Improving …...Afrique Improving connectivity Building a better connectedAfrica AfricaCom A...

Afrique

Improving connectivityBuilding a better connected Africa

AfricaComA round-up of events at the recentedition of the show

CabsatTechnologies and solutions forsatellite communications

DiffusionLa croissance de Vibe Radio

Visitors at the recent AfricaCom

Africawww.communicationsafrica.com

Issue 1 2017Édition 1 2017

FEATURES: � Communications � Radio � EventsREGULAR REPORTS: � Agenda � Solutions

CAF 1 2017 - Cover_Layout 1 22/02/2017 17:00

S01 CAF Issue 1 2017 Start_Layout 1 22/02/2017 15:25

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Afrique

Improving connectivityBuilding a better connected Africa

AfricaComA round-up of events at the recentedition of the show

CabsatTechnologies and solutions forsatellite communications

DiffusionLa croissance de Vibe Radio

Visitors at the recent AfricaCom.

Africawww.communicationsafrica.com

Issue 1 2017Édition 1 2017

FEATURES: � Communications � Radio � EventsREGULAR REPORTS: � Agenda � Solutions

This edition of CommunicationsAfrica explores how betterconnectivity in Africa will driveopportunities in the continent,taking a closer look at wireless andmobile technology. This issue alsolooks at developments in thetelecommunications sector andfeatures innovations showcased atthe recent AfricaCom. A preview fornext month’s Cabsat show lookingat products and services from thesatellite industry is also featured.See more on eSite power systemson page 33.

Une note du rédacteurCette édition de CommunicationsAfrica explore l'essor de latechnologie sans fil et mobile. Cenuméro examine également lesdéveloppements dans le secteur destélécommunications et présente unesérie d'événements à AfricaCom2016, mettant en vedette lesexposants et les visiteurs qui ontassisté à l'émission et un aperçu del'événement du mois prochainCabsat regarder les produits etservices de l'industrie des satellites.

Bulletin 4

Events 7

Agenda 8

Solutions 33

FEATURES

Digital 11The rise of mobile telephony and the key role wireless technology plays in Africa’s economic development.

AfricaCom 20Looking at Africa’s steps towards digital connectivity, with new innovations from a number of exhibitors and other highlightsfrom the 2016 edition of the show.

Network 25Improving digital connectivity in sub-Saharan Africa through 4G connectivity.

Infrastructure 26Unlocking opportunities in mobile-enabled utility services worldwide and exploring how connectivity in Africa is enabling themto be delivered in the most remote locations.

Cabsat 30A show preview that looks at technological innovation from a host of companies in broadcast, digital media and satellitecommunications technology platform.

ARTICLES

Actualités 6Une ronde des dernières nouvelles de communications d'un certain nombre d'entreprises comprenant Ericsson et Visa.

Produits 10Nouvelles solutions pour le secteur des communications.

Diffusion 32Nous interviewons l'offre de chef de la direction de la station de radio Vibe Radio, qui utilise une technologie innovantepour compiler des listes de lecture pour ses présentateurs.

CONTENTS

www.communicationsafrica.com Communications Africa Issue 1 2017 3

Audit Bureau ofCirculations -

Business Magazines

Editor: Hiriyti Bairu - [email protected]

Editorial and Design team: Prashant AP, Miriam Brtkova, Kestell Duxbury, Ranganath GS,Rhonita Patnaik, Rahul Puthenveedu, Samantha Payne, Nicky Valsamakis, Vani Venugopal and Louise Waters

Group Editor: Georgia Lewis

Production: Kavya J, Nelly Mendes, and Sophia Pinto Email: [email protected]

Publisher: Nick Fordham

Publishing Director: Pallavi Pandey

Magazine Sales Manager: Vinay T Nair - Tel: +91 80 68888847, Email: [email protected]

Country Representative Telephone Fax EmailIndia Tanmay Mishra +91 80 65700911 [email protected]

Nigeria Bola Olowo +234 8034349299 [email protected]

UAE Graham Brown +971 4 448 9260 +971 4 448 9261 [email protected]

UK Michael Ferridge +44 20 7834 7676 +44 20 7973 0076 [email protected]

USA Michael Tomashefsky +1 203 226 2882 +1 203 226 7447 [email protected]

