The recent entry of new players in mobile telephony industry in Kenya doubled the number of subscribers in Kenya. The number has risen to 16 million subscribers within a period of 1 year. The growth is due to reduction of call rates and cheap mobile handsets.

The NSE listed company, and East and Central Africa's most profitable company, has a subscriber base of over 12 million and still growing beside the entry of New players. Its competence is boosted transfer of money over the phone under brand "M-Pesa" services (remember this services is giving banks a nightmare!).

Zain group comes second with over 4 million subscribers and still growing with its lowest calling rates in the country across all the networks.

Telkom's Kenya's newest kid on the block Orange hit 1 million subscribers on its first month in the market.

Another player is Econet Wireless wich has hit over 500,00 thousand before its launch through its online booking of the number of your choice on www.yu.co.ke.

:banana::nuts:

that is almost 50% penetration. thats some progress made hopefully with the TEAMs cable landing next year and with the fourth cellphone company launching in december i think it might end up being 70% or 80% penetration. for a country that was supposed to be in a civil war, kenya is definetely moving forward against some big odds.

It is predicted that by the end of next year this will have increased to over 25 million subscribers.

Great news. I can only see good things coming to Kenya, the future looks very bright and promising. Our leaders just need to get their act together and Kenya will be the place to watch.

Wow, that is more that I thought. Kudos, Kenya. :)

As said by the Econet Chief during the launch of Econet Wireless Kenya, he is targeting the age bracket of 18-35 year-olds. This bracket are the majority, young and virbrant population. But the most untapped market are the rural folks. Most Cities and Towns residents owns phones. A city like Nairobi is almost reaching saturation point.

As said by the Econet Chief during the launch of Econet Wireless Kenya, he is targeting the age bracket of 18-35 year-olds. This bracket are the majority, young and virbrant population. But the most untapped market are the rural folks. Most Cities and Towns residents owns phones. A city like Nairobi is almost reaching saturation point.

This is one are that Kenya can use to turn around its Economy into a 21st Century.

This is one are that Kenya can use to turn around its Economy into a 21st Century.

Mobile phones have been a big success story in kenya (and in africa in general). Competing providers, dropping prices, bringing service to rural areas. Investors are much more likely to put their money in new investment projects when they see that successful business can be done all parts of the country.

Good Idea !

Want a SIM card? Show your identity
http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/627774/highRes/89658/-/maxw/600/-/bhdlooz/-/SUB1PIX.jpg
A mobile phone user inserts a SIM card into a phone. The President has directed mobile phone companies to register those who buy SIM cards in an effort to reduce phone-related crimes. Photo/WILLIAM OERI

A mobile phone user inserts a SIM card into a phone. The President has directed mobile phone companies to register those who buy SIM cards in an effort to reduce phone-related crimes. Photo/WILLIAM OERI
By BENJAMIN MUINDIPosted Tuesday, July 21 2009 at 22:30


Mobile phone users will soon have to register their personal details if they are to remain connected.

Related Stories

Companies providing mobile phone services were on Tuesday given six months to register the details of their subscribers as the government moved to deter criminals from using their gadgets for illegal activities.

Those who will not have complied with the directive when the deadline expires will have their telephone lines disabled under the directive issued by President Kibaki on Monday night in a speech read for him by Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka at a ceremony to commemorate the Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) 10th anniversary and ICT Expo at the Carnivore Hotel in Nairobi.

Kenya has 17.6 million mobile phone users. Once they are registered, the information will be kept under CCK’s custody.

The new regulation comes in the face of an upsurge in sophisticated crimes and a series of abductions after which the kidnappers demand ransom through mobile phone calls and text messages.

But the era when subscribers would just walk into a shop and by SIM cards without registration could be over after the President directed the Ministry of Information and Communication to put in place the elaborate data bank that will ensure that every phone number can be traced to its user.

Until now, criminals have been taking advantage of the fact that the owners of the mobile phone handsets and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards are not registered before enjoying the service.

Speaking to the Nation on Tuesday on how the directive will be carried out, Information and Communication permanent secretary Bitange Ndemo said all SIM card holders will be required to furnish their particulars with their network providers before the end of the year.

Money transfer

“If users will not have complied with this deadline, their numbers will be shut out the network,” the PS said.

Operators in the mobile phones industry have argued that the lack of a necessary law was to blame for the anomaly.

However, Dr Ndemo hinted at amending the Kenya Communications Act to make the process legal.

Users of Safaricom’s M-Pesa and Zain’s Zap money transfer services have their SIM card details registered already. By May this year, M-Pesa had about six million users while Zap had about 600,000.

Telkom-Kenya’s fixed land line captures all the details of the users as well. If a subscriber dials 999, the company can identify the caller and where he or she is calling from.

When contacted to comment on the new directive, Zain CEO Rene Meza said the move would not reduce crime.

“Prepaid subscribers registration is a good initiative to identify mobile users. However, it does not prevent or reduce crimes as the criminals normally manage to get hold of stolen mobile phones or fake or stolen identity cards to get their own mobile connections,” he said.

This, he said, was based on his experience in Pakistan and Paraguay where the law required that prepaid subscribers be registered.

His sentiments were echoed by Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph.

“The issue of subscriber registration has been over-simplified by the political class and, in itself, it is not a panacea for addressing rising incidents of crime,” he said.

He drew the analogy from the registration of motor vehicles, which are often used in crimes, saying it was always the case that criminals steal vehicles and use them to commit crimes.

“In this same vein, subscriber registration will only assist the government to know who the honest citizens are and will have little or no impact in identifying criminal elements,” he said.

According to him, the government will have to find ingenious investigative methods to reduce phone-related crimes.

But the police spokesperson Eric Kiraithe said the move would enable his detectives manage crime.

“It is the way mobile telephone concept was introduced in the country that complicated the matter,” Mr Kiraithe said in an earlier interview with the Nation.
“The implementation did not factor the security question from its start.”

Related Stories

However, Mr Joseph told the government that it was important to understand that the support provided by telecommunications companies should not be treated as a substitute for proper investigations by the police.

“With the rising crime trends, it will be necessary for the government to invest in modern investigative techniques,” he said.

He, however, agreed that registration of SIM cards was an essential but not a legal requirement.

Such a law stipulates what information should be documented, how it is verified, how it will be managed and those entitled to access it to ensure confidentiality.

http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/628616/highRes/90027/-/maxw/600/-/sydbki/-/pix.jpg Stephen Tricarico (right) the technical engineer network testing services from TYCO Telecommunications, USA shows Seacom Fibre Optic technical staff engineer Ismail Abdulshakur where to click to officially commission the Seacom fibre optic under sea cable at the Swahili Cultural Centre where they have put up the landing station.




Internet broadband has become a reality in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Uganda for the first after one of the four awaited undersea cables was finally switched on on Thursday.

Related Stories


This will be after the fibre optic operator Seacom goes live in five countries.

The privately-funded consortium will be switching on its $760m (Sh59 billion at current exchange rates) sub-sea cable in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Uganda and South Africa with Rwanda set to be linked up in two weeks’ time.

This effectively means that Kenya is now part of the information superhighway and would be able to compete on an even level platform with more established economies.

Three unnamed internet players were the first to access the cable following the switch.

“This is an incredibly special day for Kenya and Africa and I am very happy to be part of it,” said Seacom vice-president, Jean-Pierre de Leu said a few hours ago at the launch at the Swahili Cultural centre where the Mombasa landing station is based.

“No project can compete with this for the importance it holds for Kenya and for Africa,” said Haskell Ward, Seacom’s senior vice-president in charge of government relations.

The benefits are expected to be immense with the sub-sea cable expected to provide super-fast internet connections and vastly expanded bandwidth capacity.

The forthcoming Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) Forum to be led by United States Secretary of State is a prime example of what the cable can do. The talks are set to be streamed live to the five countries and will also feature what has until now been the stuff of movies.

Talks are on with AAR to have a clinic at the venue that will be virtually manned by staff located at a different venue, a variant of telemedicine.

But the private consortium warned that Kenyans would have to wait longer for the expected massive drop in prices as industry players sought to recoup their initial outlay.

“What we are providing is a highway and it will be up to the telcos and internet service providers to decide the final cost,” said Mr Ward.
The launch will be marked by a live telecast between Tanzania president Jakaya Kikwete and Cisco president John Chambers to be preceded by an address by Seacom president Brian Herlihy.




High resolution and internet television and better voice, data and video services will be among the more visible benefits.

Business Process Outsourcing firms are expected to be among the big winners as they would be able to compete on a level platform with their counterparts in Asian economies such as the Philippines and India.

Kenya has been the only region in the world not connected to an undersea fibre optic cable and has had to rely on the more expensive satellite which charges as high as $7,000 dollars per megabyte. Seacom has announced that it will offer wholesale prices.
Seacom’s cable will link South Africa, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique to India and Europe. The entire system will be operated and controlled through Seacom’s network operations centre based in Pune, India.

Three other marine cables are also competing to serve the local market. They are the government-backed TEAMs (The East African Marine System), the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) and Lion.

TEAMS landed at Mombasa early last month and is currently undergoing testing while the other two are expected to be operational by mid-2010.

Seacom said it would offer uniform pricing for its bandwidth across the region.

Besides Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Mozambique, Seacom will also connect Madagascar, Ethiopia and Egypt.

Seacom is a privately funded venture with Kenya’s Industrial Promotion Services having a 26.25 per cent stake, Venfin Limited (25 per cent), South Africa’s Shanduka Group (12.5 per cent) and Convergence Partners controlling 12.5 per cent of the cable.

The remaining 23.75 per cent is held by New York-based international development group Herakles Capital.

^^thank god, finally we can access cheap internet

^^thank god, finally we can access cheap internet and fast:cheers:

Cheap internet?haha.

Cheap internet?haha.

Looks like it will be a while before prices come down. The companies that invested in these fibre optic projects have to recover the money spent on the project and make profits first and even then, they might not want to reduce prices unless there is very stiff competition in the market. Im still grateful for the faster connection though.

From next year I will be leaving in Kenya. This is certainly welcome.

Hi there, Would a new one like me be welcome here?
Thanks so much in deed.

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Hi there, Would a new one like me be welcome here?
Thanks so much in deed.

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Your welcome.:cheers:

this thread is dedicated the news and updates of the BPO sector.:cheers:

The evolution of the call centre

http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/654258/highRes/99893/-/maxw/600/-/14hh5mh/-/Simba.jpg Direct Channel Simba Tech’s contact centre in Westlands. Photo / Correspondent
By KABURU MUGAMBIPosted Monday, September 7 2009 at 14:37

Initially they were referred to as call centres, focusing on incoming and outgoing voice calls on behalf of their clients. But call centres have evolved to contact centres which are able to manage customers with both voice calls and data applications and in some cases selling.

According to Direct Channel Simba Tech Kenya, a business process outsourcing (BPO) service provider, a contact centre deals with a combination of inbound or outbound calls.

“Contact centres continue to grow because today’s customers demand user-friendly self-service systems and the means to reach well informed and capable customer service,” says Direct Channel Simba Tech head of operations Rishi Jatania.

The firm’s executive director, Irene Taruru, said that businesses need to earn customer loyalty for continued business, hence the need to provide real time information and demonstrate their business values and convenience to its customers.

With intensive human capital and communications infrastructure as its requirements, she said contact centre business in Kenya has a natural advantage at this point in time.

“The advantages in brief are twofold - a talent pool which is well educated and well spoken and now the fibre optic connectivity,” she said.

Ms Taruru told Smart Company that companies should feel comfortable with outsourcing customer interaction to a third party.

Smart businesses nowadays focus on their core competence and to outsource support activities to companies who specialise in that, she said citing provision of security services. Today no company has askaris on their payroll, she added.

“Instead this activity has been contracted to security companies, who understand the subject better,” Ms Taruru said.

“Outsourcing activities is an idea now quite prevalent throughout the world.”

With the increasing information security concerns, Ms Taruru said for client confidentiality to be effective it must be a way of life of the business.

“That is why this important aspect is emphasised at all levels of all our processes,” she said.

The company currently runs a 36-seat contact centre in Nairobi serving two South Africa-based companies. A second contact centre in Nairobi with 260 seats capacity would be ready for occupancy by the end of the year, Mr Jatania said.

Locally, the company trains contact centre agents for companies that decide to launch and run their own contact centres.

“We have been also approached by utility companies to train their personnel, so that these agents are geared towards serving their customers be it, electricity, water, telecoms or even TV channels,” Ms Taruru said.

Direct Channel Simba Tech runs certified training courses for agents who work for other organisations or people who want to pursue career in this field. The training is comprehensive and addresses all levels of operations from an agent to the chief controller.

She said that the arrival of the fibre optic has somehow levelled the playing field making the local communications infrastructure nearly at par with India and China.

“With both economics and quality set to improve, it will now allow us to market services abroad more efficiently and cost effectively,” Ms Taruru said.

“A natural corollary of all this will be ultimately better employment opportunities for Kenyans in line with the 2030 initiative.”

Direct Channel Simba Tech is a partnership between Direct Channel of South Africa and Simba Tech Kenya. Direct Channel is the largest and one of the most successful privately owned BPO call centres in Sub- Saharan Africa, with over 3000 seats in South Africa.

It handles telecommunication companies, banks, insurance companies and large superstores for their inbound and outbound requirement.

Published on 08/09/2009


By Macharia Kamau
The business process outsourcing (BPO) sector might finally get its footing right after years of false starts.
Kenya BPO and Contact Centre Society is optimistic after Kenya’s connection to international fibre optic networks, the industry is on the verge of a major take-off and poised to jostle for a substantial share of the $220 billion outsourcing industry.
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/images/tuesday/fj080909_04.jpgCall centres are gearing for more business from overseas firms after the country’s connection to global fibre optic networks. Photo: File
Ms Gilda Odera, chairperson of the BPO society, said investors have shown interest in setting up call centres in the country, while foreign firms are now keen on outsourcing functions to Kenya.
"Investors are now showing interest in setting up large contact centres and we have also seen an increase in the number of companies enquiring about outsourcing to the country."
An American company is looking at the possibility of setting up a 1,000-seat capacity call centre in the country, which will be the largest in the country.
Foreign investors
The plans are, however, at primary stages but Odera is upbeat about the future of the sector, saying foreign investors had been deterred from investing because of the high Internet connectivity costs and slow speeds.
"Poor Internet connection had turned away investors, stalling the industry’s growth. The situation has been addressed after the country was connected to the undersea fibre optic cable," she said.
Another local BPO, Quick Data, plans to set up an 800 seat contact centre.
The move by the two companies to invest in Kenya will be a departure from the current situation, where there are centres with as little as 50 seats.
This means large organisations were willing to outsource their functions would only need one centre. There are only a few other centres that have large capacity, among them Kencall, which has about 600 seats.
This is a contrast to countries like India and Philippines where large organisations outsource some of their functions to single centre.
The sector, among those earmarked to drive the economy to attaining the Vision 2030, has had it rough since inception about five years ago, with a number of them closing shop or suspending operations owing to lack of business.
"The going has not been easy for the sector some because of their inadequacies as well as infrastructural challenges," said Mr Paul Kukubo, chief executive Kenya ICT Board.
He said termed the rough patch as a learning phase and expects the industry to start picking pace now.
Specialised training
And in anticipation of increased business, the industry plans to start specialised training for BPO personnel.
Last week, the BPO Certification Institute (BCI) – an international standards body —launched a professional certification programme targeted at people working as call centre agents and students eyeing the industry.
The company, headquartered in India, will partner with the African BPO Academy (ABA) to offer certification in the region.
The two organisations will partner with local learning institutions and to train and certify at least 5,000 people in the next one year.

Success by India’s telecommunications giant Essar Group to acquire controlling stake in Kenya’s youngest mobile provider, yu, could profoundly tilt the mobile market and bring service charges tumbling to unexpected levels.
The acquisition, which will see local holding company Essar Telecom Kenya snap upto 80 per cent stake in yu, significantly means business and investment decisions will now be quicker to reach because Essar no longer has to haggle with any partners before it makes any major decisions. The company also boasts of having a national reach and no longer relies on rival’s infrastructure to carry its call traffic.
Those with doubts about the significance of the move will be answered by Essar Telecom Kenya Chief Executive Officer Srinivasa Iyengar’s disclosure that the company invested close to $450 million (Sh34.6 billion) in the deal, including the cost of nation-wide rollout plan.
This is the single-largest investment by the Indian company since it ventured into the county.
"The acquisition means decisions will be made faster and lenders will be more willing to extend us credit facilities," says Iyengar.
Before the acquisition, Econet Wireless Kenya, which is the local holding company for the yu brand, was 70 per cent owned by Econet Wireless International, while Essar Communications Holdings Ltd, a unit of the Mumbai, India-based Essar Group, owned 49 per cent stake and by extension management rights over the Kenyan operations.
Essar’s deep pockets, coupled with the expected warmer relations with lenders gives yu the financial muscle it needs to court more subscribers, improve its service offerings and launch massive media campaigns to reach out to potential customers. According to yu’s Chief Commercial Officer, Kunal Ramteke, the company will spend close to Sh450 million in the next three months in a massive media campaign to reach out to more subscribers.
"We will tell them about our existence and also inform them that we are the cheapest mobile company in Kenya. We hope to hit a target of two million customers by March next year," reckons Ramteke.
The plan might sound ambitious, but should not be an off target idea for the firm. In its nation-wide rollout programme, the firm completed the exercise a month earlier when many expected it to fail to meet its August target.
special tariff
"Over the next four years, we’ll invest $200 million (Sh15.4 billion) in the business," says Iyengar, adding that yu’s business model is focused on getting the mass market.
The fund will be used to improve the company’s infrastructure and expand its sales channel. It will also be used to promote the company’s brand and develop new products targeted at low-end subscribers.
Already, yu has snapped up a number of subscribers in this category through a special tariff that charges Sh7.50 per minute for the first two minutes of a call in the day. Callers then pay a flat charge of 50 cents per minute for other calls made within the network for the rest of the day.
"This is not a promotional offer. This tariff is a permanent one and we don’t intend to change it," explained Iyengar.
This is the kind of talk, which the company hopes will lure in an additional 1.4 million customers to its network in the next six months and it is confident it can do even better because it is now networked all over the country.
Over the next few years, yu’s pricing and nationwide reach should give it the edge in the areas that offer the greatest growth. It means that in the next few years, rural areas, which have been cited for their potential as emerging markets will be key battlefields for yu and other mobile companies.
Iyengar is confident of winning this battle that he no longer looks over his shoulders for rivals. He expects yu’s ambitious plan lays ground for the midsize operator to challenge Safaricom’s leadership in the lucrative sector in the next two years.
Ad drive
As part of the journey, yu plans to rollout aggressive marketing campaign. It plans to air new commercials in print and broadcast media to drive up subscriber numbers. This will be followed by commercials running during radio broadcasts, which has a wider audience, especially among the rural populace.
It is billed to be the firm’s biggest marketing move since it launched into the country about one-year ago. The campaign includes in-store posters, promotions, outdoor and print advertising as well as digital and music components.The company is hoping the new message will appeal to consumers who are financially and emotionally pressured by the prevailing high rates of mobile calls and difficult economic times.
"yu hopes to help consumers discover life’s simple pleasures," says Iyengar. "Difficult times call for honesty and simplicity. If we can make profit by charging 50 cents per minute for a call, the other players who are charging higher can also lower their charges and make profit."
Already yu’s friendly tariff makes it cheaper to call rival’s numbers than when calling within the rival’s network.
Could this be the momentum the company needed to grow its subscriber base to higher levels?
Iyengar is confident that the intensified competition will reignite growth for mobile companies and the economy. The winner in all this will be the subscriber for whom the full impact of the competition would be felt. Besides the cheaper call rates, the company launched free Short Message Service (SMS) for intra network messages. The free SMS model is a first in the country and could significantly drive up the uptake of its services.
Job cuts
It could be a tall order for the company though, given the general slowdown of the economy. Companies seeking to expand have been experiencing setbacks in sales projections as job cuts, and inflation, eat into consumer purses, slowing down spending. But Iyengar says they are not worried because they offer the best prices in the market. "While others are reviewing their projections downwards, we are reviewing our projections upwards because our model is the best suited in the current circumstances," he says.
Yu has been relying on some of its rivals’ basic infrastructure, including signal masts, and operate only in Nairobi and Mombasa before last month’s rollout.
Iyengar told Financial Journal that Essar was also talking to Dhaby Group, which owns Waridi – a telecom network in Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ivory Coast with a view of buying it out to increase its presence in Africa.
"The deal is subject to the findings of a due diligence process, which is already underway," says Iyengar

BPO company nominated for top Europe prize

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/image/view/-/642588/highRes/95734/-/maxw/600/-/fx20q8z/-/kencall.jpg Kencall has been nominated for a prestigious award, providing a welcome boost to the local BPO sector. /Liz Muthoni




Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company, Kencall, has been nominated for the non-European Call Centre of the Year Award giving a boost to the country’s global image in this nascent sector.

The firm clinched the award last year, beating participants from India and South Africa. Having local providers recognised and awarded offers the country an opportunity to them as flagship BPO centres when marketing the country.

Nascent industry
Although still at a nascent stage in Kenya, the sector promises job creation opportunities and the nomination comes at a time when the local BPO industry has been undergoing significant challenges ranging from limited access to high Internet bandwidth for use in their operations to weak marketing of their product and service offerings across the globe.

The CCF European Call Centre Awards recognise industry best practice in 20 different categories ranging from Best Use of Technology and Best Multimedia Strategy to the European Call Centre of the Year and CCF Industry Champion awards. Last year’s winners included organisations such as beCogent, British Gas, Capita, Homeserve and Lloyds TSB.

“Winning the award has completely boosted our self confidence, given us that extra bounce in our step and raised the roof on just how high we believe we can soar. It’s simply great. We are ready to go” said Kencall CEO Nick Nesbitt.

Other than boosting the country’s image and profile, the awards ceremony provides ample opportunity for networking as it brings business leaders from all over the world.

It is a forum that enables global business leaders meet the players in different fields and locations to gain an understanding of the nature and quality their operations. This year’s awards ceremony will be held on September 22, 2009 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole in the UK.

The nominations are made by a CCF European Call Centre Awards judges’ panel.

KenCall has a prestigious and rapidly growing client base within East Africa and a proven track record of success which it is now leveraging as a platform to compete globally and further penetrate the UK outsourcing market.

I think we are going places in terms of technological advancement. Yesterday I had a chat with a Distributor Manager at Kenya Digital Networks(KDN). He confirmed to me that all Kenyan Provincial Headquarters have Fibre Optic Backbone connectivity(am not that sure about Garissa).
He intimated to me that KDN had approached Kenya Power a couple of years ago with intention to use their(KPLCo's) Cable Network to spread internet connection to the whole country. This is a cheap and viable way to reach the whole country without laying an additional cable at enormous cost. This proposal by KDN fell flat because of....(you guessed right),corruption disguised as bureacracy. The network that KDN has now laid across the country has to be recovered from the consumer-the hapless Kenyan.

Zain Kenya has moved to improve its position in the increasingly competitive data market after it linked with under sea fibre optic cable on the Seacom platform, opening the way for the introduction of new Internet access packages to the prepaid subscribers.

By purchasing capacity in Seacom, the telco has now narrowed the market competitive advantage of its competitors Safaricom, Telkom Kenya and Essar, who are shareholders in TEAMs and have also bought capacity in Seacom.

This now gives it equal ability to offer faster Internet as its competitors and also introduces new services such as unlimited Internet access it has unveiled for prepaid customers and video streaming.

Low reviews
The move sets the stage for a bruising battle for control of the data market which telecommunications and Internet service providers have all set their eyes on to boost their Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) which has been decreasing due to the stiff competition within the voice segment, leading to lowering of tariffs and hitting revenues.

Zain Kenya managing director Mr Rene Meza said the connection to Seacom will enhance availability of bandwidth thereby enhancing data speeds through the significant capacity expansion on the backbone to meet growing demand for Internet users.

“This is critical for real-time services such as video streaming. It will also reduce backbone costs which will eventually bring down the cost to the end-user,” said Mr Meza.

The MD said following an extensive network upgrade that started last year, Internet is now available in all parts of the country. The Zain Kenya network is estimated to reach 90 per cent of the population.

Heavy investment
The move by Zain Kenya to stir interest in data services among the prepaid customers is driven by the anticipated boom occasioned by the arrival of the fibre optic cables.

Despite the mobile telephony subscription growing to more than 16 million, data services have largely been used by corporate clients and customers in the post-paid tariff plans.

Statistics from the industry regulator, Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) show the country has slightly above 3.5 million Internet subscribers but this is expected to increase to 10 million by 2012 due to the heavy investment in infrastructure in most parts of the country.

Internet is also expected to grow due to the new unified licensing regime that now allows operators to offer a number of services as opposed to one based on technology.

This has enabled operators who could not offer data to users directly to start offering the services, thus cutting the number of layers of providers that was also cited in a previous survey by CCK as contributing to the high costs in the country.
While the satellite bandwidth costs Sh6,000 per megabyte per month, the undersea cable costs Sh400 per month per megabyte and is expected to drop further as other two cables — Eassy and LION — prepare to land next year.

Previously, operators have focused on postpaid services or corporate customers but of late they have been changing strategy by targeting the mass market either through the prepaid subscribers or home users.

Zain Kenya has unveiled two flat rate access packages in a bid to increase uptake of data services for the prepaid customer. The unlimited bundle and pre-paid bundle packages will see customers make up to 90 per cent savings when accessing the Internet.

Users will pay a minimum flat rate of Sh250 to gain unlimited access for a day.

Currently, the cheapest cyber café charges 50 cents per minute, although users complain of slow speeds.

The package is also available for a maximum of 30 days at Sh3,250.

Alternatively, customers will be required to subscribe to the bundled offer at Sh100 for 25 MB but purchase a connection gadget known as USB modem at Sh2,999 down from Sh12,995 loaded with 150MB.

“The relatively high cost of the modem has been a major hindrance to penetration of data services in this market. By making the set up costs affordable, we are optimistic there will be a corresponding uptake of the service,” said Mr Meza.

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539552/656222/-/585gfa/-/index.html

I think we are going places in terms of technological advancement. Yesterday I had a chat with a Distributor Manager at Kenya Digital Networks(KDN). He confirmed to me that all Kenyan Provincial Headquarters have Fibre Optic Backbone connectivity(am not that sure about Garissa).
He intimated to me that KDN had approached Kenya Power a couple of years ago with intention to use their(KPLCo's) Cable Network to spread internet connection to the whole country. This is a cheap and viable way to reach the whole country without laying an additional cable at enormous cost. This proposal by KDN fell flat because of....(you guessed right),corruption disguised as bureacracy. The network that KDN has now laid across the country has to be recovered from the consumer-the hapless Kenyan.

What about major urban areas that arent provincial HQs like Eldoret and Meru?
What are the costs for a KDN connection?

this thread is dedicated the news and updates of the BPO sector.:cheers:


These are some of India's BPO'S in Chennai U|C or Completed
http://www.infratech.co.in/images/it9.jpg
http://www.infratech.co.in/images/it13.jpg
http://www.infratech.co.in/images/it14.jpg

This is surely one of the few growth areas that is promising despite the ongoing recession. "Kenya go for it and give India a run for its money".

^^thanks for the info and your contribution:cheers:

this thread will deal with information and development pertaining to telecommunication issues in kenya

Kenya’s shift from analogue to digital television is set commence with the first transmission expected by the end of this month.

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) has set the ball rolling by installing digital transmitters ahead of the testing period next month.

Launching the Digital Kenya campaign in Nairobi yesterday, Information PS Bitange Ndemo said the switch would allow more broadcasters to enter the market.

"Digital broadcasting will not only improve the quality of television signals but also create room for more broadcasters; allowing more content to be transmitted," said Mr Ndemo.

With digital technology one frequency, which currently relays one channel, will carry eight channels.

Eventually, broadcasters will no longer transmit their own content because this role would be taken up by a signal distributor.

Hence, the broadcasters’ main concern shall be generating content. This means content developers shall have immense opportunity to sell.

South Africa has already switched over and Kenya would be second in Africa to follow suit.

Kenya intends to stop analogue transmission by 2012 ahead of the June 17, 2015 deadline set by International Telecommunication Union for Africa, Europe, Asia, and Iran.

In the meantime, broadcasters will transmit both digital and analogue signals.

To receive digital signals, TV sets owners must buy set-top boxes to make their sets relevant in the digital arena. A more expensive option would be to buy digital sets, which have inbuilt digital turners.

Set top boxes are gadgets designed to convert digital signals to analog format. Some flat screen TVs that are a hit in the market must be installed with a set-top boxes.

Consumers are warned to be cautious when buying digital sets, lest unscrupulous dealers dupe them.

To avoid conflict of interest, KBC has formed a subsidiary company, Signet, to run multiplexing (distributing signals) services.

In an interview with The Standard, Mr Francis Wangusi, Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) Director, Special Programmes and Broadcasting, said plans are underway to have Signet partner with private broadcasters for faster rollout.

He said the cheapest path for most Kenyan consumers now would be to buy the set-top boxes.

Nairobi — UUNET Kenya has signed a multimillion video-conferencing deal with Japanese electronics giants, SONY, which will see the Kenyan firm provide end-to-end services.
Mr Martin Ngaira, UUNET research and development engineer, said SONY will supply the equipment that UUNET will resell. Besides, the local internet service provider will offer support services using its (UUNET's) Internet Protocol (IP) infrastructure.
To be able to use the facilities, Mr Ngaira said, their clients will have two options.


"They have the option of using the UUNET video-conference boardroom. For those of our clients who do not want to use our video conference boardroom, we will set up for them their video conference centres," he said.
Mr Ngaira said there will be an all in one video conferencing solution for low-end users, which will include a monitor, camera and software to run the video conference and data solution box.
Basically, this is a television connecting three to four people. It can be converted to a personal computer when not in use. "However, for the high-end, the components are the same, only that the client will buy a data solution box, camera and output device projectors," explained Mr Ngaira.

The high-end will have advantages including voice and motion tracking and covers a bigger boardroom.
Senior managers and trainers from SONY have been in the country to broker business deals and also to train 15 staff from UUNET who will be handling the business.


Apart from SONY, other leading manufacturers of video-conferencing equipment are Tandberg, Polycom, a US brand and Aethra from Italy. The three were using the SONY technology to manufacture video-conferencing equipment. However, the Japanese firm has decided to venture into the manufacturing of its own range of equipment, as opposed to providing the technology.
By partnering with SONY, UUNET has upped the competition in Kenya.
Besides, UUNET is able to provide video-conferencing on demand. This is usually applicable where clients request use of the service for a particular session, in which case UUNET will increase the bandwidth for that particular duration.
The bandwidth ranges from between 128 Kbps up to 2 mbps. The more the bandwidth, the better quality, resulting in the killing of still images.

An automated trading system (ATS) for bonds will be ready by the end of the month, setting the stage for a possible surge in the average volume of bonds traded at the Nairobi Stock Exchange.

Consultants hired to install the system are testing it and are optimistic its on course for trading in a week, said the exchange chairman Eddy Njoroge, adding that it would open a new chapter of increased trading of bonds, compared to the current cumbersome manual processes and heavy paperwork.

Equities market
Foreign investors who have lately stepped up participation in the local bonds market — attracted by the relatively higher returns than those in home markets — are also expected to cash in on the new system, which promises more efficiency in trading and transparency since investors will have real time access to information on sales volumes and prices.

Trading in bonds went up by 127 per cent to Sh65.5 billion in the first half of the year, buoyed by investor “flight” from the equities market, which by contrast dropped by 64.7 per cent to Sh12.3 billion.

