Connection Telecom\'s directors, says the camp is designed to help prepare those looking to gain their Digium-Certified Asterisk Profession qualification, known as dCap, which means they are properly qualified to install and service the hardware and software. He says there are only two people in the country with the qualification and yet there has been strong adoption of open source telephone solutions. “While the adoption of Asterisk has been very fast, it has really been in the hands of the so-called ‘weekend-warriors\' – those who have been enthusiastic about it and learnt through experience. The boot camp and the ability to sit for the dCAP exams will make them certified professionals.” Lith estimates that the Asterisk open source solution has been adopted by at least 4 500 companies over the past four years, with about 495 of the high-end cards installed. Most of the cards are installed in the smaller companies with five people or more, while enterprises still have to seriously adopt the technology. “The real sweet spot has been the call centre industry, which has quickly realised that open source is not only cheaper, but just as, if not more reliable, than proprietary systems,” he says. The boot camp is aimed at professionals who work for system integration companies, such as Vox Telecom, Stitch, Clarotech, and a number of other smaller companies. “Asterisk adds another arrow to the quiver of those smaller data or ISP-type companies that can now very quickly ramp-up to offer a voice service to clients,” Lith says. The first boot camp will be held from 14 to 18 April, in Johannesburg, with place for about 12 people. The cost is R23 000 for the five days.

NATIONAL operator Neotel has clocked up R1bn of business in its first year of operation and expects to win deals worth R2bn this financial year as more companies grow to trust its services. Profits are still a long way off, however, as capital expenditure of R1,5bn this year will soak up its revenue as it rolls out more wireless and fibre network facilities. Neotel will invest R11bn in its operations over a decade. It spent the first R1,5bn last year. Its cash flow should turn positive after three years, said CEO Ajay Pandey. \"Out of the top 350 customers, we have made inroads into almost 120 and we are beginning to get repeat orders. We have been able to pick up contracts worth more than R1bn.\" So far, most companies have given Neotel only about 5% of their telecoms spending, but a handful now give it at least 25% of their voice and data contracts. Three organisations were planning to phase Telkom out of their businesses entirely though none had done that so far. Its network was extensive enough to let it reach most corporate premises within 48- 72 hours, he said, either by laying fibre or by using wireless \"last mile\" connections. From the end of this month, consumers in certain areas would be able to sign up for a Neotel rather than a Telkom line. It will also offer handsets capable of handling video calls and accessing the internet. Telkom announced this week plans to bulk up its own voice and data carrying capacity, largely by installing far more wireless technologies. Pandey said that was a smart move, as global studies showed that operators benefited most from market liberalisation if they expanded and sold spare capacity to rival players. Refusing to let rivals access their infrastructure might appear to be a strategic advantage, but operators that had kept their network facilities solely for their own use were far less successful than those that capitalised on the growing demand as more rivals entered the market, Pandey said. He said he would be happy to lease some of Telkom\'s infrastructure, but its high prices meant it was more cost effective for Neotel to build its own.

By 2020 the terms \"interface\" and \"user\" will be obsolete as computers merge ever closer with humans. It is one prediction in a Microsoft-backed report drawn from the discussions of 45 academics from the fields of computing, science, sociology and psychology. It predicts fundamental changes in the field of so-called Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). By 2020 humans will increasingly interrogate machines, the report said. In turn computers will be able to anticipate what we want from them, which will require new rules about our relationship with machines. Table map The report, entitled Being Human: Human-Computer Interaction in the year 2020, looks at how the development of technologies over the next decade can better reflect human values. \"It is about how we anticipate the uses of technology rather than being reactive. Currently the human is not considered part of the process,\" said Bill Buxton, from Microsoft Research. At the launch of the report some of the authors showed off the types of technologies that could bring the human back into the equation. At Goldsmiths College, Professor Bill Gaver and his team have developed a Drift table, a piece of furniture which allows people to view aerial photography of their local neighbourhood and beyond. \"It isn\'t really designed for anything,\" explained Prof Gaver. \"People can use it for entertainment or learning. One of the people that was given the table used to check out houses in Southampton following a piece on the news about house prices going up in the area. \"Someone else used it to look at the towns they lived in as a child or to visit towns where friends lived,\" he said. The table has no buttons and the small display in the middle moves as a result of pressure being put on the table. \"From central London it would take a day to navigate the table to the coast,\" said Prof Gaver. Other prototype technologies aimed at putting human needs at the centre of the equation include the Whereabouts Clock. The interface - designed at Microsoft\'s research labs in Cambridge - allows people to see where other members of their family are at any given time. The categories of \"home\", \"work\" and \"school\" are deliberately vague in order to maintain privacy, explained Abigail Sellen, from Microsoft Research. Other communication devices for the home that Microsoft is working on include Epigraph, an interface that allows family members to \"post\" pictures and messages to each other via their mobile phones.

PLANS to subsidise cellular operators to extend their networks into every rural area may not be money well spent, says the South African Communications Forum. Forum president Eddie Funde said an initiative by the Universal Access and Service Agency of SA to subsidise infrastructure roll-out costs by up to 80% would certainly ensure services reached the poor and underprivileged. But the agency should be encouraging local community consortiums to do the job instead. The agency believes the big players must be given incentives to reach remote areas. In return for the subsidies, they would have to provide high-quality voice and data services at prices that even the poorest citizens could afford. MTN and Vodacom have welcomed the idea, which would finally see the cash they contribute to the Universal Service Fund returned to help them meet their obligations to serve every citizen. MTN said it was anxious that the infrastructure subsidies to help them reach needy people should be finalised quickly. Subsidies promised would not see the operators slow down their pace of network roll-out to wait for a handout. \"We acknowledge that some areas in SA continue to be unprofitable, but this initiative from the agency will go a long way in connecting the 6% of the population that is currently not connected,\" MTN said. But the Communications Forum wants to help the agency find partners in rural areas to get involved in supplying those services. \"One reason some areas are under-served is because there are no profits there for the big players, so they need partners who can work in those areas,\" said Funde. Co-operatives could be formed to supply their own services simply to see their communities get connected, and not to make a profit, he said.

[ Johannesburg, 14 August 2007 ] - Digital Links International (DLI), Europe\\\'s largest charity providing computers to African schools, has opened a South African office. ?Digital Links has already provided computers for a quarter of all secondary school pupils in Kenya and we look forward to working with organisations in SA to bring the same benefits to students here,? says DLI chairman Sir Paul Judge. ?Information technology transforms teaching and learning, and opens up a whole new world of opportunities, often for the most disadvantaged.? In the past four years, DLI has provided 1.5 million people with their first experience of technology in 22 African countries. The charity also invests in solar and wireless technologies that make connectivity possible in rural areas. DLI has been active in SA for some time and already runs 20 projects in Limpopo, 19 in schools around Giyani and another in Thabazimbi. Further projects are also under consideration with Johnnic\\\'s Learning Channel, MTN, Ma Afrika Tikkun, Microsoft, EDS and in Lesotho with the Sentebale Trust, established by Britain\\\'s Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso. ?SA is an excellent base to build and manage our projects and develop partnerships with local organisations to ensure the work we do has maximum impact,? says Kerryn Krige, who heads up the new office in Johannesburg. She adds that DLI now has partnerships in place that allow it to offer computers for as little as S$3 (about R21) per beneficiary. Local envy ?There is no doubt that computers have transformed our environment. Other surrounding schools look to us and our successes with envy,? says Finn Mazibuko, a teacher at Hivuyeriwile High School, in Limpopo. ?I see the change in pupils ? in their confidence as their literacy, their comprehension and numeracy improves. The power of technology cannot be underestimated in isolated environments like ours.? Loaded with offline encyclopaedias and e-books, DLI computers give both pupils and teachers instant access to reference libraries. Curriculum software allows pupils to learn interactively and at their own pace and teachers to set assessments and improve their subject knowledge. In SA, where many pupils do not have enough textbooks and teachers are not always fully qualified, the impact of technology is particularly significant. Judge says if each company with 500 employees or more donated R8 000 to build a computer laboratory at a school, the education landscape would swiftly transform. Such a company\\\'s employees will between them have at least 800 children at school in any case, meaning a nominal cost of R16 per staff member. This would initiate a technology revolution that will tackle literacy, learning methods and teacher education while developing cultures of entrepreneurship and opportunity, says Krige. ?This is an ideal way for South African business to get involved in delivering community projects.?

[ Johannesburg, 7 August 2007 ] - The presidency is looking to the Information Technology Association (ITA) as a body to possibly define and quantify SA's ICT skills shortage. The entire management committee of the ITA has been summoned to meet with the Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) secretariat this afternoon, in the hope that the industry body can clear up some of the uncertainty around how the skills shortage is currently being quantified. JIPSA forms part of the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for SA (Asgisa), under which ICT skills have been classified as being critically short in the country. According to Dr Thabo Lehlokoe, VP of the ITA, the organisation needs to clear the air of confusing numbers over how may ICT specialists the country needs. ?There are so many numbers being thrown around and there is uncertainty as to their validity,? says Lehlokoe. .?We need to understand what government wants to do and government must also understand the private sector.? Lehlokoe is concerned that there shouldn't be ?training for the sake of training ? it needs to be put into perspective?. He says: ?As an organisation and as IT employers, we need to know what role to engage when we train, so that we are training relevant skills.?

[ Johannesburg, 7 August 2007 ] - Second national operator Neotel has bagged the right to land the Seacom submarine fibre optic cable in SA, creating hope that it will compete with Telkom to provide international bandwidth. This deal will allow Neotel access to the international gateway, liberating local operators from being dependent on bandwidth access through Telkom's SAT-3 undersea cable, market watchers say. The announcement also spurs hope that the construction of an undersea cable for the African continent may actually be realised, as Seacom has already appointed Tyco Telecommunications to begin building the cable later this year. This is in contrast to the East African Submarine Cable System, which has been the subject of much discussion since 2003, but has failed to launch as yet. The 13 000km Seacom cable will connect the East African seaboard to the global telecommunications network, stretching from SA to Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, India, the Middle East and Europe. Through the partnership, Neotel will own the cable landing station and all facilities within the South African territory. ?The Seacom and Neotel agreement requires complete open access for all carriers to co-locate their equipment directly on the cable. Seacom and Neotel are also in an agreement to provide a backhaul solution to Johannesburg to remove the backhaul bottleneck and permit customers to access the cable directly in a point-of-presence in SA's major business centre,? the two companies say in a media statement. Neotel MD Ajay Pandey says the company is committed to reducing the cost of doing business in the country, indicating that Neotel will provide cheaper bandwidth than incumbent monopoly Telkom. ?A key enabler to this objective is the availability of multiple international routes connecting SA to the rest of the globe,? he says. Seacom president Brian Herlihy says the cable will offer international capacity on a lease and indefeasible rights of usage basis, at costs that are 70% to 80% less than the current satellite pricing. It is not yet clear how the pricing will compare to Telkom's offering. Competing with Telkom Market observers agree Seacom will introduce a new level of competition in the SA telecoms industry, forcing Telkom to charge reasonable fees for access to the SAT-3 undersea cable and for national backhaul from the landing station to Johannesburg. MyADSL founder Rudolph Muller says the benefits of this competition will likely be seen in the medium term, maybe near the end of 2008. However, Gateway Communications COO Mike Van den Bergh argues that the threat of competition from Seacom will force Telkom to start lowering international access charges in the short-term. ?History has shown that even the threat of competition has forced Telkom to drastically reduce prices,? he says. World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck says: ?The irony is that, while it reduces the urgency to free up SAT-3 from a Telkom monopoly by providing competition, Seacom also speeds Telkom's imperative to be more competitive. Having a competing cable, with far greater capacity and an open access model, will force Telkom's hand to lower prices.?

[ Johannesburg, 3 August 2007 ] - The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) has been put on notice that it must present a more compelling case for Infraco's establishment than it has, by the chairman of Parliament's public enterprises committee Yunus Carrim. ?I cannot believe cabinet and two senior government ministers, Ivy [Matsepe-Casaburri] and Alec [Erwin], have approved the establishment of Infraco on the case that has been presented here. I believe there is a far more compelling case for Infraco, but we are not seeing it here,? Carrim told the joint sitting of the parliamentary committees on public enterprises and communications yesterday. Carrim's comments were prompted by national signal distributor Sentech's presentation during the second day of the public hearings into the Broadband Infraco Bill, the draft law that would eventually govern the creation of a new state-owned enterprise, which has the aim of reducing the country's broadband costs. During Sentech's presentation, CEO Frans Lindeque pointed out that Sentech was constrained by its narrow mandate from government, limiting it to only rolling out wireless infrastructure and its inability to raise its own capital because of its listing under Section 3 of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). The DPE wants Infraco to be placed under Section 2 of the PFMA in order to give it a large degree of autonomy to raise the necessary finance from the capital markets for its projects. These include the laying of two three-terabit undersea cables, one to Brazil and one to Europe. Unacceptable .Sentech, which is a state-owned enterprise, but falls under the control of the Department of Communications, also stated that, in terms of licensing Infraco, the regulator, namely ICASA, can only give it a certain licence, such as an Electronic Communications Network Services licence, but not state what technology it may or may not use. This is a policy, or business decision that has to be made by government. ?In terms of Infraco getting Transtel's assets, it also gets the teleport [satellite station] that belongs in those assets, and this means it can also start offering broadcasting services,? Lindeque noted. Carrim did not accept DPE deputy director-general for legal affairs Sandra Coetzee's answer that it was her department's policy that Infraco would only be rolling out cables, while Sentech would be responsible for wireless. ?What is the point of having two state-owned enterprises with a large overlap? We, as Parliament, cannot accept that,? he said. Carrim gave the DPE until the next round of public hearings on 22 August to come up with a ?compelling case?. Coetzee answered: ?The department will rise to the challenge.?

[ Cape Town | ITWeb, 2 August 2007 ] - Infraco's licensing should be done in accordance with the Electronic Communications Act (ECA), or it could open the door for legal challenges and so delay the company's rollout, says Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) chairman Paris Mashile. Mashile was addressing a joint sitting of the Parliamentary Committee of Public Enterprises and Communications on the second day of public hearings into the Broadband Infraco Bill ? the proposed law that will govern the state enterprise. In his presentation, Mashile said the most legally sound manner for the licensing to proceed in the current framework, in accordance with the ECA, is for the communications minister to issue a policy direction which states: ?In consideration of the implementation of the managed liberalisation policies, the authority may only accept and consider applications for individual electronic communications network services, licenses in terms of the policy direction issued by the minister in terms of section 3 (of the ECA).? Mashile said that the policy directive was to address a section of the sector, rather than directed at a single licence fee. Yunnis Carrim, Public Enterprises Committee chairman, said that, in terms of the Infraco Bill, two issues had to be addressed: first, is there a conflict between the Infraco Bill and the ECA, and second, if so, is there a way out without undermining the sprit of the ECA? Godfrey Oliphant, Communications Committee chairman, said: ?The licensing of Infraco is do-able, but it must be done correctly and using the Infraco Bill to change licensing conditions in the ECA would be problematic.? The main issue for the members of Parliament on both committees is to ensure the speedy rollout of competition in the telecommunications sector. However, they all agreed that it must be done in such a way that it is legal and will not be challenged in a court of law. The Departments of Public Enterprises' legal director general, Sandra Coetzee, stated that the deemed licensing of Infraco was not unusual in SA as in the past Telkom and Sentech had similar licences. ?We decided on the deemed licencee approach because we felt this would help speed up the implementation of Infraco,? the legal advisor said.

Despite hopes of an independent broadband provider, government has announced Infraco, the new bulk wired broadband provider, will remain a 100% state-owned business to decrease costs. Department of Public Enterprises director-general Portia Molefe says Infraco will be a schedule two company in terms of the 1999 Public Finance Management Act. This means it will be a ?major public entity? in the same league as Eskom and entitled to raise funds on the money market. Molefe says government's decision was influenced by its experience with private partners in other ventures, as well as its desire to cut telecommunications costs. ?The understanding is with infrastructure one needs a lead investor. One also needs to establish excess capacity for future uptake. Our experience is that private partners need to borrow money and that requires a return on investment so high as to prevent lower costs.? Communications director-general Lyndall Shope-Mafole supported Molefe. She added that in her opinion, government should own the broadband backbone in the same way it did the road network which everyone was entitled to use on a ?same cost? basis. Their comments put paid to Indian telecommunications group VSNL's hopes for a 26% shareholding in the company. Earlier this year, public enterprises and finance ministers Alec Erwin and Trevor Manuel announced VSNL, the telecommunications subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Tata, would receive a share in Infraco. They also said Infraco and second national operator Neotel (in which VSNL owns 26% directly) would sign a four-year exclusive contract. Molefe says Neotel still has its exclusivity period, though this would not apply to a planned $700 million (R5 billion) undersea cable off the west coast, which Telkom is keen to tap.

[ Johannesburg, 1 August 2007 ] - Government will spend about R5 billion over the next two years to lay a new 6Tb submarine cable. The cable will be placed between Mtunzini, on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, and Cape Town, where the cable will split with a 3Tb line running to London, in the UK, and another to Fortaleza, in Brazil. Public enterprises director-general Portia Molefe says at least one leg of the cable must be in place by June 2009, when SA will host the FIFA Confederations Cup as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. Molefe expects the Brazilian leg will be in place first. With the Confederations Cup kicking off on 14 June, Infraco has 22 months left to plan and implement the scheme; a schedule critics already say will be difficult to keep. This is a concern underlined by Molefe, who says the project is undergoing a ?pre-feasibility study?. ?That's the timing. We must have the cables up and running by 2009, or at least the South American leg,? she says. ?Innovative' funding Molefe says the cable's funding is also still under consideration. ?We are still investigating what we think will be an innovative model,? she says, adding this will include state, as well as Nepad (New Partnership for Africa's Development) funding. ?Telkom wants to buy a large slice of that capacity and we are happy with that.? Communications director-general Lyndall Shope-Mafole adds the West Coast endeavour is part of a Cabinet-sanctioned initiative to drive down telecommunications prices and provide South Africans with affordable and ubiquitous broadband. The initiative is also linked to the Nepad Broadband Infrastructure Network's East African undersea cable, Shope-Mafole says. Public enterprises deputy director-general Litha Mcwabeni explains the high cost of international connectivity in Africa is the result of the continent's limited investment in submarine cables. This is in comparison to that linking North America with Europe and Asia. Africa does poorly even when compared to Latin America, he notes. Mcwabeni quoted 2004 International Telecommunications Union figures that showed SA's US dollar cost of 100Kbps as $21.93, versus Japan, Sweden and Korea, where it was a fraction of a dollar. ?The average price is $2 and best practice is 18 US cents,? he says, respectively 10 times and 125 times cheaper than in SA. ?Our position has not improved since. If we want to play in the global economy, we have to make access more available.?

[ Johannesburg, 30 July 2007 ] - Local non-profit organisation Tenet has released a call for expressions of interest for the provision of connectivity to 100-odd research and educational sites in SA and surrounds. Tenet runs a national research and education network (NREN) on behalf of 40 research and educational institutions in SA and surrounding areas. It is responsible for securing connectivity and associated services for the institutions it serves, and which control it. These institutions include all 26 of SA's universities. The organisation is currently acquiring connectivity from Telkom, in terms of a deal (known as the GEN2 agreement) signed between itself and Telkom in 2004. The contract, which has been in effect since 1 January 2005, terminates on 31 December this year and Tenet is going to tender for its next two-year service provision period. The new contract (the GEN3 agreement) will be valid from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2009. Tenet says the current contract value, on an annual basis, is roughly R80 million, and expects this to jump to R96 million for the following two years. ?We need a service provider or consortium of service providers that can inter-connect the 100 sites and provide the bandwidth, nationally and internationally, on the scale we require and in the time scales we require,? says Tenet CEO Duncan Martin. Applicants must also be licensed service providers. Services needed include: At least 300Mb/s of international connectivity between either Tenet's existing data centre and external gateway in Cape Town, or the data centre/external gateway that it is currently commissioning in Johannesburg, and the UbuntuNet research and education hub in London. * 1Gb/s connectivity between the Cape Town (Beachhead) and Johannesburg (Reefhead) external gateways. * A connection between each site and, depending on the site, either the Beachhead or the Reefhead external gateway. Each site connection will be specified in terms of the dedicated last-mile connection bandwidth at the site, says Tenet. In addition to the above network, Tenet is also, separately, provisioning its Johannesburg data centre, procuring VOIP services for all of its institutions, securing connections to educational institutions in Europe, the US and elsewhere, and securing connections to sub-Saharan African NRENs that form part of the UbuntuNet alliance. ?High-speed Internet access is vitally important for research and education,? say Martin and Tenet CTO Andrew Alston, who see the GEN3 procurement as an exciting opportunity for the 40 institutions and the local Internet industry. Interested parties can find the call for expressions of interest on www.tenet.ac.za.

SA could require up to four times more bandwidth than it currently has access to in order to successfully host the World Cup in three years. World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck estimates SA's bandwidth needs at least two terabits a second by the time 2010 rolls around, or four times current capacity, in order to meet the demands of the World Cup and internal growth. ?There is a huge appetite for high-speed connectivity in business and among consumers. advertisement ?The undersea cable is a key source of our bandwidth,? he says, discounting satellite as a viable alternative source of bandwidth due to its price and latency. BMI-TechKnowledge senior telecommunications analyst Richard Hurst says SA may have to push some bandwidth over satellite. Choked capacity For the 2006 event, held in Germany, broadcasting alone accounted for 480GB of data each second. ?I can see local bandwidth being throttled for 2010,? Goldstuck says. The current month-end phenomenon of slower bandwidth, as caps are used up, is likely to be a key feature for the four-week duration of the tournament, he adds. The international broadcast centre in Munich had 25 cameras running for four weeks, transmitting images through 24 fibre optic lines provided by Deutsche Telekom, while the converged network Avaya built for FIFA handled more than 21 trillion bytes of voice and data traffic. SA will have access to a total of 890Gbps once the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (Eassy) cable is up and running. This includes full capacity of both the South Atlantic 3 (SAT-3) and eastern South Africa Far East cables. However, this will be insufficient for internal needs by 2009. Should pricing remain at current levels, demand on the cables is expected to increase fourfold. Halving of prices would see demand increasing tenfold, Goldstuck says. ?Current demand is artificially held back by excessive pricing.? ,br>Hurst estimates the World Cup alone will require six times the capacity of the SAT-3 cable ? or 720Gbps. SA is likely to need between 1.2Tbps and 2Tbps. ?The problem is Eassy; it's not as easy as governments are trying to make out.? However, Hurst is confident that if Eassy does not get off the ground, international companies like Neotel shareholder VSNL have a solid enough business case to run their own cable. Already worried FIFA has already expressed concerns that SA may not be up to the challenge of meeting IT infrastructure needs. The governing body is reported as saying, while it seeks to reuse much of the technology infrastructure from Germany, SA's lack of bandwidth may hamper running of the event. Peter Meyer, FIFA IT head, said SA's lack of bandwidth might make it hard to create a similar infrastructure to that in Germany. ?I was in SA a few weeks ago and the connectivity, especially when contacting the rest of the world, is quite thin,? Meyer is reported to have said. I think it is fair to say that in 2010 everything has to be treated as mission-critical and consistency is a non-negotiable,? says Gert Schoonbee, GM for business development and strategy at T-Systems SA, a Deutsche Telekom subsidiary. T-Systems provided 75% of the ICT infrastructure for 2006 and is hoping to supply infrastructure for the SA event. MyADSL founder Rudolph Muller believes SA will be able to deliver on the requirements for 2010 despite the challenges. ?However, the road to achieve this will be rocky and it may include international intervention and/or pressure from FIFA to achieve the goals,? he says. Sentech previously said FIFA's ICT guarantees include providing redundant (dual route), secure, high-speed, high-availability links between venues and providing international broadcast centre and international gateways. Unless visitors are well connected through world-class services, SA will be seen as just another developing nation in Africa, Muller adds. The Department of Communications did not immediately respond to requests for comment or information.

Implementation of voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP), reducing telecommunications costs and the regulatory environment were the main topics that concerned delegates at a conference in Cape Town yesterday. Dave Tolmay, a director at Johannesburg-based call centre operator e-Centric, said his company reduced its telecoms costs by 56%, meaning real savings of R300 000 per month, since it began to deploy a VOIP solution using VoxTelecom's technology. We were very hesitant about deploying VOIP as there was a lot of hype around it and almost everyday I was approached by various people wanting to sell us a system. However, once we moved to our new premises, we found we could get the quality we needed for outbound calls and it has worked well.? Tolmay said his company deployed the Asterisk open source PABX system, which cost the company next to nothing compared to spending around R670 000 for a standard commercial system. ?A mistake many people tend to make with VOIP and open source technologies is that they think it is either free, or it is unreliable. It is neither of these, and we have proven that cost savings can work,? he told ITWeb later. Pressure on government Greg Brown, head of geographic information service management at UK telecoms company The Carphone Warehouse, said SA's telecoms charges, equating to 21c, are at the top of the range for keeping the country globally competitive and something must be done to reduce that cost. The Carphone Warehouse operates a call centre operation in Cape Town to service its home market. ?Continuous lobbying pressure of government is needed so that something is done to achieve a better cost,? Brown said. Ian Measures, associate director of Fusion Outsourcing, which operates call centres for the UK and SA insurance group Budget Insurance, said SA works out to be about 35% cheaper than the UK in operation and location of the call centre. He noted that quality of South African employees was comparable to that in the UK. Measures, however, pointed out that the call centre industry was mobile and constantly changing and used the example of British power utility Powergen, which recently announced it would repatriate its call centre operations from India back to the UK. Fusion Outsourcing will expand its South African operations, and plans to open a new building in Cape Town in April to accommodate 600 call centre operators.

The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has yet to complete a WiMax evaluation process, forcing some operators to find ways around the regulatory delays. ICASA expects to finalise the WiMax allocation evaluation process in April. Spokesman Sekgoela Sekgoela says the regulator will announce the date for public hearings after it has analysed December's submissions from stakeholders. ?The applications received far exceeded the available bandwidth,? he says, adding this prompted ICASA to publish a Government Gazette notice in November calling for industry comment. Going it alone Meanwhile, local operators are looking at WiMax without waiting for ICASA to allocate spectrum. Vodacom's recent purchase of a 10% stake in iBurst was, said CEO Allan Knott-Craig, a strategic move to give it access to the fixed wireless Internet service provider's WiMax licence. Altech recently signed an agreement with Samsung to deploy a test WiMax network in Midrand. Altech CTO Steve Sidley, while declining to give further details, said the company has ?aspirations to play aggressively in the broadband wireless arena?.

The country's telecommunications regulator is drawing renewed ire from the public, which has slammed the watchdog's perceived poor performance. However, the organisation has blamed its woes on a shortage of funds. In a poll on MyADSL yesterday, asking readers to rate the performance of the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) during 2006, 87.5% of respondents voted it was ?pathetic?, 9.69% voted ?poor?, 2.5% voted ?average?, 0% voted ?good? and 0.31% voted ?excellent?. This comes amid official calls and political pressure for the regulator to be reviewed and investigated. In Parliament yesterday, the Democratic Alliance (DA) proposed the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications investigate the resignation of CEO Jackie Manche and other senior managers. The DA's call follows a government announcement last week that it will launch a probe into the performance and effectiveness of ?Chapter Nine? entities, which are state-funded organisations, formed under the Constitution. In a recent interview, ICASA chairman Paris Mashile defended the organisation, saying it is suffering a ?lot of haemorrhaging of staff?, as it is serving as a training ground for experts and skilled professionals, who then find more attractive positions in the private sector. Plea for funds ?We need financial resources in order to fulfil human resource needs. We need capital investment ? we have many licence applications, which we would be able to process faster if we had adequate funds,? Mashile lamented. Department of Communications director-general Lyndall Shope-Mafole also previously pointed out that the same industry that expects ICASA to have the manpower to regulate it, effectively also ?cannibalises' its staff. Mashile also noted that ICASA must strengthen its equipment inventory to fulfil its mandate, saying it requires spectrum-monitoring equipment and devices to detect interference or illegal activity. Last year, ICASA applied for additional funding of R57 million for the implementation of its mandate as defined by the Electronic Communications Act. Political forces Anti-trust broadband activist Debbie Love says ICASA cannot be blamed for all of its shortcomings. ?It is my understanding and belief that ICASA has been and remains under the minister's thumb (as well as other political-economic forces), even though the minister's powers have been somewhat eroded in terms of the law.? ICASA's actions seem to be dictated by political forces acting from outside as well as within the organisation, she says. ?I do not think ICASA has the requisite authority ? it simply does not have the legal, economic and most importantly, political authority ? to do what it is supposed to be doing.? Meanwhile, ICASA is seeking a ?highly competent individual? to fill its vacant CEO position.

The cumulative investment in ADSL and wireless broadband infrastructure in Africa is expected to be $1.1 billion in the next five years, excluding customer equipment, says a new BMI-TechKnowledge report. "These figures exclude investments that GSM and fixed-line operators are expected to make in their core networks for the provision of voice and other data services, which will also be leveraged to provide broadband data services," says Richard Hurst, a BMI-T analyst and co-author of the report. Stephane Tchies, co-author of the report, adds that, in general, wireless technologies are expected to dominate broadband connections in Africa, resulting in increased uptake of wireless broadband services. ?Besides the high prices that users might be charged, we expect telecoms operators to prefer investing in wireless technologies because they are significantly cheaper,? he says. Looking forward The report says the number of broadband connections, both fixed and wireless, is expected to reach over seven million by 2011, with DSL subscribers accounting for close to 3.7 million. By 2011, dial-up connections will drop from the current base of 76% to 17%, while DSL will grow from 26% to 43% of the broadband market share, Hurst says. Fixed wireless broadband connections will grow from 2% to 18%, while cellular connections will jump from 4% to 21%, he adds. Basic Internet access and the ability to deliver voice services will be the driving force of the uptake of broadband services in Africa, Tchies says. He adds that North Africa is expected to benefit considerably from the increased uptake of broadband, while the sub-Saharan markets are expected to remain the same due to the current lack of international capacity. In North Africa we are seeing a healthy uptake of services, with Morocco reporting 350 000 ADSL subscribers and Egypt 150 000, while the rest of the continent's broadband is starting to gain traction," he says.

