Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) is gaining momentum in Africa. A growing group of people is debating the potential benefits of migrating organizations to FOSS and pressure groups are emerging.
Open Source Software movement is built on the premise that better software is produced when everyone is allowed to modify and change the software. So, instead of selling user licenses, the product (source code) is distributed. On the ground however, proprietary software, Closed Source Software (CSS) is still dominant. In spite of the benefits, fear and uncertainty prevails.
We invite FOSS practioners in Tanzania to post information about their work on open source and free software here, and to add themselves to the FOSS Development directory, so that we may build a more strong and stable FOSS-community in Tanzania.
AIf you have done research in FOSS in Tanzania consider a submission of your work to our database of online papers. You can submit working papers, abstracts and related links for posting on this site.
Add yourself to our directory of researchers who are interested in free/open source software. You can have your e-mail address posted along with your FOSS-related interests. Check out the latest announcements or calls for papers.
Finally, consider joining the Tanzania OpenSource Community for announcements and discussions on general issues related to FOSS for Tanzania.
For the more information please visit http://www.tafossa.or.tz/
Friday, February 13, 2009
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Firefox fans celebrate release of new browser - CNN.com
Firefox fans celebrate release of new browser - CNN.com: "NEW YORK (AP) -- The new version of the Firefox Web browser has become available as a free download.
Mozilla has been developing Firefox 3 for nearly three years and has been publicly testing it since November.
Tuesday's release was delayed as visitors checking for the update overloaded Firefox's Web servers.
The site was slow or unreachable for about two hours starting about 12:45 p.m. Eastern time, 15 minutes before the scheduled release time, according to AlertSite, an Internet performance monitoring company.
Performance improved later in the day.
Firefox supporters organized launch parties around the world as they tried to set a world record for most software downloads in a 24-hour period.
The category is new, and Guinness World Records must certify it, a process that could take a week or longer.
Firefox comes from Mozilla, an open-source community in which thousands of people, mostly volunteers, collectively develop free products.
Firefox is the No. 2 Web browser behind Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer.
Don't Miss
CNET: Firefox 3 is a 'worthy upgrade'
Firefox 3 includes enhancements to help users organize their frequently visited Web sites and block access to sites known to distribute viruses and other malicious software.
Users of Yahoo Inc.'s mail service can also use Firefox 3 to send e-mail by clicking a 'mailto' link they might come across clicking on a name or a 'contact us' link on a Web page."
Mozilla has been developing Firefox 3 for nearly three years and has been publicly testing it since November.
Tuesday's release was delayed as visitors checking for the update overloaded Firefox's Web servers.
The site was slow or unreachable for about two hours starting about 12:45 p.m. Eastern time, 15 minutes before the scheduled release time, according to AlertSite, an Internet performance monitoring company.
Performance improved later in the day.
Firefox supporters organized launch parties around the world as they tried to set a world record for most software downloads in a 24-hour period.
The category is new, and Guinness World Records must certify it, a process that could take a week or longer.
Firefox comes from Mozilla, an open-source community in which thousands of people, mostly volunteers, collectively develop free products.
Firefox is the No. 2 Web browser behind Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer.
Don't Miss
CNET: Firefox 3 is a 'worthy upgrade'
Firefox 3 includes enhancements to help users organize their frequently visited Web sites and block access to sites known to distribute viruses and other malicious software.
Users of Yahoo Inc.'s mail service can also use Firefox 3 to send e-mail by clicking a 'mailto' link they might come across clicking on a name or a 'contact us' link on a Web page."
Friday, May 2, 2008
Find my report for ICT reserch in Africa (RIA)
Once again my readers as i wrote to you before, i worked on reserch concerning ICT africa which was conducted in various place of Tanzania.with this article i have attached the complite reportof my trip. You can see how Tanzania look like in terms of ICT. please click here to download pdf file www.4shared.com/dir/6131791/e8074cf3/sharing.html for more information about the statistical outcome for that particular research you visit RIA website by clicking this link http://www.researchictafrica.net/
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
SAFARICOM IPO: ONLINE APPLICATION & OVERSUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscribers in the coming Safaricom IPO will now be able to make their applications on-line. This is expected to reduce the work load and queues at the brokers’ offices. But already the site is inaccessible only two days after being launched. Then again with the ‘computer problems’ KNEC has been having over last year KCSE results, I’m really worried with what kind of short comings we should expect from this on-line application system. I hope it works out well.
The IPO is widely expected to be oversubscribed by over 200% with cold tusker even giving a detailed projection of how this could happen. The IPO is expected to atrract over a million applications from all over the world.
As much as retail investors would have wished for the Delivery Versus Payment (DVP) Method to be applied on all subscribers, this will not be possible and they have been left out to run around after their refunds for the next few weeks after the IPO. Luckily, incase of an oversubscription the shares will be allocated pro-rata and if the oversubscription is over 200% some of the share allocated to foreign investors will be ploughed back to the local investors.
My caution goes to anyone hoping to buy into the IPO using a bank loan, which most banks are more than willing to give out. CCsf had a very appealing Safaricom IPO leverage product last year, but I’m unsure if they still have it on offer this time.
The IPO is widely expected to be oversubscribed by over 200% with cold tusker even giving a detailed projection of how this could happen. The IPO is expected to atrract over a million applications from all over the world.
As much as retail investors would have wished for the Delivery Versus Payment (DVP) Method to be applied on all subscribers, this will not be possible and they have been left out to run around after their refunds for the next few weeks after the IPO. Luckily, incase of an oversubscription the shares will be allocated pro-rata and if the oversubscription is over 200% some of the share allocated to foreign investors will be ploughed back to the local investors.
My caution goes to anyone hoping to buy into the IPO using a bank loan, which most banks are more than willing to give out. CCsf had a very appealing Safaricom IPO leverage product last year, but I’m unsure if they still have it on offer this time.
working with oracle partner in africa
I am working with oracle partners in africa, i am sure i will gain broad knowledge in business development, especiall oracle E-business suite , and technology based on oracle implimentations and any kind of ERP system. I hope due to this explosure i will be able to excell in business direction having enough understanding on organasation and business company structure and how to map their requirement with the technology. My responsibility is to study user business enviroment and to map the requirement to the software based framework.User will receive a complite solution of software with single installation on single mashine they can manage their whole enterprise, and employee can work any where in the world.
I am looking forward to archive oracle certification for business development.Hope the knowledge i am going to adopt will contribute something on my country Tanzania.
I am looking forward to archive oracle certification for business development.Hope the knowledge i am going to adopt will contribute something on my country Tanzania.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
working hard with RIA
RIA stand for Research ICT Africa, in few days ago i was conducting research for access of ICT in Africa. I travelled to various part of Tanzania. It took long time to fullfill the trip under supervision and coordination of various people, in short we had been working day and night for 21 days.
we moved to various places as most of Tanzania place still is difficult to get there lack of infrastructure.
I am looking forward to post my report to you i hope you get a big picture of Tanzania in ICT For more infomation on RIA you can also visit their website http://www.researchictafrica.net/ please stay close for more latest news on ICT tanzania and Afria as well
we moved to various places as most of Tanzania place still is difficult to get there lack of infrastructure.
I am looking forward to post my report to you i hope you get a big picture of Tanzania in ICT For more infomation on RIA you can also visit their website http://www.researchictafrica.net/ please stay close for more latest news on ICT tanzania and Afria as well
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Am back with appologies
Long time without hear me on this blog, in fact i was very busy day and night working at one of the project at Arusha. i was there as IT consultant and project manager on implimentation of physical computer networks at MS TCDC compus ( www.mstcdc.or.tz). I am sorry i had no time for my blog but now you shall keep hearing from me day to day.
I will bring to you soon the photos as well as text concerning the project that i have been doing there. This is sign and spirit of love to my country.
Once again i appologies. Keep in touch with latest technological news
I will bring to you soon the photos as well as text concerning the project that i have been doing there. This is sign and spirit of love to my country.
Once again i appologies. Keep in touch with latest technological news
Friday, November 16, 2007
High-speed web boost for Africa
The World Bank hopes the funding will boost business in the regionKenya, Burundi and Madagascar have secured $164.5m (£83.3m) from the World Bank to help roll-out high-speed internet networks.
The World Bank said the money was being made available to boost business competitiveness in the region.
Eastern and much of southern Africa is the only region in the world not connected to the global broadband infrastructure, the World Bank said.
Kenya will take the lion's share of the funding, with a $114.4m loan.
Madagascar is due to receive a $30m loan, while Burundi will receive a grant worth $20.1m, the World Bank said.
Plugged-in
Low-cost, high-quality communications is essential for economic competitiveness
Paul Wolfowitz, World Bank president
The Washington-based lender said businesses in the three countries were being held back because of the lack of high-speed internet networks.
"University students suffer because they cannot access the internet, and government agencies cannot communicate effectively with each other and their citizens because they are not connected," the bank added.
Currently, the region relies on satellite services for connectivity, with costs among the highest in the world.
But World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz said Africa was becoming increasingly "plugged-in".
"Improving broadband connectivity will add tremendous public value for Africa," he said. "Low-cost, high-quality communications is essential for economic competitiveness."
