TD Africa Inks Distribution Agreement with Vertiv

Technology Distributions Ltd, Sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest Information and Communications Technology (ICT) distributors and Vertiv, an American multinational corporation yesterday announced their partnership to distribute Vertiv solutions in Nigeria.

Speaking at the official launch of the partnership, Wojtek Piorko, Director,Sales Middle East and Africa, Vertiv, Said that, the reason they choose Technology Distributions (TD) is because they are very experienced in IT channel distribution.

He explained that Vertiv intend to work with TD not only in Nigeria but in other countries in Africa. Today’s event is to work with our local partners to grow their business, especially in channel business.

“We need very experienced partners that have wide audience and many resellers to sale to, and that’s why we have chosen Technology Distributions, they are our IT channel distributor and we work with them not only in Nigeria but in other countries of the region.

“Technology Distributions have wide reach of the market, we have great product but we also understand each other very well, we communicate where necessary, he said.

He noted that, Vertiv products have been in Nigeria for the past 20 years delivering top quality products to its customers.

“We’ve been in Nigerian market for the past 20 years, is not that we are completely new, although Vertiv brand name is new to the market but all critical product lines that we offer are products that were already in the market delivered by Emerson Electric, but now Vertiv brand is with completely new opening, new team, new structure that is dedicated to this specific market,” he added.

Stanley Okpalaeke, Group Executive Director, Technology Distributions (TD) said that TD’s major strategy in the partnership is to build deeper relationship with its partners, and to seek how TD will help grow their businesses, adding that, if they are able to grow their partners’ businesses, TD business will grow also.

“Our major strategy is our partners; we want to build deeper relationship with our partners.

“We are seeking how TD will help you grow your businesses because if you grow, we will grow too,” he said.

He explained that their partner ecosystem cut across all Africa, adding that they also have major hubs in Dubai and UK.

He added that, they have at every point in time N12 billion worth of stocks to cater for their customers’ needs.

“At every point in time we have N12 billion worth of stocks, the reason is because we do not want to disappoint our partners,” he stated.

Speaking earlier, Mrs. Chioma Chimere; Managing Director, Operations, Technology Distributions, said that Vertiv have come to help Nigerians solve the challenges they face with power, with their range of high end UPS solutions.

She noted that, even the power we have now is not clean and that is why Vertiv is here to give us maximum protection.

TD is the first manufacturer-accredited local distributor for the sub-region, TD, with the support of the OEMs, successfully confronted the myriad challenges posed by the hitherto unstructured market.

Among the first measures they embarked on was the formulation of a clear policy on the channel of distribution that led to the adoption of the prevailing four-tier market structure comprising Manufacturer (OEM), Distributor, Reseller and End-User.

Publiseer, Nigerian Digital Publishing Startup Reports Profitability

Publiseer, Nigerian digital publisher has reported a profit for its first quarter in 2018, adding over 200 new releases in the past 30 days.

The company posts a first-quarter profit of $10,877.58, comfortably ahead of its expectations. Following the profits, Publiseer has launched its ‘Premium Distribution Service’ that will distribute books and songs for an upfront fee, allowing its authors and musical artists to keep 100% of their earnings.

Nevertheless, old and new clients can still use its ‘Freemium Distribution Service’ that gives Publiseer a 25% commission on sales.

It’s taken just 8 months for Publiseer to become a money-maker. The digital publishing company reported its first profitable quarter today, driven by a 20% rise in submissions and a faster reputation growth overseas.

Publiseer has thrived since its launch in August 2017, and traction has grown drastically. Since its international popularity is growing exponentially, the company is making moves to expand its services outside of Nigeria.

In response to this, Publiseer has distributed the works of Canadian Youtuber Heidi Shai, American Jazz musician Ragtime Joe, and Missouri producer ANB Beats.

In Africa, Publiseer has distributed the books of Cameroonian writer Juan Gutied and Zimbabwean author Godfrey Masanga.

As of writing, Publiseer has distributed 92 books and 374 tracks by 73 authors and 154 artists, having received over 1,000 submissions since August 2017.

Chidi Nwaogu, Publiseer’s CEO said: “Starting Publiseer, we weren’t focused on profitability as an early-stage company, rather, we were focused on customer satisfaction and retention. But at the beginning of the first quarter of this year, submissions doubled and thus our releases too. It’s good building something that meets a growing need, and which eventually makes lots of money.”

