The innovative event already has a long roll-call of speakers and facilitators, and has special round-table sessions that would enable every delegate to participate in the discussions. The official website for Mobile Web East Africa is at www.mobileeastafrica.com

The first 40 delegates would receive a free copy of the current edition of MobileWorld magazine, courtesy Mobile Africa.

Mobile World delivers cutting edge mobile communications news, information technology, reviews, essential tips, and information on existing and new equipments, gizmo’s, gadgets and provides a fresh perspective on current events as relevant within the global communications market.

The current edition of MobileWorld magazine

The current edition includes:

• Nigeria hits 67 million subscribers …now Africa’s No. 1 telecoms market – ITU (cover story)
• Ndukwe is Nigeria’s Father of Telecom Revolution
• Midwifing a knowledge-driven economy, the MTN example
• Lagosians endorse Multi-Links Telkom’s Ev-Do Product & Services
• Safaricom launches Dynamic Discount tariff
• Zain, EMS and RIM introduce the Blackberry Solution in Ghana
• Vodafone, Zain, MTN, Tigo, Glo Mobile and their competition in Ghana by Oluniyi David Ajao
• and much more…

MobileWorld magazine is a publication of Instinct Media, a UK-based publisher.

The venue for Mobile Web East Africa is the 5 star Intercontinental Hotel in Nairobi which is situated just across from Uhuru Park.

Following the unrivalled success of Mobile Web Africa, which was a true “sell-out” conference held in South Africa in October, Mobile Web East Africa is the next in a series of progressive and innovative events to focus on one of the most important technological advances of the 21st century.

Again utilising the exceptionally interactive roundtable format, Mobile Web East Africa promises to be one of the leading events of 2010 in Africa. It is through these roundtable interactions, panel discussions and presentations that the future development of the mobile internet, mobile applications and mobile ecosystem in the region will be discussed and mapped.

The only down side of the roundtable format is that it limits the number of attendees that can come – for Mobile Web East Africa the room is limited to just 120 people so to guarantee your place please register early!

THE KEY THEMES @ MOBILE WEB EAST AFRICA

Mobile Web East Africa will focus on a range of topics relating to the core areas in the development of the mobile ecosystem and how the potential of the mobile device can truly be realised.

These are probably easiest illustrated as a range of key questions as opposed to themes:

1. How will the industry evolve to a point where the vast majority of people have access to the mobile web and the content they want to view?
2. How will the industry fully exploit existing and future opportunities?
3. How can PC or mobile based developers and start-ups monetise their innovation and creativity to grow in to companies that will drive the expansion of the ecosystem?
4. How can Operators, Original Equipment Manufacturers, global associations and other mobile powerhouses assist their smaller partners?
5. How can societal and economic problems be tackled by the development of the capabilities of the mobile device?
6. What handsets, standards, networks and designs will allow consumers to successfully access the content and consume it?
7. How will the consumer be able to discover that content – through a Portal, Application, Browser, Search Engine, Advert, Social Network?

Through a series of presentations, extended panel discussions and networking opportunities these questions will be tackled.
You, alongside 120 of the individuals who are leading the development of the sector in East Africa, will make real progress towards discovering the answers.

Visit http://www.mobileeastafrica.com/ for more details.

Interactive Intelligence

Dave Paulding, Interactive Intelligence’s regional sales director for UK, Middle East and Africa says that connected consumers in Africa are driving the demand for call centres in the banking industry.

The banking sector in Africa, particularly in Nigeria and Kenya, are implementing call centres for the first time.  It is interesting to consider why they are doing this now, when banks in South Africa and other parts of the world embraced the call centre revolution 10-15 years ago.

Nigeria and Kenya’s growing economies and relative stability provide part of the picture, but another important factor is that African consumers are more connected.  They are looking for new ways to contact their banks, rather than by visiting a branch.

The explosion in cellphone adoption in Africa has seen a rapid increase in contact centres for network operators.  Because of this, consumers are accustomed to connecting with their cellular service provider over the phone, and are calling for the same level of sophistication from other services like banks.

Because this is new territory for African banks, the relationship between the call centre vendor and the bank is critical. There is no historical data to work from, and it is difficult to plan and predict requirements.  The banks, therefore, require advice and guidance with putting together their strategies and creating a solid foundation for improved customer service.  Generally there is a rapid expansion once the call centre is up and running, with more agent seats required to service the level of customer enquiries.

While Africa has lagged in the deployment of call centres, there have been benefits.  From a technical point of view, many call centres are built from the ground up with the latest, cutting-edge technology.  African banks and cellphone operators do not have to deal with many of the legacy issues that companies in other countries have to face.

In addition, recent technological developments mean that call centres have a smaller hardware footprint and fewer moving parts.  This is particularly beneficial for businesses based in Africa.  Because there are fewer flights in and out of Africa, getting spare parts for hardware maintenance is a challenge.  If a contact centre experiences a fault, African companies may have to wait days to get a spare part, impacting on customer service.

However, given that call centres are less hardware-based these days, this is less of an issue for African-based businesses.  This means an increase in uptime, lower upfront costs and lower maintenance fees.

From a vendor point of view, the potential in Africa is great.  In the rest of the world, there are very few greenfield opportunities for call centres.  There is the legacy replacement market, or the opportunity to plug a weak point, e.g. workforce management, in an existing contact centre.  In Africa, there is the potential to start from scratch and share knowledge on how to run an efficient call centre.