The boss of Kenyan outsourcing firm KenCall backed the World Bank's move.
"It is absolutely imperative that something be done right now to make bandwidth affordable," said Nicholas Nesbitt, the firm's chief executive.
"Otherwise, we're going to miss a huge opportunity and people are simply going to say that Africa is not ready for these kinds of jobs, is not ready for business."
Africa waiting for net revolution
More than a third of Africa's citizens should have access to broadband internet by 2012, a conference of technology leaders is set to hear.
Fewer than four out of 100 Africans currently use the internet, and broadband penetration is below 1%.
The barriers to broadband access are key talking points at the Connect Africa meeting in Kigali, in Rwanda.
Dr Hamadoun Toure, head of the International Telecommunication Union has called for "immediate action". The conference features representations from organisations such as the World Bank, World Health Organization and United Nations, as well as high-profile technology leaders such as Intel's chairman Craig Barrett.
The attendees were all invited to make financial commitments to improving technology and telecoms in the continent. More than $3bn has been pledged so far.
Dr Toure said that despite the bleak picture of access issues in Africa there was plenty of opportunity.
He told the BBC News website: "If you have just 1% of broadband access today you have 99% of opportunity.The good news is that Africa has had the highest growth in mobile use globally - twice the global average over the past three years.
"For the first time economic indicators are positive from Africa."
In Rwanda, access to the net is limited and high-speed connections are rare, the BBC's Digital Planet programme was told by officials and users in the country.
"Not many students are able to connect to the internet at the same time," said Marie-Josee Ufitamahoro, a student at Kigali institute of technology.
"For example, a class of 40 students requires each pupil to be connected, so what we need is bigger bandwidth so we can share ideas with other students in other parts of the world."
Albert Butare, Rwanda's state minister for telecommunications and energy, said the issue of bandwidth was critical.
Africa's internet users are among the minorityMore than a third of Africa's citizens should have access to broadband internet by 2012, a conference of technology leaders is set to hear.
Fewer than four out of 100 Africans currently use the internet, and broadband penetration is below 1%.
The barriers to broadband access are key talking points at the Connect Africa meeting in Kigali, in Rwanda.
Dr Hamadoun Toure, head of the International Telecommunication Union has called for "immediate action".
The conference features representations from organisations such as the World Bank, World Health Organization and United Nations, as well as high-profile technology leaders such as Intel's chairman Craig Barrett.
The attendees were all invited to make financial commitments to improving technology and telecoms in the continent. More than $3bn has been pledged so far.
Dr Toure said that despite the bleak picture of access issues in Africa there was plenty of opportunity.
He told the BBC News website: "If you have just 1% of broadband access today you have 99% of opportunity.
Mobile phone use is growing dramatically in Africa"The good news is that Africa has had the highest growth in mobile use globally - twice the global average over the past three years.
"For the first time economic indicators are positive from Africa."
In Rwanda, access to the net is limited and high-speed connections are rare, the BBC's Digital Planet programme was told by officials and users in the country.
"Not many students are able to connect to the internet at the same time," said Marie-Josee Ufitamahoro, a student at Kigali institute of technology.
"For example, a class of 40 students requires each pupil to be connected, so what we need is bigger bandwidth so we can share ideas with other students in other parts of the world."
Albert Butare, Rwanda's state minister for telecommunications and energy, said the issue of bandwidth was critical.
HAVE YOUR SAY
In Africa we tend to look at services as something for the rich and powerful only. That mentality needs to change
Eziokwu Bu Ndu, Nigeria
Send us your comments "It's what governs the speed of the internet, the quality of the connection, whether or not you can do video conferencing," he said.
"If you are talking about telemedicine or distance learning, you need images and clear audio."
Dr Toure said the conference needed to take action on regulatory issues in some African countries, which often tie down the roll-out of net access. "The heads of state present will give assurances to the private sector on the availability of competition and the creation of a proper regulatory environment for them in which to evolve," he said. "The private sector from outside Africa and inside will make fruitful partnerships." One of the biggest problems facing internet development in Africa is a lack of interconnectivity. More than 70% of internet traffic within Africa is routed outside the continent, driving up costs for business and consumers.
"This is a serious problem and will be discussed," said Dr Toure.
But he said Africa should not be looking for special treatment from the technology private sector.
"Africa has to create the opportunities; Africa doesn't need charity," he said.
"We need to make sure we have a good environment that will attract private sector investment. There's nothing wrong with making profits in Africa."
The International Telecommunications Union says more than $8bn was invested in telecommunications infrastructure across Africa in 2005.
Dr Toure said the challenge for the ITU, technology leaders and companies was to help Africa meet its Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
In the technology sphere, that means easy access to information and communication technology for more than half of the continent's population within eight years.
Fewer than four out of 100 Africans currently use the internet, and broadband penetration is below 1%.
The barriers to broadband access are key talking points at the Connect Africa meeting in Kigali, in Rwanda.
Dr Hamadoun Toure, head of the International Telecommunication Union has called for "immediate action". The conference features representations from organisations such as the World Bank, World Health Organization and United Nations, as well as high-profile technology leaders such as Intel's chairman Craig Barrett.
The attendees were all invited to make financial commitments to improving technology and telecoms in the continent. More than $3bn has been pledged so far.
Dr Toure said that despite the bleak picture of access issues in Africa there was plenty of opportunity.
He told the BBC News website: "If you have just 1% of broadband access today you have 99% of opportunity.The good news is that Africa has had the highest growth in mobile use globally - twice the global average over the past three years.
"For the first time economic indicators are positive from Africa."
In Rwanda, access to the net is limited and high-speed connections are rare, the BBC's Digital Planet programme was told by officials and users in the country.
"Not many students are able to connect to the internet at the same time," said Marie-Josee Ufitamahoro, a student at Kigali institute of technology.
"For example, a class of 40 students requires each pupil to be connected, so what we need is bigger bandwidth so we can share ideas with other students in other parts of the world."
Albert Butare, Rwanda's state minister for telecommunications and energy, said the issue of bandwidth was critical.
Africa's internet users are among the minorityMore than a third of Africa's citizens should have access to broadband internet by 2012, a conference of technology leaders is set to hear.
Fewer than four out of 100 Africans currently use the internet, and broadband penetration is below 1%.
The barriers to broadband access are key talking points at the Connect Africa meeting in Kigali, in Rwanda.
Dr Hamadoun Toure, head of the International Telecommunication Union has called for "immediate action".
The conference features representations from organisations such as the World Bank, World Health Organization and United Nations, as well as high-profile technology leaders such as Intel's chairman Craig Barrett.
The attendees were all invited to make financial commitments to improving technology and telecoms in the continent. More than $3bn has been pledged so far.
Dr Toure said that despite the bleak picture of access issues in Africa there was plenty of opportunity.
He told the BBC News website: "If you have just 1% of broadband access today you have 99% of opportunity.
Mobile phone use is growing dramatically in Africa"The good news is that Africa has had the highest growth in mobile use globally - twice the global average over the past three years.
"For the first time economic indicators are positive from Africa."
In Rwanda, access to the net is limited and high-speed connections are rare, the BBC's Digital Planet programme was told by officials and users in the country.
"Not many students are able to connect to the internet at the same time," said Marie-Josee Ufitamahoro, a student at Kigali institute of technology.
"For example, a class of 40 students requires each pupil to be connected, so what we need is bigger bandwidth so we can share ideas with other students in other parts of the world."
Albert Butare, Rwanda's state minister for telecommunications and energy, said the issue of bandwidth was critical.
HAVE YOUR SAY
In Africa we tend to look at services as something for the rich and powerful only. That mentality needs to change
Eziokwu Bu Ndu, Nigeria
Send us your comments "It's what governs the speed of the internet, the quality of the connection, whether or not you can do video conferencing," he said.
"If you are talking about telemedicine or distance learning, you need images and clear audio."
Dr Toure said the conference needed to take action on regulatory issues in some African countries, which often tie down the roll-out of net access. "The heads of state present will give assurances to the private sector on the availability of competition and the creation of a proper regulatory environment for them in which to evolve," he said. "The private sector from outside Africa and inside will make fruitful partnerships." One of the biggest problems facing internet development in Africa is a lack of interconnectivity. More than 70% of internet traffic within Africa is routed outside the continent, driving up costs for business and consumers.
"This is a serious problem and will be discussed," said Dr Toure.
But he said Africa should not be looking for special treatment from the technology private sector.
"Africa has to create the opportunities; Africa doesn't need charity," he said.
"We need to make sure we have a good environment that will attract private sector investment. There's nothing wrong with making profits in Africa."
The International Telecommunications Union says more than $8bn was invested in telecommunications infrastructure across Africa in 2005.
Dr Toure said the challenge for the ITU, technology leaders and companies was to help Africa meet its Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
In the technology sphere, that means easy access to information and communication technology for more than half of the continent's population within eight years.
Africa: Broadband Blockage
CONFIRMATION of financial backing for Seacom's 15000km undersea cable linking Africa to India and Europe comes in the nick of time, not only to ensure SA has enough bandwidth to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup, but to prevent the country from falling too far behind the developed world technologically.
