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African ICT News

340K views 2K replies 154 participants last post by  MarciuSky2 
#1 ·


Africa's ICT sector is in an exciting phase. Several governments around the continent have made commitments to the development of ICT in their country. Some countries are planning to build ICT Technology Parks to help carry out these commitments.

This thread can be used to post and discuss news in this rapidly growing sector! In the following posts, I will detail the plans that some countries have drawn-up.

I'll start the thread by posting the continent's current top 10 ICT leaders:

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Africa's ICT Leaders

1. Tunisia

2. South Africa

3. Mauritius

4. Botswana

5. Ghana

6. Egypt

7. Morocco

8. Namibia

9. Uganda

10. Tanzania

Data collected by the World Economic Forum and other economic organisations shows that Tunisia was Africa's information communication and technology leader.

Tunisia was afforded this based on the level of competition, number of fixed and mobile lines per 1000 people, mobile telephony coverage and cost for handsets, number of broadband and narrowband Internet users, and school connectivity rates.

Tunisia had 120 fixed lines, 373 mobile connections and 83 Internet users per 1000. Ninety-five percent of the population was covered with mobile telecoms with 25 percent of schools connected.

South Africa, which came in second, had 104 fixed lines, 471 mobile connections and 81 Internet users per 1000. Population and school connections were slightly higher at 96 percent and 27 percent respectively.

School connectivity should probably be higher in South Africa, but Telkom, the country's effective fixed line monopoly, has failed to provide school Internet connections at the required 50 percent discount. Similarly, high fixed line and broadband costs have slowed growth.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Egypt



http://www.smart-villages.com/
Prime Minister's Message



"We have taken long and steady steps towards achieving our goal of becoming an information society, but we feel that this is only the beginning. The IT sector in Egypt holds great promise for further growth and development. With the developed markets largely saturated and the rapid emergence of our domestic market, Egypt has become a goldmine for IT investment. Incentives and new investment laws are only some of the ways the country provides support to investors and their businesses. Creative professionals, a supportive government, and a healthy business enviroment have been the key to our current success, and they will continue to be fundamental to our future achievements."


---------------------------------------------

Smart Village
Egypt's ICT Park


Mission of Smart Village

Smart Village is the transition into a new definition of standards and value creation. Being a part of Smart Village is more than a business choice; it is a life-style choice.

The mission of Smart Village is to create a center of excellence, a technological park with state-of the-art infrastructure geared towards hi-tech businesses and to create a strategic base with a superior environment to enable businesses to gain the competitive advantage they seek.

Smart Village is situated in a lush environment that offers superior internet connections and a myriad of technological and administrative services, all designed to make the village an oasis for seamless I.T. business practices. The Smart Village was created with the overall vision of propelling the ICT sector investment in Egypt and hence capitalizing on the wealth of human resources available in Egypt.

Egypt is a pioneer in the field of IT and a pre-eminent business center through openness to new skills, practices, and the cultivation of an innovative business culture. We envision Smart Village as creating the best environment for information technology activities.


About Smart Village

Building great monuments in Egypt is not a thing of the past. An extraordinary example of Egypt’s high tech infrastructure, economic incentive packages and commitment to the future is the 450 - acres Smart Village project that provides a high tech environment for IT and Telecom companies.

Upon completion of all the phases there will be 67 office plots, accommodating approximately 30,000 employees.

The Village is comprised of 10% buildings and 90% green area, lakes and water streams.

Smart Village incorporates all the amenities needed by its prospective staff and visitors.

Smart Village's location is geographically central to all major destinations within Greater Cairo located just 20 minutes away from downtown Cairo, 10km from the pyramids. It is also easily accessible from Cairo International Airport.

Smart Village gives the opportunity for any firm operating in the IT sector to rent, lease or buy office space. Firms can also buy land and build their own offices abiding by the same architectual standards of the Village.


Schedule/Phases of Smart Village

Smart Village is well aware of the positive impact of investment on the Egyptian economy, and is dedicated to creating more investment opportunities. An eminent example is the build-own-operate (BOO) model that has been adopted in order to allow unprecedented services and profitability for each project. The project will be deployed in 3 phases, each phase will be fully operating separately.

Phase 1
Allows first occupancy, housing the main key players in Egypt and the region, such as Microsoft, Alcatel and Vodafone with all the needed services such as security, transportation, food court and property management.

Phase 2
Will accommodate main local players within the CIT sector in Egypt with all the remaining service buildings such as the hotel, recreational center and conference center.

Phase 3
Will consist of the remaining grouping of land plots, more office rental buildings.

In all the project phases, the highest quality infrastructure will be guaranteed for delivery within the requested time schedule, including: state-of-the-art fiber optic cable network, advanced fire fighting systems, two electricity sources (ensuring uninterrupted power supply), in addition to water, sewage, roads, central air-conditioning and state of the art communications network.

Smart Village Gallery





Pavillion:



ADCOM / hp Invent:



Vodafone:



Microsoft:



Cairo Stock Exchange:



Egypt Telecom Centre:



Business Centre (exterior):



Business Centre (interior):



Alcatel:



Technological Incubators:



Xceed Contact Centre:



Mosque

 
#3 · (Edited)
Mauritius



http://www.e-cybercity.mu/
Mauritius' Cyber City Development - BBC

Mauritius, the paradise island of golden sand and five-star hotels in the middle of the Indian Ocean, is plunging head first into the high-tech world of information technology.

