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News & Views
Content posted in May 2020
KaiOS and FISE launch a 4G phone that takes your temperature
Connecting Africa News   5/29/2020   Post a comment
KaiOS Technologies and FISE are launching the world's first 4G phone with an integrated infrared thermometer.
Vodacom zero-rating what3words to help South Africans in emergencies
Paula Gilbert   5/28/2020   Post a comment
Vodacom is zero-rating the what3words 'find me' website in South Africa to help emergency services locate people even if they don't have an official address.
Bolt gets $110M boost for African and European expansion
Connecting Africa News   5/27/2020   Post a comment
Ride-hailing platform Bolt has raised $110 million to fund its growth and development strategy.
Hot startup of the month: Nigerian farmer financing platform Crop2Cash
Tom Jackson   5/26/2020   1 comment
Crop2Cash is addressing financing gaps for Nigerian farmers by making formal financing a transparent process and helping responsible farmers get access to capital.
Ethiopia telecoms liberalization moves forward despite COVID-19
Paula Gilbert   5/25/2020   Post a comment
Ethiopia's communications regulator is going ahead with plans to issue two new telecoms licenses in the country, despite the current COVID-19 crisis.
Vodacom is 'decoupling' its SA business and hiring a new MD
Connecting Africa News   5/22/2020   Post a comment
Vodacom has announced a major restructuring with the South African business being 'decoupled' to become a standalone entity.
Vodacom plots fintech path with nano-loans
Paula Gilbert   5/21/2020   Post a comment
Vodacom wants to extend successes with its nano-lending products in Kenya and Tanzania to its other markets.
COVID-19 boosts META cloud spend
Connecting Africa News   5/20/2020   Post a comment
Public cloud is proving to be an exception to the COVID-19 slowdown rule, with IDC predicting higher spending in META following the outbreak.
EXCLUSIVE: MTN Zambia and Vanu to provide off-grid connectivity
Paula Gilbert   5/19/2020   1 comment
Vanu has been selected by MTN to extend mobile connectivity to Zambia's off-grid communities.
African smartphone users could help find COVID-19 treatment while sleeping
Paula Gilbert   5/18/2020   Post a comment
Smartphone users in Ghana, Lesotho and South Africa can now help scientists speed up COVID-19 research by letting the DreamLab app run on their smartphones while they sleep.
5G in Africa is inevitable, but not imminent – GSMA
Paula Gilbert   5/15/2020   Post a comment
GSMA Africa Head, Akinwale Goodluck, believes Africa needs to get a few more things right before 5G can significantly roll out on the continent.
New '2Africa' mega subsea cable announced
Connecting Africa News   5/14/2020   Post a comment
The new 2Africa cable will be one of the world's largest subsea cable projects, connecting 23 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
MTN cuts spending plans as COVID-19 crisis bites
Paula Gilbert   5/14/2020   Post a comment
MTN has revised down its capex plans for 2020, from about $1.5 billion to $1.1 billion, as the coronavirus pandemic spreads uncertainty throughout African markets.
Loon brings balloon-powered Internet to Mozambique
Paula Gilbert   5/13/2020   Post a comment
Alphabet's balloon Internet project, Loon, has partnered with operator Vodacom to bring Internet connectivity to Mozambique's hard-to-reach areas.
Vodafone Egypt rakes in revenue ahead of sale
Paula Gilbert   5/12/2020   Post a comment
Vodafone Egypt saw a major revenue spike in the past financial year, while its parent group goes ahead with a planned sale to Saudi Telecom.
African operations boost Vodacom revenue
Paula Gilbert   5/11/2020   Post a comment
Vodacom's operations outside of SA continued to show strong growth over the past financial year, while the domestic market recovered in the second half.
DFA granted a license in Zimbabwe
Connecting Africa News   5/8/2020   Post a comment
South African-based DFA has been granted an Internet Access Provider Class B license in Zimbabwe.
Telkom SA delays retrenchments, postpones results due to COVID-19
Paula Gilbert   5/6/2020   Post a comment
Telkom South Africa is postponing the planned shedding of around 3,000 jobs and pushing back its full-year results publication due to COVID-19.
MTN Ghana boasts double-digit Q1 growth
Paula Gilbert   5/5/2020   2 comments
MTN Ghana saw Q1 service revenue jump 20%, buoyed by double-digit growth in its voice, data and Mobile Money revenue.
Vodacom launches 5G in South Africa
Paula Gilbert   5/4/2020   Post a comment
Vodacom has launched a live 5G network in three South African cities, supporting both mobile and fixed wireless services.
Latest Articles
Kenya and Ghana have the second and third highest mobile payment rates after global leader China, according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group.
Vodafone is not ready to call it quits on plans to sell its 55% stake in Vodafone Egypt to Saudi Telecom Company (STC).
Safaricom is launching an M-Pesa 'super-app' which will let SMEs create their own business apps within the mobile money ecosystem, according to CIO, George Njuguna, who was speaking at East Africa Com.
Communications Authority of Kenya's Mercy Wanjau told East Africa Com digital economies must have progressive policy and regulation on spectrum, data protection and digital taxation.
Space in Africa founder, Temidayo Oniosun, shares his views on the challenges and opportunities in the African space and satellite industry.
Video
Connecting Africa Editor Paula Gilbert and Telecoms.com Deputy Editor Jamie Davies provide insights into the final day of AfricaCom 2019 and a ...
Connecting Africa Editor Paula Gilbert chats about key topics from day two at AfricaCom 2019, including 4G vs. 5G, Liquid Telecom's new fiber link ...
Connecting Africa Editor Paula Gilbert and Telecoms.com Deputy Editor Jamie Davies provide their insights into topics such as spectrum ...
Connecting Africa editor Paula Gilbert discusses the key trends in Africa's ICT sector, including the fourth industrial revolution and digital ...
AfricaCom TV caught up with Herman Singh, MTN's Group Chief Digital Officer, during the 20th anniversary event. Singh discussed the role of mobile ...
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Industry Announcements
More Industry Announcements
AfricaCom Perspectives
The latest African Space Industry Annual Report from Space in Africa shows that despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, African countries are investing more in space and satellite ...
CodeSpace is a South African organization, based in Cape Town, providing young people with the skills to excel in technology careers. We caught up with the founder Emma Dicks to find out ...
The largest population growth globally is happening in Africa and innovation in agriculture is, without a doubt, an important tool to tackle food security for the rapidly growing population.
Gender-responsive policy is critical for Africa and involves the integration of gender in ICT-related strategies, policies, plans and budgets, with clear gender-equality targets. So says ...
The way in which banking and travel have embraced technology has created a "digital first" approach for people across the world. Whether it is booking flights or transferring money, many ...
All AfricaCom Perspectives
Partner Perspectives - from our sponsors
Africa's mobile operators need better roaming monetization for growth
By Damion Rose, product manager for Mobile Signaling and Roaming Solutions at BICS
How Africa's operators are driving socio-economic development
By Clémentine Fournier, VP Sales Africa at BICS
Ericsson's 2020 African Growth Plans
By Fadi Pharaon, President of Ericsson Middle East and Africa
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Webinars
ARCHIVED
Thursday, August 20, 2020
11:00 A.M. South Africa Standard Time