With local investment company Venfin now on board with a 25% stake worth $75m, black-owned groups Shanduka and Investment Partners securing 12,5% each, and Neotel, SA's second network operator, providing the vital telecoms licence that allows the cable to dock here, there is nothing preventing the project from going ahead. Indeed, more than $10m has already been spent on a marine survey and engineering of the cable, and actual production of the fibreoptic components and undersea facilities starts next week.
With local investment company Venfin now on board with a 25% stake worth $75m, black-owned groups Shanduka and Investment Partners securing 12,5% each, and Neotel, SA's second network operator, providing the vital telecoms licence that allows the cable to dock here, there is nothing preventing the project from going ahead. Indeed, more than $10m has already been spent on a marine survey and engineering of the cable, and actual production of the fibreoptic components and undersea facilities starts next week.
Tanzania: Mobile Phones Benefit Fishing Community
Tanzanian fishermen have benefited a great deal from the use of mobile phones in doing business with local communities.
A study conducted by two students from Upsalla University, Sweden, in collaboration with the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT), has concluded that the use of mobile phones has improved the livelihood of the fishermen who had hitherto no reliable means of communicationThe two students, Jonas Myhr and Lars Nordstrom, presented their findings at the ongoing 5th International Conference in Open Access, being held in the Tanzanian town of Bagamoyo.
According to the study, the fishermen, used to spending long hours away from family and friends now find it easier to stay in touch as they venture into the sea.
Those still at home can now call colleagues already in the sea to find out about the weather and the tidal movements. The researchers say that the fishermen no longer rely on the weather forecast by the Meteorological Department which in most cases is inaccurate.
The fisherfolk also communicate with one another, giving tips on where to get the best catch.
Mobile phones also come in handy during cases of emergency.
Fishermen caught in the middle of a storm will no longer scream to call for help, which does not help in most cases. But now fishermen can simply dial the emergency numbers on their cell phones or simply call their friends.
Most of all, fishermen are now using mobile phones to gather market information and co-ordinate pickup for their catch, known to be a highly perishable commodity.
Customers willing to buy fish simply call the fishermen to place their orders. With this empowerment, the supply chain has now improved.
But it has not been smooth sailing either. Loss of a phone consequently means loss of business.
The researchers also suggest that number portability, which allows subscribers to retain their phone numbers across the networks, could alleviate this problem.
Most of the fisherfolk are also still unbanked, and hence the need for more affordable banking services to protect them against unfavourable conditions.
A study conducted by two students from Upsalla University, Sweden, in collaboration with the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT), has concluded that the use of mobile phones has improved the livelihood of the fishermen who had hitherto no reliable means of communicationThe two students, Jonas Myhr and Lars Nordstrom, presented their findings at the ongoing 5th International Conference in Open Access, being held in the Tanzanian town of Bagamoyo.
According to the study, the fishermen, used to spending long hours away from family and friends now find it easier to stay in touch as they venture into the sea.
Those still at home can now call colleagues already in the sea to find out about the weather and the tidal movements. The researchers say that the fishermen no longer rely on the weather forecast by the Meteorological Department which in most cases is inaccurate.
The fisherfolk also communicate with one another, giving tips on where to get the best catch.
Mobile phones also come in handy during cases of emergency.
Fishermen caught in the middle of a storm will no longer scream to call for help, which does not help in most cases. But now fishermen can simply dial the emergency numbers on their cell phones or simply call their friends.
Most of all, fishermen are now using mobile phones to gather market information and co-ordinate pickup for their catch, known to be a highly perishable commodity.
Customers willing to buy fish simply call the fishermen to place their orders. With this empowerment, the supply chain has now improved.
But it has not been smooth sailing either. Loss of a phone consequently means loss of business.
The researchers also suggest that number portability, which allows subscribers to retain their phone numbers across the networks, could alleviate this problem.
Most of the fisherfolk are also still unbanked, and hence the need for more affordable banking services to protect them against unfavourable conditions.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Web training at MSTCDC Arusha Tanzania
From Monday 8/10/2007 i have been conducting website tranning to 12 web masters from various organasations with websites which uses Joomla contents management. I have been developing website for sometime and i am familiar with some of website content managemt (CMS) including joomla-www.joomla.org ,typo3-www.typo3.com and others. the tranning will help webmasters for the paricular organasation to manage their website day to day.It is 3 days training.I will post some photos for the training i am current doing. This is a part of my effort for IT For Changes in Tanzania MSTCDC is a Training centre is at Arusha tanzania http://www.mstcdc.or.tz/ and is part of MS dermark
webmasters in the class during the course at MSTCDC among the organasation who sent the representatives include haki elimu, Taphgo,TMWDO, envirocare,TRC,legal human rights centre, and ACT
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Kenya: Nokia Moves to Counter Fake Batteries
Kui Kinyanjui
Mobile phone maker Nokia has announced plans to launch branded batteries to curb the use of counterfeits.
The move comes after the company's long struggle with consumer dissatisfaction caused by use of counterfeit in its devices.Beginning next year, Nokia batteries will bear a hologram and unique 10 digit alpha-numeric code to help consumers identify genuine products.Last month, the company lost billions of shillings in a consumer level recall of 46 million batteries affected by a manufacturing glitch.
Nokia issued a product advisory for branded BL-5C batteries manufactured by Matsushita Battery Industrial of Japan between December 2005 and November 2006. Affected batteries were said to overheat and "dislodge" during charging, exposing users to danger.
Ms Dorothy Ooko, the Nokia communications manager for East and South Africa, said the recall was ongoing and is expect to be complete by end of the year. To facilitate the recall, Nokia established call centres to handle the return and replacement programme. So far, more than 90 calls have been made to the phone manufacturers local call centre regarding the battery recalls.
Locally, the company beefed up its presence in 1,046 out of the total 1,212 mobile phone retail outlets and established a customer care line to facilitate the process. There are more than 300 million BL-5C batteries installed in phones around the world, 46 million of which were manufactured by Matsushita.
Yesterday, Nokia launched a range of new models for the Kenyan market, hoping to extend its market lead with a mix of high and low end devices.
The products - have unique cutting edge features and applications specifically designed for the entry market.
Nokia said a clearer understating of the Kenyan market had enabled it to launch its 1200, 1208, 1650, 2630 and 2760 models, which are all classified as entry level phones and cost between Sh3,000 and Sh7,000."We put this understanding into practice by developing products and applications that are relevant, easy-to-use and simple to understand, which is especially important for first-time users," said , Piotr Labuszewski, Nokia's area manger for East Africa.
Local research conducted by Informa Telecoms into phone ownership trends in the country have revealed that most Kenyans without a phone have access to and regularly use mobile phones.
The study conducted in Kenya and Nigeria found that 85 per cent of people who do not own a phone nonetheless use them to call or make transactions, indicating an emerging market for devices that allow users to
Mobile phone maker Nokia has announced plans to launch branded batteries to curb the use of counterfeits.
The move comes after the company's long struggle with consumer dissatisfaction caused by use of counterfeit in its devices.Beginning next year, Nokia batteries will bear a hologram and unique 10 digit alpha-numeric code to help consumers identify genuine products.Last month, the company lost billions of shillings in a consumer level recall of 46 million batteries affected by a manufacturing glitch.
Nokia issued a product advisory for branded BL-5C batteries manufactured by Matsushita Battery Industrial of Japan between December 2005 and November 2006. Affected batteries were said to overheat and "dislodge" during charging, exposing users to danger.
Ms Dorothy Ooko, the Nokia communications manager for East and South Africa, said the recall was ongoing and is expect to be complete by end of the year. To facilitate the recall, Nokia established call centres to handle the return and replacement programme. So far, more than 90 calls have been made to the phone manufacturers local call centre regarding the battery recalls.
Locally, the company beefed up its presence in 1,046 out of the total 1,212 mobile phone retail outlets and established a customer care line to facilitate the process. There are more than 300 million BL-5C batteries installed in phones around the world, 46 million of which were manufactured by Matsushita.
Yesterday, Nokia launched a range of new models for the Kenyan market, hoping to extend its market lead with a mix of high and low end devices.
The products - have unique cutting edge features and applications specifically designed for the entry market.
Nokia said a clearer understating of the Kenyan market had enabled it to launch its 1200, 1208, 1650, 2630 and 2760 models, which are all classified as entry level phones and cost between Sh3,000 and Sh7,000."We put this understanding into practice by developing products and applications that are relevant, easy-to-use and simple to understand, which is especially important for first-time users," said , Piotr Labuszewski, Nokia's area manger for East Africa.
Local research conducted by Informa Telecoms into phone ownership trends in the country have revealed that most Kenyans without a phone have access to and regularly use mobile phones.
The study conducted in Kenya and Nigeria found that 85 per cent of people who do not own a phone nonetheless use them to call or make transactions, indicating an emerging market for devices that allow users to
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Africa: ICT Updates From Around the Continent
Africa, with only 3% of world internet users and some 14% of the world's population, is still the least connected continent. But it is also the one with the fastest growth rate in connectivity. The number of internet users has increased more than 7 times the number in the year 2000, to almost 34 million.
[For these and related statistics, see http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm]With such rapid growth, the opportunities for creative use of information and communications technology (ICT) as well as for business ventures in the sector, are also rapidly expanding.