Publiseer is a digital publishing platform for unsigned and independent writers and musicians with low-income or from low-income families.

However, the platform is open to well-established authors and musicians looking for new avenues to distribute and monetize their creative works on the World Wide Web.

Publiseer has distributed the works of A-list Nigerian artists like CDQ, Klever Jay, Erigga, and DJ Jozenga of RayPower FM.

MTN Introduces 17-Digit Recharge PIN 

Management of MTN Nigeria has announced the introduction of a new 17-digit recharge card Personal Identification Number (PIN).

In 2016, the nation’s largest telecommunications company increased the number of its recharge voucher digits from 12 to 16.

Two years later, the firm is increasing the digits to 17.

According to MTN Nigeria, the value on the 17-digit recharge cards and the 16-digit recharge vouchers remain the same.

However, in its adverts to sensitise its subscribers on the new development, the company did not give reasons for the change.

MTN Nigeria is part of the MTN Group, Africa’s leading cellular telecommunications company. On May 16, 2001, MTN became the first GSM network to make a call following the globally lauded Nigerian GSM auction conducted by the Nigerian Communications Commission earlier in the year. Thereafter the company launched full commercial operations beginning with Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

MTN paid $285m for one of four GSM licenses in Nigeria in January 2001. To date, in excess of $1.8 billion has been invested building mobile telecommunications infrastructure in Nigeria.

Since launch in August 2001, MTN has steadily deployed its services across Nigeria. It now provides services in 223 cities and towns, more than 10,000 villages and communities and a growing number of highways across the country, spanning the 36 states of the Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Many of these villages and communities are being connected to the world of telecommunications for the first time ever.

Source: NigerianCommunicationWeek

TD Africa Inks Distribution Agreement with Vertiv

Technology Distributions Ltd, Sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest Information and Communications Technology (ICT) distributors and Vertiv, an American multinational corporation yesterday announced their partnership to distribute Vertiv solutions in Nigeria.

Speaking at the official launch of the partnership, Wojtek Piorko, Director,Sales Middle East and Africa, Vertiv, Said that, the reason they choose Technology Distributions (TD) is because they are very experienced in IT channel distribution.

He explained that Vertiv intend to work with TD not only in Nigeria but in other countries in Africa. Today’s event is to work with our local partners to grow their business, especially in channel business.

“We need very experienced partners that have wide audience and many resellers to sale to, and that’s why we have chosen Technology Distributions, they are our IT channel distributor and we work with them not only in Nigeria but in other countries of the region.

“Technology Distributions have wide reach of the market, we have great product but we also understand each other very well, we communicate where necessary, he said.

He noted that, Vertiv products have been in Nigeria for the past 20 years delivering top quality products to its customers.

“We’ve been in Nigerian market for the past 20 years, is not that we are completely new, although Vertiv brand name is new to the market but all critical product lines that we offer are products that were already in the market delivered by Emerson Electric, but now Vertiv brand is with completely new opening, new team, new structure that is dedicated to this specific market,” he added.

Stanley Okpalaeke, Group Executive Director, Technology Distributions (TD) said that TD’s major strategy in the partnership is to build deeper relationship with its partners, and to seek how TD will help grow their businesses, adding that, if they are able to grow their partners’ businesses, TD business will grow also.

“Our major strategy is our partners; we want to build deeper relationship with our partners.

“We are seeking how TD will help you grow your businesses because if you grow, we will grow too,” he said.

He explained that their partner ecosystem cut across all Africa, adding that they also have major hubs in Dubai and UK.

He added that, they have at every point in time N12 billion worth of stocks to cater for their customers’ needs.

“At every point in time we have N12 billion worth of stocks, the reason is because we do not want to disappoint our partners,” he stated.

Speaking earlier, Mrs. Chioma Chimere; Managing Director, Operations, Technology Distributions, said that Vertiv have come to help Nigerians solve the challenges they face with power, with their range of high end UPS solutions.

She noted that, even the power we have now is not clean and that is why Vertiv is here to give us maximum protection.

TD is the first manufacturer-accredited local distributor for the sub-region, TD, with the support of the OEMs, successfully confronted the myriad challenges posed by the hitherto unstructured market.