So while African companies may have lagged behind the rest of the world in uptake, they can benefit from the rest of the world’s years of experience and leapfrog many of the development stages that businesses in other countries went through.

While most call centres in Africa currently focus on voice, as consumers become more tech-savvy, there will be a move towards converting call centres into multimedia contact centres.  Given that most African businesses use the latest technology, the switch from a call centre to a contact centre will be fast, seamless and cost effective.  Africa wins again.

About Interactive Intelligence
Interactive Intelligence Inc. (Nasdaq: ININ) is a global provider of unified business communications solutions for contact centre automation, enterprise IP telephony, and enterprise messaging. The company was founded in 1994 and has more than 3,000 customers worldwide. Interactive Intelligence is among Software Magazine’s top 500 global software and services suppliers, is ranked among NetworkWorld’s top 200 North American networking vendors, is a BusinessWeek “hot growth 50” company, and is among FORTUNE Small Business magazine’s top 100 fastest growing companies. The company is also positioned in the leaders quadrant of the Gartner 2008 Contact Center Infrastructure, Worldwide Magic Quadrant report. Interactive Intelligence employs approximately 600 people and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It has six global corporate offices with additional sales offices throughout North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Interactive Intelligence can be reached at +1 317.872.3000 or info@inin.com; on the Net: http://www.inin.com

Opera Mini

Opera Software ASA has again released its latest State of the Mobile Web report. The report provides information on the top global trends affecting the mobile Web. In addition to the top global trends and country snapshots, the report highlights trends in Africa and aggregate operator data for the top 10 countries.

On a global scale, Opera Mini usage in Nigeria continues to surge, pushing past Poland and taking the #9 spot.

The top 12 countries using Opera Mini in Africa are South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Libya, Zambia, Tanzania, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Namibia, Ghana and Gabon.

From April 2008 to April 2009:

• Overall page-views in the top 12 countries listed increased 422%.
• Overall unique users in the top 12 countries listed increased 169%.
• Overall data transferred in the top 12 countries listed increased 348%.

Important milestones

• Since the last spotlight on Africa in September 2008, Nigeria jumped from #4 to #2 and Zambia jumped from #9 to #6. Mozambique, Namibia, Ghana and Gabon are new to the spotlight.
• Growth rates continue to soar in Africa–especially in Libya, with 4,155% user growth since April 2008, and in Nigeria, with 2,353% user growth since April 2008.
• Kenya leads the top 12 countries in page views, with each user browsing 372 pages on average each month.

Operator data trends

• Customers of U.S. operators view more data-intensive pages than subscribers in any other country. The average page viewed over U.S. operator networks is approximately 32 KB compressed or almost 320 KB uncompressed.
• Operators in the Ukraine were the big winners. Their customers view 582 pages per month, on average. Ukraine operators also sport the highest data transfer per user at more than 10 MB per month compressed. This is as much as 100 MB of mobile data per user uncompressed.

“Opera Mini has helped create and define the mobile Web experience for consumers around the world,” said Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera. “Our relentless focus on delivering the best possible mobile Web experience helps drive adoption of mobile data plans. We believe that Opera Mini is the perfect win-win solution for both operators and consumers alike.”

About Opera Software ASA

Opera Software ASA has redefined Web browsing for PCs, mobile phones and other networked devices. Opera’s cross-platform Web browser technology is renowned for its performance, standards compliance and small size, while giving users a faster, safer and more dynamic online experience. Opera Software is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with offices around the world. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol OPERA.

MTN

The MTN Group has announced that the successful launch of Mobile Money Transfer (MMT) in Uganda marks the beginning of a series of planned launches across its operations in Africa and Middle-East.

The product, called MTN MobileMoney, is a convenient, secure and affordable way for MTN subscribers to send money, buy airtime and pay bills using the mobile phone. Whether users have an existing bank account or not, they can register for MTN MobileMoney as long as the sender is an MTN subscriber. Those who do not have MTN SIM cards or even a phone can still receive money from MTN MobileMoney users and send money through a network of agents in their country.

MTN has been piloting MMT services through MTN Uganda and at the Group’s West and Central Africa (WECA) region operations (Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria) since October 2008. Four additional pilots were recently launched in Benin, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry and Liberia.

The pilots are aimed at waterproofing the systems and operational processes in preparation for the commercial launch. MTN’s WECA region vice-president, Mr Christian de Faria says the pilots are assisting with fine-tuning the processes and systems and have given MTN the first insights into subscriber demand. “Initial subscriber responses in the different countries have been encouraging and we are confident that the service could be introduced rapidly in our various markets.”

In each market, MTN has partnered with local banks to ensure that its MMT services are fully compliant with financial services regulations. Discussions are currently on-going with relevant authorities in various countries to ensure that all regulatory requirements are met.

Says MTN Group Executive, Corporate Affairs, Ms Nozipho January-Bardill: “The piloting of MTN’s MMT services reaffirms MTN’s leadership in telecommunications and the company’s commitment to providing products and services that meet customers’ needs and expectations. We believe our MMT offering will make money transfer and basic payments more convenient and more affordable to our subscribers. We acknowledge our partner banks and the banking regulators in our different markets for the enthusiasm and support they are giving us.”

ABOUT THE MTN GROUP
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a multinational telecommunications group, operating in 21 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN”. As at 30 September 2008, MTN recorded 80,7 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. The MTN Group is a global sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ and has exclusive mobile content rights for Africa and the Middle East.

MTN

MTN customers can now finally use the much anticipated MTN Mobile Money transfer service following the commercial launch of the product today. Upon registration, users will be able to send and receive cash using their mobile phones.