This issue of AfricaFocus Bulletin contains several recent updates covering ventures as diverse as e-agriculture for Togolese farmers to wireless access in Egyptian tourist destinations. The updates are selected from Highway Africa News Agency (http://hana.ru.ac.za/) and Balancing Act News Updates (http://www.balancingact-africa.com/). Along with the Association of Progressive Communications (http://www.apc.org/), these sites are ones that AfricaFocus regularly relies on for updates in this field.
[For these and related statistics, see http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm]With such rapid growth, the opportunities for creative use of information and communications technology (ICT) as well as for business ventures in the sector, are also rapidly expanding.
This issue of AfricaFocus Bulletin contains several recent updates covering ventures as diverse as e-agriculture for Togolese farmers to wireless access in Egyptian tourist destinations. The updates are selected from Highway Africa News Agency (http://hana.ru.ac.za/) and Balancing Act News Updates (http://www.balancingact-africa.com/). Along with the Association of Progressive Communications (http://www.apc.org/), these sites are ones that AfricaFocus regularly relies on for updates in this field.
President Kagame calls for harmonized East African ICT Policy
Opening an East African broadband workshop at Serena Hotel in Kigali this week, President Paul Kagame noted that there is great need to adopt a harmonized East African ICT policy that would create free extension of inter-regional ICT connections. Kagame's appeal comes days after the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat announced a date on which to formally admit Rwanda to full membership status in the EAC regional bloc, where only Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are the only members of the EAC.Kagame told ICT minister from the region that for East Africa to benefit from ICTs, true regionalism has to take root. "We must maximize the benefits of holding this meeting here today, and come up with a coherent regional interconnectivity framework which will enable us to draw-in consistent investment on a much larger scale than we would achieve as individual countries," Kagame said.
"In that context, we have to think of the supply side-constraints, especially regional infrastructures, such as roads, rail, air, sea, and endeavor to modernise them alongside ICTs. Only then can we meaningfully engage in the regional and global markets," he added.
If the regional countries are not able to reach consensus on such fundamental investments that would make outstanding transformations, Kagame observed that, there is no doubt that the East African region as well as the entire African continent would remain poverty-stricken in a vibrant global economy.
The workshop was partly organized by the United States government, through its Digital Freedom Initiative (DFI), together with Rwandan government. The two parties opened a forum with the ministers of communication from the East African regional countries to discuss ICT policies that will encourage the expansion of broadband connectivity in the region.
The DFI was launched in 2003 at the White House, where the governments of Senegal and the United States agreed to pilot it. Since 2003 the DFI has grown to encompass programs in many countries using ICTs to help spur economic growth and policy reform.
The presence of high level ministerial delegations in Kigali, according to the Rwandan President is testimony to the fact that the East African region attaches great importance to ICTs.
"I trust that the post-San Francisco period (the last ICT meeting) has accorded all our countries time to develop stronger strategies of the development of ICT sector, as well as the type and scale of investment required to render this sector more effective," he said.
However, Kagame said that it is imperative for member countries that include Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and Tanzania to modernise agriculture along the ICT industry. According to the US Coordinator for international communication and information policy, Ambassador David Gross, the region has experienced tremendous growth in ICT over the past ten years.
Gross said the transformation has translated into higher rates of economic growth and foreign investments. But, as regional countries work to create open and competitive ICT markets and to facilitate continued growth, the Ambassador said, many key issues remain for policy makers to address in order to expand connectivity including: interconnection, and cross- border pricing as well as ensuring competitive and non-discriminatory access.
"In that context, we have to think of the supply side-constraints, especially regional infrastructures, such as roads, rail, air, sea, and endeavor to modernise them alongside ICTs. Only then can we meaningfully engage in the regional and global markets," he added.
If the regional countries are not able to reach consensus on such fundamental investments that would make outstanding transformations, Kagame observed that, there is no doubt that the East African region as well as the entire African continent would remain poverty-stricken in a vibrant global economy.
The workshop was partly organized by the United States government, through its Digital Freedom Initiative (DFI), together with Rwandan government. The two parties opened a forum with the ministers of communication from the East African regional countries to discuss ICT policies that will encourage the expansion of broadband connectivity in the region.
The DFI was launched in 2003 at the White House, where the governments of Senegal and the United States agreed to pilot it. Since 2003 the DFI has grown to encompass programs in many countries using ICTs to help spur economic growth and policy reform.
The presence of high level ministerial delegations in Kigali, according to the Rwandan President is testimony to the fact that the East African region attaches great importance to ICTs.
"I trust that the post-San Francisco period (the last ICT meeting) has accorded all our countries time to develop stronger strategies of the development of ICT sector, as well as the type and scale of investment required to render this sector more effective," he said.
However, Kagame said that it is imperative for member countries that include Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and Tanzania to modernise agriculture along the ICT industry. According to the US Coordinator for international communication and information policy, Ambassador David Gross, the region has experienced tremendous growth in ICT over the past ten years.
Gross said the transformation has translated into higher rates of economic growth and foreign investments. But, as regional countries work to create open and competitive ICT markets and to facilitate continued growth, the Ambassador said, many key issues remain for policy makers to address in order to expand connectivity including: interconnection, and cross- border pricing as well as ensuring competitive and non-discriminatory access.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Senegal invites third mobile operator
The Senegalese government has invited tenders for a third mobile operator, in addition to the country's two mobile operators, Orange and Tigo. The successful bidder will be given the rights to launch the second private mobile service provider after Tigo, formerly called Sentel.The concession will also give the winner rights to provide fixed line and internet access services head-to-head with France Telecom-backed existing monopoly Sonatel.The regulator of Senegalese telecoms, Agence de Regulation des Telecoms et Postes (ARTP), has set 31 August 2007 as the deadline for offers. In the case of more than one bidder being received, a second round of bidding will take place. Over the years, Senegalese mobile market has recorded a sharp increase in mobile phone business.In March 2007, the number of mobile users in Senegal was estimated at over 3.37 million, compared to 1.94 and 1.73 millions in 1996 and 1995, respectively.In December 2006, the total number of residential and business provided by Sonatel reached 282,573. Orange, a subsidiary of the national telecommunications company, has the highest number of mobile subscribers in the country.Until last year when it jointly adopted Orange with its Sonatel office in Mali, the national mobile service provider had been using trading its products in the name of Alizé.Orange is lent from Sonatel's main shareholder, France Télécom, the Director General of Sonatel, Cheikh Tidiane Mbaye, said. Meanwhile, with effect from 7 October this year, all telephone lines in Senegal will have two more digits added for dialing up. Telecommunication officials said 33, 77 and 76 will be added to fix, Orange and Tigo lines, respectively.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Tanzania: Education is Key to Development, Says Don
Tanzania must invest heavily in human capital if it wanted to become a middle income developing country by 2025.
This was stated in Arusha last week by the former vice chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam Prof. Mathew Luhanga during the launching of a special account by Bank of Baroda to support children education.He said human resources were critical for the country's development above huge infrastructures and finances, arguing that it was a big mistake to ignore giving skills and knowledge to people.
Prof. Luhanga, the longest serving Vice Chancellor of UDSM and any other university in the country's history, said plans to turn the country a middle income developing state may backfire if people were not well trained.
"There had been strong concerns of skilled manpower for the country's development. That is why the institutions of higher learning have been struggling to fill the gap" he told an audience during the launching of Baroda Shule Account.
He said when he took over as UDSM VC in 1991, the entire university had a student population of only 3,300 compared to 21,000 when he retired late last year.
According to the don, who is a board member of Bank of Baroda, the gender balance at UDSM, the country's oldest university, has improved in the last few years.
The Faculty of Law, the oldest in the university, has already attained the desired 50 to 50 per cent ratio between male and female students.
Overall, the female students now account for 33 per cent of the whole student population at UDSM compared to only 16 per cent in 1991 when UDSM was one of the only two existing universities in the country then.
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, concentrated on the main campus, is second to Law faculty in having a high ratio of female students
This was stated in Arusha last week by the former vice chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam Prof. Mathew Luhanga during the launching of a special account by Bank of Baroda to support children education.He said human resources were critical for the country's development above huge infrastructures and finances, arguing that it was a big mistake to ignore giving skills and knowledge to people.
Prof. Luhanga, the longest serving Vice Chancellor of UDSM and any other university in the country's history, said plans to turn the country a middle income developing state may backfire if people were not well trained.
"There had been strong concerns of skilled manpower for the country's development. That is why the institutions of higher learning have been struggling to fill the gap" he told an audience during the launching of Baroda Shule Account.
He said when he took over as UDSM VC in 1991, the entire university had a student population of only 3,300 compared to 21,000 when he retired late last year.
According to the don, who is a board member of Bank of Baroda, the gender balance at UDSM, the country's oldest university, has improved in the last few years.
The Faculty of Law, the oldest in the university, has already attained the desired 50 to 50 per cent ratio between male and female students.
Overall, the female students now account for 33 per cent of the whole student population at UDSM compared to only 16 per cent in 1991 when UDSM was one of the only two existing universities in the country then.