Among the first measures they embarked on was the formulation of a clear policy on the channel of distribution that led to the adoption of the prevailing four-tier market structure comprising Manufacturer (OEM), Distributor, Reseller and End-User.

ORANGE SHUFFLES MANAGEMENT TO DRIVE TRANSFORMATION

Orange lined up sweeping changes to its management team and business structure, a move CEO Stephane Richard called a decisive step as it moves into new sectors including connected home, finance and cybersecurity.

One of the key changes involves making its business in Spain a standalone unit rather than one of several markets which comprise Orange’s Rest of Europe reporting segment.

After France, Spain was Orange’s second-largest market in Europe in 2017, generating 49 per cent of the Rest of Europe unit’s revenue. The separation comes as Orange promotes it’s Spain division’s CEO Laurent Paillassot to the role of deputy group CEO, albeit with continued responsibility for Spain.

Gervais Pellissier, formerly delegate CEO and head of European operations, moves to a group transformation role. He will be charged with “simplifying the group’s processes and reinforcing the company’s collective agility” in addition to being appointed chairman of Orange Business Services.

Finance and strategy delegate CEO Ramon Fernandez takes charge of Europe excluding France and Spain, and will also become finance and performance executive director.

Diversification
As part of its focus on new business lines, Orange will form a Technology and Global Innovation division led by former innovation SVP Mari-Noelle Jego-Laveissiere. She will also take on the roles of deputy group CEO and CTIO.

To lead its cybersecurity business and oversee its own security, Hugues Foulon will become executive director for group. Chief executive director of Orange France Fabienne Dulac will become deputy group CEO with continued responsibility for its home market.

Alioune Ndiaye replaces Bruno Mettling as CEO of its Africa and Middle East unit: Mettling becomes non-executive chairman of the business.

Discussing the changes, group CEO Stephane Richard said: “This is a decisive step in Orange’s transformation that has been in preparation for a number of years. Together, we have already restored confidence within the Group and returned the business to revenue and EBITDA margin growth in a fiercely competitive environment.”

“Today, we are pushing back the boundaries of digital services by confirming our goals of diversification into financial services, cybersecurity and the connected home. This transformation has been made possible by the continuous drive for excellence in our role as a network operator.”

Source: Mobileworldlive

 

TTLC COMMITTED $ 17 MILLION HOME OPTICAL FIBER SUPPLY PROJECT

The incumbent, Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation Limited, (TTCL), has begun a project to provide fiber optic data to homes. Currently in pilot phase, the service is already available in Mikocheni, Mbezi Beach in the Dar es Salaam region and at the Medeli Estate estate in the Dodoma region. On 27 February 2018, TTCL General Manager Waziri Kindamba, explained that “after the 90 days pilot phase started during this month of February, Phase 1 will be implemented this year in all regional centers of the country.

The technical director of TTCL indicated that after the pilot phase, the “Fiber to Home” project will be fully deployed in Dar es Salaam, Mbeya, Tanga, Arusha and Zanzibar. Home-based fiber optic will enable customers to achieve Internet speeds of up to 50 Mbps. The service will also allow consumers to access Wi-Fi within 200 meters. The investment made by the incumbent for this project is estimated at 40 billion shillings (17 million US dollars). “This is one of our massive investment projects that aims to ensure the profitability of our entity,”said Waziri Kindamba.

Internet services are currently an important growth driver for many telecom companies. At TTCL, data services account for nearly 90% of the company’s revenues.

Source: Agence Ecofin

 

LIQUID, SUDATEL PEN LANDMARK FTTH DEAL

Sudatel Telecom Group and Liquid Telecom have agreed to partner to build fibre networks across Sudan.

Liquid Telecom and Sudatel Telecom Group are partnering to build fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks across Sudan. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the deal at an event at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.

The groups believe the partnership will increase the broadband capacity and speeds available to homes and businesses in Sudan, which are currently reliant on wireless networks to access the Internet.

How much money will be involved is unclear but Liquid Telecom group CEO, Nic Rudnick, told journalists at the signing in Barcelona that it would be a “meaningful and considerable investment” by the two companies.

“Our partnership with Liquid Telecom will enable us to provide a high-quality FTTH network which will help uplift people’s lives through our region’s economic development,” said Tarig Hamza Zain El Abdein, CEO of Sudatel Telecom Group.

