Engineering News | Telecoms

https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Advertise on this page? Click Here to Learn More

Telecoms News

Teraco becomes MÉTISS node, boosts regional interconnection

By: Schalk Burger 6th May 2021 Data centre operator Teraco on May 6 said it had become an integral node to the Meltingpot Indianoceanic Submarine System (MÉTISS) – a 3 200 km subsea fibre-optic cable system connecting South Africa to the Indian Ocean islands of Madagascar, Reunion and Mauritius. MÉTISS consortium members have... →

Technology Innovation Agency funds the development of an affordable Internet solution for townships

By: Yvonne Silaule 5th May 2021 Gauteng-based startup FibrePoynt is developing an alternative antenna-based high-speed fixed Internet solution for low-income communities. The solution is being funded by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), an entity of the Department of Science and Innovation. →

MTN reports strong first quarter results

By: Natasha Odendaal 5th May 2021 Telecommunications group MTN reported strong first quarter operational and financial results with data and fintech revenue driving service revenue beyond the company’s medium-term guidance. The group’s service revenue increased 17.8% to R42.3-billion during the three months to March. →

New chief technology officer to lead on ICT, technology at the PIC

By: Schalk Burger 4th May 2021 The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) has appointed Makano Mosidi as its new chief technology officer (CTO). Her mandate is to provide sound leadership in all aspects of the business’ information and communications technology (ICT), and leverage technology to position the PIC as a leading asset... →

MTN Rwandacell lists on the Rwanda Stock Exchange

By: Natasha Odendaal 4th May 2021 Telecommunications group MTN Rwandacell has become the first mobile network operator to list its shares on the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE). Crystal Telecoms’ shareholders now hold a direct 20% stake in MTN Rwanda and can trade their MTN Rwanda shares directly on the RSE as part of the May 4... →

Telkom launches new whistleblowing channels

By: Natasha Odendaal 4th May 2021 Telecommunications group Telkom has unveiled a new platform for the public to report any acts or suspected acts of fraud, corruption and irregular conduct within the organisation to ensure that it remains corruption- and fraud-free. As part of the group’s ethics and corporate governance... →

Waspa elects new chairperson, office bearers for 2021

By: Creamer Media Reporter 3rd May 2021 The Wireless Application Service Providers' Association (Waspa) has elected BaspaDE Attorneys founding director and long-standing board member Anthony Ekerold as its new chairperson. Ekerold, who previously served as Waspa vice chairperson between 2013 and 2017, as chairperson in 2018 and as... →

Altron to report significant surge in earnings

By: Natasha Odendaal 28th April 2021 JSE-listed Allied Electronics (Altron) expects its basic earnings per share (BEPS) to increase more than 100% for the year-ended February 28 owing to the Bytes Technology Group demerger in December. Altron expects its BEPS to be between 3 256c and 3 270c apiece, compared with the restated BEPS of... →

MTN eyes telecoms licence in Ethiopia

By: Natasha Odendaal 26th April 2021 Telecommunications group MTN and its equity partners are bidding for a telecommunications licence in Ethiopia. “Ethiopia provides the largest telecommunication and digital services growth opportunity in Africa over the medium term and fits into our pan-Africa focus and platform strategy. We are... →

IT professionals institute questions plan to create State IT infrastructure company

By: Schalk Burger 22nd April 2021 Industry association the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA) has questioned the need for the creation of a a State Digital Infrastructure Company (SDIC) and High-Performance Computing and Data Processing Centre (HPCDPC), as outlined in the Department of... →

Icasa calls for public comment on review of disaster frequency regulations

By: Schalk Burger 22nd April 2021 Telecommunications regulator the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has called for written comments on the review of the Information and Communications Technology Covid-19 National Disaster Regulations. The issues of consultation in the submissions must include the... →

Vodacom, AUDA-Nepad launch mVacciNation digital toolbox

By: Natasha Odendaal 21st April 2021 Telecommunications giant Vodacom Group and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-Nepad) have joined forces to deploy a mobile technology platform that manages vaccination appointments and stock availability. Developed by Vodacom Group member Mezzanine, the mVacciNation digital toolbox will... →

Cell C reports full-year loss, assures company stabilised

By: Natasha Odendaal 20th April 2021 Telecommunications group Cell C has reported a full-year loss of R5.5-billion during the 12 months ended December 31, 2020, widening from the loss of R4-billion reported in 2019. However, the company returned to profit during the second half of the year, reporting a profit before tax of... →

Cell C CEO Douglas Craigie Stevenson and Cell C CFO Zaf Mahomed discuss Cell C’s financial performance for the year ended December 31, 2020.