The volcanic rock, famous for the extinct dodo that once naively welcomed foreign visitors and paid the price, is now using its foreign contacts to build on two decades of development and wants to become a "cyber island".

And it's going the right way about it.

A few kilometres outside the capital, Port Louis, the sugar cane plantations, which were the foundations of the island's success, are being built upon and a "cyber city" is emerging amid the mountains.

"Technologically speaking the cyber city is a state-of-the-art facility," said Devendra Chaudhry, chief executive of Business Parks of Mauritius.

"It will provide a world-class telecommunications network, through both satellite and the fibre-optic cable that links Portugal and Malaysia via South Africa and Mauritius.

"It will provide computing on demand, an internet data centre to back up data and servers for web-hosting, e-commerce and financial transactions."

Creation

The centrepiece of the city is a 12-storey tower, which is being built in just over a year.

Then more than 30 other projects will follow - a hypermarket, conference centre, a cyber village for accommodation, and more high-tech office space.

Devendra Chaudhry is an Indian civil servant brought to Mauritius on sabbatical, to use the experience of high-tech cities in places like Bangalore or Hyderabad to create a new industry on the island.

And the majority of the workers on the site are Indian, brought in to build the infrastructure which the government of Mauritius hopes will catapult the island forward.

Upwardly mobile


But the expansion into the high-tech sector doesn't end with just infrastructure.

Huge investment is being put into education from primary level to university level, and even for those who haven't even seen a computer before.

The Cyber Caravan has been fitted out for the job, making its daily rounds visiting villages in the more remote parts of Mauritius.

The converted coach is now a computer studies class for housewives, children, unemployed people and the disabled.

"We use the caravan to conduct Information Communications Technology (ICT) awareness courses," said Vikash Heeralaul from the National Computer Board.

"We've got nine PCs in a network and we teach basic computing and word processing.

"Up to now we have been to 170 community centres to create ICT awareness among the people of Mauritius.

"Some people don't know how to use a computer, but we teach them the basics and then word processing."

Sweet dreams


It's quite a transformation for an island which based its development on money raised by sugar.

The sugar protocol still ensures high prices for European exports and remains important to the economy.

Then the textile industry came along and is still growing with the help of the special trade relationship with America under the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA).

But the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Paul Berenger is looking much further into the future.

"On the horizon the sugar protocol is threatened and textile exports to the European Union and the States are also under question by the World Trade Organisation's new rules, and by developing free trade agreements, so we are threatened from all sides," he said.

"This is where our idea is to make Mauritius a cyber island to rush ahead as a services economy."

Corporate interest

It's a promise that's being jumped upon by some big names - Microsoft has expressed an interest and Hewlett Packard is a partner in the cyber city.

One of the big advantages of the city is a "Disaster Recovery Service" for businesses around the world to transfer and store data, and even run their call centres from Mauritius if their computers are hit by a terrorist attack.

Lindsay Pointu, representative of Hewlett Packard in Mauritius, argues that it's a good place for big companies to have back-up systems in place because of its relative security and stability.

"I think the biggest benefit is that being a rock in the middle of the ocean you are isolated and in a way that is what you want.

"Putting it crudely the whole of Africa could be on fire and Mauritius would be protected.

"We can see that the cyber city will represent a land of opportunity for ICT business."

So as construction work continues, Mauritius is building a future for itself, accelerating ahead of the rest of the African continent.

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Ebene Cyber City
Mauritius' ICT Park




Vision and Plans of the Cyber City

• The infrastructure is especially meant for the ITES sector. Redundancy of power supply and high bandwidth Fibre-to-the-Business telecommunication facilities are for instance key features of this Intelligent Building.
• The Cyber Tower is situated in the picturesque neighbourhood of the “Ebène Triangle” ideal for ITES activities
• There is no traffic jam to enter the CyberCity, contrary to Port-Louis.
• Pollution is practically inexistent in the area of the CyberCity
• Situated in a highly residential zone, the availability of nearby labour pool implies lower transport costs for the employees
• The CyberCity is an integrated project with shopping facilities, food courts, bank.
• The CyberCity is situated next to the motorway linking the airport to the north of the island.
• There are provisions for the Light Rail System through the CyberCity in the nearby future


Cyber City Overview





Cyber Tower

 
#4 · (Edited)
Ghana



http://www.ghanacybergroup.com/default.asp
Ghana Cyber Group Inc.

GCG was founded in 1999 to leverage advances in information technology to strengthen Ghana's economy. Between 2000 and 2003, six US-based firms invested hundreds of millions of dollars in BPO and call centers in Ghana. A modern technology infrastructure is needed to support the projected proliferation of IT firms in Ghana.

On September 25, 2003, GCG launched the Ghana Technology Park proposal in New York. The Ghana technology park, as conceived, is a medium term corporate entity that will make available infrastructure facilities to growing technology firms, both domestic and foreign, to provide business process outsourcing, call centers and other products for IT markets in United States, Africa and other emerging economies. The technology park venture will help Ghana fully tap into the global information technology market on a large scale.