Comparable to similar networks deployed in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya and Rwanda by Liquid Telecom, the new FTTH networks in Sudan will deliver speeds initially up to 100Mbps, which is expected to transform the way Sudanese businesses and consumers experience and use the Internet in the country.

“Liquid Telecom has a proven track record of bringing world-class fibre networks to previously underserved regions of Africa. We are delighted to support Sudatel with its efforts to deliver leading FTTH services to more businesses and consumers in Sudan, which will help grow the country’s digital economy,” added Rudnick.

The groups believe that by investing in Sudan’s telecoms infrastructure, Sudatel and Liquid Telecom will help raise the quality of network services in the country while also increasing competition in the local market.

“Sudan really is a country of enormous promise and enormous opportunity and it is at a point in its development where it is emerging as a prominent player in the region.

“We are very proud and pleased to partner a company like Sudatel in order to provide and accelerate the rollout of broadband services across Sudan and also to utilise the capabilities that Sudatel has to further expand Liquid Telecom’s pan-African network across the region,” Rudnick said.

Econet founder and executive chairman, Strive Masiyiwa, said in a statement that the partnership would pave the way to further expand the penetration of broadband services across Africa.

Established in 1993, Sudatel provides both mobile and fixed (voice and data) services to businesses, residents and ISPs across North and West Africa, in addition to the provision of wholesale services to international carriers. Sudatel is partially owned by the Sudanese government and listed on both the Khartoum and Abu Dhabi Stock Exchanges.

Liquid Telecom, a subsidiary of Econet Global, is a pan-African telecoms group and communications services and solutions provider across 13 countries in eastern, central and southern Africa with an independent fibre network spanning over 50 000km.

Source: IT Web Africa

 

GHANA: EXPRESSO, GLO IN DANGER OF LOSING TELECOMS LICENCES

Ghana’s Minister for Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has issued a warning to mobile network operators (MNOs) Expresso and Glo Mobile that they risk losing their licences if they fail to meet a 30-day ultimatum given by the ministry with regards to their poor operational performance. According to Ghana Web, Minister Owusu-Ekuful is convinced that the country’s telecoms watchdog the National Communications Authority (NCA) will revoke the licence held by Expresso, stating in an interview: ‘For Expresso. I think the 30 days will end by next week. The letters have gone out. I have just seen a response that they have sent which doesn’t quite address the issues, so I have no doubt that the NCA will proceed to revoke that licence and clean out that space. If that happens, those frequencies will be available for either interested Ghanaians, or other entrants to also come into the market.’

The minister also expressed her surprise at Glo’s poor performance in Ghana, explaining that the ministry has attempted on several occasions to contact Glo to improve its services or risk losing its licence, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Minister Owusu-Ekuful said that the government will auction the remaining 4G spectrum for telcos in June this year.

Source: Telegeography

WI-FI ROLLOUT INTEGRAL TO ADDRESSING AFRICA’S DIGITAL DIVIDE

Data released in June by Internet World Stats shows that 68.8% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population remain unconnected. Facebook and Eutelsat say Wi-Fi hotspot solutions play a vital role in the effort to address this.

The two companies presented their latest initiatives at AfricaCom 2017 in Cape Town.

Uche Ofodile, Africa Regional Head for Facebook’s Express Wi-Fi project says Wi-Fi’s role is key, particularly because many regions on the continent require the most affordable last mile solutions.

“As people’s appetite for data increases, we are definitely going to see a situation where customers want to have a seamless experience and I think Wi-Fi can play a role in that as well. In terms of helping people reach their potential through internet, Express Wi-Fi is an affordable alternative in the current ecosystem. We don’t see ourselves as competing – we see ourselves as complementary and enhancing the ecosystem, and that is what we have seen in countries where we have rolled this out and we are very excited about the future of the product.”

Ofodile says Express Wi-Fi has been rolled out in Nigeria through a partnership with Coolink, and is currently available in Tanzania through collaboration with a local partner Tizeti, as well as across a thousand hotspots in Kenya following an agreement with Kenyan ISP Surf.