MTN Rwandacell to list on Rwanda Stock Exchange

By: Natasha Odendaal 19th April 2021 MTN Rwandacell will list on the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE) on May 4 following approval by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) and the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE). The listing of MTN Rwanda will see over 1 350 886 600 ordinary shares with a nominal value of Rwf1 each being registered with the RSE... →

Telcolink named project house on Gauteng Broadband Network

By: Creamer Media Reporter 15th April 2021 Altron Nexus has appointed information and communications technology solutions provider Telcolink as a project house on the Gauteng Broadband Network (GBN) initiative. The appointment will see Telcolink managing and assisting small, medium-sized and microenterprises in the West-Rand that form... →

EOH expects restructuring to be completed soon; will pursue growth from later this year

By: Schalk Burger 14th April 2021 Information and communication technology services group EOH reported in its interim results for the six months ended January 31, 2021, that it had stabilised its businesses, achieved an operating profit for the first time in two years and narrowed its headline loss a share. It achieved an... →

Spectrum progress being made, but allocation unlikely in 2021

By: Natasha Odendaal 14th April 2021 While the auction of high demand spectrum has experienced another setback and is not likely to be allocated this year, much progress has been made compared with a year ago. The release date of high demand spectrum remains uncertain, owing to several legal battles over the Independent... →

Delays in digital migration, exclusive spectrum licensing hampering broadband rollout

By: Schalk Burger 13th April 2021 While the delayed migration of analogue television and radio broadcasting signals to other spectrum bands is hampering the rollout of broadband telecommunications services, especially in rural areas, the licensing of the exclusive use of spectrum only by a single market player is preventing... →

MTN named South Africa’s best mobile network

By: Natasha Odendaal 13th April 2021 Telecommunications group MTN has secured the title of the best mobile network in South Africa from the quarterly MyBroadband Insights report. The first quarter Mobile Network Quality Report showed that MTN achieved a network quality score of 9.73, followed by Vodacom with a score of 5.65, Telkom... →

Students developed Covid-19 symptoms chatbots for 4IR hackathon challenge

By: Schalk Burger 12th April 2021 Seven students in three teams developed chatbots - interactive programmes to aide customer enquiries - during a hackathon hosted by Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) education facility Forge Academy in Fourways, Gauteng. The software programmes had to serve as a digital solution to guide... →

MTN group values mobile-money arm at $5bn, considers IPO

By: Bloomberg 12th April 2021 MTN Group is valuing its mobile-money arm at about $5-billion, joining African wireless carriers planning to list these businesses in a region that has more mobile-money accounts than anywhere else in the world. MTN’s valuation of its unit follows Mastercard Inc. and TPG Holdings investing... →

MTN Nigeria in talks for longer term pricing structures of banking channel sales

By: Natasha Odendaal 9th April 2021 Telecommunications group MTN Nigeria has been participating in a series of meetings, since April 6, to align on longer term pricing structures after a temporary suspension of airtime sales through the company’s banking channels owing to a dispute over the reduction in cost of sales. The sales of... →

Pandemic accelerated digital education, but some way to go to make tool truly effective

By: Schalk Burger 9th April 2021 Enabling effective education and the development of foundational, specialist and new skills that are needed across industries and societies – in part through adopting digital education tools – requires a broad partnership among civil, commercial, educational and governmental organisations, a... →

Lenders cut off Nigeria’s biggest telco from banking platforms

By: Bloomberg 6th April 2021 Some Nigerian lenders have cut off MTN Nigeria from their banking platforms, making it impossible for millions of customers to buy credit for their phones. All lenders in Africa’s most populous country, except Zenith Bank, have taken MTN Nigeria off their platform, said Funso Aina, spokesman for... →

Pandemic drives 65% growth in mobile money transactions value

By: Natasha Odendaal 24th March 2021 The number of registered mobile money accounts increased 12.7% to 1.21-billion in 2020 – double the previous forecast – owing to a dramatic acceleration in mobile transactions during the Covid-19 pandemic as lockdown restrictions limited access to cash and financial institutions. The latest GSMA... →