The introduction of the product to the market brings to a close a comprehensive test period that saw the product undergo a rigorous five months market test and subsequent approval by Bank of Uganda. The planning and development process which included software development , extensive market research, planning, vendor selection, and careful product roll-out implementation was intended to provide a secure and reliable service that MTN customers can trust to deliver an innovative world class service.

Officiating at the launch of MTN Mobile Money, the newly appointed Minister of Information Communication and Technology (ICT), Hon. Aggrey Awori lauded MTN’s innovation and ability to always bring to the Ugandan market products and services that are relevant to the people. He reiterated the endorsement given by the Bank of Uganda Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile who last week, during a visit to the MTN offices, endorsed and gave regulatory approval to MTN to carry out the money transfer service. Awori commended MTN for pursuing a policy of constantly innovating in order to provide products and services that meet the needs of the people. Emphasizing technology as an essential tool for economic growth, he applauded MTN in working with the government to contribute to national development.

MTN Mobile Money is the first such service in Uganda and is expected to revolutionalise money transfers and payments through the use of mobile phones. The service is expected to tap into rural areas where formal money services hardly penetrate and are deemed to be out of reach of the common man.

In remarks made during the official launch of the Mobile Money product, MTN Chief Executive Officer Noel Meier said MTN had carried out all the necessary market tests required to ensure a reliable and secure service to MTN customers.

“We know that the market has eagerly waited for this service and we’re proud to be the first to bring it to Uganda . We believe this product will help our customers transact as they go about their daily life and the Bank of Uganda is satisfied that adequate measures have been put in place to protect people’s money” he said.

“Our initial service is simple and user friendly and customers will find it very easy to interact with. However this will progressively be upgraded to include other functionalities as the market demands.”

MTN is partnering with Stanbic Bank which will hold the MTN Mobile Money account. The bank’s Managing Director, Philip Odera was enthusiastic about being part of the initiative.

“Stanbic Bank Uganda is very pleased to act as the collection bank for this product.  Our country-wide footprint will give MTN Mobile Money users an added advantage as they will reach out to their counterparts in all corners of Uganda backed by our branch network.” said Odera.

He further clarified that there are no charges applicable on this account. However Odera also made it clear that MTN Mobile Money users will not be able to transfer more that UGX.1 million per day or  maintain a balance of more than UGX.1 million on their Mobile Money accounts at any one time.”

MTN Uganda appointed Oscillyte Ltd., a consultancy firm to define the mobile money strategy and provide the project management expertise to bring the MTN Mobile Money service to market. Oscillyte provides specialist strategy, marketing and product development skills and knowledge to organisations active in the telecommunications market and mobile in particular.

ABOUT THE MTN GROUP

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a multinational telecommunications group, operating in 21 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East . The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN”.  As at 30 September 2008, MTN recorded 80,7 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. The MTN Group is a global sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ and has exclusive mobile content rights for Africa and the Middle East.

Zain Kenya

(Nairobi, Kenya) – 5 August 2008 – The recent launch of Zain in Africa was celebrated with a series of spectacular events, attended by over 100,000 people. The events took place simultaneously across the company’s 14 African markets and were linked by the most ambitious live satellite link-up the continent has ever seen. Millions also watched the events on television.

The rebranding concerts were attended by some of Africa’s senior diplomats, VIPs, artistes and celebrities in all 14 countries who witnessed live speeches and festivities through an hour long live satellite feed that linked all countries to each other. The main event in Zain Africa’s regional headquarter Nairobi, was attended by Zain Group CEO, Dr Saad Al Barrak, and the President of Kenya, His Excellency the Hon. Mwai Kibaki C.G.H. MP, together with the Kenyan Minister for Information and Communications, Hon. Samuel Poghisio, MP and 1,000 dignitaries and guests.

During his speech, President Kibaki hailed Zain for its innovativeness by coming up with the ‘One Network’ service, that substantially reduces the costs of telephony. President Kibaki said, “Indeed, we are already observing that growth in mobile telephony has provided a reliable form of communication to rural communities, thereby enabling our farmers to market their produce.”

The President observed, “This has not only enabled businesses to operate at lower costs but has also made communication cheaper for families that live across borders.”

With regard to the growth of the ICT sector, he made the historic announcement that the Government had removed all import duties and tariffs on Information, Communications and Technology goods in Kenya, at the same time outlining plans on the installation of fibre optic cables linking Kenya to the rest of the world.

On his part Dr Al Barrak, (who a day earlier had private and productive meetings with President Kibaki) graciously thanked the President for his attendance and staunch support of the industry and promised that “Zain will deliver world-class services to Kenyans, with a commitment to a Kshs 25 billion (USD 400 million) investment in network upgrades as well as assuring him of Zain’s commitment to supporting many socially responsible community projects.”

Many famous African artists performed at the 14 events. These included Kenya’s Suzanna Owiyo, Bebe Cool from Uganda and Nigeria’s 9ice, who all recently performed at the Zain Group sponsored concert to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday in London. Also performing at the launch concerts were several of Africa’s leading international artistes including Grammy Award nominee Manu Dibango, P Square, Salif Keita, Alif Naaba, Koné, Afrikando and Maureen Lilanda.

Other highlights include a live concert for 40,000 people by Grammy award winner Wyclef Jean in Uganda. The live satellite link across Africa and the Kenyan rebrand were hosted by the actor John Sibi-Okumu, famous for his appearance in The Constant Gardener (2005).