“We hope to trade both corporate and treasury bonds on the new platform,” said Mr Njoroge, who is also KenGen managing director, at an investors’ briefing last week.

Treasury is the biggest player in the Sh360 billion bonds market, out of which private corporations account for only about three per cent (Sh12 billion) of the outstanding offers that are expected to start trading on the new platform.

“CBK has been working jointly with the stock exchange and the Capital Markets Authority on this system,” said Central Bank’s director of monetary operations and debt management, Mr Jackson Kitili, adding that the government was ready to list all its bonds on the new system.

The bank acts as the issuing agent for government bonds.

About 73 treasury bonds and 11 corporate ones are listed at the NSE.

The process of automating transactions at the NSE started in 2004, with the first phase being launched in 2006 when trading of shares using the Central Depository System (CDS) accounts went live.

The rapid increase in average equity trade volumes at the stock market since then have been attributed to transactional efficiency credited to the new system and market players say the same is also likely to happen in the bonds market.

Settling a bond transaction currently takes an average of five trading days and is based on a manual transfer of ownership papers.

“It could even take two days to wrap up a bonds transaction after automation,” said Mr Victor Nkiiri, a fixed income dealer at Sterling Investment Bank, adding that automation is likely to demystify bonds trading for retail investors, who have always viewed it as a preserve of the elite.

Mr Nkiiri said small bonds that hardly ever trade in the secondary market due to their relative invisibility are now likely to trade more frequently.

The Sh15 billion KenGen infrastructure bond— which is currently at the issue stage — is the first to be sold to investors through CDS accounts similar to those used in trading of shares at the NSE.

This by implication is also likely to make it the first bond to be traded on the ATS platform, on November 9 when it is expected to be listed. Other treasury and corporate bonds that are currently traded using physical share certificates are expected to be “demobilised” and loaded onto the Central Depository and Settlement Corporation (CDSC) which will hold custody for all the bondholders.

Last month CBK launched over the counter (OTC) trading of treasury bonds through the inaugural one-year treasury bill.

The OTC market allowed direct trading of T Bills (which are currently not listed at the NSE) by commercial banks.

All bonds are by law only tradable through the NSE upon issue by government or companies in the primary market, but the CMA intends to amend the law to create a hybrid market that allows both stock exchange and OTC trading.

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Players in the banking industry are locked in a fierce battle for new customers, using technology to lure new account holders, industry trends indicate.
It now appears only banks that are able to reach that low-income retail customer, still cut off from the formal financial system, could emerge winners.
Signs of things to come can be seen in the way commercial banks are heavily spending on state-of-the-art mobile and Internet banking technology.
"We are already looking into the future by investing heavily in technology to enhance outreach to customers," said NIC Group Managing Director James Macharia.
But even with all the technological innovations, there is concern that a large segment of the population still lacks access to any form of financial services.
"Although the proportion of the unbanked population has been coming down, the pace is slow and we need to hasten it," Central Bank of Kenya Governor Prof Njuguna Ndung’u told an international policymakers forum in Nairobi last week.
The World Bank estimates that in Sub-Sahara Africa, only 20 per cent of households have bank accounts compared to 90 per cent in developed economies.
About 23 per cent of the population has access to banking services in Kenya compared to 50 per cent in South Africa and 51 per cent in Namibia.
In most Sub-Saharan countries, those accessing informal financial services are more than people with bank accounts.
Banking act
In order to rope in the unbanked, Treasury has proposed amendments to the Banking Act to introduce branchless banking.
"This will enable banks to provide their services through agents with wide distribution networks, legalising agent banking and reducing costs of financial services," said Ndung’u.
Using low cost wireless point-of-sale (POS) devices, thousands of shops, petrol stations, supermarkets and even post offices could become points of presence for banks.
"Agent banking offers an opportunity for banks to reduce the cost of opening a branch," Mr Frank Ireri Housing Finance managing director told Financial Journal.
He cites absence of geographical reach by most commercial banks, especially in the rural areas, for the large number of people operating outside the formal financial system.
Transaction accounts
"The cost of maintaining numerous transaction accounts has also discouraged most banks from reaching for the low-end of the market," said Ireri.
It has also been observed that the lack of financial literacy among low-income earners, especially farmers in the rural areas, has kept most of them out of the financial orbit. It is this unbanked population that commercial banks, savings and credit co-operative societies, deposit-taking microfinance companies and other providers are interested in.
But while more banks are offering Internet banking services, others are still reluctant to join the bandwagon.
"Online banking still has a long way to go," says Ireri.

ECP invests Sh1.9bn in Kenyan ISP Wananchi

http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/661948/highRes/102995/-/maxw/600/-/5ailmlz/-/phones.jpg A Telkom Kenya employee arranges new mobile phones at an outlet in the capital Nairobi on September 17, 2008. Photo/REUTERS
By REUTERSPosted Tuesday, September 22 2009 at 17:44

U.S.based private equity group Emerging Capital Partners (ECP) said on Tuesday it had invested Sh1.87 billion in East African telecommunications and media firm Wananchi to expand its network infrastructure.



ECP, which has already invested heavily in Africa's fast-growing telecoms sector, said the upgrade would allow the firm to offer digital pay television, high-speed Internet and Internet telephony services.

Unquoted Wananchi is one of the region's larger Internet companies, offering retail and commercial web services in Kenya and Tanzania. It is thought to be lining up a stock market listing.

"Following on the tremendous growth in African mobile penetration over the last 10 years, we view broadband and related services as the next 'game changer' in African telecoms," ECP chief executive Tom Gibian said in a statement.

The capital injection should allow Wananchi to compete with bigger rivals such as Telkom Kenya, a unit of France Telecom, and Safaricom.


http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/-/1006/661942/-/ifwol8z/-/index.html

Altech increases stake in Kenya's KDN

http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/661738/highRes/102907/-/maxw/600/-/sc6s61/-/KDN-Kai-Wulff.jpg Mr Kai Wulff, CEO of Kenya Data Networks (KDN). Photo/FILE
By REUTERSPosted Tuesday, September 22 2009 at 12:02

South Africa's technology group Allied Technologies (Altech) said on Tuesday it would increase its economic stake in its East Africa unit, Kenya Data Networks (KDN), to 60.8 per cent from 51 per cent.

Altech, one of Africa's biggest connectivity providers, added that it would invest a further $39.5 million to build KDN's fibre optic network.

Altech, which expects 500 million rand cash flow by year-end, said it would invest a further $7.5 million in KDN to build a data centre in Nairobi, Kenya, with its co-shareholder in KDN, the Sameer Group.

The group said the data centre would offer disaster recovery, virtual application hosting, data and application backup, and an ethical hacking centre and data archiving facility to clients in the areas that will be connected by the planned undersea cables.

"KDN is central to our strategy and our gateway to East Africa. Our further investment in this business, is evidence of our confidence that the continent and in particular East Africa is poised for massive growth," Altech's CEO Craig Venter said.

Altech's East Africa operations made about 114 million rand and about 20 per cent of group earnings in the year to end February 2008.

Shares in Altech were 1.55 per cent lower at 63.05 rand by 0808 GMT, lagging a firmer JSE All-share index.


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Africa Online holdings, a Pan-African Internet Communication Technology (ICT) provider, has injected over Sh1.5 billion to expand the Internet network capacity in eight African countries.
Shiletsi Makhofane, the chief operations officer said the firm’s investment target was to double the number of users in the continent.
Makhofane said over Sh560 million has been allocated for the expansion of Internet services in several towns.
He spoke at Noigam Primary school in Cherangany Constituency when he handed over two new classrooms and desks to the community funded by the firm at a cost of Sh1 million, a project undertaken by the Kitale Catholic Church diocese.
Noigam Primary school hosted over 40,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Payback For Charity
Area MP Joshua Kutuny and Kitale Catholic Church Bishop Maurice Crowley lauded the assistance saying most of the school’s infrastructure had been destroyed by the IDPs.
Makhofane said the assistance was a gift to the school for accepting to accommodate those affected by the 2007 post-election violence.
"We decided to rehabilitate the school infrastructure to reciprocate your hospitality to IDPs," said the CEO.
He said the firm enjoys 10 per cent market share and the expansion project would accelerate its projected growth.
"It is Africa Online’s goal to provide revolutionary technologies that come from extensive research to meet demands of various markets," he added.



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A partnership between the Government and donors has initiated a Sh700 million project to digitalise education.
The three-year project involves deploying computers for students and teachers along with the wireless infrastructure, Internet connectivity and access to digital education content.
Students from rural schools will particular benefit from sharing learning materials with top schools.
Kimani M’nkanatha, Education acting Director of Policy and Planning says digital technology may alleviate the effects of teachers shortage. "Teachers and students will access learning materials online and video may be shared among schools," says Intel Corporation principal architect Robert Fogel.
At the completion of the initiative next year, 6,000 personal computers for students, 120 laptops for teachers, 60 servers and supporting wireless infrastructure will have been deployed. "We are focusing on 40 secondary and 20 primary schools and we will train about 2,000 teachers in schools and another 5,000 at teachers training colleges," says Fogel.
The Ministry for Education will select the schools. The project dubbed: A celebrating 21st Century Education aligns closely with the goals of the ministry, which is digitising its school curricula with an initial focus on maths and science subjects for Standard Four and Five and the first two years of secondary education. "Successfully deploying the technology will help young people participate effectively in the global knowledge economy," said M’nkanatha.
The project is expected to directly benefit about 39,000 students and 7,000 teachers through improved educational infrastructure and training. Computer giants Cisco, Intel and Microsofthttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/education/InsidePage.php?id=1144025852&cid=316&#) will provide resources, engineering expertise and know-how. Intel will also training for teachers through its teach program. The Cisco networking academy will train two instructors and one network administrator for each of the selected schools. The ministry will work with Intel to localise content and with Microsoft to develop a new education portal where teachers can access online educational content and electronic mail. The computer companies will also establish Technology Innovation Centre (STIC) in Nairobi, which will be dedicated to research and serve as a repository for educational technology. "We hope this collaboration improve student enrolment and enhance professionalism school in administration," says Erna Kerst The United States Agency for International Development Kenya Mission Director. The organisation is also supporting the project.
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ames RatemoIn one corner in a Standard Four classroom three pupils sit around a computer. One of them puts on headphones to take his turn at the computer, reading passages from a virtual storybook complete with lively animations.
When she trips over a word, a voice-detection software signals her to retry. After all the pupils complete the exercise, the computer gives the teacher a progress report on the students, down to the letter combinations they could not pronounce.
This is not science fiction but a scene from the future classroom and it may just be around the corner.
Soon students will no longer be able to use the excuse: "My dog ate my homework".
Computers are forcing educators to reconsider how people learn and what useful information is.
In many classrooms around the world, information communication technology (ICT) is helping teachers cut down on paper use. Teachers can keep grades and attendance online and use free Internet generated information. Students are also accessing free reading material online.
Kenyahttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/education/InsidePage.php?id=1144025849&cid=316&#) is waking up to the reality of a paperless classroom. Just last week the Kenya Institute of Education (KIE) announced it had developed a digital maths and science syllabus for classes Four and Five. The institute is now converting classes Six and Seven, and Form One and Two subjects into digital modules before piloting them in schools.
KIE Director Lydiah Nzomo says the digital curriculum would enable learners to access lessons that have otherwise been out reach because of the high cost of books. She says the module, which are available on KIE website, come with demonstration and detailed explanations and can be self-administered without need of a textbook. The audio-visual lessons can also be packaged in compact disks.
A single lesson can be taught in all schools with the facilitation of teachers in a similar manner to what used to be done with KIE radio and television lessons.
If properly implemented, the syllabus will reduce cost of publishing since the digital formats can easily be updated and distributed as opposed to paper, which can only be replaced with each new edition. Besides obvious savings in paper, e- learning allows parents, schools and Government to save on buying books and exposes students to a wider range of learning material from the Internet.
In future students will be able to download books and plays from the KIE website but also other free Internet public libraries. Evidence that the paperless classroom is around the corner came two months ago when Mr Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California governor, unveiled a plan to save his struggling state money by phasing out school textbooks in favour of learning over the internet. The governor said he believed that online activities such as Facebook, Twitter and downloading to portable devices demonstrate that young people are ready to learn from the Internet.
"A world of up-to-date information fits easily into their pockets and onto their computer screens," the governor wrote in the San Jose Mercury News.
Since August California high school maths and science students have been offered educational materials online and the opportunity to use digital readers, which hold the equivalent of 160 books.
But for the digital revolution to be realised locally there is need for massive investment in upgrading teachers’ ICT skills and infrastructure including Internet, computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs). The Government is working with various organisations to equip teachers with ICT skills, improve access to computers and provide connectivity and electricity to schools to support e-learning.
In some schools in the West, students already receive tests and homework on their PDAs via an infrared beam from teachers. Teachers can type tests and assignments into their computers at home and transfers them to the PDAs at school saving time and photocopying costs.

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/education/InsidePage.php?id=1144025849&cid=316&

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Telkom in plans to revamp landline

http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/672326/highRes/107545/-/maxw/600/-/nnk2p6/-/ghos.jpg Telkom Kenya chief executive, Mickael Ghossein. Photo/FILE
By JEVANS NYABIAGEPosted Wednesday, October 14 2009 at 18:15

Telkom Kenya is planning to launch a triple play service that supports voice, data and television, as it repositions itself in the increasingly competitive telecoms environment.

With this, subscribers will be able to access internet, make calls and watch television all from the same platform.

To revamp its landline network, which has in the past faced vandalism for its copper wires and dwindling subscriber numbers, the firm puts its hopes on the converged platform.

Ms Angela Ng’ang’a-Mumo, head of corporate communications, Telkom Kenya says, “We will be rolling out a revamped Telkom fixed service that will enable residential and small SME customers have access to voice, data and internet without interruptions. The platform will also allow for other services among them cable TV,” she told the Daily Nation on Wednesday.

As its launching pad, the company rolled out a double-play service, broadband Nyumbani, earlier in the year and will now upgrade it to triple play and thereafter quadruple play that will include video.

Wananchi Group has a similar product under the brand name Zuku.

Broadband Nyumbani’s ADSL technology uses the unused capacity in copper wires by receiving data through a different frequency than that of voice or fax, making it the ultimate choice in data transfer and processing.

The product’s equipment known as Livebox comes fitted with a Wi-Fi component that allows wireless internet access within 100 metres of the access point, commonly known as hot spots.

With this, customers can set up multiple computers or other Wi-Fi enabled devices in their homes, enabling them to connect to the internet simultaneously without blocking the phone line for voice calls.

The offer promotes the use of landlines by waiving the application fee of Telkom fixed line costs of Sh3,395 on application of the service within 30 days from payment of the fixed line.

The firm says it has a consolidated 1.8 million subscribers on the network and targets to meet and supersede 2 million subscribers on its GSM network by the end of the year.

Kenya Power and Lighting also has a diverse copper cable network and has recently announced that it will be joining the data market, while leasing part of its capacity to interested cable operators at the same time.

Toshiba, a world leader in high technology, has appointed Mitsumi as the official distributor of its products in the East African region.

The partnership seeks to enhance after-sales backup and support for Toshiba customers in the region.

The company has set up a sales and support office in Nairobi to run its operations in the region and improve market presence.

The partnership will also enable Mitsumi to have direct access to official Toshiba stock that is air freighted from Germany and South Africa, which will cut down on the waiting time between placing an order and having it delivered to retailers.

Toshiba says it settled on Mitsumi due to its large retail network and expects to net Ksh1.5 billion ($19 million) in sales per year.

In Africa, Toshiba operates in South Africa, Angola, Mozambique and Nigeria. “Territories outside of South Africa are relatively green markets for Toshiba,” said Donovan Scheepers, the business manager for Toshiba in Africa.

“To this extent, we are focussing a lot of our strength in establishing distribution channels in this new region. This is why the appointment of Mitsumi is so important — it will give us a solid base to begin distribution of products and delivering services to businesses and consumers across the country,” Mr Scheepers said.

Africa’s challenges and particularly Kenya is high competition as a number of resellers will enter the new market segment with cheap and quick imports from places like Dubai and the Far East.

According to Mr Scheepers, many of these grey marketers resort to selling illegal or unlicensed copies of popular software applications because they do not have access to official channels that sell and support these products thus aggravating the problem.

This is less than ideal because many of these products were not intended for the Kenyan market, which means that resellers would have a hard time ordering and keeping stock of spares in cases where products needed to be repaired,” said Mitesh Shah, Mitsumi’s sales director.

“In the past, even official Toshiba products that were brought in from Europe took a long time to reach retail shelves because resellers would have to wait up to four months while stock was sent via ship and then await Customs clearance after arrival in Kenya,” Mr Shah said.


http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/-/2560/673526/-/5gailnz/-/index.html

Kenyans to buy air, bus tickets through M-pesa

http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/675696/highRes/108994/-/maxw/600/-/a81uuwz/-/M-pesa.jpg Sending money on M-Pesa. Photo/FILE
By WINFRED KAGWEPosted Thursday, October 22 2009 at 16:49

Listed telecoms operator, Safaricom, has integrated its M-Pesa money transfer service and data platform to enable users book and pay for their domestic air, road and rail travel through their data-enabled mobile phones.



The company has signed partnerships with local airlines — East African, Air Kenya and Aircraft Leasing Services (ALS), the Rift Valley Railways and bus companies such as Akamba, Crown bus and Busways to offer this service.

Speaking during the launch of the service, Mr Michael Joseph, Safaricom chief executive officer, said the new service would enable the firm’s subscribers obtain day-to-day services in an efficient, cost-effective and secure manner.

Preferred flight

Subscribers will be required to log on to www.safaricom.com from their mobile phones, select their preferred flight or travel, enter their names and mobile number; upon which they will get a booking reference and instructions on how to pay through M-Pesa.

Once they make payments, they will receive a confirmation SMS with their booking details.

“Customers incur huge costs compounded with the inefficiency associated with having to commute and carry cash to pay for such services. They can now get these services wherever they are,” he said.

Mr Joseph said that although the service, whose pilot started in July, was for domestic airlines only, the company is working to include airlines with international flights.


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KDN signals price war with new offer

http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/675784/highRes/109004/-/maxw/600/-/qpv77oz/-/KDN-Kai-Wulff.jpg KDN chief executive officer, Mr Kai Wulff. Photo/FILE
By JEVANS NYABIAGEPosted Thursday, October 22 2009 at 17:54

Data carrier firm, Kenya Data Networks, has opened a new round of price wars by increasing its bandwidth by four times at the normal price, as competition in the telecommunication industry tightens.



“This new development means that if a client is currently receiving 1Mbps, he will now receive 4 Mbps. It also means users will pay for 1Mbps while the other 3 Mbps will be offered free of charge,” said KDN chief executive officer, Mr Kai Wulff.

Bandwidth represents the amount of data a network can transport in a certain period of time.

Due to dependence on the internet, there’s an ever growing need for increased bandwidth and more capacity on the networks, especially for individual home owners and business organisations, which ISPs cannot provide.

Increasing bandwidth rather than reducing prices is an option many internet service providers have gone for.

Doubled

Access Kenya Group is on record to have doubled its bandwidth for the normal price.

The issue of pricing of bandwidth has been a bitter debate in the industry, with most ISPs arguing that they have to recoup their investments before reducing prices.

KDN has in the past slashed internet costs by 90 per cent on wholesale prices, from the current industry average of $4,000 per one megabyte to $400 per megabyte.

“We are able to deliver the same – if not better — affordable telecommunications advances enjoyed by most countries in the developed world.

The demand for increased bandwidth is being driven by our customers who have started to embrace the broadband culture and butterfly lifestyle,” Mr Wulff told journalists on Thursday.

The firm says the new broadband capacity will cater for the rapidly growing demand for international high-speed connectivity and will ensure efficiency and increased content as well as redundancy of client operations.

The increased capacity is being done in anticipation of uptake from customers and enterprises with new and innovative services from KDN to be unveiled soon.


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After a year long tussle with the Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK), Telkom Kenya has finally gotten tapproval to run a second wireless network across the country.

The company was compelled to discontinue running Telkom Wireless at the national level by the telecoms regulator last year, after it launched its Orange mobile on a global satellite for mobile communications (GSM) network.

Telkom Wireless, which has since been rebranded to Orange Fixed Plus, uses the Cable Division Multiple Access (CDMA) infrastructure.

Regionalise network

"The feeling by CCK was that we were running more than one mobile network and they demanded that we regionalize the CDMA network," Said Angela Mumo —Telkom Kenya, head of corporate communications.

CDMA Phones. Telkom Kenya can now run its ‘Orange Fixed Plus’ network nationally after the firm got approval from CCK . Photo: Courtesy
As per the CCK demands, the operator has been running the network at the regional level and hence subscribers, for instance, using the network in Nairobi, could not access the services outside the province.

With the start of the Unified Licensing Framework (ULF) early this year, telecom operators can now have different services on different infrastructure.

"We are going to introduce national roaming service on the CDMA network, but retain the regional prefixes. Subscribers on the network can now call from anywhere in the country," she said.

Telkom Kenya deployed the network in 2006, partly to deal with copper cable vandalism that has dogged its fixed line infrastructure for years.

It was also a move to stay competitive in a market where mobile phones were becoming a preferred mode of communication, substantially eating into Telkom Kenya’s market share, and threatening to make it irrelevant.

Meanwhile, Mumo said the vandalism being witnessed on fibre optic cable networks was more of industrial sabotage than coincidental or accidental cuts.

Players in the sector have in the recent past complained about unethical competitor actions aimed at crippling their networks.

Cable vandalism

Early this week, Safaricom’s network was down for about four hours, following several cuts on a terrestrial fibre optic cable that carries the operator’s voice and data traffic. The company had initially attributed the cuts to ‘suspected acts of sabotage’, but has since said some of the cuts were accidental, while the others were caused by civil works.

why haven't costs gone down even though we have a fiberoptic cable? What's up with that?

why haven't costs gone down even though we have a fiberoptic cable? What's up with that?

^^they are claiming they will recoup their investments first and reduce the price gradually:ohno: Tanzania slashed 50% already:) so our country everybody is a thief including the heads of the corporate world:bash: so sad but true:ohno:

ncrease demand for data services has seen Access Kenya achieve its target for the year, two months ahead of its deadline.
The company’s Managing Director, Jonathan Somen, said the data services provider had signed up 3,000 customers on its residential broadband service, Access@Home, and contracted over 3,100 customers on its corporate broadband service, Broadband Max.
"Growth in customer numbers have been spurred on by, among other factors, the increased speeds following the arrival of the international fibre optic cables, Seacom and the East African Marine System (Teams)," he said.
"We have now broken the 3,000 residential customer barrier, ahead of our target of 2,800 residential customers, and moved past 3,100 corporate customers, our original target for this year."
Resilience and flexibility
He added that the company would connect to the Tata point of presence (POP) in Kenya, in the course of this month.
Tata Communications is setting up a POP, which is expected to give service providers further resilience and flexibility, as well as more efficient speeds and routings around the world.
It is configured to automatically offer redundant paths for Internet traffic going north towards Europe and southwards to South Africahttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/InsidePage.php?id=1144027990&cid=14&#) well as to Asia and India.
Somen said there is a strong uptake in services from the different categories of customers, and noted that the market has a lot of potential, given that only 3.6 million of the country’s 40 million population had access to Internet services.

National Bank of Kenya’s pre-tax profit rose six per cent in the first nine months of the year from Sh1.3 billion to Sh1.4 billion.

Although investment in government securities with Sh2 billion income was the highest earner, proceeds from loans and advances registered significant growth during the period.

During the third quarter, the bank’s loans and advances to customers increased from Sh8 billion to Sh12 billion. Consequently, the company made Sh1.1 billion, up from Sh785.2 million, from the loans and advances.

Customer deposits rose 27 per cent from Sh32.6 billion to Sh41.4 billion. Managing director Reuben Marambii yesterday said the bank’s customer base growth reflects customer satisfaction.

“The bank has been observing market trends keenly, and despite the market pressure, our current interest rates on loans and advances have remained unchanged, while giving a good yield on deposits,” he said.

If the bank maintains this profitability, there is a possibility shareholders could start getting dividend again as early as next year.

No dividend

For almost 10 years, the bank has made no dividend payment in line with regulations that require a company to clear previous losses before rewarding its shareholders.

Though it returned to profitability seven years ago, the losses it suffered from 1997 led to accumulated losses amounting to Sh4.2 billion. These losses have to be cleared before the company can legally pay dividend.

But the bank has been ploughing back some of its profit to cover the losses and it has managed to slash them to Sh401.1 million at the end of September 2009.

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More Kenyans could get easier access to the internet, with the signing of a partnership deal between the Kenya Data Networks (KDN) and Family Bank Limited.

Through the partnership, Family Bank will provide credit facilities for entrepreneurs and communities to use in setting up digital villages and internet hotspots.

“The actual use of the fibre optic technology, not just its availability, is what is going to bridge the digital divide, and lack of money is the main hindrance to this use in Kenya,” said Vincent Wang’ombe, KDN chief marketing manager.

Mr Wang’ombe said that despite excitement on the arrival of the two fibre optic cables, the question of how rural people would be connected went unanswered.

The product dubbed ‘Jipange na Internet’ will help people finance the cost of setting up internet connectivity and purchase the computers and laptops needed.

To finance building of the internet set up, the bank will be giving a loan of Sh58,000 repayable in 24 months.

It will also be offering laptop and computers loans in different amounts repayable in the same period of time.

The loans will be at 1.6 per cent interest per month.

Family Bank’s branches will also be getting WiFi connectivity, thus making them digital centres for use by customers and members of the public.

“Through the venture, any individual within a kilometer radius of any of the 50 branches will be able to access free internet with local content,” said Family Bank CEO, Peter Kinyanjui, while signing the deal on Wednesday.

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By James Ratemo
Kenyahttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/InsidePage.php?id=1144029459&cid=14&#) should start enjoying cheap faster Internet in June, after a third undersea cable goes live.
The $263 million worth, 10,000km East African Submarine System (Eassy), will land at the coast next year April before going live two months later after testing.
Speaking in Nairobi yesterday, officials of West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), the largest single investor in EASSy, said the construction, and the laying of system were on schedule with the first landing scheduled for Maputo, Mozambique, tomorrow
Wood said Internet service providers are currently charging highly because they still enjoyed monopoly of service.
Internet service providers, and other Internet Operators utilizing TEAMS and SEACOM, have long argued that they need to recoup their investment before dropping prices, an argument which Wood said was an excuse to reap quick massive profits.

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Safaricom on Wednesday announced the launch of managed services based on Cisco Solutions to add business value for customers.

Announcing the launch, Cisco Vice President, Africa Levant said Cisco’s managed services is designed to give service providers an edge comes to their customer needs.

Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph said the telecommunication company would be launching several managed service offerings based on Cisco solutions, the first being a Managed Office in a Box’ — a solution that includes connectivity, conferencing and collaboration tools, security, and a virtual private network.

The connected office solution will allow firms to exploit Safaricom’s communications expertise to access highly secure site-to-site Internet-based communications; collaborate more to offer better services to customers; share ideas and save costs.

Joseph said through the addition of Cisco managed services, Safaricom intends to maintain its unique position as the one-stop-shop for integrated and converged data and voice communication solutions.

"This deal forms a key plank of our overall strategy, which has seen us invest in the country’s two undersea cable ventures and acquire two WiMAX operators," Joseph said.

http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/-/1006/817992/-/hfpqjuz/-/index.html

Zain Kenya has introduced two Internet packages for prepaid customers following a recent high increase in demand for data services.

Customers will be able to download up to 500MB for Sh1,250, while a 1 GB download will cost Sh1,750.

The two bundles will be accessible using a new slimmer and sleeker modem.

Other prepaid bundles include 25MB, 70MB and 150MB which attract charges of Sh100, Sh250 and Sh500 respectively.

In a statement, Zain Kenya Managing Director Rene Meza said since the arrival of the fibre optic cable in Kenya, there has been a sharp increase in awareness of data opportunities.

"Zain Kenya has recognised this demand and is offering Kenyans a wide variety of flexible mobile data products to choose from" he said.

New data products have largely centred around the prepaid sector which comprises almost 90 per cent of Kenya’s telecommunications subscribers.

Zain Kenya is holding discussions with the Communications Commission of Kenya with a view of launching 3G next year.

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Telkom Kenya begins 3G trials

http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/820510/highRes/118452/-/maxw/600/-/dv863r/-/biz+update+1+pix.jpg A customer examines his new Apple iPhone 3G. Photo/REUTERS
By JEVANS NYABIAGEPosted Thursday, December 10 2009 at 15:03

In a Sh2 billion initial investment, Telkom Kenya has launched trials of its 3G service in Nairobi, but frets over the $25 million license fee, as being out of reach for growing networks.

The 3G technology is designed to enable mobile operators offer its users a wide range of advanced services, including high-speed data, efficiently while achieving greater network capacity.

Speaking to the Daily Nation on Thursday, Telkom Kenya chief executive officer, Mr Mickael Ghossein said industry players are engaging with the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) to reduce the $25 million (Sh1.9 billion) license fee charged for 3G deployment.

"Having already invested a substantial amount in this project, we would be happy to get a positive consideration from CCK to reduce the figure which may ultimately be a barrier to deepening communication services," Mr Ghossein said.

He says that the spectrum fees charged for a 3G service rollout is currently way too much for the firm and if they have to pay the fee, they will not be able to recoup it.

Asked on what figure he will prefer, he said he will prefer the amount waived altogether.

Tests will initially cover the city centre, Mombasa Road up to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Milimani area and Westlands.

Infrastructure firm, Ericsson will provide an end-to-end support for the Orange 3G network including design, implementation, rollout, testing and operations support.

Telkom Kenya joins Zain Kenya that recently said that it had plans to roll out its 3G service mid next year, but also insisted on the revision of the licence fees.

According to Zain, the current licence fee is prohibitive and offers low returns on investment, a situation that is not conducive to the firm rolling out its 3G.

Safaricom was first to roll out 3G services, obtaining a licence in October 2007 in the country in selected urban centres. It has around 1.65 million 3G customers.

On this issue, Safaricom says all operators should be treated equally as it wont be fair on their part if others don’t pay since they had already paid.

Another operator, Essar Telkom, operating in Kenya under the Yu brand, is also said to be in plans to roll out the network.

According to the latest global statistics, 3G networks all over the world are facing capacity issues as mobile broadband becomes more popular.

It is predicted 3G mobile broadband users will soar to over two billion worldwide in the next five years.