Police plan to adopt a new emergency number that allows cell phone users to send photos or video clips taken from the built-in cameras of their handsets to report a crime. The new emergency code, tentatively at ``#112,'' will be introduced from Feb. 10, according to officials at the National Police Agency Monday. The agency also plans to open a new section on its Internet site (www.police.go.kr) where people can post their video clips taken from their cell phones of suspected criminal activities. Police officials plan to enlarge the storage capacity of the online bulletin boards that currently allow users to upload no more than three 10-megabyte files. ``Most Koreans are now mobile-phone owners and many of them have handsets with good video recording capabilities,'' said a police spokesman. ``We plan to get citizens to take photos and record videos of crimes on their cell phones and to offer cash rewards,'' he said. Korea has one of the biggest cell phone penetration rates in the world with nearly eight out of 10 people carrying wireless handsets. Most handsets are equipped with built-in cameras and user-created content (UCC), has become widespread on the Internet. With more people using their cell phones to report criminal activity, the police are seeking ways to better use the wireless devices for crime detection and prevention. Last month, a four-minute video of a school girl being beaten by four of her classmates circulated around Internet sites causing a national uproar and resulted in a police investigation. Police officials are currently calling for government officials to change the country's telecommunications law to require cell phone operators to provide location-based information of its customers to the police in emergency situations, touching off a debate over privacy.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong, a world leader in the use of "converged" communication technologies like Internet TV over third-generation mobile phones, is set to become part of the global cutting edge in another area of convergence: regulation. Joining Australia, Britain, Malaysia and a handful of other countries, Hong Kong is on the verge of combining its broadcast and telecommunications watchdogs into a single agency, acknowledging the impact of digital technology in blurring the lines between what today are still distinct ways of receiving information and entertainment. But some experts warn against the dangers of combining too much power into a single body, saying a monopoly on regulation can be just as dangerous as a monopoly on markets. And in the next few years, as existing networks like radio, television and telephone turn all-digital, the world's national regulators will more than likely have to decide all over again how to best protect consumers without overwhelming companies. "The technological environment changes so rapidly that it is hard for regulators to reconcile decisions they've made one year ago, five years ago, 10 years ago, with what they're trying to accomplish now," Tim Kelly, head of the strategy and policy unit of the International Telecommunication Union, a UN agency based in Geneva, said in an interview here. Digitization allows media to be delivered over numerous networks ? like electrical grids, copper phone lines, strands of optical fibers, television cables, the licensed airwaves and short- and long-range wireless links ? and yet still look identical no matter how they arrive or what device they are viewed on. But if the digital bits are broadcast over public airwaves, they follow one set of rules. If they travel over phone lines, they are subject to another. And if they start and end on the Internet, there are few rules at all. So if both the local phone company and the cable TV provider are selling movies for downloading over the Internet, to which regulator do they report? Which ensures quality of service? Which decides who owns the pieces of the network over which the movies are carried ? if it even exists physically ? and who gets paid for their use? How do governments prevent former monopoly phone companies from squelching competition in new networks? These are questions that governments like Hong Kong's and France's have grappled with. Increasingly, countries are decided that no matter what the network, companies should go to one arm of the government for questions of licensing, tariffs, access and radio spectrum. In a revamping of its regulator last year, the French authority became Arcep ? l'Autorit? de R?gulation des Communications ?lectroniques et des Postes ? to include wired, wireless and Internet communications as well as radio spectrum. Overseeing broadcasting content remains the mandate of the Conseil de l'Audiovisuel, but in other places ? Australia, Brazil, Finland and Italy ? broadcasting has joined the single regulator. It was notable to convergence watchers that Ed Richards, the new head of Ofcom, the converged regulator in Britain, which since 2003 has taken responsibility for TV, radio, telecommunications and spectrum management, came to the job in October with a broadcasting, media and Internet background. The one region that has been left out of the converged-regulator discussion is North America. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission has been doing double duty ? managing broadcasting and wired communications ? since it was created in 1934. Ken Ducatel, a member of the staff of Viviane Reding, the European Union commissioner for information society and media, told the ITU Telecom World forum here last week that Europe suffers as a result of the federated U.S. approach. "One of the reasons Europe is flooded by U.S. content is because once they have one license, they can address the entire U.S. audience," he said. "Now, if you have to go and get 27 licenses here, frankly you won't do it in a lot of cases. Basically, we think we need a paradigm change." Although it is not yet an official proposal, Ducatel said Reding would like to "move to a single licensing regime for content, a single market at the European level, which would produce enormous economies of scale for operators." Reding lobbed a separate grenade into the debate last month when she proposed an independent European telecommunications authority that would work with existing national regulators. That super-agency would also make decisions about Europewide radio frequencies, she said. "Spectrum is a national good and will remain a national good, but we have to open the spectrum to mobility and to cross-border utilization because you cannot stop mobility at the border," she said in an interview in Hong Kong last week. On Monday, the European Commission and the Council of Ministers are to begin what she called "very intensive talks" on her telecommunications reform proposals. Not everyone agrees with the combo-regulator approach. "My own personal view," Kelly of the ITU said, "is there are some dangers associated with converged regulators. Amidst the politicization of broadcasting regulation, you lose sight of some of the less glamorous issues in telecom regulation ? like universal service, like interconnections, like numbering, like emergency calls. The average politician might not think they are very glamorous." In addition, he said, "You don't always get efficiencies. You often get fights." Guy Sabban, secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce, which is based in Paris, can vouch for that. Even within his organization, which promotes cross-border trade to national governments, staff members who represent media companies could not agree with staff specializing in the interests of information and communications technology companies. "We tried to come up with some common ground, but it was not possible," said Sabban, who was attending the telecom conference here last week. "It made for a lively, interesting debate." Likewise, he said, it will be difficult for governments to work on behalf of both. Yet others say the convergence ? or collision ? of what were once monopolies regulated for the public good cannot go on without government attention. "It raises huge regulatory concerns," said Taylor Reynolds, communications analyst and economist at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. "The regulator has got to change ? you can't regulate these separately anymore." Reynolds cited the case of South Korea, where broadcast and telecommunications regulation are separate. As a result, he said, "Korea has no commercial provider offering triple play" ? a single network that can bundle Internet, voice and TV services in one package, typically at a lower price for the consumer. In another example, Taiwan merged its telecom and media regulators into the National Communications Commission. That led Chunghwa Telecom, the island's largest carrier, to have to comply with a requirement that it allow subscribers to other broadband networks receive its service. "The next step is convergence of networks," Reynolds said. The next step is already unfolding via "next-generation networks," even higher-speed, all-digital data pipelines, probably involving fiber-optic cable running directly to the home. Former monopoly phone companies, some cable television companies and even some start-ups have said they want to build fiber networks, which are extremely expensive since they have to physically replace the copper phone lines laid over the past 50 years. "Interestingly, some of the most completely digital places are developing countries," Kelly said, like Morocco, because they built their networks later. Although the ITU has been looking at the questions of converged regulation since as early as 1999, it now is looking at the effect of next-generation networks. In February, the ITU is convening a global symposium for regulators in Dubai on the issue, and the agency's annual survey of regulators is focusing on how governments are anticipating next-generation, all-digital networks. Some of them, like France, are taking small, preparatory steps. In a speech last month, Paul Champsaur, president of Arcep, said public authorities would need to "take action" to ease the technological transition for business. "We are working to create a propitious environment for very high-speed network development by encouraging infrastructure sharing and particularly the reuse, whenever possible, of existing ducts in the local loop," he said, citing in particular the Paris sewer system. "Should these measures prove effective, they will go a long way to preventing the re-creation of a monopoly over the local fiber loop like the one that exists for the local copper loop," he said.

The ICT sector's empowerment charter has been given a new lease on life as Cabinet has approved phase two of the Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI's) Codes of Good Practice on broad-based black economic empowerment (BEE). The ICT charter stalled because of numerous delays in the approval of the DTI's codes, says Andile Tlhoaele, executive director of Coral-Eye Solutions. Tlhoaele is also a member of the ICT charter steering committee. Cabinet approved the ICT charter as a sector Code of Good Practice in May. Yesterday, Cabinet approved phase two of the DTI's BEE codes, which deals with the scorecard, he says. The charter will be finalised soon and gazetted, he says. Issues that are addressed by the scorecard include employment equity, skills development, preferential procurement, enterprise development, socio-economic development, qualifying small enterprises as well as the treatment of multinationals. Cabinet endorsed phase one of the DTI's codes, which deals with the conceptual framework, the verification agencies, sector transformation charters, ownership, and the recognition of the sale of assets and management, in October 2005. The DTI has also communicated its intention to publish the final BEE Codes of Good Practice in the Government Gazette early next year. Some media reports indicate the process could take place as early as January. The minister of trade and industry, Mandisi Mpahlwa, will also gazette sector transformation charters for BEE, the department says in a media statement. Aligning the charter Department of Communications spokesman Albi Modise says once the final cross-sector BEE Codes of Good Practice have been gazetted, the next step will be to align the ICT charter with the provisions in these codes. The alignment process should be finalised by the first quarter of 2007, Modise says. The alignment process will ensure the ICT charter uses methodology and terminology that are in line with language used in the final cross-sector BEE codes, Tlhoaele says. However, there will be no change to the structure of the ICT charter. The ICT charter working group should also align the provisions of the scorecard in the ICT charter with those in the final cross-sector BEE codes, says Roger Dawes, executive director of the Electronics Industry Federation. Dawes says this task will not be easy, as the ICT sector is made up of different industries, such as broadcasting, communications and suppliers, which are likely to need different thresholds for exempted and qualifying enterprises. The BEE codes for various sectors determine their own thresholds for exempted and qualifying enterprises, setting a generic range of R5 million to R35 million for small enterprises qualifying for a concession. The ICT charter working group will meet as early as January to discuss the way forward, Tlhoaele says. The full details of the content of the final codes will be released publicly next week.

The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) denies it has put a hold on new value-added network service provider (VANS) licences and says it is waiting for legal opinion on new applications. ICASA is waiting for legal opinion regarding new VANS licence applications that were submitted after the Electronic Communications (EC) Act was promulgated. The legal opinion would provide guidance as to whether ICASA issues licences to VANS who applied for licences after July, when the EC Act was promulgated, or whether the new applications will be dealt with as the regulator implements the Act. The Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) believes regulations relevant to VANS licence applications, and the terms and conditions applicable to VANS licences, have not been repealed or amended and, accordingly, remain in full force and effect, says ISPA GM Ant Brooks. Licensing delay ISPA is concerned that new licence categories and procedures determined by the EC Act may take up to between 18 and 24 months to be finalised. If the current hold on processing licence applications continues, no new licences will be issued to potential industry players for this entire period, Brooks says. ISPA says a delay in the licensing of new applications would affect VANSs' ability to help provide infrastructure for the 2010 World Cup Soccer tournament, as they would only be able to start implementing their plans 18 months before the event kicks off. Already suffering from a lack of resources and funding, ICASA, the regulator of an industry key to SA's World Cup plans, has attributed this delay to the need to finalise some regulatory provisions relating to the EC Act. It also claims to be unwilling to create confusion between licences issued under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the EC Act, Brooks says. However, ICASA spokesman Jubie Matlou says the regulator has not issued a statement or notice to the effect that the VANS applications submitted in July would only be issued after 24 months. ?This is not ICASA's official position,? he says. ?Some projects, which were in the pipeline before the EC Act came into effect, will run concurrently with EC Act projects, he says. This is the gist of what ICASA presented to Parliament in terms of ICASA's readiness in implementing the EC Act, he says.

Capitec, a retail bank listed on the JSE, has introduced a mobile bank targeting the lower income bracket. ?We believe it's an innovative approach to make banking more accessible to our clients,? says Carl Fischer, CE of marketing at Capitec. The mobile unit, used by banking consultants, is a portable aluminium case that contains a notebook, mouse, 3G data card, Webcam camera, magnetic strip/chip card reader with a PIN pad, biometric fingerprint reader and a multifunctional laser printer. Fischer explains the product is targeted at people living in townships, remote areas and urban fringe areas, who are often illiterate and dependent on public transport. The solution, he says, allows a banking consultant to visit such clients and open bank accounts for them within about 10 minutes. The client's details are entered onto the system, a picture is taken and a PIN code generated. The information is then sent using a 3G data card to connect a mobile consultant via mobile infrastructure directly to the data network. The information is processed in real-time and a bank card is then issued to the client. ?This is in line with Capitec's philosophy to use technology to keep costs low, while making banking more affordable and accessible,? says Fischer. Riaan Stassen, CEO of Capitec, explains: ?The backbone of Capitec's system is Bancs, developed by Australian company, Financial Network Systems.? Bancs is a multi-currency, multi-entity universal banking solution with an integrated front-end delivery channel. The system offers product launching capability and support for all delivery channels. Bancs has an open architecture, which provides a high-level of integration, flexibility and scalability across all platforms, says Capitec. ?The system is widely used in Australasia, with the largest implementation being at the State Bank of India. We also use Postilion, which is a transaction switch utilised worldwide in ATM and POS networks,? says Stassen.

Virtual network operator Virgin Mobile has expressed its disappointment that cellular operators have asked the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) to postpone the implementation of mobile number portability (MNP), accusing them of a lack of urgency. Jebie Matlou, spokesman for ICASA, today confirmed the regulator had received a letter from the network operators asking for the postponement from 18 September to end October, the second time it will be delayed. Matlou says the ICASA committee tasked with MNP has not yet studied the letter and would respond only once this had been done. However, he did not know when the committee would meet again. Sajeed Sacranie, CEO of Virgin Mobile SA, says while he has not seen the letter, he believes there are technical issues delaying the implementation, such as extensive testing of the core database. ?There is definitely a lack of urgency on the network operators' behalf as there is no real incentive for them to ensure it is done quickly,? he says. Sacranie says a company such as Virgin Mobile has the most to gain from MNP because it has no customer base to churn, unlike its opposition, which are experiencing operator fatigue from customers. Virgin Mobile SA is a 50:50 joint venture between Virgin and the country's smallest network operator, Cell C.

Telkom is planning to introduce WiMax services in early 2007 to complement its ADSL product range expansion, says CEO Papi Molotsane. Molotsane says Telkom, which concluded WiMax trials with technology partner Intel earlier this year, is excited by the opportunities that new technologies like WiMax present for emerging markets and for Africa in particular. The world is going broadband and there are now more than 123 million global broadband access customers,? he says. Telkom previously stated it has an ADSL subscriber base of 160 000. Molotsane notes that, while ADSL is a powerful tool, it suffers serious drawbacks in an emerging market environment with access and infrastructure challenges. ?WiMax technology promises to enable us to take the next step in bridging the digital divide by bringing cost-effective, accessible ICT to rural areas,? he says.

Neotel, the newly-operational second national operator, will tackle Telkom on the pricing of the international full circuit and the transparency of its end-user contracts, says MD Ajay Pandey. ?One doesn't have to be a genius to work that out. Telkom's pricing on the return leg of the international circuit is far too high,? he says. Pandey was speaking on the sidelines of the TelecomsWorld Africa conference in Cape Town. According to Pandey, the SAT-3 undersea cable, which stretches from Cape Town up Africa's west coast to Europe, is responsible for SA having such high international telecommunications costs. The leg from SA to London is priced at a certain level and that is an agreement Telkom has because of its exclusivity rights. However, if the London to SA circuit is priced at ?x', then Telkom charges five times that for the half circuit from SA to London,? he explains. Last year VSNL, Neotel's principle foreign investor, completed the acquisition of Teleglobe International, resulting in it owning 33% of the SAT-3 cable, a shareholding that is slightly higher than Telkom's. Pandey says once Telkom's exclusivity ends over the SAT-3 landing rights towards the end of April next year, Neotel will negotiate to have at least equal access to the cable. A Neotel official separately said that once the new telecommunications utility has access to the SAT-3 cable, it would be able to slash the price of voice calls dramatically. ?VSNL would be able to do this because it buys about 20 billion voice minutes a year on the international markets and so our pricing ability is far greater than Telkom's,? he said. Pandey also says he wants far more transparency in the contracts Neotel will sign with end-users. ?I have told my staff that I don't want to see any correspondence leaving our offices with an asterisk that indicates that ?conditions apply'.? Pandey also dislikes long-term lock-in contracts and says he wants to offer the customer flexibility through offering managed solutions rather than products.

A consumer advocacy campaign, highlighting lack of competition in the telecoms sector, has in its first week attracted over R57 000 in pledges, from about 190 individuals. Initiated by the newly-formed Telecoms Action Group, the campaign aims to raise money to fund a full-page advert in one of SA's large newspapers. If most of the pledged money is converted into actual donations, the campaign has already reached its goal. We officially launched the campaign last Wednesday,? says campaign leader Richard Frank, who adds that the initial response was overwhelming. ?We received R50 000 in pledges within the first 48 hours. ?Our next step is to open the account to be able to receive the donations,? notes Frank, adding that this is something his team will do within the next few days. He points to the fact that the campaign is ?grassroots? in nature, with the growing list of almost 200 names being critically important to the campaign, providing the movement with more weight than it would have had if only large corporates ? for instance ? were asked to donate. Frank hopes to be able to publish the advert, which is primarily designed to make people from outside the ICT sector aware of the way Telkom's monopolistic behaviour hampers business in SA, sometime in October ? although no firm dates have been set. Thirteen individuals have donated R1 000 each, which is the ceiling limit Frank put on donations, with all the other donations ranging from R200 upwards. ?Any extra money that is left over (after paying for the advert) will be used to push similar advocacy projects in the telecoms sector,? he adds.

The Department of Public Enterprises is planning to set up a third national telecommunications provider to roll-out broadband nationally, that will include the assets of Eskom and national signal distributor Sentech, sources say. Should the department's plan come to pass, the country will effectively have three telecommunications companies with government having a controlling stake in the incumbent Telkom, an indirect stake of about 30% in the second national operator (SNO) and will own 74% of the third player once it is formed sometime later this year. Indian industrial and ICT conglomerate Tata, which owns 26.1% of the SNO, will also own a share in the third operator. Today, the SNO issued a statement on the infrastructure it has acquired from Transtel for R256 million. SNO MD Ajay Panday said in the statement: ?We are on track to switch on international wholesale services at the end of August. This transaction serves as a major milestone for the SNO. The availability of these assets to the SNO from Transnet will further facilitate the introduction of our enterprise services by the end of this year.? Appeasement A source close to SNO shareholders says: ?Tata had to be given the stake as an appeasement by the public enterprises minister [Alec] Erwin, because it upset their investment plans in the SNO. The third operator will essentially be a competitor to it.? The source says a proposal from within the department surfaced in July last year, during the signing of the memorandum of understanding between this department and the SNO shareholders that would lay the basis of the sale of certain Transnet and Eskom infrastructure to the SNO. In return, the two parastatals would each own 15% of the SNO. ?However, at the last moment, just before the signing at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Johannesburg, departmental representatives came up with this proposal to lease the infrastructure,? the source says. Last year, Erwin caused some upset when, at the last moment, he demanded two changes to the agreement of the transfer of the Eskom and Transnet assets. These were that government held the pre-emptive rights to the shares held by Transtel and Eskom in the event that either of them decided to sell, and, secondly, the preservation of the government's access to and usage of Transnet's and Eskom's servitudes in the SNO. These give the companies the right to appropriate property they might need for their infrastructure development. Asset sale ?The Transnet asset sale was too far down the line to stop. However, the sale of the Eskom assets, which have been written off, had not proceeded and it made sense to stall until after the promulgation of the Electronic Communications Act, as the new entity would have been contrary to the stipulations in the Telecommunications Act, which it replaces,? the source says. Communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri said in her 2006 budget speech that her department and public enterprises were working closely together to bring broadband to the country in general and she announced the appointment of a Broadband Advisory Council. ?Essentially we have become frustrated by the slow pace at which Telkom is rolling out broadband and the pace of the SNO,? one of her senior aids said at the time. News that the SNO would lease Eskom's infrastructure does not sit well with the SNO shareholders, the source says. ?A company such as the SNO wants to own its infrastructure, because that is what it is about.?

Local mobile operators wishing to offer live TV to their subscribers might not require a broadcasting licence, according to a new discussion paper from attorney Lucien Pierce, at Phukubje Pierce Masithela. Mobile TV, along with other new media services (such as Internet Protocol TV) is not subject to the limited resource of frequency spectrum, which Pierce argues is a key point. ?The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has been known to be robust when it comes to promoting the use of new media. In one of its most significant rulings, ICASA exempted those providing wireless hotspot Internet access from requiring licences,? he notes. ?Nothing is stopping ICASA from taking a similar approach with regard to mobile TV, and there is precedent for this in other parts of the world,? he says. In 1999, he explains, the Canadian radio-television and telecoms commission took a progressive approach by issuing an order exempting all new media broadcasting from regulation ? meaning no licences were required. Fast-tracking Pierce says instead of going through a licensing process that could take as long as two years, ICASA could hold an enquiry similar to the ?hotspot? enquiry. This, he argues, would quickly establish whether new media such as mobile TV should be exempted from the licensing provisions of the Electronic Communications (EC) Act, Broadcasting Act and other relevant legislation. Disposing of the regulatory uncertainty long before 2010 is a commercial imperative for potential service providers,? he says, pointing to recent research indicating those using mobile TV services worldwide will grow from 6.4 million to 500 million by 2010.

CellFind has doubled the number of subscribers since January for its Look4me and Look4help services, it says. The two services allow subscribers to track friends, family members and their mobile workforces and call for help in case of an emergency. The reason for the increase is the socioeconomic climate in SA, where people are increasingly worried about crime and safety of loved ones, says MD David Prosser. Although he does not necessarily believe the crime rate in SA has dramatically increased, Prosser says the perception is it has increased, driving the increased uptake of its people-tracking services. ?You can have the most awesome technology, but if there is no real world application, you will not have a big uptake of your solution,? he says. The commercial versions of Look4me and Look4help allow businesses to track employees to establish if they are where they should be, co-ordinate their activities and provide a safety net should they get into trouble, Prosser explains. Growth opportunities CellFind has gone through a start-up stage and gained credibility among users, he claims. ?We are now ready to invest significantly in people and technology to grow our subscriber base.? Prosser says part of the strategy includes working more closely with Vodacom, which provides the services to its subscriber base. CellFind also has an opportunity to extend its services to MTN's customer base and will provide further details on the deal in due course, he says. The group is also looking at opportunities to provide its services to the international market, with Brazil selected as a possible starting point, due to its similarity to the South African market.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) can be of benefit to the local call centre industry, provided operators do their homework, says Keith Mould, business development executive at T-Systems. VOIP, which offers substantial cost savings, has become a viable option for the call centre industry, where the cost of international telecoms is high, he adds. ?Technology using IP offers substantial and well-published improvements, such as flexibility, opportunity and, importantly, potential cost savings,? says Mould. Call centres wanting to use VOIP need to ask the following questions: Is the provider a network owner or is it reselling another company's network capacity? Will the relevant provider be able to provide enough bandwidth and network capacity? Will the relevant provider provide independence from a chain of partners or suppliers? Mould adds call centres must ask whether the provider is willing to commit to written service level agreements, particularly on uptime and voice call quality. Furthermore, he adds, call centres must question whether the provider has direct access to the network to identify and correct faults if something goes wrong. Mould says the call centre industry is still relatively na?ve when it comes to sifting through the choices. ?The benefits are clear; it's just a matter of doing thorough research and ensuring the right and most effective option.?

Reports that the second national operator (SNO) will not be buying its own network, but rather leasing it from a state-owned entity have raised doubts about government's integrity in opening up the fixed-line sector. Business Day today quoted an anonymous source as saying public enterprises minister Alec Erwin's department had decided Eskom would no longer sell its network to the SNO. Rather, the network would be housed in a government infrastructure company called Infraco. The paper suggested the SNO would lease the network at cost plus 4%. ITWeb was unable to confirm the reports, as Eskom declined to comment and neither the SNO nor the Department of Public Enterprises, which Eskom falls under, responded before publication. SNO MD Ajay Pandey has repeatedly said the company is ?now in advanced stages of readiness to deliver?. The SNO said it would provide comment later in the day. However, an analyst ? who spoke on condition of anonymity ? said such a move would set back liberalisation in the sector. ?The potential for conflict is massive.? While he did not see such a move going ahead, he had no doubt it was under discussion at high level. ?Where there is smoke, there's fire, but I would be surprised if it goes ahead.? The analyst also questioned why government would retain a portion of the network, and not the entire network. In July, Transtel ? a division of Transnet ? agreed to sell the SNO its telecommunications assets, which comprise a substantial base of deployed optical fibre cable, as well as telecommunications equipment and facilities countrywide, for R256 million. This network is due to be handed over to the SNO today in Johannesburg. In the same month, Eskom indicated it would divest its R748 million telecommunications network. The full-service network, owned in conjunction with Transtel, would save the SNO around R2 billion, according to media reports. Another analyst, who also asked not to be named, said a decision to rather lease the network could indicate cash constraints within the operator. He said depending on the type of lease, the operator would effectively be in control of the network. If the company had a lease-to-buy option, or a 99-year lease, the analyst was of the opinion that there would be no conflict of interest. ?The reasons could be sound; it might strengthen its position as it would have cash and not assets.? Information on the SNO's Web site indicates Eskom's telecommunication assets and related resources, which are held in a separate business unit, provide high-speed data transmission, coverage-based operational voice and data, as well as voice transmission and related voice services. It adds there is a significant microwave radio backbone network and extensive UHF and VHF radio networks.

The African broadband market remains in an embryonic stage, which implies there is still much uncertainty in the region regarding future prospects, Richard Hurst, BMI-TechKnowledge's telecoms analyst told delegates at Motorola's recent Moto4Africa conference in Zambia. At the same time, visionary approaches are being adopted across the board from operators to service providers, he said, adding broadband services are still confined to high-density urban areas. However, an increasing number of mobile data services are starting to appear. ?A number of operators have launched GPRS services in countries such as Kenya and Tanzania, while Edge networks are appearing in countries such as Kenya and Ghana. Also, 3G services are emerging in SA, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria,? Hurst stated, adding Nigeria and the DRC are seeking to issue 3G licences. Meanwhile, he stated, CDMA2000 1x and CDMA2000 1xEV-DO are gaining a greater footprint in the market. ?A handful of mobile operators are emerging to exploit the opportunities that exist in the African market and beyond. MTN is now operational in 21 countries covering a population of over 500 million. The trend is expected to continue as the larger operators begin to seek growth via acquisition,? he said. Market drivers Hurst stated estimates place the number of WiMax pilots, as well as licensed and unlicensed projects across the continent, at about 50 operations, and growing daily. Market drivers, he pointed out, include low penetration, high-local loop costs and subscription fees, formalised access to spectrum and the opportunity to offer voice services (VOIP). In contrast, inhibitors include low level of PC penetration and regulatory and government resistance (protection of incumbent interests), said Hurst. Looking at possible future scenarios, Hurst predicted WiMax would emerge the technology of choice for wireless broadband, with between three million and six million connections at the end of 2010, while CDMA is expected to gain traction as a wireless local loop platform. ?From a user perspective, broadband is expected to replace dialup services as and when costs are aligned. Infrastructure sharing and local loop unbundling will be key to unlocking broadband in Africa,? he said.

The Department of Public Enterprises has neither confirmed nor denied that it seeks to ?sell? Eskom's telecommunications infrastructure to a state-owned entity. ?The minister of public enterprises, Alec Erwin, has expressed his regret at the publication of the alleged delay in the establishment of the SNO by Business Day,? the department says. It states the news report was published after the department had ?repeatedly said it was premature to divulge any information around the SNO?. The SNO is scheduled to begin wholesale services ? to telecoms providers ? by mid-year, according to a press release it issued in July. The department also contends information in the story is inaccurate, but would not say what information was inaccurate. It concedes negotiations were under way, but did not specify whether these were regarding the sale of Eskom's infrastructure to the SNO, or a state entity. ?As the Department of Public Enterprise, we wish to place on record that the information in the story is inaccurate. An announcement will be made once the negotiations have been concluded. We are confident this is in the best interest of the SNO and its launch.? Broadband In May, minister of communications Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri stated that investment in ICT broadband infrastructure was central to achieving government's aims of growing the economy at 6% a year by 2010. In her department's budget speech, she said government would address the question of increasing affordable access to broadband. ?We have prioritised the roll-out of broadband infrastructure in the country.? Government, which is a majority shareholder in SA's only fixed-line network ? Telkom ? also owns Sentech, which it is mobilising to offer wireless broadband to rural areas. However, the minister's speech seems to imply the department is looking at other forms of broadband. ?As a country, we have to ensure the broadband backbone is robust enough to meet our socio-economic development, business, as well as the science and research needs of our country. Our work in this regard is continuing at a good pace in collaboration with the department of public enterprises.?

The shareholder agreement among SAT3 stakeholders is explicitly described as confidential, yet signatories are also expected to abide by the law of national jurisdiction and to provide information to government agencies when required to do so, says Balancing Act. The UK-based company says it has a copy of the shareholders' agreement for the SAT3 undersea cable in its possession. The 76-page document, which was signed on 17 June 1999, matches the document Balancing Act CEO Russell Southwood says he has seen from another source, convincing him it is the genuine article. "This undercuts Telkom SA's argument that it is bound by confidentiality and exposes its long campaign of not revealing the agreement to the South African government for what it is: simply obstruction of something it was able to do, but chose not to do for its own self-interested reasons," Southwood alleges. Telkom's position unchanged MyADSL founder Rudolph Muller says: "With the latest information, it looks like there is no need for the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) to delay the investigation into the current bandwidth provisioning costs from Telkom on the SAT3 system or to wait until Telkom's monopoly on the cable expires next year." Telkom is, however, not changing its position regarding whether it will share the contents of the agreement with the Department of Communications to facilitate government's objective of lowering international gateway costs. Lulu Letlape, Telkom's group executive of corporate communications, says despite the leaking of the agreement, Telkom is still bound by the confidentiality clause in the shareholders' agreement and must abide by it. Casting doubts While confident of the authenticity of the agreement he has, Southwood questions whether it is the full agreement, as it is enforced. There appears to be no mention of the national exclusivity period that Telkom says exists, he notes. In addition, the signatories to the agreement include parties such as Burkina Faso's Onatel and Gambia's Gamtel, which were initially not part of the system, he says. Regardless of the status of the agreement, Telkom's activities on South African soil fall under the jurisdiction of South African law, says Geoff Rehmet, business development manager at Internet Solutions. ICASA can, therefore, still apply whatever regulatory measures are necessary in order to compensate for the market failure in the provision of international bandwidth, he says. ICASA chairman Paris Mashile, and Albi Modise, communications director at the Department of Communications, say their institutions are still investigating the validity of the media reports, and will make statements in due course.

Cape Town call centre operator The Phone Warehouse is doubling its recruitment drive, as demand for its UK principal's telecoms services has surged and local investment pays off, says GM Wynand Schutte. The Phone Warehouse is the local call centre operation of UK-listed Car Phone Warehouse, which earlier this year started its ?TalkTalk? telecoms service to rival entrenched UK telecommunications operator BT. Initially opened in April and then going operational in May, The Phone Warehouse was set up by Car Phone Warehouse as the call centre to support the TalkTalk service into the UK market. The British company is investing about R200 million into the local operation, which is one of 12 such centres located globally. Schutte says The Phone Warehouse is doubling its recruitment drive to employ between 15 to 20 new employees per week and that it should reach its full complement in December, three months earlier than originally planned. About 160 customer advisors plus a number of support staff are employed. By year-end this number should grow to just under 400 customer advisors. ?Our Cape Town investment has surpassed all the targets set, including the return on investment,? Schutte says. ?This also includes our staff's relationships with the customers, including things such as empathy and time to answer calls.? As part of its recruitment drive, The Phone Warehouse is urgently seeking call centre managers and team managers, as well as customer advisers to support clients of Car Phone Warehouse with service requests like upgrades and bill queries.

IN line with global technological development, the National Information Communications Technology (ICT) Policy has since been finalised and is ready for submission to cabinet. This was revealed by Acting Minister of Tourism, Communications and Environment, Absalom Dlamini, during the opening of the CANGO and SANGONeT Regional ICT Discussion Forum held at Mountain Inn yesterday morning. Dlamini, who is also Minister of Economic Planning and Development, said information technology was important for every sector of the country, including the civil society. ?The world today is putting pressure on every country, developed or under-developed, to improve its technological forms of operation in order to be competitive and in line with the rest of the developed world,? he said, adding ?hence, developing countries are faced with the challenge of bridging the huge digital divide.? The minister said ICT was currently one of the most significant driving forces for development and it remains the anchor of sustainable economic growth as well as human development. ?The Kingdom of Swaziland, like many other developing countries, took heed of this fact and created a team specifically focused in the drafting of a National ICT Policy. The process ensured an active involvement of all stakeholders as the target was to come out with an inclusive policy which would effectively promote the development of information technology in the country,? said Dlamini. He mentioned that the policy had since been finalised and would soon be submitted to cabinet for approval. ?This therefore, implies that the ICT policy, viewed as a cornerstone and driving force for many economies, will soon be put in place.? Dlamini noted that its implementation would ensure that the country achieved sustainable development in the ICT sector. ?In turn, this will lead to the creation of an accelerator factor that will facilitate the maximisation of benefits accrued from the sector in the context of the country?s economic growth and human development.? The minister observed that the much-awaited policy would serve as a roadmap for local ICT development, clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of different players while also mainstreaming gender in development and implementation of all related programmes. ?While the country feels the strong need to have a robust ICT sector for maximum development, we are cognisant of the misuse of technology by some individuals,? he said, citing these as fraudulent scams, theft of information, pornographic material, trafficking of children and others. ?Government will soon embark on the development of a legislation that will protect her citizens against such practices,? assured Dlamini. ?Development and protection are some of the principles enshrined in the Convention of Rights of the Child. While we strive to develop our children?s knowledge base, let us also ensure they are protected from sites carrying information meant for adults. ?We believe ICT has to empower every citizen irrespective of social status and gender. Government also believes that through ICT, the nation can embark on job creation opportunities through the initiation of projects for telephone services in their respective communities.? He said this would provide universal access of information for all citizens in order to improve the quality of life through inclusive access to education, science and technology, health, culture, entertainment and other aspects of human nature. The minister noted that through this policy, government strongly believed the country would effectively address the challenges brought about by factors such as HIV and AIDS, human resources and infrastructure development. ?It is anticipated that the implementation of the policy will reduce poverty and in turn create digital opportunities to meet our development goals,? he stated. ?There is absolutely no excuse for not being at the forefront when it comes to information technology.? On the other hand, CANGO Executive Director, Emmanuel Ndlangamandla, said it was an irrefutable fact that the ICT highway had revolutionalised the world. ?Sadly though, developing countries like Swaziland still lag behind. This is due to high costs, lack of infrastructure and skills.? He noted that whilst civil society organisations played a critical role in development, they had not yet been able to exploit ICT to enhance their development work. ?This forum provides an opportunity to engage this subject and we will be exposed to the National ICT Policy, how civil society could utilise ICT for its own work, be able to determine opportunities and challenges, as well as a way forward.?