The African launch coincided with an announcement by Zain that it has created the world’s first cross-continental borderless network, extending and linking its ‘One Network’ service between Africa and the Middle East. The service will be available to 500 million people stretching from the west coast of Africa to the Middle East, covering an area larger than the United States of America.

Mr. Chris Gabriel, Chief Executive Officer, Zain Africa, added:

“These events were intended to be a celebration of all that is great about Africa and all that is great about Zain. The rebranding of our African operations and the extension of One Network represent important milestones, not just for our company but also for Africa and the wider mobile telecommunications industry.”

All of the company’s 14 mobile network operations across Africa will now immediately rebrand to Zain. These are located in Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Zain will launch its mobile operation in Ghana later in 2008.

Zain

1 August 2008 – Nairobi, Kenya – Zain Group, the leading telecommunications mobile operator servicing over 50 million customers in 22 countries across the Middle East and Africa, today announced it has re-branded its entire African operations from Celtel to Zain (www.zain.com). The move coincides with the linking of the world’s first borderless mobile service ‘One Network’ across two continents.

14 country operations across Africa will immediately rebrand to Zain, namely: Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Zain will launch its mobile operation in Ghana later in 2008.

At a press conference held in Nairobi, Dr. Saad Al Barrak, Zain Group’s Chief Executive Officer, noted:  “By rebranding to Zain, we are bringing together our African and Middle East operations under a single, strong and unique identity. We believe the Zain brand provides an optimal platform upon which we can build a top 100 global brand with the ultimate goal of better serving our customers. It builds upon the success of our African operations and will propel the Zain Group towards becoming one of the top ten global mobile telecommunications companies by 2011.”

To mark the launch of its new colourful identity across Africa, Zain also announced the creation of the world’s first cross-continental borderless network, extending and linking its ‘One Network’ service between Africa and the Middle East. The service will be available to 500 million people stretching from the west coast of Africa to the Middle East, covering an area larger than the United States of America. One Network allows Zain customers affordable cross-border communications, helping friends and families stay connected.

“This truly is a defining moment in the history of global telecommunications. The connecting of One Network across two continents demonstrates how under one brand, Zain is able to offer enhanced mobile telephony services. Going forward it will now be easier and more affordable for people to keep in touch and support cross-continent trade and enterprise. This is the essence of the Zain brand promise to create ‘A wonderful world’” commented Dr Al Barrak.

From today, all Zain customers (pre-paid and post-paid) in Africa and the Middle East using ‘One Network’ will enjoy the benefits of being treated as a ‘local’ customer wherever they are. Customers can make calls and send messages at local rates when communicating with a travelling Zain customer who will receive incoming calls free-of-charge and be able to make calls back home at local rates. Pre-paid customers can also top up their phones with recharge cards bought from either their home country or more than one million outlets available in one of the 15 One Network countries. The One Network service is automatically activated upon crossing the geographic border into one of the countries, with no prior registration required or sign-up fee.

Chris Gabriel, CEO Zain in Africa said “We are confident that our African customers will embrace the vibrant and colourful Zain identity. As one brand, we will be better positioned to offer customers more innovative products and services alongside the best network coverage on the continent.”

The rebranding of Celtel comes less than a year after the Zain brand became the Group’s master corporate brand that was successfully launched across its Middle Eastern markets.

Zain

Zain, the leading mobile telecommunication operator in the Middle East and Africa present in 22 countries, announces today its consolidated financial results for the first half of 2008. The results showed significant growth in revenues with customer numbers exceeding 50 million.

H1-2008 Key Performance Indicators

For the first half of 2008, Zain Group recorded consolidated revenues of US$ 3.488 billion, an increase of 26% compared to H1-2007. The company’s consolidated EBITDA increased by 20% for the same period to reach US$ 1.305 billion. Zain consolidated net profits reached US$ 551.5 million, an increase of 7% on H1-2007 profits.

Year on year customer growth across the two continents where Zain operates was 58% with the Zain Group serving 50.74 million managed active customers at 30 June, 2008.

Commenting on the company’s H1-2008 financial results, Zain CEO, Dr. Saad Al-Barrak said: “On the back of splendid results for 2007 and the first quarter of 2008, despite fierce competition in many markets we are elated that Zain continues its excellent performance in the first half of 2008. Highlighted by crossing the 50 million customer milestone, these impressive results reflect the exceptional operational efficiencies in a company that is investing heavily and rapidly expanding across two continents.”

Dr Al-Barrak added, “We have started to reap the rewards of our recent large investments particularly in Iraq, Nigeria and Sudan with these 3 countries now serving more than half of Zain’s 50 million customers, and we expect similar rewards when our operations in Saudi Arabia and Ghana commence commercial operations.”

Zain in Saudi Arabia
Further to Zain Saudi Arabia’s successful listing on the Saudi Stock Exchange and a share price currently trading at double its initial offering, Zain has committed capital investments to date in networks exceeding US$1.5 billion in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Currently the operation is testing the network with thousands of friendly users and Zain confirms that it will commence commercial operations by the end of August 2008. “We look keenly forward to launching our modern network and commercial offerings in the Kingdom, promising to offer the Saudi community world class telecom services. We are confident that our investment in the Kingdom will reap rewards for all our stakeholders.” said Dr Al Barrak.