The Ghana Technology Park will be a strategic base for companies targeting emerging markets in West Africa, a new frontier in the world of outsourcing, covering 250 million people. Ultimately, the Ghana Technology Park seeks to become West Africa's biggest IT infrastructure, with 100 companies expected to operate in 2006 with approximately 2,500 Knowledge Workers (programmers, database developers, business process staff).

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Ghana Tech Park
Ghana's ICT Village

Ghana Technology Park Limited will be incorporated in Accra in December 2005. The Company will develop and manage the Ghana Technology Park (GTP), an upscale business and innovation center to

(1) identify and develop early stage technology incubation opportunities
(2) assist client companies to commercialize their products, and
(3) broker contracts between buyers of outsourcing services (based primarily in Europe and North America) and IT and BPO providers stationed at the Park.

Equity partners of the Ghana Technology Park will comprise:
• Africa: Private companies led by Ghana Cyber Group, Inc. (30%)
• Europe: Commonwealth Business Council Technologies and partners (30%)
• USA: Venture capitalists and tech firms with global interest e.g. IBM, Microsoft (40%)

Ghana Technology Park will offer the following:
(i) Hardware & Business Office Rental
(ii) Start-up Incubation
(iii) Outsourcing Brokerage Business and
(iv) Information Technology Support Services.

The Company will position itself as the leader in promoting the IT and BPO industry in Sub-Saharan Africa, as the region competes for a niche market in the $550 billion offshore outsourcing market, which is expected to continue to grow nearly 20% annually through 2008. According to a 2005 McKinsey& Co. study, the information technology and enterprise solutions market in India alone is likely to reach $142 billion by 2009. By contrasts, companies in the United States currently spend $532 billion for these services .

The Ghana Technology Park will be established at the Accra-Tema Export Processing Zone, a special free zone area designated by the Ghanaian government for technology and industrial development with generous tax and other commercial incentives. The free zone is equipped with reliable utilities, including an on-site power sub-station to ensure uninterrupted energy supply, a large water reservoir and reliable but affordable telecommunication services.


Park Overview

 
#6 ·


http://www.ghanacybergroup.com/default.asp



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Ghana Tech Park
Ghana's ICT Village

Ghana Technology Park Limited will be incorporated in Accra in December 2005. The Company will develop and manage the Ghana Technology Park (GTP), an upscale business and innovation center to

(1) identify and develop early stage technology incubation opportunities
(2) assist client companies to commercialize their products, and
(3) broker contracts between buyers of outsourcing services (based primarily in Europe and North America) and IT and BPO providers stationed at the Park.

Equity partners of the Ghana Technology Park will comprise:
• Africa: Private companies led by Ghana Cyber Group, Inc. (30%)
• Europe: Commonwealth Business Council Technologies and partners (30%)
• USA: Venture capitalists and tech firms with global interest e.g. IBM, Microsoft (40%)

Ghana Technology Park will offer the following:
(i) Hardware & Business Office Rental
(ii) Start-up Incubation
(iii) Outsourcing Brokerage Business and
(iv) Information Technology Support Services.

The Company will position itself as the leader in promoting the IT and BPO industry in Sub-Saharan Africa, as the region competes for a niche market in the $550 billion offshore outsourcing market, which is expected to continue to grow nearly 20% annually through 2008. According to a 2005 McKinsey& Co. study, the information technology and enterprise solutions market in India alone is likely to reach $142 billion by 2009. By contrasts, companies in the United States currently spend $532 billion for these services .

The Ghana Technology Park will be established at the Accra-Tema Export Processing Zone, a special free zone area designated by the Ghanaian government for technology and industrial development with generous tax and other commercial incentives. The free zone is equipped with reliable utilities, including an on-site power sub-station to ensure uninterrupted energy supply, a large water reservoir and reliable but affordable telecommunication services.


Park Overview

i read a lot about this technology park thing several years back and to mine opinion this project never took place.

i heard some people complaining of have been defrauded by these group
 
#5 ·
Kenya



http://ictvillage.com/

http://www.ictpark.com/main/

Background to the ICT Technology Park Project

The Government has donated 1,000 acres of land on which a technology park will be built. This puts Kenya ahead of its East African peers in having such a facility, which is expected to attract investments and enhance the country’s Information Communication and Technology (ICT) sub-sector.

“Technology park” is a term used to describe a variety of efforts to stimulate the development of entrepreneurial, knowledge-based small and medium-sized enterprises within a particular zone. The park is usually linked to educational or research institutions and provides infrastructure and support services for businesses, mainly office space. It also performs technology transfer and economic development functions.

All core functions and support services take place in very close vicinity, making the technology park a mini-city of sorts. The term technology park has over 10 synonyms, with the most common being science park, research park and technopole.

Apart from donating land, located at Athi River, Kitengela area, the Government will put up the necessary infrastructure like water, electricity and roads as a first step in luring investors. But Mr Gikonyo Gitonga of CB Richard Ellis warns that it will have to do more to attract quality business enterprises.

Rival Africa's best

“Due to competition, the techno-park must have quality residential areas, entertainment spots, shopping malls, sport facilities like a golf course, among others, to make it an attractive place to work,” says Mr Gitonga.