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, concentrated on the main campus, is second to Law faculty in having a high ratio of female students
Kenya: The Web is About Trust, So Let's Us Observe 'Netiquette'
There is a growing concern by users of communication technologies such as the Internet and mobile phones that lack of etiquette and common rules for exchanging information will discourage many from utilising these great innovations that are bringing people together and creating new business opportunities worldwide.
There is nothing as annoying as a disruptive pop up of a political advert on your computer screen while you are typing your email or doing some other serious business. If unchecked, unsolicited text messages from politicians seeking votes will soon become the order of the day.
There was a time when we had become a notoriously "flashing community". Some people developed a culture of provoking others to call them by flashing their mobile phones. This is what made the mobile phone operator Safaricom introduce the more respectful "please call me" flash back buzz, which serves the same purpose anyway.
THE NEED TO MAKE PEOPLE SOCI-ally responsible when using technology has led some professionals to come up with the term "netiquette", which means etiquette over the Net.
I remember the first day I saw the Internet. A friend who had just managed to connect on a slow dial up (internet via phone line) could not hide his excitement as he showed me "things of this world". In satisfying my curiosity for technology, I found myself starring at some awful sex site. For a long time thereafter I believed that the Internet was all about indecency. It took great convincing from another friend, a civilised friend, to take me back to the world of email, e-learning, e-commerce, e-ticketing and a whole host of other vital resources on the World Wide Web.
Like everyone else who survived the first internet tutor, I am beginning to wonder how I managed without Internet now that every aspect of modern living revolves around this network of networks.
The newcomers to the social space that is not physical - the cyberspace, are called "newbies". It is important that someone treats them to a fulfilling experience on their maiden logging in.
The Internet is about trust among people who may not have met physically and who may never meet. Some have formed popular discussion forums called electronic newsgroups, where issues of common interest are discussed in threads of postings by members who are expected to observe certain norms.
One such group is the Kenya ICT Network, (KICTANet, www.kictanet.or .ke), a local online forum where people in the field of Information and Communication Technology share ideas on issues of profound relevance to their profession such as the recent controversial Media Bill.
In such a forum, it is not uncommon for "newbies" to reply to a posting from someone he or she knows in the group in some personal way, without realising that the message is going out to everyone in the mailing list! When such a mistake occurs, the remedial "netiquette" step to follow would be a humble apology: "sorry for cross posting".
Whether you are sending an SMS text message or an email, it is always advisable to think twice before hitting the "send" tab or button to make sure that you are sending the message to the correct person(s).
In digital communication, we also have chat forums (or chat rooms). Most of them have "moderators" to ensure that order and decorum are maintained during discussions. But "universal civilisation", especially among people who are communicating outside the physical contact, is lacking.
Some users will flout the rules by advertising their businesses or use foul language during online debate. Even the use of capital letters to underscore a point is an unkind gesture in the virtual world. It means you are annoyed and screaming.
There is nothing as annoying as a disruptive pop up of a political advert on your computer screen while you are typing your email or doing some other serious business. If unchecked, unsolicited text messages from politicians seeking votes will soon become the order of the day.
There was a time when we had become a notoriously "flashing community". Some people developed a culture of provoking others to call them by flashing their mobile phones. This is what made the mobile phone operator Safaricom introduce the more respectful "please call me" flash back buzz, which serves the same purpose anyway.
THE NEED TO MAKE PEOPLE SOCI-ally responsible when using technology has led some professionals to come up with the term "netiquette", which means etiquette over the Net.
I remember the first day I saw the Internet. A friend who had just managed to connect on a slow dial up (internet via phone line) could not hide his excitement as he showed me "things of this world". In satisfying my curiosity for technology, I found myself starring at some awful sex site. For a long time thereafter I believed that the Internet was all about indecency. It took great convincing from another friend, a civilised friend, to take me back to the world of email, e-learning, e-commerce, e-ticketing and a whole host of other vital resources on the World Wide Web.
Like everyone else who survived the first internet tutor, I am beginning to wonder how I managed without Internet now that every aspect of modern living revolves around this network of networks.
The newcomers to the social space that is not physical - the cyberspace, are called "newbies". It is important that someone treats them to a fulfilling experience on their maiden logging in.
The Internet is about trust among people who may not have met physically and who may never meet. Some have formed popular discussion forums called electronic newsgroups, where issues of common interest are discussed in threads of postings by members who are expected to observe certain norms.
One such group is the Kenya ICT Network, (KICTANet, www.kictanet.or .ke), a local online forum where people in the field of Information and Communication Technology share ideas on issues of profound relevance to their profession such as the recent controversial Media Bill.
In such a forum, it is not uncommon for "newbies" to reply to a posting from someone he or she knows in the group in some personal way, without realising that the message is going out to everyone in the mailing list! When such a mistake occurs, the remedial "netiquette" step to follow would be a humble apology: "sorry for cross posting".
Whether you are sending an SMS text message or an email, it is always advisable to think twice before hitting the "send" tab or button to make sure that you are sending the message to the correct person(s).
In digital communication, we also have chat forums (or chat rooms). Most of them have "moderators" to ensure that order and decorum are maintained during discussions. But "universal civilisation", especially among people who are communicating outside the physical contact, is lacking.
Some users will flout the rules by advertising their businesses or use foul language during online debate. Even the use of capital letters to underscore a point is an unkind gesture in the virtual world. It means you are annoyed and screaming.
Government to outsource ICT jobs
The Seychelles' public sector ICT workforce will shrink considerably as a result of the current restructuring being undertaken by the government. In a recent interview the minister responsible for Information and Communication Technology, Jacquelin Dugasse said his ministry intends to outsource most projects to the private sector.
"This is an opportune moment for our young professionals to apply their trade in the private sector or even set up their own businesses," says Dugasse.Amongst the ICT specialists who could lose their current employment with the government are several developers, designers, programmers, analysts, administrators and technicians. A government spokesperson said that in the last three weeks 57 employees from various professions, including ICT have been made redundant.Critics have questioned the government's motives since ICTs have been identified as the backbone for the country's ambitious plan for the next ten years called Strategy 2017."This is ironic. Seychelles is already heavily dependent on foreign expertise in the ICT fields, yet we are now witnessing qualified local talents being made redundant," commented a chamber of commerce official.The government has defended its decision to lay off workers, claiming it will enforce its role as facilitator and regulator rather than the major service provider. "We intend to refrain from employing people doing specialist jobs that the private sector can do more effectively, whilst contributing positively to Seychelles? prosperity," says the vice president, Joseph Belmont. The main opposition party has expressed dismay at the reasons given for the redundancy and has accused the government of handling the situation with insensitivity.
"This is an opportune moment for our young professionals to apply their trade in the private sector or even set up their own businesses," says Dugasse.Amongst the ICT specialists who could lose their current employment with the government are several developers, designers, programmers, analysts, administrators and technicians. A government spokesperson said that in the last three weeks 57 employees from various professions, including ICT have been made redundant.Critics have questioned the government's motives since ICTs have been identified as the backbone for the country's ambitious plan for the next ten years called Strategy 2017."This is ironic. Seychelles is already heavily dependent on foreign expertise in the ICT fields, yet we are now witnessing qualified local talents being made redundant," commented a chamber of commerce official.The government has defended its decision to lay off workers, claiming it will enforce its role as facilitator and regulator rather than the major service provider. "We intend to refrain from employing people doing specialist jobs that the private sector can do more effectively, whilst contributing positively to Seychelles? prosperity," says the vice president, Joseph Belmont. The main opposition party has expressed dismay at the reasons given for the redundancy and has accused the government of handling the situation with insensitivity.
Africa must develop aggressive ICT policies
If Malawi is to speed up its integration into the global village, then it must develop more aggressive policies on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), an expert has said. The expert, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, chief executive officer of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization (CTO), was speaking after a meeting with senior staff of the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) on Tuesday.
"We live in knowledge era and ICTs are the order of the day. Malawi and indeed Africa missed out on Agricultural and Industrial revolutions, we must try by all means not to miss out on the Information revolution," said Spio-Garbrah.He added: "There have been improvements in ICT growth across Africa but, unfortunately, it has only been in mobile communication which has about 20 per cent penetration. Unfortunately though, 95 per cent of Africa is yet to receive or send an e-mail."The CTO chief also said that there was significant representation of Africa at strategic bodies such as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and CTO which Africa, and Malawi in particular, should take advantage of while it lasts."If we do not take advantage of the African presence at the ITU and CTO to advance continental, regional and national ICT objectives, we're never going to get such an opportunity again," he said, noting that countries that are showing significant growth in Africa are those that are heavily investing in technology.Spio-Garbrah also encouraged Malawians to be innovative in developing their own ICTs as a means of speeding the process of bridging the digital gap that exists between Africa and the West."For long, we've relied on other people's products, it's time we see innovative use and production of Africa-specific ICTs so as to speed up our development. There are lots of opportunities waiting to be unveiled," he said.E-commerce, Spio-Garbrah enthused, could help in the marketing of Malawian products to foreign markets at the click of a mouse and e-governance could help in easing, for example, congestions at several government departments, especially those that deal directly with the public.He also encouraged Malawians to learn from Uganda, South Africa, Botswana, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya in fields such as rural connectivity, convergence laws and new generation networks and regulating competition among others."But all this," he impressed, "requires aggressive policies and a keen interest in influencing capacity building and encouraging knowledge acquisition by making ICTs a mantra for development."