Head Office: Middle East Regional Office:Alain Charles Publishing Ltd Alain Charles Middle East FZ-LLCUniversity House Office L2-112, Loft Office 2,11-13 Lower Grosvenor Place Entrance B, PO Box 502207London SW1W 0EX, United Kingdom Dubai Media City, UAETelephone: +44 20 7834 7676 Telephone: +971 4 448 9260Fax: +44 20 7973 0076 Fax: +971 4 448 9261

Subscriptions: [email protected]: Derek FordhamPrinted by: Buxton Press Printed in: February 2017Communications Africa/Afrique is a bi-monthly magazine ISSN: 0962 3841 Serving the world of business

A note from the Editor

Main Cover Image: SuthamCover Inset: TEOCO


Communications Africa Issue 1 20174

BULLETIN

Ethiopia reveals plans to launch carrier rocketTHE MINISTRY OF Science and Technology announced Ethiopia isconstructing a medium-sized satellite launching rocket that will be in itsfinal stages of completion within the next three years. Ministry publicrelations director Wondwosen Andualem stated that a prototype of thecarrier rocket had been created. He said, “Efforts are underway to launcha medium sized rocket into space within the next three years.”

Ericsson strengthens partnership with Cisco carrierrocketERICSSON AND CISCO are extending their strategic partnership toinclude a new Wi-Fi solutions offering, named Evolved EWN. Thecompany aims to offer reliable Wi-Fi with the highest performance toEricsson's mobile, cable and other industries customers. EWN bringstogether Ericsson’s 3GPP access, core networks and applications withCisco’s Wi-Fi portfolio. The Wi-Fi solution is expected to offer reliable,high performance Wi-Fi to Ericsson’s mobile, cable and other industriescustomers. “Our strategic partnership brings together the capabilities oftwo leading players in networking, mobility and cloud, creating the bestend-to-end solutions and opportunities for our customers,” said RimaQureshi, head of region North America responsible for the strategicpartnership with Cisco and Ericsson.

Eutelsat to broadcast HD channels across MENA regionCHINA CENTRAL TELEVISION has entered a long-term deal with EutelsatCommunications to broadcast three of its flagship channels in HighDefinition (HD) across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.CCTV-4 HD, CGTN HD (formerly CCTV News) and CGTN-Documentary HD(formerly CCTV Documentary) are now available in HD in Chinese andEnglish from the high-power HOTBIRD satellites. The channels broadcastfree-to-air and complement Standard Digital versions already availablefrom the region’s leading broadcasting neighbourhood.Eutelsat currently broadcasts on seven Eutelsat satellites servingEurope, Africa and the Middle East.

Microsoft signs deal with Ecobank in support ofAfrican governments MICROSOFT AND ECOBANK have signed a memorandum of understanding(MOU) to complement African government efforts to modernise and raisethe standards of the continent's major cities through digital solutions. TheMOU will see the modernisation of sectors that will have the mostimmediate and significant impact for African countries. These sectors will

include bursary disbursements and school fee collections in the educationsector: market shop and small vendor municipality collections, vehicle anddriving licensing as well as eVisa and ePassport fee collections. Theagreement also supports the implementation of a comprehensive e-skillsand a digital literacy programme.

SEACOM joins forces with ShowMaxSHOWMAX THE AFRICAN Video on Demand (VOD) service is workingalongside SEACOM to improve customer experience for faster contentdelivery and less buffering. The deal will see the company host ShowMaxcaching servers in Nairobi, enabling peering to take place with localInternet service providers (ISPs).“The net effect of placing caching servers in Nairobi is that customerscan pull video content from much closer to home, which means fasterresponse time and less buffering. This move also lays the groundwork forfurther expansion in East Africa as we continue to roll out ShowMax innew countries,” said ShowMax head of distribution Mike Raath.

Zimbabwe’s digital migration progress now 34 per centZIMBABWE'S DIGITAL TRANSITION in broadcasting is a way to ensurethat the country adopts international standards for broadcasting andcontent distribution through digital channels is 34 per cent complete.According to a report in The Herald, this information was shared by ObertMuganyura, the chief executive officer of the Broadcasting Authority ofZimbabwe (BAZ). He also highlighted the outstanding payments ofUS$42.4mn to be made to Huawei and other service providers that havebeen brought on to assist in the digital migration exercise.