South African’s are in Kenyahttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/mag/InsidePage.php?id=1144030396&cid=457&#) once again, and this time they are not opening another fast food chain or a retail outlet. Instead, they are entering the e-commerce business.
Naspers Limited, one of the biggest media organisations in sub-Saharan Africa, through its MIH Internet arm, has entered the Kenyan market and is slowly gaining market share.
Online platform
It also owns MultiChoice Africa, the providers of pay television, DSTV, and is behind Drum, and True Love magazines.
The online trading platform has already debuted under the brand name of Kalahari.co.ke.
David Aoll, the country head of the e-commerce outfit, told the FJ that they intend to change e-commerce market by including interactive platform for the payment and goods delivery plan in their day-to-day operations.
‘We have partnered with Safaricom’s M-Pesa, and banks, to make it easier for anybody intending to purchase a product from our inventories," said Aoll.
Additionally, individuals will be able to buy goods via electronic fund transfers, and bank standing orders through a tested payment system.
full refund
MIH Internet also said that it is planning to partner with suppliers such as supermarkets, manufacturers and bookshops among others, so that goods bought will be delivered to doorsteps and offices of customers under a guarantee scheme, that promises full refunds if the goods do not meet an individual’s specifications.
The interactive payment platform promises to break the glass ceiling that has impeded e-commerce in the country, ensuring it stays largely unexploited, given its potential.
Kalahari.net has a wide product range, including over 9 million inventories. Individuals will be able to choose from a wide selection of books, music, games, electronics, gifts, toys and other items.
As part of its strategy to enter the market, Kalahari.net intends to brand cyber cafÈ’s in the major towns.
MIH Internet also said that the company might acquire companies that pose a threat to its business line.
"Traditionally, South Africans adopt a number of strategies when entering any market including acquisitions," said Aoll.
The entry of Kalahari comes after Kenya, and by extension Eastern Africa, was linked up with the outside world through Seacom, a private sector initiative undersea fibre optic cable, that offers high speed internet.
The linkage through physical, super-thin, wires that transmit information data at very fast speeds is expected to revolutionalise the region’s interaction with the Internet, and open up a new economic window and business opportunities.
However, internet prices have not dropped as had been widely expected. Previously Eastern Africa relied on the slow and expensive satellite Internet connection
Shake up market
The entry of Kalahari.net is will shake-up Kenya’s e-commerce sector, changing the market share structure as other established e-commerce platforms such as mamamike and babawatoto counter the threat the new entrant poses.

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Kenyans will now be able to buy the Changamka Microhealth electronic card at Uchumi Supermarket outlets countrywide.

The e-medical card, which covers the cost of one hospital treatment, is an initiative between Changamka Microhealth Limited and General Accidents Insurance.

The card, which costs Sh50, plus a minimum value of one hospital visit, Sh450, covers medicine, lab and consultation expenses, and is topped up via M-Pesa.

"Funds are held and managed by GA Insurance who are responsible for settling medical provider bills," Samuel Agutu, Changamka Microhealth Chief Executive Officer said at the signing of the partnership with Uchumi Supermarkets, yesterday.

Uchumi’s Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Ciano, welcomed the innovation, saying the Smart Card will bring medical services closer to the people.

Less Privilaged

"The card will assist the less privileged to access health services. We welcome anybody with innovative ideas that would benefit Kenyans to partner with us to get the ideas to them," Ciano said

He lauded the initiative since it covers a segment that had been ignored by formal medical insurers.

The Changamka card is currently available in Nairobi, but plans to roll out to strategic locations countrywide next month.

The first electronic card of its kind, it enables the users to save money on their E-Cards and to use the saved funds at a fixed affordable charge.

However, the card does not cover chronic ailments, and Agutu said people would have to offset charges not covered by the scheme.

Kenyans will now be able to buy the Changamka Microhealth electronic card at Uchumi Supermarket outlets countrywide.

The e-medical card, which covers the cost of one hospital treatment, is an initiative between Changamka Microhealth Limited and General Accidents Insurance.

The card, which costs Sh50, plus a minimum value of one hospital visit, Sh450, covers medicine, lab and consultation expenses, and is topped up via M-Pesa.

"Funds are held and managed by GA Insurance who are responsible for settling medical provider bills," Samuel Agutu, Changamka Microhealth Chief Executive Officer said at the signing of the partnership with Uchumi Supermarkets, yesterday.

Uchumi’s Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Ciano, welcomed the innovation, saying the Smart Card will bring medical services closer to the people.

Less Privilaged

"The card will assist the less privileged to access health services. We welcome anybody with innovative ideas that would benefit Kenyans to partner with us to get the ideas to them," Ciano said

He lauded the initiative since it covers a segment that had been ignored by formal medical insurers.

The Changamka card is currently available in Nairobi, but plans to roll out to strategic locations countrywide next month.

The first electronic card of its kind, it enables the users to save money on their E-Cards and to use the saved funds at a fixed affordable charge.

However, the card does not cover chronic ailments, and Agutu said people would have to offset charges not covered by the scheme.

^^
I wish other banks can embrace e-commerce. This would make it easier to do on-line shopping like in eBay, uzanunua.com, maduqa.com etc.
Thanks desert burner for these postings. keep 'em coming!:)

^^
I wish other banks can embrace e-commerce. This would make it easier to do on-line shopping like in eBay, uzanunua.com, maduqa.com etc.
Thanks desert burner for these postings. keep 'em coming!:)

That reminds me of something. They want to integrate banking services within major retail outlets. Imagine going to Nakumatt, Uchumi, Tuskys etc. and apply for loans or access other services from your bank. No need to step into a boring banking hall ever again.

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:cheers::cheers:

That reminds me of something. They want to integrate banking services within major retail outlets. Imagine going to Nakumatt, Uchumi, Tuskys etc. and apply for loans or access other services from your bank. No need to step into a boring banking hall ever again.

http://www.nation.co.ke/magazines/smartcompany/-/1226/844736/-/r56btqz/-/index.html

^^ banking and the IT sectors are really expanding at the same time innovative their contribution will be immense in the near future to the economy:cheers:

Data carrier, Kenya Data Networks has sent the internet market back to the drawing board, with the launch of the cheapest broadband in Kenya.

In a move that could put more pressure on other players, the firm unveiled Butterfly Optic Express, a solution that enables Small and Medium Enterprises and businesses enjoy high capacity and at low-cost to promote their growth.

Although many internet players had suggested last year that many of their clients were more interested with capacity and not cost, KDN says it has found that many businesses shy away because of high prices.

For the new packages, it will cost Sh4,000 per month for 1Mbps for unlimited internet access. The company also waived installation, integration and equipment fees, factors that have been barriers to internet access.

According to Kai Wulff, the firm’s chief executive officer, the solution will enable transfer of large files, the use of voice over internet services and access to web based streaming and downloads of videos on demand.

The solution will also come with a free Izzytalk number (VOIP), free Butterfly email addresses and free email domain hosting.

“It is important for ISPs to use the successful terrestrial fibre infrastructure as a guide for new offerings that will support the rapid growth of the SME and small office and home office markets in the country and regionally,” Mr Kai said.

Those who opt for 256 Kbps will pay Sh1,000 per month while 512 Kbps (Sh2,000), 2Mbps (6,000) and 5Mbps will cost Sh8,000.

An SME that uses 1MB per month will now be able to download 324,000Mbps in one month. This is equivalent to 324 gigabytes of data in a month, for which SMEs and SoHos will be paying only $1 cent per MB. The upshot is that consumers will now pay only about $100 for 5MB as opposed to $6,000 for 1MB a few months back.


^^finally to hear the good news

One of the leading channel aggregators of Digital Terrestrial TV services in emerging markets, Next Generation Broadcasting AB (NGB), has confirmed plans to enter the Kenyan market in the coming months.

In Kenya, the company will operate under the trade name Next Generation Broadcasting Kenya as a joint venture between Next Generation Broadcasting Africa AB and the Kenyan company Digital Broadcasting Transmex Ltd.

Speaking when he confirmed the firm’s market entry plans, NGB’s Acting boss Bjorn Weigel, said the firm is partnering with KBC to provide audiences with one of the most balanced entertainment pay TV packages targeted at the mass market in Kenya.

Kenya’s fast-growing business process outsourcing (BPO) sector will generate gross domestic product of about Sh100 billion by 2012, a minister has said.

Information and Communications minister Samuel Pogishio said information and communication technology (ICT) has the potential to spur economic growth and employ over 37,500 people especially the youth.

He said the government has initiated a number of programmes to modernise the sector with an aim of contributing to Kenya realising her Vision 2030 development objectives.

Mr Pogishio spoke at Laico Regency Hotel in Nairobi during the official launch of e–learning programme for the School of Petroleum Studies owned by Petroleum Institute of East Africa (PIEA).

The minister said PIEA’s phased implementation strategy for e-learning will facilitate blended learning - online and contact session approach - for the diploma in petroleum management.

He said growth of talent pool available to ICT companies is increasing Kenya’s competitiveness, paving way for new e-learning initiatives that act as catalyst in ambitious development plans.

“The government on its part has achieved a milestone in an effort to modernise operations, to improve efficiency and service delivery in ministries and departments by automating its registries,” he said.

Mr Pogishio said the arrival of two undersea cables and a national roll-out of fibre optics has provided plenty of broadband that will enable Kenya to reduce rural-urban digital divide.

He said the petroleum sector has invested in modern ICT systems as it is committed to integrity of storage, transportation, safe delivery of products and guaranteeing the consumer value for money.

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Primary and secondary school students will soon access lessons from any location via television sets.
Kenya Institute of Education (KIE) has been granted an educational digital TVhttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/news/InsidePage.php?id=2000006756&cid=159&story=E-learning%20for%20quality%20education#) channel that will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Speaking at the first e-learning regional conference at KIE on Tuesday, President Kibaki said the TV channel, which will soon be launched on a pilot basis, would be expanded countrywide.
"Through this channel the Government will provide expanded high quality transmission through the Schools Radio Broadcasting Programmes," said Kibaki.
Learners can access audio, video and multimedia content anywhere in the country.
"These major initiatives are being undertaken as part of the overall strategy to provide quality primary and secondary education to our children," said the president.
Education Minister Sam Ongeri termed the digital broadcast "one of the biggest milestones the Government has reached for its citizens… The move will enable students acquire knowledge wherever they are, be it in the market or villages," said Ongeri.
He urged the president to upgrade KIE to a level that would enable it conduct research and innovation.
Supplement the teaching
"They would supplement the teaching and not to replace the teacher," said KIE Director Lydia Nzomo.
President Kibaki at the same time said the Government has initiated a programme to integrate ICT in the teaching of science and mathematics and established the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology for Africa to boost the performance of the subjects.
Educators and students, he said now have at their disposal all the tools that make e-learning a reality.
"The challenge ahead of you at this conference is how you can put these tools to best use and empower both the educator and student," he said.
Kibaki said the Government has undertaken the implementation of an interactive ICT platform that will enhance teaching in collaboration with the Government of Belgium.
Already, 240 education institutions countrywide have been identified for the programme, which will provide computer-based online teaching in schools.
The theme for e-learning is transforming education as a whole. It draws participants from teachers, ICT and education stakeholders and enhances quality, access and equity in the education sector.
The programme also ensures digital content and teacher professional development, public private partnership and pedagogical aspects of ICT integration in education.

First Solar-Powered Rural Internet Kiosk Installed in Kenya

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The first solar-powered Rural Internet Kiosk, aimed at empowering rural African youth through Internet access, has been installed in Kenya, according to a release from Voices of Africa for Sustainable Development.

The Rural Internet Kiosk (RIK) is a completely self-contained self-service solution for providing access to computers and the Internet, and the RIK project is working to bring the kiosks to rural people throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.

The community-based organization Voices of Diani will own and operate the Rural Internet Kiosk, with training, support and volunteers from Voices of Africa. The Rural Internet Kiosk is a product of Intersat Africa Ltd., which is providing the first year of bandwidth at no cost. The funding for this project was provided by the Internet Society through their Community Grants initiative.

Program Summary

Rural Internet Kiosks (RIK) is a Kenyan-based organisation that manufactures and distributes movable, recyclable, cost-effective kiosks that operate with satellite connectivity and solar energy to enable rural communities to access the internet. The initiative uses software provided by Userful and internet connectivity provided by InterSat Africa. The internet kiosks are being distributed in Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Zambia providing rural communities with access to information on agriculture, health, the environment, and e-governance.

Communication StrategiesRural Internet Kiosks produces kiosks that are independent, freestanding booths functioning on solar power and other forms of renewable energy. Each kiosk houses three energy-efficient personal computers. The kiosks are modelled on user-friendly software and hardware, and are manufactured and assembled in a ‘knock-down’ format, enabling them to be easily transported and set up in even very rugged regions.
First Solar-Powered Rural Internet Kiosk Installed in Kenya

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The kiosks have been designed to give access to all users, including children and the disabled. According to RIK, they are also working on ways to use portable USB pen screen readers and accessible websites, which will help the visually impaired access information. Screen readers could also help people who can understand, but not necessarily read, English.

In video: Callshop Boom

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The kiosks are designed to promote entrepreneurship and electronic service delivery within rural and urban settings, and in turn help in e-commerce, e-education, e-health, and e-governance. The organisers say that the kiosks have helped farmers obtain regular updates on weather patterns and produce prices, thereby expanding their revenue. Business start-ups have been able to exploit digital multimedia advertising.

The internet kiosks are helping government agencies to create awareness concerning health and environment and reach out to local communities. Through the use of multi-media information outlets, communities can also access information about infectious diseases such as malaria, polio, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis. The kiosks also create platforms for the promotion of tele-medicine, which is still in its infancy in most African countries.

The kiosks use the open-source Ubuntu Linux operating system, as well as other open-source software. They utilise virtualisation technology which allows for up to 10 uses to share a single PC.

http://www.a24media.com/index.php/business/1226-first-solar-powered-rural-internet-kiosk-installed-in-kenya?start=1

Safaricom has partnered with the government to roll out centres equipped with computers and internet connectivity to enable citizens access government information.

This move together with other initiatives such as partnering with manufacturers of mobile handsets, computer vendors and financial institutions to offer internet access devices at subsidized rates sets the pace in the race to secure market share in the untapped sector.

High speed internet



With only five per cent of the Kenyans hooked to high speed internet access by late last year and 3.7 million internet users in the country the data segment offers huge potential for the operators.

However, apart from Safaricom, none offers high speed internet connection on mobile phones so far.

This comes after the delay of a similar project by the government and the World Bank, which has since forced the state to enter into a public private partnership to roll-out the project.

The World Bank partnership was among other things aimed at building capacity among the youth before being given start up capital to roll-out the facilities.

However, delay in releasing the grant has slowed its pace.

Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph said the partnership is aimed at strategically deploying data products and services so as to spawn the delivery of government services to citizens.

“In countries where e-government has been adopted and backed by necessary investment in data infrastructure, there has been material improvement in the lives of the people” said Joseph. “There is huge potential of extending registration of personal identity documents, e-voting, e-farming, e-learning and e-medicine”

India and Singapore

Joseph singled out countries such as India and Singapore as good example that the governments are using electronic infrastructure to deliver services online.

Currently, some government agencies such as the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is using cyber cafés to offer some of it’s services such as Personal Identification Number (PIN) registration.

The mobile provider say’s it’s mobile money transfer system M-pesa will also be used by those who doing electronic business online to pay for goods or services.

Information minister Samuel Poghisio has called on more investors to roll-out the rural digital centers which he says will help deliver government services to the rural areas.

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By James Ratemo
Kenyahttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/mag/InsidePage.php?id=2000009681&cid=457&#) is on target trek to becoming an ICT hub. Already, rural dwellers across the country are soaked in the ongoing digital revolution.
Gone are the days when Nairobi and other major towns, were monopolies of Government, banking and communication services.
Today, with the technological revolution sweeping across the face of the country, all these services have been delivered to rural areas through digital villages.
Thanks to the digital villages, also known as pasha centres, rural dwellers can read their emails, and access Government services including obtaining a Police abstract, checking status of passport application or read gazette notices online from the comfort of their villages.
Students in rural schools can also learn new skills and interact with students in other parts of the world through the Internet.
Learning is taking a totally new meaning, as teachers get near-instant access to information and developments many miles away.
New techniques
Farmers, too, are using the growth of Internet connectivity, to learn new techniques to survey and access new markets that otherwise remained closed due to lack of information.
But perhaps it is in the mobile telephony that ICT has picked up like a bush fire.
Beyond serving the basic communication function, ICT has fundamentally changed the face of banking with telecom operators now running exciting electronic money transfers.
Mobile money transfer through services like Zain’s Zap, Safaricom’s M-Pesa, and yu Cash have permeated segments and areas traditionally ignored by banks — low income earners and rural areas.
By the end of last year, M-Pesa had nearly netted 10 million subscribers with many more unregistered users accessing the service.
Banks, which initially resisted the innovation, have latched onto the technology train to enrich their product offerings in a bid to rally their revenues.
"Now that close to 90 per cent of the population can access M-Pesa, we can say we have largely succeeded," says Dr Bitange Ndemo, Information PS.
According to research, one in three Kenyans own a mobile phone. More and more schools are acquiring computer labs and both Government and private agencies are increasingly adopting ICT.
Internet is gradually moving away from cyber cafes to mobile phones. Portable modems sold by mobile telecom companies, are ensuring that ‘last mile’ connectivity is achieved, a feat that would have been difficult with terrestrial fibre cables.
As the Government implements part of the Kenya Communication Amendment Act 2009, Telecom companies Safaricom, Telkom Kenya, Zain Kenya and Essar are required to roll out the digital villages.
Access fund
Under the Act, the Communication Commission of Kenya is mandated to levy the operators a universal access fund of one per cent of their total revenue for the project rollout.
However, according to Ndemo, the Government asked each telecom operator to roll out five digital villages in all constituencies in the country, instead of the levy.
"We need to push more applications to rural areas, especially e-learning, e-government and e-commerce. These will come once there is robust Broadband throughout the country," says Ndemo.
Digital centres
Safaricom has already embarked on the project, and has put up 500 digital centres across.
The telecom operator is using its third generation (3G) technology in these centres for faster Internet.
Telkom Kenya is also testing its 3G network ahead of a planned rollout of digital centres using its mobile wireless technology.
Kenya Data Network, in partnership with Popote Wireless, is rolling out digital villages in the 210 constituencies.
The centres will be equipped with between 10 to 20 computers, Internet connection, printers and scanners.
"Once operational, the Government hopes to use the centres to deliver some of its services to the public online," says Ndemo.
According to the Kenya ICT Board, the agency coordinating the roll out of the Pasha Centres, the Government has trained 1,000 youth in the running of digital villages.
The Government will be giving these youth up to Sh1 million to set up the centres.
"This year, we shall roll out more than 1,500 digital villages," Ndemo says.
"However, this is inadequate on its own because the value proposition of a digital village increases with an increase in local digital content."
According to Ndemo, operators should seize the opportunity offered by the pasha centres to develop local content.
According to Alex Gakuru, Chairman, Kenya ICT Consumers Association, if well designed and equipped, digital villages are "convenience centres".
"Digital centres will offer the latest in communication technologies including Internet access, VoIP telephony, mobile phones, airtime, cash transfer, scanning, and e-government services like online tax returns for clearing and forwarding agents," says Gakuru.


http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/mag/InsidePage.php?id=2000009681&cid=457&

:cheers::cheers:

^^
I think this digital village thing is just the tip of the iceberg. Safaricom have now made laptops easily available by customers obtaining them at roughly 40$ with monthly payments. Laptops are now becoming a really common sight among young Kenyans countrywide thanks to this initiative.:)

It wasn't that long ago when Kenyans used to look at computers as really sophisticated equipment that was literally out of reach.

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/image/view/-/921050/medRes/161332/-/maxw/600/-/iktdamz/-/m-kesho.jpg President Kibaki (centre), Equity Bank Chief Executive James Mwangi (right), and his Safaricom counterpart, Michael Joseph, launch the M-Kesho M-pesa Equity Account at the KICC in Nairobi on May 18, 2010. Photo/FREDRICK ONYANGO


Kenya’s largest telecoms operator Safaricom on Tuesday deepened its foray into the financial services market with the launch of a mobile money product that will allow users of its M-Pesa service to operate interest earning bank accounts in their cell phones.

The new service, a partnership between Safaricom and Equity Bank, frees M-Pesa from the regulatory hurdles that have capped the size of transactions in its operations and ultimately limited its use in the national payments system.

“M-Kesho is the new national payments system, a cashless distribution system that will extend the reach of financial products by offering low cost and fast access to the masses,” said James Mwangi, Equity Bank CEO.

Analysts described launch of the mobile bank account dubbed M-Kesho (Kiswahili for money for the future) as a game-changing move that not only promises to deliver savings services to millions of poor people worldwide, but also significantly boost the movement of cash in the Kenyan economy.

“This is a clear message to the world that poor people want savings accounts and mobile banking is a powerful way to deliver the services to the million people worldwide who have a cell phone, but not a bank account,” said Alexia Latortue, acting chief executive of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP).

M-Kesho also gives the two partners a head-start in the race to capture Kenya’s huge population of the unbanked using simple and convenient solutions.

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/image/view/-/921056/medRes/161330/-/w/300/-/x5d2pn/-/mpesa.jpg
Launch of the mobile bank account offers Equity Bank an opportunity to turn M-Pesa’s 8.5 million subscribers into savings account holders while Safaricom taps into the potential large volume transactions for increased profitability of its M-Pesa service.
The graduation of M-Pesa from a mobile money transfer service to a fully fledged banking product serviced through a mobile phone is being hailed as a show of Kenya’s competitiveness in the field of financial services innovation.

“There are moments in history when one can identify the tipping point. Three years ago, M-Pesa was developed and today is the day Kenya showed its leadership in the financial inclusion arena,” said Ms Latortue.

In Kenya, M-Kesho is being seen as a true reflection of the future of money and the growing convergence of the financial and telecommunications services sectors, and its impact on the use of mobile phone in the national payments system.

By facilitating access to a bank account through a mobile phone, M-Kesho will enable individuals, small businesses, corporations and, ultimately, the government, to save money in interest earning accounts, pay for goods and services as well as service loans and insurance payments using their mobile phones.

The product also marks the arrival of a low cost, low entry level savings account that could shake up the market by challenging the large number of offerings by commercial banks.

Apart from creating of the largest pool of banked individuals in Kenya, M-Kesho represents the changing face of the country’s financial sector, which has increasingly turned to new technologies to extend its reach and lower its costs.

The partnership hands Equity a foothold in the competitive banking sector and marks the end of the bank’s three year struggle to perfect a mobile banking platform.

Equity Bank first launched a mobile banking solution in 2007 aiming to develop a means through which account holders could access their finances using their mobile phones.
Apart from the rivalry that came from banking sector players with similar offerings, Equity’s m-banking service has had to contend with the M-Pesa – Safaricom’s service that was launched in the same year.

“The challenges of rolling out the solution necessitated the inclusion of a telecommunications partner,” said Mr Mwangi.

Equity’s talks with operators in the mobile sector ended last year when it approached Safaricom for a match-up on M-Kesho, the offer that the partners have positioned as an entry point for many unbanked Kenyans to the formal banking services.

Initially, M-Kesho will focus on being a savings and insurance tool, before extending to offer other services such as credit.

Customers will open an interest earning bank account with Equity Bank that allows them to build a sound credit history and in the end offer them access to short-term loans.

Equity customers will have an option to apply for a personal accident insurance cover in the first year, which will seamlessly be migrated into a full life cover after the first year.

The account will attract no ledger fees, requires no minimum balance, has no penalties on withdrawal, and does not charge for deposits but earns 3 per cent in interest rates annually.

M-Pesa, originally developed as a money transfer tool, has grown over the last three years to become a formidable alternative payments channel, transferring a cumulative Sh405 billion since launch and quickly overlapping the gains made by over 100 years of operation by banks.

Compared to just 8.4 million accounts in the formal banking sector, M-Pesa now has 8.5 million subscribers actively using the service to transfer an average Sh1.8 billion a day on the system.

M-Pesa nows enables payments for over 75 partners (including utility companies and micro-finance providers), and is recognised as a payment channel for companies keen to avoid cash handling security pitfalls of handling cash and the risk of bouncing associated with cheques.

Should the new partnership prove successful, Equity hopes to convert the majority of M-pesa subscribers into account holders in its bank, offering it access to bottom of the pyramid users who can use its system to save money and service payments - a segment of the population that has thus far been left out of the reach of the banking sector.

Through the integration of the bank’s network of over 80 branches with 17,500 M-Pesa agents, the bank will also boost its presence in rural areas where accessibility to financial services has locked a large portion of the population out of the system.

On the other hand, the tie-up saves Safaricom - faced with a growing number of subscribers who already use its service to save - the hassle of obtaining a banking licence as it moves to extend the menu of services it offers subscribers through M-Pesa.

But over the last three years, the field has grown to include other mobile operators who are keen to invest in products that will help them maintain their subscriber base, forcing older players like Safaricom to seek new grounds for innovation.

A recent study by Financial Sector Deepening reveals that 21 per cent of M-Pesa users already use the service to either save money or store it for emergencies, and an additional 38 per cent would like to be able to earn interest on the money in their M-Pesa accounts.
The new partnership offers Safaricom the opportunity to maintain traffic on its service as it meets these expectations.

“This inter-linking of services sets the stage for a new range of products that previously we were not able to offer. It will target customers who can use M-Pesa as a tool to deposit and withdraw money into their accounts,” said Michael Joseph, Safaricom CEO.

A number of regulations governing the banking sector have been reviewed or altered to facilitate the launch of M-Kesho.

Central Bank governor Njuguna Ndung’u said that the two companies were given an exemption from certain regulations to create a unique agency network.

In addition, a new agency banking law had to be created.

Apart from representing a steep change in the mobile money industry and adding an additional feather in the country’s innovation cap, the development is anticipated to have wider implications for the economy.

The combination of cheap financial services and increased mobile accessibility is expected to boost the country’s chances of increasing its savings to 25 per cent of the country’s GDP - a target outlined in Vision 2030.

“The country must raise its level of savings to finance required investment. Currently, savings contribute to just 14-15 per cent of the country’s GDP. Increasing that amount would reflect targeted economic growth of 10 per cent,” said Uhuru Kenyatta, Finance Minister.

The number of bank account holders in the country has risen from just over one million in 2003 to 8.4 million currently.

Equity Bank boasts 4.5 million of those accounts or more than half.

But in spite of this increase, over 70 per cent of the population cannot access financial services, with the formal banking sector serving just 23 per cent of the population.

This is largely because of traditional barriers to access such as the cost, distance to financial services and limited financial education.

Tools such as the mobile phone - currently accessible by over 19 million people - have become increasingly important to financial institutions as they try to overcome those barriers.

“The fact that mobile providers already have effective delivery channels in place puts them in a unique position to offer a wider audience services,” said Mr Mwangi.

For mobile providers, the opportunities presented by products such as M-Pesa include the introduction of new revenue streams.
Last year, players recorded an average 35 per cent jump in revenues from money transfer products.

Globally, the sector is set to bring in $10 billion in total revenues by 2010, thanks to the entrance of new players offering m-payment schemes and subsequent consumer demand, according to Alan Goode, senior analyst and author with Juniper Research.


http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Company%20Industry/Safaricom%20roils%20the%20market%20with%20phone%20based%20savings%20account/-/539550/921044/-/item/3/-/imlm62z/-/index.html

Here comes the demise of the small bank in Kenya...and it will definitely change the financial scene forever just like M-pesa did.

Here comes the demise of the small bank in Kenya...and it will definitely change the financial scene forever just like M-pesa did.

^^let them switch to the upcoming agent banking :lol: i am really impressed by what is happening in the financial and the communication sectors in the country:cheers::cheers:

Here comes the demise of the small bank in Kenya...and it will definitely change the financial scene forever just like M-pesa did.

I believe currently the "small bank phenomenon" is non existent since the CBK issued a memorandum to have small banks to merge and consolidate after setting a minimum cap at (250 - 500 million) I believe. I hope they will spread the services to as many institutions as possible.

^^let them switch to the upcoming agent banking :lol: i am really impressed by what is happening in the financial and the communication sectors in the country:cheers::cheers:

Great news. Hopefully as it grows they are doing something about identity theft, phising, hacking, general technological security and improving on customer services to assure customers.^^

When is SAFARICOM going to spread it wings around?

When is SAFARICOM going to spread it wings around?

I don't think it is very easy to operate in other countries without signed consent of approval from the relevant country's communication body due primarily to existing protocols and competition, Incase of Safaricom, Vodacom UK has a substantial stake not sure if they are in DRC but as soon as they sort out the bureaucracy I guess they should expand outside Kenya. I believe they have some form of operations in underlying areas of Tanzania and Uganda.

I don't think it is very easy to operate in other countries without signed consent of approval from the relevant country's communication body due primarily to existing protocols and competition, Incase of Safaricom, Vodacom UK has a substantial stake not sure if they are in DRC but as soon as they sort out the bureaucracy I guess they should expand outside Kenya. I believe they have some form of operations in underlying areas of Tanzania and Uganda.

Safaricom has agreements within the 5 EA states with companies like MTN (Uganda) and Vodacom (TZ) that enables users to enjoy their services.

Though the M-pesa concept has been replicated recently in many countries all the way down to SA (though I haven't confirmed it personally). At least in Uganda its called M-Sente (M-cash in Luganda).

Safaricom is at the cutting edge of technology, let them keep rolling this items for the benefit of all kenyans.

The European Union has set up an Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) centre in Merti, Isiolo District to empower pastoral communities.
They will have capacity to collect information and share knowledge on disaster preparedness. The centre will also impart skills to the people.
The Merti Maarifa centre located 240 kilometres from Isiolo town cost over Sh2.5 million and was funded by the EU through the Drought Management Initiative (DMI), a project of the EU that supports drought management activities of the arid lands resource management in the Ministry of Development of Northern Kenya and other arid areas.
The project was implemented in partnership with the Arid lands Information Network, Merti Intergrated Development Programme and Rangeland Users Association.
The resource centre helps pastoralists to acquire knowledge on alternative means of livelihoods and will lead to the development of an online marketing portal that will allow pastoral community to export livestock.
The centre will also act as research hub for scholars from various institutions. Scientists have opportunities to validate indigenous knowledge while the centre will also offer opportunities for schools on ICT issues.
According to DMI dispatch, the centre will contributing to the achievement of the millennium development goals by enhancing partnership, community development and basic education opportunities.
Disaster management
Commissioning the ICT project, the Head of EU delegation to Kenya Eric Van der Linden said the digital village will enable communities in the semi arid region develop better drought coping mechanisms against impending disasters through access to early warning information from the internet.
Mr Van der Linden said the Union will continue funding drought management initiatives especially in areas where it is critical to finding out solutions to ending such disasters. He lauded DMI for the role it is playing in disaster mitigation measures in northern Kenya which has prevented massive human and livestock suffering.
The centre is equipped with five laptops, film editing and publications facilities, colour printers, 10 ipods, two still digital cameras, a camcorder, an overhead projector, one television set, one DVD video and VSAT internet connectivity among others.
The Information and Communication PS Dr Bitange Ndemo said the centre will not only give the pastoral communities access to the Internet but also empower them in starting income generating activities.

Kenya's second largest mobile operator Zain plans to roll out a third-generation (3G) service in July this year after an expected cut in license fees by the regulator, its managing director said on Monday.

Data is the main growth area for operators in east Africa's largest economy and Kuwait-listed Zain, which along with Essar's Yu and Telkom Kenya have a combined market share of just over 20 per cent, have been pushing for lower license costs to allow them to launch 3G.

"We are planning to roll out 3G services in July 2010. We expect the regulator to announce new spectrum costs for 3G during the first week of June which are going to be substantially lower than the current $25 million," Rene Meza told Reuters by phone.

"That will obviously allow all mobile operators to be able to roll out 3G services in Kenya and increase Internet penetration in the country."

A senior government official said in February license fees for 3G telecom services could be cut for smaller mobile phone operators to help them compete better.

Kenya has a 50 per cent mobile phone penetration rate but the number of people with access to broadband Internet is much lower.

The International Telecoms Union says only 8 per cent of Africans have access to the Internet with only 3 per cent having access to broadband.

Early acquisition

Safaricom, Kenya's leading operator with a 78.3 per cent mobile market share, has benefited from its early acquisition of a 3G license, posting a 72 per cent growth in revenue from the data segment in its year ended March.

Meza said Zain Kenya posted a 35 per cent growth in its data business last year -- through 2G -- but said it was hard to predict performance this year since the environment was fluid.

"There are so many variables and aspects that one has to consider. Two years ago we were two mobile operators in the market, now we are four. Regulations will change," he said.

