Isaac Twumasi Quantus's Blog – March 2012 Archive (40)

Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE), a standard for distribution of frequency over Ethernet links, is the ability to provide PHY-level frequency distribution through an Ethernet port. This is particularly important for mobile networks that need accurate and stable frequency reference.



Previously, Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) and Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET) equipment were used in conjunction with external timing technology (Primary Reference Clock (PRC) or Primary…

There was a time when decision makers scoffed at the notion of social networking at work, most believing it to be little more than a novel way to spend precious business hours. Today, most businesses have embraced the resource and see it as a credible, cost effective business tool – if used strategically.



Managed ICT service experts believe we have only just begun to realise the benefits of social networking in the corporate space.



“The fact is that we are only starting to…

Syncrony, a provider of website design, online presence and content management services, has engaged a higher gear and raced ahead with service delivery to Team Bonitas, the cycling team representing Bonitas Medical Fund.



The Team Bonitas Cycling squad is owned and managed by Malcolm Lange, South Africa’s most prolific race winner of the past decade. Malcolm aims to use his experience, which includes three wins in both the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour and the Momentum 94.7…

MTN customers in Cote d'Ivoire and Benin will soon take off at full throttle. This follows the awarding of 3G licences to MTN in both countries recently.



"This is exciting news for our customers, as they will now enjoy the benefits of world-class connectivity. We are grateful to the governments of Cote d'Ivoire and Benin for enabling MTN to further enhance the experience of mobile telephony for our customers," says Christian de Faria, MTN Group Chief Commercial Officer.



The…

By Isaac Twumasi-Quantus in Accra, Ghana

In less than two years, the bandwidth of traffic on Internet services provided in Africa has doubled.

Africa is now experiencing superior quality Internet services that come at a higher speed and that will provide for…

The open access connectivity market is expanding with increased interest from prospective investors and Internet Service Providers (ISPs).



Q-KON, an established engineering group and provider of managed network services and turn-key solutions to the growing Africa telecommunications market, now offers ISPs the benefit of open access wholesale services via its affiliation to Teraco Data Environments.



The company has extended its que-X satellite access service to this open…

Ghana kicked off its biometric voter registration this weekend, with glitches reported at some stations.



Delays were experienced at some stations, where problems were reported with the registration equipment.



The process, scheduled to last 40 days, got underway nationwide on Saturday morning. However, some centres reported a low turn-out, while others had delays while a variety of technical problems were ironed out.



Earlier, the Principal Public Relations Officer…

The Angolan government says it is working on a strategic infrastructure plan to support telecoms growth.



The Angolan Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology, João Carvalho da Rocha, said Angola’s existing infrastructure would be connected across national borders to link up to backbones across Africa.



He said a fibre optic network would also be built across the country, connecting all 18 provinces.



The minister was speaking in Luanda at an ICT…

Ghana’s President, John Atta Mills, has taken delivery of a USD3 million teleconferencing facility given by Huawei.



Communication between the Presidency and state institutions was given a major boost with the launching of a Telepresence Conference System at the Castle in Accra.



The hi-tech system allows remote, face to face…

Samsung has outlined its ambition to grow its African presence to a USD10 billion business by 2015.



Samsung Electronics is showcasing its product range for the African market at the 2012 Samsung Africa Forum, in Cape Town, South Africa.



With its philosophy, “Built for Africa - Inspire the Future”, the company says it is on track to meet…

By Alfonce Mbizwo, Harare, Zimbabwe



Zimbile, a Zimbabwean tech start-up, looks poised to change the mobile landscape of Africa after developing a platform that enables businesses and individuals to create fast loading mobile websites in minutes with zero technical…

MTN customers will soon no longer need to dig pits, carve wood, collect stones and seeds to enjoy a game of "Oware".



The board game will soon be made available for download on the MTN App Store.



This new innovative application is a modification of the ancient board game "Oware", which has its roots in West Africa. Also known as Ayò, Awalé, Wari, Ouri, Ouril, Uril, Warri, Adji, Awélé or Awari  in many parts of Africa, the game has been modified to suit the needs of the new…

Aldo van Tonder, CEO at FOXit (Pty) Ltd. (FOXit) has been recognised as one of the winners in the Finweek/Aurik BizAccelerator Programme.



FOXit, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and a Microsoft BizSpark™ partner, is also a service provider focused on PPM (Project and Portfolio Management) and EPM (Enterprise Project Management) in business.



The BizAccelerator Programme is a business development initiative spearheaded by Aurik (a Johannesburg-based business incubator) in…

Econet Wireless, Zimbabwe’s largest telecoms firm, announced today that it has surpassed the 1 million mark in ‘connected’ users for its EcoCash mobile money service. The milestone, the company says in the announcement (a thank you to its subscribers), “has been achieved in record time and is the fastest growth of such a service in the world”.



This is the first time Econet has come out officially with information about the service’s uptake since launch back in September 2011. We’ve…

Frustration has gripped the Somali community following allegations that the head of one of the largest telecommunication companies in Somalia was providing financial support to Al-Shabaab through the informal hawala money transfer system.



Mr Ali Ahmed Nur Jim’ale of Hormuud Telecommunications was accused by the United Nations Security Council, as being one of the financiers of Al-Shabaab, providing the group with funds besides weapons, private fighters and ammunition.



More…

Western Union’s (WU) business model remains sound, in our view. We see any trend toward mobile money transfers as evolutionary, not disruptive, and we think Western Union still looks like the long-term winner in the scenario of a gradual shift toward mobile money transfers. We think Western Union’s customer base would be best described as not just late adopters of new payment…

Ugandan news sources reported last week that African mobile giant, MTN, reportedly lost billions of Ugandan Shillings from its mobile money service in a fraud case involving the operator’s employees. Though information about the fraud and the investigations around it is only surfacing this week, the fraud itself is reported have occurred in 2011.



MTN employees working together…

Uchumi has become Safaricom’s leading M-Pesa agent by transaction volumes, helping the supermarket to attract shoppers who use the mobile phone money transfer service while also earning the retail chain millions in service commissions.



Equity Bank is listed as the second biggest M-Pesa agent, Kenya Post Office Savings Bank is seventh while Naivas (Naivasha Self Service…

A Two day certificate course on building sustainable mobile money agency network and customer acquisition strategies at early days of low value and slow moving mobile money service covering Agency Banking and mobile financial services.



Date: April 3rd & 4Th, 2012

Cost: 650 USD excluding Accommodation and flights.

10% discount for group above two.



Venue: Holiday Inn, Accra, Ghana



How this course will benefit you?

Obtain certification in mobile money…

Ghana has been ranked number one in Africa as the country with the highest Internet speed, according to the latest global internet speed report released March 5, 2012 by US-based, Ookla.



Ookla is the global leader in broadband testing and web-based network diagnostic applications, and its report was based on millions of recent test results from Speedtest.net,…