One Network in the Middle East
After its widely praised and successful launch in Africa offering customers favorable rates for cross-border communications, on April 14, 2008 Zain introduced the world’s first borderless ‘One Network’ mobile service to 14 million customers in four countries in the Middle East-Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan and Sudan. On this, Dr Al Barrak noted “One Network’s preferential offerings removing borders and high roaming charges have been warmly welcomed and we expect it will be the catalyst for further growth in customer acquisition as we soon plan to link the 2 continents.” Saudi Arabia and Ghana will join One Network on launch of commercial services. Zain plans to roll-out One Network in all its operations, subject to regulatory approvals.

Capital Increase to raise in excess of US$4 billion
Zain also announces that the capital increase subscription period (as approved at the Annual General Assembly meeting on March 2008) will take place between August 17, 2008 and September 18, 2008. This capital increase will raise approximately US$4.4 billion. “Zain aspires to be a top-ten global telecom company by 2011 and increasing the company’s capital will provide the company with the liquidity necessary to continue its ambitious expansion strategy, while reducing the borrowing costs of the company’s operations and increasing shareholder value in the long term” concluded Dr Al Barrak.

Zain brand and community support
On June 27, 2008 the Zain brand was revealed to 50,000 concert goers and a worldwide TV audience of one billion as Zain was the main sponsor of a vast outdoor concert held in Hyde Park, London, honoring the former President of South Africa and Nobel Prize Laureate, Mr. Nelson Mandela on the occasion of his 90th birthday. The event raised substantial funds for his charitable work, as well as increasing the profile of African artists who Zain sponsored to attend and perform at the concert. Zain gave people across Africa the chance to participate in the event by offering its mobile phone networks to well-wishers wanting to send text messages wishing Nelson Mandela a happy birthday. All the money raised from this was given to the 46664 foundation.

In May 2008, Zain announced that it is partnering with the Earth Institute and Ericsson in providing mobile telephony and internet connectivity to over 400,000 people in remote areas in 10 sub-Saharan African countries as part of the Millennium Villages projects. This builds on Zain and Ericsson’s previous collaboration when the companies joined forces and upgraded and expanded Celtel’s infrastructure by building an additional 21 radio sites to provide mobile coverage up to 20 kilometers into Lake Victoria. This will ensure mobile coverage to over 90 percent of the fishing zones, where up to 5,000 people have lost their lives each year from accidents and piracy.

About Zain
Zain is a leading emerging markets player in the field of telecommunications aiming to become one of the top ten mobile groups in the world by 2011. Zain was established in 1983 in Kuwait as the region’s first mobile operator. Since 2003, it has grown significantly becoming the 4th largest telecommunications company in the world in terms of geographic presence with a footprint in 22 countries spread across the Middle East and Africa providing mobile voice and data services to over 50.74 million active customers (as at 30 June 2008).

In the Middle East the company operates under the Zain brand name in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait and Sudan. In Lebanon the company operates as mtc-touch. Zain plans to commence operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in August 2008.

In Africa, Zain operates under the Celtel brand (www.celtel.com) in 14 sub-Saharan African countries namely: Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The company’s mobile telecommunications operations in Ghana will begin in Q4, 2008.

The Zain brand is wholly owned by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, which is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (Stock ticker: ZAIN). The company had a market capitalization of over US$25.8 billion on 30 June 2008.

A mobile phone user

Leading mobile payments provider Mi-Pay has signed a contract with an East African operator to deliver a mobile money ecosystem to its subscribers in rural communities. Mi-Pay’s technology and expertise will enable subscribers to benefit from international remittance services, as well as support a network of agents to support domestic payments via mobile.

Zain

At a press conference in Nairobi, Kenya….Zain, Ericsson and the Earth Institute announced the provision of telecommunications deliverables to the Millennium Villages of Dertu (Kenya), Ruhiira (Uganda) and Molla (Tanzania).

The initiatives were first outlined in September 2007 at Columbia University, when Zain, Ericsson and the Earth Institute announced a partnership to provide mobile communications and Internet connectivity to the Millennium Villages projects covering up to 400,000 people in 10 sub-Saharan African countries where the project is working.

Ericsson and Zain (through its wholly-owned African subsidiary Celtel) have teamed up to develop a comprehensive end-to-end telecommunication strategy in the villages and to drive mobile phone connectivity and coverage build-out to selected areas.

Chris Gabriel, CEO of Celtel, says: “It is wonderful that the people in this remote part of Africa will have access to basic, but effective mobile internet access over an EDGE network. Here we can see how mobile communications can play a key role in helping improve the quality of life for people even in the remotest parts of the world.”

Carl-Henric Svanberg, CEO and President, Ericsson, says: “The Millennium Village project provides us with a unique ecosystem to demonstrate the benefits of voice and Internet. We believe the uptake of mobile services could go even quicker than anticipated in this environment, as the need for even basic services is so much greater. The project is one concrete example where we are actualizing our commitment to the MDGs, while at the same time stimulating positive business impacts and opening new markets in remote parts of rural Africa.“

Jeffrey Sachs, Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General and Director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute, says: “Mobile communication is perhaps the single most transformative technology for rural African villages to improve access to health care and education, create new business opportunities and access to markets, and ultimately to help eradicate extreme poverty. We are excited by the tremendous opportunities which mobile phones make possible in every kind of community and economic activity – ranging from pastoralists and farmers, to traders, health workers and teachers.”