"We live in knowledge era and ICTs are the order of the day. Malawi and indeed Africa missed out on Agricultural and Industrial revolutions, we must try by all means not to miss out on the Information revolution," said Spio-Garbrah.He added: "There have been improvements in ICT growth across Africa but, unfortunately, it has only been in mobile communication which has about 20 per cent penetration. Unfortunately though, 95 per cent of Africa is yet to receive or send an e-mail."The CTO chief also said that there was significant representation of Africa at strategic bodies such as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and CTO which Africa, and Malawi in particular, should take advantage of while it lasts."If we do not take advantage of the African presence at the ITU and CTO to advance continental, regional and national ICT objectives, we're never going to get such an opportunity again," he said, noting that countries that are showing significant growth in Africa are those that are heavily investing in technology.Spio-Garbrah also encouraged Malawians to be innovative in developing their own ICTs as a means of speeding the process of bridging the digital gap that exists between Africa and the West."For long, we've relied on other people's products, it's time we see innovative use and production of Africa-specific ICTs so as to speed up our development. There are lots of opportunities waiting to be unveiled," he said.E-commerce, Spio-Garbrah enthused, could help in the marketing of Malawian products to foreign markets at the click of a mouse and e-governance could help in easing, for example, congestions at several government departments, especially those that deal directly with the public.He also encouraged Malawians to learn from Uganda, South Africa, Botswana, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya in fields such as rural connectivity, convergence laws and new generation networks and regulating competition among others."But all this," he impressed, "requires aggressive policies and a keen interest in influencing capacity building and encouraging knowledge acquisition by making ICTs a mantra for development."
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Nigeria: One child, one laptop
The United Nations Children and Education Fund and Corporate Nigeria have agreed to adopt the worldwide 'One Laptop Per Child' strategy as part of their corporate social responsibility projects in education.
According to details made available to HANA by the 'One Laptop Per Nigerian Child' OLPNC, the organisations promoting the OLPNC initiative, together with UNICEF will help attract leading corporate bodies for the scheme designed to give laptops to children in Primary schools.OLPC was initiated by Prof.Nicholas Negroponte of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to help developing countries in the third world mainly to catch up with the global digital revolution. A member of OLPNC, Mr. Tomi Davies, said that the US-led non-profit initiative was building an all inclusive and broad-based organisation that would promote and propagate the OLPC idea in Nigeria . He said, "We have opened discussions with some corporate organizations and some are already helping us.The aim is to start a national debate on digital literacy for Nigerian children so the country can be an active participant in the emerging global knowledge economy for which the use of computers is taken for granted much like access to television and telephones have become fundamentals of today's information age." He revealed that the Director of Information Technology, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. M.K Ibrahim, Director of Strategy at the Nigerian Communications Commission, Mrs. Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien, are some of the people that have joined the OLPNC team.He added that the organizations have also initiated discussions with UBEC, NERDC and other primary and secondary school stakeholders. "The vision is for the Nigeria of the future to be a leader in the contribution of digitally based intellectual property as a means of capital value creation and competitive advantage in the world. Our children are the future and they are here now. We cannot wait until everything from the past ( i.e. Classrooms, Teachers, Books, Pens etc) is in place and available to all before we start addressing the future (i.e. Laptops, Connectivity, Content, Security etc). Otherwise, the digital divide may become a digital chasm that is too wide for the next generation of Nigerians to bridge," he said.
According to details made available to HANA by the 'One Laptop Per Nigerian Child' OLPNC, the organisations promoting the OLPNC initiative, together with UNICEF will help attract leading corporate bodies for the scheme designed to give laptops to children in Primary schools.OLPC was initiated by Prof.Nicholas Negroponte of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to help developing countries in the third world mainly to catch up with the global digital revolution. A member of OLPNC, Mr. Tomi Davies, said that the US-led non-profit initiative was building an all inclusive and broad-based organisation that would promote and propagate the OLPC idea in Nigeria . He said, "We have opened discussions with some corporate organizations and some are already helping us.The aim is to start a national debate on digital literacy for Nigerian children so the country can be an active participant in the emerging global knowledge economy for which the use of computers is taken for granted much like access to television and telephones have become fundamentals of today's information age." He revealed that the Director of Information Technology, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. M.K Ibrahim, Director of Strategy at the Nigerian Communications Commission, Mrs. Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien, are some of the people that have joined the OLPNC team.He added that the organizations have also initiated discussions with UBEC, NERDC and other primary and secondary school stakeholders. "The vision is for the Nigeria of the future to be a leader in the contribution of digitally based intellectual property as a means of capital value creation and competitive advantage in the world. Our children are the future and they are here now. We cannot wait until everything from the past ( i.e. Classrooms, Teachers, Books, Pens etc) is in place and available to all before we start addressing the future (i.e. Laptops, Connectivity, Content, Security etc). Otherwise, the digital divide may become a digital chasm that is too wide for the next generation of Nigerians to bridge," he said.
African civil society warns Microsoft
African Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) may be spoiling for war with the global software giant, Microsoft Corporation, over its bid to have its DIS 29500 'Office Open Extensible Markup Language (OOXML)' endorsed by the International Standard Organisation (ISO).
African Civil Society Organisations are of the opinion that it is not in the best interest of the continent for any country to endorse OOXML, in line with the United States, Spain, South Africa and Kenya who have already voted 'No' to the OOXML.For instance, South Africa voted 13 against 4 and Czech went for ?NO? on the OOXML among others.Noteworthy is that on Sunday, September 2, 2007, ISO is expected to vote on Ecma 376, "OOXML." Various countries have been allowed to arrive at a consensus at their convenience before this date. Nigeria is expected to hold a one-day stakeholders consultative forum at the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) office, next week Wednesday, August 29, 2007 at its Lekki office.The CSOs squabble borders on the fact that OOXML has many flaws disqualifying it from being globally applicable and acceptable, especially by ISO.XML is a programmable code initiative by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which permits information and services to be encoded with meaningful structure and semantics, which computers and humans could understand.Also software experts have described XML as a great formula for information exchange, and easily extendable to include user-specified and industry-specified tags.Commenting on the development, the Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, Mr. Gbenga Sesan, said that even the United States (U.S.) delegate at the ISO international standards body has concluded plans to vote against the approval of Microsoft?s Office Open XML file format as a standard next month.The U.S. decision was arrived at after the proposal failed to get enough support from members of the group?s board.Information and Communication Technology (ICT) consultant, and chairperson of the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA), Ms Nnenna Nwakanma, told HANA that Nigeria like any other African country stands to gain by properly investigating the issue on the ground, stressing that Microsoft lobbyists have not been able to convince stakeholders how the OOXML document formats would benefit the public except for those who have Office 2007, which is a proprietary software ."Only those using Office 2007 can benefit from it. If you use any Office apart from 2007, you first have to upgrade. I cannot understand why norms cannot be used unless certain proprietary changes had to be made," she said.On the implication of voting 'No' to OOXML being proposed by Microsoft to Africa, especially in relation to e-School initiative, she said, already some African countries are warming up to embrace Open Document Formats (ODF), as an alternative file format.She cited an instance with South Africa, saying it has taken a firm decision to migrate to ODF.The challenge, according to her that Africa has now is to build own tropicalised technology."In Africa we have to build up our own tropicalized technology. Open Source offers the best option for this. Anyhow, if the most advanced IT nations in the world and in Africa says NO to OOXML, Africa as a whole should listen," she advised.CSOs insisted that the DIS 29500 'Office Open XML' (OOXML) does not meet the criteria defined by ISO and others for an International Standard, adding that OOXML is an immature documentation of one vendor's proprietary document format, which depends on software patents held by this vendor.
African Civil Society Organisations are of the opinion that it is not in the best interest of the continent for any country to endorse OOXML, in line with the United States, Spain, South Africa and Kenya who have already voted 'No' to the OOXML.For instance, South Africa voted 13 against 4 and Czech went for ?NO? on the OOXML among others.Noteworthy is that on Sunday, September 2, 2007, ISO is expected to vote on Ecma 376, "OOXML." Various countries have been allowed to arrive at a consensus at their convenience before this date. Nigeria is expected to hold a one-day stakeholders consultative forum at the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) office, next week Wednesday, August 29, 2007 at its Lekki office.The CSOs squabble borders on the fact that OOXML has many flaws disqualifying it from being globally applicable and acceptable, especially by ISO.XML is a programmable code initiative by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which permits information and services to be encoded with meaningful structure and semantics, which computers and humans could understand.Also software experts have described XML as a great formula for information exchange, and easily extendable to include user-specified and industry-specified tags.Commenting on the development, the Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, Mr. Gbenga Sesan, said that even the United States (U.S.) delegate at the ISO international standards body has concluded plans to vote against the approval of Microsoft?s Office Open XML file format as a standard next month.The U.S. decision was arrived at after the proposal failed to get enough support from members of the group?s board.Information and Communication Technology (ICT) consultant, and chairperson of the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA), Ms Nnenna Nwakanma, told HANA that Nigeria like any other African country stands to gain by properly investigating the issue on the ground, stressing that Microsoft lobbyists have not been able to convince stakeholders how the OOXML document formats would benefit the public except for those who have Office 2007, which is a proprietary software ."Only those using Office 2007 can benefit from it. If you use any Office apart from 2007, you first have to upgrade. I cannot understand why norms cannot be used unless certain proprietary changes had to be made," she said.On the implication of voting 'No' to OOXML being proposed by Microsoft to Africa, especially in relation to e-School initiative, she said, already some African countries are warming up to embrace Open Document Formats (ODF), as an alternative file format.She cited an instance with South Africa, saying it has taken a firm decision to migrate to ODF.The challenge, according to her that Africa has now is to build own tropicalised technology."In Africa we have to build up our own tropicalized technology. Open Source offers the best option for this. Anyhow, if the most advanced IT nations in the world and in Africa says NO to OOXML, Africa as a whole should listen," she advised.CSOs insisted that the DIS 29500 'Office Open XML' (OOXML) does not meet the criteria defined by ISO and others for an International Standard, adding that OOXML is an immature documentation of one vendor's proprietary document format, which depends on software patents held by this vendor.