Mastercard launches new mobile platform in East AfricaMASTERCARD TODAY LAUNCHED 2KUZE, a digital platform thatconnects smallholder farmers, agents, buyers and banks in East Africa.2KUZE enables farmers to buy, sell and receive payments foragricultural goods via their feature phones. The platform brings thebenefits and security of mobile commerce and payments to farmers inKenya, Uganda and Tanzania. 2KUZE was launched in 2015 to develop practical and cost-effective financial tools that expand accessand help build stable futures for more than 100mn people globally.Through a US$11mn grant from the Bill & Melinda GatesFoundation, the Lab is working with East African entrepreneurs,governments and other stakeholders to develop local products rooted inthe company's global knowhow.

Vivo Energy partners with Orange on mobile money service VIVO ENERGY AND Orange have entered an agreement that will allowOrange Money customers to cash in and cash out money from theirOrange Money account and pay in any Shell service station operated by Vivo Energy. The services - already available in Mali, Cote d'Ivoire andMadagascar - will be extended to the rest of the common footprint by mid-2017. The Pan-African partnership will cover nine countries (Botswana, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali,Mauritius, Senegal and Tunisia) where both companies overlap and whereOrange Money is available.

MTN renews contract with IMImobile MTN HAS ANNOUNCED it will renew its contract with cloudcommunications software and solutions provider IMImobile to push thegrowth of its digital services. The new deal will see IMImobile supportMTN to optimise the customer experience for rich digital content servicesand additional features including Facebook Messenger, pushnotifications and IMImobile’s chatbot solution. “MTN is pleased to renew the contract with IMImobile and looks forward toaccelerating the growth of its already successful digital lifestyle servicesportfolio with new capabilities, products and services delivered under thisagreement,” said Herman Singh, chief digital officer of MTN group.

The new rocket will be launched within the next three years. (Photo: Sergey Nivens)

www.communicationsafrica.com


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BULLETIN

Le lancement d'Intelsat 33e améliore la couvertureen Afrique LE DERNIER SATELLITE d'Intelsat, Intelsat 33e, a passé tous les tests enorbite pour entrer en service cette semaine, étendant la couverture à desmillions d'utilisateurs finaux supplémentaires aux quatre coins du globe,y compris en Afrique. Le satellite Intelsat 33e est le second des satellitesà haut débit (HTS) EpicNG d'Intelsat. Fabriqué par Boeing et lancé en août2016, le satellite est équipé de la charge utile la plus avancée de tous lesengins spatiaux commerciaux, si l'on en croit les déclarations d'Intelsat.

2Mauritius' IOX projette de construire un câbleinternational pour relier l'Inde à l'Afrique SELON UN RAPPORT publié par le cabinet de conseil Balancing Act, unnouveau projet de câble aurait pour ambition de relier Maurice àl'Afrique et à l'Inde. Arun Kandasamy, President directeur général de IOX(anciennement SEACOM), souhaite faire de Maurice un nouveau pôled'implantation commerciale. Le projet permettrait à long terme defaciliter l'entrée des entreprises indiennes sur les marchés africains.Kandasamy explique que l'idée du câble IOX lui est venue lorsqu'il a prisconscience du potentiel économique de Maurice. Le pays peut devenir «une platforme commerciale pour les entreprises Indiennes en Afrique »puisqu'il occupe « une position géographique idéale pour stocker lesdonnées d'Afrique. » En lire plus sur www.balancingact-africa.com/

Metro lance un nouveau site web de divertissementen RDC LES FONDATEURS DU groupe Metro, experts du secteur destélécommunications et d'Internet, on lancé l'un des plus grands sitesWeb de divertissement en République démocratique du Congo.La société a également créé une agence numérique dédiée à la gestiondes marques qui souhaitaient apparaître sur le site. Metro a poursuiviavec le lancement d'une chaîne de télévision Web consacrée à lamusique. Elle crée aujourd'hui du contenu que diffusent les stations deTV locales. À l'occasion du lancement initial du site Web, les fondateurs du groupeMetro expliquaient : « La RDC regorge de talents, mais comme personnen'avait l'opportunité de les découvrir, nous avons décidé de créer uneplatforme pour les faire connaître au public. »« Nous avons lancé le projet lorsque la 3G a émergé et a permis aumarché d'accéder à Internet. Mais à l'époque, il n'existait pas decontenu web local. »