Key deliverables

• In Kenya, Zain and Ericsson have deployed a temporary mobile network providing service to 5,000 people in Dertu for the first time.
• In October this year, the temporary network will be replaced by a permanent one that will continue to be operated by Zain. The permanent solution will also use Ericsson’s sustainable energy solutions including wind, solar energy and other solutions to drive equipment at minimum power requirements. It is estimated that the permanent solution will run at 80% increased efficiency over traditional diesel-powered mobile sites.
• Sony Ericsson has supplied mobile handsets to the Millennium Village health clinics and community health workers. Together with Ericsson, they have developed a new Solar Village Charger that is capable of re-charging 30 mobile phone batteries each day and eight phones simultaneously for each village cluster.
• In Tanzania and Uganda, Ericsson has upgraded Zain’s GSM network to EDGE and at the same time improved coverage and network reach. Using a combination of ‘fixed-wireless terminals’ mobile Internet connectivity will be provided to schools and health centres. Plans are also in-place to extend coverage to all 73,000 people in both village clusters. Sony Ericsson and Ericsson also have provided handsets to community and health workers and piloted new healthcare applications for mobile learning purposes as well as basic household data collection Zain has provided SIM cards and established emergency numbers to improve access to healthcare and emergency services.
• Zain will also provide a toll-free number that can be used in medical emergencies to connect patients with on-duty medical personnel. Other initiatives include a mobile learning tool to train community health workers and mobile applications to collect and share basic household data and health information.

How telephony improves lives
A 2005 report by Leonard Waverman of the London Business School, estimates that the average developing nations sees its economic growth rise by .06 per cent for every 10 per cent growth in the number of mobile phone subscribers.
In 2007, the GSM Association applied Waverman’s methodology to a group of 57 developing nations and found that the impact was doubled, boosting economic growth by 1.2 per cent for every 10 per cent rise in mobile users.

Ericsson and Zain believe that the introduction of mobile communications will help to prove the business case for early adoption of EDGE/3G/mobile broadband services in Africa, while at the same time significantly contributing to the improvement of social and economic conditions of the nearly half million people living in the villages.

Dertu, Kenya, is situated in the northern part of the country, situated 100 km north of Garissa, close to Somali border. It spreads on area of 750 square kilometers with a total population of just over 5,200, mainly pastoral and nomadic society.

Uganda’s Ruhiira Millennium Village cluster is situated south from Mbarbara on 338 square kilometers with a population of over 43,000. The hilly terrain and poor roads and communication systems make transport in Ruhiira exceptionally difficult.

Tanzania’s Mbola cluster is about 20 communities spread out over 700 square kilometers with a total population of 30,000. Located in the Uyui district in midwestern Tanzania. The nearest city center is Tabora which is located 36 km away.

About Millennium Villages project
The Millennium Villages project, based at The Earth Institute at Columbia University, is a science-based bottom-up approach to lifting rural villages out of the poverty trap that afflicts more than a billion people worldwide. The community-drive initiative currently operates in 10 sub-Saharan African countries where it tackles challenges related to health, education, nutrition, livelihoods, gender equality and other vital issues.

About Zain
Zain (formerly MTC) is a leading emerging markets player in the field of telecommunications aiming to become one of the top ten mobile groups in the world by 2011. Zain was established in 1983 in Kuwait as the region’s first mobile operator. Since 2003, it has grown significantly becoming the 4th largest telecommunications company in the world in terms of geographic presence with a footprint in 22 countries spread across the Middle East and Africa providing mobile voice and data services to 45.7 million active customers (as at 31 March 2008).

In the Middle East the company operates under the Zain brand name in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, and Sudan. In Lebanon the company operates as mtc-touch. Zain plans to commence operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2008.

In Africa, Zain operates under the Celtel brand (www.celtel.com) in 14 sub-Saharan African countries namely: Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The company’s mobile telecommunications operations in Ghana will begin in 2008.

The Zain brand is wholly owned by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, which is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (Stock ticker: ZAIN). The company had a market capitalization of over USD28.5 billion on 1 March, 2008. For more information on Celtel and Zain, visit www.zain.com

About Ericsson
Ericsson is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. The market leader in 2G and 3G mobile technologies, Ericsson supplies communications services and manages networks that serve more than 195 million subscribers. The company’s portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, and broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and developers. The Sony Ericsson joint venture provides consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision of ‘communication for all’ through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 70,000 employees generated revenue of USD 27.9 billion (SEK 188 billion) in 2007. Founded in 1876 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on the Stockholm and NASDAQ stock exchanges.

About Earth Institute
The Earth Institute at Columbia University is the world’s leading academic center confronting the practical challenges of sustainable development. Its core activities include educating and training the next generation of global leaders, advancing scientific research, and implementing practical solutions to create a more sustainable world.

Mobile Mania
Mobile telephony is now firmly entrenched as the predominant mode of telephony in almost every African nation. By 2001 mobile subscriber numbers had increased at such a rate that they had overtaken those of fixed lines, making Africa the first region of the world to achieve this. By the end of 2003, mobile users are estimated to have reached 51 millions, according to ITU, and are forecast to grow to 67 millions by the end of 2005. In just the first few years of the new millennium, Africa has added more telecommunication users than in the whole of the previous century. Africa is currently the world region with the highest level of mobile communications growth. The vast majority of mobile users use GSM technologies.

Evolving A Uniquely African Approach
The business and operating climate in the African telecommunication sector has radically shifted. Firstly, market liberalization has helped shape an environment which fosters competition. Regulatory bodies are being established, to oversee the introduction of services, resolve disputes, and support competition. A glance across Africa’s mobile landscape illustrates the benefits of competition. The only countries with less mobile than fixed telephone subscribers in Sub-Saharan Africa at the end of 2003 were either those without mobile networks or without mobile competition. Mobile competition has benefited even the poorest countries. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia both have per capita incomes of around US$100, yet the Democratic Republic of Congo has a mobile penetration of around 2% – some 15 times greater than Ethiopia’s, which stood at 0.13% at the end of 2003.The difference? Whilst Ethiopia has only 1 GSM operator, the Democratic Republic of Congo has 3 GSM networks, in addition to non GSM cellular networks.