He says the park must ensure people will not only set up businesses there, but also live in the neighbourhood as is the case in other countries. Information and Communication minister Mutahi Kagwe says the area will be equipped with modern technology to rival some of Africa’s best.

Countries that have embraced the concept with success include South Africa, Egypt and Mauritius. They boast parks that host companies dealing in services ranging from biotechnology, ICT and electronics to health care. South Africa, the continent’s economic powerhouse, is the most advanced in the sector, with five technology parks.

The ministry wants to target businesses that deal in outsourcing, which has grown into a billion-dollar business world-wide. Outsourcing is where an organisation transfers its non-core but critical business operations to an external enterprise. Many multinationals in the West are outsourcing some of their services to companies in developing countries to cut on production costs.

The three factors that companies look for before outsourcing operations are cost and quality of labour, ease of communication and stability. Mr Kagwe says Kenya has most of these qualities. “What we need to work on at the moment is improve our telecommunication sector to make it more attractive.”
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* Design of the Technology Park is in progress.

The main companies behind the Kenya Technology Park Project:

- Deloitte
- Hewlett Packard
- Kenya Airways
- Microsoft
- Oracle Africa
- Safaricom
- Telkom Kenya


Kenya's ICT Ambition:




Kenya Fibre Optic Cable Network (under construction):

 
#8 ·
i have never believed in any rankings,its not fair with those rankings you are seeing,i don't think they know the country called nigeria.
some countries nigeria gave light to in ict technology are list above.
good!...but you forgot the origin.
 
#12 ·
Good stuff :applause:

I tell you, hands down, Somalia will be an African IT leader in the future. The foundations have been started. Phone lines, mobile and landline, are fast growing and are the cheapest in Africa. So is the Internet access.

They have started to teach IT classes in the universities there. IT as a whole is a good thing for a country to invest in, for the future. There will be a time when outscoring will come more into Africa (if not already).
 
#13 ·
Nigeria should be in that list, and I am not saying this because I'm from Nigeria.

Major Cell Phone Companies have set up Manufacturing Plants all over the country

Nigeria has the fastest Telecommunication industry in Africa, and in 5 years it will probably become the fastest in the world.

Nigeria and Uganda utilized CDMA Technology long before South Africa did, 3G has being suceesfully tested in Nigeria and willl be implemented in the weeks to come.

Celtel Nigeria (formerly Vmobile Nigeria) Celtel International GSM 900 / GPRS
glo mobile (glomobile nigeria) Globacom Nigeria Limited (not Globalcom) GSM 900 / GPRS
Intercellular Intercellular Nigeria Ltd. CDMA2000 1X
MTN Nigeria (mtn4u) MTN Communications Nigeria Limited GSM 900 / GPRS
MTS 1st Wireless MTS First Wireless CDMA2000 1x
Multi-Links Multi-links Telecommunications Ltd CDMA2000 1X
MTel Nigeria Nigerian Telecommunications Limited GSM 900 / GPRS
Reltel Nigeria Reliance Telecommunications Limited CDMA2000 1
Starcomms Starcomms Nigeria Ltd CDMA2000 1x RTT
Nigeria is one of few African Countries that Manufactures Personal Computers

Nigeria has State of the art Technological Institues Akutech has being completed and ATV is under construction

There is an ongoing project that will make Abuja the only city in Africa that has complete WiFi Coverage.

Uganda is rightfuly there, the Makerere University in Uganda is the first in East Africa to install new information and communication technology.

Ghana, Tunisia, Mauritius and S.A are also rightfully there. Nigeria may still not make it to the top Ten after all the things which I mentioned, but If Nigeria isn't in the Top 3 after ATV is completed, then something must be really wrong:lol: :lol:
 
#15 ·
Wireless internet to link up Kenyan schools
Wireless internet to link up Kenyan schools
Written by Okuttah Mark


18-May-2007: Kenya Data Networks, a lead provider of terrestrial fibre-optic cables that are being laid out across the country, plans to use wireless Internet technologies to connect schools in remote areas to the network.

As parts of southern and eastern Africa get ready to tap into the benefits of fibre optic cables, a key challenge remains of how to reach people living in remote areas, off the main cable grid.

There have been concerns that despite the roll-out of terrestrial fibre networks, and proposed marine cable links, residents of huge swathes of territory will remain left out and left behind by the technologies.

Eng. James Rege, the previous permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communications, says if the infrastructure providers don’t address the issue quickly, achieving the universal access will be unattainable.

However, Vincent Wang’ombe, marketing manager of Kenya Data Networks (KDN) says that the problem can be addressed with wireless technologies such as WiFi and WiMax to reach areas where cables do not go.

Mr Wang’ombe says that in reaching those in remote areas, schools must be a major driver. “One has to think of connecting the schools first,” he said.

He said KDN is using WiMax technology to connect 15 schools across the country.

KDN has been engaged in laying out terrestrial fibre optic cables nationwide, including 250 km of cable in Nairobi, and a link between Mombasa and Nakuru. Paul Munnery, a leading European expert on wireless systems, says in a press statement that African communities should look to wireless connectivity to grow their economies.

When it comes to wireless community networks, “what seemed ambitious a few years ago has proven to be technically viable and is now a complete reality,” Mr Munnery says.