The South African government is behind the curve in a global trend towards open source software (OSS), the Gartner conference in Cape Town has heard. Gartner research VP Andrea Di Maio told the symposium yesterday that, while the public sector globally had seen an increase in interest in OSS in the past two years, the South African government had yet to formulate a strategy that addressed the risk implications. However, a comprehensive strategy that addressed such concerns could give non-proprietary software a foothold in the country. This could see SA joining the ranks of areas such as the US, Europe and Asia, which were investigating migration. Already, OSS is making its presence known. In 2004, the entire software market was worth $282 billion. In 2009, it is expected to be at $589 billion. But, from only a 5% share in 2004, OSS and services are expected to take as much as 20% away from traditional software by 2009, a figure that grows to 24% the following year, he said. The initial moves to investigate open source in the public sector, about three years ago, were born out of concerns over fixed-term software licences, Microsoft anti-trust cases, a desire to pass benefits onto local communities rather than global corporations, efficiency and maturity in the industry, he said. Countries in this first phase, which occurred between 2003 and 2005, examined open source from the perspective of emotion, indifference or interest. However, the global situation is now dominated by a sense of what Di Maio calls ?realism?. Countries such as the US, some in Europe and Asia are either investigating moving to OSS, or already implementing the software. SA, however, is still at the first stage. When Munich made the decision to move its entire 14 000 PC operation to open source recently, it calculated both the visible software costs as well as intangible costs such as the impact on IT security and concluded that open source was cheaper. Open source could bring these and other benefits to SA, said Di Maio. A move towards open source, he said, could prove to be a catalyst to developing skills, and possibly denting the skills shortage in the industry.

An e-mail from an employee at the second national operator (SNO) indicates the implementation of wholesale services has been delayed until year-end, a statement the SNO denies. An electronic communication from Archisman Mozumder to a prospective consumer states "the SNO had targeted the roll-out of its initial wholesale services to select customers (other telecom operators) by the end of 2006". This communication contradicts a statement by the SNO on 4 July, that: "The SNO has targeted the launch of its initial wholesale services in mid-2006, and in line with this projection, plans are well under way towards introducing international wholesale voice and some international data service to other telecom operators." However, the SNO confirms it is still on track with the operation and is close to launching wholesale services. MD Ajay Pandey adds in the 4 July statement that the SNO has "adopted a phased approach to rolling out its services. We are currently in discussion with various potential customers and are now in advanced stages of readiness to deliver." However, the e-mail from within the SNO, while repeating the same comments made by Pandey, clearly indicates that initial roll-out has been targeted for year-end. Pandey and Mozumder, however, both state that as the network is deployed countrywide, it will "gradually start providing enterprise solutions towards the end of this calendar year and consumer services for the broader public in the first quarter of next year".

Cabinet last week approved the establishment of a South African space agency, to co-ordinate and implement the country's space science and technology programmes. This is according to government information portal BuaNews, which adds Cabinet said the agency would co-ordinate its activities closely with the South African Council for Space Affairs, and would report to the science and technology minister. Major players include the University of Stellenbosch, SunSpace and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Application Centre. An 80kg micro-satellite, which will orbit the earth at a height of 500km, is being built as part of an integrated national space programme developed by government to provide the country with affordable access to space technology and data. ?Satellites are monitoring almost all aspects of the world's climate systems,? says Prof Sias Mostert of Stellenbosch University's department of electrical engineering. This includes measuring temperatures at sea and land, clouds and rainfall, winds, sea level, ice cover, vegetation cover and gases, he adds. The Agency for Science and Technology Advancement has invited grade seven to 12 learners to take part in a competition to come up with a ?truly African name? for the space agency. Spokesmen for the science and technology department were unavailable for comment this morning, and it is unclear when the space agency will be established.

London-based non-governmental organisation Digital Links plans to deploy 300 000 PCs into Africa's education systems by 2010, providing 10 million pupils with access to IT. CEO and founder David Sogan says in the past four years alone, the company, in collaboration with its African partners, has arranged more than 45 000 PCs for schools and communities in the Great Lakes Region as well Benin, Gambia, Ghana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. ?The partnerships have already given 1.5 million people access to IT,? he says. Sogan says the company relies on donations and working computers from UK companies. These are then refurbished for the distribution into schools. He says computers are not given away, but are sold to local partners for a fair price. The local distribution partner also provides training and support. Sogan says the company has recently signed a local partnership with Barclays Bank to help computerise schools in East Africa. Barclays MD Nick Mbuvi says the bank has spent ?50 000 rolling out PCs in education systems in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Vodacom set up five base stations last week on the N7 route in the Springbok area, the administrative capital of Namaqualand. This marked the second of Vodacom's three-phase base station roll-out project in the Northern Cape, with the first base stations set up in Middlepos on 22 July. The Springbok base stations are expected to provide mobile communication to 15 000 people, covering 90km of road, Vodacom says. Additionally, tourists travelling between towns along the N7 and in neighbouring Namibia will also have ubiquitous road coverage, it says. Alvin Scott, Vodacom's managing executive in the western region, notes that Springbok's main income is generated from tourism, mining activities, historical sites, museums and restaurants. ?Having cellphone connection can play a significant part in promoting bottom-up socio-economic development, while simultaneously stimulating small businesses and entrepreneurship,? he says. Vodacom has also built base stations in Kheis, Kharkams, Wolfkop, Arkoep and the Namaqua Game Lodge.

black economic empowerment (BEE) consortium of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), led by Digital IQ, has lodged an expression of interest to bid for 30% voting shares in Swiftnet, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telkom. Earlier this month, Telkom issued an invitation for potential investors to bid for the stake. Lee-Ann Cassie, a telecoms enforcement manager with the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA), notes that Swiftnet's wireless data licence requires that a BEE partner hold a minimum of 30% of its shareholding. Swiftnet has been unable to fulfil this requirement since 2001, since Telkom purchased a 40% stake in the company that was previously held by VHR Wireless. Third time lucky? This round of bidding follows two failed attempts which ICASA attributed to a dearth of offers from credible investors. Tebogo Khaas, Digital IQ CEO and president of the SMME Forum, says the 17-member consortium consists mainly of black-owned SMEs spread throughout the country. ?Our plan is that 70% of the 30% Swiftnet voting shares should be in the hands of SMEs, while the remaining share should be in the hands of individual investors and other entities,? he says. Greater ambitions Khaas says the consortium has ambitions to acquire up to 49% shares in Swiftnet, if conditions permit and Swiftnet warms up to the idea. He says the consortium has secured support from a leading financial institution. A corporate finance organisation has also expressed interest in providing funding should the consortium so require. He adds that, while subscriptions to the consortium have been overwhelming, it has kept a window open until 31 July for further subscription by qualifying entities. Swiftnet's transaction advisor, Nedbank Capital, was unable to respond to queries at the time of publication.

Vodafone's South African subsidiary added 761 000 customers to its subscriber base in the last quarter, says the UK mobile operator, which has a 50% stake in Vodacom. Announcing key performance indicators for the quarter ended 30 June, Vodafone said its emerging market operations had continued to perform well, with strong performance in Romania, Egypt and SA. Vodafone's stake in Vodacom now accounts for 11.8 million proportionate customers, up from 11 million at the end of March, of which almost 90% are prepaid, it said. Vodacom had a total subscriber base of 23.5 million at the end of March, the company said previously. However, the definition of South African customers is extended to include subscribers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Mozambique and Tanzania. Net additions for the quarter include the 200 000 disconnections that resulted from a change in the definition of an active customer to exclude calls forwarded to voicemail. Vodafone noted that, at country level, service revenue growth in SA assumes its increased stake is reflected in the whole of the current quarter and the same quarter last year.

Microsoft has detailed the key partnerships through which it hopes Africa will develop a sustainable tourism industry as a force to alleviate poverty. This follows its recent Government Leaders Forum in Cape Town. The company describes ?Windows on Africa? as a Web portal system designed to showcase African tourism by aggregating online content in a ?user-friendly pan-African format?. Microsoft will develop the project through partnerships with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the New Partnership for Africa's Development. UNWTO notes on its Web site that the online content ?will be linked nationally and locally to incorporate data from visitor centres, libraries and museums; ultimately to provide real-time advice via personal digital assistants and other mobile devices with destination-specific data?.

State signals provider Sentech expects to get clarity from government next week on its proposed R1 billion wireless broadband network project. Portfolio manager of PR and external communications, Dr Pranill Ramchander, says the company approached government a few months ago to fund the project, which will extend its MyWireless service across the country. Sentech provides urban nodes in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Nelspruit with connectivity. The project will involve building about 1 000 more base stations, concentrating on underserviced areas that would, for example, not have fixed-line provision, says Ramchander. This would form part of the Department of Communications' mandate to provide cheaper broadband access in rural areas. As a result, Sentech will provide services in areas that are not commercially viable, hence its decision to approach government for funding. The meeting with government is expected to provide clarity on funding and timeframes, as no concrete information has been provided to Sentech as yet. In October 2005, Sentech was expecting to be able to offer lower broadband costs as other operators get access to an arena previously dominated by Telkom, which would see prices becoming more competitive, said portfolio manager for broadband wireless Winston Smith at the time. ?One of the results of this would be decreased broadband costs,? Smith stated. ?Sentech would then be able to pass on those benefits to its customers including SMEs, using a MyWireless product.?

Councillors who have completed their term with the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) should not be allowed to join the ICT sector immediately, as they could provide their new employers with ?insider? knowledge. This could give private companies a competitive advantage over the regulator, says ICASA chairman Paris Mashile. Mashile says when people in the ICT sector speak about the need for ICASA to act with independence, they tend to focus on the potential of government interference. However, he notes that interference could also come from the private sector, with companies using information gained from former ICASA councillors. ?Councillors have short tenures and then join the private sector, which could mean their potential employers could attempt to influence the regulatory decisions of ICASA in their favour,? he says. Mashile suggests the terms of employment of ICASA councillors should include an undertaking from government that once the term is completed, a councillor will be deployed within government to ensure a cooling off period. ?Government can deploy such individuals as ambassadors to countries such as Rwanda, thus removing them from access to local ICT players,? he says. Mashile emphasises the ICASA council is sworn to make decisions without fear or favour, as it is protected by the constitution, as well as mandated by the ICASA Amendment Act. The regulator should be seen as independent in its execution of its mandate, free of commercial and government interference, he says. Haemorrhaging staff Mashile says the commencement of the Electronic Communications Act and the ICASA Amendment Act presents the regulator with the opportunity for re-invigoration. The council also aims to improve on its leadership, making the organisation a place where employees look forward to coming to work, he says. He adds that the regulator is ?haemorrhaging? staff, referring to the recent loss of all GMs and several senior managers. Part of the reason is the organisation is a de facto training ground for people in the ICT sector, Mashile says. In addition, ICASA salaries do not compete favourably with large companies in the sector. For example, Telkom senior managers earn almost twice as much as ICASA senior managers, he notes. To develop a staff retention strategy, the regulator has contracted a human resources company to compile and analyse all employee exit reports dating back to when the organisation was formed, he says.

MTN Uganda is building a $1.4 million fibre optic telecoms line in the country's Northern Province to accommodate a growing subscriber base, says CEO Noel Meier. We need to start spreading the use of fibre optic lines in the country as the growth of subscriber numbers, like for most of Africa's telecommunication providers, has exceeded expectations.? The Northern Province implementation will start this month, with the hope of finishing by November, says Meier. ?The fibre cable will run 165km north, from Kampala to Masindi, in a bid to enhance the capacity of MTN's existing national backbone ring configuration, that is a hybrid of both fibre and microwave radio links.? Essential for reliability Meier adds $8.5 million has already been invested in a fibre backbone over the past five years, which consists of two self-healing synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) rings that cover both Eastern and Western parts of the country. Fibre optics are an essential and reliable ingredient to put an end to the network outages that create poor customer service and unreliable revenues. Meier notes MTN's fibre network forms part of the East African Backhaul System (EAB) for the Eassy cable. The EAB will run from Dar-es-Salaam, in Tanzania, through Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda to Mombasa, in Kenya. This backhaul infrastructure will provide resilient connectivity to the two Eassy cable landing points that will exist in East Africa. Other developments, such as demand for broadband services and region-wide co-operative arrangements, are also drivers behind this fibre deployment, he says.

Broadband fireworks are still to come, says deputy communications minister Roy Padayachie, in light of yesterday's commencement of the Electronic Communications (EC) Act. He would not provide details of what this would entail. However, he says the Department of Communications has set a target of six months to finalise internal discussions, before announcements are made about a broadband policy framework. ?One of the things we don't want to do is give dates we can't keep,? he says. Padayachie reaffirms that with the EC Act and the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) Amendment Act coming into effect, significant changes will be implemented in the telecoms sector. The department is on track with its broadband policy framework, tabled in the Estimates of National Expenditure, which is set for completion by September 2006, he notes. The Broadband Advisory Council, which communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri announced in her annual budget speech, has several good projects in the pipeline, says Padayachie. A meeting with the council has been planned and some of the deadlines will be set then. Infrastructure Sentech remains a central player in government's wireless broadband infrastructure, he says, adding the second national operator also has significant assets that could be used to provide affordable broadband. The most important goal, however, will be to create opportunities for new players to enter the telecoms market, he says. Padayachie says government is still looking at its options regarding the SAT 3 undersea cable. The next round of negotiations is coming up next year when the national monopoly expires, he says. Gabriel Solomon, the GSM Association's government and regulatory affairs director, says the ending of the national monopoly is an excellent opportunity for Telkom to play a key role in lowering telecoms pricing. My hope is Telkom will give concessions and reach an agreement that is favourable to [it], while still helping government achieve its broadband policy goals,? he says.

Local DSL and dial-up users who have Web sites hosted overseas were unable to access e-mail and FTP services yesterday, after Telkom experienced a problem with its international gateway. The problem was a cable break between Kensington and New Doornfontein, says Telkom spokesperson Candice Jeffreys. ?The breakage was caused by people doing building work in the area,? she explains, adding the problem was fixed by about 4am this morning. It is unclear when the break occurred. Jeffreys denies the problem caused major disruptions, but comments on the MyADSL forum suggest otherwise. Frequent disconnections MyADSL founder Rudolph Muller says the lack of access to e-mail services for people whose sites are hosted overseas is not the only recent problem. There have been frequent disconnections [over the past few days] of the ADSL service, and certain authentication problems ? and on that we haven't seen much feedback from Telkom,? he says. ?Its definitely causing irritation among users,? adds Muller. One of the site's users explains the problem: ?I can download my pop3 e-mail, ping the domain and access the control panel from iBurst and GPRS connections, but from my Telkom ADSL line I cannot access my e-mail, cannot ping the site and cannot access the control panel.? My Web sites are hosted in Europe; I can browse my sites, but I cannot connect to the mail server or FTP,? notes another user."

A fairer and more consistent telecoms regulation regime would have made the region more attractive to potential investment, says the GSM Association. Best practice regulation in sub-Saharan Africa, along with fairer taxes and lower duties, would have generated a 25% increase in investment, or $5 billion, says Gabriel Solomon, the GSM Association's director of government and regulatory affairs. This would have resulted in a 30% increase in mobile penetration (from 83 million to 108 million) and additional regional annual GDP of $1 billion, he says Solomon, who is in SA to attend the Global Mobile Suppliers Association Evolution Forum, says the sub-Saharan region overall has a small mobile penetration of 6%, despite SA's impressive penetration rate of over 50%. Sub-Saharan African regulators have the opportunity to use telecoms regulations to unleash mobile growth in the region, he says. By eliminating fiscal and regulatory bottlenecks, the industry's cost structure will fall and penetration and usage will increase as services become more affordable.

Africa, which has 150 million mobile GSM subscribers, will need to open up marketplaces to increase mobile penetration into lower revenue income sectors. Industry organisation Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), in the country to foster dialogue on growing GSM on the continent, argues that economies of scale will underpin competition and innovation, lowering capital costs and allowing mobile operators to address lower revenue markets. This is the first time the GSA has ventured onto the continent, which accounts for one in every seven new GSM connections, says president Alan Haddan. ?Customers don't buy the technology, they buy the user experience.? Locally, developmental agency ComMark, in its report, ?Accelerating shared growth, making markets work for the poor in SA?, says a lack of competition in the telecommunications sector has failed the poor. It says fixed-line penetration has dropped ? going from 4.3 million in 1996 to 5.5 million in 2000 and then falling to 4.8 million in 2004. ?Telkom's efforts to broaden access to telephones have been disappointing,? states the report, published in March. Meanwhile, with Vodacom, MTN and Cell C competing for a slice of the same cake, cellphone ownership moved up 6.8 percentage points on the same basis. In addition, mobile users have grown from a million in 1996 to 26 million last year. Thanks to competition, the report says, cellphone call rates have come down while Telkom's prices have risen. VP Dr Klaus Kohrt, representing Siemens at GSA level, contends that GSM is still expensive, but says it is more affordable than a fixed-line, thanks to economies of scale.

The implementation of data cards and Intellisync software, for what is claimed to be Africa's largest mobile e-mail deal, is on track, says Internet Solutions (IS), and its subsidiary LayerOne. About 1 000 KPMG employees have already been connected, notes Stuart Hardy, MD of Layer One, the African distributor for Nokia's Intellisync products. Implementation of MTN EDGE data cards began about six months ago, he notes, adding there is a possibility the cards will be upgraded to 3G or HSDPA cards. ?However, when using Intellisync, you actually don't need anything faster than EDGE ? compression reduces the requirements for large data bundles,? he says. The project should be completed within the next three or four months, Hardy adds. At R75 per user per month, KPMG will pay almost R2 million a year for the mobile e-mail service, plus a R1.8 million once-off Intellisync licence fee. KPMG, like many large organisations, struggles with space issues at its offices, and has historically lacked the ability to bill clients while out in the field, Hardy notes.

Implementation of the outcomes of the recently concluded World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) gathered momentum with the launch of the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS). High level representatives of twenty-two UN agencies met on Friday, 14 July 2006 at ITU Headquarters in Geneva under the chairmanship of ITU Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi to facilitate the process. UNGIS will serve as an interagency coordinating mechanism within the UN system to implement the outcomes of WSIS. The Group will enable synergies aimed at resolving substantive and policy issues, avoiding redundancies and enhancing effectiveness of the system while raising public awareness about the goals and objectives of the global Information Society. UNGIS will also work to highlight the importance of ICTs in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. To maximize its efficiency, the Group agreed on a work plan in which it would concentrate its collective efforts each year on one or two cross-cutting themes and on a few selected countries. In the coming period, UNGIS will focus on bringing the efforts of the UN system to bear on expanding access to communications, for instance through multimedia community centres, teleshops, etc. Drawing on the respective competencies of the different members of the Group, UNGIS will also focus on applications related to e-health and e-tourism. At the same time, the Group will examine the e-readiness strategies and policies of one or two countries, to be proposed by UNDP, to develop a comprehensive toolkit for bringing the benefits of the Information society to developing countries. During the first year, UNGIS will be chaired by ITU, with UNESCO, UNDP and WHO acting as vice-chairs. UNGIS has been established by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, at the request of the Summit and in consultation with members of the UN system Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB). WSIS has contributed towards a better understanding of the key issues and challenges of the Information Society. Throughout the process, critical issues such as infrastructure, capacity building, the regulatory environment and financing have been discussed and refined. Pioneering work on financing ICTs for development and on internet governance has resulted in the most comprehensive international documents ever endorsed on the topics at the international level. The Summit set critical targets for global connectivity and ICT for development to be reached by 2015 and established 11 action lines to achieve the objectives of the Information Society. The outcome outlines a detailed blueprint involving governments, the private sector, civil society, the United Nations and other international organizations for implementation and follow-up at the national, regional and international levels.

President Thabo Mbeki has proclaimed the commencement of the Electronic Communications (EC) Act and the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) Amendment Act as of today. The proclamation was published yesterday in the Government Gazette. The two pieces of legislation, which were signed into law by the president earlier this year, repeal the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and some sections of the Broadcasting Act, excluding those that deal with public broadcasting. The ICASA Amendment Act incorporates the Postal Regulator into ICASA with immediate effect. The Department of Communications intends to present the Postal Services Amendment Bill of 2006, which seeks to align postal services law with the new regulatory and legal environment in the country, to Parliament later this year, says department spokesman Albi Modise. No big bang The traditional boundaries between telecoms and broadcasting are now eroded, resulting in increased collaborations across platforms, lowering costs and accelerating delivery of services, Modise says. The benefits from implementing the Acts will be realised much sooner than most people expect, he adds. Deputy communications minister Roy Padayachie said yesterday the short-term impact of the two Acts will be to lower access costs and increased efficiency of telecoms in SA. Mike Silber, a consultant with Michalsons Attorneys, notes the EC Act does not contemplate a "big bang" approach in its move to the new licensing regime, but rather a series of transitional provisions. The EC Act is unlikely to have an immediate effect on the ICT sector and even its impact over the next 30 days is likely to be muted, he says. Conversion of licences ICASA has previously stated it will map out the licence conversion process in the next 30 days. Silber says ICASA needs to act quickly and decisively in order to avoid a farce following the consequent repeal of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. ?There are likely to be many operators jumping into the market with unlicensed offerings which may hurt consumers and other market players,? he says. The conversion process will give a clear indication of ICASA's thinking regarding the licensing needs of the sector, explains ICASA spokesman Jubie Matlou. It is also understood that the commencement of the EC Act opens the door for ICASA to announce its new ADSL pricing model ? since the regulator now has legislative powers to make regulatory changes unilaterally

While CEOs on average earn between 35 and 53 times more than the total remuneration of the average worker, leaders in the telecommunication industry earn an average of 59 times more than an average worker, a new report has found. The report, ?Remuneration of Chief Executive Officers: An Overview of JSE-Listed Companies?, released this month by trade union Solidarity, also claims the average annual salary of a CEO is between R3.4 million and R4.6 million. The union claims the average change in the total pay of CEOs was 44.19%, compared to the 5.24% received by workers. In addition, it stated: ?No direct relationship could be established between the company profits? and the salaries, bonuses and total emoluments of CEOs. Twenty-one percent of CEOs received an increase in their basic salary in spite of a decrease in company profits.? In the electrical and electronic equipment sector, CEOs on average earn 42 times the average salary of a worker. Including options exercised, this figure moves to 54 times. The average change in total emoluments of CEOs is 28%, compared to 3.43% for workers, said the report. In the IT, software and computer services sector, CEOs on average earn 21 times more than the average worker. Factoring in the value of options exercised, this moves to 22 times. Solidarity also said the total compensation of CEOs increased on average by 12.56%, compared to 5.47% for workers in this sector.

Econet Zimbabwe is to install 10 000 payphone lines before the end of the year, a strategy devised by the company to create employment opportunities in the country. This is according to Econet group spokesman Sure Kamhunga, who says each payphone line requires an operator, which will help create jobs. ?Employment opportunity and growth will contribute to economic stability, which will help pull Zimbabwe to its feet.? Employment will also be created in the downstream industries that will service and establish the telecommunication sector, he adds. The company expects to create 500 jobs in the construction sector, as well as those that sell phones and accessories. The payphone project comes in the wake of Econet Zimbabwe's $20 million expansion programme, driven by Cairo-based African Export-Import Bank, that was supposed to create 50 000 cellular channels, says Kamhunga. He says it has been decided to channel the funds towards creating payphone lines as a way to widen access to telecommunication services to people who cannot afford cellphone handsets. Payphones require more network capacity than normal cellphone lines, he says, which is why only 10 000 payphone systems are being released, as opposed to the previously touted 50 000 cellular lines. ?This is easily one of the largest investments this year in our hard-pressed Zimbabwean economy,? Kamhunga says. Network capacity, he notes, would increase the subscriber base by at least 700 000, with the target being a million people in the near future. Econet already provides 80% of the payphones in Zimbabwe, which are operated under the name ?YourFone?.

Africa has played an important role in growing GSM, and will continue to be instrumental in growing the digital standard for mobile telecommunications even further. Global Mobile Suppliers Association president Alan Haddan says developing countries have contributed to the growth of GSM and will continue to do so, with 80% of growth over the next few years expected to come from Russia, China, Latin America and Africa. Since GSM arrived 15 years ago, it has acquired two billion subscribers globally. The first billion took 12 years to accumulate, and the second billion took 30 months, he says. On the African continent, a third of the population has a mobile phone. SA was one of the first countries outside Europe to adopt GSM, and the first on the continent, says Haddan. By June last year, the continent had 100 million GSM users, and by May this year another 50 million had been added, he says. However, Africa is not known for its wealth, and operators say that, as they penetrate the market, average revenue per user (ARPU) drops. Haddan says this should not be seen as an obstacle. ?There are plenty of opportunities.? He adds that case studies in the Philippines have shown a mobile operator can be successful with an ARPU of between $5 and $7 a month. Moreover, as technology improves and more users sign up, operators should see economies of scale from which they can leverage business solutions.

In the next four to six years, long-term evolution (LTE) in the mobile arena could become a reality, allowing users to reach speeds up to 50Mbps. The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), which is a collaboration agreement established in December 1998, has started studying the protocol. Global Mobile Suppliers Association president Alan Haddan expects this evolution to become a reality by 2012. The technology is at drawing board stage. After standards have been agreed, manufacturers can start work, he says. Ericsson's Web site says 3G LTE will allow for an increase in system capacity and reduced cost per gigabyte, and can also make use of existing 2G and 3G spectra. The 3GPP standard is expected to be ready in mid-2007 with commercial products expected in the 2009 timeframe, it says. Faster However, before then, consumers will see high-speed uplink packet access (HSUPA), which will allow for faster conferencing calls. This is expected to be available next year. In parallel, says Haddan, core networks are undergoing an evolution process. 3G's big brother, HSDPA, is becoming the new baseline for 3G operators, he adds. By 12 July, there were 104 operators that were committed to deploying HSDPA in 51 countries. Forty-two of these operators are commercially live in 32 countries. By year-end, he expects 63 networks to be live and more than the current 39 devices to be available, says Haddan. Growing EDGE He says the organisation's research shows EDGE is in various stages of deployment on 204 networks in 113 countries ? 151 networks in 88 countries already offer EDGE. There are 112 WCDMA operators in 49 countries, including operators in Africa such as Vodacom and MTN. Some 67 operators have deployed a combined WCDMA and EDGE network, which is becoming the standard way of rolling out 3G, Haddan says. As of the end of May, there were 65 million WCDMA subscribers worldwide. WCDMA is ?growing quicker than GSM did at the same stage,? he says. This growth is aided by the availability of devices. To date, 355 WCDMA devices have been released. Globally, subscribers are being added to the service at a rate of 3.5 million a month. In Western Europe, half of the phones being sold are 3G-enabled.

Fixed-line utility Telkom has made changes to voice and data tariffs, ahead of the Independent Communications Authority of SA's (ICASA's) new ADSL pricing announcement. Further ADSL price reductions could be introduced with ICASA's new pricing model, which is expected to be made public following the commencement of the Electronic Communications Act. As Telkom indicated about seven weeks ago when filing for price changes with ICASA, the home and business DSL 512 service will be reduced from R477 per month to R362 ? a 24% decrease. Home and business DSL 1024 comes down from R680 to R516, with similar scale reductions across the DSL 192 and 384 options. While residential analogue line rental charges go up slightly, ISDN2 and ISDN2A line rental fees will come down, with monthly Internet subscription remaining at R79. Telkom has indicted the price changes must still be approved by ICASA, but the fixed-line operator seems confident this will happen. ICASA was unable to comment this morning. Telkom's fixed-line call tariffs of 38c per minute in standard time and 16c in ?callmore? time will remain unchanged. Standard fees for landline calls outside a 50km radius will be reduced from 80c per minute to 72c, and ?callmore? rates for long distance calls from 40c to 36c. International calls are to drop by about 10%.

Cellular operator MTN has completed the payment of the cash portion (R26 billion) of its takeover of Middle Eastern operator Investcom, the company said yesterday. MTN, which received acceptance from 99.5% of Investcom shareholders, said over 183 million shares will be listed today in the London and Dubai stock exchanges. ?This represents one of the largest ever payments by a South African company for international assets,? MTN said in a statement. ?It indicates MTN's confidence in the future of telecommunications in emerging markets.? The South African company said most of the Investcom management would join the MTN Group. ?The integration of Investcom into the MTN Group has already begun, based on a joint effort of both organisations to capture the available benefits of the acquisition,? it added. MTN CEO Phuthuma Nhleko stated: ?The acquisition process has gone smoothly and we are increasingly turning our attention to the swift integration of the businesses. ?When we announced this transaction in May, we described it as a well-considered partnership which would entrench our leadership in telecommunications in Africa and the Middle East,? he said.

Internet service provider (ISP) MWEB Business yesterday unveiled a wireless broadband connection and support package, aimed at small and medium enterprises (SMEs). While initially a reseller of Vodacom's 3G and high-speed downlink packet access offerings, MWEB Business plans to expand its range of broadband offerings by the end of 2006, notes GM of marketing and products, Gary Hart. The wireless broadband offerings are provided with value-added services including a 1GB MWEB mailbox, 24-hour technical support, 300 free WiFi minutes per month in MWEB joint-venture hotspots, and monitoring and alerts related to data caps and limits, the company says. Hart cites research from BMI-TechKnowledge, which projects 870 000 broadband subscribers in SA by 2009 ? 56% of which will use wireless broadband services. ?But our research has revealed there is still a great degree of uncertainty about broadband ? among SMEs and consumers. ?We aim to demystify and simplify the process of upgrading to high speed Internet, either fixed or wireless. Broadband is far more affordable than businesses tend to think, and we believe it is the simplicity of having a single service provider that will appeal to users,? adds Hart.

The South African Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) dispatched a team of 25 ICT technicians to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over the past few months to get the central African country's infrastructure ready for the upcoming national elections. The elections, which will take place on 30 July, will see a potential 26 million Congolese vote in what will be the nation's first free parliamentary elections in many years. ?It's been quite a challenge ? there's very little communication infrastructure. We've allocated R12 million to setting up IT infrastructure in the DRC,? says Libisi Maphanga, CIO for the IEC. He estimates the overall South African investment in the elections to be about R270 million, when the joint efforts of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the defence force are taken into account. Much work still has to be done over the next 12 days, he notes, as IEC representatives are conducting workshops for local election staff, and are working to bring another 1.6 million registered voters onto the formal voters roll. From a technical perspective, he says, the bulk of the work has entailed setting up speed-dial equipment, PCs, laptops, storage area networks, and networks using V-SAT infrastructure. One of the problems highlighted by Maphanga is the cultural and linguistic differences between the English- and French-speaking representatives (locals and from the various organisations, one of which is the United Nations).

The South African Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) dispatched a team of 25 ICT technicians to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over the past few months to get the central African country's infrastructure ready for the upcoming national elections. The elections, which will take place on 30 July, will see a potential 26 million Congolese vote in what will be the nation's first free parliamentary elections in many years. ?It's been quite a challenge ? there's very little communication infrastructure. We've allocated R12 million to setting up IT infrastructure in the DRC,? says Libisi Maphanga, CIO for the IEC. He estimates the overall South African investment in the elections to be about R270 million, when the joint efforts of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the defence force are taken into account. Much work still has to be done over the next 12 days, he notes, as IEC representatives are conducting workshops for local election staff, and are working to bring another 1.6 million registered voters onto the formal voters roll. From a technical perspective, he says, the bulk of the work has entailed setting up speed-dial equipment, PCs, laptops, storage area networks, and networks using V-SAT infrastructure. One of the problems highlighted by Maphanga is the cultural and linguistic differences between the English- and French-speaking representatives (locals and from the various organisations, one of which is the United Nations).

The sale of Eskom's portion of its full service network will be finalised before year-end, so the second national operator (SNO) will be able to begin offering services in the first quarter of next year, sources say. Last week, state-owned electricity utility Eskom said in its annual results it was divesting from its telecommunications assets, because of the non-performance of the sector, and would focus on its core business. "Eskom has already sold its shares in other joint ventures, notably in Nigeria and Lesotho, which were relatively small holdings. It has been expected that it would sell its portion of the full service network it shared with Transtel," says Brian Neilson, a director at research firm BMI-TechKnowledge. Earlier this month, state-owned transport group Transtel said it had sold its share of the network for R256 million to the SNO. Eskom's share is worth about R748 million. The network's prime assets are the extensive fibre optic cables that have been laid around the country. A source within the SNO says: "It is a safe bet the Eskom sale will be wrapped up by year-end. Negotiations are at an advanced stage." The sale of the full service network will not affect the 15% holding in the SNO that Eskom and Transtel each hold. In terms of an agreement signed between government and the SNO, during the licensing phase, the state could allow the new telecommunications utility to either buy the Eskom and Transtel stakes completely or it could opt to lease these. "It seems the SNO wants to own the network and so have a permanent asset," the SNO source says. Previously, SNO MD Ajay Panday said his company would invest about R8 billion in the South African telecommunications market. "It has become important for the SNO to tidy-up these things, because everyone is waiting for it to become operational," Neilson says.