Africa: Country Leads in Mobile Television in Africa
THE Federal government has said that come 2012, all analog transmission across the country will be switched off in line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Speaking yesterday at the launch of DStv Mobile television at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja by Details Nigeria, the Acting Director-General, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr. Yomi Bolarinwa said the government would ensure that by 2015 which is the set target by the MDGs, no home in Nigeria will be left behind in receiving signals.
Nigeria also yesterday took the lead in the sub-Saharan Africa as it formally launched the Mobile television network using the Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H) technology standard.
Speaking at the launch, the Chairman, Details Nigeria Limited, one of the pioneers of Multimedia Digital Services broadcast in Nigeria, Adewunmi Ogunsanya who noted that the company had spent over $60 million in the take off of the project, said the DVB-H is regarded as world's leading mobile broadcast technology standard that allows for the digital terrestrial broadcast of live television channels to a mobile phone.
According to him, it provides 12 interesting Channels such as CNN, Channel 37 {Big Brother Africa}, NTA, Africa Magic, Channel O; SuperSportupdate; Trinity broadcast service, and a host of others, adding that plans have been concluded to extend services to Ibadan, Lagos, Calabar, Kano; Jos; Port Harcourt, Enugu, among others at the completion of full coverage of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
Mr. Ogunsanya, who noted that the company took up the challenge in the believe in the spirit and sincerity of government to level the playing field and allow private operators the latitude to contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of the country, said Mobile TV is a very natural progression from TV in the lounge.
He said the company, in its desire for effective service delivery, had entered into its first distribution agreement with MTN Nigeria to market the service, with plans to move to Glo network, Celtel and others, adding that the DVB-H configure cellular telephones will be made available to consumers through MTN Nigeria.
"We are very excited that Nigeria becomes one of the first countries in the world to roll out DVB-H services. Details Nigeria will roll out the DVB-H service to all mobile operators in Nigeria. We have started discussions with the main players in this arena and are working hard to put all the building blocks in place to ensure that Nigerians have early access to global innovations in the industry.
"DVB-H allows for the digital terrestrial broadcast of live television channels to mobile telephones. It differs from third generation {"3G"} Mobile Telephony in that DVB-H is a one-to-many transmission on a linear basis and uses broadcasting infrastructure, while 3G uses telephony infrastructure that delivers point-to-point services.
Speaking yesterday at the launch of DStv Mobile television at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja by Details Nigeria, the Acting Director-General, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr. Yomi Bolarinwa said the government would ensure that by 2015 which is the set target by the MDGs, no home in Nigeria will be left behind in receiving signals.
Nigeria also yesterday took the lead in the sub-Saharan Africa as it formally launched the Mobile television network using the Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H) technology standard.
Speaking at the launch, the Chairman, Details Nigeria Limited, one of the pioneers of Multimedia Digital Services broadcast in Nigeria, Adewunmi Ogunsanya who noted that the company had spent over $60 million in the take off of the project, said the DVB-H is regarded as world's leading mobile broadcast technology standard that allows for the digital terrestrial broadcast of live television channels to a mobile phone.
According to him, it provides 12 interesting Channels such as CNN, Channel 37 {Big Brother Africa}, NTA, Africa Magic, Channel O; SuperSportupdate; Trinity broadcast service, and a host of others, adding that plans have been concluded to extend services to Ibadan, Lagos, Calabar, Kano; Jos; Port Harcourt, Enugu, among others at the completion of full coverage of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
Mr. Ogunsanya, who noted that the company took up the challenge in the believe in the spirit and sincerity of government to level the playing field and allow private operators the latitude to contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of the country, said Mobile TV is a very natural progression from TV in the lounge.
He said the company, in its desire for effective service delivery, had entered into its first distribution agreement with MTN Nigeria to market the service, with plans to move to Glo network, Celtel and others, adding that the DVB-H configure cellular telephones will be made available to consumers through MTN Nigeria.
"We are very excited that Nigeria becomes one of the first countries in the world to roll out DVB-H services. Details Nigeria will roll out the DVB-H service to all mobile operators in Nigeria. We have started discussions with the main players in this arena and are working hard to put all the building blocks in place to ensure that Nigerians have early access to global innovations in the industry.
"DVB-H allows for the digital terrestrial broadcast of live television channels to mobile telephones. It differs from third generation {"3G"} Mobile Telephony in that DVB-H is a one-to-many transmission on a linear basis and uses broadcasting infrastructure, while 3G uses telephony infrastructure that delivers point-to-point services.
State of Play: Man versus machine
Computers playing computer games may sound odd, but it's an example of the ongoing man versus machine debate.
To the outside observer, all games can seem pretty pointless. But even to gamers who know they're not, there's a whole subset of pointlessness.
To some, it's investing in a subtle, taxing game like Virtua Fighter and never doing more than bashing random buttons in the hope of a win.
For others it's buying a guide book to a Final Fantasy game and blindly following its instructions as you play, rather than the story or your own sense of adventure.
These ways of playing - staunchly defended by some - do seem to rob gaming of nearly everything it has to offer.
But there is an even greater level of pointless play that baffles almost everyone. These are the systems devised by people who are more interested in getting machines to play for them than in playing themselves.
It's a vibrant, but idiosyncratic, world, from the man who's hoping his genetic algorithms will eventually evolve into Dr Mario masters, to the frustrated Guitar Hero who built a bot - complete with a camera for eyes and virtual fingers - to complete the hardest tracks for him.
It's a little surreal, but watching both of these systems play is strangely compelling, and there's an odd sense of vindication to be found in their triumphs. It's literally a case of seeing something beaten at its own game.
So what's going on? Surely nothing could be more pointless than watching a machine play a machine.
To the outside observer, all games can seem pretty pointless. But even to gamers who know they're not, there's a whole subset of pointlessness.
To some, it's investing in a subtle, taxing game like Virtua Fighter and never doing more than bashing random buttons in the hope of a win.
For others it's buying a guide book to a Final Fantasy game and blindly following its instructions as you play, rather than the story or your own sense of adventure.
These ways of playing - staunchly defended by some - do seem to rob gaming of nearly everything it has to offer.
But there is an even greater level of pointless play that baffles almost everyone. These are the systems devised by people who are more interested in getting machines to play for them than in playing themselves.
It's a vibrant, but idiosyncratic, world, from the man who's hoping his genetic algorithms will eventually evolve into Dr Mario masters, to the frustrated Guitar Hero who built a bot - complete with a camera for eyes and virtual fingers - to complete the hardest tracks for him.
It's a little surreal, but watching both of these systems play is strangely compelling, and there's an odd sense of vindication to be found in their triumphs. It's literally a case of seeing something beaten at its own game.
So what's going on? Surely nothing could be more pointless than watching a machine play a machine.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Africa: Celtel Plans 'One Network' for Continent
Celtel International, one of the leading pan-African mobile telecommunications companies, plans to link the whole of Africa to its One Network by 2010.
Speaking to The EastAfrican in Dar es Salaam when launching the "One Office for East Africa" service, Celtel Tanzania Ltd marketing director Margaret Kositany said, "Our focus is to make Africa one village."
The One Office service will facilitate high speed Internet access with the local sim card for all Celtel subscribers in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Celtel International last year launched its borderless "One Network" service in East Africa, which is being enhanced to allow its travelling subscribers to access the Celtel Portal on the Internet in the same way they do in their home countries.
Ms Kositany said that, in addition to being able to move freely across geographical borders without having to pay roaming call surcharges or for incoming calls, "Celtel customers can now access the Internet just as easily and faster."
She said, "Now we want to expand our One Network coverage to the whole of Africa and one of the top 10 mobile operators in the world by the year 2010."
Celtel plans to include three more countries - Sudan, Malawi and Zambia - in its One Network after launching the second phase of One Network, which connects East and Central Africa.
Early this year, Celtel expanded One Network to include the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo and Gabon.
"Our development, however, does not stop here. We will continue to abide by our promise of connecting Africa like no other mobile phone company has been able to to date," said Tito Alai, MTC group chief commercial officer.
Celtel is a fully-owned subsidiary of MTC Group. The company's licences cover more than 400 million people, close to half of Africa's population.