But Eng Rege however pointed out that although the region may soon realise the benefits of international linkages via undersea optic fibre, satellite technologies will remain relevance in their ability to reach any location that has a receiver.

An event organized by AITEC Africa an ICT conference organiser, early in June, will be addressing some of the concerns about connectivity and universal access.

The African Satellite & Wireless Broadband Conference and the African Voice Over the Internet Protocol (VoIP) forum as will host discussions on these issues, and emphasise connecting the first mile as well as the last mile.
 
#20 ·
ALGERIA CYBER PARK ,WIRELESS TRAIN ,WI FI NETWORK PIONNER

The technopole of Sidi Abdallah is situated at 30 km western south of Algiers. This site covers a surface of 1,870 hectares through the municipalities of Mahelma and Rahmania. It comprises three technology parks, which will be able to accommodate firms specialized in advanced technologies, and an industrial park:

Technopark El Boustène
Technopark Ibnou-Sina
Cyber Park
Park of Sidi Bennour
International cooperation

The World Bank has started in 2002 an ICT Development Support Project in cooperation with the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications with the aim of creating an enabling environment and improve access to efficient and affordable ICT services, facilitate private sector development growth in ICT sector; improve the competitiveness of local ICT companies; and foster the efficiency of government in delivery of services. Among these aims the project intends to support also the development of new ICT companies through the so-called "Net-enterprise" development program. The programme envisages support to the set-up of the CyberPark and an incubation facility, "Technobridge Incubator" with the technology park to support ICT R&D initiatives and/or start-up companies with innovative projects; to set a seed capital R&D grants mechanism to support IT start-ups and innovative SMEs and providing institutional development support to the Institut National des Telecommunications (INT) and to the Ecole Centrale des Postes et Telecommunications to renew its curricula and courses on ICT management and cyberentrepeneurship


LINK OFF CYBER PARK
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=387401


EMERGING ALGERIA
ALGERIA IS AND WILL BE TOP 5 AFRICAN COUNTRY IN ANY SECTOR THIS IS NOT A WILL BUT A FACT

Algeria becomes the Arab World’s WiMAX pioneer

Posted: 22-04-2006 , 07:43 GMT


WiMAX/IEEE 802.16 is a global standard-based technology for Broadband Wireless Access. WiMAX vendors state that WiMAX systems are able to cover a large geographical area, up to 50 km and to deliver significant bandwidth to end-users at up to 72 Mbps. According to the WiMAX forum, WiMAX provides coverage economically and combines both Line of Sight (LOS) and None Line of Sight (NLOS) coverage. With Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology, WiMAX has been optimized to provide NLOS coverage (up to 15 Km around the base station) and long-range transmission up to 50Km in Line of Sight conditions. WiMAX technology can be deployed as a Point Multi-Point in last mile connection and as part of the backhaul to the PSTN and Internet access points.



The first commercial deployment of WiMAX in the Arab World was in Algeria. Smart Link Communication (SLC) has deployed WiMAX to provide broadband wireless services in Algeria. The frequencies SLC uses for WiMAX are in the 3.5 GHz band and 5.8 GHz band. SLC’s goal is to build a wireless broadband backbone covering the national territory, to develop the metropolitan broadband networks, and to set up an independent new generation telecom infrastructure. On July 25, 2005, SLC launched the first national multi-services network. The deployment of this network makes it possible to develop services based on Broadband Wireless Access (BWA), VoIP, Virtual Private Network (VPN-IP MPLS). Algeria’s tough and mountainous terrain makes it an ideal candidate for wireless connectivity solutions.



A new report, “WiMAX in the Arab World: Current status and regulations.” was released to the Arab Advisors Group’s Telecoms Strategic Research Service subscribers on April 13, 2006. The 20-page report, which has 9 detailed exhibits, investigates the availability of WiMAX regulations in 18 Arab countries, the frequencies used, entities that have tested WiMAX or pre-WiMAX services, and vendors for equipment. The report covers the following Arab countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, and Yemen.



“There are still no detailed regulations specific to WiMAX in Arab countries. Some Arab countries, however, have specified the type of license that needs to be obtained to provide WiMAX service. For example, in Algeria, the company should have a VOIP authorization and regulator has specified the 3.5 GHz band for WiMAX, while in Jordan, the company should have an individual license needed to use the frequency (a scare resource).” Ms. Serene Zawaydeh, a consultant at Arab Advisors Group wrote in the report.


FIRST WIRELES TRAIN IN AFRICA

Algerian trains speed to wireless network


“This contract is a result of Nortel’s long term commitment to the Algerian market and our role as a major telecoms player in Africa, with over 20 years in the region.” Ramin Attari, vice president, Middle East, Nortel.
Algerian railways operator Société Nationale des Transports Ferroviaires (SNTF) has begun deployment of a GSM-R-based wireless networking system, the first in Africa.

GSM for railways (GSM-R) is a communications technology developed for use by rail operators in Europe, based on the GSM mobile telecoms standard. SNTF’s system is being supplied by Nortel, one of the main providers of GSM-R equipment.

“The international GSM-R standard is a key component to upgrading the Algerian railway communication infrastructure. It is part of a much larger railway infrastructure project, including the construction of new conventional and high speed lines, upgrades of signalling systems and other railway infrastructure,” said Ali Leulmi, central director of infrastructures at SNTF.