[Johannesburg, 14 July 2006] - SA's mobile operator MTN has secured a global sponsorship deal for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and will invest $65 million (R462 million) over the next four years to bring the event to the mobile phones of millions of people in Africa and the Middle East. Announcing the deal in Johannesburg last night, MTN CEO Phuthuma Nhleko noted this makes MTN the first African company to become a global sponsor for the FIFA event, which will be hosted by SA in four years' time. ?This is probably the most significant global event that will take place in Africa in the foreseeable future. The event provides significant attractive opportunities for Africa to showcase its ability to host events of such magnitude,? he commented. According to MTN marketing director Santie Botha, the sponsorship affords MTN exclusive rights to provide mobile content to subscribers in Africa and the Middle East, as well as global marketing rights. Growth strategy While the 2010 World Cup is expected to attract a cumulative international audience of 30 billion, MTN will have a presence in 21 countries, reaching 500 million people by the end of this month, Botha added. As part of a strategy to enhance its growth profile in Africa and the Middle East and to gain further scale in emerging mobile markets, the company recently unveiled a $5.5 billion bid for Middle East mobile telecommunications operator Investcom, which has a presence in 10 Middle Eastern and African countries. Speaking at the World Cup handover ceremony in Berlin, president Thabo Mbeki said the 2010 World Cup would be the first event of this magnitude where the world would be able to participate via mobile handsets. The size of MTN's sponsorship sees it joining other international conglomerates, such as Coca-Cola and Budweiser, as a global sponsor. SA's First National Bank was the first local company to offer sponsorship for the 2010 FIFA event, with its R30 million investment giving it national sponsorship status. SA's biggest mobile operator, Vodacom, said this morning it declined the offer by FIFA to become a global sponsor.

[Johannesburg, 14 July 2006] - Cellular operator Vodacom declined the offer to become a global sponsor of the 2010 World Cup, just as rival MTN announced it accepted FIFA's offer to invest R462 million to become one of the core sponsors of the event. advertisement ?We had the first offer for this, but we declined the opportunity,? says Vodacom group executive of corporate communications, Dot Field. Despite MTN claiming it will have exclusive rights to broadcast the matches to cellphones, Field says there is no change to the existing contracts which should allow all three South African operators to bring the games to cellphones via digital video broadcasting via handheld (DVB-H) and 3G. ?But 2010 is a long way away ? anything can happen in that time,? she says. High costs She notes the cost of sponsorship is so high South African Breweries has declined the FIFA offer. Vodacom sponsors the Newlands and Loftus Versfeld stadiums, but Field says Vodacom's presence at these venues would have to be removed if either stadium is used for World Cup fixtures. ?FIFA requires all stadiums to be ?clear' [of existing advertising],? she explains. Speaking at the announcement of the MTN deal in Johannesburg last night, CEO Phuthuma Nhleko said this makes MTN the first African company to become a global sponsor for the FIFA event. Confusion? Linda Vermaas, CEO of M-Mobile (the division established by MultiChoice to manage its DVB-H), says it would be premature to comment about 2010 broadcasting rights. ?We are happy with our relationship with MTN,? she states, adding Vodacom and Cell C will be able to broadcast the matches via DVB-H to their subscribers, using MultiChoice as the content provider. ?Our agreements with the three operators remain unchanged,? she says.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) intends bringing the 2010 World Cup to people who do not have access to personal television sets. The broadcaster aims to install large screen TVs for community viewing in underprivileged areas, says Kaizer Kganyago, head of communications at the SABC. ?We have been given rights to broadcast the 2010 and 2014 World Cup events, and all related tournaments such as the Confederations Cup and the Women's World Cup,? he says. ?We realised, from our experiences in Germany, that the public viewing sessions would attract thousands of people and contribute to a great unity of spirit,? he adds, having recently returned from Germany. Trials for large-screen public viewing should take place with the African Cup of Nations in 2008, though Kganyago admits many of the details concerning the number of installations, the areas to benefit, and the television set providers, have not yet been looked at. ?There are many people out there who don't have access to TV, and we want to contribute something to bringing the event to the whole of SA,? he adds. There is also a possibility that some public viewing venues will be set-up in other African nations, he says.

Vodacom subscribers will no longer be bound to a 24-month commitment to have the benefits of a contract service. Effective from the beginning of this month, the tariffs applicable to the 10 monthly package options will be the same as the 24-month per second contract packages, but will not include a free cellphone, says spokesperson Nicolene Visser. She says the month-by-month contracts are not in any way linked to the recent announcement that number portability (allowing people to switch networks without losing their phone number) will come into effect on 18 September. ?We have been working towards launching these new services for some time, and it has been driven by customer demand,? she says. Those already tied into a 24-month contract can opt to switch to month-by-month, but relevant penalties will apply. ?The intent is to provide customers with wider options and choices,? she explains.

iBurst will establish 20 000 Internet caf?s by 2010, with 1 000 planned for the next couple of months, the company says.The process will begin in August, with 100 caf?s being built in Soweto and expanding to other townships where iBurst already has coverage, says CEO Thami Mtshali. Each caf? will have four to six computers per connection and up to 30 computers per caf?, he adds. The caf?s will offer Web services, such as e-mail and Internet access, at R5 for a 30-minute session. Voice over Internet-based call services will also be offered, with international calls costing from 40c per minute, he says. Intermediate solution Mtshali says the project will operate on a ?preferred partnership model? with Tradepage, an independent Internet service provider. Local entrepreneurs can expect to invest a minimum of R30 000 for a fully-equipped caf?. Rudolph Muller, founder of MyADSL, says Internet caf?s are an effective intermediate solution to address the challenges created by low PC penetration rates and lack of affordable Internet access. ?An unemployed graduate just wants to take his R5, walk to the Internet caf? up the road and send a hundred CVs to potential employers during a session. Then he wants to come back the following day with another R5 to check if there have been any responses,? Mtshali says. Tebogo Khaas, chairman of the SMME Forum, says while most Internet service providers tend to shy away from townships and rural areas, these areas have been identified as key to contributing to SA's economic goals.

SA can benefit from the lessons learned by Deutsche Telekom in Germany, says GM for business development and strategy at T-Systems SA, Gert Schoonbee. Deutsche Telekom was responsible for about 75% of the IT and telecommunications services required for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Its business customer unit, T-Systems, served as general contractor for the services and linked all the stadiums and FIFA offices through a high-speed network, Schoonbee says. ?With T-Systems having provided 75% of the ICT infrastructure for 2006, there is no doubt that we can bring the lessons learnt from this year's event back to SA for the next World Cup,? he says. He adds the company's South African office is often used as an incubator for new ideas. ?I am sure we will be able to benefit from the new systems that have been developed for the 2006 tournament and leverage off this to develop even better technology to serve the 2010 edition,? he says. Plan ahead FIFA started developing and implementing plans for the ICT platform three years ago. The high-speed network had to be available 99.9% of the time, allowing FIFA staff to access the data it carried. Some 25 cameras at each stadium transmitted images back to the International Broadcast Centre in Munich for four weeks. Deutsche Telekom provided the optic-fibre lines, while high-performance computers from T-Systems transmitted the TV images and radio reports around the globe via satellite and Deutsche Telekom's global network, Deutsche Telekom says. Some 480GB of data streamed through 499km of cable each second at the broadcast centre; the equivalent of 240 000 MP3 songs, he says. There were 1 500 technicians monitoring the streaming images at the broadcasting to ensure continuity. At the T-Systems television monitoring room, the television signals from all of the games were displayed on 10 window-sized screens. At the same time, the neighbouring control room from Host Broadcast Services, the holder of the image rights, ensured television stations all over the world received the images they ordered, Deutsche Telekom says.

The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) expects the Electronic Communications (EC) Act to be promulgated within the next couple of weeks. Spokesman Jubie Matlou says the regulator had expected the EC Act to be promulgated by 1 July, and it is now only a matter of time before president Thabo Mbeki makes an announcement of the implementation date for the Act. ICASA chairman Paris Mashile recently told Parliament that the authority would need about R57.5 million for the EC Act conversion and postal service integration. This figure excludes human resource costs associated with the conversion, he said. ICASA will ensure the change in the legislative frameworks causes as little disruption as possible, he adds. ICASA will publish how the EC Act will be implemented in the Government Gazette, within 30 days of its promulgation, Matlou notes. It will also map out the licence conversion process, conveying the schedule that will be followed, he says. In progress ICASA has already started an audit of licences, regulations, notices and position papers to facilitate the conversion of licences, Matlou states. The conversion of licences will take place within 24 months of the EC Act being promulgated, he says. The finalising of projects that were in progress, such as investigations into interconnection and facilities leasing, ADSL pricing and mobile pricing will also be phased to ensure there is little disruption in the operations of stakeholders, he says. Matlou says the regulator has begun discussions as to how the postal regulator will be integrated into the organisation. Office space has been allocated for postal services already, he says.

JSE-listed cellular provider MTN has extended its offer to Investcom shareholders, which was to close yesterday, ?until further notice?, the group told the bourse this morning. By close of business in Dubai on Wednesday, the cellular company had received acceptances concerning 1.4 billion shares, or about 99.5% of Investom's issued share capital. Shareholders who have not accepted the offer will receive notice two weeks before MTN closes the offer. MTN said at the beginning of May it aimed to buy the Beirut-based company, which operates cellular networks in 10 Middle Eastern and African countries, for $5.5 billion. In the middle of November last year, Investcom had a market capitalisation of about $3.4 billion and 4.9 million subscribers. Investcom reported net profit to end-December 2005 of $207.8 million, an increase of 31%. Revenue was 43% higher, at $903 million. MTN's shares closed at R53.90 yesterday, up from Tuesday's close of R53.25.

[Johannesburg, 13 July 2006] - Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) shipments of smart mobile devices rose 25% year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, the Canalys EMEA Q1 2006 Smartphone Report, has shown. The spur in growth for the EMEA region was achieved by rises of 76% in SA (double the previous year), 128% in Poland, 101% in Russia, and with markets such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE almost doubling, the research found. The total mobile market in Europe grew by 15% to 170.4 million units last year, and much of this growth was attributed to consumer demand for feature phones and smartphones boasting rich multimedia features, an IDC study found late last year. Market leader Nokia grabbed just over 75% of the market share and saw 41.4% growth. The highest growth (211.2%) was recorded by Qtek, a Western European player (3.4% market share), which took it past HP and Palm for the first time and making it the leading Windows Mobile vendor in the quarter. Local distribution Previously unknown in SA, the Qtek brand entered the local market this week, through a distribution agreement with local technology firm Broadband Communication Technologies Global (BCT). ?The existing range of smart phones includes the flagship model, the Qtek 9000, the Qtek 8310, Qtek 9100 and Qtek S200. They have been network tested and Independent Communications Authority of SA approved,? says Sadiq Malik, director of BCT. ?Distribution [of the existing models] has begun to mobile operators and blue chip corporations. Newer, slimmer models will become available from September to March 2007,? says Malik. Prices range from R4 000 (for the low-end models) to R9 500 (for the high-end models), he says. ?A supporting Web site will contain product information and device support, tips for using the new devices and applications, and an online shop. Technical support will be provided through BCT's service centre, handling repairs, usage enquiries and product advice,? says Malik.

[Johannesburg, 13 July 2006] - Business process management specialist Emerge Africa has teamed up with mobile office provider Mobile-Sat to provide a deceptively simple solution to the problem of capturing identity data from millions of cellphone users scattered across the country. The Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communications-related Information Act (RICA) of 2002 requires South Africa's cellular networks and service providers to record and keep information about the ownership of every cellphone in operation. The Act, which came into full effect in November 2006, requires a record of the cell number, handset number and the full name, ID number and addresses of every cellphone owner to be captured within 12 months. The task of finding and recording every one of the country's estimated 30 million prepaid cellphone users is daunting, with a cost that has been estimated at R300 million. "Transport is expensive and many prepaid users will consider making a verification visit costly and time-consuming, even if they know about the Act and want to comply," notes Emerge Africa CEO Jean Moncrieff. "And filing or capturing paper documents such as handwritten forms and photocopied ID books will create a data nightmare, as the banks discovered with the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA)." Instead, Emerge Africa and Mobile-Sat plan to send satellite communication vans, linked directly to the networks' databases, around the country to gather and capture user data at the source. "The Mobile-SAT trucks can go anywhere, no matter how remote, and set up a live link via satellite to a network's system in minutes," explains Mobile-Sat's Michael Walk. "All they need is a view of the sky." The trucks are self-powered and have been equipped with the computer hardware required for customers to access their RICA applications. Electronic data capture, says Moncrieff, is the key. "It's quite easy to capture information directly to the networks' core systems, avoiding all the problems of lost documents and unreadable forms. We've already developed similar systems to help the banks implement FICA and can apply that experience directly in this case. There are huge cost savings in it for the networks as well as major customer relationship benefits if they can avoid the frustration of repeat visits." Emerge Africa's solution is based on software from Global 360, the world's leading provider of business process management and optimisation solutions.

Psychologists at the University of Utah published a study June 29 showing that motorists who talk on handheld or hands-free cellular phones are as impaired while driving as drunks. Driver inattention is the leading factor in 80 percent of vehicle crashes according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. ?Just as you put yourself and other people at risk when you drive drunk, you put yourself and others at risk when you use a cell phone and drive. The level of impairment is very similar,? said David Strayer, a psychology professor and the study?s lead author. Army Regulation 190-5, ?Motor Vehicle Traffic Supervision,? states that anyone driving a motor vehicle on a Department of Defense installation cannot use a cell phone unless the vehicle is safely parked or the driver is using a hands-free device. ?The regulation covering cell phone use while driving is the minimum standard to be enforced. Posts and individual commanders can make it more stringent,? said Fred Bucher, acting Policy Branch chief of the Law Enforcement Branch in the Pentagon. Training and Doctrine Command has initiated a policy that active-duty members must also use a hands-free device while driving their vehicles off post, added Bucher. Information in the Army?s Risk Management Information System, or RMIS data base, shows that a Soldier distracted by her cell phone while driving accidentally steered into oncoming traffic. The Soldier overcorrected the vehicle trying to get back in her lane and lost control. The vehicle rolled three times and injured the Soldier. Military statistics don?t directly link cell phone use while driving to accidents. ?However, many officers are writing in the remarks section of citations that drivers were on the phone when they violated rules of the road with illegal lane changes or speeding,? said Bucher. Since April, more than 212 million people in the United States are using cell phones compared to about 4.3 million during 1990, according to the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association. ?The bottom line is driving requires your full attention,? said Bucher. (Editor?s note: J.T. Coleman works for the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center Public Affairs Office.)

Network solutions company Cisco Systems is currently in talks with the United Arab Emirates' telecom operators to launch a VoIP network in the emirates. The two operators, Etisalat and du, are waiting for government approval before launching Voice over Internet Protocol telephony, according to a report on the Trade Arabia Web site. VoIP is currently banned in the United Arab Emirates, the report said. "The issue is not only technology, it is also policy, revenues, and regulation," Samer Alkharrat, general manager of Cisco Systems Gulf Region, said via the report. The emirates' Telecommunications Regulatory Agency is likely to approve VoIP's entry this year, according to Dubai's Khaleej Times. The agency is "currently discussing the issue with some industry players who are interested in providing such services as well as Etisalat. The outcome of such discussions will be then examined by the authority. 'We are aiming to (make a) decision by the end of this year,'" Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, director general of the TRA, said via the newspaper report. "Mohammed Gheyath, the TRA's technical affairs manager, said that the authorities would come up with some rules and regulations to control VoIP services in the country and once the decision is (made) only licensed operators will be allowed to provide it," the newspaper continued.

Unexpected delays in the Electronic Communications (EC) Act's promulgation mean the regulator will not reveal the new ADSL pricing model just yet. The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) expected the Act to be in operation by 1 July. With this assumption, the councillor responsible for the overseeing the hearings, Mamodupi Mohlala, was confident an announcement would be imminent. However, the EC Act has yet to be enacted. This is the explanation given by Edmund Baloyi, advisor to chairman Paris Mashile, for the delay in revealing the new ADSL regulations, even though the new laws (governing the ADSL pricing model Telkom may use) have been finalised. The process Under the law, any regulatory adjustment must be sent to the minister of communications for approval before it can come into effect. However, under the terms of the EC Act, ICASA would have the authority to effect any regulatory changes without sign-off from the minister, according to Baloyi. ?The [promulgation of the] EC Act has taken longer than expected,? he explains, adding the new ADSL pricing regulations cannot be announced until ICASA is clear on when the EC Act will come into effect. This, he says, is in order to avoid confusion. ICASA expects the Department of Communications to announce the promulgation date soon; but if this date is set for some time in the distant future, ICASA will forward its new ADSL regulations to the minister's office, adds Baloyi. ICASA chairman Paris Mashile reaffirmed his commitment to reducing the costs of telecommunications in SA as quickly as possible. ?I know over half a dozen large multinationals looking to set up operations in SA that have approached ICASA to find out how we can facilitate the process of encouraging investment by bringing down the cost of telecoms,? he says.

Despite the potential mobile Internet offers Africa, businesses on the continent have not registered mobile top-level domain (MTLD) names. This is according to Alexa Raad, VP of marketing and business development for .mobi, the first mobile registry approved by ICANN in 2005. The registration period for a .mobi MTLD name is two weeks into play, with 8 500 trademark names already registered, she says. ?There are no African investors in .mobi, [bar] the Egyptian Telecom player, Orascom Telecom.? Raad believes Africa is a vibrant base for the mobile Internet because of the high numbers of people who use cellphones on the continent. ?The mobile Internet has a great story to tell in Africa because the majority of the population has access to a cellphone as opposed to a PC.? Accessing Internet content via a cellphone is going to be cheaper for consumers, making it an affordable medium for developing nations to exercise the right to access information, she adds. ?High-speed mobile networks create strong channels for Africa to access the Internet, rather than the traditional and more expensive landline networks.? Strong platform Raad explains a strong mobile Internet is an effective way for companies to meet consumers' needs. ?The mobile phone represents a direct channel to the consumer since it is the one indispensable device most of us carry with us at all times. ?At present, there are more than two billion mobile phones in use around the world, and 1.8 billion of them will be connected to the Internet as early as 2008.? She says that brand names like Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, T-Mobile, Visa, Wal-Mart, BMW, Virgin, Ferrari and many others have secured .mobi domain names. The registry's Web site says the ?sunrise? period for trademarks that was scheduled to end on 22 August, has been postponed to 22 September to allow more time for trademarks holders to register names. It has also been postponed so companies can create strong content behind their sites. The general public are free to register starting 26 September.

Cellular network operator MTN and software giant Microsoft are partnering to bring affordable wireless broadband connectivity and PC access to consumers in SA, Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates said in Cape Town today. He said the two companies will work together to provide affordable finance options for consumers purchasing Internet connectivity and an Intel PC running Microsoft Windows Starter Edition. ?By supporting partners delivering more affordable Internet access, Microsoft is enabling access to technology to expand opportunities that help citizens in emerging technology markets access the social and economic benefits of the global IT industry,? the statement said. Speaking at the Microsoft Government Leaders Forum, Gates and former US President Bill Clinton gave African government leaders a vision of what technology could do to transform their countries and, at the same time, warned about the consequences. Attending the conference were the presidents and senior ministers of a number of African countries, including SA.

SA's latest black economic-empowerment (BEE) IT company African Legend Indigo, unveiled this morning to the local market, aims to span the African continent. The company, formed by a merger between JSE-listed Datatec, which contributed its local assets, and African Legend Technologies, says it will make its presence known on the African continent and will shortly open an office in Uganda to complement its Lagos office. Mashudu Tshivhase, who is chairperson of African Legend Technologies, says the merger will take both entities to the next level. His vision is to have the company spanning Africa ?like a spider web? and, in doing so, aid in eliminating the digital divide. A more medium-term goal is a North African office, which will close the Cape to Cairo loop. Tshivhase's goal is to turn ideals of an African renaissance into reality, and give voice to the concept of Africa as a whole. ?It is time now for us to contribute to developing Africa as a whole.? He says the new company is empowered to take the assets that it has, build on them, and grow to the next level.

A single telecommunications code for Africa is desirable and will help foster development, Alpha Oumar Konare, chairman of the Commission of the African Union (AU), said yesterday. One code for Africa was ?fundamental for its development?, he said, however, many obstacles had been placed in the way of seeing such a code put in place. Speaking at a press conference on the first day of Microsoft's Government Leadership Forum, in Cape Town, Konare said: ?In the US, people just have to dial one number. It makes sense that there should only be one number, or dialling code for Africa.? Konare, who is the former president of Mali, said linking Africa's telecommunications infrastructures through a satellite link, such as V-SAT, would enable a single continental code to happen. ?I have been fighting for this for 20 years and people are saying it is impossible. However, it is their vested interests that are making it impossible. Telecommunications earnings are going into the coffers of the political parties and this must stop. Sacrifices have to be made and then we can realise the earnings later,? he said. Studies to determine the feasibility of having one dialling code for Africa would need to be conducted. ?I have been told these can cost up to $3 million and can take a year. So what? We should do it,? he said. It had also been suggested, Konare said, that two codes should be used for Africa. ?Even if it is two numbers we have to dial, it will be better than the present system,? he said. Telecommunications analysts have long pointed out that calls from international destinations have been a source of foreign exchange for African governments, who generally own their incumbent telcos.

Technology can be used to empower individuals, promote economic growth and reduce inequality, former United States president Bill Clinton told a conference in Cape Town on Tuesday. "And also to increase the citizen's ability to ... hold accountable their governments," he said on the final day of deliberations at the Government Leaders Forum-Africa conference. The two-day event was looking at accelerating Africa's global competitiveness. Clinton mentioned the Chinese as an example of people using technology to protest, during the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome when the Chinese government initially denied reports of the disease emanating from its mainland. "But the story has a happy ending because the young people of China demonstrated en masse, not in Tiananmen Square where they can be arrested, but by jamming the websites of the government and demanding that the truth be told." Turning to education, Clinton said even if the Group of Eight nations made good their promise to double aid to Africa, it would still be difficult to "ramp up" some education systems to benefit the huge numbers of schoolchildren. This massive education task would be easier if sufficient internet connections were made available -- possibly overcoming the need for text books. I think we need to think more about how access to information technology can drastically accelerate the quality and reach of education," he said. Relating a story about an Indian village he had visited, Clinton spoke of how technology has changed health attitudes, with specific regard to knowledge around pregnancy. He mentioned recently developed software, a "planning tool", for countries with limited funds to deliver better care for people living with HIV and Aids. "Over the last 10 months we have developed a computer simulation model that can be accessed by any country ... to help more effectively scale up HIV care and treatment. It's interesting to me that a simple computer model has the potential to help governments save more lives with exactly the same amount of resources that governments spend anyway." Clinton said this technology will be applied to the local demand of anti-retrovirals in 21 countries with high infection rates, in order to help prevent a disconnection between supply and demand of ARVs. "Technology simply allows us to accomplish more with fewer resources," Clinton said. -- Sapa

LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Vodafone Group would have to pay US$578 million to upgrade its second-generation mobile license in Egypt to a 3G license as a knock-on effect of the price paid by a rival for Egypt's third mobile license earlier this week. A Vodafone spokesman told Dow Jones Newswires Thursday that the sale of Egypt's third mobile license to Etisalat, for $2.89 billion means it will have to pay $578 million to upgrade to a 3G license in the country. MobiNil - owned by Egypt's Orascom Telecom Holding and France Telecom - also operates mobile services in Egypt. Vodafone is ranked number two in the country. The Egyptian National Telecom Regulatory Authority said 20% of the winning bid for the third license would represent the cost of a 3G license, and that any other operator wishing to upgrade to 3G would have to pay the same amount. That means operators in the country wishing to upgrade to 3G will have to pay $578 million to do so, according to calculations by Stefan Zehle, chief executive of telecom consultancy Coleago. A Vodafone spokesman confirmed that was the case. "For us - yes. And it's the same for any other operator as well. That's the benchmark for people that want to operate 3G (in Egypt)," the spokesman said, referring to the figure of $578 million. Coleago's Zehle said: "It's a hefty amount - and it doesn't stop there." Zehle said in addition to an upfront 3G license fee, operators would also have to pay annual royalties. The Vodafone spokesman said the company has indicated it plans to roll out 3G services in Egypt but hasn't disclosed a timetable for doing so. 3G, or third generation, technology allows high-speed Internet access and transmission of data, images and music. On April 2, Ian Gray, chief executive of Vodafone Egypt, told Dow Jones Newswires that Vodafone Egypt would consider applying for a 3G license when the government made its terms clear. "We are the leaders of 3G globally but we need to wait and see the terms that the Egyptian government will specify for application and then decide," he said.

DoCoMo has announced that it intendeds to start accept proposals from suppliers for development of equipment for Super 3G base stations and handsets. DoCoMo will select one or more suppliers for each of these categories around October and aims to complete the technology with the selected suppliers before the end of 2009. The Super 3G standard is expected to provide superfast downlink data rates of over 100Mbps and uplink data rates of over 50Mbps, low-latency data transmission, and improved spectrum efficiency. Super 3G features highly advanced versions of high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) and high-speed uplink packet access (HSUPA), which are W-CDMA packet transmission technologies standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The 3GPP, a telecommunications standards body, has been in discussion to standardize Super 3G under the name Long Term Evolution (LTE). DoCoMo, aiming to secure prolonged and efficient use of 3G spectrum resources, is an active member in the LTE discussions. DoCoMo believes Super 3G will allow the company to make a smooth transition to 4G in the future. The 3GPP plans to release LTE's final specs in 2007, but has completed most of the basic system designs at its June meeting. DoCoMo is thus set to begin developing equipment for practical application of the Super 3G

African Leaders Convene With Bill Gates (Nachrichten/Aktienkurs) and Bill Clinton to Discuss Technology's Role in Africa's Competitive Future at Microsoft Government Leaders Forum Microsoft Corp along with the Honourable Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, deputy president of South Africa, today opened the Microsoft Government Leaders Forum (GLF) Africa 2006 in Cape Town, South Africa. The event brings together top government and business leaders from across the continent and around the world, including four African presidents and former US President Bill Clinton, to discuss Africa's global competitiveness and how to reach the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals (MDG). During the two-day event Microsoft will highlight progress on how information and communication technology (ICT) and public-private partnerships can accelerate Africa's drive for economic growth, including today's announcement of a new agreement with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO ) "Technology has touched millions of lives and played a significant role in fostering economic development in Africa," said Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. "Microsoft's goal is to work in close partnership with governments and non-governmental organisations from across Africa to help strengthen the role that technology plays in accelerating social and economic development. This Government Leaders Forum is a great opportunity for leaders from the public and private sectors in Africa to discuss the critical issues they face and create a roadmap for moving forward together." Public/Private Partnership for Economic Growth Microsoft has a history of partnering with governments and inter-governmental organisations (IGOs) to support local economic growth, capacity building and development in Africa. The new strategic collaboration announced today between Microsoft and UNIDO will promote innovative uses of ICT that support entrepreneurship and help promote investment and create business opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in Africa. The two organisations will pool expertise and resources to support entrepreneurs and SMEs in developing countries through access to information and business support services and delivering skills training for business and ICT through community-based technology centres (CTCs). "SMEs are the driving force behind the creation of new and better jobs, as well as the force behind stimulating competitiveness and innovation," said Dr Kandeh Yumkella, director-general of UNIDO. "Through this cooperation with Microsoft, we aim to stimulate the growth and progress of these important business owners in Africa, a key way to help foster a thriving knowledge-based economy that creates wealth and brings down poverty levels." Supporting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals This type of public-private partnership approach to economic development is reflected in the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), agreed to by countries and leading development institutions around the world to promote a comprehensive and coordinated approach to tackling many problems in developing countries. Microsoft supports the MDGs by focusing investment and resources in Africa on education programmes and public-private partnerships to develop the ICT infrastructure and grow local industries. "Microsoft shares the United Nations MDGs' call for cooperation with the private sector in an effort to harness technology for social and economic progress for Africa," said Dr Cheick Diarra, chairman of Microsoft Africa. "We look forward to continuing this exciting work across Africa to develop innovative programmes and IT solutions that are designed to improve services for citizens, increase IT access and create economic opportunity." Affordable Solutions in Local Languages To encourage the growth of knowledge-based workforces and help a broad cross-section of people around the world access computer technology, Microsoft's Local Language Program (LLP) localises Microsoft(R) Windows(R) and Office into local languages. In East Africa alone, the more than 100 million people who speak Kiswahili that may have wanted to use computers but faced a language barrier can now work in their native language. The localisation effort was led by a team of local linguistics experts who collaborated to create a glossary of more than 3,000 Kiswahili words for common computer terms. This glossary formed the basis of the Language Interface Pack that then allowed developers to create, test and fine-tune the application for the Local Language Program. "We regard Microsoft's local language programme as groundbreaking -- to assist users with an interface in the languages of their choice and regard this as another important step towards actualising multilingualism. We look forward to a good working relationship with Microsoft and its local language programme -- our partners in the development of functional computing and language skills," said Professor Cynthia Marivate, CEO of PanSALB. To date, the programme has launched Language Interface Packs in Afrikaans, IsiZulu, Kiswahili and Setswana, and has now enabled more than 150 million people on the continent to interact with technology in their own language. In addition, Microsoft is working with local and regional partners on plans to develop and release even more languages in the next year, including Amharic (Ethiopia), Hausa and Yoruba (Nigeria), Igbo, IsiXhosa and Sesotho sa Leboa (South Africa), Kinyarwanda (Rwanda), and Wolof (Senegal). Providing Access to Education and Skills Training A key emphasis of the MDGs is to ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. Microsoft's Partners in Learning programme supports primary education through investments, teacher training and capacity building. Through Partners in Learning, Microsoft has invested in curriculum development training to support the creation of materials in local languages and is supporting IT academy centres for teacher training throughout the continent. Most importantly, the programme helps fund local teacher training colleges in ICT skills delivery and integration. Through these efforts, the programme has already had a positive impact on more than 21 million students across Africa. In addition to primary schooling, adult education in ICT skills is also very important in fostering the growth of local software economies and increasing opportunities. In collaboration with 40 NGOs, IGOs and 900 local partners, Microsoft's Unlimited Potential programme focuses on adult learning and training and has impacted over 700,000 people in 43 countries across Africa and the Middle East. To date, through partnerships with multilateral organisations, governments and the private sector, the programme has helped to establish more than 1,000 CTCs that provide access to information and services to more than 200,000 young people, women and elderly. The Unlimited Potential has helped organisations such as the QuadPara Association of South Africa, which provides training in skills for quadriplegics, paraplegics and the disabled population; and AjialCom, a youth-empowerment initiative in Morocco that is establishing Youth Access Centres aimed at disadvantaged young people aged between 12 and 25. Two trainers in each centre offer assistance and training to 200 young people per month per centre. In support of these education efforts and other programmes, Microsoft has engaged in important partnerships with organisations such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development, United Nations Development Program Southern Africa Capacity Initiative, US Agency for International Development, Worldlinks, Reseau Africain de Formation a Distance, Learnthings, Kenya Institute of Education, International Literacy Institute and the Commonwealth of Learning, to name a few. Through this partnership model, education programmes and events such as the Government Leaders Forum, the company hopes to have a real impact on helping to reach the MDGs. Additional information of today's announcements is available on Microsoft's EMEA Press Centre website at http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre and at the virtual press room http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre/glfafrica/default.mspx.