A rise in the number of operators in the Kenyan market has also affected the firm's subscriber base, Meza said, adding Zain Kenya had 2 million users, which compares with the 2.68 million the company said it had at the beginning of last year.

"Entrance of new players in the market, coupled with the global crisis and the post-election violence affected the mobile uptake of subscribers in Kenya's industry," he said.

Zain Kenya, like other Zain operations in Africa, is in the process of being sold to India's Bharti Airtel in a $9 billion deal.

"Hopefully the transaction will be closed soon and we are going to have clearer visibility on the way forward in Africa," Meza said.

^^i hope the broadband penetration should be higher in the coming years :)

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Company%20Industry/Software%20developers%20get%20Sh300m%20boost/-/539550/931590/-/gilq6l/-/index.html

Leading mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has unveiled a bicycle charger and launched her first dual SIM handsets for the global market.
In the global launch in Nairobi yesterday, Nokia also unveiled an eco-friendly bicycle charger to serve markets off the electricity grid, especially in rural Africa and Asia.
Nokia Executive Vice President, Rick Simonson said the dual SIM handsets will enable customers to use more than one SIM card to benefit from tariff rates offered by different mobile operators and reduce the wear and tear caused by changing SIM cards regularly.
High-end brands
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/images/friday/bus040610_01.jpgNokia Executive VP Rick Simonson demonstrates how the bicycle charger works. [PHOTO: COLLINS KWEYU]
Expected to retail at about Sh5,000, the Nokia C1 and C2 dual SIM series will met a growing market for dual SIM gadgets and fight the rising incidents of counterfeits.
He said most counterfeiters target top Nokia brands by including the dual SIM feature to lure unsuspecting customers.
Simonson said Africa is emerging as a strong market for mobile phone users with new more subscribers signing up than in the markets in the West. He said the bicycle charger comes after years of research to determine the needs of users in emerging markets.
The charger comes with a holder, a converter and a mini-generator to allow free and instant charging of a variety of Nokia gadgets as one rides the bicycle.
"The charger allows one to accumulate one hour talk time from 20 minutes of cycling," said Brad Brockaug, Nokia’s head of sales, Africa.
Brockhaug said the new charger will especially offer a business opportunity for the mushrooming ‘boda-boda’ operators across Africa and serve off-grid areas in an eco-friendly way since the charging doesn’t in involve electricity or batteries.
Nokia also announced plans to roll out a mobile education programme for schools in the country before end of this year.
Mobile education
The programme will see mobile operator Zain, offer air time for data delivery with Nokia offering the hardware, Longman Kenyahttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/InsidePage.php?id=2000010804&cid=14&story=Nokia%20unveils%20bicycle%20charger#) offering the e-learning content and Kenya Institute of Education and Ministry of Information coordinating training of teachers and programme rollout.
Information PS Bitange Ndemo and Nokia’s Head of Corporate Social Investment, Middle East and Africa, Kulsoom Ally said talks are at advanced stages among the stakeholders to kick off the programme.
"The education programme has been working in Tanzania since 2000. We want to replicate its success here," said Ally.

UUNET is gearing up to offer a mobile to fixed convergence solution to enhance its customer communication experience.
The business communication service provider, which offers solutions to corporations, says the new solution will direct communication from a fixed phone to a mobile phone or vice versa, enabling its over 700 top-tier clients to be in touch at all times.
"If I call you on your fixed line and you are not there, the solution will re-direct me to where you are, in this case your mobile line," said Tom Omariba, the UUNET Kenya managing director.
Mr Omariba said they are in discussions with their principal partner MTN Business, even as UUNET Kenya engineers are already testing the requisite equipment to facilitate the service.
The convergence will enable customers to do anything that can be done in the office while on move, including handling of faxes and telephone calls.
"If it is a fax you are receiving and are not in the office, the solution will redirect the fax to your smart phone. In turn, you will be able to respond to the fax from your smart phone, with the responses being received in the office as a fax," said Mr Omariba.
The solution requires UUNET to work with a GSM povider that has a 3G licence, or expand their Beyond Broadband WiMAX service.

Faulu Kenya has partnered with PesaPoint to allow customers access their approved loans by ATMs.

Under the partnership, more than 200,000 depositors will access cash through PesaPoint ATMs.

The deal was signed yesterday in Nairobi.

"Customers with a Faulu ATM Card — Daraja — can withdraw cash at any PesaPoint ATM starting now," John Mwara, Faulu Kenya CEO said. Loan applicants can now cash their money at the nearest PesaPoint ATM and will be charged Sh75," he said.

With the partnership, depositors from the low end of the financial services will access their cash through the arrangement taking advantage of the PesaPoint network in the country.

Mwara said Faulu would also open more branches to allow majority of their customer’s access financial services. "ATM cash withdrawal hitherto a preserve of the mainstream banking clientele has now found its way in the microfinance," Mwara said.

Bernard Mathewman, Paynet’s CEO said the move will ensure customers in areas without banks access banking services conveniently.

The partnership is set to increase the range of services and channels available to the majority of Kenyans who are unbanked.

Nairobi — Two Indian telecom companies -- Bharti Airtel and Essar Telecom -- are set for a bruising battle for a piece of the lucrative Kenyan mobile phone market.

In their "dial Africa" mission, the firms are betting on local opportunities and the rest of Africa where the mobile penetration level at 32 per cent is less than India's 50 per cent with fewer competitors.

In India, Bharti is the market leader with more than 135 million subscribers while Vodafone-Essar, jointly owned by UK's Vodafone (67 per cent) and Essar Group (33 per cent), is second in terms of revenue with about 100 million subscribers.

Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal recently acquired 15 Zain operations in Africa for Sh856 billion ($10.7 billion), which includes the Kenyan company.

Ruia brothers Shashi and Ravi, who own the Essar Group, have a controlling stake in Essar Telecom Kenya Ltd (with 80 per cent), trading under the brand name Yu.
A few days ago, Bharti announced that it will pump Sh12 billion ($150 million) into the Kenyan unit in a bid to push the Airtel brand to the rural areas signalling a battle based on pricing for subscribers in the East African country's lucrative mobile telephony market.
"Airtel's entry will add impetus to Kenya's telecoms industry," said Zain Kenya managing director Rene Meza.

In India, Bharti successfully implemented the "Minute Factory" -- where subscribers can pre-pay for minutes of talk time, which the firm plans to replicate in Kenya.

Airtel will be looking to increase its market share by focusing on rural areas and lowering communication costs.Mr Manoj Kohli, the company's chief executive (international) and also the joint managing director, while addressing journalists in Nairobi recently said that Airtel would seek to cover 90 per cent of the country by expanding to the rural areas.
Airtel covers 450,000 villages in India which, he says, is a record achievement.

Essar announced early in the year that it would invest $2 billion in up to six or seven African mobile businesses.

Essar Telecom Kenya Ltd runs a similar model, focusing on the low end segment although it hasn't had a rosy line.

Mr Atul Chaturvedi, the country manager, Essar Telecom Kenya, says: "It is true that we both come from the same country but the situation for both of us is different."

He says that while Essar started from scratch, and could initiate activities without disturbing the cart, Bharti will be overtaking a running operation and will change the wheels of a running car.

"We look forward to their entry. We have a sound strategy. If another player with same strategy comes in, noise about the strategy will be higher and acceptance of the strategy will be higher," he adds.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201007191866.html

Kenyan judiciary goes digital

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 14 - The Judiciary has taken a leap into the digital technology world by launching the first ever video conference hearing of cases in Kenya.
Already this week, the Court of Appeal has heard three cases via video conference where the Bench sat in Nairobi while the respective lawyers were in Mombasa.
While launching the Judiciary ICT Policy and Strategic plan at the Nairobi High Court, Chief Justice Evan Gicheru said the adoption of technology would speed up the delivery of justice.

"Virtual courts have the potential to transform how the justice system deals with cases. They are vital in the drive to deliver swift justice, resolving cases faster and improving service given to victims, witnesses and defendants," said Justice Gicheru.

The video conferencing is among other ICT initiatives to be adopted by the courts in the next three years including digitisation of court records and electronic recording of proceedings.
After rolling out video conferencing, the CJ said installation of voice recognition technology would be the next milestone on the corridors of justice.
"Such a facility will free judges from the task of manually copying verbatim the evidence and arguments. It has the potential to re-engineer the standards of how we work including digital recording of evidence," he said.

Justice Gicheru said they had decided to bypass the electronic recording of cases (Hansard) since it would require extra manpower to transcribe.

"This technology will solve the perennial problem of archival and storage of paper records," he added.

The Chairman of the Judiciary ICT Committee Justice Phillip Waki said to achieve the benchmarks of the policy and the strategic plan, there would be need to invest massively in human resource in the Judiciary.

"We have recommended the upgrading of the ICT section to a fully fledged department to be headed by a Director and an able deputy and sufficient manpower," he said.

Justice Waki said the Judiciary had already started the electronic archival. He said they had hired 200 persons to digitise current paper records.

"They have already done more than seven million pages and they plan to do more than 30 million copies," he said.

Also at the function, Law Society of Kenya Chairman Ken Akide hailed the development saying it would ensure cases are attended to faster and efficiently.

"We are seeing some light at the end of the (tunnel) in fulfilling one ideal for justice: access to justice for all," he said.

Kenya has been ranking as top innovative coutries in Africa .

[CAPE TOWN] Kenya, South Africa and Tunisia have emerged as the top innovators of Africa in a report on the continent's competitiveness launched last week.

The three countries — which scored highly on ratings of their scientific capacity — are on a par with such innovative countries as Brazil and India, according to The Africa Competitiveness Report 2009, produced by the World Economic Forum, the African Development Bank and the World Bank Africa.

In a league table that included 33 African countries, and 134 countries overall, Tunisia ranked thirtieth for innovation factors (and first in Africa); South Africa thirty-sixth (second) and Kenya fiftieth (third).

"These countries have high-quality scientific research institutions, invest strongly in research and development, and are characterised by a significant level of collaboration between business and universities in research," said the report, which was launched at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, last week (9 June).

Egypt, Nigeria and Senegal also appeared in the top half of the international innovation rankings "demonstrating the existing potential for innovation in Africa", said the report.

Innovation is just one of 12 "pillars" of competitiveness compiled by the authors using data from a variety of sources.

The report says that the ability to innovate does not become crucial to a country's success until it is striving to achieve the third of three "levels" of development — "factor-driven", "efficiency-driven", and "innovation-driven" respectively. Countries in the top category need to devote 30 per cent of their resources to innovation.

"As productivity increases, countries reach a point where further competiveness can't be gained by being cheaper or doing things better and this is where countries need to focus on being innovative," Jennifer Blanke, senior economist for the World Economic Forum and one of the authors of the report, told SciDev.Net.

The report allocates no African country to the third, innovation-driven phase or the transition from the second, efficiency-driven to the innovation-driven stage. Algeria, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa and Tunisia are in the efficiency-driven phase, while Botswana, Libya and Morocco are in transition from factor-driven to efficiency-driven.

Kenya, despite its high innovation rankings, remains in the first stage.

The other African countries in the survey are all in stage one but their low ranking in terms of innovation "should not be of significant concern at this stage given the importance of focusing on the more basic areas for improvement first".

In terms of overall competitiveness Tunisia was the top African country, ranked thirty-sixth down from thirty-second in the previous year's report. South Africa was the top country in Sub-Saharan Africa at forty-fifth down one position year-on-year but maintaining the same score, ahead of India in fiftieth position and followed by Botswana (fifty-sixth), Mauritius (fifty-seventh), Namibia (eightieth) and ahead of Egypt in eighty-first place.
For more info check http://www.scidev.net/en/news/kenya-south-africa-tunisia-top-innovation-poll.html
http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/comment/-/434750/1053116/-/68i8vmz/-/index.html

Kenyans can now operate a mobile money account without necessarily owning a mobile phone.

This follows the launch of a new mobile money transfer service dubbed "Tangaza" by Mobile Pay Limited. It also enables one to directly buy or sell stocks at the Nairobi Stock Exchange, right from the mobile platform.

Officially unveiling the new service yesterday, Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Governor Njuguna Ndung’u said the move will see many more Kenyans access mobile banking services cheaply and conveniently.

Uniquely, the service operates across all the existing mobile phone networks, meaning mobile phone users can register their sim cards for the service irrespective of their network.

Users can also register for accounts without necessarily having a mobile phone. They will, however, have to link the account with their simcards to allow accessing the account via the mobile phone.

Unlike existing mobile money transfer services, Tangaza Money Transfer will not require its customers to carry identification documents before transacting. It will also not be a must for users to have mobile handsets. [PHOTO: Govedi Asutsa/Standard]
"The service has already been piloted and seen it can work," Prof Ndung’u said. He said the mobile money transfer service in Kenya has so far witnessed massive economic benefits with subscribers across all the mobile networks standing at 15.4 million.

He said CBK will continue working with Communication Commission of Kenya, the Ministry of Information and other relevant authorities to ensure the mobile services are fraud free and cost-friendly. Statistics show that on the mobile money platform Sh2.45 billion a day is transacted daily.

DIGITAL ASSISTANT

Like other existing money transfer services, the Tangaza Money Transfer lets people send and receive money instantaneously using their mobile phones or a personal digital assistant (PDA) held by an agent.

Recipients receive text messages when they are sent money and can collect it from any of its agents spread across the country. However, unlike other existing operators, the new system ensures subscribers register their details, photographs and fingerprints and thereafter are only required to place the finger on a finger print reader without necessarily having to produce an identity card.

As a security measure too, the subscribers register a unique pin (Personal Identification Number), for authorising transactions. This is expected to radically reduce transaction costs and guarantee better access to the illiterate and those who do not own mobile phones. In the existing mobile money transfer services subscribers are required to produce identification documents before they can be allowed to transact.

"Tangaza has the best security features locally due to the fact that we know our customers as we have all the identification details including their photograph and finger prints," said Mobile Pay’s Managing Director Oscar Ikinu. He said once registered, subscribers will not have to produce any identification document or mobile phones to withdraw.

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/InsidePage.php?id=2000027407&cid=14&story=Kenya%20unveils%20new%20mobile%20money%20transfer%20service

Plans to take information and communication technology services to rural areas through digital villages are finally expected to come to fruition.
This follows the launch of a revolving kitty that will avail Sh320 million to local technology entrepreneurs to borrow and set up the technology centres across the country. The revolving fund, which has been set up with a $4 million (Sh320 million) loan from the World Bankhttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/InsidePage.php?id=2000027410&cid=14&story=Digital%20villages%20come%20of%20age%20as%20kitty%20is%20launched#), will be advanced as to entrepreneurs setting up digital villages or Pasha Centres across the country.
The project is expected to bridge the IT divide between rural and urban Kenyahttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/InsidePage.php?id=2000027410&cid=14&story=Digital%20villages%20come%20of%20age%20as%20kitty%20is%20launched#), with each constituency expected to get at least one Pasha Centre over the next two years.
The country has had plans to set up the centres for the last four years but failed due to lack of funding.
The Centres will be Internet access centres that will also offer ICT training, access to educational materials and Government services, Internet Protocol telephony as well as act as a retail centre for ICT-related services.
The project is expected to be implemented by the Kenya ICT Board and Family Bank. Family Bank will disburse the Sh320 million while the Board has trained over 1, 500 entrepreneurs to run the Centres and will offer technical support for an year after setting up before leaving them to run on their own.
Entrepreneurs can apply for a maximum of Sh3 million and repay over a 36-month period at a relatively low interest rate of 11.5 per cent. The loan application is open between today and February 25.

in less than no time, you will see nerds popping everywhere!!! lol

At least six firms have expressed interest in competing for contracts to build Kenya’s multi-billion Shilling dream ICT park on a 5,000-acre site south of Nairobi.

Winners of the contracts will become master builders of the $10 billion (Sh800 billion) project, whose construction begins next month at a ground-breaking ceremony to be presided over by President Kibaki.

In the list of contenders are India’s Mahindra, Tata Infrastructure, Leasing and Financial Services, Wipro from America and global technology firm IBM.

Swedish, South Korean and American firms — whose names could not be immediately verified — are also eyeing infrastructure projects at the park.

Construction of the technopolis is hinged on a model that puts third parties at the centre of its execution with the owners — the government — offering the land, legal backing and architectural plans.

Winners of the master builder tender are expected to develop property on location and upon conclusion lease it out (for 99 years) or sell it to interested buyers, the master plan crafted by the Ministry of Information says.

A separate group of bidders will build the city’s infrastructure and levy service charges under the build, operate and transfer (BoT) model.

Lease periods will be hinged on the length of time it takes them to recoup costs without imposing a heavy cost burden on users.

People familiar with the bidders’ plans said a Swedish company is gunning for the tender to construct and manage the technopolis’ sewerage system while the Korean firm wants to build the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) park.


http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/-/539550/1112260/-/item/0/-/37370o/-/index.html

hey, xjamaax I am going to post this in the Africa business section.

Finally some movement.Glad construction is starting soon.

hey, xjamaax I am going to post this in the Africa business section.
No problem!:)

Great news. Kenya and Rwanda the leaders of ICT. Does anyone have details of the actual park though? $10 billion seems like WAAAAY too much money.

I'm sure if some of the heights of the buildngs were reduced cost could fall by a few hundred million or billion dollars.

At least they seem to be moving forward.

Atleast six Finnish companies are in the country with an open purse for partnerships in the growing sector of ICT.


The companies are seeking to tap the potential use of mobile services
through local partners working on different mobile applications.



Accompanied by Finnish association for international networking, Finpro, the companies will hold talks with the government’s ICT board and the local mobile industry players.



”Kenya is an economic powerhouse in East Africahttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/InsidePage.php?id=2000030633&cid=14&story=Finnish%20companies%20eye%20Kenya#) and its mobile telephone market is ranked as one of the most competitive in Africa. This, combined with high penetration of mobile phones among kenyans, makes it a place of interest to Finnish companies,” says Eeva Nuutinen, Finpro’s Project Manager.



Ms Nuutinen also adds that with the knowledge Kenyans have for global mobile giant, Nokia, whose origin is Finland, the great number of Finnish spin-offs are set to grow with different mobile solutions.



It is also emerging that after the fact-finding mission, Mixem will be launching a social platfrom in East Africa through Jalumba, the platform that allows people to access and develop local mobile communities and social services aimed at improving daily lives.


”We have solutions in agriculture,health and educational services,” says Mixem’s boss, Markus Lonka.



The companies are working closely with World Bank’s Infodev and Nokia, the leading mobile artner. The companies aim to build mobile solutions in the area of education, healthcare and agriculture. The companies are Mixem, Ympyra,Pajat, Suntrica, Fifth Element and Star Arcade.

Competition within the international fibre optic segment is set to intensify in coming months as new players enter the market and existing projects move to consolidate on their regional presence.

Kenyan firms will soon enjoy increased access to the Internet through an expanded number of fibre optic cable providers within the next six months, a factor that analysts say could push pricing for data products down in the next year.

The privately owned Seacom project is one of three international fibre cables that connects directly to Kenya’s coast, carrying high-speed data connectivity to the countries within the region.

Related Stories

“The latest developments are integral to the continued development and expansion of networks in Africa and in particular to countries that have had limited access to broadband connectivity,” said Suveer Ramdhani, Seacom’s Head of Product Strategy.

Seacom, alongside the government-led TEAMs and operator-run EASSy projects, provide the region with cheaper and more reliable internet and telephony connectivity.

International fibre operator Seacom recently announced that it has extended its network deepening competition in the fibre segment as operators race to connect the eastern seaboard of Africa.

The company said it had added Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe to its network, saying the move was part of an ongoing focus to connect the continent.

All three projects are likely to compete with a new entrant in the form of France Telecom, which recently announced that it was committing Sh1.5 billion (14 million euros) to extend the “Lower Indian Network 2” (LION 2) submarine cable to the LION cable to Kenya via Mayotte.

With the LION and LION2 cables, France Telecom will have access to three telecommunication highways, enabling it to route voice and data telecommunications via La Réunion and Mauritius.

Redirect traffic

Two new landing stations will be built, one in Kaweni for Mayotte and the other at Nyali near Mombasa for Kenya, said the company as it released its latest financial results.

The second of these is paired up with existing stations and will be used to redirect traffic if needed.

The new cable will also provide an alternate route for secure broadband transmissions through Europe and Asia for all of the African countries in which the Group is located.

This diversification of transmission arteries and connection points is a key factor in the performance of the continent’s internet networks, as fibre becomes the default connectivity option and replaces the more expensive satellite link.
http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/Fibre+optic+firms+flood+Kenyan+coast/-/539550/1129912/-/tng3ioz/-/index.html

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/Indian+firms+rush+to+bridge+digital+gap+in+Kenya/-/539550/1134240/-/d8xl0q/-/index.html

Looks like Kenya is fast becoming the IT hub of East Africa.

Looks like Kenya is fast becoming the IT hub of East Africa.
It actually is for the moment.There are only improvements being made here and there.More fibre optic cables are in use than ever and in a few years' time,the internet costs would be down while penetration will rise.Good news for people there

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/image/view/-/1138920/medRes/250101/-/maxw/600/-/t5boxg/-/samsung.jpg

South Korean mobile phone and TV manufacturer Samsung is in talks with a Kenyan university to set up a research and development centre by September this year as it seeks to align its products to suit the African market.

The firm has 22 such centres across the globe, but none in Africa.

This has limited its ability to manufacturer products that meet unique African market demands such as frequent power outages, thus reducing the lifespan of electronic products.

However, the firm said it was ready to address this challenge through partnership with a local university, which it did not name, citing a confidentiality agreement between the two.

In the partnership, Samsung will provide the university with technical experts in hardware and software and also offer training to the selected students.

At a media briefing on Monday, Samsung Africa president Kwang Kee Park said the firm plans to speed up the development of more African products and position itself in the market.

Samsung is also following the footsteps of LG,Nokia and the rest:)
http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/Samsung+to+open+research+centre+in+local+university/-/539550/1138918/-/fv54sf/-/index.html

^^excellent news, we are all kind of investors heading daily, Gems another education with over with over 40 schools in the world is also knocking the door :cheers:

^^excellent news, we are all kind of investors heading daily, Gems another education with over with over 40 schools in the world is also knocking the door :cheers:
c/s
What's that?A foreign university coming too?

:banana::banana::banana:Just the kind of news I love to hear.

c/s
What's that?A foreign university coming too?

Its not just one university Jamaa...wait and see. :)

I am impressed by the quality of information on this website. There are a lot of good resources here. I am sure I will visit this place again soon.

-------------------
Binary Options Trading System (http://binary-options-trading-system.weebly.com/)

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539444/1156366/-/123q6muz/-/index.html

Health services provision is the next battle frontier for mobile firms as they seek new revenue streamshttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/mag/InsidePage.php?id=2000034356&cid=457&#) to cushion against falling voice earnings.
Safaricom and Telkom Kenyahttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/mag/InsidePage.php?id=2000034356&cid=457&#) have embedded health services in their product offering, a move the two firms expect will boost their bottom lines.
Rural population is the key target in this new offering that is administered through virtual clinics, attracting "modest" consultation fees. The mobile operators claim users will make huge savings on money spent on travel and logistics associated with hospital visits.
Safaricom has announced it would soon roll out a service enabling patients, especially in rural areas, access medical serviceshttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/mag/InsidePage.php?id=2000034356&cid=457&#) with ease and affordably.
Dubbed Health Presence, the product will entail a ‘small clinic’ stationed in digital villages, where patients can consult doctors through video conferencing facilities.
The firm will also roll out a call-a-doctor service that will enable patients consult medics through their cell phones. For the service, Safaricom will provide a number that patients will call for consultations.
The company says calls to the number would be answered by medical professionals approved by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board.
Telkom Kenya also announced the commencement of a similar service. The company will run a text-based and call-in medical service through France Telecom’s Orange Healthcare. The company’s chief executive, Mickael Ghossein, said the firm expects a million of its customers to use the tele-health service by end of the first year.
PULSE RATE
Safaricom’s Health Presence will be equipped with facilities to read a patient’s vital signs – including temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate. On the other end, the doctor on call will be able to read the vitals on a computer and together with the patient’s narrative, is able to give a diagnosis and prescription or refer the patient to a health clinic.
The e-health centres will be housed in digital villages set up by Safaricom. It has put up 800 digital villages and plans to put an additional 5,000 by end of this year.
Sylvia Mulinge, the general manager of Enterprise Business (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/mag/InsidePage.php?id=2000034356&cid=457&#) Unit at Safaricom, said the company plans to have a third of the digital villages providing health facilities within the first year.
"In the first year, we will have 30 per cent of the digital villages equipped with the health presence facility," she said.
"The project is meant to take affordable and quality health care to the common person. One should be able to consult a professional medical practitioner at under $2 (Sh168). This would in ordinary circumstances cost one in excess of Sh2, 000, when one factors in travel costs and other logistics."
Telkom Kenya’s Tele-health will be implemented in partnership with Text-to-Change – a Dutch non-governmental organisation that uses mobile telephony to raise awareness on health issue – and mPedigree – a pan Africa organisation fighting use of counterfeit drugs.
MEDICAL COSTS
Ghossein said the services would also entail text-based and call-in consultation, where patients will speak to medical practitioners and get advice on their health conditions.
He added that the services will be affordably priced and focus on rural population, a strategy that seems a kin to that of Safaricom," he said.
Ghossein added that e-healthcare is part of the France Telecom’s strategy to Africa that will heavily focus on data as well as add-ons to retain subscribers.
The firm will replicate the success France Telecom’s Orange Healthcare in France. The health unit was established ten years ago and became a business unit in 2007.
Ghossein said France Telecom had ambitions to become the preferred telecoms partner in the field of e-health not only in Kenya but also 20 other markets Africa and Middle East where it has operations.
If successfully implemented in Kenya, e-health can significantly increase the doctor to patient ratio. Currently, doctors are overwhelmed by the number of patients they have to attend to, a move that played part in pushing up medical costs.


http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/mag/InsidePage.php?id=2000034356&cid=457&

Samsung seeks new market in Africa

Daily Nation (http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/Samsung+seeks+new+market+in+Africa/-/1006/1160442/-/ywacv3/-/index.html)

South Korean Electronics giant, Samsung has announced plans to increase its assembly plants in Africa, set up a research and development centre and increase its presence, in what is emerging as a renewed bid by multinationals to tap into Africa’s business potential.

“Africa is being hailed now more than ever, as a land of opportunity and Samsung is set to exploit this,” Mr Kwang Kee Park, Samsung electronics Africa president said on Wednesday at the second annual Africa Regional Forum in Nairobi.

Mr Park said the firm will develop local industry by establishing further knock-down plants (assembling plants) – where currently there are such plants in Sudan, South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Senegal.

Recently it established the Samsung Electronics Engineering Academy (SEEA), which was created to develop young leaders for Africa’s future.”

Four schools will participate in the pilot program.

Samsung intends to develop 10,000 electronics engineers in Africa by 2015.

The programme is running in South Africa, and is to be replicated in Kenya before the end of the year.

In partnership with a local university, the firm is setting up a Research and Development (R&D) centre in Kenya, as it strives to align its products to suit the African market.

According to Mr Park, the R&D centre in Nairobi, will be used to align future development of African products to withstand what he describes as the 'harsh conditions’ of the African market.

The firm has 22 such centres across the globe, but none in Africa.

The absence of Africa's Research and Development centre has stifled the firm’s ability to make products that meet the unique continent's expectations such as frequent power outages, thus reducing the lifespan of electronic products.

However, unique to the Samsung 2011 Africa Forum was an exhibition zone called “Built for Africa,” which showcased products specifically tailored for the region.

At the forum, the firm unveiled a range of new products—a new line of Full HD 3D televisions that come with rich interactive content via TV applications - the Samsung Smart TV.

Also it used the Nairobi event to unveil two new additions to its family of tablets, the GALAXY Tab 10.1 and GALAXY Tab 8.9.

In 2010, Samsung reported a 31 per cent growth in revenue for its Africa operations—Sh98.4 billion ($1.23 billion), contributing to the company’s Sh10.8 trillion ($135.8 billion) in global revenues.

It has extended its footprint in Africa from 15 countries in 2009 to 42 in 2010, its distributors from 32 to 80 as well as increasing their service centres from 18 in 2009 to 36 in 2010 respectively.

Mr Park said Samsung in Africa intends to become a $10 billion region by 2015, growing the market to the size of China’s.

To achieve this, he said the firm will start by more than doubling its 2010 growth to 63 per cent in 2011 and grow workforce to 5,000 people by 2015.

Other multinationals increasing their presence in Africa are Nokia, Google, Bharti Airtel (with last year’s buyout of 15 Zain Africa operations) and many others.

Samsung Signs Deal With Strathmore University.

The world's largest electronics company has signed a deal worth Sh36 million with Strathmore University that will see it fund research on new and innovative mobile phone applications for a period of three years.

Under the deal, @iLabAfrica will expand its activities by supporting students and entrepreneurs who are engaged in developing mobile innovations related to the sensational Android and Bada platforms, the latter being Samsung's very own.

@iLabAfrica is a new Centre of Excellence in ICT Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Incubation, and Policy Research for Africa. The centre is dedicated to leveraging the benefits of innovations in ICT, promoting entrepreneurship through nurturing and mentoring of young innovators via adequate training programmes and incubation facilities, as well as promoting a conducive environment in Africa through policy research.

Speaking during the announcement of the agreement last week, Mr Kwang Kee Park, Samsung electronics Africa president, termed the partnership with Strathmore as useful for future development of African products that will meet the continent's expectation.

Samsung already has a similar arrangement with the University of Cape Town making Strathmore University the second Samsung innovation lab centre in Africa.

"It is a partnership agreement for three years; Samsung will support us to do research to help students come up with new and innovative products. It is in form of funding for the lab and Samsung hardware." Remarked Dr Joseph Sevilla, the director of @iLabAfrica during the one week Samsung Africa Forum in Nairobi.

Strathmore University was lauded for its support and training of innovative and entrepreneurial students. This has seen the University attract other innovative partners like the Safaricom academy, Google and many more. Such partnerships continue to encourage various unique creations among the participating students and even regular entrepreneurs who are not IT professionals but are interested in applications nonetheless. By partnering with Strathmore, Samsung will certainly boost great inventions for mobile phone applications in the region.

http://www.strathmore.edu/News.php?NewsID=549

AccessKenya launches Web filtering tool
Digital media firm AccessKenya Group has made its debut into cloud computing with the introduction of a security solution that allows Internet users to access software for a standard monthly fee.

The company has introduced a Web filtering tool that will enable companies to control the Websites that their employees can access or time schedules they can do so as it seeks to differentiate its Internet offering in the competitive sector.

The move allows the firm to offer its clients access to a suite of products that can control employee access to Websites such as Facebook and Twitter, which are said to reduce productivity by up to an hour for each employee every day.
continue reading (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/-/539550/1179246/-/rp6r0l/-/index.html)...

Optic cable firm eyes three more countries

Cable optic firm Seacom says it will extend services to three more countries — Somalia, Southern Sudan and Burundi — as the demand for high speed Internet increases.

The firm’s regional head, Mr Julius Opio, said they will first link Burundi by next year. The country plans to instal 1,300 kilometres of fibre network with the help of a Sh840-million ($10.5 million) grant from the World Bank.

He said the firm will then launch operations in Southern Sudan and later Somalia within the next two-to-three years.

“The main obstacle has been insecurity in Somalia but we have plans to enter the market; Burundi and Southern Sudan will come first,” said Mr Opio at media workshop Monday.
continue reading (http://www.nation.co.ke/Tech/-/1017288/1180418/-/12h399u/-/index.html)...