Pan Regional Giants
Competition alone is not the key. The emergence over the last 3-4 years of African based, pan-regional mobile operators, is another significant reason behind mobile’s growth. The spheres of mobile influence of these strategic investors now reach across the continent. It is these operators, such as Vodacom, Orascom Telecom and MTN who have been able to apply uniquely African approaches onto the markets on which they operate. They also provide competition – not just any competition, but their presence ensures that competition is of a suitable quality to help stimulate market growth. “Operators such as MTN or Vodacom have the knowledge of operating in different African markets which they can then duplicate onto other markets in the region,” explains Michael Minges, Head of ITU’s Market, Economics and Finance Unit and lead author of the 2004 African Telecommunications Indicators report. “But crucially they also possess a vital zeal to spread the benefits of mobile communications across the region, and with this enthusiasm they have helped created a mobile revolution in Africa.”

As Africa’s telecoms investment climate has shifted, in turn, potential investors in the region are becoming more willing to make concessions which they would not have done 10 years ago. Vendors, looking to grow in new markets as they face saturation elsewhere, are increasingly tailoring their approach to the region, developing special lower-cost solutions to suit the needs of the region.

Harnessing Approaches that Work
Mobile operators in Africa have been quick to see the benefits of prepaid services. In a region where per-capita incomes are low, and payment upfront in cash is generally the preferred means of payment, prepaid services are ideally suited. They reduce the risk of bad credit to operators while exposing a whole new consumer group to telecommunications services; those who would not normally have qualified for postpaid mobile services or fixed lines. A growing number of African networks operate only as prepaid, and four out of every five African subscribers – almost twice the global average – use prepaid services. Prepaid services have been further adapted to offer mobile ‘payphone’ services. It is tapping into these regional specific approaches, and accessing new sectors of the population who have not previously been exposed to telecommunications, which have helped to drive up mobile usage in recent years, and will continue to do so.

How Far do Mobile’s Benefits Really Extend?
Despite its suitability for the African market, how far has mobile really gone in terms of extending the benefits of telecommunications? Levels of mobile penetration vary considerably across the region, ranging from under 1% in Ethiopia to 74.7% in Réunion at the end of 2003, indicating that, for much of the region there is still huge scope for growth. Mobile technology has, however, gone further than any other communications technology in Africa in terms of bridging the digital divide. Mobile’s ease of payment means that services extend to segments of urban and rural populations who previously would not have been able to afford them, and where demand is high. Mobile infrastructure also extends way beyond that of fixed-line, into rural and ‘universal access’ markets, something to which wireless technology is innately more suited than the traditional fixed-line. Nevertheless, network coverage remains low with only an estimated 50% of Sub-Saharan Africa covered by a mobile signal, indicating that there is still a large untapped market, provided operators can be encouraged to extend network coverage.

Boosting Local Jobs
Mobile technology has also spawned a number of new employment possibilities. Prepaid card sellers or mobile resellers, such as Nigeria’s ‘umbrella people’ so called as they use umbrellas to provide shade whilst plying their wares – are now commonplace. Mobile reselling is a boom business – umbrella people, for example, have reportedly been able to exhaust 2-3 MTN prepaid cards, each valued at roughly USD11.60, per day.

Affordability of service is still a key issue – if services are unaffordable for potential new users, then this sector of the market cannot offer prospects for expansion. After a period of rapid mobile uptake, the mobile growth curve is set to continue. ITU forecasts mobile subscriber growth of 17% during 2004. To maintain the momentum of growth however, operators – as elsewhere in the world – will need to look to new areas of growth to attract new users.

Tapping into New Growth Streams Data
Applications such as WAP are beginning to surface. One of the most publicized examples is of Senegal’s Manoni, which launched a service to enable farmers to query databases on pricing information, utilizing WAP. The service is used by over 1 000 users.

Meanwhile, SMS (short message service) usage is showing signs of a fast uptake in Africa. While the majority of SMS traffic tends to be for mundane communications, SMS has also been harnessed for a number of innovative, region-specific applications. In Zambia, mobile operator Celtel has launched a mobile payment system whereby users can make payments using SMS, with a code identifying the payee.

Applications such as mobile banking have the potential to make a major impact in Africa, a region where cash payments are preferred and where people do not generally carry credit cards.

Migration to 3G?
A lack of fixed-line infrastructure as well as low PC penetration means that the potential for mobile Internet is considerable. Indeed 3G services have already been launched in a number of African countries, including Angola. Although there are no 3G networks in operation on the continent, network upgrades have enabled service launches. Recently Ericsson was awarded Africa’s first EDGE (Enhanced Data Rate for Global Evolution) contract, to provide the technology to Ghana’s Scancom. Deploying EDGE will provide a migration path toward 3G, and enable Scancom to assess demand for enhanced data services. High speed or not, mobiles can still allow users to access the Internet “We are seeing users using regular GSM networks to gain access to the Internet, ” says Minges “It is certainly slow, but in areas where no alternative exists it is the only way to gain Internet access.” Given this, a logical technology to deploy would be GPRS (General Packet Radio Services), which could provide a higher speed access solution. Yet operators have still to embark on a large-scale rollout of the technology – by the end of 2003 GPRS had only been launched in three African markets. “Operators should be exploiting the potential of GPRS ” explains Minges “Given the obvious thirst for Internet access, GPRS could provide users with Internet access at speeds equivalent to dial up access as well as new revenue streams for operators.”