Johannesburg, 10 July 2006] - Microsoft today announced the appointment of Pfungwa Serima as managing director of Microsoft South Africa. Speaking from Microsoft South Africa's office, Ali Faramawy, vice-president of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said: "The appointment of Pfungwa Serima marks another chapter in the history of the very successful Microsoft South Africa. After two years as director of the Services Group, he is ready to take on this new challenge. I have great faith in Pfungwa driving Microsoft's business forward as we prepare to launch exciting new versions of our flagship products and continue to develop the local software economy." Serima replaces Gordon Frazer, who has been promoted to take on the role of managing director of Microsoft in the United Kingdom, one of Microsoft's largest and leading markets in the world. The change is effective 1 August 2006. Says Serima: "I feel privileged to have been chosen to take on this exciting opportunity. In my time at Microsoft I have realised what a talented team there is in South Africa and I look forward to being able to steer this ship further into new possibilities. These are great people with great values. " Serima joined Microsoft in 2004 from Accenture and has grown the local services team to be a significant role player in supporting Microsoft's customers and partners with world-class consulting and technology services. In addition, he has played a significant role in establishing and managing the first Microsoft Graduate Academy, an initiative which aims to grow IT skills in South Africa through learnerships. "Our mission in South Africa is to make a tangible contribution to our local software economy that is empowering, inclusive and highly skilled. We seek to do this through increasing levels of innovation and developing a pool of highly skilled resources," adds Serima. Microsoft's business in South Africa continues to be at the forefront of growth in the worldwide stable, consistently ahead of some of the fastest growing markets worldwide and makes a significant contribution to South Africa's GDP. In addition, for the past three years, the business has held one of the top three positions in the local Best Companies to Work For survey.

[Johannesburg, 10 July 2006] - The Village Phone pilot project, which has seen 50 telephone sites implemented across rural Rwanda, has spurred local business in the three months it has been operational. So says David Keogh, deputy director of the Grameen Foundation's Technology Centre. US-based microfinance provider the Grameen Foundation, in conjunction with MTN Rwandacell, instituted the pilot. ?The success of the programme in Rwanda so far suggests long-term growth potential,? he adds. The programme provides cellular phones via a sustainable financing mechanism to start-up entrepreneurs who use the phone to operate a business, says Keogh. Rwanda's high population density, of 328 people per square kilometre, will further contribute to the sustainability of the programme, he says. Keogh says Rwanda has proved a viable country for the scheme because of its advanced microfinance system. ?Microfinance institutions can help start-up phone businesses with micro loans so they can purchase the starter kit.? The project is following the success of Uganda's MTN Village Phone which has created 2 000 sustainable businesses in the country. Hurdles The Village Phone business kit comprises a Nokia 1100 handset with earpiece, an antenna coupler, a Yagi antenna, 10m antenna cable, car battery, car charger, Village Phone SIM card [with access to special Village Phone wholesale tariffs] and prepaid airtime. Keogh says the greatest challenge in establishing Rwanda's Village Phone system was the mountainous terrain. ?Wireless telecommunications coverage requires line of sight from the receiver to the base station and mountains make that a bit difficult.? He adds that the booster antenna provided to Village Phone operators is a tremendous help in overcoming this challenge.

[Johannesburg, 10 July 2006] - The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) will undertake research to determine the technical feasibility of broadcasting and non-broadcasting services sharing channels 65 and 66 (822MHz to 830MHz). The study will assist in the formulation of a sharing plan which will include sharing criteria and the appropriate protection ratio. The decision is the outcome of the regulator's enquiry to determine whether channel 65 should be reassigned for non-broadcasting purposes. The announcement was published on the 7 July, in Government Gazette number 29014. The winners, if the spectrum is reallocated for non-broadcasting purposes, would be the second national operator (SNO) and the underserviced area licensees (USALs). USALs have been waiting for spectrum allocation since they were granted licences in December 2004. However, the reallocation would also impact negatively on Sentech, MNet and the South African Broadcasting Corporation, as they would incur migration costs, as well as the inconvenience of moving to another channel. Compromise The decision by ICASA to add channel 66 to the mix, and look at the possibility of sharing spectrum by broadcasters and telecoms providers, is in line with the written submission by the SNO. Telecoms providers would then have spectrum allocated to them based on availability of either band within their geographic area, said Angus Hay, spokesperson for the SNO. ICASA notes the findings were based on significant input from stakeholders. The regulator received 17 written submissions, and a public hearing was held late in May to gain input from stakeholders, a spokesperson said previously. The regulator scheduled a public meeting to map the way forward for 11 July, says Calvo Mawela, ICASA's manager of broadcasting spectrum.

[Johannesburg, 10 July 2006] - Transnet's recent disposal of its stake in MTN raised R4.92 billion, not the previously-reported R4 billion, and was done to ?reduce the risk of having too large a proportion of total assets in one stock?. This is according to John Dludlu, the state transport utility's GM of communications, who says: ?We got out at top of market ? the sale was inspired by a robust performance of the MTN stock.? Of the 82 million shares, which were sold at R60 a share, about 76 million were held by the M-Cell Trust, on behalf of one of Transnet's pension funds ? the Second Defined Benefit Fund. The fund, explains Dludlu, is the capital beneficiary of the trust. The other six million shares were held directly by Transnet. It is understood the proceeds will remain in the possession of the pension fund, with no talks surfacing about re-investment in another company.?The fund is now in a position to appropriately allocate its assets between equity and bonds,? says Dludlu. Following the release of Transnet's financial results last week, CEO Maria Ramos said she was pleased the company's policy to disinvest from non-core assets was beginning to pay off, as Transnet saw a 7% rise in revenue to R26.3 billion for the financial year to end-March 2006. However, net profit declined from R7.2 billion to R4.4 billion over the period.

Johannesburg, 10 July 2006] - Cell C is challenging a report that says it will be the biggest loser when mobile number portability (MNP) is implemented in SA. Last month, Synovate released a research report which stated that 21% of cellphone users believed they will change their networks once MNP is implemented. The report also predicted Vodacom will gain more customers in the prepaid market than it will lose, with the majority of those who migrate going to MTN. MTN's gains in the contract market are expected to exceed its losses by 2%, and Cell C will suffer a large loss on its contract customer base, with the losses exceeding overall gains, the report noted. Cell C says its own research, which was conducted twice over an 18-month period, consistently revealed it would be the net gainer from MNP, in both the prepaid and postpaid markets. Although the third mobile operator would not reveal statistical data findings, it noted the research was based on a combined sample size of more than 7 000 interviews, compared to Synovate's sample of 892. The Synovate report did not take the impact of Virgin Mobile's entrance onto the South African market into account, as the study was done ahead of the group's local launch. Price war? Another prediction being challenged by mobile operators and analysts is whether there will be a price war once MNP has been implemented. While the ICT market has already seen some form of price competition emerge, an all-out price war sparked by MNP is unlikely, says BMI-TechKnowledge analyst Richard Hurst. Mike Falconer, Cell C's carrier relations senior manager, says the operator also does not expect a price war, but sees a churn of between 3% and 5%. International experience supports this view, with Hong Kong, where churn increased the most when MNP was implemented (from 3.9% to 9%), reverted to 3.9% within a three-month period. A price war would not benefit operators in the long run, as they would have to increasingly cut their margins, says Brian Seligmann, senior manager of MTN's data and messaging services. The cumulative effects of a price war would be that operators have less money to invest in infrastructure and value-added services, making the customer lose out as service is degraded, he says.Vodacom was not available for comment at the time of publication.

Cape Town - South Africa was about to launch a national youth service, deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka divulged on Monday. Speaking at a Microsoft sponsored leaders' forum in Cape Town - attended by Microsoft boss Bill Gates, who is on his way to Lesotho - hinted that it would be a job creating mechanism with strong links to fast-tracking the development of South Africa's youth through ICT. She said in a prepared speech: "Through ICT we have to fast track the development of our youth whom we refer to as e-cadres who will revolutionarise their lives and those of their communities through ICT." "As the government in South Africa, we are also at the brink of launching the National Youth Service through which young South Africans will be engaged in a meaningful and constructive manner." She noted that the existing Umsobomvu Youth Fund would help "to catapult thousands of young people into a brighter future that they deserve". She said among the partners in the programme would be Microsoft and South Africa's further Education and Training Colleges and universities. She said among the partners in the programme would be Microsoft and South Africa's further Education and Training Colleges and universities. Meanwhile a local Cape Town newspaper reported on Monday afternoon that Gates had toured HIV and TB projects into which his foundation had poured some R700m. He was expected to be joined in Lesotho later this week by former United States President Bill Clinton where they will visit HIV/Aids projects. Clinton was expected to pass through Cape Town on Monday.

Cape Town - South Africa was about to launch a national youth service, deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka divulged on Monday. Speaking at a Microsoft sponsored leaders' forum in Cape Town - attended by Microsoft boss Bill Gates, who is on his way to Lesotho - hinted that it would be a job creating mechanism with strong links to fast-tracking the development of South Africa's youth through ICT. She said in a prepared speech: "Through ICT we have to fast track the development of our youth whom we refer to as e-cadres who will revolutionarise their lives and those of their communities through ICT." "As the government in South Africa, we are also at the brink of launching the National Youth Service through which young South Africans will be engaged in a meaningful and constructive manner." She noted that the existing Umsobomvu Youth Fund would help "to catapult thousands of young people into a brighter future that they deserve". She said among the partners in the programme would be Microsoft and South Africa's further Education and Training Colleges and universities. She said among the partners in the programme would be Microsoft and South Africa's further Education and Training Colleges and universities. Meanwhile a local Cape Town newspaper reported on Monday afternoon that Gates had toured HIV and TB projects into which his foundation had poured some R700m. He was expected to be joined in Lesotho later this week by former United States President Bill Clinton where they will visit HIV/Aids projects. Clinton was expected to pass through Cape Town on Monday.

Cape Town - South Africa was about to launch a national youth service, deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka divulged on Monday. Speaking at a Microsoft sponsored leaders' forum in Cape Town - attended by Microsoft boss Bill Gates, who is on his way to Lesotho - hinted that it would be a job creating mechanism with strong links to fast-tracking the development of South Africa's youth through ICT. She said in a prepared speech: "Through ICT we have to fast track the development of our youth whom we refer to as e-cadres who will revolutionarise their lives and those of their communities through ICT." "As the government in South Africa, we are also at the brink of launching the National Youth Service through which young South Africans will be engaged in a meaningful and constructive manner." She noted that the existing Umsobomvu Youth Fund would help "to catapult thousands of young people into a brighter future that they deserve". She said among the partners in the programme would be Microsoft and South Africa's further Education and Training Colleges and universities. She said among the partners in the programme would be Microsoft and South Africa's further Education and Training Colleges and universities. Meanwhile a local Cape Town newspaper reported on Monday afternoon that Gates had toured HIV and TB projects into which his foundation had poured some R700m. He was expected to be joined in Lesotho later this week by former United States President Bill Clinton where they will visit HIV/Aids projects. Clinton was expected to pass through Cape Town on Monday.

A six-month project valued at R500 000, led by IT services and solutions company Faritec and involving several major industry players has culminated in the launch of a computer centre at the SOS Children?s Village in Ennerdale. Dr Hasmukh Gajjar, Deputy CEO of Faritec, says the project forms part of the company?s Corporate Social Investment (CSI) campaign. ?Faritec has adopted an interactive response to CSI initiatives and is committed to finding synergy between the emerging goals of society, the local community and our corporate goals in light of the ICT Charter,? he says. After receiving an appeal from SOS Children?s Villages to evaluate their existing computer equipment, Faritec ascertained that the systems were not being used and had become outdated. Determined to ensure that the project was tackled thoroughly and remained sustainable in the long term, Faritec kicked off the six-month project with a full audit of the site and existing technology. ?We were confident that we would be able to use our skills to add sustainable value beyond simply upgrading the computers,? Gajjar says. Adopting a true partnership and community development approach, Faritec called on its industry partners and suppliers to support the project. The first step was to do a total renovation of the information centre and computer room, including stripping and painting the room and installing new fittings, desks, chairs and bookshelves. For this, Faritec called on Fusion Interiors, which agreed to do the renovation at cost price. As IBM?s top business partner in South Africa, Faritec then turned to the world?s largest IT services company for assistance on the hardware side. IBM stepped up to become the largest sponsor of the project by contributing 10 brand-new PCs, a server and a KidSmart unit for the kindergarten. ?IBM?s total investment in the SOS Children?s Village computer centre amounts to R127 000. This investment underpins our corporate community relations strategy which seeks to combine the company?s technology and its people in effective partnerships to bring solutions to the systematic problems that affect society, business, and our quality of life,? says Alfred Mandewo, IBM South Africa?s Corporate Community Relations Manager. Microsoft donated all the software and licences the SOS Children?s Village needed, including the full Microsoft Office suite of products and educational software. Symantec provided anti-virus software, while TCM and ebiz donated support in terms of the physical network installation. In addition, Faritec has provided two colour printers and a laser printer and will ensure that ink cartridges are available on an ongoing basis. ITEC North has donated paper on a monthly basis to support the running costs. Faritec?s technical staff configured the server and desktops donated by IBM with age-appropriate software from Microsoft, this configuration will enable the children at Ennerdale to save their work and revert back to it to continue working on their projects. From a support and training perspective, SOS Children?s Villages needs to ensure there are appropriate resources to support the children while they are working in the centre. Faritec has undertaken to train the youth leaders of the village, and Siyaya Phambili Technology Solutions will provide monthly technical support through the Faritec Support Centre Service. Furthermore, Faritec has allocated funds for the SOS Village to be able to employ Nhlanhla Khumalo from the community to work with the children in the computer centre every afternoon. ?Every effort has been made to guarantee that the centre is used and that it gives the value it was designed to give,? Gajjar says. The Faritec Computer Centre at the SOS Children?s Village in Ennerdale is the beginning of a long-term partnership with this community, as more centres are planned for implementation in the future. Further requirements such as information access for the broader community will be assessed by Faritec during subsequent phases of the project. Ted Taylor, Corporate Fundraiser for the SOS Children?s Villagers, comments: ?Faritec has created a solution way beyond our expectations. Not only do we have a wonderful computer centre, but Faritec is imparting ICT skills to this community and is committed to connecting more villages and establishing community access points following this first development in Ennerdale.?

South African cellular operator MTN has increased its shareholding in MTN Uganda to 84.44% from 52.01%, converting the joint venture operation into a fully consolidated subsidiary of the Group. This follows the successful acquisition of a 32.44% stake purchased from Swedish telecom giant Overseas Telecom AB for euros 130 million. Overseas Telecom AB is 65%-owned by TeliaSonera, MTN said. In May, the MTN Group increased its stake in MTN Cote d'Ivoire, previously Loteny Telecom, to 68.34%, through the purchase of a 17.34% stake from Atlantique Telecom for euros 42.75 million. "MTN Uganda has performed well over the years amidst intense competition, giving us confidence in the business. We are pleased to have acquired the additional 32.44% in the operation, which boosts our efforts to consolidate our position in the East Africa region and on the continent," said Irene Charnley, MTN Group's executive vice-president for the Middle East, North and East Africa Region. The MTN Group was awarded Uganda's second national operator licence, which included a GSM licence, in 1998, making it the only operation in the Group that operates both mobile and fixed line. Seven years after commercial launch, MTN Uganda continues to perform well despite intense competition, reporting 1.128 million subscribers at 31 March 2006. For the nine months ended December 2005, MTN invested US$36 million in network infrastructure, demonstrating the Group's commitment to Uganda. In recognition of the extent and reliability of its network, MTN Uganda was awarded a Government tender to provide infrastructure for universal service in the eastern and western regions of the country. These initiatives will see internet access in some of the most rural areas of Uganda, hence bridging the digital divide, MTN said. In June 2005, the MTN Group acquired a 51% interest in Telecel Cote d'Ivoire, now known as MTN Cote d'Ivoire. Since the acquisition, the MTN Group has made a sizeable capital expenditure investment of over US$20 million into this operation. The bulk of this investment has been spent on network equipment and information technology systems to support anticipated subscriber growth, it said.

The embattled communications regulator wants the National Intelligence Agency to conduct a witch-hunt into recent leaks that have drawn attention to the dire state of the regulator. Minutes of the June council meeting of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) report that its chairperson, Paris Mashile, ?has contacted the NIA to conduct an investigation on the leaks at Icasa?. The requested investigation into leaks follows hot on the heels of a number of expos?s in the Mail & Guardian, which highlighted the reasons behind the mass exodus of senior managers at Icasa. Detailed exit reports, obtained by the M&G and written by the departing senior managers, highlighted issues surrounding council interference in management operations and the regular flouting of the regulator?s policies and procedures. This has led to a substantial amount of interest in the state of Icasa, with the Parliamentary portfolio committee on communications declaring their concern and agreeing on a review process for the regulator. However, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has denied that any such investigation is taking place and that Icasa has made such a request. ?The NIA?s mandate extends to security breaches that impact on national security. The Icasa matter therefore does not fall within the mandate of the agency,? said Lorna Daniels, NIA spokesperson. Icasa has confirmed that its council has taken a decision to call in the NIA, claiming that leaks of confidential information could threaten the multibillion-rand industries it regulates as well as the economic stability of the country, but has as yet not done so. Daniels told the M&G that only if classified information, which could threaten national security, such as Cabinet memos, were leaked could the NIA investigate. The decision by Icasa appears to be an attempt to harness the might of state resources to deal with people who have leaked internal documents r-egarding poor governance at the regulator, causing great embarrassment to Mashile and other councillors. One exit report suggested that Mashile regularly took off his shoes and snoozed in his office. However, Icasa spokesperson Jubie Matlou disputes this, claiming council wants the NIA to investigate the leak of confidential information and not the exit reports. He claims the reports are being looked at by an independent human resources company that will report back to Icasa and the parliamentary portfolio committee. Matlou could not confirm whether any confidential information had indeed been leaked but said Icasa would be looking into the potential impact of such information. ?We don?t know if confidential information has been leaked,? said Matlou. ?The telecoms and broadcasting industries are multibillion-rand industries, involving investments by both the public and private sectors. Any leak of confidential information could jeopardise and even destroy the viability of these industries, with dire consequences for the economic stability of the country,? said Matlou. Icasa has confirmed that a further two senior managers have resigned, bringing the total to 16 senior mangers who have resigned since January this year. The latest to rush for the door is Eric Nhlapo, the general manger of broadcasting, and Wojtek Skowronski, the general manager of engineering and technology. Icasa is also having to deal with a reduced council after the terms of three councillors expired at the end of June. The Parliamentary portfolio committee took a decision to ask the three councillors to stay on for 45 days. Icasa confirmed that councillors Mamodupi Mohlala and Nadia Bulbulia have agreed to stay on for an additional period as provided for by the Icasa Act. The Democratic Alliance spokesperson on communications, Dene Smuts, told the M&G that the Icasa Amendment Act, which governed the appointment of new councillors, had been signed by President Thabo Mbeki but not promulgated as yet. ?This means that the invitation for nominations can not be published yet,? said Smuts. The portfolio committee can only advertise for councillor nominations once the Act is promulgated, so the process to appoint the five new councillors has not begun. A source well versed in the appointment procedure, who did not want to be named, said if the Act was promulgated soon, the earliest Icasa could expect to have new councillors appointed was the end of August. This could take almost two months, said the source, as the length of the shortlist needs to be debated, nominations made, interviews conducted, and the list of experts to assist in the process agreed on and confirmed.

[Johannesburg, 6 July 2006] - SA's eagerly awaited second national operator (SNO) has dismissed reports that it is not on track with its plans. A spokesperson for the company referred to a press release when asked for comment on whether Telkom's competition would be ready for business later than expected, as indicated in newspaper reports. The statement, issued on Tuesday, indicates the yet-to-be-named operator is on track for rolling out wholesale services mid-year. MD Ajay Pandey said in the statement: ?The SNO has targeted the launch of its initial wholesale services in mid-2006, and, in line with this projection, plans are well under way towards introducing international wholesale voice and some international data services to other telecom operators. ?The SNO has adopted a phased approach to rolling out its services. We are currently in discussion with various potential customers and are now in advanced stages of readiness to deliver.? It added it should gradually start providing enterprise solutions towards the end of this calendar year and consumer services for the broader public in the first quarter of next year. It has also acquired assets from Transtel, Transnet's telecommunications arm, for R256 million. The assets, which do not form part of the operational private network operated by Transtel, include a base of deployed optical-fibre cable, as well as telecommunications equipment and facilities countrywide. The SNO's Web site states it has ?started planning its network roll-out and market entry and is already engaging actively with various stakeholders in the country's telecommunications space?. The company plans to introduce its first niche services in mid-2006 and to have launched, in phases, a wide portfolio of telecommunications services by March 2007, it said. SA's first step towards liberalisation in the fixed-line market dates back to the Telecommunication Act, as amended in 2001, which laid out a timetable for the liberalisation of the South African market. The SNO is 30% owned by parastatals Transnet and Eskom, while Nexus Connexion has a 19% stake and Sepco owns 51%. Sepco comprises: Tata 51%, CommuniTel 24.5% and Two Consortium with 24.5%. Neither Eskom nor Transnet could respond to requests for comment this morning.

[Johannesburg, 6 July 2006] - South African cellular provider MTN has raised R6.3 billion in the South African corporate bond market to fund its takeover of Middle East cellular firm Investcom. In what was the mobile company's first foray into the local debt-capital market, it succeeded in raising the biggest amount in this market's history, it says. MTN had previously indicated in a statement to the JSE that it would be happy raising between R6 billion and R8 billion through this mechanism. "Total book size exceeded R10 billion, however, giving consideration to other available funding in respect of the Investcom transaction, the final issue size was settled at R6.3 billion, split between a R5 billion four-year bond and [a] R1.3 billion eight-year bond," it said. MTN said at the beginning of May that it aimed to buy the Beirut-based company, which operates cellular networks in 10 Middle Eastern and African countries for $5.53 billion. The bonds were priced at spreads of 1.45% and 1.50% above the government R153 and R201 benchmarks respectively. MTN has recently come under fire over its bond issue as newspaper reports alleged it was unethically manipulating the bond market by not accepting all the bids. An MTN spokesperson could not be contacted for comment, but had previously said: "Between the bond issue and our bank facilities we have raised sufficient cash to meet the cost of the Investcom acquisition."

Johannesburg, 6 July 2006] - The commercial roll-out of broadband over powerline will begin within the next month in the Pretoria area, following the successful completion of trials, Goal Technology Solutions says. An investment of R500 million will be made over the next five years in extending the powerline communications service ? which is an alternative to ADSL ? to many areas in SA. This is according to Goal CEO Adrian Maguire, who adds: ?We aim to reach about 1.1 million subscribers [within five years] and provide a full triple play service to consumers ? not merely a data service.? Trials have been completed in Durban, and six installation sites are complete in Pretoria's eastern suburbs, he says. ?We have received authorisation from the relevant authorities to use the powerline infrastructure in the Tswane area,? adds sales executive, Shaun Mc Kay. Permission is required from each municipality with which Goal intends to partner. Cheaper alternative Mc Kay notes the costs of the service will be R480 per month, with a R600 once-off installation fee. On a month-by-month basis, this would translate to almost R300 cheaper than Telkom's equivalent product, the 4GB unshaped ADSL plus line rental, for R770. ?We aim to maintain that price for the rest of the country as well,? says Mc Kay.

Helsinki | Reuters News Service, 6 July 2006] - Mobile telecoms equipment maker Nokia has won a $150 million deal with China Mobile's Henan Mobile Communication to expand GSM and GPRS networks in Henan province. Nokia said in a statement it would significantly boost Henan Mobile's coverage and capacity in the province, particularly in rural areas. The Finnish firm said it would supply a GSM/GPRS radio and core network, as well as support and network management systems. It said deliveries will start immediately and the network would be operational by the end of September. Nokia faces fierce competition in China, the world's biggest mobile communications market. Others active in the market include Sweden's Ericsson and US-based Motorola, as well as Chinese rivals Huawei Technologies and ZTE.

[Johannesburg, 6 July 2006] - The developmental gap between Africa and the developed world can be narrowed by exploiting ICT for economic development. This is the opinion of Illinois State University's Dr Matthew Kuofie, chairman of an upcoming conference aiming to tackle IT's role in spurring the economies of developing countries. The Information Institute, a non-profit organisation based in Washington DC, and the University of Ghana will be holding the conference on IT and economic development (CITED), from 21 to 23 July at the university's campus in Legon. Themed "Exploiting IT for Development", it is the first in a series of conferences to be held around the world in locations usually on the periphery of economic development, according Kuofie. Kuofie believes Ghana is an important host for CITED, because it is receptive to the application of ICT, which he says is "mandatory" for economic development in Africa. Information and knowledge are essential raw materials for economic development, he says, which ICT can store, share and network at an extremely fast speed. Kuofie says Africa has come a long way with the provision of ICT infrastructure in urban areas. There is a lack, however, of ICT development in rural areas. "There are no adequate strategic policies in place for ICT infrastructures to get to the rural areas, which is creating lack of development and skills," he says. This conference will help link participants to rural development projects, creating consultancy, growth and international funding, says Kuofie, adding CITED will bring together over 200 people from around the world, with a large portion from Africa.

South Korea's LG Telecom faces losing its 3G license after the operator said that it is planning the delay the rollout of the network. LG Telecom was awarded an operating license in the 2GHz band for CDMA2000 services in 2001, but has concentrated on upgrading its existing 1.8Ghz CDMA network. "LG Telecom will continue to leverage the 1.8GHz bandwidth, and on that bandwidth, we'll invest in the CDMA2000 EVDO rA," said Nam Yong, president and CEO of LG Telecom. "We've decided not to invest in the 2GHz bandwidth for the time being, considering the technological trends in the global wireless market," Nam told reporters on Tuesday marking the company's 10th anniversary. However, Information-Communication Minister Rho Jun-hyong has suggested that the ministry could cancel LG Telecom's 3G license and possibly penalize the company. "We are reviewing the related laws about LG Telecom's license, and we will make a decision as soon as possible," Rho said during a press briefing. "There are necessary administrative procedures to be followed. We are also considering what to do with the 220 billion won LG Telecom has paid for the license."

With the commercial launch of the Samsung ZV50, Vodafone becomes the first operator to offer HSDPA phones for sale in Portugal. Following the introduction in Portugal of the first 3G Broadband service, the Vodafone 3G Broadband Mobile Connect Card, Vodafone is offering the first phone with a broadband access speed of up to 1.8Mbps, over 4 times the speed offered by Third Generation (3G/UMTS). Vodafone's 3G Broadband coverage is already available in 81 cities in Portugal including Almada, Amadora, Angra do Hero?o, Aveiro, Beja, Braga, Bragan? Caldas da Rainha, Cascais, Coimbra, Covilh??ora, Faro, Funchal, Guimar?, Horta, Lagos, Leiria, Lisboa, Loul?Loures, Maia, Montijo, Oeiras, Oporto, Ponta Delgada, Portalegre, Portim? Set?, Sintra, Torres Vedras, Viana do Castelo, Vila Nova de Gaia, Vila Real, Vila Real de Santo Ant? and Viseu. Vodafone's 3G Broadband coverage is being progressively extended and by the end of 2006 will reach a total of 150 cities and other urban areas. When a customer moves into areas still without 3G Broadband coverage, the 3G Broadband equipment automatically switches to 3G or GPRS, which are available throughout Portugal.

Jul 6 - After winning the prerogative to take their cell-phone numbers with them when they switch wireless companies, public-interest groups are challenging another obstacle to consumer choice. ><"It's a very strong case. We strongly believe that the carriers are charging illegal penalties in these early termination fees," AARP attorney Stacy Canan told Inside Bay Area. "We are very encouraged by the fact the court has granted class certification; it could indeed have an impact on this practice.">

6 July 6 2006 - South Korea beats the rest of the world in "digital opportunity", thanks to the widespread use of broadband internet services, according to new United Nations rankings published yesterday.>< Japan, a leader in mobile internet telephony, Denmark, Iceland and Hong Kong come next in a top 10 made up exclusively of East Asian and European economies, including the UK in seventh place.>< The US, despite its technological dominance, ranks only 21, behind Estonia. The "digital opportunity index", compiled by the International Telecommunication Union, is intended to measure progress towards global goals to narrow the digital divide between rich and poor countries and provide near-universal access to information and communications technologies (ICT).>< *Bertrand Delano?, the mayor of Paris, yesterday outlined plans to instal 400 free wi-fi points in public spaces and to cut licence fees for the existing fibre optic network by 25 per cent, with the tax break rising to 90 per cent for new cables.

[Johannesburg, 5 July 2006] - Africa's largest mobile operator MTN, says it will ? in certain instances ? refund customers who have unwillingly paid for airtime after having been defrauded by online scammers. Recent online hacking attacks have seen prepaid MTN airtime being purchased fraudulently from banking customers' accounts. In a statement released yesterday afternoon, MTN stated it was aware of the problem. ?At their discretion, and in the interest of protecting customers, the banks may approach MTN to ensure that stolen airtime is removed from certain prepaid cellphone numbers. ?MTN will act only after it obtains official instruction from the banks to remove any stolen airtime from its network,? the cellular provider said. MTN was ?committed to working with all the banks and the necessary authorities in question to resolve this issue and fast-track the arrest of the criminals concerned?. The company has invited affected parties to call its hotline on 083 123 7867. Cell C's executive head of corporate communications Vanashree Pillay indicated the company had not received any similar complaints, and Vodacom could not immediately comment on whether it had experienced such activity on its network, but said it would follow up.

July 5, 2006 London -- South Korea has lost its long-held position as the country with the highest broadband penetration, overtaken by the Netherlands, Denmark, and Iceland, reveals new research from Point Topic. South Korean broadband lines increased by just over 3% from the first quarter of 2005 to the first quarter of 2006. In the same timeframe, broadband lines grew 27% in the U.S., 45.5% in China, and a whopping 328% in India. However, the number of FTTx lines in Korea grew by 18% in the first quarter of this year. Much of that growth is likely fiber-to-the-curb or -node (FTTC/N) segments where a LAN takes over for the last few meters and distributes the bandwidth to houses and apartments, report Point Topic analysts. Fiber all the way to the family would deliver 1 Gbit/sec of data, enough to hold more than 8,000 simultaneous phone conversations; to listen to 3,500 CD-quality music tracks at the same time; to download the entire Encyclopedia Britannica (2005 digital edition) is just over 30 seconds; and to watch 200 DVD-quality or 66 HDTV channels, note analysts. While this is currently on the excessive side even for a family of four where all members have their own media stations, that much bandwidth may be required in the longer term, particularly if the family wants to use some of the bandwidth-hungry applications on the horizon-eg., immersive virtual reality, telepresence, etc. Japan, another broadband early adopter, also believes that fast won't be fast enough for long. Point Topic estimates Japan is closing in on 5.4 million FTTx lines, growing about 90% in the 12 months ending in the first quarter of 2006, compared with 20% growth in overall broadband subscribers. Finally, there is China, where increasing population concentration in the cities and on-going infrastructure installation are creating perfect conditions for FTTx growth, say analysts. Although only showing around 2.6 million net adds in the year ending in the first quarter of 2006--a mere 33% increase--Point Topic sees mounting evidence that "the need for speed will mean more fiber in more places in 2006."

[Johannesburg, 5 July 2006] - Publicly-owned network and telecoms company Sentech will invest R1 billion over the next five years upgrading SA's analogue broadcasting infrastructure to a digital terrestrial system. The upgrade is necessary to meet national broadcasting requirements, as well as requirements for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, says Sentech's acting COO, Frans Lindeque. Digital terrestrial television (DTT) test transmissions have been conducted for two years at Sentech's main broadcast tower site in Brixton, Johannesburg. These tests have given Sentech the experience and the knowledge to begin the renovation of SA's broadcasting system, he says. 2008 migration ?The roll-outs of DTT should begin in the metropolitan areas by 2008,? he says, adding by 2010 two different multiplexes should allow Sentech to carry up to 12 high-definition channels. "The primary benefit of DTT will be clearer, sharper pictures, without the interference and ghosting that some residents of built-up areas or hilly terrain sometimes experience. DTT also offers a wide-screen format and multiple language offerings per channel," Lindeque says. The first requirement is to upgrade Sentech's network and duplicate the analogue network channels on a digital system, he explains. Once that process is complete, DTT and analogue systems will be run side-by-side until SA is ready to switch off the analogue transmission, he adds. A set-top box, which costs about R500, is required to decode the signal (even for public broadcasting service and free-to-air channels), though that price is expected to drop over the next few years, says Sentech.