Kenya has been selected as the home of the first of five incubation centres around the world that aim to promote a knowledge-based economy.

The new hub named m:Lab was launched on Thursday with the aim of creating a new space for Kenyan developers to collaborate on developing applications for mobile phones.

Kenya was selected due to the country’s rising profile as a software development hub.

The development means that Kenyan SMEs in the sector will now be have access to a 13 million Euro kitty over the next two years to fund their growth.

The joint partnership between infoDev, a donor-funded ICT for development agency hosted by the World Bank, the Finnish Foreign Ministry and Nokia, will provide the funding for the initiative.

“We are helping businesses improve value in the sectors that have the most potential to contribute jobs and exports – for Kenya, this means ICT, agri-business and tourism,” said Johannes Zutt, country manager for the World Bank.

The programme brings together three tracks – mobile application development, business incubation and technology entrepreneurship – together with a supporting track of analytical work in the field of ICTs and Innovation Systems in Agriculture.

Information PS Bitange Ndemo said the country was hoping to push the contribution of the ICT sector past agriculture to being the country’s most significant GDP producer.

“We aim to raise the contribution of ICTs to the economy from the current Sh5 billion to over Sh25 billion in the next five years, and to do this, we must put in place sustainable solutions to enable the growth of SMEs in the sector,” said Mr Ndemo.

Analysts say the technology sector has increasingly been driven by an emerging middle-class population with potential to buy smart phones as well as rising industry investments by players.

Demand for mobile apps presents a huge potential for developers, brands and end-users but players will need to invest time and resources if they are to fully gain from the fast-growing mobile marketing global industry, expected to be worth Sh1 trillion (US$17.5 billion) by 2012.

“Mobile application marketing is a rapidly growing engagement and advertising channel for local and international brands today. Increase in use of apps by young population and emerging middle-class is spurning an unprecedented growth which may help companies focus on more eye-balls of their target markets in a totally new dimension,” said Mr Oyolla.

Locally, the growth of mobile internet subscription coupled with a significant adoption of smart phones are key factors driving the mobile application segment in Kenya. In its January 2011 report, Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) noted between July and September 2010 that 98 per cent of the Internet market share being through mobile devices.

“In the end, we expect to have win-win situation. Developers will have full local support to develop and sell in a global marketplace to millions of consumers while brands will be able to engage their customers via immersive mobile apps for continuous relevance and loyalty,” said Mr Oyolla.
http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/Kenya+picked+as+home+of+first+digital+incubation+centre/-/539550/1184672/-/4vq60kz/-/index.html

This is just AMAZING-Nairobi dubbed silicon savanna.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2080702,00.html

This is just AMAZING-Nairobi dubbed silicon savanna.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2080702,00.html

Great article. :cheers:

Thanks for that insightful article.

Nairobi prepares to host international ICT meeting

A forum that will equip Kenyan ICT sector stakeholders with better understanding of Internet governance and its links to socio-economic, political and cultural development will be held at the United Nations offices in Nairobi between September 27 and 30.

The sixth annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is expected to offer Kenyan ICT sector players a chance to showcase their products and services to the international community.

IGF is an international body that is charged with ensuring security, privacy, and governments’ use of the Internet ecosystem. The forum’s theme will be Internet as a Catalyst for Change: Access, Development Freedoms and Innovation.

Capacity

The forum will also cover other topics including Internet governance for development, emerging issues, managing critical Internet resources, openness and privacy, access and diversity. Preparations for the event are under way. National and regional forums are being held with the aim of creating awareness, instituting a consensus building process to develop a common understanding of local issues, as well as building capacity in order to enable meaningful participation in the global event.

Outcomes of local deliberations will be submitted at the 2011 East Africa Internet Governance Forum to be held in Kigali, Rwanda, this month. The regional findings will subsequently be presented at the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meeting to be held at Gigiri.

Since its inception in 2006, the Internet Governance Forum has brought together representatives of the UN, national governments, the private sector, the civil society and NGO’s to discuss public policy issues related to Internet governance.

So far, meetings have been held in Athens, Greece (2006), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2007), Hyderabad, India (2008), and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt (2009). IGF forums provide ground for both new and old stakeholders to be exposed to the experience of other countries’ corporations, NGO’s and Internet managers.

BusinessDailyAfrica (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Nairobi+prepares+to+host++international+ICT+meeting/-/539444/1204790/-/a7o8bn/-/index.html)

Airtel Kenya to roll out 3G Internet technology

Airtel Kenya will unveil the 3G mobile Internet technology in September.

Managing director Rene Meza said the firm will complete technical and billing tests in Nairobi and Mombasa in the next two months, setting the stage for the launch that is expected to offer consumers more choices on the segment.

Airtel, which offers data services through a lower version, Wednesday said the launch of 3G technology will enable it to offer its clients high speed Internet. At the moment, only Safaricom offers this kind of technology in the country. Telkom’s Kenya’s Orange is also carrying out technical tests but is yet to announce when it will make the service available to its end users. “We are set to launch in September and promise our clients faster and better quality on mobile Internet access” said Mr Meza.


Airtel Kenya, which has adopted a low, mass market, pricing strategy on the voice segment said dynamics in the data market will dictate costing.
[...continued]

BusinessDailyAfrica (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Airtel+Kenya+to+roll+out+3G+Internet+technology/-/539444/1204776/-/sb3dtfz/-/index.html)

Wow Nairobi hosting an international ICT meeting..:banana:

Kenya has potential to be leader in mobile app sector, says SAP President

Kenya has potential to become an undisputed market leader in mobile applications and is attracting global interest in that domain. This is according to global software leader, Systems Applications Products (SAP) President Franck Cohen.

Speaking on Wednesday at the SAP world tour in Nairobi, Mr Cohen revealed of plans to partner with Kenyan universities to train specialists in SAP solutions to cater for the increasing demand.

“Africa has a deficit of 2000 consultants in SAP solutions. We are liaising with local universities to train between 200 to 300 certified trainers of SAP curriculum in Kenya alone,” Mr Cohen told Nation.

Mr Cohen said market for mobile and cloud applications is huge in Africa and other parts of the world thus Kenyan companies should seize the opportunity to develop applications that can be deployed globally.

“In Kenya mobile is becoming the preferred device just as in India and the rest of Africa…we already have a platform for mobile application development and developers only need to take advantage of the platform,” said Mr Cohen.

Mr Cohen attributed the growing interest in Africa by global ICT companies to the rapid GDP growth in Africa as compared to Europe and America.

“With a GDP growth of 4-6 per cent, Africa is becoming interesting for many businesses…however unlike in more mature economies, there is little spending on ready for use packaged software but more is still spent on infrastructure and ICT services,” said Mr Cohen.

Ministry of Information PS Bitange Ndemo said the recent launch of government’s open data portal would fuel mobile application development as he called on developers to seize the opportunity presented by expanded ICT infrastructure.

“In the past few years Kenya has experienced exponential growth in ICT infrastructure but it is yet to be fully utilized…we have opportunity to create much more revenue through mobile applications as never happened before,” said Dr Ndemo.
[continued...]
----

With a turnover of $12.5 billion in 2010 and 50,000 employees in more than 57 locations and 37 languages, SAP aims at partnering with local companies to bolster cloud computing and mobile technologies to keep pace with the changing technology world.


Daily Nation (http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/SAP+to+boost+ICT+training+in+Kenya/-/1006/1205576/-/item/1/-/13wdwjsz/-/index.html)

Short message service that enriches shoppers’ experience launched

A new short message service that allows shoppers to sample products in the market has been launched.

The service adds impetus to Kenya’s changing shopping landscape as businesses embrace technology to boost sales and increase efficiency.

The service, dubbed 6777 Chap Chap, was launched by technology firm Information Convergence Technologies (ICT) in partnership with Safaricom and India’s Voicetap.
It allows shoppers to send short messages inquiring about products they are looking for. The SMS is then forwarded to different companies offering the goods or services.

For instance, a consumer sends a keyword like “Loan”, “Eatery” or “Insurance” to code 6777 at a fee of Sh1.

The 6777 Chap Chap Platform automatically connects the consumer to a bank, an eating joint, an insurance call centre, or a sales department without human intervention.
The message hits the platform’s servers which respond with a list of service or product providers.

Targeting banks

“We are targeting financial institutions like banks, insurance firms, medical providers, towing companies, second hand car dealers, computer dealers, pay TV firms, colleges, and taxi companies, among others,” said Information Convergence Technologies chief executive Symon Ndirangu.

“Businesses can also use the platform to position themselves as experts, thus generating branding for themselves,” Mr Ndirangu said.

The system’s initiators are counting on falling communication costs in the country to spur uptake of the service. It will also raise consumer knowledge before they buy a product as well as cut down on time and costs incurred in market intelligence. Currently, most consumers rely on physical window shopping which is limiting in cases where there are many players with different goods and services to offer.

The cost of sending a text message is as low as Sh1 across the four mobile operators, even lower for bulk users. “Companies will also be able to engage customers who are interested in their products,” said Mr Ndirangu. He said the system adheres to the pay per performance model, meaning businesses are charged only once a user connects with them. Banks are already eyeing revenues from this type of transaction. They have launched credit cards that target shoppers, joining telecom firms’ mobile money payment solutions.

A combination of these products can see a shopper get information about a product using his mobile phone, see and feel it using e-commerce technology, make an order, and pay for goods or services from the comfort of his home.
[..continued]

BusinessDailyAfrica (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Short+message+service+that+enriches+shoppers+experience/-/539444/1204780/-/eww92z/-/index.html)

^^really good for consumers, and I think that app could definitely help small businesses trying to advertise themselves..who knows what may result from this.

A new player has entered the mobile money business, this time integrating virtue accounts in telephone handsets to bank accounts.

Mobikash Africa Limited says its service dubbed Mobikash will operate across all telecommunication networks in Kenya —Safaricom, Airtel, Orange and Yu.

Post Bank, Transnational Bank and National Bank of Kenya have signed up to the service during a pilot phase that ran last year.



Mobikash chief executive Duncan Otieno said the service offers cash on the go and is suited to the lifestyle of many Kenyans who now own a mobile handset and need to manage their finances better. The company has retained 3,000 agents across the country.

“The product will significantly grow the financial services landscape in Kenya by leveraging on technology,” he said.

Virtual accounts

Mobikash will allow users to carry out transactions between the virtual accounts in handsets and their accounts at participating banks. The service can link up to 15 bank accounts in different institutions, enabling transactions between them as well.

People without bank accounts will be required to open a Popote account which will enable them to access services offered by participating banks.

However, withdrawals can only be made at MobiKash agent outlets.

Mobikash chairperson Muthoni Kuria said the charges are pegged on existing mobile transfer services with which the company intends to partner in future.




The company is looking to register 300,000 of the 19 million mobile phone subscribers in Kenya, out of which 14.5 million are registered with mobile cash transfer services like M-pesa, yuCash, Orange Money and Zap.

The Central Bank of Kenya estimates that Sh2.45 million changes hands daily through the handset based cash transfers.

Earlier this year, Mobile Pay Limited launched Tangaza, a money transfer service which serves all telecommunication networks and is available to everyone, even those without phones.

When asked how MobiKash is different from Tangaza, Mr Otieno said the new service offers banking services, making it one of its kind in the world.

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Firm+launches+service+linking+bank+accounts+to+handsets/-/539552/1209624/-/4kywd/-/index.html

^^ That's great!Kenya is becoming more cashless!:banana:

Old news but I thought it belongs here.

Al Jazeera to launch Swahili Channel.

The influential television news channel from Qatar has negotiated the rights to install a base in Nairobi in the next few months so that it can cover the whole of East Africa.

Several Al Jazeera officials went to Nairobi in April to meet the director of information, Ezekiel Mutua, his chief Bitange Ndemo, Principal Secretary of the ministry for information and communication, together with other representatives of the Kenyan government.

At the end of their negotiations, Al Jazeera obtained the licences necessary to launch a television channel in Swahili based in Nairobi.

The Qatari channel now only needs to wait for the frequencies to be attributed by the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) before it can begin broadcasting in the next three or four months towards East Africa.

It already has an office in the Kenyan capital, whose journalists have the job of gathering news from all over the region, but depends on the Kenyan stations Citizen TV and Gospel TV which broadcast its content, frequently very late at night.

Al Jazeera is counting on an initial investment of 30 million shillings (€250,000), which will double in two years so that the Swahili language programming can be distributed via cable and satellite.

The reception has to be good in quality in order to compete with the international television channels already receivable in East Africa.

In doing so, the Qatari channel will compete with the Swahili programming on the international radio services, like the BBC and Voice of America.

Its arrival will also upset the Kenyan media groups operating radio and TV stations, such as the Nation Media Group (NMG) owned by the Aga Khan Foundation and Royal Media Services (RMS) owned by the magnate Samuel Kamau Macharia.

^^ It's weird how they chose as a base in Kenya, a places where people dont care much about the language.

napshot: Mobile Data Costs in East Africa
by HASH on OCTOBER 28, 2010

I get asked a lot about mobile data costs in East Africa, so thought I would put it in writing for everyone to find easier.

Mobile data access charges have fallen drastically in the last several years in East Africa, in large part to the SEACOM undersea cable arriving and increased competition between operators. Data connectivity is the new battleground, fighting not just amongst mobile competitors, but also with traditional ISPs.

In the mobile data connectivity space, each country sells either data capped bundles (or time capped bundles in the case of Uganda) that can be loaded onto a SIM card. There are out of bundle charges, priced per Megabyte or Kilobyte, but these rates are exorbitant, so anyone who connects regularly uses a bundle of some sort.

More creative offerings come out each month by the mobile operators, making it more confusing and harder to compare against competing services, but also offering some incredibly low pricing for entry-level users, or consumers who don’t need high speeds.

No doubt, a downward trend of mobile data charges will spur the growth of mobile web usage and publisher forwards.

Kenya
In Kenya, from charging internet usage at 10 shillings a minute just a few years ago, now cyber cafes charge 1 shilling a minute for browsing. The use of mobile data has been made easier by increasingly cheaper rates. For example in Kenya, Safaricom are offering a limited 10MB worth of mobile internet usage at 8 shillings per day. Zain Kenya offers unlimited internet usage for 3,000 shillings per month. Orange Kenya on the other hand are having a 7-day unlimited offer for their 3G network at 1000 shillings.

Uganda
In Uganda costs for mobile data connectivity have been driven down by the SEACOM cable landing in 2009, and led by costs cutting by Orange. Orange was first to the market with cheap, affordable 3G service and has played a major role in driving market prices down. They were the first to institute 5,000Ush/day & 25,000Ush/week packages for Internet – finally making it accessible to the common man. MTN, the larger network in Uganda,

Tanzania
Tanzania boasts some of the most unreliable data networks with the least penetration within East Africa. Zain and Vodacom both offer 3g, while Tigo offers GPRS. Zantel and Sasatel are CDMA networks, with EVDO connectivity. All networks, no matter what the speed of the connection, charge a flat rate of 40,000Tsh for 1gb of data. Data prices have gone down, but not noticeably.

While not possible to do an apples-to-apples comparison of the rates between the three countries, here is a pricing comparison chart for 3g data on 1Gb bundles and 1Mb pay as you go costs for the leading operator in each country:

As is true in this hyper competitive market, these numbers will change (hell, I’m probably already off on something). The overriding trend is that the costs are going down for consumers, even if slower than we’d all like to see.


From the WhiteAfrican bolg (http://whiteafrican.com/2010/10/28/snapshot-mobile-data-costs-in-east-africa/)

^^ It's weird how they chose as a base in Kenya, a places where people dont care much about the language.

^^
Who says no one cares about Swahili. May not be a popular official/written language compared to English but socially, there's no way Kenyans can do without it.

Besides, Al jazeera already has a regional base in Nairobi, just like ever other major international news network.

^^
Who says no one cares about Swahili. May not be a popular official/written language compared to English but socially, there's no way Kenyans can do without it.But in another form, not sanifu or fluently.

But in another form, not sanifu or fluently.

I'm not a perfectionist and I really wouldn't care about what flawless form or how fluently Kenyans speak Swahili. It's how best Kenyans, from all walks of life, communicate with each other in the most comfortable manner among themselves that matters to me.

^^
I'm not a perfectionist and I really wouldn't care about what flawless form or how fluently Kenyans speak Swahili. It's how best Kenyans, from all walks of life, communicate with each other in the most comfortable manner among themselves that matters to me.

I agree 10,000,000%!! " Sanifu" is relative and depends on whom you are comparing with. What matters most is that the message is passed across. I look forward to the day a Sheng tv channel will open in Nai. :)

The battle for control of the voice market is set to intensify after Internet firm MTN Kenya announced its entry into this segment.

The firm Thursday said that it was offering the voice service through the Internet that will allow subscribers to receive and make calls through computers, desk top phones and specific mobile handsets. It will charge Sh3 per minute to Telkom Kenya’s fixed lines, Sh4 per minute to the mobile telephone networks and offer free calls within its network.

Managing director Tom Omariba said the firm would lower the charges further, once it signs interconnection deals with other operators.
Interconnection charges are what operators pay rival networks for handling its calls and it influences rates.

“Our entry into the voice market will enable us to increase the services we are offering and also add pocket share of new subscribers,” said Mr Omariba. “We have enhanced our services ... and expect this to be a game changer.” The firm is also asking firms to outsource the internal operator services or public exchange systems targeting companies keen on reducing their telecoms costs.

MTN group is Africa’s largest telecoms operator with more than 130 million cellular subscribers in the region and in the Middle East, and its quest in looks set to cause realignments.

MTN and Telkom South Africa have for long been trying to enter the Kenyan telecoms market, but the mobile phone segment has proved a hard nut to crack. In 2007, the two giants were among bidders for a 51 per cent stake in Telkom Kenya, but lost to France Telecom, which now runs the Orange brand. Its entry comes at a time players in the Kenyan market are racing to diversify operations to data and voice to reduce the risk of exposure in a single business unit.

Mobile operators such as Safaricom and Airtel are firming grip on the Internet market while ISPs such as MTN and Access Kenya are eyeing voice.

This licensing regime introduced in 2007 has given room to the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) previously dealing in data alone to cross into voice while voice firms enter into the lucrative data business. India’s Essar and Bharti Airtel sparked a price war last August when they slashed calling rates by more than half to Sh3 per minute across all networks and SMSs at a rock-bottom price of below Sh1.

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/MTN+entry+into+voice+segment+set+to+step+up+rivalry/-/539550/1213700/-/j38yy7z/-/index.html

Kenya’s masterplan on how to utilize technology to become a middle income country by 2030 is ready.

An international team from IBM's Corporate Services Corps program has completed a month-long term in Kenya to prepare the plan that would also see Kenya fully digitize its voting system.

This comes days after the government launched an open data portal providing crucial information on government services, income and expenditure to the public.

The masterplan complements government’s efforts to digitize records to enhance e-services delivery.

The IBM team also laid out a framework on how citizens can access government services via mobile phones through data digitization.

The digitization of records means citizens can track public expenditure to the last shilling.

You will for example know what I have been paid and for what purpose. Of course I also talked about e-procurement and judiciary.

“Digitalization of all government registries will create traceability at all levels. See what has happened at Company Registry. Revenue is up from Sh30 million to Sh80 million. You will no longer have temporally registered companies with unknown directors as it happened with Anglo Leasing,” said Ministry of Information PS, Dr Bitange Ndemo.

Working with the Ministries of Information, Communication and Justice, the IBM team has prepared a plan for a simple yet accurate and transparent e-voting system that sets out overall standards and governance for an e-voting system with the aim of increasing voter confidence for the planned 2012 elections.

"This is the third IBM Corporate Services Team to provide volunteer services in Kenya. Each group has made a valuable contribution towards addressing some of the key challenges in the country," said Tony Mwai, IBM Country General Manager for East Africa.

The team also worked with the Kenya Education Network Trust (KENET) to identify how to increase participation by researchers.

They analysed best management practices from other research and education networks, and reviewed the implementation of more efficient methods based on IBM methodologies.

Their recommendations included guidance on support to member institutions regarding content creation, by providing training, guidance and infrastructure, in order to engage researchers with the network.

The Corporate Service Corps (CSC) is a global IBM initiative designed to provide small businesses, government agencies, educational and cultural institutions and non-profit organizations in growth markets with sophisticated business consulting and skills development to help improve local conditions and foster job creation.

IBM deploys teams of top experts from around the world representing IT, research, marketing, finance, consulting, sales and business development to growth markets for a period of one month.

http://www.nation.co.ke/Tech/-/1017288/1213698/-/12vwcgw/-/index.html

ICT Training for MPs As House Plans Digital Business

Nairobi — Parliament is going digital with a new innovation to beat quorum hitches, vote-rigging, and the shouts of "aye" and "nay" in House proceedings.

Though the change-over to the new chambers that have undergone a Sh1 billion refurbishment is two months late, and going by the pace of things in the House it is likely to take longer, the vision of a digital Parliament is slowly taking shape.

Last week, the contractors working on providing the electronic voting infrastructure were completing cabling of the House floor in readiness for the roll-out of a state-of-the-art multimedia system.

The system will help cut down time on the oral process that has been practised in Kenya's Parliament since independence.

As a result, the House will be quieter and more organised if the MPs get to understand the innovation unveiled last Thursday during the Information Technology Day of the august House.

The system has a microphone, a miniature speaker, buttons to signal the Speaker that you want to contribute to the debate, another button to signal a point of order, and three others to determine how people vote.

So, if you want to vote 'yes', 'no' or 'abstain', you can do that without leaving your seat. The seats too will be more luxurious and comfortable if the designs seen by the Nation are anything to go by.

As per the tender documents on Parliament's website, the seats will be covered in leather, except the bottom which will be covered in polypropylene (some kind of hard plastic).

The back-rest will have the clock tower embroidered into the leather to ensure that the seats are specifically used in Kenya's National Assembly.

The beauty of the voting system is that you have time allocated to vote, say, three minutes after the question has been put.

In that time, an MP can vote "yes", change their mind and vote "no", decide to "abstain", then go back through the whole cycle again. When the clock is stopped, whatever vote the MP will have cast is what will count.

The question will not be read as is the case now. According to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr Patrick Gichohi, the question will be displayed in very large type face on four giant screens in the House, so that MPs can read and cast their vote.

MPs who just pop in Parliament to be marked "present" so that they pocket the Sh5,000 sitting allowance, will be discovered, because their seats will blink blank.

For an MP to access the debating chamber, he'll need a smart card and a personal identification number.

Mr Arnold Mudinyu, an IT expert, who took the lawmakers through the whole process, said without the card, the MP could as well stay at home.

"But you know, MPs leave their houses in a hurry. What if I forget the card?" asked Mr James Rege, the chairman of Parliament's Energy and Communications Committee.

"We'll have a master card to override, so that you just use your pin number to access the console," Mr Mudinyu replied.

The card has a chip with information about the MP: his constituency, party, membership to committees, positions held in other committees and basically any other data that will define the MP, including a brief bio.

"Will this (system) stop the behaviour of MPs competing to stand up? You know, I find it (the competition to catch the Speaker's eye) very childish," Information and Communication permanent secretary Bitange Ndemo remarked.

Well, to answer him, Mr Mudinyu said the console has a button to alert the Speaker.

If there's a member on the floor, then the person who first presses his microphone will be queued as the first one and all subsequent requests will be listed on a first-come-first-served basis.

Senior Deputy Clerk PC Owino Omollo said for the President, Vice-President as the Leader of Government Business or the Prime Minister, the system has a way to designate such MPs, together with committee chairmen as VIPs so that if they are on the queue, they get priority.

Those who keep on shouting will never be heard in Parliament, because the Speaker will have all the powers to decide which microphone to switch on, and for how long, and which one to switch off.

"If your time is up, the system will automatically switch off the microphone," Mr Mudinyu told his hosts.

The system can also be connected to a camera that will track the active microphone and show the Speaker.

It can also be connected to an interpreter's booth so that should a foreign dignitary pop in and see the need to address Parliament, MPs only need to wear earphones and listen in.

Attaching censors

If MPs think they can beat the system by coming with their friends' cards plus PINs, then that will not work.

This is because, unless one is registered as being in Parliament, that is logged-in, then their cards will not be able to work, even if they're sneaked into the House.

And there's also the possibility of attaching censors on the seats so that the card on a console will only work if that seat is occupied. So one can't come, log in and hand over the card to a colleague to vote.

No doubt, the system will cut down on the cost of paper, now that even the MPs will be expected to carry IPads and laptops to the House and access the parliamentary business without printing anything. Currently House uses 700 reams of paper every week.

But MPs will need to be trained to accommodate the digital life. It will take time and Mr Gichohi knows this.

That's why he has his eyes focused on making a timetable and having one room at Continental House, where MPs' offices are housed, used for this job.

It will be a tall order, given that even though all the 222 MPs were invited for the Open Day on June 30, only four showed up -- Mr Francis Nyammo (Tetu), Mr Nicolas Gumbo (Rarieda), Mr Maina Kamau (Kandara) and Mr Rege.

Come 2013, it's going to be a silent, digital Parliament and not the noisy, disorganised, kindergarten look-alike that made Gichugu MP Martha Karua dub the august House "the greatest auction house in Africa".

Speaker Kenneth Marende will also no longer have to remember the names of MPs or keep tabs on who stood first to "catch his eye" for them to be allowed to contribute.

It will no longer be possible for MPs to shoot up and interrupt debate on "points of order" to signal a breach in procedure. All they'll do is press a button to alert the Speaker.

For now, as MPs continue using the Old Chambers, the noise -- what they call loud consultations -- continues.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107200183.html

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/image/view/-/1217004/medRes/286119/-/maxw/600/-/p6fk07/-/elma.jpg

A Kenyan technology firm has built a new e-commerce platform that is promising to change the way consumers will bank, buy goods and settle bills using their mobile phones.

Known as Elma, the mobile phone application is the creation of Craft Silicon, a firm that has built a fortune building software for various clients across the globe. As far as mobile money technology goes, Elma stands on the threshold of a revolution that began with the launch of Safaricom’s M-Pesa four years ago.

The application, which runs on 3G enabled mobile telephone handsets, allows users to do business with any service provider who has installed the platform without giving the operators undue control over its functioning – making it the most promising solution to concentration of mobile money business in the hands of telecommunication companies.

With Elma, consumers can transfer money, pay bills, buy airtime, buy stocks and check commodity prices from the comfort of their seats at a monthly average cost of Sh80.

The application has opened a new battlefront for control of electronic commerce that in Africa is being fought on mobile money platforms unlike in the developed world where the credit card was king.

Mr Kamal Budhabhatti, the founder and chief executive of Craft Silicon, says it took him more than one year to find a solution to mobile money’s biggest challenge – interoperability.

This means that unlike M-Pesa, Zap, Iko-pesa, or yuCash that are specific to the telecoms operators, Elma can be used on any of the mobile telecoms platforms to connect consumers to their accounts in any bank.

=>Source (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/Tech+firm+pulls+down+cost+of+e+commerce+with+new+app/-/539550/1216996/-/naop77z/-/index.html)

Better Safaricom signal in western Kenya
Capital FM (http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2011/08/15/better-safaricom-signal-in-western-kenya/)

Safaricom has invested Sh2.3 billion to improve its network infrastructure in western Kenya.

As part of its western focus strategy, the money has gone into putting up 117 2G stations while a further 121 stations are currently being upgraded to 3G compatibility.

Speaking while on a tour of Western Kenya, Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Bob Collymore said the operator had ascertained that its network quality had not been the best for some time, prompting a major re-think of how the company sets up its infrastructure.

Mr Collymore said given the firm’s large customer base, similar investments in its network infrastructure would need to me made to ensure customers get value for their services with the operator.

“Safaricom is committed to ensuring that our subscribers, wherever they are, enjoy superior overall service experience. We consider network availability, reliability, and integrity as key components of this equation,” Mr Collymore said.

Safaricom has invested heavily in a 3G network a strategy that has seen it garner a huge lead in the mobile Internet market.

Safaricom has also undertaken a major modernisation of its network infrastructure between Kisumu and Kisii town, which is aimed at improving network quality, coverage and capacity.

New equipment, installed at some 80 sites between these key urban centres at a cost of Sh261 million, offers additional features that translate into improved services for customers.

These targeted improvements have come as a welcome boon to residents of western Kenya, where due to historical and topographical challenges, certain parts have had poor network coverage and quality challenges in the recent past.

The capital injection comes two months after Safaricom announced a joint venture with Telkom Kenya to form a jointly owned tower management company.

Mr Collymore said move by the two operators was prompted by the need for the industry to explore improved cost efficiency on infrastructure management.

Investment in infrastructure is said to form a bulk of the operators expenses, which they would like to bring down in light of heightened competition that has eroded profitability.

“We will continue to invest in our network to ensure we not only have the most modern and reliable network in this market, but we can also assure our subscribers, wherever they are in Kenya, of the best overall customer experience,” Mr Collymore said.

With Safaricom having earmarked Sh26 billion for capital expenditure in the current financial year, the CEO said they expect to use close to Sh13 billion will be dedicated to infrastructure projects.

DStv drifta brings mobile TV to Kenya

DStv, Africa’s leading Pay TV operator through Digital Mobile Television Kenya (DMTV) and Multichoice Kenya, has today launched its Drifta mobile dongle in Kenya. The Drifta dongle uses Digital Video Broadcast Handheld (DVBH) to allow watching of various DSTV channels through PCs and mobile devices. The service will be available in Nairobi, Mombasa and the environs of the two cities including Thika, Athi River, Kitengela and Kilifi up to Diani. The announcements were made today by Stephen Isaboke - GM Multichoice and Felix Kyengo - General Manager DMTV, at Nairobi’s Sankara Hotel.

The service can be accessed on the go and will be available for use on Microsoft Windows PC and laptops, as well as iOS devices including the iPad and the iOS. Kyengo said that other devices including Blackberry, Symbian 3 and Android would be supported soon.

Drifta will be accessible through two mobile dongles, a USB dongle that works with the PCs and Laptops for about Ksh 7,000 (Drifta 2) and the Drifta 1 which is accessible to mobile devices via a WiFi signal. The Drifta 1 will be sold at Ksh 10,999. Kyengo said the high prices of the mobile dongles in Kenya compared to South Africa were due to taxation and duties.
DStv customers will have a choice of four bouquets starting with the free bouquet at no charge, the Mini at Ksh 240 per month , the Maxi at Ksh 1,000 per month and the Maxi Plus which is available as part of the DStv Premium Bouquet.

Channels available on the free bouquet include KTN, KBC and NTV while the mini bouquet includes Africa Magic, Channel O, Cartoon Network and BET in addition to those available on the free bouquet. The Maxi bouquet also include Super Sport 9 and Super Sport 10 while the Maxi Plus bouquet includes Super Sports 3.

DStv denied that the Drifta had been introduced in the market as a response to Wananchi’s launch of Zuku Tv. Isaboke says that Multichoice has continuously worked to provide more values to their customers through the introduction of new products and services. These include DVB-H services which have been available through various mobile phones in the country since 2008 and the recent introduction of DStv mobile channels through 3G. Other products include the investment in production of local content and the purchase of local content leading to the DStv Swahili Channel.

Isaboke also stated that Multichoice supports the government’s adoption of Digital Video Broadcast - Terrestrial 2 (DVB-T2) as the standard for Digital Terrestrial Television. The current standard is DVB-T which most countries have upgraded to DVB-T2.