Although she would not reveal the monetary value of the investment Facebook has made in all three countries, she says the company is happy with progress over the past year

“The big thing for us is around sustainability. We want to make sure that this is a programme that our partners will continue to drive forward because it needs to be a long term play. The other thing we look at is how many people that are new to the internet are coming on through Express Wi-Fi … we also look at data usage and many of our partners have seen data usage and adoption and usage increase significantly over the last year.”

Francois Boullete, Director of Marketing and Business Development at ‎Eutelsat’s Konnect Africa initiative, which launched its Smart Wi-Fi hotspot solution at AfricaCom, says their offering is community-based and makes it possible to connect remote areas through satellite.

“The beauty of satellite is that it is available everywhere and you do not need a fibre link etc. You can deploy the Wi-Fi anywhere in the country. We make it really affordable for people starting at 50 cents or a dollar for small packages. We have a variety of user plans and people can pay through their local operator or use mobile payments.”

Boullete adds companies or organisations or private individuals have the option to sponsor access on behalf of communities.

He adds that the hotspots also have local cloud or data storage capability that allows them to host educational content or training for free. The solution will be launched in the next few months in Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Boullete says a satellite launch planned for early next year will on-board Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo and Benin.

“We would like to connect as many people as possible. That is our aim. We want to be the best even though we may not be able to connect everyone. As our partners identity areas of need that is where we will go. Our target is for anyone who wants to have a SmartWiFi hotspot to be able to do so for their community.”

Source: IT Web Africa

TANZANIA: AIRTEL SETS FOR MASSIVE NETWORK TRANSFORMATION

AIRTEL Tanzania has launched massive network transformation programme, ‘U900 Project’ aimed at improving quality data network and delivering the best customer experience across the country.

Airtel Network Optimisation and Quality Manager Mr Emanuel Luanda said the project U900 is a major investment that enhances 3G coverage, data volume and improved data speeds using the 900 Mhz spectrum.

“The technology in particular improves the indoor 3G coverage and extends it by additional 50 per cent thus offering quality data transition across cell site without necessarily worrying about your location,” he said.

The recent Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) statistics shows that data services have tremendously increased from 34 per cent in 2015 to 40 per cent in 2016.

Airtel has invested in modernising its network with future proof technology to accommodate the increasing number of smartphone users and meet the demand of new services and applications.

“With our U- 900 state of the art technology our network now is modernised and enhanced with increased data speeds that will allow Airtel data users to have an overall better experience with Airtel modernised Network,” he said.

We have upgraded the sites in Dar-es-Salaam, Arusha and Mwanza with ongoing immediate deployment in Dodoma, Morogoro and other potential markets in Tanzania.

Airtel Marketing Manager Arnold Madale said understanding the market and customers’ need is important in this competitive business environment.

“We have managed to tailor made our products and services to suit our customers’ usage patterns and offer internet everywhere with our campaign message of ‘Internet Popote’.

There are customers who uses data only, but also those who just use voice services, we have designed innovative products and services that suit customers’ needs and wants, at all times.

“We are currently improving our 2G network so as to offer reliable, innovative services including mobile money for the unbanked population across the country and support the government agenda in financial inclusion,” he added.

Source: Tanzania Daily News

SOUTH AFRICA: ICASA TURNS ITS ATTENTION TO 5G

Communications regulator Icasa has concluded an inaugural forum on 5G technologies, ahead of their anticipated introduction in South Africa by the end of the decade.

The standards for 5G networks are still being bedded down internationally, but Icasa said it felt the time was right to convene a forum in South Africa to debate the issues.

The event, which took place in Sandton on Wednesday and Thursday, will be used as the starting point for an intensified collaboration between government, institutions of higher learning, research institutions and industry players on 5G, Icasa said in a statement.

The move could be seen as a little ironic given that South Africa still hasn’t formally issued spectrum licences for 4G, with operators reallocating 2G and 3G spectrum to deploy 4G networks.

“The forum aims to support the policy makers and the authority in making meaningful contributions to and participating in International Telecommunication Union processes for the development of regulations and standards” for 5G, it said.

“5G generally refers to technologies that provide services with extremely low latency of less than 1ms, download data speeds of more than 10Gbit/s, vast connectivity, high mobility and extremely low energy consumption,” said Icasa councillor Peter Zimri in the statement.

Icasa said it is confident that the inaugural meeting will “go a long way in bringing all parties together and sharing information that would see a proper and effective regulatory framework put in place”.

Source: NewsCentral Media