[Johannesburg, 5 July 2006] - Publicly-owned network and telecoms company Sentech will invest R1 billion over the next five years upgrading SA's analogue broadcasting infrastructure to a digital terrestrial system. The upgrade is necessary to meet national broadcasting requirements, as well as requirements for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, says Sentech's acting COO, Frans Lindeque. Digital terrestrial television (DTT) test transmissions have been conducted for two years at Sentech's main broadcast tower site in Brixton, Johannesburg. These tests have given Sentech the experience and the knowledge to begin the renovation of SA's broadcasting system, he says. 2008 migration ?The roll-outs of DTT should begin in the metropolitan areas by 2008,? he says, adding by 2010 two different multiplexes should allow Sentech to carry up to 12 high-definition channels. "The primary benefit of DTT will be clearer, sharper pictures, without the interference and ghosting that some residents of built-up areas or hilly terrain sometimes experience. DTT also offers a wide-screen format and multiple language offerings per channel," Lindeque says. The first requirement is to upgrade Sentech's network and duplicate the analogue network channels on a digital system, he explains. Once that process is complete, DTT and analogue systems will be run side-by-side until SA is ready to switch off the analogue transmission, he adds. A set-top box, which costs about R500, is required to decode the signal (even for public broadcasting service and free-to-air channels), though that price is expected to drop over the next few years, says Sentech.

Market research released yesterday by BMI-TechKnowledge shows SA's IT market will grow by 6.7%, to reach R49 billion this year. Senior analyst Natalie Bryden reveals the South African IT market grew by 4.4%, from R44 billion in 2004, to reach almost R46 billion in 2005. ?The IT market is expected to grow at a compound average growth rate of 5.8%, to reach R60.8 billion in 2010,? she predicts. ?Driving the expected increase in IT spend is expansion in the consumer sector, government's need to deliver better services to citizens, the physical infrastructure expansions required to enable SA to reach its Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for SA goals and preparations for the 2010 World Cup,? says Bryden. Vertical sectors, such as transportation, retail, government departments, education and healthcare are expected to increase IT spending over the next few years, she adds. ?However, the consumer sector ? which performed well in 2005 ? will be affected by interest rate increases in 2006.?

[Johannesburg, 3 July 2006] - The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) confirms resolutions have been made concerning the pricing models of Telkom's ADSL service. The investigations were expedited as councillors Mamodupi Mohala and Nadia Bulbulia, who were overseeing the May public hearings into ADSL pricing, are coming to the end of their terms of office at ICASA. Mohala told ITWeb this morning a decision has been made. However, she requested time to speak to ICASA chairman Paris Mashile, before releasing to SA the much-anticipated findings. It is expected ITWeb will obtain details of the resolutions before tomorrow morning. One-price model? Rudolph Muller, founder of MyADSL and long-time broadband pricing activist, is pleased a decision has been made. "We're hoping for a one-price ADSL model," he says, "with no line rental and no monthly access charges." He believes this is a realistic expectation, due to the outlines set down in the draft ADSL regulations, and the cohesive and strong arguments posed by many industry players at the hearings. "It is also possible we will see some regulations that make it more feasible to offer high-cap services," he predicts. Issues Richard Hurst, analyst at BMI-TechKnowledge, expects two issues to be addressed in the resolutions. Firstly, Telkom may be forced to sell partially-shaped DSL instead of shaped. This will affect Telkom and Internet service providers (ISPs). "The impact [of this would be] that ISPs have more leeway to package their products and offer them at lower prices - this will, in turn, encourage increased uptake of broadband Internet." The other issue is the need to lower interconnection charges that Telkom levies on ISPs, he says. Hurst adds it is unlikely ICASA would go for the cost-based model, as Telkom has put forward a good argument regarding the investment it has made in infrastructure. So the best possible option would be that a transparent profit margin is built into the charges, or the costs would be based on the amount of data carried by carriers. Hurst warns while this would be a good attempt to fix the problem, the core issue would only be addressed once Telkom's monopoly to the SAT3 undersea cable expires. "The problem is most of our Internet traffic is international, and ISPs are dependent on Telkom for connection and Telkom sets the price," he says.

[Johannesburg, 22 June 2006] - South Africa has opted to use locally-developed technology to market the country to soccer fans and thought leaders at Frankfurt International Airport, in preparation for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the press was told at a media briefing in Johannesburg yesterday. Frankfurt airport is host to one of the SA-developed and patented Holografx machines, which project 3D images relating to this country through a laser lens, said Yvonne Johnston, CEO of the International Marketing Council of SA (IMC). Edward Voster, director of Holografx, explained that this technology was first brought to life by NASA, but it did not contain the qualities it wanted. It was then opened to the market and SA invested in the product, which was redesigned by Brian Steinhobel, a local inventor, to suit outdoor advertising needs. ?The unexpectedness of this marketing strategy is creating a novelty factor at the airport as people try to ?catch' the images,? explained Steinhobel. The technology projects 3D holographic images that float in midair in a field of vision of about 60 degrees, which include directional sound, he said. FIFA has approached the IMC to use this technology at the 2010 Soccer World Cup logo unveiling ceremony on 10 July. ?We are also using Bluetooth marketing at the airport, which is a global first,? claimed Johnston. ?This push technology displays a message to all phones that have Bluetooth switched on. The message reads ?Do you want to get investment information from SA?', and any interested parties can download this information.? Other marketing technologies being used at the airport and other strategic locations around Germany include vision walls, each consisting of nine plasma screens put together in a 3x3 checkerboard pattern, and a large ball fitted with screens that allow for interaction and registration.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) commit the international community to an expanded vision of development, one that vigorously promotes sustainable social and economic progress in all countries by creating global partnerships for development. The UN has defined eight MDGs to be achieved by 2015. These goals have been commonly accepted as a framework for measuring development progress. The MDGs are as follows: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Achieve universal primary education Promote gender equality and empower women Reduce child mortality Improve maternal health Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases Ensure environmental sustainability Develop a global partnership for development In the light of the UN's emphasis on the MDGs, a question that is often asked is, ?What can ICTs do to achieve the MDGs?? Our view is that the intensity and magnitude of poverty in areas such as South Asia and Africa warrant the widespread and innovative application of ICTs in ongoing development interventions. Why mainstream ICTs? There are four immediate and important reasons for mainstreaming ICTs in development projects. These have their basis in The potential of ICTs to accelerate the pace of achieving the MDGs The capacity of ICTs to improve aid effectiveness through better coordination The ability of ICTs to extend the reach and intervention of development projects Enhancing people?s access to development benefits This is not to claim that mainstreaming ICTs in development projects implies a blanket application of ICTs. It simply indicates the need to take cognisance of ICT-related opportunities to increase the effectiveness of development programs. ICTs are not the panacea to developmental concerns, but are becoming increasingly essential for arriving at feasible solutions. Proponents of mainstreaming ICTs believe that ignoring the potential of ICTs could result in sub-optimal decisions. It is however also recognised that new technologies have to go through an initial period of widely varying notions about their potential, followed by a period of more balanced assessments of what these technologies can or cannot do. Purpose The basic aim of OWSA's bi-monthly publication Mainstreaming ICTs is to create a platform for critical debate on the role, scope and experience of mainstreaming ICTs in development interventions. It also seeks to address the concerns of policy-makers, government and non-government agencies and donors who are sceptical of ICTs as tools for enhancing human development. Content The magazine focusses on feature articles, project reports (including research documentation), views, interviews, events, statistics, etc a particular theme related to MDGs. Target Audience This publication is aimed at policy makers in public and private organisations. It is also targetted at academic, civil society, research and development organisations, UN agencies, donors and the corporate sector. Geographical Focus The primary focus of Mainstreaming ICTs is on the countries of South Asia. However, it also encourages the sharing of experiences of other developing countries of the world. Periodicity This publication is bi-monthly. The first issue was published in the month of September-October 2004 on the theme of Food Security and Hunger. The November-December 2004 and January-February 2005 issues were focused on the themes Primary Education and HIV/AIDS respectively.

Ethiopia has been selected as the first country to benefit from the pilot phase of the Pan-African E-network Project, a joint initiative between the Indian government and African Union (AU) to develop ICT infrastructure across the continent. Under the initiative, the Indian government will donate US$1 billion to connect 53 African countries through satellite and fibre optic network to promote tele-medicine and tele-education programmes. The project is at ?an advanced stage of implementation? in Ethiopia, and South Africa, Mauritius and Ghana have also been short-listed for the pilot phase. The e-network initiative is being heralded by the local press as the largest infrastructure project in Africa's history, and the e-education and e-medicine programmes are particularly expected to extend ICT infrastructure to certain rural communities and under-served areas. This announcement came during the recent ?International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training? in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and follows a major India-Africa trade summit in Accra, Ghana, dubbed as the ?Making India a Partner of Choice? meeting. What are the details behind the e-network project, and what might be the rationale behind India?s growing ambitions to become involved in African higher education? What are other recent examples of educational initiatives being spearheaded by India on the continent, and might South-to-South co-operation become increasingly premised on financial rather than philanthropic grounds as trade opportunities in Africa grow? The Indian government recently launched the pilot phase of the US$1 billion Pan-African e-network Project in Ethiopia to implement a satellite, fibre optics and wireless network connecting each of the 53 AU member states to India. The e-network will connect 5 universities (2 in India and 3 in Africa) to 53 learning centres for tele-education, and 10 ?super speciality hospitals? (3 in India and 7 in Africa) to 53 remote hospitals for tele-medicine. The main objective of the tele-medicine network will be to share the knowledge of Indian medical professionals with their African counterparts through online training programmes for nurses, paramedical staff and other health workers. Five universities will be equipped with tele-education studios including post-production facilities, data centres, and a portal comprising delivery system software (e.g. content management and digital library solutions), and course content will be delivered to the 53 learning centres across the continent. India has already set up tele-medicine and tele-education hubs in Bangalore and Ahmedabad respectively. Overall, the network will feature 169 terminals and a ?Hub Earth Station? in an unnamed African country to act as the main contact point between Indian and African participants and oversee the delivery of the services mentioned above to all 53 AU member states. The countries involved in the pilot phase of the initiative (i.e. Ethiopia, South Africa, Ghana and Mauritius) have been identified as the potential hosts of the central hub. The project was initially announced by Indian President Abdul Kalam during the inaugural session of the Pan-African Parliament in 2004, and a memorandum of understanding was signed between the India government and the AU in October 2005 to formalise the project. Telecommunications Consultants India Limited has been appointed as the central agency for implementing the project over the next five years. What is India?s rationale behind the US$1 billion investment? According to the proposal put forth to the African Union, the initiative is mainly premised on philanthropic grounds, as ?India is a partner to the African Union Millennium Development Goals and continues to work for the promotion of development and shares the best of its experience to the developing nations of the world.? The advantages of a South-to-South model of provision are emphasised, including India?s own experiences in experimenting with ICT-enhanced delivery to fight against the AIDS epidemic, etc. The proposal argues that the tele-education programmes are ?an open, flexible project with the option to utilize the Indian content or for each state to utilize its own content or customize accordingly.? However, the document also urges the African Union to rally for more trade opportunities between India and Africa, and maximise local private sector investment. Participation from African stakeholders is encouraged, with the view to ensuring the sustainability of the programme and utilising the e-network for future initiatives in areas including online learning, e-governance, etc. Over the past few years, the Indian government has increasingly encouraged Indian companies and tertiary education institutions to penetrate emerging markets in Africa. The ?Focus Africa? programme, which was launched in 2002 under the five-year Export and Import Policy, initially focused on seven major trading partners in the region (Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Ghana), but has subsequently been extended to cover more than 17 African countries. The ?India-Africa Project Partnership? meeting was recently held in Accra, Ghana, in May 2006 to further expand business and trade relations between the two countries. The meeting, dubbed as the ?Making India a Partner of Choice? summit, was a follow-up to similar meetings held in 2005 during which 281 projects worth US$11.26 billion had been discussed and initiatives totalling US$312 million were under execution. Overall, India-Africa bilateral trade has grown from US$967 million in 1990-91 to US$9.1billion in 2004-05, with Africa accounting for nearly 7 per cent of India?s total exports. Although these figures encompass all sectors, agriculture, education and ICT have been identified as the main areas of growth in India-Africa trade relations. The e-network announcement came during the first ?International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training,? held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 24-26 May 2006. The event drew over 800 participants from 30 countries, and was sponsored by IT giants to the likes of Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Nokia, Oracle and Intelsat. There was a diverse range of conference workshops and speakers, ranging from mobile learning to general connectivity issues, and nearly two-thirds of participants were reported to be from Africa. However, the widespread presence of major IT firms, coupled with an underlying emphasis on the potential of public/private partnerships in the sector, points to a growing recognition of the business potential related to ICT across the region. The four countries short-listed for the pilot phase of the e-network are India?s main trade partners in the region, and have been widely cited as the priority countries for ICT investment. South Africa and Mauritius might be considered obvious choices given that, while low by western standards, they ranked among the highest GDP per capita on the African continent in 2005 (US$12,000 and US$13,100 (PPP) respectively). Both countries boast one of the highest rates of computer ownership and internet access in the region, have explicated growing ambitions to expand tertiary capacity through ICT-enhanced provision and have in recent years significantly increased government expenditure on ICT. On 13 June 2006, the South African government signed a memorandum of understanding with India to increase collaborative capacity-building projects in the field of information technology, administration and education. Mauritius launched the free-zone ?cyber city? of Ebene in 2001 in a bid to attract foreign (mainly Indian) IT firms and achieve ?cyber island? status. There are two examples of Indian branch campuses operating in Mauritius. The Mauras College of Dentistry was established in 2003 by India?s Bhavnagar University to offer post-graduate programmes in dentistry to students across the Indian Ocean sub-region, and India?s Sikkim Manipal University has receecently announced plans to open a branch campus to offer (both undergraduate and post-graduate) programmes in ICT with tuition fees estimated at 35,000 rupees (US$765) per annum. Critics have raised questions over India?s ability to implement the e-network in more emerging or ?untested? markets, including Ghana and Ethiopia. According to a report recently released by India?s University Grants Commission, these two countries are increasingly attractive sites for (particularly ICT-enhanced) transnational provision given their current political stability, tertiary capacity problems and increased government investment in ICT and private provision. Over the past few years, the local governments have explicitly encouraged Indian companies and tertiary institutions to share their expertise in fields including education and health, and have attracted significant developmental aid in light of their ambitious ICT strategies. In 2004 alone, the World Bank provided Ghana and Ethiopia US$78 million and US$25 million respectively in loans to develop the private sector and ICT infrastructure. The Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT was launched in 2003 as a joint initiative between the governments of India and Ghana to become the latter?s first Advanced Information Technology Institute (AITI). The institutional mission is to catalyse the growth of the ICT sector in West Africa in collaboration with its partners (e.g. CISCO, Oracle and Linux), although few details on enrolments or tuition are available. India?s national distance learning provider Indira Ghandi National Open University (IGNOU) offers programmes in Ethiopia, Liberia, Madagascar and Ghana in collaboration with UNESCO?s Institute for Capacity Building in Africa. Recent developments such as the University of South Africa?s (Unisa) decision to open a distance learning centre in Ethiopia?s capital Addis Ababa, with the Ethiopian government ?facilitating everything necessary for the establishment of the centre including grant of plot of land,? suggests that not only India has a vested interest in operating in the country. Although both Ghana and Ethiopia registered promising GDP growth rates in 2005 (5.8% and 8.9% respectively), a significant portion of the population continued to live below the national poverty line (31% in Ghana and 50% in Ethiopia) and literacy rates remained at less than 55 per cent in both countries that same year. It is unclear whether there is a sufficiently high critical mass to pay for, or even require, higher education and training. While ICT developments in Ghana and Ethiopia are progressing significantly above other Sub-Saharan African nations, the number of internet users remains limited, with a penetration rate of 4.4 and 0.5 per cent respectively. Enrolments in distance education appear to be on the rise, but the country?s infrastructure may not be ready to support the type of long-term ventures envisioned under the e-network initiative. Tele-education programmes involving a limited number of institutions might help to reach targeted rural and under-served regions, but the sustainability of more large-scale online ventures remains unclear. Online learning is said to have great potential in the developing world to improve quality, increase access and reduce costs. However, until now, Africa has remained largely untouched by imported (particularly ICT-enhanced) foreign provision- in 2002/03, for example, Africa accounted for only 6% of all transnational provision by UK providers. Lower-income countries do not generally possess sufficient capital/individual wealth to sustain significant transnational activity, and foreign institutions appear to have focused on more ?mature? markets (particularly in the Asia-Pacific region) in an effort to minimise financial and operational risks. Forms of distance learning not requiring any in-country commitment from the source institution might be the key to institutional success, although a host of contextual factors including limited ICT infrastructure, local connectivity costs and funding arrangements continue to impede online access across the continent. To date, ICT initiatives in Africa tend to have been spearheaded by developmental or international organisations through aid-based approaches, with limited business incentives or local partnerships to ensure financial viability or a mutually beneficial model of provision for both host and source countries. India?s attempt to play on both philanthropic and business rhetoric could attract investment from both sectors, and position the country as the main trade partner in the region. Crowded out in the major Asian markets by the traditional source countries for transnational provision (.e. Australia, UK and USA), India appears focused on innovation and competitive advantage, in termis of subject niches (e.g. national health issues including malaria and AIDS), cultural affiliations (e.g. Mauritius and South Africa) and under-developed markets such as Ghana and Ethiopia. Top-level government support for the e-network initiative, coupled with local private sector investment and backing from ?big players? such as the African Union, could also play in India?s favour. As an early market entrant and one of only few drivers of South-to-South co-operation, India could be well-placed to build a reputation and capture an important slice of the growing demand for (particularly ICT-enhanced) tertiary provision, especially in new and emerging markets. It is clear that transnational higher education continues to have a mixed reputation in developing countries. To some, it has added-value potential for institutional capacity-building in more mature markets, whilst to others, with limited business incentives or quality assurance mechanisms in place, it is said to have a limited or even negative impact on the domestic tertiary sector (e.g. offering only ?popular? programmes, creaming off the most able students, etc). It will be interesting to monitor whether India?s push for South-to-South co-operation will succeed in improving perceptions of foreign education activity in Africa, and in achieving both the philanthropic and economic aims behind transnational provision.

Microsoft has opened up the Beta 2 pre-release version of its Windows Vista operating system to a much wider test group. MS has made free downloads available on its Web site as part of a new customer preview programme (CPP), reports ZDNet. However, MS cautions that Vista is not ready for the average consumer, saying the CPP is better suited to developers, technology workers, and hard-core enthusiasts. Although Microsoft is looking for millions of testers, it has said it may cap the test programme at some point. The company plans to complete testing and development of Vista later this year, with a broad release scheduled for January 2007. Yahoo readies photo site Yahoo is expected to introduce a limited beta of the Yahoo Photos site today that allows people to download high-resolution photos, tag shots with descriptors for easy search and comment on other peoples' images. News.Com says Yahoo Photos will enable users to drag and drop multiple photos at a time to re-arrange them in albums and rename them by pointing and clicking on the old name and typing in a new one. Images are accompanied by additional descriptive information about each shot. The new site also features integration with Yahoo Mail, Messenger, Mobile and 360, giving users a universally accessible way of viewing photos that friends have shared. World Cup to test mobile TV The World Cup will be a testing ground for TV on mobile phones, says a report by the Informa telecoms and media analysis firm, giving users a taste of what the technology promises and operators the opportunity to work out how their networks will handle demand. BBC News says mobile phone operators across the world are also planning to use the World Cup, which starts this weekend, as a way to get customers more interested in watching TV on their mobile phones. The report also predicts more than 210 million people will be watching TV on their mobile by 2011. Informa says by that date, the technology behind mobile TV should have settled down and handsets that can handle the shows will be widely available.

Ministers from countries involved in the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) and the associated terrestrial network connecting landlocked countries are set to approve a policy framework for the implementation of the project this afternoon. This is in the face of strong opposition from telecoms companies involved in the project, which emerged yesterday at the start of a two-day meeting in Johannesburg. The meeting was convened by the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) e-Africa Commission and hosted by the Department of Communications. Opposition Telecoms companies involved in the project have expressed strong disapproval of the proposals for the acceleration plan. Lyndall Shope-Mafole, director-general of the Department of Communications, confirmed that some of the telecoms companies had boycotted the ministerial meeting. Paul Bagiire, MTN Uganda's head of strategic planning and finance, said the Nepad e-Africa Commission's assertion of ownership of Eassy is not valid, as it was not a signatory to the stakeholders' memorandum of understanding. He also argued that the Nepad proposals put to the ministers did not reflect the views of the telecoms companies involved in the project, and recommended that a consultation process takes into consideration the telecoms companies' views, expertise and concerns. SA communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, in her welcoming address yesterday, said: ?It is imperative that ownership of this project reflects the collaboration between our African countries. Our heads of state demand this of us and our people expect it.? Burdened Leading up to today's signing, the 14 African ministers reviewed proposals on funding of the cable and the associated ownership rights, implementation schedules, as well as governance of the cable network once it is up and running. These proposals include the development of an agency, or special purpose vehicle (SPV), which will raise funding for the cable and provide its management. The structure and financing of the SPV, which would own Eassy, is another issue of contention. According to Shope-Mafole, the proposal to the ministers suggests the SPV will raise the finance, ensuring countries involved in the Eassy project do not individually incur debt. She noted African countries are already burdened by debt and the SPV would ensure they do not incur additional liabilities, while, at the same time, allowing them to acquire equity in the asset. This would be in line with the ethos of African ownership of the asset, she said. But Peter Silarszky, economist on global information and communication for the World Bank, argued that the proposed framework, where all investors have an equal shareholding and say, does not provide incentives for stakeholders to invest. He expressed the bank's willingness to engage the Eassy secretariat regarding the structure of the SPV, as well as its possible investment in it. $170 million has been set aside to invest in the project, he said. Shope-Mafole stressed the proposed acceleration plan would ensure Eassy is commercially available by the first quarter of 2008, whether telcos involved in the project come on board or not.

Edwin Tshivhidzo Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri has called on ministers to commit to ensuring the success of the Nepad Broadband ICT infrastructure project. "We must commit ourselves to ensuring the successful implementation of the NEPAD Broadband ICT infrastructure project, within the context of NEPAD values...and providing African solutions to these challenges through African solidarity and partnership and in promotion of African self-sufficiency," said the minister. She was speaking in Sandton at a two-day meeting of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministers of eastern and southern Africa. The Ministerial Meeting, which started Monday is expected to approve and adopt Nepad's Broadband ICT network, including the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy). The minister said a set of five policy principles had been recommended to determine the framework and rapid implementation of the ICT broadband infrastructure and EASSy. "As African countries, we are all focused on objectives to eradicate poverty, to place our countries on a path for sustainable growth and development, to ensure beneficial integration of Africa and accelerate the empowerment of those who are vulnerable such as women, the youth, people with disability and children," the minister said. "As ministers, we need to ensure equal opportunity for participation by all eligible entities from all countries in the region." The project's objective is to integrate the continent's communication by harmonising ICT infrastructure initiatives across the continent and bridge the digital divide. The cable project will ensure that all African countries are connected to one another through the broadband fibre optic cable systems that will in turn link them to the rest of the world through existing or planned sub-marine cable systems. Once in place, it will cover about 9 900km, connecting the port city of Durban to Port Sudan, and is expected to significantly bring down the costs of telecommunications on the continent.

Telkom is seeking approval for price decreases across selected services from the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA), which could see ADSL monthly connection fees drop by an average of 24%. This means potentially that the DSL 512 service, which costs R477 in connection fees per month, would be reduced to about R360. However, while it is understood that 24% is the average reduction applied for by Telkom for its ADSL services, the company indicates that certain services could be reduced by as much as 32%. ?Telkom customers are set to benefit from overall price reductions from August this year, if price changes filed by the telecommunications giant are approved by ICASA,? says the company in a JSE statement, following the announcement of its annual results. Telkom has also filed requests for long-distance and international call tariffs to decrease by about 10%, although local call charges are to remain unchanged. ?It's about time' MyADSL founder Rudolph Muller says the ADSL reductions are long overdue. ?It will effectively be a full year since the last reductions ? since then the [ADSL] user base has doubled.? broadband pricing came under the spotlight two weeks ago at the ICASA hearings into ADSL billing structures. However, Muller says the proposed decreases announced this morning are a result of ?constant pressure? to reduce prices, not merely the ADSL hearings. During the hearings, Telkom argued against the scrapping of monthly connection fees, saying such a move would vastly increase the initial installation price. In a media statement, Lulu Letlape, Telkom communications executive, says ADSL adoption in the small and medium enterprise market increased by 146% over the past 12 months ? from 58 000 to 143 000 services. ?Telkom has a focused roll-out strategy to achieve ADSL penetration of 15% to 20% of fixed access lines by 2010,? she adds. Cosmetic changes? Arthur Goldstuck, MD of research house World Wide Worx, comments: ?Although the reductions in the cost of ADSL are very welcome, when looked at in the context of the overall basket, the fact that local calls have remained unchanged means that all other price reductions are really just cosmetic.? He notes that South Africans should expect to see more of these kinds of reductions in the future, as the cost of ADSL is forced to approach the cost of dial-up connectivity. ?Eventually broadband access must replace dial-up, not be an alternative ? and the only way for this to happen is for prices to become comparable.? ICASA was unable to comment at the time of publication on when its response to Telkom's application will be announced.

Several South African municipalities are looking at offering telecommunications services as a service to residents or have already begun to do so, says Dr Andrew Hutchison, T-Systems South Africa's business manager for telecommunications. "The information and communication technology [ICT] industry has witnessed some dramatic changes over the past few years, with cellular operators now offering data services, certain internet service providers offering television services over the network and now some metropolitan councils looking to provide telecoms services to residents," he says. While this trend is not as hyped as voice-over-internet protocol, it still has immense potential to help the country bridge its digital gaps. "With World Telecommunications Day [on May 17] upon us, it seems appropriate to look at how these municipalities are attempting to offer broader services at lower cost to their residents," Hutchison says. "Unlike the national licensed operators, the independent metropolitan area networks will allow municipalities to bill usage as part of the same civil services as lights and water, for example." Knysna has already set up a citywide infrastructure that allows internet access for its residents, while both Cape Town and Durban are in the process of issuing tenders requests for such services. "South Africa's changing regulatory environment and the fact that government has made it clear that reducing the cost of telecoms is critical have spurred councils into action. Private networks were traditionally constrained from crossing public roads, which were demarcated as network boundaries." An example of this would be a campus network at a university, which is legal as long as it is within the confines of the campus, but becomes illegal once it crosses a public road. "Although there is still some debate as to whether municipalities themselves can do this, the councils that are going ahead with such services are maintaining that as they effectively own the roads too, they are not actually crossing any demarcated boundaries," Hutchison says. Although such metropolitan networks have the potential to disrupt the existing telecoms models, they also offer councils telecoms opportunities where none existed before, which includes cheaper services to residents and lower costs to attract new businesses. New business operations in the city add job-creation and skills-development spin-offs, which -- along with cheaper call costs -- will be of enormous benefit to the man in the street and the entire industry. "These networks will help to bridge the communication gaps within our society, especially in areas that are either disadvantaged or unconnected," says Hutchison. "In terms of providing services to areas with no prior coverage, there are a lot of interesting wireless technologies available. Internationally, T-Systems has already deployed technologies that can provide coverage of up to 50km; this is not a broadband service naturally, but it does at least bridge the gap in terms of both connectivity and voice," he claims. The concept of the metropolitan area network is not exclusive to South Africa, as it has already been rolled out by San Francisco in the United States and Westminster in London. "South Africa can learn from the challenges and solutions these fore-runners instrumented, supported by insight to the best service offerings on such networks. "Through an initiative such as the metropolitan area networks, we will see the cost of local loops dropping, making South Africa a stronger destination for business process outsourcing operations, such as call centres. This will lead to job-creation opportunities, which are essential for the growth of the nation as a whole," concludes Hutchison.

The United Nations today announced the launch of a new Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Development which will bring together a wide variety of interested participants as part of broader international efforts to harness technological advances for use in the fight against poverty. The Alliance, which will open its first meeting on 19 June in Kuala Lumpur, will organize thematic global forums on core issues related to the role of ICT in economic development and the eradication of poverty, focusing on heath, education, gender issues and youth as well as disabled and disadvantaged segments of society. The Global Alliance will be open to many interested participants, including governments, business, civil society, international organizations, industry groups, professional associations, the media and academia. It aims to help integrate ICT into national policies in order to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of time-bound antipoverty targets set at a 2000 UN summit.

A youth delegation from eight New Partnership for Africa?s Development (Nepad) countries convened in Gauteng today for the first step in kick-starting the youth information society programme. Speaking at the conference held at Birchwood Conference Centre outside Johannesburg, Department of Communication DG Lyndall Shope-Mafole indicated that the gathering would serve as a preparatory meeting for the youth conference that would be held later this year in June. She said that the objective of the two-day conference, at which youth engaged in dialogue around their involvement in the information society, was to build a cadre of young people with enhanced awareness on issues of the information society and to serve as a site for active participation in building an inclusive information society on the African continent. It was expected that the meeting would come up with Nepad youth programme governance structures, roles, terms of reference, roles of procedure and an official date for the launch. A three-year programme would be presented and discussed prior to its presentation and adoption at the main Nepad youth summit in June 2006. Nepad could be defined as a pledge of African heads of state to eradicate poverty and to put their collective countries on a path of sustainable growth and development. In commemoration of local national Youth Day, June 16, Shope-Mafole indicated that a series of events would be rolled out in June to mark the youth struggle. ?For this year, it has been decided that, in remembrance of the 30th anniversary of the 1976 youth uprising, the youth summit will be the highlight and is scheduled to take place at the end of June,? she said. Meanwhile, Nepad e-Africa commission executive deputy chairperson Dr Henry Chasia emphasised that, in dealing with the high-technology information society, the youth should not lose sight of the humaneness for which Africans were widely known. Having attended the first meeting, the youth needed to establish connections and networks and to mobilise other youth in their respective countries to use information and communication technology to improve their lot in life, instead of going to European countries. Although the invitation went out to 20 Nepad countries, youth from only Botswana, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique and Namibia attended the meeting.

NEPAD's ICT task team is to meet Thurday and Friday with a view to approving the policy and regulatory framework for the development of ICT broadband infrastructure network for eastern and southern Africa, including the East African Sub-marine Cable (EASSy) cable. The ICT Task Team of NEPAD (NEPAD e-Africa Commission) is to meet with Government policy makers, regulators and telecom companies from eastern and southern Africa. The proposals will be submitted for approval to a ministerial meeting to be held soon. Since its adoption by HSGIC in November 2004 as a NEPAD flagship Project, the project is being run under the auspices and principles of NEPAD. Says Dr Chasia: ?This is an African project developed in the context of NEPAD which emphasizes collaboration among African countries, and specifically African ownership and leadership. ?The project will epitomize the collaboration of East and southern African countries.? NEPAD's priority ICT objective for Africa is to ensure that all African countries are connected to one another by broadband fibre optic cable systems that will in turn link them to the rest of the world through existing or planned sub-marine cable systems. ?NEPAD has requested the support of development partners in the prosecution of this project. We welcome their support but we all realize that the primary ideas and effort, which will enable us to pull ourselves out of our predicament and develop, will be African?, Dr Chasia said. Among issues to be discussed and agreed upon will be the development of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), ownership, and funding of the cable. Others are EASSy cable set up process, management, governance, and implementation schedules.

The conference programme for eLearning Africa 2006 can be viewed online at www.elearning-africa.com. The first international conference dedicated to information and communication technologies (ICT) for development, education and training in Africa takes place from 24 to 26 May in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The extensive agenda includes the deployment of eLearning in schools, universities, administration and government; the development of digital educational materials; eLearning in medicine, health service and HIV/AIDS education; as well as ICT in development cooperation. Contributions by important local networks and initiatives, such as SchoolNet Africa, the AVU African Virtual University, Riverbend Learning (South Africa) and the World Agroforestry Center (Kenya) will enrich the programme. Numerous African universities will present their ICT and eLearning projects, including the Gaston Berger University in Senegal, the Yaound? University in Cameroon, Nigeria?s Obafemi Awolowo University as well as universities from Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Rwanda. Major organisations from the world of international development will also be present, among them the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN), the World Health Organization (WHO), the German development agency GTZ, the African Development Bank and the NEPAD e-Africa commission. Running parallel to the conference programme is the African eLearning Tools and Services Village, where applications and services developed specifically for Africa will be introduced. These include open source learning environments, collaborative learning tools, and learning content. Participants can gain hands-on experience with the programmes and products and discuss them with the developers and providers. Wednesday, May 24 is dedicated exclusively to Workshops. The complete conference programme as well as the full list of Workshops can be found at www.elearning-africa.com. eLearning Africa 2006 is a new conference organised by ICWE GmbH and Hoffmann & Reif that focuses on ICT for development, education and training in Africa. The event will establish and link a network of decision makers from governments and administrations with universities, schools, governmental and private training providers, industry, and important partners in development cooperation. Each year a different African country will serve as the venue.