”As a world leader in GSM-R, Nortel ensures for this first phase, along the El Gourzi – Touggourt line, that we are equipping our railway service with the most advanced communication technologies.”

The GSM-R technology allows railway operators to maintain constant contact with trains, crew and maintenance staff. Each train maintains constant contact with the control centres, via a dedicated data connection across the GSM-R network.

GSM-R also allows railway staff to communicate, with individual and group calling options available. GSM-R systems are designed to be very secure, with high levels of redundancy built in to the infrastructure.

“Nortel has been challenged by SNTF to provide this first phase of SNTF’s project with a solution that matches the growing need for communication in a fast expanding network,” said Ramin Attari, vice president for the Middle East at Nortel.

“This contract is a result of Nortel’s long term commitment to the Algerian market and our role as a major telecoms player in Africa, with over 20 years in the region.”

Nortel’s partner, SNEF, will work on the specific implementation.

“Our local channel partner, SNEF Algeria, will supply construction, installation and commissioning support. SNEF and Nortel share the same commitment to enhancing network quality and reducing the overall cost of operations,” said Vincent Pratlong, Algeria operations director, SNEF.

“Our local experts will work closely with the Algerian railway SNTF to realize the first GSM-R network on the continent.”

THAT S THE LINK BELOW
http://www.itp.net/news/details.php?id=21886
 
#21 ·
Omatek

Omatek

In a modest neighbourhood on Kudirat Abiola Street in Ikeja, a suburb of Lagos, a great phenomenon is unfolding. The stage is being set for a historic social transformation in Nigeria and the rest of Africa; a transformation that could be likened to the renaissance era of yester-year.

The origin of Africa’s computer revolution began here around 1986 when Omatek Ventures Limited exploded onto the IT scene in that country.

The brain behind it all was an industrious woman, who had graduated from the University of Ife with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering.

“We started by offering IT training services for company executives before moving further to become a major seller for Microsoft, Compaq, IBM, Apple and other world recognized computer brands,” said Mrs. Florence Seriki, Managing Director/CEO.

The evolution process was complete when Omatek Ventures was transformed into Omatek Computers Ltd in 2000, in partnership with Zenith International Bank and Guaranty Trust Bank. Since then there had been no turning back for the MD and her hardworking team.

Omatek had become the pioneer and only factory in Africa that produced desk-top and lap-top computers, speakers and other accessories locally, with a turnover of 48,000 fully built computers per annum. Other Omatek products included Servers, DVD systems and flat screen monitors that could also be used as television screens.

The Company’s vision was “to become the clear leader in the African ICT industry by the year 2010,” and in the words of the CEO she held her sights on the global market ultimately.

Mrs Seriki attributed her Company’s phenomenal breakthrough to two important State interventions. The passage of the ‘Computers for All Nigerians Initiative (CANi)’ was one of them, the other being the exemption of Omatek from payment of duty for the importation of computer components, as well as the cancellation of VAT on the export of the Company’s products.

A government - private sector collaboration, CANi aimed at bridging the digital gap and promoting computer literacy in Nigerian society. Today, thanks to that bold step taken by the Government of Nigeria, and also owing to the unshaken sense of mission on the part of Omatek Computers, PCs were not only available locally at affordable prices, but there had also been a record rise in the number of Nigerians, who could boast of personal computers in their homes.

Of what relevance was all that to us in Ghana anyway, one might wonder. The “Jubilee news” was that Omatek Computers Ltd was opening a factory similar to the one in Lagos right here in Ghana. ‘Project E-Ghana’ as it was dubbed, aimed among other things to give the Ghanaian IT market an African product comparable to any of its kind anywhere in the world, and on affordable terms too.

According to Mrs Seriki, the formal launch of the Accra factory had been scheduled for the early part of 2007, to coincide with Ghana’s 50th Anniversary celebration.

To give the Ghanaian public an idea of what the Company did in Nigeria, Omatek organized a day’s facility tour of its Lagos factory last December. “Ghana has a lot to learn from the Omatek experience in our Government’s quest to popularize IT among our people,” said Dr Benjamin Aggrey Ntim, Deputy Minister of Communications, who led a Ghanaian delegation to the event. The Deputy Minister also pledged the Government's preparedness to collaborate fully with Omatek to ensure the success of the Company's operations in Ghana.

There is an unquestionable correlation between IT pervasiveness and the socio-economic advancement of a nation, so the benefits of Omatek’s move into Ghana are enormous. Human resource development, which is one of the ruling Government’s major policy targets, would certainly receive a boost similar to that witnessed in Nigeria in recent times.

Within two years of its implementation, the CANi project had empowered about half a million Nigerians with IT knowledge. It can be argued, therefore, that the proliferation of locally produced computers in Ghana would increase people's access to PCs and help to set the stage for the kind of knowledge-based society that would accelerate the nation's march towards socio-economic development.

It is worth noting that in addition to the exemption of Omatek from paying duty on the importation of computer components (as well as the cancellation of VAT on the Company’s exports) the Nigerian Government also issued a directive making it mandatory for State departments and agencies to purchase locally made computers. These steps by the Government provided the right environment for the enterprise to flourish, and from all indications the country’s policy makers have not regretted taking those decisions.