Google Kenya to host 2nd annual web & mobile conference

http://www.cio.co.ke/Main-Stories/google-kenya-to-host-2nd-annual-web-a-mobile-conference.html

Google will soon be hosting its second annual web and mobile conference in Kenya. The conference dubbed G-Kenya will target 1000 engineers, product managers, entrepreneurs and web developers to receive training on Google’s products and online business skills that will help them grow their businesses. The conference will take place at the Westgate Mall Cinemas, Nairobi, on 12th and 13th September 2011.

G-Kenya whose theme is "The next iteration of digital" represents Google's commitment to driving the web forward in Africa, highlighting the entrepreneurial opportunities it brings. G-Kenya will also train participants on its developer and business technologies ranging from Mobile / Android, Chrome and HTML5 to Maps & Geo and App Engine.

Olga Arara-Kimani, Google Kenya Country Manager notes, “Business is being redefined by access to information, more specifically access to the right information, at the right time. Local entrepreneurs will play a unique role in creating a dynamic online experience that will help spur the growth of businesses in Kenya”.

Attendees will have the chance to explore Google’s open source technologies through a combination of tech talks, breakout sessions and codelabs run by engineers and business teams from across the globe. The event features a lineup of high caliber Google speakers who will offer key insights in understanding the important role innovation plays in business. Key among the speakers will be Nelson Mattos, Engineering Vice President for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

This is the second conference that Google is hosting in Kenya in a series of interactive forums and tech days that Google has been holding across Africa each year, to promote innovation and business and boost economies in the region. More details about the event and online registration are found at the G Kenya website.

Kenya launches National ICT Innovation and Integration Centre

http://www.cio.co.ke/Main-Stories/national-ict-innovation-and-integration-centre-launched-in-kenya.html

Kenya's Ministry of Education has launched a national ICT Integration and Innovation Centre (NI3C) at the Nairobi University's Kenya Science Campus along Ngong Road, Nairobi. The centre has been established as a development hub for effective use of ICT in education and training.

Plans for the establishment of this facility have been in the pipeline for the last six years. In partnership with the Flemish Development Cooperation (VVOB), Smoothtel and other education stakeholders, the centre has been officially launched by the Minister for Education Prof Sam Ongeri.

The education sector is key to the overall achievement of Kenya’s ICT Policy. In the formal education sector, the need for application integration is key above application development. For this particular purpose, the centre is expected to enable developers demonstrate the application of ICT technologies and new pedagogic aspects of ICT in teaching and learning. In addition, the centre is expected to provide guidance to education managers on ICT innovations and integration aspects.

The main training centre has a 40 seat computer lab fully equipped with 40 computers, and two additional 20 seat fully equipped computer labs. The computers are running on Windows operating system licensed by the Ministry of Education though there are a few open source softwares being used. A modern server room hosts the National Education Portal for teachers, the NI3C website and the National Helpdesk site as well as a number of applications. The facility has a resource centre to support research and development related works.

Speaking at the event, Prof. Ongeri expressed his mission to see all Kenyan children accessing equal education, as well as a gender balance in the schools. He expects ICT to boost the quality of teaching and learning in the schools. “ICT in education is not all about the technology, but about the teaching and learning process. This centre provides a great opportunity for teachers to interact with other teachers from across the world and share knowledge,” he says.

Prof. Ongeri noted the gap in software programmes aimed at the physically impaired learners in Kenya. Although the NI3C is built to accommodate those with disabilities by having an integrated approach to learning, there is an obvious gap in accommodating those with visual impairments. Prof. Ongeri’s challenge to developers and stakeholders in the software development industry is that they should develop solutions targeted at the visually impaired learner.

Kenya’s Education Secretary Prof. Godia stated that ICT can tap into the creative function of learning that encourages learners to be innovative. He urged Kenyan teachers to make maximum use of the facility.

The centre plans to have a wide array of partnership in order to achieve its mandate. The NI3C therefore has many opportunities for research centres, learning institutions and interested parties to join in the transformation of Kenya’s ICT education sector.

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I'm loving these IT news.

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/image/view/-/1220610/medRes/287824/-/maxw/600/-/que7w3/-/funze.jpg
Internet giant Google will train 1,000 Kenyans to grow use of its products, joining a host of technology firms betting on the strategy to expand.

Google is next month hosting a conference dubbed G-Kenya for engineers, product managers, entrepreneurs and web developers to train these professionals on its products and online business skills.

This is the second strategy window the search giant is opening as it scouts for relevant local content to drive up Internet traffic in the region. It’s slightly over a month since the firm partnered with the government to digitise the Kenya Gazette and the Hansard— the verbatim parliamentary debates that date back to the past four decades.

“G-Kenya will also train participants on its developer and business technologies ranging from Mobile/Android, Chrome and HTML5 to Maps & Geo and App Engine,” said Olga Arara-Kimani, the Google Kenya country manager.

Online experience

“Business is being redefined by access to information, more specifically access to the right information, at the right time. Local entrepreneurs will play a unique role in creating a dynamic online experience that will help to spur the growth of businesses in Kenya,” Ms Arara-Kimani said.
Participants will have the chance to explore Google’s open source technologies through a combination of technology talks, breakout sessions and code labs run by engineers and business teams from across the globe.

Google’s Engineering vice-president for Europe, Middle East and Africa Nelson Mattos is among the speakers.


Technology firms are increasingly turning to training as a strategy to grow presence and penetration of the market.

Korean firm LG Electronics and China’s Huawei have set up such centres in Kenya to endear students to these products and services in the race to get a larger share of the telecoms infrastructure and gadget markets.

LG Electronics is training air-conditioning technicians and has announced plans to open a service school for its other gadgets, including mobile phones, fridges, TVs and home theatres.

LG Electronics executive vice president Teddy Hwang said in the steps the company is seeking to cut down on maintenance costs and reduce the need to bring engineers into the country for repairs. “There is no business of exporting our gadgets to Kenya without the necessary support services to help customers. Currently, universities do not have any working samples, not to mention that it is also very hard to find proper training institutions in Africa in this field,” Mr Hwang said in an earlier interview with the Business Daily.

These companies are seeking to create a talent pool to service their products and strengthen after-sales services, which is emerging as a strength factor in the cut-throat competition in the telecoms market.

These efforts come when Asian firms, including ZTE and Samsung are aggressively seeking a larger share of the telecoms markets ahead of Western-based firms such as Nokia, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson.

Free classes

China’s Huawei has established a training school and opened talks with the University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, and Moi University to produce technology students for free.

=>Source (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539444/1220604/-/11lm6b3z/-/index.html)

Gifunze.:)

The government will not offer 4G license frequencies to individual telcos but instead tender it to a consortium firm which will implement and manage, setting a stage for joint ownership of the data spectrum.

It has instead said that it will advertise a tender for the consortium by the end of next week. Run on an open access model, operators who are not part of the consortium can lease 4G connectivity at a fee, saving millions of shillings in licensing fees.

“We are putting an advertisement of the 4G spectrum licensing either by the end of the week or early next week which is going to be done through Public Private Partnership,” said Information PS Bitange Ndemo. “We are not going to give it to individual operators but a group, so they must work as a consortium”.



The Long Term Evolution Technology — commonly known as 4G —offers subscribers access to mobile Internet at much faster speeds, making it a cutting edge tool for companies offering their services on the medium.

It will be the first time that a joint ownership for the spectrum will be tried after licences for 3G were issued for a steep fee, raising debate over what fees should be applied for late entrants.

Safaricom for example paid as $25 million for the 3G licence fee, only for the government to lower the fee to $10 million for Airtel and Telkom Kenya, 60 per cent less than Safaricom paid in 2007. A court battle ensued between the government and Safaricom with the telco demanding a refund of Sh1.4 billion.

On Tuesday, Dr Ndemo said the former model acted as a barrier for operators to offer affordable Internet rates as they had to recoup the value by passing the charge to the end users and as such as slowed Internet uptake in the country.




In this new model, the consortium members will be picked by government. Dr Ndemo says government will provide the national spectrum as equity, while suppliers such as Huawei, Nokia Siemens Networks, Alcatel Lucent and Ericsson are supposed to team up with telcos such as Safaricom, Telkom Kenya, Airtel among others and offer the expertise and equipment needed for the rollout.

The 4G spectrum can technically offer speeds of up to 100 mbps for file downloads and as much as 50 mbps for uploading items on the Internet, five times faster than the current top speeds in the market.

The government’s move comes at a time when the mobile operators are shifting focus to data, with competition in the voice segments getting stiff and revenue starting to decline following tariff wars that have since August last year cut down consumption by half.
The fall in voice revenue has caused the telcos to intensify their activities in the data segment, which analysts say will be the key revenue driver in future.

Other than Safaricom, the three other mobile operators, Airtel , Orange Telkom and Essar’s Yu are yet to commercially offer 3G services, a factor that limits their ability to compete at par in the data segment. They are currently using the lower version technology to offer data, meaning their subscribers cannot enjoy faster downloads compared to Safaricom’s.

Safaricom’s rivals are currently doing test runs of their 3G networks and are expected to make them commercially available by end of September.

Safaricom says it is ready to commercialise 4G services after completing the technical upgrades and tests; however, it could not comment on how the consortium approach taken by the government is likely to impact their timing of rolling out the service to the market.
http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/CCK+to+issue+joint+4G+licence+in+bid+to+lower+Internet+costs/-/539550/1224036/-/15fhf47/-/index.html

Microsoft, Intel take market share war to schools

http://www.nation.co.ke/Tech/Microsoft++Intel+take+market+share+war+to+schools/-/1017288/1225238/-/q17gbr/-/index.html

Global companies are jostling for Kenya’s lucrative education sector by unveiling programmes that promote uptake of technology in classrooms.

The multinationals, including Microsoft, Intel Corp and Google, are targeting teachers and learners with a myriad of ICT solutions to ensure strategic positioning once the local education sector goes big on technology.

Through a programme, ‘Partners in Learning’, leading software maker, Microsoft on Wednesday held a one-day workshop in partnership with Nairobi’s Makini School where teachers showcased innovative ways of inculcating technology in learning.

The company has been running a training programme for teachers and providing free online learning aids as strategy to promote e-learning across Kenya schools.

The drive would not only benefit learners but also create appetite for the company’s educational solutions as information communication technology (ICT) takes root in schools.

Mark Matunga, Microsoft, East and Southern Africa regional education manager, told the Business Daily that Partners in Learning is a 10-year nearly $1billion (Sh92 billion) commitment by the company to help education systems around the world.

Since its inception in 2003, the programme has reached more than 196 million teachers and students in 114 countries including Kenya.

“ICT adoption has increased because of high literacy level and uptake of ICT…when you have an educated market, they will be able to consume ICT services and products,” said Mr Matunga. “That is how we decided to invest in education rather than go for quick money making ventures.”

Through its Intel Teach programme, Intel has trained more than nine million teachers worldwide to use PCs in the classroom and is also donating 100,000 PCs to developing countries like Kenya to help accelerate technology use in the classroom.

It has invested over a billion dollars in more than 60 countries for various e-learning initiatives.
Giant Internet search company, Google, also recently announced a programme in partnership with key government agencies for teachers.

The project Gfunze, (corrupted Swahili word meaning teach yourself), the aims to entrench technology in teaching as Google seeks to increase users in Africa, said country marketing manager Farzana Khubchandani.

Gfunze is a partnership between Google and ministries of Education, Information, the Teachers’ Service Commission, Kenya ICT Board and Vision 2030 secretariat.

Google is using the pilot project to make foray into the secondary education space, having targeted universities in the past. Applications that are part of Gfunze include Google Search, Google Earth and Google Apps, a document processing suite.

“I would like to encourage other technology multinationals to invest in education for the long-term benefit of economies,” said Mr Matunga.

The ministries of Education and Information are also rolling out ICT infrastructure in schools to lay ground for uptake of technology in education.

At the forum held at Makini School yesterday more than 20 schools from across Kenya participated.
“The main aim of the innovative teacher forum is to provide an opportunity for a community of teachers to share best practices on using ICT in education,” said Makini School project co-ordinator Bernard Mbeya.

Microsoft would sponsor a winner from the forum to attend a global innovative education forum in Jordan next month.

G4S Unveils Advanced Security System

http://www.kenyaradarlive.co.ke/?p=2921

G4S East Africa has introduced an ultramodern security solution that combines human and machine contributions to offer enhanced security.

The System known as The Symmetry Access Control seeks to centralize and control all building security systems for ease of management and increased level of security.

Some of the unique components of the new solution include video verification which allows one to choose information they want displayed on their computer in order to monitor all movements in and out of their premises.

G4S Technology MD, International Sales, Mr. David Young, speaking at the Launch, said is like a Swiss army knife, it will do everything for you to meet all your security requirements.

With the new system, one can set the levels of threat identifiers they want through the Threat Level Management component. This regulates what level of employees or personnel can access specific areas within the premises.

Other special attributed of the new product include video playback which shows video footage on what transpired before and after an incident.

The security systems also includes Under Vehicle Search that show any suspicious cargo, video analytics that remove unnecessary motion for security cameras located on poles and detect any tampering on the same and automated detection of unusual behavior.

The Regional Director, Integrated Security Solutions, East Africa, Fred Kinyua said the solution is more practical in Kenya as it is integrated to reduce human intervention spend.

There is localized capability, if the system goes offline it continues to function locally and when it comes back online, synchronization takes place Said Kinyua.

In response to unsustainable source of power, there is a 24 hour back up on the Symmetry Access Control System allowing for continuous control and monitoring before restoration of electricity.

LG launches’ next generation smart phones

http://www.kenyaradarlive.co.ke/?p=2882

The Electronics giant LG has launched into the Kenyan market its new Android Smartphone LG Optimus Black.

The gadget will provide users with a brighter 4 inch NOVA display that comes with the world’s slimmest 9.2mm mobile device.

The LG Optimus Black is designed to the brightest, clearest and most readable among mobile screens.

The NOVA technology featured on the LG Optimus Black enables users to maintain visibility whether indoors or outdoors under strong sunlight.

LG Nairobi Office Managing Director Won Woo Na while opening the mobile service center and showroom at the junction mall said the company will not relent in its pursuit to become the market leader in customer service

“Our goal in this investment is driven by our ambition to ensure consumers get value for their money by enabling them assess quality and guaranteed mobile after sales service”. Woo said.

The center will stock a wide range of mobile phones and customers are set to enjoy free access to Wi- Fi internet for downloading various applications.

The center will at the same time provide a speedy universal mobile charger for customers to charge their phones as well as sterilizing their phones with the UV sterilizer and print pictures from their phones.

Woo said “consumers will have a chance to experience the picture quality of the Optimus Black smartphone”.

He indicated that the company will continue to work with other partners so as to make a long lasting impact in the industry.

CCK sparks telecoms market storm with new licensing rules

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/image/view/-/1228992/medRes/291439/-/maxw/600/-/yq0hgbz/-/cck.jpg
Ownership and footprint rules put Safaricom, Telkom ahead of rivals in 4G technology race
BDA (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/CCK+sparks+telecoms+market+storm+with+new+licensing+rules/-/539550/1228966/-/item/0/-/wnhn8/-/index.html)

In Summary
Tendering requirements for building, operating and managing 4G (LTE) national network:

Rule 1: Must be a network infrastructure provider tier 1(Safaricom, Airtel, Yu and Orange).

Impact: Has locked out all other infrastructure providers such as Kenya Data Network, Jamii Telecoms and Access Kenya among others.

Rule 2: Must be at least 20 per cent Kenyan owned

Impact: Locks of Airtel and Yu who at the moment don’t meet this threshold leaving Safaricom and Telkom Kenya.

Rule 3: Must be able to deploy the network in all 47 counties within one year.

Impact: Locks out Telkom Kenya, leaving Safaricom which has almost a national 3G network that can be upgraded to 4G in a year.

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You guys can click on the link for the entire article, I just put the summary that sums it up.

Google in collaboration with Kenya’s Wananchi Group and Aptilo Networks recently announced the launch of Wazi Wi-Fi, a high-speed wireless broadband network in Nairobi, Kenya. For now the service is available around “Junction” area of Nairobi.

The service is free for the first ten minutes of use per day. Users can afterwards purchase a single day pass for Shs.50 per device and Shs.500 for one month per device.

Payments can be made via M-Pesa, Airtel Money and Pesapal.

According to Wananchi Group’s CEO, Richard Bell, “We are having discussions with local businesses to explore expansion plans. We see big opportunities in using WiFi technology for mobile data offloading and providing high speed unmetered access away from home. The African region has always been ahead with mobile data services, and the rapid uptake of newer affordable smartphones and tablets keeps driving up the demand for data capacity on the move.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/08/30/google-and-wananchi-group-launch-wi-fi-service-in-nairobi/

Google in collaboration with Kenya’s Wananchi Group and Aptilo Networks recently announced the launch of Wazi Wi-Fi, a high-speed wireless broadband network in Nairobi, Kenya. For now the service is available around “Junction” area of Nairobi.

The service is free for the first ten minutes of use per day. Users can afterwards purchase a single day pass for Shs.50 per device and Shs.500 for one month per device.

Payments can be made via M-Pesa, Airtel Money and Pesapal.

According to Wananchi Group’s CEO, Richard Bell, “We are having discussions with local businesses to explore expansion plans. We see big opportunities in using WiFi technology for mobile data offloading and providing high speed unmetered access away from home. The African region has always been ahead with mobile data services, and the rapid uptake of newer affordable smartphones and tablets keeps driving up the demand for data capacity on the move.

http://www.cp-africa.com/2011/08/30/google-and-wananchi-group-launch-wi-fi-service-in-nairobi/Great news and is very much easier for an average person to pay and use going by how they integrated M-Pesa and the payment methods in general.:okay:

By Macharia Kamau and Reuters

Kenya will soon be hooked to yet another undersea fibre optic cable following the near completion of the laying of a France Telecom funded Lower Indian Ocean Network 2 (LION2).

The ship laying the LION 2 — which is set to be Kenya’s fourth undersea fibre optic cable — arrived in Mombasa last Tuesday, marking the completion of actual cable laying.

The cable will now be connected to a main submarine cable in international waters for testing, and is expected to go live in the course of the first half of next year.

The 56.5 million euros (Sh7.5 billion) LION2 will connect Kenya to Mayotte, Madagascar, Mauritius and La Reunion Islands.

Second phase

LION2 is an extension of LION, which connects the Indian Ocean Islands to the world. The initial LION was laid in March last year.

France Telecom, through its subsidiaries in the region — Mauritius Telecom, Orange Madagascar and Telkom Kenya — is a major investor in the second phase of the cable and has put in Sh4.18 billion of the Sh7.5 billion.

The new cable will be a boost to Telkom Kenya, which is actively pursuing deployment of Internet infrastructure in Kenya after it launched a high speed 3G network last week.

Meanwhile, Kenya has invited investors interested in partnering with it to build a super-fast, fourth-generation Long Term Evolution (LTE) services network, as it plans to ramp up investment in the country’s telecoms industry.


LTE — or 4G — networks boast five times faster data transmission speeds than existing 3G networks and support high-definition video conferencing.


"The Government envisages a Private Public Partnership "PPP" model in which the government will undertake to provide the necessary frequency spectrum resources as its contribution, while the private sector will undertake to meet all other costs related to the deployment and operations," the Ministry of Information and Communications said in an advertisement published in local newspapers Monday.

Source:Standard

When Damaris Njeri’s kidneys failed and she needed specialised surgery, no local doctor could have provided that and she was left with only two options. The doctor advised that she could visit three hospitals — one in India, another in South Africa and a third one in the US. And because the facilities needed are available in local hospitals, she could fly in a specialist to perform the surgical procedure in Kenya.

For a lady of modest means, that would cost a lot of money and time. But with a new technology being introduced in Kenya, Njeri’s case would have been easier to resolve. The technology brings together cutting edge IT, medical and broadcasting technologies to harness complex input from almost every medical field regardless of location or time zone to a single operating room.

All that is needed is a dedicated interconnection platform, advanced tertiary surgical technologies and special broadcasting services. Beyond that, all it needs is a specialist and a patient and everything else is possible. Welcome to the new world of telesurgery, which according to Saeed Samnakay, consultant urological surgeon at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, would in time revolutionalise medicine as we know it today.

“With these technologies, we will cut down a lot of wastage in time, energy and resources and still deliver top quality services like we have been unable to hitherto,” he says. One such well documented shortage in Kenya is in cancer treatment. About 18,000 known cancer patients have to share between them only 15 oncologists. That is why telesurgery could be such a welcome innovation since the specialists could handle many cases at a given time.

The Business Daily Thursday witnessed a urological procedure at the Aga Khan University Hospital under the direction of a South African based specialist from the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Upper Hill, Nairobi. That means a world of difference to those suffering from rare conditions that may require complex correctional or treatment procedures.

Kenya has inadequate specialists in neurology, nephrology, cardiology and orthopedics, among other medical experts. Patients like Ms Njeri have had to travel thousands of miles and spend a fortune on accommodation, travel, medical bills and consultation.

But with telesurgery, patients have a higher chance of survival because of the timeliness of the treatment and patients straining less.




Dipen Rajani, director at Asterisk, a medical technologies supplier, who facilitated the demonstration, says it is a matter of time before all medical services go online. He says Kenya has largely been left behind because of unreliable telecommunication network. But not anymore. “Already in countries like India and the US, almost everything from diagnostics to prescription and surgery is online,” says Rajani. “When people fall sick in the US, they check themselves to an online clinic where everything is done without physical contact.”

He also says the technology is evolving fast and the uptake in Kenya is satisfactory. “The Aga Khan and Nairobi hospitals are fully integrated to the global medical specialty. There are several others but the technology is still quite costly for small hospitals to acquire yet.”

Other related technologies Asterisk supply include camera diagnostics equipment for treatment of internal organs without incision. “When somebody has a tumor for example, treatment by open surgery could further weaken their systems, which in most cases have been fatal,” says Samnakay. He said demand for prostate and urinary tract treatment, his speciality, is high as lifestyles take toll on health.

Medical students would also benefit from that technology since they could witness or participate in such procedures.

“People are now starting to enjoy the full benefits of an interconnected world,” says Kris Senanu, managing director at Access Kenya whose fibre-optic network facilitated the telesurgery. “We are happy to be part of such a great innovation which will no doubt enhance the quality and value of medical care in our hospitals.”

Tecno launches four-sim handset

http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/1241212/medRes/296987/-/maxw/600/-/d42k53z/-/liu.jpg
Jason Liu, the Marketing Director of Tecno Telecom Ltd, shows available features on the new phone, Tecno T6 series, after it was launched in Nairobi on September 22, 2011. Photo/STEPHEN MUDIARI

Nation (http://www.nation.co.ke/Tech/Tecno+launches+four+sim+handset/-/1017288/1241256/-/c95n2tz/-/index.html)

A mobile handset manufacturer has announced intention to launch a four-SIM handset in the Kenyan market.

The move by Tecno Telecom Limited, is expected to change the face of competition in the mobile phone industry, by making it possible for a subscriber to switch between the four mobile phone operators, without replacing SIM cards.

The Chinese firm, which has been aggressive in the low-end market, says the move is meant to offer options to consumers who want to switch between all four mobile operators and take advantage of the best deals.

“The new model, T-4, will take four SIM cards and should start retailing from next month in Nairobi,” said Mr Adam Jin, Tecno’s marketing manager.

Kenya’s four mobile operators, Safaricom, Airtel, Orange and yu, are currently engaged in a bruising battle to gain and retain subscribers.

Yu, for example, is currently offering a free all-day call tariff to its subscribers while Safaricom, which charges an average Sh3 per minute, has enjoyed giant market share, well defended by the world’s first money transfer service, M-Pesa.

Airtel has the best quality network (voice), going by Communication Commission of Kenya statistics, with Orange carrying a reputation of best data connectivity.

A subscriber will now be able to access all this from one handset.

It will also put pressure on the leading handset manufacturers, Nokia and Samsung, who in response to competition for the low-end market, had recently launch dual-SIM handsets.

The handset, which is internet enabled, will retail between Sh2,000 and Sh4,000.

“Our key market has been Africa and affordability is the most critical element of our strategy.

We will also open service centres across the country, to allow us get to the grassroots,” Mr Jin told a group of content developers, distributors and dealers in a meeting to showcase its latest gadgets.

YouTube yesterday launched a Kenyan domain name extension youtube.co.ke at the Tribe Hotel, Nairobi. This will help in accessing, streaming and keeping locally developed edutainment content local and therefore saving the users the cost of accessing locally developed content through expensive international links. Kenyan users will also be able to get local YouTube hits from YouTube searchers through the local domain as and not youtube.com.

Through its partners, YouTube will engage with local communities based in Kenya to consume and stream faster videos that inspire and engage them through mobile technology.

YouTube will also open partnerships with local producers, companies and individuals who produce entertainment and education content. Other than the local content, YouTube will offer some of the most informative and entertaining video content from around the world through a local interface that promotes the content most relevant to Kenyans. As proved by Julius Yego, javelin gold medalist at the 10th All Africa Games in Mozambique who perfected his technique by watching YouTube, there is something on YouTube for everyone. From amateur to professional content, the unexpected to the emotionally affecting, the educational to the entertaining. YouTube provides Kenyans greater flexibility to tell their stories, and find videos most useful to them. Kenya becomes the 2nd country to get such a domain after South Africa.

interesting.thanx for the news.

YouTube yesterday launched a Kenyan domain name extension youtube.co.ke at the Tribe Hotel, Nairobi. This will help in accessing, streaming and keeping locally developed edutainment content local and therefore saving the users the cost of accessing locally developed content through expensive international links. Kenyan users will also be able to get local YouTube hits from YouTube searchers through the local domain as and not youtube.com.

Through its partners, YouTube will engage with local communities based in Kenya to consume and stream faster videos that inspire and engage them through mobile technology.

YouTube will also open partnerships with local producers, companies and individuals who produce entertainment and education content. Other than the local content, YouTube will offer some of the most informative and entertaining video content from around the world through a local interface that promotes the content most relevant to Kenyans. As proved by Julius Yego, javelin gold medalist at the 10th All Africa Games in Mozambique who perfected his technique by watching YouTube, there is something on YouTube for everyone. From amateur to professional content, the unexpected to the emotionally affecting, the educational to the entertaining. YouTube provides Kenyans greater flexibility to tell their stories, and find videos most useful to them. Kenya becomes the 2nd country to get such a domain after South Africa.
What's really the difference because you can do almost the same stuff on youtube.com or maybe this will be more localized?:dunno:

New 4G shareholder rules set stage for ownership battle
BDA (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/New+4G+shareholder+rules+set+stage+for+ownership+battle+/-/539550/1257112/-/f24o3y/-/index.html)
The government has set the stage for a battle for control of Kenya’s 4G network by unveiling new shareholder rules that will allow international firms to bid for shares despite opposition from local operators.

The Information ministry last week yielded to pressure from the mobile phone operators to lock out foreign network developers such as Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei and Ericsson from owning the 4G network and restrict ownership to local telecommunication operators.

Before this, the ministry had restricted ownership of the licence to a network developer, a mobile phone operator and itself unlike in the past when the license was awarded to each operator.

On Monday, the ministry published the revised shareholding rules that will widen the ownership of the 4G network and has also allowed the international firms to participate so long they register locally before February 1.

This means that the international firms can register local affiliates and seek a waiver on the issuance of the 20 per cent shareholding to locals, in a process that sets the stage for a vicious battle for control of the network.

“In the earlier advert, we had non licensed applicants. So we have given time to consider becoming operators if they wanted to invest in the SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle),” Information permanent secretary Bitange Ndemo told the Business Daily on Monday.

“This is an open access platform for any operator whether they invest or not. It will be a TEAMS like PPP and as for the amount of cash, it will depend on their commitment.”

Besides being a licensed operator, firms eyeing ownership of the network must have a turnover of at least Sh500 million.

The under-sea fibre optic cable TEAMs is owned by Dubai-based Etisalat, Kenya government and 12 telecom firms including the four mobile operators Safaricom, Orange, Airtel and YU and internet firms such as Kenya Data Networks, Jamii Telecoms and Access Kenya.

The operators pay a fee to access the fibre network and share in the profits—a model that state prefer in the 4G network whose national rollout is estimated to cost more than Sh70 billion.

The fourth generation (4G) is a wireless technology with a larger capacity to deliver data and facilitate high-end services such as video conferencing and gaming.

The mobile phone operators say the foreign network developers should only be let in as contractors and not as shareholders, fearing that they will hold sway in pricing and equipment selection as investors.

At least eight international network firms had bid for the 4G license in an earlier cancelled tender and they were looking to supply equipment and maintain the network deal besides getting profits form network access fees.

But the requirement that foreign firms should cede a 20 per cent shareholding to Kenyans after three years could slow the global firm’s interest in owning a piece of the network.

Besides cutting industry’s network costs, the joint 4G spectrum is aimed at avoiding pricing wars that dogged the issuance of the 3G licences with Safaricom demanding a refund of Sh1.4 billion.

MPs Want Country's Satellite in Space

http://allafrica.com/stories/201110140434.html

MPs yesterday agreed that it was time for the government to also establish a Kenyan version of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA is an executive branch agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's civilian space programme and aeronautics and aerospace research. Its main mission is to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research.
In Parliament yesterday, MPs said it was time Kenya invested in such an agency and put its own satellite in space. They said such a satellite would have been handy to detect and deal with the suspected Somali pirates who recently abducted two foreigners at the Kenyan coast. MPs said apart from fighting kidnappers, pirates and terrorists, the satellite will help in locating fish to ease the work of fishermen. They said the satellite will also ease the location of wildlife hence making it easy to fight poachers.
The lawmakers said space segment for putting a satellite, which is allocated by the US, was getting finished hence the need for the government to move with speed. The legislators consequently endorsed a motion to compel the government to formulate a National Space Science and Technology Policy and enact relevant laws that will spearhead the establishment and operationalization of a National Space Agency.
The motion was introduced by Dr Wilbur Ottichilo (Emuhaya) and who is also a space scientist. Ottichilo said it will cost less than one billion for the country to put its own satellite in space. "The cost should not be the issue, you can even put a micro satellite," he said. Erastus Mureithi (Ol' Kalau) termed the venture "wonderful" and timely saying it will help fight piracy. "These pirates bothering us, the satellite will notice them," said Mureithi.
Clement Wambugu (Mathioya) said the satellite will help the weather department give accurate weather prediction. He also said the satellite will help fishermen in tracking fish. "Our fishermen will not have to look for the fish in the ocean," he said. Joseph Nkaissery (Kajiado Central) said such a satellite was important for the country's national security.
Nkaissery, a retired army general, said if Kenya has the space satellite, security agents would have been able to spot the pirates who hijacked the British and French tourists recently at the Lamu Coastal region. He said the security officials would have also been able to follow kidnappers and apprehend them. Gichugu MP Martha Karua echoed the same saying Kenyans at the Lamu coast and other boarder points were suffering.
Eugene Wamalwa (Saboti) said the country was suffering from brain drain with many Kenyans trained in the field of space technology going to work for NASA. He said it was time for Kenya to look beyond the horizon. The MP said the country was facing serious security threats citing Al-Shabaab, pirates and what he termed as hostile neighbours hence the need for such a technology.
Wamalwa told the House that Kenya's defence budget runs to Sh 40 billion in one financial year. "Mr Speaker, we can set aside money to launch a satellite that will bring a lot of benefits to this country," he said. And the government appeared to agree with MPs saying that issues of terrorism needed investments in space technology.
Higher Education, Science and Technology assistant minister Asman Kamama, giving the official government response, said the ministry was supporting such initiatives. He said the government will fast track issues on space science including developing a policy and introducing a new bill in Parliament to address the legal aspects of the venture. The minister told Parliament that US recently used satellite to track and kill Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

State Considering Electronic Identity

http://allafrica.com/stories/201109190030.html

Kenyans may become the first globally to have electronic identities if a draft government digital economy policy comes into law.