Ericsson signe un contrat avec la 20th Century Foxpour les films d'animation Dream WorksERICSSON A CONCLU UN accord avec le géant international de ladistribution de contenu, 20th Century Fox Television Distribution, pour

son service de vidéo à la demande (Video On demand ou VOD), Nuvu. Laseconde étape de l'accord assurera la distribution des films d'animationde Dream Works et autres franchises cinématographiquesinternationales dans diverses régions de l'Afrique subsaharienne, dansde multiples langues.Nuvu est un service VOD complet proposé sur abonnement et développépar Ericsson pour les opérateurs mobiles des marchés émergents. « Thorsten Sauer, chef de la diffusion et des services de médiasexpliquaient: L'accord passé avec 20th Century Fox TelevisionDistribution pour la distribution de longs-métrages marque un jalonimportant pour Ericsson qui a pour ambition de développer son nouveauservice d'abonnement VOD, Nuvu. »

Le MTN lance un nouveau service mobile de transfertd'argent du Cameroun vers 25 pays d'AfriqueMTN MOBILE MONEY permet à l'utilisateur d'envoyer de l'argent vers 25pays d'Afrique depuis son compte MTN Mobile Money. »« »C'est lemessage que fait circuler depuis déjà plusieurs jours la filialecamerounaise du géant sud-africain des télécommunications, MTN.Le service Mobile Money cible des pays tels que le Congo, la Côte d'Ivoire,le Gabon, le Ghana, la Guinée, le Kenya, le Lesotho, le Liberia,Madagascar, le Malawi, le Mali, le Mozambique, le Niger, le Nigeria, etc.MTN a même anticipé des scénarios de transfert d'argent transcontinentaloù le bénéficiaire ne possède pas de compte Money Mobile. Lefonctionnement est très simple: il suffit d'entrer les nom et prénom dudestinataire et le montant à envoyer pour valider la transaction.Offrant la possibilité d'envoyer des fonds vers 25 pays d'Afrique, MTNCameroun occupe désormais une position privilégiée dans un segmentdu marché où la société bénéficie, en outre, de l'appui d'un partenairede renom : British WorldRemit.

Nouveau réseau par satellite en AfriqueKWESÉ TV, LE PLUS récent des réseaux par satellite disponibles enAfrique, fournira une sélection de programmes sportifs et dedivertissement à divers pays, dans toutes les régions d'Afrique.Le service sera d'abord disponible au Ghana, au Rwanda et en Zambie,avant d'être déployé à d'autres pays, en temps voulu. Lestéléspectateurs de ces pays peuvent désormais accéder auxprogrammes de Kwesé TV via le propre satellite de Kwesé et un décodeurdisponible auprès des principaux détaillants. « Que vous optiez pourl'abonnement au bouquet complet de Kwesé TV, que vous regardiez defantastiques programmes sportifs diffusés en clair, ou que vouspréfériez regarder la télé sur un appareil mobile, notre ambition est dedevenir le choix premier pour les téléspectateurs de toute l'Afrique. Nousleur proposerons les meilleurs programmes, à un prix abordable,permettant à un nombre d'utilisateurs encore jamais atteint d'accéder ànos chaînes », affirme Joseph Hundah, président d'Econet Media et PDGdu groupe.

Visa entre en partenariat avec Atlas MaraVISA, MULTINATIONALE SPÉCIALISTE des technologies de paiement, aconclu un partenariat commercial avec Atlas Mara, société mère de BankABC, pour développer le paiement électronique et l'inclusion financièreen Afrique subsaharienne. Via ce partenariat, les banques d'Atlas Marapourront offrir à leur clientèle de nouveaux moyens d'effectuer destransactions, méthodes qui seront à la fois plus pratiques et plus sûres,selon une déclaration faite hier.« Les habitants de toute l'Afrique ont besoin de services financiers pluscomplets et plus fiables, et Atlas Mara joue un rôle prépondérant au seinde ce processus», affirme Andrew Torre, responsable national du groupepour Visa Afrique subsaharienne. « Ce partenariat permet à Atlas Mara dedéployer les ressources et les solutions de paiement mondiales de Visa,avancée qui a le potentiel de transformer le commerce, les paiementsmobiles et l'inclusion financière à travers l'Afrique », ajoute-t-il.

Intelsat 33e a terminé avec succès tous les tests en orbite (Photo: Intelsat)




EVENTS

7www.communicationsafrica.com

IN A KEYNOTE by Qualcomm CEO SteveMollenkopf at CES 2017 held 9-12 January inLas Vegas, USA - he explored how the 5Gnetwork would change the world, supporting avariety of devices with “unprecedented scale,speed and complexity”.