At a function in Lagos, President Olusegun Obasanjo is reported as having referred to Omatek Computers as "a company that has done Nigeria proud and put Africa on the world ICT map” by winning the prestigious Microsoft Best Systems Builder Award for East, Central and West Africa in 2005.

The award cited above is only the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, one could fill a medium-sized jotter listing all the accolades earned by the Company under the able leadership of its hardworking MD.

A cupboard located in one of the side-rooms of the factory in Lagos is overflowing with many such trophies the Company has been awarded over the years for its outstanding performance.

They include the Digital Peers International Award of Excellence; 2005 Rare Gem Award; Dr Kwame Nkrumah Excellence in Enterprise Award; Frontier of Technology ICT Leadership Summit Award; Success Digest Enterprise Award; and the Special Award by the Nigerian Society of Engineers, among other awards. These accolades are a confirmation of Omatek’s pioneering status as a builder of high standard local computer brands, and a stamp of excellence on both the quality and volume of computers produced by the Company.

On the individual scale, Mrs Seriki's enterprising qualities have obviously not escaped notice, a fact demonstrated by her induction into the Obafemi Awolowo University's Faculty of Technology Hall of Fame in November 2005. This remarkable woman whom you can refer to as "Africa's Bill Gates in the Making" without any fear of contradiction, has also won the Nigeria-American Chamber of Commerce Young Entrepreneurship Award; Best Woman IT of the Year (2003) Award conferred by the Nigeria Information Technology and Telecommunication (NITT) body; Africa International Role Model Leadership Gold Award for Excellence; Patriotic Achievers' Award and the Woman of Merit Gold Award, to mention but a few.

The “Social Watch Report” (2006) published by the International Secretariat of Social Watch in Montevideo, Uruguay, notes that the scientific and technological development of any given country depends to a large extent on Government decisions, and that indicators such as public spending on research and development could give a clear idea as to how governments are performing in this direction.

“…Access to personal computers is a prerequisite for access to new sources of information,” the Report asserts, adding that the prevailing unequal access to communication technologies globally (otherwise known as the digital gap) has given rise to new inequalities in terms of social development. “One of the main challenges facing the world in the new millennium is to narrow this gap, and State intervention is clearly a key factor,” declares the Report.

In the opinion of this writer who happened to be part of the team that attended the pre-launch tour of the Lagos factory a few weeks ago, Ghana and Ghanaians stand to gain immensely from the arrival of Omatek in the country, provided the Government is prepared to introduce policies that would help to create the right environment for the growth of the local IT industry.

An enlightened workforce, a technologically savvy generation with job opportunities would be the fallouts from the emergence of Project E-Ghana!
 
#26 ·
First Algerian laptop computers to hit market in November
02/10/2005

The first laptop computers produced in Algeria will hit the market in the beginning of November. The Zala line is produced by an assembly company founded by Algerian Internet service provider EEPAD as part of the Ourastic government programme, which is aimed at providing a computer for every Algerian household by 2010. The Zala is equipped with a 1.6 gigahertz Intel Pentium Centrino, a 60-gigabyte hard disk, a DVD reader and a Wi-Fi system for wireless Internet connection. EEPAD plans to sell the computers with an asymmetric digital subscriber line pack at a price of around 100,000 dinars. Initially, 300,000 computers will be produced annually, but the number is expected to reach 1 million in 2010. (El Watan)

link can see zala headquartes located (ANNABA ) 4 CITY ALGERIA

fyollandeskyblog.com

This factory, whose installation of the ingnauguration made by the president of the Republic, will see being born the first portable microcomputer compagny (EEPAD). Called Zala, the Berber diminutive of a female first name, this portable PC (laptop) will be based on a processor INTEL Pentium Centrino to 1,6 Ghz with a hard disk of 60 Go, a reader DVD and the system wifi, inter alia, for connection to Internet high flow without wire. the EEPAD, which cumulates a park of 148 000 active subscribers ADSL, hopes to market it in pack ADSL and laptop for 102 040 DA with the possibility of payment per bank credit going from 12 to 36 monthly payments for 9450 DA with 3600 DA and 3 months the ADSL free. This within the framework of linitiative governmental Ousratic, a PC by family in 2010 in which take part others Algerian manufacturing/assemby of microcomputers.
This one will be launched in October, just after the referendum "We have a clear vision for the industrie TIC in Algeria", affirms Nouar Harzallah which recalls that its factory is established in a site where all terrestrial means of transport, air and maritime are available, allowing thus export easy "raw materials" and a facility of exportation. This factory will produce 300 000 portable PC per annum, to reach the million about 2010. the EEPAD ambitionne to reach a rate of integration of 80% in 2006. It employs, in a first phase, some 200 people "We can even compete with the Chinese. The costs of our hand-work and our short distance to Europe enable to us to foresee beautiful prospects ", adds the chairman of lEEPAD. In terms of vision, Nouar Harzallah explains why its company started by allowing the accès Internet high flow before passing to telephony on Internet (VoIP) - Hatifnet - and finally the e-learning through the Click-forma platform. On this point, the EEPAD developed the school solution More and hopes to convince the ministry of national Education for adopting it after having launched the concept of the mobile class.
 