MetroFibre secures R2.5bn debt funding package

By: Natasha Odendaal 23rd March 2021 Gauteng-based fibre infrastructure provider MetroFibre Networx has secured a R2.5-billion debt funding package from Investec to support its fibre deployment across South Africa. The funding agreement builds on an existing relationship between the two companies since 2016, when MetroFibre... →

Icasa appeals spectrum court judgment

By: Natasha Odendaal 17th March 2021 The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) is appealing the decision of the Pretoria High Court to halt the spectrum licensing, which was due to start on March 31; however, the authority remains open to discussions. In a statement, Icasa said it had consider considered the... →

Analogue switch-off starts

By: Natasha Odendaal 16th March 2021 The phased switch-off of South Africa’s analogue television transmitters has started and will continue province-by-province until the end of March 2022, when the last transmitters will be shut off in Gauteng. The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, together with broadcasters,... →

Liquid Telecom overhauls strategy, rebrands

By: Natasha Odendaal 15th March 2021 Pan-African telecoms group Liquid Telecom has rebranded, recalibrated and repositioned as pan-African technology group Liquid Intelligent Technologies (LIT), with ambitions of expanding its services offerings across the African continent. With several sub-brands, namely Liquid Cloud; Cyber... →

Regulator's approach to spectrum auction was unlawful, court says

By: Reuters 12th March 2021 A South African judge said he had halted the radio frequency spectrum auction planned this month by regulator Icasa because he deemed the process unlawful and irrational. High Court Judge Selby Baqwa passed an order on Monday prohibiting the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa... →

MTN Nigeria acquires additional 800 MHz spectrum

By: Natasha Odendaal 12th March 2021 Telecommunications group MTN Nigeria has acquired an additional 10 MHz spectrum in the 800 MHz band from Intercellular Nigeria for an undisclosed amount. This followed the approval by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) of the transaction and assigned the frequency to MTN Nigeria. →

MTN reports strong 2020 results, unveils Ambition 2025 strategy

By: Natasha Odendaal 10th March 2021 Telecommunications group MTN has announced a new repositioned strategy to accelerate growth and unlock the value of its infrastructure assets and platforms. Ambition 2025 is the result of a comprehensive strategy review during the fourth quarter of 2020. →

Telkom welcomes halt of spectrum process

By: Natasha Odendaal 9th March 2021 Telecommunications group Telkom has welcomed the Gauteng High Court’s decision to halt the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa’s (Icasa’s) planned spectrum auction process pending a review. Telkom said the decision affirmed its view that there are concerns around the lawfulness of... →

South Africa's court halts spectrum auction

By: Reuters 8th March 2021 South Africa's high court on Monday ordered telecoms regulator Icasa to halt the auction of radio frequency spectrum licences pending another related court matter, further delaying the process which was expected to begin this month. As part of the order, the Independent Communications Authority... →

MTN Group appoints new executive to drive its strategic repositioning

By: Natasha Odendaal 8th March 2021 Telecommunications group MTN has appointed Chika Ekeji as executive for strategy and transformation, effective March 15. This forms part of MTN’s plans to further bolster management capacity to accelerate its strategic ambitions, which focuses on accelerating growth, deleveraging the holding... →

Privacy concerns alienate half of global citizens’ adoption of government digital services

By: Natasha Odendaal 4th March 2021 Concerns around privacy and security risks are risking the participation of more than half the global population in governments’ various digital services drive. A new survey by EY found that 53% of the respondents believe that privacy and security risks around how their data is shared outweigh... →

MTN Nigeria posts increases across the board during FY20

By: Natasha Odendaal 1st March 2021 Telecommunications group MTN Nigeria has posted increases across the board during the year ended December 31, 2020. The West African operations achieved a 9.7% increase in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (Ebitda) to N685.7-billion, however, the Ebitda margin declined... →

About

Engineering News is a product of Creamer Media.
www.creamermedia.co.za

Other Creamer Media Products include:
Mining Weekly
Research Channel Africa
Polity

Newsletters

Sign up for our FREE daily email newsletter

Receive daily sector news alerts

More

Subscriptions

We offer a variety of subscriptions to our Magazine, Website, PDF Reports and our photo library.

Subscriptions are available via the Creamer Media Store.

View store

Advertise

Advertising on Engineering News is an effective way to build and consolidate a company's profile among clients and prospective clients. Email advertising@creamermedia.co.za

View options

Subscribe