[Johannesburg, 3 April 2006] - Third-generation high-speed downlink packet access (3G HSDPA), promising connection speeds of up to 1.8Mbps, is now available on both the Vodacom and MTN networks. In partnership with Vodafone Live and Siemens, Vodacom launched the technology yesterday. MTN's 3G HSDPA went live on its network on 22 March in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth. ?Vodacom's 3G HSDPA is a 3G technology upgrade to the Vodacom network, using Siemens as the preferred technology partner,? notes Vodacom COO Pieter Uys. Faster than ADSL Subscribers require a Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G Broadband card, which Vodacom says will entitle the user to download speeds of up to 1.8Mbps ? faster than traditional ADSL connection. However, the 3GB cap option will cost the user R1 597 per month ? more than ADSL. The 1GB cap option is R599. ?Customers will be able to use their notebooks or mobile phones to surf the Internet at ADSL speeds and download large volumes of data such as movies or large e-mail attachments faster than ever before,? says Jan Mrosik, CEO of Siemens. Business advantages Uys highlights the benefits of 3G HSPDA for the mobile workforce, saying users will have secure remote access to their company network at broadband speeds. "You can stay connected for as long as you like because you will only pay for the amount of data you send and receive ? not for the amount of time you spend working,? he adds. Vodacom was unable to comment further at the time of publication on the progress of the launch.

[Johannesburg, 29 March 2006] - Following the success of Software Freedom Day held at The Innovation Hub in September 2005, the Hub will be partnering with Linux Holdings to present the Open Source Technology Fair on Saturday, 1 April 2006 ? an event that promises to be like no other! This event is designed to showcase open source (OS) technology aimed at the small, medium enterprise business sector. And in true open source spirit, attendance at this event will be free. Increasingly business people want to know more about open source software and how it can help their businesses. Questions like: How good is it? Is it supported? How stable and cost effective is it? Where to go from here? and Who to speak to? will all be answered at the OS Technology Fair. The annual Linux Professional Institute mass exam will also be held at the Hub to coincide with the OS Technology Fair, with the aim of producing at least 100 additional internationally-certified Linux system administrators in SA to increase the technical support available for Linux. Last year, a total of 311 exams were written. In addition to showcasing technologies, there will be live demonstrations during the day. LinuxHoldings has also arranged for a number of speakers to cover topics such as open source exchange alternatives, open source VOIP PABX systems, accounting software, and the impact on software patents (how it affects you and the current lawsuit started by the Linux Professional Association). Speakers are scheduled to address the following: Linux Holdings: open source exchange alternatives. IntoWeb: open source business model and how to profit from it. Leading Edge: open source tools for fail over (redundancy) in network services, such as dynamic DNS and how to do it cost effectively. Synaq: Asterisk Open Source PABX and customer relation management: Easy and powerful with features not available in other expensive systems. Linux Professional Association: Role in SA and what it means to your business. Bob Joleafe: Software patents and the challenge to the 2003 Microsoft patent. Cubit: open source accounting software. Impi: The South African Linux distribution. CSIR: open source technologies. Maraka Institute: open source technologies. Global Image: open source geographic information system (GIS). Find more information visit www.technocentric.co.za/ URLs Open Source Technology Showcase www.technocentric.co.za/ Linux Holdings www.linux.co.za/linux/view/linux/en/page1?

By Vanessa Haarhoff, ITWeb African Correspondent [Johannesburg, 29 March 2006] - The lack of African content on the Internet is becoming a major concern and could affect the socio-economic developmental growth of Africa as a continent if not addressed soon. This is according to Eric Osiakwan the executive secretary of the African Internet Service Providers Association (AFRISPA), who was addressing the Digital Africa Summit, 22 to 24 March in Cape Town. William Stucke, chairman of AFRISPA, told the summit the lack of local content on the Internet needs to be re-assessed from an African viewpoint. ?There is a lack of Afro-centric content on the Internet, which urgently needs to be tackled,? said Stucke. Africa claims only 0.2% of the Internet domain space for 14% of the global population, according to a survey conducted by AFRISPA in November 2005. Local connectivity The production of local content was being inhibited by high connectivity costs and slow local connections experienced in Africa, Stucke said. ?At the moment there are very few local Internet exchange points (IXPs) in Africa, so most local Web pages are hosted by the US or UK, which is causing Internet users to be routed to foreign ISPs then re-routed back to Africa, causing high connection rates.? The solution is to provide as many local IXPs as possible, said Stucke. ?At present there are 14 local IXPs around Africa, and by 2007 this figure should have doubled.? Blogs ?It is not just a matter of having access which increases Internet use, but a desire to seek out content that is relevant and appealing to the user,? said Osiakwan, adding the main reason for growth of Internet use by Africans is the presence of local content. Stucke emphasised the growth of local content could be enhanced with personal Web spaces or blogs hosted by African ISPs. ?ISPs in Africa should give free personal Web space and Web publishing tools to clients who have an existing e-mail account, to encourage the growth of local content. This in turn will foster the local content development, server configuration and server hosting industries,? Stucke concluded.

By Damaria Senne, ITWeb Senior Journalist [Johannesburg, 20 March 2006] - Motorola South Africa will give away one million SIM cards to the ?unconnected? during the next year as from May. The news comes three years after government announced a similar initiative, but the promised millions of SIM cards for the poor never materialised. Stephen Nolan, Motorola GM for sub-Saharan Africa, says the new initiative aims to lower the cellular entry barrier. Motorola also supplies low-cost handsets in developing countries. Commenting on the new programme to distribute free SIM cards, Nolan says: ?We will work with partners in communities that never dreamt they could get connected.? Motorola has invited potential partners to present proposals on how they could get the million SIM cards into the hands of consumers who need them. Nolan says mobile operators, retailers, community-based organisations, non-profit organisations, government and other interested parties could play a role in the initiative. He stresses the need for innovation and says potential partners are not restricted to using Motorola phones. On the road The programme to give away SIM cards is part of Motorola's Motobus road show, an initiative to educate South African communities on the use of mobile phone technology. The outreach programme also aims to showcase ultra low-cost phones that are part of the Motorola/GSM Association Emerging Markets Programme. Speaking at the Motobus launch at Regina Mundi in Soweto, Nolan said Motorola would continue to work with operators to lower the cost of handsets in order to facilitate phone connectivity. Noting that SA has approximately 50% mobile phone penetration, he said the key is to make sure the other 50% of SA is also connected. The Motobus will travel to Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, East and Western Cape. Government's plan In 2003, communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri announced a plan in Parliament to provide disadvantaged South Africans with four million SIM cards over five years. The deal was part of the conditions for the mobile telecoms industry to gain access to the 1800MHz spectrum. The plan also stipulated the mobile industry would provide 250 000 free mobile phones. Last year, then deputy director general Phakamile Pangwana reported to the communications portfolio committee in Parliament that the distribution plan for free SIM cards should be finalised by the end of May that year. No further news has since emerged about the SIM card project. The Department of Communications was unable to provide details on the project in response to ITWeb's questions this week, and suggested that the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) be approached for comment. ICASA says it will issue a statement by Wednesday this week.

By Laurie Goering Tribune foreign correspondent Published March 19, 2006 MAPUTO, Mozambique -- Alfonso Pene, an information technology student at Eduardo Mondlane University, spends a lot of time on the Internet researching computer programming languages. But the university's slow connection speed makes doing his homework an exercise in frustration. "It's too slow. It takes forever to download applications," said the 24-year-old senior, slouched in front of a terminal in one of the university's computer labs. While he is waiting, he says, "sometimes I walk around, have something to eat." That is about to change as a result of an effort by six major U.S. foundations--including the Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation--to boost Internet bandwidth at African universities. Under the program, dubbed the Bandwidth Initiative, Eduardo Mondlane--Mozambique's premier university--will see its bandwidth improved 50 percent in the next month or two without any increase in its monthly payments. That should give students and professors greater access to research materials from throughout the world, help coursework move online and assist Africa in finally becoming a "full member of the world's academic community," as one project backer has said. For students and teachers, the change also means, simply, that doing 15 minutes worth of work answering e-mail or posting lectures on the Web will no longer take an hour, said Americo Muchanga, director of the university's Information Technology Center. Right now, "you end up only doing the things that are necessary, like dealing with urgent e-mail," he said. With the new bandwidth, "people won't feel like they're wasting their time." Bridging the gap Mozambique, like many African countries, has little fast, cheap Internet access. Several new fiberoptic cables capable of offering broad bandwidth pass through neighboring South Africa, but the closest connection point is still 190 miles from Maputo. The cost of laying a cable to close the gap would be $6 million, well beyond the resources of a poor nation still recovering from a long civil war, Muchanga said. Many African countries face similar problems, one reason that Internet access at most African universities costs $10,000 a month for the same bandwidth American and European universities enjoy for $100 a month. The new initiative aims to overcome that problem by giving African universities broadband access via satellite and grouping them together as a single buyer to win bulk discounts. Right now, 11 universities in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa, as well as Mozambique, are part of the $200 million, five-year program. "Because we're a large group, we can always get the best deal," Muchanga said. "It gives us a lot of bargaining power." Backers of the initiative say improving higher education in Africa and giving the continent improved access to the latest technology and information will be crucial to helping Africa find ways of solving its own problems. Important motivation "Africa's universities are increasingly looked upon to generate the ideas and talent necessary to address Africa's challenges on Africa's terms," said Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, one of the initiative's supporters. As is the case anywhere in the world, "knowledge, innovation and talent are critical currencies needed to thrive in today's interconnected world," she said in a speech marking the launch of the effort. In Mozambique, the bandwidth boost also has the potential to expand the availability of higher education in a country where 19,000 high school seniors now graduate each year but only 2,500 can be accepted at the country's main university. Muchanga said the university is talking about creating five "distance learning" centers where students far from Maputo or unable to win one of the coveted spots at Eduardo Mondlane could attend lectures remotely via satellite broadband connection and ask questions of their professors in real time. For Muchanga, the faster connection will provide one big personal benefit: He will no longer have to come into the office at 2 a.m., when computer usage is lowest, to get his work done at a reasonable speed. He hopes improving connection speed also will help persuade the 80 percent of professors who now don't post their lectures on the Internet to give it a try. "Information technology can improve teaching and learning. But the change comes from people, not from IT itself," he said. The university will soon have access to the improved speed it needs and "now it depends on us what we do with it," he said.

By Dave Glazier, ITWeb Junior Journalist [Johannesburg, 17 March 2006] - The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) hearings to investigate SA's high cellphone tariffs have been delayed. The hearings ? aimed at investigating the high cost of mobile calls, and why the introduction of increased competition in the form of Cell C into the marketplace has not significantly reduced call costs ? were originally planned for late March or early April. ?Our intent now is to hold them no later than the end of May,? says ICASA councillor Tracy Cohen. Cohen cites the scheduling demands of having a number of hearings over the coming weeks, and the disruption caused by April's public holidays as the reasons for the delay. A total of 18 written submissions concerning mobile pricing were received by ICASA in the invitation period of May to September last year. Among those were submissions from MTN, Vodacom, Cell C, Telkom, Sentech, Internet Solutions, the Competition Commission and the Communications Users Association of SA.

Lesley Stones AFRICA has become a key focus for technology and telecommunications companies who see the continent as a prime hunting ground for their next pool of customers. Not only is there opportunity to make money from millions of new consumers, but the companies can win kudos for their social responsibility efforts if they temper their profits with some charitable acts as well. Bridging the digital divide has become a clich? of note, yet there is no clear consensus on exactly how Africa?s millions will enjoy their first taste of technology. This means efforts to introduce technologies to rural communities are often hit and miss, or well-meaning but misguided. Some companies believe traditional computers will give people their first access to the internet and telecommunications. Others argue that a cellphone will provide everything they need. Cellphones are growing so sophisticated that they not only let people chat, but the can access information over the internet. With wireless technologies such as WiMax letting operators quickly and cheaply cover large areas where electricity is yet to reach, cellphones may be the African answer. Yet you can hardly type up your CV, apply for a job, balance a company?s books or draw up a database of client details on a cellphone. African entrepreneurs need computers as well. Last year the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) caused a stir by promising to develop a computer for less than $100 to take technology to the masses. Its champion, Nicolas Negroponte, cited SA as a target market. SA is no longer listed as a buyer, apparently after a lack of government enthusiasm. Government?s reticence was probably wise, because a $100 computer cannot be done, says Bernd Bischoff, CEO of computer company Fujitsu-Siemens. ?It is still impossible to produce a $100 computer,? he says. The components alone cost more than $100, plus another $25 or so in manufacturing fees. The serious compromises needed to cut the costs will make the screen too feeble to provide a decent internet experience, says Fujitsu-Siemens chief technology officer Joseph Reger. ?You have to ask what you want to achieve,? he says. ?I don?t believe the computer literacy the third world needs will be achieved by putting people onto the internet. It?s more about learning to use an operating system and applications and we need real computers for that,? he says. ?For many people connectivity is enough, but that won?t lift Africa to the level of having a lot of well-educated people. There is no simple answer.? If the goal is internet access for all, there must be a political campaign to subsidise the supply of cheap computers, Reger says. The scaled-down MIT models will run the free-to-use Linux operating system, after Negroponte failed to reach an agreement to use Microsoft?s Windows software. That was partly because Microsoft believes cellphones, not computers, are the way to reach the untapped millions. ?Everyone is going to have a cellphone,? Microsoft?s chief technology officer, Craig Mundie, told the New York Times recently. Many people already have a television, and a specially configured phone can be turned into a computer by connecting it to a television set, using a cheap adaptor and keyboard, he says. One problem with pinning Africa?s hopes on cellphones for connecting to the rest of the world is their sheer complexity. Even cheap, rugged handsets produced for third world nations by companies including Motorola can be initially daunting. Surfing the internet on a handset is still a mission, particularly for people who have not learned the basics on a personal computer. Samsung designs cellphones as well as computers, but its executives lean towards cellphones as the way to bring Africans into the formal economy. James Munn, Samsung?s vice-president of mobile phones for southern Africa, cites the effect cellular operator Econet had in Nigeria, with a population of 121-million and a high illiteracy rate. ?When Econet rolled out a network people quickly grasped the technology and used cellphones to improve their trade. It had such a massive commercial effect it was unbelievable,? he says. Munn would like to see more support for initiatives like MTN?s office-in-a-box, where shipping containers are fitted with PCs, faxes, printers and telecommunications services. ?That?s worked very well in rural Africa and it may be the way to create small businesses where people club together to lease a container from the network,? he says. Samsung marketing manager Justin Hume believes computers and cellphones are both essential. ?Cellphones are the next best alternative in the absence of the $100 PC, but I don?t think one can go without the other,? he says.

Johannesburg, South Africa With the government's Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (Asgisa) in full steam, it is confident that South Africa will achieve an economic growth rate of at least 6% between 2010 and 2014, Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said on Monday. But, speaking at the launch of the IMB Integrated Delivery Centre in Johannesburg, she said that a challenge to which the country will have to commit is to ensure that growth is shared. She added that Africa needs expanded investments in IT. "We have always maintained that South Africa's approach is not to isolate its development agenda from its neighbours, and indeed the rest of the continent. "Through Nepad [the New Partnership for Africa's Development], we always seek the bigger picture while we also tackle our responsibility at home. We need the economies of scale nonetheless. "Government has introduced the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa last year as an intervention that elaborates on the specific initiatives needed in order to halve unemployment and poverty by 2014. It is aimed at driving a growing, yet shared, economy. "ICT [information and communications technology] is a cross-cutting sector within Asgisa. ICT can accelerate growth and facilitate sharing. It is probably the one sector that can link the first and second economy sustainably. "The key interventions in Asgisa are in infrastructure, which includes ICT; sector development, which includes business process outsourcing and tourism; agriculture; creative industries; human resources; and second economy initiatives focusing on SMMEs [small, medium and micro enterprises], rural development, youth development and universal access to basic services. "Asgisa also takes advantage of a stable macro-economic environment, and an economy that has grown at 4% plus in the past two years," Mlambo-Ngcuka said. "With Asgisa in full steam, we are confident that between 2010 and 2014 we will realise a growth rate of at least 6% of GDP. A challenge which we all need to commit to is to ensure that growth is shared," she added. The deputy president said that collective efforts to bring about political stability on the African continent have yielded results and democracy is being entrenched. "Our focus must now shift towards translating the political gains to the economic front. Having put in place the necessary framework for the increased trade and investment, we now have to ensure that Africa does indeed prosper and take advantage of 21st-century advancements in science and technology. "Our efforts, as individual member countries of the African continent, are being directed at putting in place the necessary infrastructure for increased economic activity in the continent. We recognise that an integral part of that critical infrastructure is information technology, which is the one 'equaliser' that can push Africa into the 21st century." Mlambo-Ngcuka said the Integrated Delivery Centre launched by IMB on Monday has created more than 500 jobs in the past year alone. "The confidence shown by the world's largest IT company in our country is just the medicine we need to quieten the nerves of those who still need convincing. IBM's stated plans to create a further 900 jobs in 2006 leaves us in no doubt that this country is on the right path. We need to continue to improve the environment." She added that the issue of telecommunications costs is already at the top of the government's agenda. "In the short term we would forge ahead with the call centres in disadvantaged areas whose telephone expenses we will subsidise initially while through the SNO [second national operator], the regulations and improved infrastructure we will bring down the cost for everybody. "We need more private-sector partners to come forward in this regard and we will continue to pursue your companies. "For South Africa to be ahead of competition in this industry, we must uphold the highest standards of corporate governance and intellectual property legislation. Government will enforce compliance at all levels," the deputy president said. But she cautioned: "We will not allow fly-by-nights on our shores." -- I-Net Bridge

DOHA ? The role of information and communications technology (ICT) in development has been stressed by speaker after speaker at the World Telecommunications Development conference in Doha. Uganda's Minister of Works, Housing and Communications outlined the ICT reforms undertaken by his country with the approval of a National ICT policy and development of a model Universal Access policy on the one hand, and a major expansion of the ICT infrastructure and implementation of a comprehensive human resource development in the ICT sector on the other. But he also said that his country, like the 21 other countries of the Eastern and Southern African region, are still facing infrastructure challenges because of their inability to be connected to a submarine cable. At the regional level, Uganda spearheaded the formation of one of Africa's most recent regional regulatory associations, the Association of Regulators of Information and Communications for Eastern and Southern Africa (ARICEA). For the Doha Declaration and Action plan, to be released by the meeting today, its final day, he said Uganda sees the need to focus on strategies to: assist and guide countries in need of enabling environments; provide guidance and facilitation for the development of infrastructure in member countries; and facilitate a mechanism that will enable countries to transition seamlessly from current technologies to Next Generation Networks (NGN). Interestingly, work on upgrading ICT in Iran has also included an increase in the percentage of women with university degrees working in the sector; their representation has grown from 15 per cent in 1993 to 65 per cent by the end of 2005, with the average growth rate of 14.7 per cent according to Iran's Deputy Minister for International Affairs, Research and Training at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Dr. Kamal Mohamedpour. Explaining Iran's progress in the field of ICT, he said: "We live a fast moving world, whose dynamism is accelerated by the introduction of new telecommunication services and facilities. This fascinating and breath-taking progress has also brought with itself a widening gap between those who have and those who do not have. We are of the view that the primary mission of the ITU-D is to assist the developing world in bridging this gap, also known as the digital divide. This bridging would have direct impact not only on the well being of humankind, but will also contribute to the world peace and stability on a much broader scale. It will bring nations together, remove misunderstandings, and create an atmosphere of cooperation and togetherness. It is on this plateau that the Islamic Republic of Iran, in the spirit of justice and kindness has contributed to the development of communication services and infrastructure to other friendly countries in our region. We have done this in spite of the fact that we are also a developing country, and have a enormous needs ourselves." Bridging the digital divide between rich and poor nations, the developed and developing world is of prime importance; the effective and correct provision and use of telecommunications has a basic role in the economic development of nations and can be a major contributor to the development of world peace and security according to Qatar's Prime Minister, Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani. "The means of communication and information technology have become a major pillar for economic and social development in all societies. They have opened a wide scope for consolidating the principles of communication and dialogue and bring closer points of view between people. However, we would like to draw attention of this conference to the crises and negative effects that have been revealed in the last few years and what might result out of the misuse of technology and the means of communications. This requires attaching great importance to establishing the legal and regulatory environment and the technical methods that would secure the optimum use of the resources of knowledge. We do believe in the necessity to enhance joint action between governments, international and regional organisations, the private sector, the civil society organisations and other concerned bodies to realise the goals of this conference, on top of which is the Doha Declaration and World Action Plan for the next four years. I am sure that with your joint efforts, this conference will agree on a list of priorities and the proper solutions in support of the projects that can eliminate the technological and knowledge gap [between the developed and developing world] and effectively implement the results and recommendations of the world summit of information society." Some 600 delegates from around the world have gathered in Qatar for the meeting. International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Deputy Secretary General, Roberto Blois, says that a clear roadmap has already been created to breach the existing digital divide in the world and, together with the advances made in the telecommunications sector over the past decade now need to be translated into action. The World summit on the Information Society, (WSIS) meeting in Tunis last November, set a goal for all villages, schools, libraries and local bodies should be connected to Information and communications Technologies (ICT) by 2015. That, pointed out Blois, needs the development of low-cost technologies and the wider, cheaper provision of broadband. Qatar is moving to provide internet connections and networking facilities that will allow schools and universities in eight countries of the Middle East and Asia to connect to their counterparts in Qatar within the next two years. Technological access is important for all communities across the globe if they are to be economically competitive in today's changing world, according to the Emir's daughter, Shaikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, the founder of the Reach Out to Asia (ROTA) charity. Addressing a panel session WTDC, she spoke of Asia's potential and the importance of education and technological connectivity in its development. ROTA, Shaikha Al Mayassa noted, is a determined initiative, established under the aegis of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Communications Technology, with the aim of relieving poverty in Asia, improving health care and developing economies particularly through the development of educational opportunities. ROTA, and the Qatar Foundation, she said, are determined to help the global community reach the Education for All Millennium Development Goal goal, with particular emphasis on primary and secondary education. "We firmly believe that access to education is critical to sustainable development and in promoting the participation of citizens in their immediate communities and in the world," she said. 'Connect ROTA', Shaikha Al Mayassa said, is a Qatari initiative to create a regional knowledge network between schools and universities in the Middle East and Asia. "Such a network will improve access to knowledge-sharing, networking and the application of ICTs to enhance educational quality and research competence." she said. Rota's target for 2008 is to connect remote schools/universities in eight Asian countries to schools and universities in Qatar, using affordable: wireless broadband networks. The countries involved are: Iraq, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal and Indonesia. Malta was one of the first countries to digitalise its telecommunications network, in the early nineties, and the Maltese Minister for Competitiveness and Communications, Censu Galea, stressed the importance of ICT in development, while representatives from Suriname pointed to the fact that while ICT development would provide remote communities with access to information and lead to the development of knowledge and skills which in turn would have a multiplier effect for the improvement of standards of living, there is a major challenge in even providing basic telephone services to remote areas. However, Alice Amafao, Minister of Transport, Communications and Tourism, says the country recognises the importance of telecommunications as a catalyst for social and economic development, and has begun to restructure its telecommunications sector and hopes to draw on support from the ITU's Telecommunications Development Bureau. Marc Furrer, from Switzerland, echoed Suriname's concerns: "the digital divide is no longer an abstract concept. It is real and we have to make all efforts to bridge it. In many countries of the North we enjoy an 'embarrassment of richness' with regard to ICT services and bandwidth, while in many countries of the South there are still not enough basic services such as simple access to a telephone." Such countries, he added, must be helped to improve their regulatory systems and concepts such as universal service obligation must be implemented. "We have to find new ways to solve problems like internet interconnection costs, where developing countries pay for the internet used mainly by developed countries. And we also have to find ways for developing countries to benefit from new technologies like VoIP." The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) signed two agreements on the sidelines of the WTDC in Doha. An agreement with Alcatel seeks to support telecommunications students in developing countries. Alcatel will train 30 students from developing countries each year at its training centre in France and will provide sponsorship of $20,000 this year for higher studies of ITU-selected students, with a cap of $10,000 per student. Cisco, meanwhile, signed an agreement with the ITU to set up Internet training centres in developing countries and to offer information technology scholarships to one hundred women. Cisco currently runs 60 internet training centres in 49 countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Indonesia, Zambia, Romania, Mauritania, Ruwanda, India, China and Tanzania.

By Damaria Senne, ITWeb Senior Journalist Johannesburg Wireless Business Solutions (WBS) will host the fifth annual iBurst Global Forum from 8 to 10 March at the Hilton Hotel in Sandton. This is the first time the forum is to be held in Africa. According to Thami Mtshali, CEO of WBS, the major aim of the forum is to facilitate interaction between African ICT stakeholders and companies such as Kyocera and ArrayComm, with a view to determining how these companies can help Africa bridge the digital divide. The forum will focus on mobile broadband in terms of fast and reliable iBurst technology, he says. Speakers include Martin Cooper, ArrayComm chairman and the inventor of the first handheld mobile phone, and Yasuo Nishigushi, chairman and CEO of Kyocera. Kyocera will unveil a voice over Internet Protocol handset at the event. The theme of the forum is ?Evolving Africa's Broadband?, with representatives from organisations such as New Partnership for Africa's Development, Development Bank of South Africa and the Industrial Development Corporation scheduled to speak about the positive impact mobile broadband will have on the African continent. Representatives from the Department of Communications and the Independent Communications Authority of SA are also expected to deliver presentations. Alan Knott-Craig Jr, MD of WBS, says it is fortuitous that the upcoming iBurst Global Forum is taking place in SA, as this country will emerge as iBurst's gateway to the rest of Africa. Although the forum is a closed event, a limited number of complimentary invitations will be made to interested members of the public, industry stakeholders and the media. Interested persons can e-mail freedom@wbsmobile.co.za.

Vodacom press release issued by Vodacom Johannesburg It is vital for Vodacom, South Africa's leading cellular network, to add an additional number range to the current number ranges, including 082, 072 and 076, to make room for its growing family of subscribers who are joining the interactive world of cellular communication. As from 1 March 2006, Vodacom will officially add the 079 number range to its network, making sure there is sufficient capacity for future growth. "The 079 number range enables Vodacom to accommodate its fast growing customer base in South Africa," says Shameel Joosub, Managing Director of Vodacom South Africa. "We estimate the number of cellphone users to grow to 40 million within the next few years and Vodacom is committed to enabling every potential customer on our network with the addition of this new number range." The 079 number range will be available to all Vodacom customers, including Contract, Top Up and Prepaid. "Customers with 079 prefixes will enjoy the same services and benefits as our existing customers with 082, 072 and 076 numbers," Joosub emphasised. Vodacom has enjoyed the successful integration of the 076 number range, alongside the existing 082, 072 and 076 Vodacom numbers ranges which have been efficiently allocated to Vodacom customers.

By Paul Vecchiatto, ITWeb Cape Town correspondent Cape Town Electricity outages overshadowed Cape Town's celebrations as it became the first South African metropolis to offer free Internet access at all its public libraries yesterday. The public library access to the Internet is part of the Smart Cape Access Project begun more than three years ago and since then, 54 000 of the city's residents, many from under-privileged areas, have signed up to use the free service. Congratulating the City of Cape Town, Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool said: ?By taking the lead in this province and in the country, to improve access to ICT to all its citizens, the City of Cape Town has enabled access to government information, thereby ensuring all citizens form part of an all inclusive and development-oriented information society.? City of Cape Town deputy mayor Gawa Samuels said local government had responded to the challenge of making lives better by forming partnerships with the private sector and exposing residents to IT. ?Initiatives and innovations like this are helping our city and members of our communities to deal with the challenges of creating jobs and opportunities, reducing poverty, combating HIV/AIDS and getting access to social and community services,? Samuels said. During the event, Cape Town also launched the Smart Cape Access Truck, an initiative that will take mobile Internet connectivity to those remote areas that are unable to access the Internet or computers. Powerless ITWeb asked Rasool about the ongoing electricity cuts plaguing the province and the impact they could have on confidence in the province's ability to support the growth of the ICT industry ? a key part of its economic growth strategy. ?These power cuts have been a wake-up call for us. They are a symptom of rapid economic and population growth and this had not really been adequately planned for,? he said. Rasool said by this time next year two gas-fired power stations should be online, one in Atlantis and the other near Mossel Bay, and work should start on a new nuclear power station to complement the troubled and aging Koeberg station. Delft residents told ITWeb that power cuts had been a nuisance, but had not really interfered with their use of the library Internet facilities so far.

By Damaria Senne, ITWeb Senior Journalist Johannesburg Sangonet, the South African non-governmental organisation (NGO) network, will look at the day-to-day ICT experiences of NGOs during its second annual ?ICTs for Civil Society? conference from 7 to 9 March at the Indaba hotel in Johannesburg. According to executive director David Barnard, the objective of the 2006 conference is to explore the relevance of ICT to civil society organisations (CSOs) and to learn more about their day-to-day experiences in applying ICT. The conference will focus on a wide range of new and practical ICT services, solutions and applications relevant to the work of CSOs, Barnard says. ?The challenge is for CSOs to harness the power of ICT in meeting their development goals.? Barnard says the programme, which is built around objectives to educate and inspire people, offers topics that will appeal to a wide range of individuals with varying levels of exposure to ICT and development. ?At a basic level, we will shed light on ICT trends such as Internet connectivity options and how opportunities provided by open source software can be optimised,? he says. The second day of the conference is dedicated to delving deeper into the topical theme of open source, he says. Participants in the plenary session include Nhlanhla Mabaso, open source centre manager at Meraka Institute; Potlaki Maine, national technology officer at Microsoft South Africa; Alan Levin, chairman of the Internet Society of South Africa; and Anna Badimo, director of Linuxchix. The programme also has a track that deals with how the Internet influences social change, Barnard says. ?Overall, the event's contextual framework will be guided by an opening plenary that draws attention to the changing telecommunications environment in SA, while the closing plenary will reflect on the evolving information society in SA and the broader southern African region,? Barnard says.