#27 ·
SOCIAL SECUTITY CARD ALGERIA
FIRST BIOMETRIC CARD IN AFRICA

LINK DOWN WITH PICTURE


http://www.gemalto.com/brochures/download-newsletters/public-sector_02.pdf


The launching of the smart card El Chiffa in Algeria as of April 2007, will allow a simplification and a faster treatment of the requests for refunding of the medical care, affirms the national Case of the Social Security (CNAS). Sunday December 10, 2006. This electronic chart will be obligatory in accordance with the law n°83/11 of July 2, 1983, modified and supplemented, relating to the Social Security which will envisage the installation of the smart card and its use by the policy-holders and the professionals of health. The operation controls will be launched, at the beginning, in five wilayas, and Médéa for the Center, Oum El-Bouaghi and Annaba for the East and Tlemcen for the West, before being generalized, at the end of 2007, through all Algeria. The objective is to control the refunded expenditure of health, to simplify and accelerate the procedures of refunding and to fight against the abuses and the frauds. All the people receiving benefits of care, doctors, dental surgeons, pharmacists and hospitals, public or private, will be officially agreed within the framework of the contractualisation in order to allow the good course of this operation. It is enough for the policy-holder holding an ordinary social chart or third paying to present its smart card at its practitionar attending after consultation to be refunded or to be able to profit from the exemption from payment of the care. Which is the procedure for obtaining this chart which will be launched next April to Algeria? It is the question which all the patients put who are unaware of still the operation of this new system. The priority will be given, initially, with the chronic patients who will be the first convened by the CNAS and will have to present themselves provided with a photograph and photocopy of the national chart to profit from this microprocessor card, whose body is in Study Bureau and who has one lifespan five years with an important memory of 32 KB. There are two types of charts: the family chart, containing data on the policy-holder and his having right, and the individual chart, which will be allotted to the people called to frequently use the chart or one having right not residing permanently with the policy-holder
 
#29 ·
State awards R378m contract to Neotel

By Thabiso Mochiko, Business Report, 24 May 2007

Neotel, the second fixed-line telephone operator, has bagged its biggest contract to date after it won a R378 million deal to install an internet-based network for the government.


The State Information Technology Agency (Sita) would invest R454 million over five years to replace the redundant government network managed by Telkom, Sita said yesterday.

The next-generation network would create a platform for more efficient and cost-effective services, allowing the state to offer programmes like voice over internet and telemedicine, and to connect to multipurpose community centres on a single platform.

Neotel plans to offer high bandwidth capacity to link Sita's 25 sites in major cities and towns to about 3 000 government departments.

Public services minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi said Neotel's bandwidth capacity translated into savings of about eight times the cost of the alternative offer for the contract.

The government has criticised Telkom for its high costs, which made it difficult to attract foreign investment into the country.

Yesterday Telkom said it had cut international bandwidth prices by 30 percent.

Last year, Telkom said it expected to lose about 9 percent of its government contracts to Neotel, as well as about 15 percent of total market share.

Telkom plans to spend R7 billion to install an internet-based network to diversify its offerings and compensate for shrinking voice revenue. It will also offer pay television through its high-speed internet lines.

Neotel plans to spend about R11 billion on infrastructure in the next five years. The group is already offering international bandwidth capacity to more than 12 clients.

The first leg of Sita's investment entails an upgrade of the government network backbone by Business Connexion, which will supply, install and support equipment supplied by Cisco over three years for R76 million.

The transition to the new network is expected to start in October.

The old and new networks will operate in parallel until all the departments have been connected.

http://mybroadband.co.za/nephp/?m=show&id=6513
 
#30 ·
Algerie Know How

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HB Technologies, Algerian company established in Rouiba, specialized in the production and personalization of all the range of intelligent charts: Chart SIM having a single mode of security for the authentification and identification of subscribes on the network and data storage Chart USIM with the same functions as those of the SIM but having a higher storage capacity Chart to be scraped highly protected for paid pre refill Chart of public telephony with chip memory or processor and charts to be scraped highly protected Concrete material Concrete Equipments Bulldozer & Grader Bulldozer & To grade Shovels & Chargers & Cranes Craniums & Excavators & Loaders Cranes Building Building Craniums Retrochargor Retroloader


http://www.hb-technologies.com.dz/
 
#31 ·
China > Internet Access

Huawei, Algeria Telecom launch EV-DO

04/06/2007 by Sourav Dutta



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Huawei Technologies and its Algerian partner Algeria Telecom have launched a CDMA 2000 1xEV-DO network in Alger, the capital of Algeria.

As part of its modernisation plans, Algeria Telecom is focusing on the development of its broadband access network. The company chose Huawei's LiteFME solution for converging its PSTN, CDMA WLL network and ADSL network to deliver wired and wireless subscribers of Algeria Telecom services such as CRBT(Colour Ring Back tone), EV-DO data service, pre-paid portal for EV-DO service, video phone in fixed network and Integrated Centrex, a PBX-like service for enterprise users.

The CDMA network upgrade from 1X to EV-DO is expected to provide low-cost, wireless broadband access solution to users.

As partner for Algeria Telecom, Huawei is also working on the trial project of EV-DO Rev.A, which can reduce the customers' OPEX, CAPEX and user churn while increasing service revenue.
 
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