During his keynote Mollenkopf stated, "5Gwill be the tipping point that builds on LTE andfinally enables IoT". Qualcomm introduced theSnapdragon 835, the first 10 nanometermobile processor that can deliver extendedbattery life, built-in security, eye-basedauthentication, secure audio, on-devicemachine learning and immersive experiences.

Plank took the keynote stage andhighlighted the importance of brandingsaying that “the key to any brand is to havepersonality and point of view.” Under Armouris innovating by putting technology front andcenter, investing US$1bn in health and fitnesstech. Plank noted three new models of thecompany’s Record Equipped shoes, whichgive performance results based on workouts.Michael Phelps joined Plank onstage to demo the shoes and talkabout UA Healthbox, powered by UA Record,the world’s first connected fitness system.The keynote came to a close with theunveiling of a new line of sleep apparel,dubbed Rest Win Repeat, in collaborationwith Patriot’s quarterback Tom Brady,designed to rebuild the body while it rests

through infrared technology.The annual Leaders in Technology Dinner

was also another highlight welcoming industryexecutives and influencers who were joined byglobal government officials. Ford Presidentand CEO Mark Fields shared the company'svision for how the future of mobility will betransformed by connectivity. "Imagine whatcould happen when the way you get aroundlooks completely different. Cities will change.The way we work and play and socialize willtransform. And it will all be enabled byconnectivity," said Fields. He noted that FordSync is expanding to deliver cloud-basedservices and this will enable all Ford vehiclesto be controlled remotely with the FordPassapp. He also reiterated Ford's new partnershipwith Toyota to form the SmartDeviceLink

Consortium to establish industry-drivenstandards for in-vehicle apps.

CES 2017 also hosted SuperSessions andconference tracks focused on technology trendsand policy issues, including C Space Storytellersand the Sports Business Innovation Track.

Some other events that took place includeda session hosted by Facebook that sawAndrew “Boz” Bosworth, VP of ads & businessplatforms, Facebook sit alongside Sony’s JoshGreenstein, president of worldwide marketing& distribution at the company, to discuss howmobile and social media platforms areshaping Sony’s marketing campaigns to reachtargeted audiences. Bosworth stressed thatFacebook provides a number of platforms formarketing customization and distribution totargeted audiences.

CES 2017 was a success attracting anestimated 180,000 visitors. The ‘Stars of CESAwards’ presented by What Hi-Fi recognisedthe top 10 audio and video products launchedat the event. The complete list of winners canbe found at www.WhatHiFi.com. Commentingon this year’s show Bridget Karlin, managingdirector, IOT, Intel said, “CES 2017 was aglobal showcase that demonstrated that weare in a new era of innovation wheretechnology is valued not just for the devices itproduces but for the experiences it makespossible,” said Bridget Karlin, managingdirector, IOT, Intel.

Highlights from CES 2017

FEBRUARY/FÉVRIER22-23 Ecommerce Africa Cape Town, South Africa www.ecommerce-africa.com

22-23 Mobile IT Krakow, Poland www.targi.krakow.pl

27-2 Mobile World Congress Barcelona, Spain www.mobileworldcongress.com

MARCH/MARS1-3 The Blockchain Africa Conference 2017 Johannesburg, South Africa www.blockchainafrica.co

5-9 CIS Dusseldorf, Germany www.eurocis-tradefair.com

19-23 OFC Los Angeles Los Angeles, USA www.ofcconference.org

20-24 CeBIT Hanover, Germany www.cebit.de

21-23 CABSAT Dubai, UAE www.cabsat.com

22-23 Cashless Africa Lagos, Nigeria www.cashlessafrica.com

29-30 International Wireless Communications Expo Las Vegas, USA www.iwceexpo.com

APRIL/AVRIL1-3 Vietnam International Broadcast & AV Show Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam www.vibashow.com.vn

5-7 Med-e-Tel Luxembourg www.medetel.eu

21-27 Nabshow Las Vegas, USA www.nabshow.com

27-28 IOT Global Congress 2017 London, UK www.iotglobalcongress.com

Events/Événements 2017

The opening day of CES 2017. (Photo: CES 2017)


THE KENYAN GOVERNMENT has rolled out the first12,000 digital devices in 150 primary schoolscountrywide at the piloting phase of its DigitalLiteracy programme (DLP).The digital programme to be completed by March