Like oil, radio spectrum is one of the world's dwindling resources. Why else would five cellphone operators have paid that infamous ?22,5-billion for 3G licences in the UK in 2000, if they didn't think it was a rarity? Tightly controlled by regulators in each country, spectrum is required by radio and television broadcasts and mobile phone networks, microwave ovens, home wireless networks, hospital x-ray machines, satellites, cordless phones, Bluetooth computer keyboards and garage door-openers. And, as Mark Twain said of land, they're not building any more of it. The explosion in wireless computing and mobile devices has placed even greater strain on this scarce natural resource -- so much so that last week, the United Staes-based Tech CEO Council issued a report (http://tinyurl.com/jx3vb), stating: "There are few more important natural resources than our radio spectrum. An increasingly essential platform for how we work, live, play and learn, radio spectrum may be the most critical infrastructure element of 21st century economies." The council's idea of a solution to scarcity in the US is for the government there to give up some government-held spectrum to private companies, which, they argue, will use it more productively. But across the Atlantic, a research group based at Trinity College Dublin, partnering with Bell Labs, has a different approach: spectrum-hopping, or dynamic spectrum allocation. Operators could hop across the frequencies, utilising unused or underused spectrum. Scarce resource "Spectrum is considered a scarce resource," notes Dr Linda Doyle, who leads the spectrum research group within TCD's Centre for Telecommunications Value-chain Research (CTVR). "But some of that scarcity is actually a false scarcity, because spectrum isn't efficiently used." She displays a chart of spectrum use in London over a 24-hour period, with heavy use marked in red bands, and blue bands indicating no activity. Perhaps 70% of the chart is blue. The US Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has stated that about 90% of spectrum is underutilised, she adds. Most of the congested areas indicate usage in the more desirable spectrum bands. Certain frequencies are valued by some industries because they enable better signal quality or strength -- cellphone and television operators -- or conversely, enable a signal to be received over a longer distance -- shortwave radio broadcasts -- where distance is valued. But even within the very congested bands, not all are used at capacity all the time, and spectrum-hopping is seen as a possible solution as more devices and services clamour for a slice of spectrum. The central piece of virtual equipment needed for the experiment is what Doyle calls a software radio -- "a bucket of software components that can be put together in many different ways," says Doyle. This makes the software element highly flexible. For example, it would enable a single device using the software to be marketed in multiple geographies. Now, devices such as cellphones generally have to be manufactured separately for each region, at greater cost and lower efficiency. The software could be used in any device that uses spectrum, whether passively (to receive) or actively (sending and/or receiving), from handhelds to cellphones to radios to television sets. What makes the TCD-Bell Labs collaboration unusual is that, in a unique arrangement with Irish communications regulator ComReg, their researchers have been granted a 50MHz swath of spectrum for an experimental software radio licence to conduct live experiments. By contrast, the entire FM radio broadcast band in Ireland is 20MHz. Until now, nobody has been able to experiment with live spectrum, says TCD Professor Donal O'Mahony, director of CTVR. Research groups worldwide have been working in the area of spectrum-hopping for some time, but have had to use computer simulations. Doyle says there isn't another regulator in the world that has been willing (or able) to grant spectrum for this kind of use. When, at a recent conference, she mentioned the grant to Michael Gallagher, the assistant secretary for communications and information of the US National Telecommunications and Information Administration, "he nearly fell off his chair," she says. Isolde Goggin, the chair of ComReg, says it was able to offer the spectrum under its "test and trial" research and development programme because Ireland "is in a fairly fortunate position": a low population density means there is a lot of uncongested spectrum, and being an island on the western edge of Europe means the spectrum is cleanly isolated from neighbouring countries and the experiments are unlikely to cause interference. And it's not a Nato member, so the military won't complain. New approach For the same reason, Ireland has more spectrum available than countries with a large military. Goggin says that ComReg made the decision "to turn spectrum allocation around from a restrictive approach, to saying if we can do it, we will". Doyle says spectrum-hopping would require a complete rethink of how commercial-use spectrum is allocated and paid for. Rather than a licensing system that lets operators control a fiefdom of spectrum -- the current model, which the Tech CEO Council would like to see expanded -- spectrum-hopping would be more like a frequency timeshare. One aspect of the research will be to consider the issue of management as well as potential business models, she says. Goggin notes that hopping is only one possibility for the way spectrum management might develop. However, "The consensus is that the current model has to change." Regulators worldwide are moving away from the notion that the regulator's role is to imagine what future uses of spectrum might be, and then reserve chunks for those uses. "That approach is not very well able to cope with unpredictable fluctuations in demand". Other options for better spectrum management include: ultrawideband (UWB) technology where, rather than hopping around, a signal is broken into incredibly short pieces and simultaneously spread over an enormously wide frequency band, allowing numerous signals to share the same bandwidth at slightly different times; mesh networks, where numerous individual devices form large, ad hoc networks for passing signals around; and new technologies that minimise interference. Goggin says she imagines a mix of these approaches are likely. The Irish hope their ability to give researchers access to spectrum will attract investment as well as create opportunities for local companies. "Because Ireland is an island, it can be a playground for spectrum," says Doyle. But Goggin has even bigger dreams. "This could be Ireland's oil," she muses. - Guardian Unlimited ? Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

"This is a big crisis, a really big crisis." This is the grim assessment of the City Council's public lighting manager as Cape Town once again awoke to darkness and chaos this morning. Just four days after the misery of the week-long power cuts ended, Koeberg's Unit 2 has gone down again - and another week of power cuts misery is on the cards. Early on Tuesday it was back to traffic chaos, erratic rail service, endless taxi queues and an abrupt halt to industrial production. The latest Koeberg KO blow was attributed to a voltage drop along the main Eskom lines through the Karoo in the early hours. Eskom's Tony Stott said it was unclear whether, as it did last time, it would take another five days to get Unit 2 up and running again. Last week, it was the restart procedure that caused the week-long load-shedding problems, as Koeberg's technicians went through the lengthy and mandatory drill to restart the generator. Stott said the duration of the process depended on the temperatures in the power station at which the restart procedure was started. "If the restart procedure starts when temperatures are fairly high, it might take less time to get Koeberg back up and running. "But we are waiting for that information right now." Charles Kadalie, manager of Cape Town's public lighting, said the main Eskom line between Dro?rivier and Muldersvlei went down shortly after 2am, causing a voltage depression and frequency drop that forced staff at Koeberg to shut down the nuclear power station's only working generator. "Eskom shed out main intake at Montague Gardens and this caused even the central business district to go down," Kadalie said. "The Atlantic seaboard had also gone off. Last week, we had an agreement with them that they would not shed the main intake, so I don't know why they did. "This is a big crisis, a really big crisis. "Eskom is going to have to do a lot of creative tap dancing to get around this one." Kadalie said there was no alternative but to shed load, or the entire Western Cape could go down. The city would try to implement the load schedule drawn up for last Friday, which was not brought into effect because Koeberg came fully back on line that day. Koeberg's Unit 1 has been out of commission since Christmas Day and it is not clear how long the repairs will take. There is concern that further black-outs could endanger Wednesday's local government elections, but a spokesperson for the IEC said voting and vote-counting could take place by lamplight and candlelight. Voters' details would be captured by battery-powered, hand-held Zip-Zap computers. Meanwhile, commuters at railways stations around the metropolitan area were left stranded on Tuesday as trains failed to arrive. Services were expected to be sporadic at best, because the power supply was very unstable, said spokesperson Riana Scott. "And even when the trains can run, the signals still depend on municipal supply," she said. "It will therefore be impossible for us to run to schedule. Safety definitely comes first." Thousands of commuters turned to taxis and long queues were seen at ranks around the city. Traffic officers were sent to key intersections but many motorists reported nightmare journeys to work. A motorist from Milnerton said he had set out by car but as the traffic was "at walking pace", he had turned around, gone home and fetched his motorbike. Ridwan Wagiet, director of CCTV and radio communications for the Metro police department, said: "I think most people got into work, although some would have been very late." He said that each time there was a power cut traffic officers were now being automatically sent to help at the major intersections. He said there had been no reports of serious accidents.

Okoh Aihe, Assistant Editor, Communications Lagos The exclusivity period given the operators of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) will expire today and in its place will come the Unified Licensing Regime, which the regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), hopes will further increase competition and provide a more level playing field for telecom operators. Speaking at a forum in Lagos yesterday jointly organised by the commission and a technology magazine, IT & Telecom Digest, on Unified Licencing: The way Forward, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Engr Ernest Ndukwe, said final guidelines for the new licencing regime would be published by Wednesday. A unified licence, Ndukwe said, was an authorisation that allows an operator to offer several services in response to its capacity and technological changes. The licence authorises the operator to provide more than one service under the same licence or authorisation. In the new regime, mobile operators will be able to use their built capacity to offer other services including fixed and fixed wireless services, while CDMA operators will now be able to offer mobile services. Expectedly, the new licensing regime will enable the country to fulfill the expectations of the world as the biggest telecom market in the continent by 2010 while taking telecom services to hitherto unreachable areas of the country. The first licensing regime arrow-headed by the GSM auctions of 2001 brought exploding developments to the telecoms industry and had made telecommunications not only a major issue in the polity but has also made the world to rank Nigeria as the third fastest growing market after China and Brazil. Capturing the fortunes of the GSM licensing regime on the instance of President Olusegun Obasanjo, Minister of Communications, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, said at the occasion that "teledensity has grown from 0.4 per cent in May 1999 to 14 per cent by December2005. Also, number of lines has grown from less than half a million lines in 1999 to over 20 million in December 2005. Investment in the sector rose from $50 million in 1999 to over $6 billion in December 2003 and $10 billion in 2005. Average growth rate of lines in Nigeria is four million per annum. Compared to the population, this was put at 535 per cent between 2002 and 2003, the fastest growing in the world." The statistics may have swayed Price Water House Coopers which said in a research sponsored by the GSM Association and released at its congress in Barcelona that "the Third World and emerging markets have something to learn from Nigeria's telecommunication regulatory environment." Most speakers agreed that the Unified Licensing was the sure way forward but appealed to the commission to protect smaller operators from anti-competitive practices by bigger operators. Concerns were also expressed about the quality of services from service providers which the regulator promised would attract cardinal attention of the commission this year. In the new regime, regulation was also considered a major problem as growth in technology which brings voice, video and television under one platform would take regulation beyond the Ministry of Communications to include the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, whose National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) controls the broadcast platforms.

The East African Standard (Nairobi) John Oyuke Nairobi The race to position the country as Africa's ICT hub kicks off in Nairobi on Tuesday. Over 500 public and private sector policy and decision makers will hold a one-day national ICT conference to strategise on the way forward for the sector. Information and Communications PS, Dr Bitange Ndemo, on Monday said the meeting would seek ways of utilising the country's strategic time zone and skilled labour to develop a strong ICT industry. "The conference will act as a clarion call to all individuals and organisations to work together to unlock the country's ICT potential," said Ndemo. He said participants would explore public and private sector collaborations to promote outsourcing ventures that would generate jobs for the youth and create wealth for investors. President Kibaki is expected to open the event, during which key international speakers and consultants will give a road map on the critical success factors that must be addressed before the country can enjoy ICT outsourcing. These success factors include opening up the country for outsourcing by allowing entry to local and international players with minimum barriers. They also include providing incentives to all players to compete in the global market. Ndemo said the participants would discuss the requisite institutional capacity development for ICT outsourcing. High on the priority list is policy development, public sector reform, legal and regulatory frameworks, incentive structures, strategic planning and change management. Experts say Kenya enjoys qualities that can easily make it the natural ICT destination. The country has a highly educated ICT human resource base that is also affordable.

Business Day (Johannesburg) Lesley Stones Johannesburg British cellular operator Vodafone will finalise its takeover of VenFin by compulsorily acquiring the few outstanding shares that VenFin investors did not voluntarily relinquish. Investors holding 373,4- million shares readily accepted Vodafone's bid of R47,25 a share, a generous 41% premium to VenFin's previous trading price. With acceptances received for 98,5% of the stock, that leaves just 1,5% yet to be handed over. Vodafone said yesterday it would invoke section 440K of the Companies Act to force the owners to sell those shares so it could take over VenFin's assets and delist the company. A circular and a surrender form was sent out yesterday to the shareholders who did not accept the offer. VenFin's listing will be suspended from the JSE this morning and terminated on April 18. Vodafone has negotiated the deal purely to acquire VenFin's 15% stake in the pan-African cellular operator Vodacom. It has no interest in VenFin's other assets, which will be sold back to Newco, a company being formed by the Rembrandt Trust, which was the largest shareholder in VenFin. Vodafone is paying R21bn for VenFin, then selling the other assets back for R5bn -- including shares in Dimension Data, Idion, e.tv and Alexander Forbes. When the deal is done Vodafone will have effectively paid R16bn to acquire 15% of Vodacom, taking its stake up from 35% to 50%. Telkom holds the other 50% of Vodacom. VenFin shareholders can opt to remain invested in the assets left behind once the Vodacom shares are stripped from the portfolio. They can subscribe for Newco shares at R11,24 each, at the rate of one new share for each VenFin share they owned. Merrill Lynch analyst Meloy Horn says shareholders may find good value in Newco, as its shares are being offered at an attractive discount. Its assets will include shares in listed and unlisted companies and some cash, together worth about R7,1bn, which it will buy back for R5bn from Vodafone. Horn believes the fair value for Newco ranges from R12,73 to R18,34 a share, so the purchase price of R11,24 is a substantial discount. However, since the 15% stake in Vodacom represented 63% of VenFin's net asset value, buying into the remaining assets should be considered only by investors who are not dependent on near-term dividends and who can tolerate a five-year investment horizon, says Horn. The Newco offer closes on March 13.

BY STAFF WRITER, ITWEB Johannesburg Microsoft has appointed Cheick Diarra as its Africa chairman. Diarra is president of the African Summit on Science and Technologies, VP of the UN's World-science Ethics Committee, and a recipient of the African Lifetime Achievement Award. He will move into the newly-created position over the next four months, says a Microsoft statement. Microsoft says Diarra is to foster relationships with stakeholders across the continent to drive an understanding of the potential of ICT in development. ?I believe Africa faces a number of challenges ? not least of which include education, infrastructure and access to technology,? says Diarra. He will be responsible for identifying ways in which Microsoft can continue to work across Africa through its existing programmes and initiatives.

By staff writer, ITWeb Johannesburg MTN SA has extended the MTN Schools Connectivity multimedia centre project to six rural schools in Limpopo Province. The six schools are Ngoanamala High School, Ngwaabe High School, Nwanallela High School, Leahathoko High School, Molamo Primary School and Nkeketlhalwa Primary School. Government officials, including Limpopo premier Sello Moloto and provincial MEC for education Aaron Motswaledi, attended the handover ceremony, which took place at Lephadimishe Senior Secondary School on Saturday. The MTN Schools Connectivity Programme forms part of the MTN Foundation's Education Portfolio for helping less developed communities to bridge the digital divide. To date, 138 multimedia centres have been established in schools since July 2002. David Kgopa, principal of Ngoanamala High School in the Sekhukhune district, said his school is situated in one of the province's most remote areas, and has difficulty getting the facilities that are available to schools in urban areas. ?The donation has gone a long way in helping our school to be part of the global village,? he said. The multimedia centres are equipped with 10 computers, a server preloaded with learner content, a multifunctional copier, scanner, fax machine, television set, video recorder and a GPRS modem which uses the MTN network to provide Internet access. ?MTN's involvement in the Schools Connectivity Programme will not only enhance SA's commitment to bridging the digital divide, but will go very far in building informed communities and promoting IT awareness,? said Maanda Manyatshe, MD of MTN SA. Microsoft South Africa will supply software and training for the teachers while Johnnic Learning will provide the learning content. The Schools Connectivity Programme has made a phenomenal contribution towards improving techniques for teaching science and mathematics, said Manyatshe. MTN SA has also built a base station in Dipichi village in Mogalakwena local municipality, to help the community to get connected to the MTN network.

The Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT) will host its second annual "ICTs for Civil Society" Conference and Exhibition from 7-9 March 2006 at the Indaba Hotel in Fourways, Johannesburg. For more info, visit: http://sangonet.org.za/conference2006/

By Edwin Tshivhidzo The Department of Communications yesterday announced the appointment of three new Deputy Directors-General to beef-up service delivery in the information and technology communication sector. The appointments approved by Cabinet are a shot in the arm for the department as they come at a time when the department wants to beef up its ICTs interventions in the country to ensure that the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (ASGISA) goals comes to fruition. Dr Keith Shongwe, a Senior General Manager responsible for the State Information Technology Agency's Centres of Excellence, will fill the position of Deputy Director-General in the area of Strategic Policy Coordination, Integration and International Affairs. Dr Shongwe holds a BSc degree in Biology and Chemistry, a CDE Diploma in Education, both from the University of Swaziland. He has an MBCHB from the University of Natal, and has done a Management Advancement Programme certificate with Wits Business School. Dr Harold Wesso who led the ICT Programmes of the Western Cape Provincial Government, will be the Deputy Director-General responsible for Policy Development. Dr Wesso represented the Western Cape government on Strategy and ICT Committees of the University of Cape Town. He is a member of the e-Health Commission of the Presidential National Commission on the Information Society and Development. He holds a BCompt degree and Masters in Business Administration. In addition to the two new appointments, the department's Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Harry Mathabathe has been appointed to the position of Deputy Director General. Mr. Mathabathe joined the Department of Communications as Chief Financial Officer in 2001. He will serve the Department as the Deputy Director-General for Finance, State-owned Enterprises and Small, Medium and Macro Enterprises, a position he was holding in an acting capacity. - BuaNews

By Paul Vecchiatto, ITWEB Cape Town correpondent Cape Town The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) would like to see shorter cellphone contracts, among a series of recommendations aimed at making the cellphone market more competitive. However, it has not called for an end to handset subsidies as was first mooted. The regulator wants greater transparency in the market and first issued a discussion document in May last year, followed by a series of public hearings and presentations earlier this year. Councillor Nadia Bulbulia headed the working group on the issue. ICASA released its findings yesterday on its Web site, in a report entitled ?Enquiry into Handset Subsidies Findings and Conclusions?. According to ICASA, there is a lack of transparency about the cost of the various handsets offered in various packages, which limits customers' ability to make informed choices. It recommends that cellphone companies shorten contract periods from the industry average of 24 months for postpaid customers, to a period not exceeding 18 months. ?A 24-month contract as well as automatic renewal for the same period can be regarded as customer capture/retention and not loyalty,? the report says. Accusation ICASA also accuses the network operators of using the approved tariffs as the minimum of what can be charged, instead of as the maximum charge, which was intended. However, ICASA says the operators are allowed to effect reasonable discounts in order to compete in the market. Regulations that ICASA intends developing, the report says, will require network operators and their service providers to offer equally beneficial terms for postpaid customers whether they choose a handset or not. ICASA also says there is a lack of transparency on the cross-subsidisation of postpaid customers by other services. ?Regulations will be made that require transparency on where the financing of the free handsets comes from and the value of the various offerings, in order to ensure other customers are not unnecessarily burdened with costs of acquiring postpaid customers that account for the major part of the operator's revenue from calls made,? it says. The other findings include that contracts must be explained to customers verbally and that small print in the contracts be enlarged. Welcomed The report cites submissions from all three network operators, the two last independent service providers Nashua Mobile and Autopage, and other parties including Mike Lawrie, former administer of the .co.za domain name. Cell C said in response: ?Cell C welcomes the findings released by ICASA on handset subsidies. During our submissions in the hearings, it was Cell C's view that customers were not given the opportunity to make informed choices when purchasing contracts as the breakdown in costs ? handset, tariffs, free minutes, etc, were not clearly explained. We also welcome the authority's finding that shorter contract periods should be offered.? MTN and Vodacom say they are investigating the findings and will comment later.

UK cellular network operator Vodafone has gained control of more than 90% of JSE-listed VenFin, giving it the power to force shareholders to accept its offer to buy their shares. The group announced this morning that it had received valid acceptances of the offer from shareholders owning a total of 354.3 million VenFin shares. When combined with the 30.25 million ordinary shares Vodafone already owns, as well as the 3.51 million VenFin B shares acquired from Rembrandt Trust, this gives the UK group an effective 94.5% economic interest and a 96.8% voting interest. In terms of the Companies Act, anyone acquiring more than 90% of the shares in a company may make it compulsory for remaining shareholders to accept its offer to buy their shares. VenFin recently disposed of all of its assets except its 15% stake in local cellular network operator Vodacom, the target of Vodafone's takeover. Gaining VenFin's shareholding in Vodacom will bring Vodafone's stake in the company to 50%, equal to the stake held by fixed-line operator Telkom. In addition to the Vodacom shareholding, VenFin's other asset is the R5 billion paid by a newly incorporated unlisted public company (Newco) for the non-Vodacom assets. Newco is to be incorporated with the same share capital as VenFin, and all VenFin shareholders who accept Vodafone's offer are to receive a pro-rata right from Newco to use some of the proceeds from selling their shares to buy shares in Newco. However, only shareholders who validly accept the offer will be able to subscribe for Newco shares, says Vodafone.

SatCom Africa - the only trade fair on the African continent dedicated entirely to the Pan-African satellite industry - is now entering into its 9th successful year. Supported by the major players, government and all leading vendors, this year's event has significantly increased in size from 2005, to become the biggest satellite conference and exhibition to date. Globalcom Satellite will be unveiling the revolutionary new Nera WorldPro 1000 portable satellite terminal operating via Inmarsat's powerful new 4th generation satellite network - comprising the world's largest and most sophisticated communications satellites - on a service called BGAN - Broadband Global Area Network. BGAN is the world's first mobile satellite communications service of any kind to provide both landline quality voice and broadband data simultaneously through a single, truly portable device on a global basis. It is also the first mobile satellite communications service to offer guaranteed data rates on demand, and even support SMS to and from cellular networks. With Inmarsat's BGAN service, you can set up a broadband mobile office in minutes - wherever you are on the planet. The Nera WorldPro 1000 is the ultimate tool for professionals working in exceptional circumstances, stopping at each remote site for only a brief period before moving on, needing a makeshift "office" instantly. Journalists, military personnel, aid workers and other established users of mobile satellite communications will welcome the superior performance and lighter load. At 15 x 20CM and weighing less than 1 kg, the Nera WorldPro 1000 meets the toughest demands for portability. Built for persistent travel and bumpy rides, the terminal can be dropped onto concrete without breaking and works just as well in a dusty desert as in a humid rain forest. With data rates of up to 384 kbps, users of the Nera WorldPro 1000 can make use of bandwidth - hungry applications on the move without experiencing any performance issues. "Inmarsat with BGAN and Nera with its WorldPro 1000 have brought about a revolution in the mobile satellite communications industry, and we at Globalcom Satellite are excited to bring these new products and services to the African market. At the Satcom 2006 exhibition people will get a chance to see the BGAN terminals, and there will even be a handson experience for those who want to try them out." - explains Charles Barber, Product Manager - Inmarsat & Nera, Globalcom Satellite. More information on Inmarsat, BGAN & the Nera WorldPro 1000 can be found on www.gc-sat.com.

South Africa's Under-Serviced Area Licences (USALs) were aimed at providing services to areas of low teledensity. They have taken a long time to come to fruition and a number of those interested suffered severe financial problems during this waiting period. Each has been offered a subsidy to meet particular rural area roll-out targets. But as predicted by the sceptics, few have plans to roll-out low-cost infrastructure locally. Balancing Act's Isabelle Gross looks at how the licensed USALs are making progress. While Telkom SA is installing WIFI hot spots in major cities to satisfy the ever-growing need of mobile workers to be connected all the time, some other areas of the country are still without any means of communication. To address this uneven coverage, the Under-Serviced Area licences scheme has been put in place to improve access to telecommunications in geographical areas with less than 5% teledensity, meaning less than 5 fixed lines per 100 people. The initiative is the result of a combined effort of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) and the Universal Service Agency (USA). The former provides the licensing framework and the latter the funding. After a wait of several years after the initial announcenent, a call for tenders for the first four licences was issued during 2004 along with a subsidy of R5 millions to each licensed company. The first four companies were Bokone Telecommunications, from the Capricorn District in the Limpopo Province, Thinta Thinta Telecommunications from Ugu District, Kingdom Communications from Zululand District in the Kwa-Zulu-Natal Province and Ilizwi Telecommunications from the OR Tambo District in the Eastern Cape Province. Three additional licences have subsequently been granted in 2005. The terms for the licence were set by ICASA in the invitation tenders issued in January 2005: "the licence shall include at a minimum local voice telephone services, fixed mobile, data services, emergency services, directory services, voice over internet protocol, public pay phone and operator-assisted services. The USALs shall take into account the requirements of business and residential users and the provision of modern information services." As Amatole Telecom CEO Mike Matibe explained, there is no restriction on the type of telephony service offering nor on the technology used. The only restriction is in terms of geographical coverage, which for Amatole Telecom, as its name suggests, relates to the Amatole District in the Eastern Cape Province. On the funding side, the USA has granted each successful applicant ZAR5 million (approx US$780,000) for the first year. However subsequent tranches of funding will only be released once each company's performance targets are met - these relate to the number of customers connected to the firm's telephone service. Figures vary per area but the average target will be for around 3-5,000 new subscribers in the first year. Besides this, the work carried out in terms of building an infrastructure/network is also assessed prior to the injection of "fresh cash". Each new licensee has its own view on how to deliver a telephone service to people which up to now have had difficulties accessing a telephone network. Bokone Telecoms, which covers the Capricorne District has not yet started to operate, although it received its licence in November 2004. According to CEO Tebogo Mogashoa, his company expects to launch its service in the first quarter of 2006. So far they have been evaluating the different technologies available to deliver telephone services, including hardware providers, billing software and network software. Alongside this short-listing process, they have also re-evaluated their business plan. Each licenced company seems to follow its own calendar and pace, when rolling out a service/offer. Other licensed companies have taken the view that the earlier they get to market the earlier they will start to make money and meet the required targets. Therefore while they are assessing the technology to be used and the suppliers's offers, they have started to resell mobile phone services, either under their own brand like Thinta Thinta Telecoms, or under the brand of the mobile operators. Amatole Telecoms and Bokamoso Consortium have signed a roaming agreement with Vodacom and currently resell its services. Bule Mhlongo, CEO of Thinta Thinta Telecom, has opted to resell a telephone service under the company's own brand using the MTN network. Faced with challenging goals, these companies have taken the approach that their service should be implemented very quickly, enabling them to start building a customer base which in return will ensure them a regular revenue stream. Dominique Makheti, CEO of Bokamoso Consortium, said that the point is not so much about creating a new infrastructure, but to use the existing one, which is under-utilised. Therefore most of the companies have started offering service in the most populated areas, leaving remote rural areas for the next phase. For the mobile operators that underwrite such firms' service/infrastructure this appears a good deal too, as it allows them to expand their market penetration at low cost. The financial risks, such as marketing expenses and the building of distribution channels are sustained by the new USAL licensed companies. There is no other alternative to this, as all share the view that the R5 million grant is not enough to cover the costs of building a firm's own network. Firms therefore have to secure alternative funding, or get backing from private investment funds. However new wireless should have enabled the USALs to take a low-cost route but few seem to have taken this route. The tasks and risks ahead for these new types of telecommunications companies are many-fold. Will they be able to establish a sustainable/profitable business in the mid-term? A firm can expand its business by widening its service offering - and all companies have plans to offer some form of internet connection system on top of their telephony services. The main limit to growth is that the service that such telco companies may offer is restricted to the geographical area covered by the license. This restriction at first might be seen as positive, as it offers some protection from competitors, but as the business has to grow to survive this protection is ultimately likely to limit expansion and threaten the long-term viability of such firms. Moreover, nothing stops the incumbent national telecom company or the mobile operators from taking a more pro-active view and developing their own service in these areas. South African cellco MTN has recently teamed up with Ericsson to test HSDPA-enabled W-CDMA fixed wireless access (FWA) services. (see news item in Telecom News below) MTN envisages the use of the service to provide broadband internet connectivity to remote areas and those not yet covered by traditional fixed line technology. With competition of this kind ahead, it's unclear what kind of financial future the USALs have, except perhaps as resellers for the existing mobile companies.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Even in countries that lag behind in the information technology sector, there is a clear understanding that the gap between the rich and poor will only increase unless that IT divide is addressed. Yet some of Africa's richest nations are already cautioning that it's not enough simply to provide the infrastructure and software to make computer technology and telecommunications an integral part of the economic base. Rather, one South African research group is calling first and foremost on improved technological education from the earliest years upwards. According to a report by Johannesburg-based BMI-TechKnowledge released this week, demand for IT equipment and services across Africa will likely reach $10 billion this year, but already there is an increasing divide between how much money is spent between urban and rural areas within the various countries. Analyst Mark Walker pointed out that Africa too, like the rest of the world," is moving to an Internet-based platform for commerce, education, innovation, and entertainment. Wealth and productivity will go to those countries that gt more of their innovators, educators, students, workers, and suppliers connected to this platform via computers, phones, and PDAs." Yet Walker argued that it was not enough simply to ensure that the networks and hardware was installed to make connectivity happened. Rather, he said that e-schools, or educating people not just about technology but also on basic technological skills by using available tools including computers and other high-tech appliances, were critical. Furthermore, he said that there was a need for public institutions to tie up with private companies to ensure maximum use of the technologies as "we cannot trust the technology companies to make sure that everyone is connected because new technology, like free Internet telephony, threatens their business model. Whether the traditional politicians will be the engines of change for how people connect to their government, the marketplace, and each other is dubious. Thus, a joint approach, which creates its own system of checks and balances makes the most sense." When it comes to allying with the private sector to ensure education, the New Partnership for Africa's Development, or NEPAD, has already taken steps to forge ahead, as 15 countries including Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Kenya, and South Africa have already agreed to work with the African organization and the private sector to ensure that local schools are equipped with televisions, phones, photocopiers, and other equipment, and that students are taught computer and other technology skills. Furthermore, NEPAD plans to extend the program to all African nations within a few years' time. Certainly, NEPAD's efforts have gained more attention since the information society summit hosted by the United Nations in Tunis earlier this month, with many of the continent's leaders including the heads of Senegal and Nigeria actively calling for more aid from wealthier nations and partnerships with private companies to improve Africa's computer literacy and telecommunications capabilities. Still, some who are directly involved in development assistance in Africa remain doubtful whether governments actually understand how they should go about having a larger number of people gain access to information technology and harness that knowledge into economic growth. "There needs to be a good network...and follow-up" in order to ensure that information technology does actually lead to economic development in a poorer country, argued Wayan Vota, program manager at the Gekcorps division of the International Executive Service Corps, a non-profit organization that provides volunteers and experts to help alleviate poverty across the globe. "Otherwise, it's just money wasted."

According to Synovate's SAS Index? results released this week, Vodacom has again been conclusively named as number one in service excellence for customers in the telecommunications market. More than half (56%) of Vodacom's consumers rate its overall service delivery as Excellent - no small feat in any industry in times of very sophisticated and demanding customers. All four of the participants suffered a decrease in their ratings, with Telkom's being the most marked decline. In fact, satisfaction with Telkom fell to levels below those recorded in 2001. This year, the gap between the cellular service providers and the fixed line operator stands at its highest. While this is cause for concern, it could be argued that cellular suppliers are perhaps not direct competitors for Telkom. Comparisons aside though, it is the waning satisfaction amongst Telkom customers that is likely to see enough migration to the Second National Operator (SNO) to make unhappy customers an expensive problem for Telkom. Looking at differences from last years results, satisfaction with staff saw the greatest deterioration - mostly due to the declines in satisfaction levels with Telkom staff, although Cell C's staff may also need some increased attention from the cellular provider. Vodacom and MTN have retained their rankings in first and second position respectively for all four readings. While the gap between them is tiny, it has remained unchanged, showing no significant action on either's part to mark its ground as the leader in the industry. Similarly, Cell C has mirrored the ups and downs of Vodacom and MTN and has failed to close the gap between its score and those of the top two performers. Customers are most dissatisfied with the perceived value offered in the industry, and current media coverage of increasing costs for ADSL and the "excessive" profits of telecommunications companies will do nothing to change this view. Unless the government or industry task team look at reducing costs to the consumer, this area is likely to restrict industry players from making any significant progress on current satisfaction levels. Of the four chief factors contributing to satisfaction, the most satisfactory was reported as Products and Services, which measures the quality of billing systems, communication regarding products and corporate communication. But given the fact that the difference between these and the remaining factors is marginal, it appears that one cannot pinpoint just one significant weakness for the industry as a whole. Expectations in the telecommunications industry are lower than in any of the other industries / sectors measured in SAS Index?, which may explain the high satisfaction levels in comparison with the other industries: customers with lower expectations are easier to please. But it must be noted that expectations will escalate, taking into account the advent of new products and services, as well as number portability coming into play next year. Customers will expect their cellular providers to try and retain them. Vodacom showed few weaknesses amongst the cellular providers, although improvements in signal strength and the quality of product information would be valuable in retaining top spot. MTN performed very well in the convenience aspect of the whole ownership experience and it could be in this area where MTN finds a gap to improve its overall score and outrank Vodacom in the next reading. Cell C's score could be featured higher in the rankings with an increased focus on network coverage and an effort to improve the quality of staff back to its originally high ratings. With Telkom's ratings lagging behind all three cellular suppliers, staff motivation and attitude especially need more attention. Telkom also needs to address the efficiency of staff, the quality of product information and look more closely at customer needs in terms of its tariff packages. Just ahead of the SNO launch, this is a crucial time for Telkom and anything it can do to limit the damage to its market share needs a priority focus. Last year, results were extremely positive for the industry as a whole, with each participant exceeding previous scores by substantial amounts. The most notable achievement last year was Telkom's, which proved that it was capable of keeping up with the historically high satisfaction scores enjoyed by cellular providers. This year however, the news is not quite as cheerful for the Telecoms sector and the improvements seen in 2004 have not been sustained. Levels of customer satisfaction in the South African Telecommunications environment are still much higher than those in the American Telecommunications industry, and even with the argument that expectations might differ, South African consumers are considerably happier than their American counterparts. SAS Index? was developed by Synovate to address the lack of transparency about what service levels are really like in South Africa. It gives us a public and common measurement of service levels in various industries, including telecommunications, municipalities, short and long term insurance, medical aids and banks. The measurement has been developed using scientific principles and is aligned with similar measures in Europe and America, which means that both local and global comparisons can be made. The South African Satisfaction Index? telecommunications study has been carried out by Synovate and endorsed by the Department of Trade and Industry for four years. The study measures customer satisfaction levels with cellular service providers, Vodacom, MTN and Cell C and fixed line operator, Telkom. This study comprised a total of 1 669 interviews, telephonically conducted nationally from July to August in 2005. For comments on these results, please contact Jon Salters on 011 709 7800. More information can be found at www.sas-index.co.za, or contact San-Marie: San-Marie.Aucamp@synovate.com

The USA participated in the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) as part of the of South African delegation. Other Stakeholder that participated were the Department of Communication(DoC), Vodacom, SABC, Meraka,ICASA, Cape Gateway,Sentech, Sangonet and Telkom.