Universal Service Market
The Universal service market offers some surprisingly vibrant growth opportunities. Cautious of extending the reach of mobile services into rural areas, where service uptake may not be as rapid as in urban areas, operators have been slow in seizing the prospects these markets offer. “Operators should see these markets as a growth opportunity” says Minges. “Providing a service such as a community payphone can generate over 3 times the monthly revenue of a conventional user.” While services such as community payphones clearly do not provide a boost for handset sales, they do mean that levels of mobile traffic are kept high. Mobile initiatives in the universal services area include the Grameen Phone initiative. This initiative replicates the Grameen Telecom’s village phone programme running in Bangladesh, which currently has over 40 000 village phone operators. The Grameen initiative in Uganda operates in partnership with MTN Uganda and provides low cost mobile services into poor rural areas.

The Death of the Fixed-line?
Providing that operators maintain a focus on service affordability, as well as looking to new growth areas, the future for mobile looks very positive. But what of fixed-line growth, which has been almost static beside the burgeoning mobile market? Total numbers of fixed lines are forecast to reach 30 millions by the end of 2005, according to ITU. Although by this point the number of fixed lines will be dwarfed by mobile, fixed-line growth will nevertheless have been steady, increasing by around 6-10% each year. The key to fixed-line’s growth lies with wireless technologies, and it is only through these technologies that fixed-line can ‘fight back’. Offering fixed-line services over fixed wireless access (FWA) networks offers all the advantages of mobile – they are cheaper to install than conventional copper wire networks – but are also attractive in their ability to provide high data speeds. It is this ability to provide broadband which needs to be exploited, to leverage the one advantage fixed-line services has over mobile.

Fitting the Market’s Needs
Fixed-line services will also need to be adapted to meet the needs of the market, paying attention to areas which have helped mobile grow – in particular the ability to prepay for calls. The suitability of FWA networks means that they are already being deployed in certain countries in Africa. In Nigeria, for example, by mid 2003, new fixed wireless networks accounted for some 30% of all fixed lines. If the Nigerian experience can be duplicated across other countries, and fixed wireless technologies can be harnessed to revamp traditional fixed-line services, then there may still be hope for Africa’s fixed-line market.

Wireless Way Forward …
Fixed, Mobile or Internet, Africa’s ICT future is definitely a wireless one. In the absence of fixed-line networks, in addition to a lack of PCs, Mobile phones are likely to becoming increasingly used as means to access the internet, and in the immediate future it is mobile technologies such as GPRS combined with wireless technologies such as WiFi, which are likely to drive the mobile Internet market. With a number of the region’s mobile networks ready for GPRS, it is only a matter of time until operators keen to address stagnant levels of ARPU (Average Revenue per User) – begin to push GPRS as a means of accessing the Internet.

Fixed-line operators must also look to wireless options to diversify and extend their service range. As well as voice services, fixed wireless technology will also allow operators to offer highspeed broadband Internet access, and this could well prove to be the one antidote to declining fixed revenues.

Vested Interests in Africa’s Mobile Future
The stakeholders in Africa’s mobile industry will each have their own roles to play in shaping the future mobile market. Regulators and policy makers can act decisively to ensure that competition friendly policies are encouraged, such as keeping license fees to a minimum, and that any lack of transparencies in the business climate are addressed. Regulators should step in to make the prospect of rural expansion a more attractive one to operators, such as by including – and enforcing – higher rollout obligations for new market entrants, or by providing incentives such as lowering of asymmetric interconnect rates to entice existing players further into areas which previously had no network coverage. Operators themselves should be encouraged to share infrastructure where possible to keep their costs down and encourage competition.

Manufacturers must continue finding methods to keep infrastructure costs as low as possible, as well as tailoring their approach to address the needs of the region – such as looking at tailoring solutions to low ARPU users. Vendor financing agreements, with the backing of governments and investment bodies will also encourage manufacturers to provide network enhancement and expansion.

With around 51m mobile subscribers in a market of 800m, Africa offers tremendous growth potential, and by continuing to deploy and adapt an approach which fits the needs of the market, then the mobile growth curve looks set to continue.

by ITU Africa

MTN RwandaCell

MTN Rwandacell, part-owned by South African mobile operator MTN, launched an international gateway on Tuesday, ending its dependence on the state’s satellite station.

“What it means for us is that we are no longer an island,” said MTN Rwandacell Chief Executive Rob Trustcott. “We used to be cut off from direct communications with the world, and the region, but now we can connect ourselves to the world.”

South Africa’s MTN – wholly owned by M-Cell – has a 31 percent stake in MTN Rwanda, with the Kigali-based Tristar investment company holding 41 percent and the state telecoms company Rwandatel holding 28 percent.

It is the only mobile service provider in the tiny central African country, and Trustcott said it had 60,000 subscribers.

Trustcott told a news conference MTN Rwandacell had also established terrestrial microwave links with mobile networks in Uganda and Burundi, which are in the final stages of testing.

He said MTN Rwandacell have reduced their tariffs for international calls by 46 per cent, and said the company was now in a position to provide Internet bandwidth to Internet Service Providers who require it.

MTN is now present in South Africa, Swaziland, Rwanda, Uganda, Cameroon and Nigeria.