Session One

Mobile Money 2.0: the Bright Future of Mobile Financial Service Innovation
Date: 08/20/20 @ 11:00 A.M. SAST

Speaker: Paula Gilbert, Editor, Connecting Africa

Africa was the birthplace of Mobile Money and while it continues to rise in popularity, the industry is quickly evolving and launching more mobile-based financial services every day. In this Connecting Africa online event, local analysts and industry stakeholders will discuss how telcos are disrupting the financial services space and what the rise of Mobile Money 2.0 will look like for Africa.

  • From cash to mobile: heading towards a cashless society
  • Expanding MFS offerings beyond mobile money transfers
  • MNOs vs banks vs fintechs: an evolving competitive landscape
  • Unconnected and unbanked: fintech to improve financial inclusion
  • The rise of micro-loans and insurance through mobile platforms

12:15 P.M. - 12:30 P.M. BREAK

Session Two

Connecting the Next Billion: Strategies for Getting Africa On-Grid
Date 08/20/20 @ 12:30 P.M. SAST

Speaker: Paula Gilbert, Editor, Connecting Africa

Africa has the fastest growing population in the world and also the youngest, with 60% of Africans under the age of 25. It is clear that the next billion connected are going to be the mobile-only generation. This digital symposium will bring industry experts together to discuss Africa’s digital divide and how to get devices into the hands of young Africans and empower them to join the digital revolution.

  • Who’s Driving? The role of government & regulator, private tech companies, and public-private partnerships
  • Device affordability: are we reaching a tipping point?
  • Status check: Satellite vs Fiber and the enduring infrastructure gap
  • Exploring the wider societal and economic benefits of a connected, digitally literate continent

Upcoming Live Events
September 29, 2020, Virtual Event
September 30 - October 1, 2020, Virtual Event
November 9-13, 2020, Virtual Event
November 10-12, 2020, Virtual Event
November 10-12, 2020, Virtual Event
All Upcoming Live Events
Information Resources
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Sponsored Video
At the recent AfricaCom event in Cape Town we spoke to Chafic Traboulsi, head of networks for Ericsson, Middle East and Africa, about the ...
Avanti Country Manager and Sales Director for Southern Africa, Brenden Pronk, discusses the latest development at Avanti and calls for the ...
Parallel Wireless's Christoph Fitih shared how the company's 2G/3G/4G/5G software-enabled Open Network solution is helping telcos in Africa deploy ...
This new video will inspire companies to reimagine their business for success in a world where connectivity is more than a commodity. Sponsored Video
SPONSORED VIDEO: Kontron's Luc-Yves Pagal Vinette discusses software-defined networking (SDN) in developing markets and how Kontron is ...
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