The identity will encompass the national ID number, PIN number, driving license number, birth certificate and passport number.Information permanent secretary Dr. Bitange Ndemo,said a Digital Economy Policy has already been drafted and is awaiting stakeholders' input.

The policy will define how Kenya will operate in the digital space from e-government, to e-commerce, law enforcement, e-health and so on. Only countries like the US, Canada, Australia and South Korea have such policies but they don't have a virtual identity for their citizens. "This is the whole future of digital commerce," Dr. Ndemo said.

Ndemo spoke during the launch of the world's first solar powered netbook by Samsung. The Sh40,000 mini-laptop has solar cells on the back panel of the screen which get charged by sunlight but also has a conventional battery which is charged by electricity. During the launch, Samsung announced that it would be part of the proposed Technopolis/ICT City that the government wants to put up in Konza, Machakos.

Kenya’s twitter credentials worth following...


http://www.ntv.co.ke/News/Kenya+twitter+credentials+worth+following/-/471778/1255380/-/wx4leb/-/index.html

Kenya is the 3rd most active African country on micro-blogging site Twitter, with over 70 percent of the firm’s 100 million users now coming from outside the United States. Twitter is currently collaborating with both governments and businesses to improve the social media experience and help democratize information flow. Apart from engaging with Twitter, the Kenya ICT Board which is on a tour of the Silicon Valley in the United States has also been speaking with another technology major Hewlett Packard, promoting Kenya as the place to do IT in Africa. NTV’s Larry Madowo reports from California.

M-Pesa transactions surpass Western Union moves across the globe
Daily Nation,
October 20 2011.

Safaricom has had more transactions using M-Pesa than what its global rival, Western Union, has moved across the world.

“M-Pesa now processes more transactions domestically within Kenya than Western Union does globally, and provides mobile banking facilities to more than 70 per cent of the country’s adult population,” says the International Monetary Fund in its October outlook on the African economy.

M-Pesa, which allows mobile phone subscribers to transmit as little as Sh50 in seconds, was a first in the world and is now being emulated by countries like South Africa, India and Afghanistan which have launched similar money transfer services.

M-Pesa was launched in March 2007 and now boasts of over 14 million customers and about 28,000 agent outlets across the country.

The World Bank has since then picked former Safaricom CEO, Michael Joseph, to help replicate this model in developing countries, as way of fighting poverty and deepening financial services.

In Kenya, the value of M-Pesa transactions since 2007 to March topped Sh828 billion or half of the country’s GDP and last years’ worth of business reached Sh47 billion.

M-Pesa transactions surpass Western Union moves across the globe
Daily Nation,
October 20 2011.

Safaricom has had more transactions using M-Pesa than what its global rival, Western Union, has moved across the world.

“M-Pesa now processes more transactions domestically within Kenya than Western Union does globally, and provides mobile banking facilities to more than 70 per cent of the country’s adult population,” says the International Monetary Fund in its October outlook on the African economy.

M-Pesa, which allows mobile phone subscribers to transmit as little as Sh50 in seconds, was a first in the world and is now being emulated by countries like South Africa, India and Afghanistan which have launched similar money transfer services.

M-Pesa was launched in March 2007 and now boasts of over 14 million customers and about 28,000 agent outlets across the country.

The World Bank has since then picked former Safaricom CEO, Michael Joseph, to help replicate this model in developing countries, as way of fighting poverty and deepening financial services.

In Kenya, the value of M-Pesa transactions since 2007 to March topped Sh828 billion or half of the country’s GDP and last years’ worth of business reached Sh47 billion.

:banana::banana::banana: Proudly kenyan.

Mobile phone opinion poll service launched

You can now participate in opinion polls research through your mobile phone.

Poll Kenya on Sunday launched a service that provides Kenyans an opportunity to air their opinions on politics and other critical issues.

"We are offering a fast, efficient, and easy way to track the popularity of presidential, governorship, senate and parliamentary candidates in the country," said Sammy Karoney, a director at Eskay Communications Ltd, which owns the research company.

Members of the public seeking to participate will be required to send a blank short text message (SMS) or the word ‘Poll’ to a service number – 3005, in order to be registered.

They will then get instructions to provide their mobile phone numbers, mail address, county in which they are registered as voters, gender and age to enable the administrators curb double registration or double voting.

"Poll Kenya systems and technology minimises possible errors as it enhances data reliability and accuracy," Karoney said.

It will also enable members of the public to provide feedback and opinions. "The public are able to follow the statistics in real time on the Internet," Karoney said.

Barrack Muluka, who was the guest speaker during the launch of the service at Laico Hotel Nairobi asked politicians to use opinion polls to lay strategies.

"When some politicians are rated highly, they are always eager to depict the polls as credible. But when their grip wanes and the polls show their percentages tumbling down, they claim the polls have been fixed," Mr Muluka said.

^^ From Standard.

Altech drops Sh6bn bid for Kenyan firm
BDA (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/-/539550/1270342/-/s939n5/-/index.html)

South Africa’s Allied Technologies said Wednesday it is no longer in talks to acquire unlisted Kenyan IT firm Symphony, a deal that Reuters previously reported could be worth up to $60 million (Sh6 billion).

Altech, a $742 million telecoms and IT firm, had been in talks to acquire Symphony and was nearing the end of its due diligence, Reuters reported last week, citing a person familiar with the matter.

“Altech was in discussions with the Da Gama Rose Group, the 100 per cent shareholders in Symphony, an unlisted Kenyan IT firm. Altech has informed the Da Gama Rose Group that it will not progress with further discussions,” Altech said in a statement.

The Da Gama Rose Group is led by prominent Kenyan businessman and lawyer Horatius da Gama Rose who enjoyed close links with the administration of the former President Moi.
The firm did not give a reason why the talks had been dropped, but Altech was hoping the deal would augment its existing business — Kenya Data Networks — in a region where it has struggled.

Altech is a diverse business whose operations include telecoms, electronics, and IT services while Symphony provides IT consulting and services including hardware, software and networking. — Reuters

Safaricom targets growth in data usage
Capital FM Business (http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2011/11/safaricom-targets-growth-in-data-usage/)

Innovations like the webbox could be the tool for local mobile operator Safaricom to engage more customers, as it considers a more data-focused approach to salvage losses from its declining voice segment.

With over 18 million Prepay and Postpay subscribers, Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Bob Collymore said the company is trying to get its subscribers to use data much more.

“We introduced the webbox, which we sold out in two weeks. It gives people the chance to access the Internet even if they don’t have a computer or a smart phone,” Collymore said during a consumer promotion launch on Friday.

Expected to boost Safaricom’s data traffic, the device that works on a plug and play basis is bundled with 200MB of data and retails for Sh5,000.

Safaricom has already diversified into Cloud computing, which boasts Africa’s largest indigenous cloud, complementing its other data offerings.

Apart from plans to build its own inland fibre optic network Collymore said the mobile operator intends to bring out more content centred on entertainment, health and education.

Meanwhile, Safaricom unveiled a multimillion-shilling consumer promotion just two days after posting a less than impressive performance for its half year results.

Despite a 47 percent decline in net profit, Collymore noted it was an opportune time to reward its customers amid difficult economic times.

“This promotion is our way of saying Merry Christmas and Happy 2012. It’s the run up to Christmas. We did the same thing when we did the Niko na Campaign and that was hugely successful,” he said.

Dubbed Furahi Na Safaricom, the promotion will award Sh1 million to one customer every weekday (Monday to Friday) for the next five weeks, while 100 subscribers will each win Sh10,000.

In addition 1,000 subscribers will win Sh100 shillings in airtime for the same period; in total over Sh53 million is to be won during the promotion.

“For every Sh10 they top up, they get one entry into the campaign. If you top up using M-PESA you will get two entries for every Sh10,” Collymore added.

The promotion is set to wrap up on December 16, 2011.

M-Pesa transactions surpass Western Union moves across the globe
Daily Nation,
October 20 2011.

Safaricom has had more transactions using M-Pesa than what its global rival, Western Union, has moved across the world.

“M-Pesa now processes more transactions domestically within Kenya than Western Union does globally, and provides mobile banking facilities to more than 70 per cent of the country’s adult population,” says the International Monetary Fund in its October outlook on the African economy.

M-Pesa, which allows mobile phone subscribers to transmit as little as Sh50 in seconds, was a first in the world and is now being emulated by countries like South Africa, India and Afghanistan which have launched similar money transfer services.

M-Pesa was launched in March 2007 and now boasts of over 14 million customers and about 28,000 agent outlets across the country.

The World Bank has since then picked former Safaricom CEO, Michael Joseph, to help replicate this model in developing countries, as way of fighting poverty and deepening financial services.

In Kenya, the value of M-Pesa transactions since 2007 to March topped Sh828 billion or half of the country’s GDP and last years’ worth of business reached Sh47 billion.It will be nice to have a Western Union rival originating from Kenya.;)

They should start going global.

You're about 3 weeks late.:lol:

Telkom Kenya signs payments deal with Visa
BDA
(http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/Telkom+Kenya+signs+payments+deal+with+Visa/-/539550/1281070/-/rinhpkz/-/index.html)
Telkom Kenya is the latest mobile telephony firm to tap into the multi-billion electronic commerce industry after sealing a partnership with Visa Card that will allow subscribers to perform local and international transactions on phone.

The Orange Money Visa Card will allow subscribers purchases in more than 22 million outlets that accept Visa, allowing phones to work as debit cards.

Equity Bank is also part of the deal because of its partnership with Telkom that allows the telco’s subscribers to access bank accounts on phone.

The launch of the card was informed by the need for customers to have additional channels through which they can access their money as well as widening the range of transactions they can make, including ATM withdrawals, merchant payments and online shopping,” Mickael Ghossein, Telkom Kenya’s CEO said in a media briefing Monday.

He added that Telkom Kenya is betting on value addition to grow market share in a market that is dominated Safaricom’s M-pesa and Airtel Money.

Subscribers of Orange’s Iko Pesa will be required to buy new SIM cards that are attached with Visa Card microchip which stores data, identifies the card and its owner. “The difference between what we are launching and what is in the market is that this is not a store card and it will enable consumers not only to transfer money from person to person but even from one bank account to the other,” said James Mwangi, Equity bank’s CEO.

Equity is looking forward not only to use Orange’s platform for its agency banking but also to tap into the remittances by subscribers from abroad and also get a commission from Visa. Statistics from the Central Bank of Kenya shows that the value of payments effected through mobile phones, plastic cards and electronic fund transfers grew by nearly half last year, reducing the cost of handling cash and spending on printing currency.


The data shows that consumers continued the rapid uptake of alternative payment methods in the 12 months ending June this year, driven by the convenience offered by new inventions by commercial banks and telecommunications companies.

The CBK data showed the value of transfers through mobile money increased by 53.89 per cent to Sh919.22 billion as at the end of June.

The number of transactions effected through mobile money transfer services increased by 44.90 per cent to 364.06 million transactions over the same period.

Nigerian tower firm eyes East Africa
BDA (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Nigerian+tower+firm+eyes+East+Africa/-/539552/1281012/-/x8p64o/-/index.html)

Safaricom and Telkom Kenya’s infrastructure sharing plan could get a boost following an announcement by Nigerian telecommunication towers company IHS that it is seeking Sh18 billion ($200 million) to finance its expansion strategy.

The Financial Times newspaper reported Monday that the mobile phone towers builder, which rents out its infrastructure, had appointed Citibank to raise the extra equity it needs to grow beyond Nigeria.

IHS said it was targeting lease contracts with East African market telecommunication operators.

The firm said it was eyeing Kenya, Uganda Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa in its new bid to increase footprint after a successful bid in Tanzania that saw it enter into a lease back contract with Tigo of Tanzania and Millicom of DRC.

It comes at a time Safaricom and Telkom Kenya are negotiating tower sharing deal that will see the two firms hand over their current infrastructure to an independent operator in a cost-cutting move. “Voice penetration is about 60 per cent across Africa but real penetration is about 10-15 per cent less than that. So there will be a massive growth in voice traffic that will need building to ensure more capacity, while data use is almost non-existent and will grow rapidly,” CEO Issam Darwish was quoted saying by the FT.

The firm, which is West Africa’s largest telecommunications infrastructure provider, wants to increase the number of mobile phone towers it owns to 2,000 next year from its current 850, according to the report.

Some of the money will also be used to buy towers that are being sold by companies such as France Telecom in Uganda, the newspaper said.

Mr Darwish put the total value of the African tower market at around $50 billion and estimated that Africa requires another 50,000 masts for voice and traffic data.

Nzioka Waita , Safaricom’s Corporate affairs manager, Monday told the Business Daily the two firms are still negotiating a deal that will see them ride on each other’s infrastructure and lower their recurring costs and capital expenditure.

Safaricom and TelKom Kenya have 4,000 towers between them.

Samsung to set up first engineering academy in the country

http://www.cio.co.ke/view-all-top-stories/4544-samsung-to-set-up-first-engineering-academy-in-the-country.html

Samsung Electronics is set to launch the country’s first Engineering Academy within the next six months.

The Engineering Academy will address the critical technical and engineering skills shortage in country.

Samsung will develop the computing skills and infrastructure of P.C kinyanjui Technical Training Institute in Nairobi.

As part of the initiative, Samsung has donated 20 Laptops as well as announced plans to build an internet school for P.C kinyanjui Technical Training Institute.

Speaking following the donation, Samsung’s East and Central Africa, Corporate Marketing Manager, Ms. Betty Radier, the laptops will be used to develop the Institute’s staff skills.

“The laptops will assist the institution integrate use of ICTs in teaching vocational courses and other technical courses and Provide staff with tool for conducting research and preparing teaching materials,” said Ms. Radier.

Technology Partners will initially undertake the training of teachers and support staff using the newly set up Samsung ICT lab at the Incubation Centre.

Students who graduate from the Academy will have a chance to compete for an internship opportunity at one of Samsung’s service centres where they will put the skills learned at the Academy to practical use for Samsung customers.

“This initiative will strive to transform communities through education and skills development and in return, open up skilled, well-paying job opportunities for the graduates,” said Ms. Radier.

Ms. Radier said the programme will also support government’s efforts in up scaling technical training in the country.

“Kenya aims to be a regional centre for research and development in new technologies. This will be achieved through among other initiatives, strengthening partnerships with the private sector,” said Ms. Radier.

Samsung Electronics Engineering Academy in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria are part of the company's broader goal to develop 10 000 Electronics Engineers across the continent by 2015.

Samsung recently launched its first Solar Powered Internet School in South Africa with plans underway to establish a similar one in Kenya.

The solar-powered, mobile and completely independent classroom is geared towards increasing accessibility to education and connectivity across Africa. Each Solar Powered Internet School is a 40 foot long shipping container, which makes it easily transportable via truck to remote areas.

E-social business device to ease sharing of data

http://www.nation.co.ke/Features/smartcompany/E+social+business+device+to+ease+sharing+of+data/-/1226/1276826/-/4rr2ja/-/index.html

Tired of collecting business cards and carrying your contact book to every function you attend?

Well, worry no more. Poken, an online social business card will take care of that.

Using a flash disk-shaped gadget, one is able to share information about phone numbers and residential areas besides providing links to social networking sites without carrying any hard copy business card.

Change the world

All you need to do is hold the Pokens against each other until a green light glows to signify that you have shared contact data. Since the gadget is shaped like a four-finger form, the process of “pokening” is usually known as “high-four”.

The device was officially launched for the first time in East Africa by Seven Seas Technologies at the East African Business Summit held last week at the Mount Kenya Safari Club in Nanyuki.

The meeting brought together business leaders from East Africa to discuss how innovation could be a catalyst for growth in the region.

“This is just a demonstration of how small things can change the world,” said Mr Michael Macharia, founder and CEO of Seven Seas Technologies at the launch.

Poken was set up four years ago in Switzerland by Canadian Stephane Doutriaux.

The idea of a social business card has gained such popularity that it has been adopted in many countries worldwide.

Companies such as KPMG and Deloitte have used it for talent management and recruitment.

“It is about connecting people, places, and things,” said Mr Tim Njiru, East Africa Poken spokesperson. “It is about building social networks. It is about having so much information with just a touch,” he said.

First time users should plug the device into their computer, then log on to Poken’s website and register after which they will be able to see all the contacts gathered.

Users can also start collecting contacts even before registering at the website.

So, what if you lose your Poken? “You don’t have to worry,” said Mr Njiru. “It is password protected. No one will be able to get through to it.”

The social business card is flexible as it allows for changes in contact information.

Once a user alters his address or email address, it also updates for all other Poken contacts that one previously acquired.

It can be used through a mobile phone once you download a Poken application to your handset.

Mr Njiru says that Nokia N9, Nokia C700, and iPhone 4 are some of the phones that one can use to download such applications.

Innovative thinking

“Poken is your bridge between the online and offline world,” said Mr Njiru. “Meet, connect, stay in touch.”

The East African Business Summit was convened by the Citi Group, Deloitte, KPMG, Nation Media Group, PWC, and Serena Hotels. Others includes Emirates Airways, Kenya Commercial Bank, and Trade Mark East Africa.

The first of the biannual meeting was held in November 2002, with the aim of defining a growth vision for East Africa.

The summit brought together top business and innovation leaders from the region to deliberate on how the bloc can use innovation and technology as a catalyst for growth.

This year’s discussions were centred on how CEOs, managers, and government officials can best harness innovative thinking, learn from the best examples, and work together to enable a stronger and more stable economic bloc.

The conference also addressed how innovation competence could be put at the core of government and company agendas.

Kenyan firm pioneers SMS app store
Capital FM Business
(http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2011/12/kenyan-firm-pioneers-sms-app-store/)

Kenyan mobile phone users will now be able to download applications via SMS on Kenya’s first local mobile app store.

Developed by Kenyan mobility software solutions firm Virtual City, the app store dubbed HewaniLife, will cater to middle and low-end mobile phone users, who do not own the more advanced Symbian or android phones.

Virtual City Chief Marketing Officer Herbert Thuo said HewaniLife is the first app store of its kind that aggregates offering mobile apps, mobile money and several vertical segment services with the main goal of simplifying everyday life.

“Now with a Sh900 phone, for the first time in the world, you can access an app store. That’s unheard of. We’ve created a range and we’re going to see more developers putting applications on our store,” he said.

The application categories range from distribution, health, education, transport, retail and utilities enabling consumers to purchase bus tickets, pay for fuel, make government complaints, pay school fees, or even pay for parking tickets.


HewaniLife currently has 400 applications that are spread across various technology platforms such as android, Java, BlackBerry, Symbian, SMS and USSD.

Virtual City has plans to roll out the HewaniLife app store in five other countries across Africa next year.

House to use digital voting system in 2013
http://www.nation.co.ke/Tech/House+to+use+digital+voting+system+in+2013+/-/1017288/1296198/-/d5c98jz/-/index.html

Voting in the next Parliament will be done electronically.

According to a draft of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly seen by the Nation, members will cast their votes by swiping their cards on the slots provided.

But they will only use electronic voting when a dispute arises over which side shouted loudest between the ‘Ayes’ and ‘Noes’.

This is one of the measures that Parliament has adopted to ensure the speedy execution of legislative functions especially when the number of representatives increases from the current 224 to 418 in 2013 –350 for the National Assembly and 68 for the Senate.

The exercise, which when done manually has been taking between 20 and 40 minutes of Parliamentary time, will take a maximum of five minutes.

Kenya Has Mobile Health App Fever
http://www.technologyreview.com/communications/39364/page1/

Mobile health platforms are fast emerging in Kenya, where one startup's newly launched mobile health platform is attracting nearly 1,000 downloads daily, and the dominant telecom, Safaricom, has forged a partnership that will give its 18 million subscribers access to doctors.

The new app, called MedAfrica—available for smart phones and less powerful feature phones—is the product of Shimba Technologies, a Nairobi-based company founded by two locally educated entrepreneurs, Stephen Kyalo and Keziah Mumo, with $100,000 in seed money from a European VC.

Shimba's business model is straight from Silicon Valley: free content supported by advertising, with future plans to offer premium content for a subscription, and to charge doctors about $10 a month for access to its user base. Of the 25,000 people who have downloaded since the launch in November, 60 percent are "active users," says Kyalo. Shimba has not yet sold ads or begun trying to get doctors to pay.

The platform aggregates information from many sources. So far, it supplies first-aid recommendations from local hospitals, and health alerts and updates from other hospitals, as well as lists of doctors and dentists. The company plans to connect to a data feed from the national Ministry of Health for information on things like disease outbreaks or the discovery of counterfeit drugs. Shimba also hopes to aggregate information from NGOs.

First post of 2012.:happy:

Anyways, check out this image of mobile subscribers in Kenya that I found on iHub. From earlier last year but it's nice to see in image everything broken down..

http://www.ihub.co.ke/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/R@iHub-Infographic-Converted2.png

^^

Thanx eddeux. Happy new year.

Great illustration there eddeux, I am curious to know how the smartphone market is picking up. Windows vs Android vs iOs vs Symbian OS.

I guess Symbian is ahead because most people use Nokia though I dont know if most of those devices are internet-enabled too.

The Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) has officially withdrawn an offer to sell Bharti Airtel International prime land in Nairobi on which the Indian firm intended to set up its African headquarters.

Also read: EDITORIAL: Follow the law when offering land to investors

The board’s action runs against President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s assurances to the multinational mid-last year that the deal on the land off Argwing’s Kodhek Road was as good as sealed.

Read: Posta’s Sh543m land deal with Bharti Airtel stalled

The two Grand Coalition principals had committed to the sale that would have seen the owner of Airtel Kenya establish its African headquarters in Kenya besides setting up a business process outsourcing (BPO) centre.

Early last month, the parastatal reversed its earlier resolution sanctioning the sale and demanded back the title deed to the land from its solicitors, who obliged on December 14.

Instead, the parastatal which is struggling to stay afloat in the midst of an oversize staff establishment and competition from new communication channels has asked Bharti Airtel to compete in an open tender for the plot to be announced “shortly”.Bad news for proposed Bharti African Headquarters in Nairobi.

Source (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Posta+board+hangs+up+on+Airtel+s+prime+city+land+offer+/-/539546/1299094/-/view/printVersion/-/12wven9/-/index.html)

Great illustration there eddeux, I am curious to know how the smartphone market is picking up. Windows vs Android vs iOs vs Symbian OS.

I guess Symbian is ahead because most people use Nokia though I dont know if most of those devices are internet-enabled too.

Are you sure? I think more Kenyans use Samsung smartphones compared to Nokia. That plus the number of ideos phone users also using the android platform. Nokia has taken a dip lately.

Bad news for proposed Bharti African Headquarters in Nairobi.

Source (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Posta+board+hangs+up+on+Airtel+s+prime+city+land+offer+/-/539546/1299094/-/view/printVersion/-/12wven9/-/index.html)

Bharti have not expressed their interest in moving their headquarters elsewhere. They can still get another piece of land or even be willing to purchase the same piece they had been offered.

This is the best part of the article IMO.

If the Posta board has its way, it will set a precedent where the principals will lose control over State assets to institutions.

Are you sure? I think more Kenyans use Samsung smartphones compared to Nokia. That plus the number of ideos phone users also using the android platform. Nokia has taken a dip lately.http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/3167/statcountermobileoskemo.jpg

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/3167/statcountermobileoskemo.jpg


^^ The stats on this website (http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_os-KE-monthly-201012-201112-bar) shows Symbian leading.

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/3167/statcountermobileoskemo.jpg

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/3167/statcountermobileoskemo.jpg


^^ The stats on this website (http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_os-KE-monthly-201012-201112-bar) shows Symbian leading.

Interesting. Thanx Jamaax.

Bharti have not expressed their interest in moving their headquarters elsewhere. They can still get another piece of land or even be willing to purchase the same piece they had been offered.

This is the best part of the article IMO.



Not good news!! There seems to be lots of land for those willing to pay, but the posta one was an easy one to get. it is large enough and at the right place. they could place an advert also for offers for land or even for buildings if they decide to. the delta corner could make it up. this is speculative for i don't know what their needs are for design, location, etc are!

Kenyans are using Symbian OS (even though Nokia has ditched it)? Are you guys the only ones left on the planet still using it?:lol: It's non-existent here in the states, Android and iOS dominate followed by either Blackberry OS or Windows Mobile (if I'm right).
Great illustration there eddeux, I am curious to know how the smartphone market is picking up. Windows vs Android vs iOs vs Symbian OS.

I guess Symbian is ahead because most people use Nokia though I dont know if most of those devices are internet-enabled too.

Nokia has been lagging in the smart phone field. I don't keep up with them but the only *goood* that I have heard about is the Lumia 800 (which runs on windows mobile). So with that in mind I would not be surprised if most Kenyans use Samsung smart phones.

Kenyans are using Symbian OS (even though Nokia has ditched it)? Are you guys the only ones left on the planet still using it?:lol: It's non-existent here in the states, Android and iOS dominate followed by either Blackberry OS or Windows Mobile (if I'm right).


Nokia has been lagging in the smart phone field. I don't keep up with them but the only *goood* that I have heard about is the Lumia 800 (which runs on windows mobile). So with that in mind I would not be surprised if most Kenyans use Samsung smart phones.

Most Kenyans use "dumb phones" for lack of a better word (I think its the same throughout most of SSA). That's why the Symbian OS tops the chart. The vast majority of those dumb phones were Nokia phones. But a random check on the streets usually reveals more people buying Samsung smartphones compared to Nokia.

If you look closely at the graph, it shows the use of android phones gradually increasing while that of Symbian Os is on the decline. Give it like 3 to 5 years for smartphone prices to decline further and you will see the tables turn.

Kenyans are using Symbian OS (even though Nokia has ditched it)? Are you guys the only ones left on the planet still using it?:lol: It's non-existent here in the states, Android and iOS dominate followed by either Blackberry OS or Windows Mobile (if I'm right).


Nokia has been lagging in the smart phone field. I don't keep up with them but the only *goood* that I have heard about is the Lumia 800 (which runs on windows mobile). So with that in mind I would not be surprised if most Kenyans use Samsung smart phones.It's the trend in developing countries.

The economic conditions make it easier to get smartphones in developed countries than in developing countries and that's why Symbian is still dominant. Most people cant afford smartphones and that's why the mobile OS stats shows Symbian dominating.

I also think Nokia is probably down when it comes to Smartphone usage in Kenya. Maybe the criteria of what is a smartphone matters here because there are smartphones that do not necessarily use either android or iOS.

Cellulant to run Barclays M-Banking services
http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/Cellulant+to+run+Barclays+M+Banking+services+/-/1006/1316226/-/l9jeoaz/-/index.html

Cellulant Kenya has sealed a deal to provide mobile banking services for Barclays Africa across its markets in the continent.

In a venture dubbed, ‘One Africa’ Barclays Bank has entered into a deal with Cellulant to offer satisfying customer digital experience.

The services to be revitalised by the communication solutions firm are mobile and Internet banking as well as ATMs across its 12 African countries, by deploying a new unifying platform.

Speaking when he signed the partnership, Mr Gachora, said the move will facilitate the bank’s strategic efforts to provide convenient consumer access solutions.

Cellulant’s chief business officer, Mr Paul Ndichu, said the model will increase Barclays Africa customers activity on its electronic platforms by allowing them to transact with a wide network of businesses across Barclays Africa and Absa Bank network.

The new structure will be rolled out in phases with Cellulant providing a bill payment platform and a mobile network operator e-network to facilitate mobile business solutions.

Interesting blog post about a company named Wezatele, they use USSD, mobiel web & SMS to help businesses connect with consumers and vendors for order management & distribution:

SMS ordering: New feature in Myorder Enterprise
http://wezatele.com/blog/?p=48

http://wezatele.com/img/logo.png

According to the CCK Kenya latest report (2012), there are 27 million mobile subscribers, SMS per subscribers per month growing by 125% from 8.5 SMS as at June 2011 to 18.99 SMS at September 2011. Weza Tele has tapped into this market by developing an SMS-based ordering service for its clients that they are currently working with in the industries of publications, beverages, Grocery & food stores as they try to reach their vendors and end-users with an easier way for them to order from their simple phones.

Its easy to use and integrate into your current sales process. The service consists of 3 simple steps:


Register
Order your items
Orders confirmed


How does the SMS ordering service work?

For End Users:
The system enables registered customers to send in orders in a simple and memorable format. This works from a basic phone with no need for an Internet connection. Every item on a catalogue a code is assigned that further simplifies the ordering process. We translate the codes, calculate the total price, and send you a electronic confirmation with your order details & prices.

Our software also has built in error correction mechanisms. For instance, if you incorrectly type in your order information, then the system is able to automatically correct that and figure out what you meant to type. It then sends you an sms confirmation before your order is further processed.

For Distributors:
At the heart of the software is a simple and well-designed dashboard. This enables you, as a seller, to manage customer information, orders, prices, products, reports and recipients with control rights.

You can also periodically receive orders by email, formatted as Excel spreadsheet with customizable fields you would want to see.

Benefits:

Ease of use — No special equipment needed hence more flexibility when ordering. Works with any mobile telephone that can send Text messages (SMS) or email.
Fast — simplifies the process for both customer and retailer, as the customer avoids the likelihood of being held in a phone queue and the retailer gets structured, aggregated orders from time to time.
Low Cost — Affordable operational costs. Free registration.
Convenience – Buyers send from their mobile phones and receive SMS notifications to confirm orders.
“Simplicity is key!”

There is no hardware or software to install so that in a matter of minutes its up and running.

Here is how it works on your phone:

http://wezatele.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/My-order-new-.jpg

I applaud Kenya’s government move to upload government data via the open data portal Kenya Open Data (http://www.opendata.go.ke/). It likely puts pressure on other countries to do the same. It seems fairly constant in record updates. :cheers:

The benefits are clearly shown by more companies acting on interest.


Kenya’s masterplan on how to utilize technology to become a middle income country by 2030 is ready.

An international team from IBM's Corporate Services Corps program has completed a month-long term in Kenya to prepare the plan that would also see Kenya fully digitize its voting system.

This comes days after the government launched an open data portal providing crucial information on government services, income and expenditure to the public.

The masterplan complements government’s efforts to digitize records to enhance e-services delivery.
http://www.nation.co.ke/Tech/-/1017288/1213698/-/12vwcgw/-/index.html

http://waithash.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/benefits-of-kenya-Open-data.jpg

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/image/view/-/1321636/highRes/329693/-/maxw/600/-/v9omgnz/-/digital+tv.jpg

Pay-television provider Smart TV has closed shop after failing to secure adequate funding for its operations, leaving thousands of its subscribers and dealers with obsolete decoders.

Word that the signal had gone off at Smart TV started last week after more than 2,000 subscribers failed to access premium content through the decoders.

Calls to the operator’s offices also went answered, with the chief executive officer and his compliment of seven members having left a month ago.

“We have closed shop and are currently shopping for an international investor following the exit of the Swedish investors – Next Generation Broadcasting (NGB) — which has put us into financial constraints,” said Mohammed Nyaoga, chairman of Transmex, which owns Smart TV.

Mr Nyaoga said the directors of the firm would meet on Friday to decide if subscribers will be refunded the Sh5, 000 they invested on decoders and the subscription fees for the month of January.

SmartTV’s bouquet of eight channels covering news, entertainment, sports, kids’ content and gossip was going for Sh990 a month.

Smart TV becomes the second pay- television operator in Kenya to close shop after GTV fell into financial distress in 2009, amplifying the need for a consumer protection law.

The closure now leaves Wananchi’s Zuku as the main rival of MultiChoice DStv that has dominated the market for over 15 years.