During the launch of the services in Dar es Salaam, Celtel Tanzania managing director Bashar Arafeh said, "We have a role to play in enhancing the ties that bind the people of the East African Community."
Celtel operates in Malawi and Zambia on the group brand but as Mobitel in Sudan. This is in addition to its coverage in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Celtel, which has invested more than $750 million in Africa, has more than 21 million subscribers and operates mobile cellular operations in 14 countries.
These countries are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Congo Brazzaville, Sierra Leone and Zambia
Speaking to The EastAfrican in Dar es Salaam when launching the "One Office for East Africa" service, Celtel Tanzania Ltd marketing director Margaret Kositany said, "Our focus is to make Africa one village."
The One Office service will facilitate high speed Internet access with the local sim card for all Celtel subscribers in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Celtel International last year launched its borderless "One Network" service in East Africa, which is being enhanced to allow its travelling subscribers to access the Celtel Portal on the Internet in the same way they do in their home countries.
Ms Kositany said that, in addition to being able to move freely across geographical borders without having to pay roaming call surcharges or for incoming calls, "Celtel customers can now access the Internet just as easily and faster."
She said, "Now we want to expand our One Network coverage to the whole of Africa and one of the top 10 mobile operators in the world by the year 2010."
Celtel plans to include three more countries - Sudan, Malawi and Zambia - in its One Network after launching the second phase of One Network, which connects East and Central Africa.
Early this year, Celtel expanded One Network to include the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo and Gabon.
"Our development, however, does not stop here. We will continue to abide by our promise of connecting Africa like no other mobile phone company has been able to to date," said Tito Alai, MTC group chief commercial officer.
Celtel is a fully-owned subsidiary of MTC Group. The company's licences cover more than 400 million people, close to half of Africa's population.
During the launch of the services in Dar es Salaam, Celtel Tanzania managing director Bashar Arafeh said, "We have a role to play in enhancing the ties that bind the people of the East African Community."
Celtel operates in Malawi and Zambia on the group brand but as Mobitel in Sudan. This is in addition to its coverage in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Celtel, which has invested more than $750 million in Africa, has more than 21 million subscribers and operates mobile cellular operations in 14 countries.
These countries are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Congo Brazzaville, Sierra Leone and Zambia
Nigeria: We Spend N700m Monthly on Diesels - MTN
NIGERIA's leading mobile provider, MTN Nigeria, weekend explained it was expending in excess of N700 million (about $5.55m) on diesels to power its 6000 generator plants across the country monthly.
Mr. Wale Goodluck, General Manager, Regulatory Affairs, making a public presentation at a one-day summit on Energy and Power: State of Nigeria's Energy and Power sector; Implications for Telecom development", in Lagos stated that for MTN and other telecom operators in Nigeria, "generators are now the primary source of power, with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria as backup.
Expounding further on his speech entitled: The Challenge of Accelerating Network expansion in an expensive energy and erratic power regime: Exploring Biofuels as cost-effective alternative, Mr. Goodluck said the cost of operation in Nigeria was compounding by the enormous cost of diesel fuel, especially viewed against the backdrop that each operator has to generate its own energy needs. Mr. Goodluck, represented the Managing Director and CEO of MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd, Mr. Ahmad Farrouk, at the summit.
"We have 30,000 base stations across the country. 40 mobile switch centres and 6000 generators (and note that in most of these stations, we also have transformers) and we also made investments in NEPA (public power) facilities like polls and others.
Mr. Wale Goodluck, General Manager, Regulatory Affairs, making a public presentation at a one-day summit on Energy and Power: State of Nigeria's Energy and Power sector; Implications for Telecom development", in Lagos stated that for MTN and other telecom operators in Nigeria, "generators are now the primary source of power, with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria as backup.
Expounding further on his speech entitled: The Challenge of Accelerating Network expansion in an expensive energy and erratic power regime: Exploring Biofuels as cost-effective alternative, Mr. Goodluck said the cost of operation in Nigeria was compounding by the enormous cost of diesel fuel, especially viewed against the backdrop that each operator has to generate its own energy needs. Mr. Goodluck, represented the Managing Director and CEO of MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd, Mr. Ahmad Farrouk, at the summit.
"We have 30,000 base stations across the country. 40 mobile switch centres and 6000 generators (and note that in most of these stations, we also have transformers) and we also made investments in NEPA (public power) facilities like polls and others.
India now Nokia's second market
The Indian market is now "poised right behind China", Nokia saysMobile phone maker Nokia says India has overtaken the US to become its second largest market in terms of sales.
Chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo made the comment on a visit to India to meet officials, suppliers and clients.
Nokia had expected India to overtake the US as its second biggest sales market after China by 2010.
Nokia's focus has shifted in recent years to fast-growing emerging markets such as India, which had a total of 118 million mobile users by July this year.
While rising incomes are boosting mobile phone demand, low call rates are also attracting more than six million more people across the country to sign up with mobile phone operators each month.
Growing market
"Out of 185 million mobile phone users in India, 85 million use Nokia phones," the managing director at Nokia's India unit added.
The most recent official figures from the firm - covering 2006 - showed India was fast catching up on the US with net sales worth 2.7bn euros ($3.7bn; £1.8bn) against sales of 2.8bn euros in America.
With Nokia focused on the potential of this fast-growing market, India has now become a key hub for the firm and its operations in India have grown substantially since 2004 when it employed just 450 people.
It now employs 9,000 people, and its factory in Chennai has shipped 60 million phones in the 18 months since it opened - with half exported to more than 58 countries.
Worldwide, the firm sold 100.8 million handsets between April and June.
Yahoo in China human rights case
Whole websites, including media sources, are eliminated from Yahoo A human rights group in the US is suing Yahoo for alleged complicity in rights abuses and acts of torture in China.
The World Organization for Human Rights says Yahoo's sharing of information with the Chinese government has led to the arrests of writers and dissidents.
One journalist cited in the case was tracked down and jailed for 10 years for subversion after Yahoo passed on his email and IP address to officials.
Yahoo insists it must comply with local laws in areas where it operates.
But it acknowledges that providing Chinese officials with information has enabled them to make arrests.
In a statement, Yahoo said it supported privacy and free expression and added that it was working with other technology companies to find a way to address human rights concerns.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Yahoo information
Yahoo Inc said on Sunday it was giving its e-mail users more ways to reach friends and online contacts by allowing them to trade messages with mobile phone users.
The new e-mail-to-phone connection is one of the features the Internet media giant plans to add as it makes available to the more than 250 million Yahoo Mail users a new version of the world's most popular e-mail program in coming weeks.
The Yahoo Mail overhaul is part of a drive to transform its e-mail franchise into more of a social activity that blends the convenience of instant communication with the implicit network of relationships found in one's online address book.
Already this year Yahoo has been testing another feature that lets its e-mail users communicate using conventional e-mail or via instant messages using either Yahoo Messenger or Microsoft Live Messenger.
"Our goal is to make (Yahoo) Mail a more social experience," John Kremer, vice president of Yahoo Mail, said in a phone interview. "We really look at ourselves as sitting on top of the largest dormant social network out there."
Kremer said by upgrading the e-mail service technology, the Sunnyvale, California-based company aims to lay the groundwork for adding more social-networking features later this year.
Yahoo is scrambling to make its services more relevant as many Internet users spend more and more time on social networks like MySpace, YouTube and Facebook and less time passing through portals like Yahoo, AOL.com or Microsoft Corp's MSN.
The new version of Yahoo Mail gives users three options for communicating with contacts -- e-mail, online instant-messaging or text-messaging to mobile phone users. Users can switch between the three, depending on which is most convenient.
Initially, the text-messaging feature will be available to Yahoo Mail members in the United States, Canada, India and the Philippines. To text a friend, users simply enter a mobile phone number, type a text message
other news (could happen in bongo)
Hackers lift the bonnet on iPhone
Within hours of going on sale the devices were being probed
Hordes of hackers and security researchers have been poring over Apple's iPhone in an effort to discover vulnerabilities in the handsets.
Top of their list has been cracking the code that ties the phone to operator AT&T, the iPhone's exclusive network.
If successful, it would allow iPhone owners the ability to use their handset on other networks, including in Europe.
Some have already worked out ways to activate the phone without having to register it with AT&T through iTunes.
One prominent hacker, Jon Lech Johansen, has published an activation tool on his website.
Mr Johansen - better known as DVD Jon - rose to fame at the age of 15 when he wrote and distributed a program that cracked the encryption codes on DVDs.
Although the new tool allows people to switch on the device and use many of its functions, it does not allow users to make phone calls.
"There are people who want an iPhone to use it as an iPod and wi-fi device without having to enter into a two-year AT&T contract," wrote Mr Johansen on his blog.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Tellocmmunication campanies faces competions in the market
The famous telecommunication company in Tanzania vodacom, every year prepares Miss vodacom competitions, this year the competition include 26 contestant from different places. The telecommunication company in Tanzania faces high completions in the market due to the fact that there are 5 companies that offers almost the same type of service, others include zantel, tigo, ttcl and celtel. In that case they are forced to conduct a lot of social activities as the matter of advertising themselves. Below are some few pictures that shows the preparation and some of the contestants
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