Source (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Subscribers++lose+millions+as+Smart+TV+goes+off+air++/-/539546/1321632/-/awnp5j/-/index.html)

"There is a reason I am not in the other 57 countries in Africa, I am only visiting Kenya and South Africa ," Elop said.

Elop announced that Nokia would be increasing investments in Kenya and Eastern Africa to the tune of 25 per cent more than they did a year ago. The investments will be in the form of Nokia's Research Centre in Kenya, which is one of its kind in Africa and Indian sub-continent.

"It's very much the case, that as we have gone through various changes in our organisations and our structure, we have made a very conscious decision to make Kenya one of our worldwide hub for innovations from where we can serve Africa and parts of Middle East. That is why I am visiting here over the last couple of days, " said Elop.

http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=E4731311-AFFE-A07D-D25544C01776A74E

The Min of Roads in collaboration is in the process of publishing the 2011 infrastructure directory...This will be one of the biggest directory both electronic version and Hard copy. The E version is not yet...but will be soon. Any interested parties either engineering and consultants firms,construction good and service providers,registered engineers or anybody targeting infrastructure sector can list their profiles... rates starts fro 5,800 kshs. interested parties to contact info@moland.co.ke or pwaigumo@yahoo.com.

Allied Technologies’ (Altech) operations in East Africa are poised to contribute to a third of its parent company’s annual earnings, according to Craig Venter, the chief executive of the JSE-listed Altech.

Venter’s belief in the region remains strong despite receiving a flood of criticism from investors for the unit’s dismal performance during Altech’s 2010/11 financial year. Altech blamed poor management, and the unit’s managing team was replaced with South African information technology (IT) stalwarts.

Venter, speaking at the official launch of Altech Kenya Data Networks (Altech KDN) last week, said: “The key thing for us here is the economies are growing, the political environment is stable and Kenya as an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) environment is advanced.”

He said data download speeds were faster and that a high-definition movie was ready to be viewed within eight minutes in Kenya.

“Kenya has already deployed fibre to the home while in South Africa it has not yet been liberalised,” Venter said.

Connectivity in the region is boosted by the proliferation of undersea cables Eassy and Seacom, including Teams, all of which Altech has bought capacity in.

Altech spent $75 million (R560m) in 2008 when it bought 51 percent of KDN and two other internet service providers in the region, SwiftGlobal and Infocom. It has laid about 3 000km of fibre optic cable and Altech KDN manages more than 6 200km of fibre optic cable in East Africa. At the time it committed $10m in working capital and Sameer Group $20m to develop the data centre investment.

Altech’s confidence in the growth of ICT in East Africa has spurred it to commit a further $20m capital investment over the next three years in Altech KDN, said to be the first dedicated data centre in Kenya.

To date the facility has attracted Kenya’s Equity Bank and Airtel, a major Indian telecoms operator in Africa, as the main clients.

The bomb-proof, flood-proof and earthquake-proof basement in the centre will also be home to some Kenyan government records when that section is built in Altech’s new financial year, beginning in March.

“Altech views east Africa as the growth engine for our company,” Venter said.

Shahab Meshki, the chief executive of Altech KDN, said the data centre allowed only one minute downtime a week or 52 minutes a year. Each level consumes 1 500 kilowatts of electricity an hour, “which is enough power to cover more than 121 households for an entire year”, Meshki said.

In March 2008 Altech bought a 51 percent stake in Kenya Data Networks. “A tier three data centre plays a critical role in Kenya’s financial services sector. A performance adversary of 10 milliseconds can cost tens of millions of shillings a year,” Meshki explained.

Francis Njoroge, a data centre manager, said the facility’s generator capacity could provide up to approximately four days of backup electricity. Njoroge said plans were in place to include solar energy as an alternative power source. The site in Nairobi already hosts several solar panels while the roof is slanted at a 5º angle to accommodate future solar panels.

Construction was supposed to take place in December but has been delayed until the new financial year.

The data centre clients straddle Kenyan borders into neighbouring Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. Clients bring their servers and routers and Altech hosts the equipment.

Guest speaker at the launch Raila Odinga, joint Prime Minister of Kenya, said the country’s IT sector had already recorded “tremendous growth” over the past decade and it was projected to grow at an average of 20 percent a year.

“(The sector) has created a significant shift in our economy.”

Odinga said the most significant development had been the advent of mobile money, specifically M-Pesa, a Kenyan-derived product by Safaricom, a Vodafone subsidiary which is finding traction in Africa.

He said three out of four adults in Kenya were using M-Pesa, that was primarily created to introduce the unbanked to basic electronic banking services but also used by the banked to transfer money and for payments.

South Africa’s Vodacom, also a Vodafone subsidiary, has successfully grown the product in its Tanzanian market, but M-Pesa has experienced hurdles to gain momentum in South Africa.

Odinga, who encouraged new foreign investment such as that of Altech, said: “There is very little trade within Africa. The only way we can promote this trade is through collaboration on road, railway and telecoms… we should remove bureaucracy, deal with the issue called corruption and keep true to the promise to promote efficiency.”

According to Vitalis Ozianyi, a Kenya-based independent communications and technology analyst, the prospects for 20 percent an annum growth for Kenya’s ICT industry “is influenced by the government’s policy of zero rating most ICT services, which allows duty and VAT free importation of new fully assembled computers and laptops.

Consumers and businesses do not pay VAT for locally developed software and ICT systems”.

The Kenyan government is constructing a Silicon Valley-type centre in Machakos, a town about 64km south-east of Nairobi as part of it’s wider initiative, Vision 2030.

The state has commissioned a youth entrepreneurship programme that considers ICT as a key area for innovation and job creation.

“Konza City would be a business centre similar to Sandton that would provide modern facilities to meet the growing demand from local as well as foreign investors. Investments in state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure and systems will meet current and future communication needs of businesses,” said Ozianyi.

Middle-class suburbs in Kenya are connected by a fast cable broadband link, linked to the internet via optical fibre. Ozianyi said the fibre-link provided for backhaul for cable traffic from each home.

“Cable users can subscribe to television as well as internet services. The latter is most popular, because the 2 000 Kenyan shilling (R177) per month for fast uncapped internet is great value for money,” he said.

“The cable service has seen entrepreneurs converting their homes into SoHos (an enterprise with less than 10 employees) for the ICT SMEs,” Ozianyi said. - Asha Speckman

IBM to roll out ‘smarter cities’ concept in Nairobi

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/IBM+to+roll+out+smarter+cities+concept+in+Nairobi+/-/539546/1361394/-/view/printVersion/-/yluy4fz/-/index.html

IBM, a technology and consulting multinational, plans to bring the ‘smarter cities’ concept to Kenya, integrating data from government and private sector agencies to enhance responses to emergencies.

The Smarter Cities initiative will see information on weather, calamities such as road accidents, fire outbreaks, theft available in a central location.

Under this design, every new information or warning, would be displayed instantly on a common dashboard at the city’s central command and made available to government agencies and private sector players.

“This is the only way that authorities can better serve the urban population that is expected to continue growing rapidly in cities that still use plans of 1950s,” said Tony Mwai, IBM’s general manager for East Africa.

Mr Mwai said the death toll from the recent Sinai fire tragedy would have been much lower with the concept in place.

The central information unit will rely on cloud technology to access and share databank already built by other organisations such as bank’s customer credit information, criminal records of police, consumer behaviour, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) tax compliance record or Ministry of Land records.

Successful in Rio

The grand plan is contained in a White Paper titled “A Vision of a Smarter City: How Nairobi Can Lead the Way into a Prosperous and Sustainable Future” that IBM launched in Nairobi on Wednesday.

“This White Paper is the basis for a series of studies to start shortly to determine what each government department must do in preparation for the smart city roll out,” Information and Communication permanent secretary Bitange Ndemo said.

The study which is to be funded by IBM is set to ride on the progress of the open data initiative that the World Bank has been pushing for to ease access of information in government departments.

Unlike at the moment when every government department is working independently without the input of the private sector, a smarter Nairobi will leverage on modern technology to create efficiency in service delivery.

Dr Ndemo said all organisations including those which have already developed internal integrated information systems will be interlinked by IBM to create a single data command unit for Nairobi City as a whole.

“Once all information is controlled at one point, we expect users to buy them, creating layers of jobs in the process,” he said, dismissing claims that smart city concept would led to job losses.

The IBM’s Smarter Cities’ concept is already working in Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro where it helped to set up a central operations centre to help in response to emergencies such as floods and mudslides that hit the city in 2010.

Kenya plans virtual IDs to curb fraud in payment systems

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/image/view/-/1361456/highRes/339541/-/maxw/600/-/hpm9y9z/-/AITEC.jpg

Photo/Diana Ngila Exhibitor cubicles and delegates at the on-going AITEC conference at the KICC on March 7, 2012. Information PS Bitange Ndemo said, during the opening the conference, that the government was developing public infrastructure for virtual identities cards.

Kenyans will soon acquire unique virtual identities for e-commerce to curb fraud in payments and reduce cash transactions.

Information permanent secretary Bitange Ndemo said during the opening of this year’s annual AITEC Banking and Mobile Money Comesa conference on Wednesday that the government was putting in place infrastructure for the project.

(READ: Top tech firms set for Africa’s annual IT summit in Nairobi)

“We have been working hard to develop public infrastructure for virtual identities unique to every individual in this country.

"We are close and soon we are going to start issuing them,” he said adding that most of the infrastructure was in place."

Dr Ndemo said this was one of the reasons the government had been licensing fourth generation (4G) or LTE networks —which use wireless technology—allowing for larger capacities of data and high-end services at faster speeds.

He said the move will help to develop an economy that uses less cash— which is cheaper for financial institutions as they are able to cut logistical and other transaction costs.

Cheaper costs of doing business for financial institutions are expected to trickle down to consumers, helping commercial banks expand their services to unbanked consumers.

Surveys on financial access done by Financial Sector Deepening indicate that overall inclusion in Kenya increased to 67.3 per cent from 58.7 per cent between 2009 and 2006 while the number of individuals excluded from the formal banking system reduced to 32.7 per cent from 41.3 per cent over the same period.

This was after Safaricom introduced its money transfer service —M-Pesa — which has helped bring in more individuals into the formal banking system.

“The success of M-Pesa is linked to registration,” said Dr Ndemo adding that lack of a proper registration system in Tanzania could be one of the reasons the system has not picked up as much in East Africa’s second largest economy.

Paynet Groups’ chief executive officer in Kenya Bernard Matthewman said although details of how the unique virtual identities will be issued and used are not yet available, it could help reduce fraud.

Mr Matthewman, whose company runs PesaPoint payment access points, said a unique virtual identity would help track consumers’ transactions using cards.

“It will help identify the person making the payment. De-risk is important as transactions will be done at less costs,” he said.

While card transactions have been increasing in the country, Internet transactions have not been growing as fast, partly because consumers have not been assured of the security of transactions online.

In 2010 the Government embarked on a number of information communication technology projects in various ministries, including that of Immigration and the department of Registration of Persons that will, among other things, lead to the setting up of single point of reference for acquisition and storage of all personal information.

An Integrated Population Registration System—a one-stop National Population Register—will contain personal details of all Kenyans and registered foreigners and link all primary registration agencies such as the Kenya Police and Kenya Revenue Authority, the Teachers Service Commission, the Judiciary and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

Top tech firms set for Africa’s annual IT summit in Nairobi

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Top+tech+firms+set+for+Africa+s+annual+IT+summit+in+Nairobi++/-/1248928/1250720/-/o8xtb3z/-/index.html

October 5 2011

Senior Experts from at least six Fortune 500 tech companies are among participants expected during Africa’s annual ICT summit to be held in Nairobi early next month.

The conference aims to share experience on various technologies that can be used to improve economies.

The companies expected at the event include Cisco, the world leader in Internet plumbing, IBM and Microsoft.

Others are SAP and Nokia Siemens Networks.

The event organisers’ AITEC chairman Sean Moroney said the ‘big six’ would contribute to the conference that includes more than 80 regional and international experts designed as an intensive knowledge-sharing opportunity for East Africa’s ICT community, in three subject areas namely cloud computing, data security and mobile applications.

“We want them to go beyond technology trends to engage with the regional ICT industry to grow and develop local expertise and business models.

We want them to understand, network and do business with the local developers, especially those of mobile applications,” said Mr Moroney.

Other than the six companies, major developers including Spanish software company Temenos, management software giant SAP and Kenyan headquartered global financial software maker, Craft Silicon, would also participate.Temenos entered the East African banking software niche recently and would sponsor of a session on cloud computing for financial institutions.

The company is presently conducting one of the biggest banking software projects in East Africa for Kenya Commercial Bank.

The summit, organised with sponsorship from Kenyan integrated ICT solutions provider Total Solutions, promises to give the local ICT industry latest updates on developments in the sector as developers from the region are making headlines with new products, particularly mobile phones applications.

Led by Safaricom’s M-Pesa, the mobile money transfer app that changed the region’s financial landscape, innovations from East Africa have won one award after another.

Other award winners like Ushahidi.com, which developed an online disaster tracking tool, and Virtual City, whose CEO John Waibochi won a $1 million award during the Nokia Innovations Challenge in Europe would be among key speakers sharing their experiences.

According to Ryan Moroney, the events director, web applications are likely to be a crowd puller during the conference. Developers of new apps from Nairobi’s iHub, a web app developers’ nest, and mLab, a similar centre for developers of mobile apps would exhibit their innovations at the forum.

The Swift Global chief product development officer and Isis Nyong’o, vice president and head of Africa’s largest mobile advertising network, InMobi, would make presentations during the conference.Germany, which was among the first country to confirm participation at the event communicated that the Ministry of Economic and Technology Affairs state secretary Stefan Kaiferer, would give an opening speech at the event.

His entourage of 100 delegates includes deal hunters, investors and ICT companies.Other countries represented at the summit are Spain, India, Senegal, Egypt and Sri Lanka.

Welcome to icow and hightech farming.

rmc1Sccn5SI

Kenya’s quest to become the global hub for mobile phone applications has been bolstered by a grant of Sh4.5 billion ($55 million) from the World Bank.





The money will be used to help developers come up with simple solutions for every day use especially in health and education.

The World Bank said the grant would enable Kenya to enhance accountability through web-based applications and transform the economy.
“Information technology has on average contributed one percentage point to Kenya’s growth since 2000, and opened a path for achieving remarkable improvements in transparency and also in governance,” said Johannes Zutt, the World Bank country director for Kenya.

Information Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo said the money would help scale up content development and create jobs while facilitating the government’s efforts to offer it services online.

“We shall work more to simplify data and convert it into information,” said Dr Ndemo in reference to e-governance, a programme through which public services are offered online to increase efficiency and curb corruption.

The World Bank said the grant would support Kenya’s efforts to increase Internet penetration and create an enabling environment for budding software applications developers to thrive.

“Kenya has put in place the second-fastest broadband on the continent (after Ghana), which has reduced the wholesale Internet capacity prices by over 90 per cent and increased Internet penetration from three to 37 per cent of the population in the past decade,” read part of a statement from the World Bank.

The government through the Kenya ICT Board will extend the grant to innovators who want to commercialise their ideas.

Youth groups, mainly university students and fresh graduates who have ventured into start-ups, operating from various innovation centres across Nairobi such as iHub, iLab Africa, mLab, and NaiLab are the driving force behind the applications.





There are more than 3,000 software developers who have come up with both mobile and personal computer-based software applications that are changing lives across the continent.

The applications are designed to help users solve their day-to-day problems, ranging from linking farmers with buyers for their produce, to monitoring if a patient is taking a prescribed drug, to locating a restaurant.

The World Bank is keen on software applications that can enable citizens to monitor how grants given to the government or organisations are used.

Nokia has also announced intentions to establish a regional research and development centre in Nairobi to capture the growing number of software developers who can make applications for its African market.

Other global organisations are trooping to Kenya in search of locally-made software applications which they hope to replicate in other parts of the world.


http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/World+Bank+backs+Kenya+web+innovators+with+Sh4bn++/-/539552/1378950/-/k6dmk2/-/index.html

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Blogger+wins+big+by+spreading+ideas+on+farming+/-/1248928/1378738/-/m0p5wn/-/index.html

Mobile service provider Safaricom will double its broadband capacity next week opening a new battle front in the data market.






The move comes weeks after its main rival
(http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/Airtel+takes+on+rivals+with+high+speed+internet+/-/539550/1335480/-/s2k7mv/-/index.html)

"The network will run at 42mega bits per second (mbps) from the current 21mbs and it will be the fastest network in the whole of East and Central Africa," Safaricom CEO Mr Bob Collymore said.

The firm has been under pressure to diversify its revenue streams away from voice following last years price wars. But its quest to control the data market has in the recent past witnessed increasing competition especially from Telkom Orange and Airtel as more telcoms invest in the service.

Airtel rolled out its 3G network in February putting it at par with Safaricom.

Safaricom's move to double its capacity can therefore be read as geared towards differentiating itself from rivals.

"We are already receiving the modems to support the new network," Mr Collynore said.

However the rollout will begin from Nairobi and its environs before going national.

Mr Collymore was speaking at the connected Kenya Summit 2012 in Mombasa that began on Tuesday.

The summit is in its fourth year and is the brainchild of the Kenya ICT Board in collaboration with industry players and government.





The annual forum is a platform for collaboration, capacity building and knowledge sharing between the government and the ICT stakeholders.

This year's summit--themed Knowldege and beyond--has attracted over 500 delegates including captains of the ICT industry, IT practitioners and officials from the vision 2030.

The four day conference will see players discuss how to build the knowledge economy, how to take advantage of the open data, linking innovation and trade.

Players will also discuss how to involve citizens in the growth of the sector, and the opportunities in e-commerce and retail trade. Companies will also showcase their latest products and services.

Information and communication permanent secretary Bitange Ndemo is expected to present the National ICT Masterplan 2017, which outlines the government's blue print for ICT on Thursday.

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/-/539550/1379164/-/ssc7qc/-/index.html

^^the beauty of competition eh?

I'm wondering though, if subscriber growth is a dead-end for $$ making for Safaricom why don't they try to expand to other nations in the region?

Kenya now connected to LION2 cable
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/files/2012/04/LION2-MAP.jpg


The East African region has received a broadband digital boost from another submarine cable, LION2, (Lower Indian Ocean NetWork), which is now live.

This is the fourth submarine cable in the region. France Telecom-Orange and other members of the LION2 consortium — the Group’s subsidiaries Mauritius Telecom, Orange Madagascar and Telkom Kenya, as well as two other operators, Emtel Ltd and Société Réunionnaise du Radiotéléphone — celebrated in Mayotte, Comoros, the launch of commercial services for the broadband submarine cable LION2.

The cable provides the island of Mayotte with broadband connectivity for the first time and reinforces international network connectivity for Kenya.

The new cable concludes the second phase of the Group’s plans to expand broadband Internet connectivity in the Indian Ocean following the launch of the LION (Lower Indian Ocean Network) submarine cable at the end of 2009.

The LION cable, which links Madagascar to the global broadband network via the Réunion and Mauritius islands, has now been extended to Kenya via Mayotte, with the LION2 cable.

In Kenya, the LION2 cable is connected through a new landing station that has been built at Nyali, Mombasa. This cable is particularly important for Kenya as it strengthens the country’s connectivity to international networks and covers its capacity requirements for the years to come.

In addition, the new cable also provides an alternative route for passing secure broadband transmissions through Europe and Asia for all African countries in which the Group is located.

By providing access to a fourth submarine cable, Kenya gains the flexibility to redirect traffic between the cables as required.

The 2,700-km long fibre-optic cable uses wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), currently the most advanced technology for submarine cables.

Source (http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Kenya+now+connected+to+LION2+cable/-/2558/1386306/-/view/printVersion/-/hmlkhrz/-/index.html)

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/1751/safaricom.png

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9717/epson.png
source (http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/Epson+opens+East+Africa+office+in+Nairobi+/-/539550/1419822/-/d8cx1oz/-/index.html)

Wananchi gets Sh6b US loan to extend internet, TV services in East Africa

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/image/view/-/1433106/highRes/372672/-/maxw/600/-/rkcrwwz/-/biz+sub+1+pix.jpg
http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/Wananchi+gets+Sh6bn+US+loan+for+East+Africa+expansion/-/539550/1433042/-/mluqla/-/index.html

A Kenyan company has won US government approval for a $72 million (Sh6 billion) direct loan to extend high-speed internet service throughout East Africa.

Wananchi Group Holdings will use the capital to build out fibre-optic cable lines in Kenya to provide television programming and voice-over internet telephone services to unconnected segments of the population.

The Nairobi-based company will also offer pay TV via satellite to markets in Tanzania and Uganda and, through agents, to six other countries in the region.

The loan from the US government's Overseas Private Investment Corp (Opic), approved last week, is seen as an expression of confidence in Kenya's technology sector. It also sends a signal to US businesses about investment opportunities in East Africa.

“Delivering state-of-the art internet service and television programming with improved local content to urbanising East African markets at affordable prices is an important step forward for the region’s growing middle class,” Opic CEO Elizabeth Littlefield said.

“We are pleased by the opportunity to support a technological upgrade that provides so many developmental benefits across so many African markets.”

Opic is a US government finance institution focused on development projects.

Pesa Pata: Kenya’s next big innovation?
http://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/pesa-pata-kenyas-next-big-innovation/17640/

http://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/pesapata200x240.jpg

Kenyans can now access quick loans from their nearest kiosk thanks to a new product called Pesa Pata that targets the unbanked and low income earning individuals who would traditionally not qualify for bank loans.

Pesa Pata (Swahili for ‘get money’) has been unveiled by Paddy Micro Investments, a micro-finance institution founded in 2008.

Pesa Pata uses an agency model where the kiosk owner is the agent. At the kiosk the customer is given a Pesa Pata scratch card of a value between US$3 and $59. Each card has a unique number that is then loaded onto the customer’s mobile phone. The amount is then credited to the customer’s Safaricom M-Pesa mobile money account.

Joyce Wangui, a director at Paddy Micro Investments, explains that Pesa Pata seeks to bridge the gap in access to credit for low income earners who lack pay slips or any other form of collateral.

“We realised that there are times when people need instant cash and going to a bank or micro-finance institution for a loan is not an option. Other people who work in the informal sector at most times cannot even qualify for bank loans,” says Wangui.

The loans are repayable at a 5% to 10% interest rate. The kiosk owner makes a profit from the interest. The model is dependent on the level of trust between traders and their customers.

“Anywhere you live you will have a relationship with a kiosk owner. When you don’t have money you take milk or sugar on credit. The kiosk trader knows you and trusts that you will pay for the goods. Instead of taking goods on credit, the kiosk trader will now lend you money in the form of a Pesa Pata scratch card,” she explains.

The new service is already proving to be popular just one month since its launch. So far thousands of kiosk and shop owners countrywide have signed up as Pesa Pata agents.

Felistas Wanja who runs a shop along Jogoo Road in Nairobi explains that Pesa Pata has become an extra source of income for her.

“Last week one of my loyal customers had a sick child and she needed money urgently. I gave her two $59 Pesa Pata cards. When she paid back I made profit of $5 on each card. In the past people would take sugar on credit, now I give them the card, they buy goods in cash and at the end of the month I will make a profit when they repay the loan,” explains Wanja.

Leah Wanjiku who owns an auto spares shop in Eastleigh Estate in Nairobi says she has invested over $2,400 in Pesa Pata cards.

“If I give you a card you must pay back in 15 days. I only lend to people who have jobs or run a business. If I don’t know you well enough, you will have to bring someone to guarantee you,” says Wanjiku.

Wanjiku and Wanja say that one of the challenges they face as small traders is having to sell goods on credit, especially towards the end of the month. This affects their cash flow and ultimately their profitability. They say Pesa Pata has helped solve this, since they can now lend money through the cards, sell their goods in cash and still make a profit.

The cards are also a safe way for traders to handle large amounts of cash. It is practically impossible to activate the scratch cards without the kiosk owner’s knowledge since they each hold a secret number that is needed to transfer money from the card to an M-Pesa account.

***

Paddy Micro Investments’ Joyce Wangui grew up in a family that has been in business for many years. When she completed her studies she joined the family business, which was dealing with fast-moving consumer goods. It is here that the idea of starting a micro-finance institution was conceived.

“I interacted with clients and discovered that a lot of people could not buy goods in cash. We sold a lot of goods on credit. The banks did not finance these people since they did not have collateral,” she recalls.


With the fast rising popularity of Pesa Pata among shop owners and clients, Wangui is targeting to reach 7 million users by December 2012.

Wangui would not disclose how much money she has invested in rolling out Pesa Pata, but confirmed that launching such a platform is capital intensive with heavy investments towards manufacturing the scratch cards, marketing and building software.

“We expect to break even in the next three months,” she says.

Wangui argues that Pesa Pata is the next big innovation and hopes to see it grow beyond the heights of internationally acclaimed M-Pesa.

“We see ourselves going to the rest of Africa. Across the continent, small entrepreneurs and low income earners face the same challenges. In the next two years we will be all over Africa,” she says.

Wangui is also building a new platform that will eliminate M-Pesa agents from the Pesa Pata chain to counter the extra costs clients have to pay to withdraw money via the mobile money transfer platform.

“We want to build our own platform so that when you get a Pesa Pata card on credit and load the money to your phone you will be able to cash it at the same kiosk. The M-Pesa withdrawal charges our clients have to pay now are unfair and a big challenge,” says Wangui.

Kenyans set to enjoy faster Internet speeds
http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/Kenyans+set+to+enjoy+faster++Internet+speeds+/-/1006/1454810/-/fmw95az/-/index.html

Kenyans are closer to enjoying fast Internet speeds following the Treasury’s approval of a public-private partnership to implement the network’s roll-out.

Information permanent secretary Bitange Ndemo has said the Treasury last week gave its nod to a consortium of nine private firms in partnership with the government to implement the Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

“Rolling out LTE should start in a few months. We want to target especially the rural areas that have thus far been technologically marginalised” Dr Ndemo said.

LTE is a fourth generation (4G) mobile network that will provide fast speeds and higher bandwidth for multimedia services .

The roll-out will cost an estimated Sh42 billion. The PS said that some parts of the country will start to enjoy 4G services by the end of this year.

He was speaking in Kikuyu during a site visit of one of the ICT Board’s Pasha digital villages. He revealed that the nine private firms in the consortium include Kenya’s four main mobile phone operators, hardware manufacturers, Nokia Siemens Networks and Alcatel-Lucent, Kenya Data Networks (KDN), South African mobile operator MTN and an unnamed US telecom firm.

^^Nice project.:cheers:

x6anx66G_2w

^^Great service!:cheers2:

Orange launches 42Mbps in Nairobi
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/?p=16453

Competition in the Kenyan telecommunications sector is increasingly shifting to data as operators pump investments into rolling out faster internet in the market.

Orange became the latest to launch a 42 Mbps network in Nairobi and Telkom Kenya CEO Mickael Ghossein said they have invested more than Sh4.13 billion in the roll out of their 3G services since 2011, which is part of their aggressive campaign to capture the data market share.

“The new Orange Internet Everywhere 42 Mbps modem will also automatically connect to 21 Mbps speeds while in a 3G coverage area or switch to EDGE if a user totally moves to a non 3G area and the new plug-and-play device is also compatible with varied Operating Systems,” Ghossein explained.

The 42 Mbps is the maximum theoretical download speed achievable, while using the High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and Dual-Cell Carrier technology.

A 42 Mbps network can download a standard MP3 song in just under a second and a standard 700 Megabyte movie in three minutes.

However, in ideal conditions speeds experienced tend to be lower due to sharing of bandwidth and especially due to spectrum limitations or the amount of frequency which a mobile operator can transmit on and on average, the maximum speed experienced by a consumer is usually a third of the maximum speed available.

Orange customers will be able to purchase already existing prepaid data bundles or the unlimited data offerings to top up this device.

Orange launches 42Mbps in Nairobi
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/?p=16453

More good news for Wananchi.

Given the high mobile penetration, it'd be cool if Kenya had something like what Tesco does in Korea: digital shopping. All you have to do is just scan the code on each item, it adds items to cart, pay for items, and then it's delivered to your house after you arrive home.

A digital tesco in the subway:
z1W3J4qOJtI

Though I guess infrastructure would be a downside as of now. But someday this would be a good idea.

Given the high mobile penetration, it'd be cool if Kenya had something like what Tesco does in Korea: digital shopping. All you have to do is just scan the code on each item, it adds items to cart, pay for items, and then it's delivered to your house after you arrive home.

A digital tesco in the subway:
z1W3J4qOJtI

Though I guess infrastructure would be a downside as of now. But someday this would be a good idea.

I was once discussing about this with some fellow Kenyans, most of them were hesitant saying it would lead to a massive loss of jobs in a country where jobs are scarce.
But eventually we'll adopt such time & energy saving measures.

I was once discussing about this with some fellow Kenyans, most of them were hesitant saying it would lead to a massive loss of jobs in a country where jobs are scarce.
But eventually we'll adopt such time & energy saving measures.

I understand why that would be a worry. Though in Korea, and recently they've launched in London, seems more focused towards those who don't have time to get to a physical store, and are at bus stops and subways. So the traditional shopping shouldn't be affected too much.

Doctors unveil 'iafya' mobile app for health information
http://www.nation.co.ke/Tech/Doctors+unveil++iafya++mobile+app+for+health+information/-/1017288/1452488/-/wwqm1mz/-/index.html

In Summary:

A group of medical professionals have launched a mobile app that answers most of the health concerns affecting masses.

The app can be accessed via any mobile phone connected to the internet or even through a personal computer.

Whether you are looking for symptoms of common diseases, learn about minor and major conditions surrounding pregnancy, information about carrying out first aid procedures or want to learn how to manage a pregnancy, the www.iafya app.org comes in handy.

Better still it is free for all provided one is connected to the internet.

KNH to launch ICT Master plan
http://www.ict.go.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=456:knh-to-launch-ict-master-plan&catid=122:knh&Itemid=451

KNH ICT Master Plan will be officially launched on 14th August, 2012, at a stakeholder’s breakfast meeting.

The developed Masterplan is a comprehensive volume that maps out the hospital's ICT journey towards transformation for better revenue collection, efficiency and economy. A set of 70 ICT projects that cost approximately Ksh2.3B to 3.0B to implement were identified. They included new ICT infrastructure, health and back office applications, new ICT capabilities, training and change management.

The project that ran from February to May, 2012 saw Kenya ICT Board contract Accenture Group, and do an analysis of the hospital that included reviewing the strategy, processes, and ICT environment to develop a list of prioritized investments.

Priority automation areas were identified as patient registration and billing system which will not only cut costs but increase the revenue base while sealing potential financial loopholes.

The next phase involves the opening of the Project Management office, as KNH and Kenya ICT Board engage in efforts to secure funds for the projects implementation.

With digitization it will become easier to manage medical records that will be more comprehensive and include everything from patient information to diagnostic care and prescription data. The electronic medical records will be used for a wide variety of purposes, such as getting multiple views, diagnostic care and treatment, assessing preventive measures for various illnesses, and for assessing the outcome of clinical trials and research. This will also help the hospital and researchers to monitor common ailments and their prevalence in specific areas. &

Given the high mobile penetration, it'd be cool if Kenya had something like what Tesco does in Korea: digital shopping. All you have to do is just scan the code on each item, it adds items to cart, pay for items, and then it's delivered to your house after you arrive home.

A digital tesco in the subway:
Though I guess infrastructure would be a downside as of now. But someday this would be a good idea.

The difference is that most Kenyans don't use smartphones.

^^ They are becoming popular and cheaper.. I can see the digital shopping working in the Rural areas where some people are unable to reach shopping centers