2017 aims to deliver over 1.2mn devices to all its23,951 public primary schools targeting class one andtwo pupils at a cost of US$290mn.The devices include tablets for pupils and laptops

for teachers. The digital devices are loaded with theKenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD)-approved contents for classes one and two.In the last two years, more than 66,000 teachers

have been trained on the use of these devices forlearning and teaching purposes.To effectively use these devices in all primary

schools, a massive rural electrification programmehas connected more than 22,235 schools to thenational power grid with the Energy Ministry in thefinal stages of connecting the remaining institutions.Two consortia-comprising local universities

and foreign firms have been contracted to undertakethe project.The two consortia are Jomo Kenyatta University of

Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT)/Positivo BGHand Moi University/JP Courto.Most of these devices are assembled locally at the

universities although the remainder is currently being

imported mainly from China.JKUAT has a capacity to assemble 750,000 devices

annually creating 3,000 jobs for locals engineeringgraduates.In one of the schools where the devices are

currently being used in teaching and learning, theyhave elicited interest and excitement in the 5-7 yearpupils in classes one and two. “ I happy we will beable to watch cartoons in class,” said Tasmin Abdalla,a seven year old pupils at Sparki Primary School inthe Mombasa County.The school received 80 learners’ tablets

and two laptops for teachers as well as a projectorand a WiFi device.


AGENDA

8

FACEBOOK HAS PARTNERED with theInternational Centre for LeadershipDevelopment Nigeria (ICLDNG) tolaunch a safety centre for teenagers,parents and educators, with the aimof making the Internet a safe andsecure environment for communities.

According to Vanguard Media, thesafety centre provides users withadvice on safe and secure ways ofsharing information.

The Facebook safety centre alsoincludes the bullying prevention hubthat seeks to educate teenagers,parents and educators on ways toprevent bullying.

Felix Iziomoh, executive director ofICLDNG said, “We’re pleased topartner with Facebook to helpeducate people about how they canstay safe online. We believe in thepositive uses of technology and weare happy to play a role in helping tocreate a better and safer onlinecommunity.”

BHARTI AIRTEL HAS announced thatRajeev Sethi, will be the new chiefcommercial officer for its Africadivision. He will report to RaghunathMandava, MD and CEO, Airtel Africa.Rajeev’s new role will see himundertake responsiblity for theformulation and implementation ofcustomer-centric commercialstrategies across all the Africancountries Airtel operates: BurkinaFaso, Chad, DR Congo Republic of theCongo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya,Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria,Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,

Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Rajeev will be working on theconsumer and enterprise businessescovering products and pricing,distribution, brand and customerexperience, Airtel noted. Speaking about the new appoinment,Raghunath Mandava said, "We aredelighted to welcome Rajeev to theAirtel Africa team. With his vastexperience across a range ofdeveloping markets, Rajeev willcontribute immensely in acceleratingour growth journey. I am confidentthat Rajeev will take the Airtel brandto greater heights".Rajeev brings with him more than 21years of diverse experience acrossseveral sectors such as Telecom, IT,Paints and Petroleum. Up until hisnew appointment, Rajeev wasworking at the Telenor group formore than seven years. In his lastrole, he was as chief executive officerof Grameen Phone, the biggestoperator in Bangladesh.In 1997, Rajeev recieved an MBA fromthe Indian Institute of Management,in Lucknow and graduated as anelectrical engineer from GujaratUniversity in 1993.

Class one and two pupils are set to benefit from theDigital Literacy Programme.

Airtel Africa appoints new chief commercial officer

TANZANIA TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY Ltd (TTCL) is seekingUS$300mn funding to roll out its communication strategy acrossthe country by December, this year.TTCL acting chief executive officer Waziri Kindamba noted that

the funding will be needed to launch phase one of the company'sstrategy that will see all regions covered by stable communicationservices, including the newly launched 4G LTE.Addressing the crowd at the launch, Kindamba said there was a

chance of securing the funds any time from now, as thegovernment has granted the firm’s request to use its resources toseek loans from financing institutions.Tanzania Investment Bank (TIB) and other banks have shown

interest in the deal whose success will result into furtherexpansion of TTCL's infrastructure. "We are now implementing our ambitious strategic plan on

massive investment, with the firm targeting to cover the entirecountry with affordable and reliable services," Kindamba said. The acting chief executive officer was confident that TTCL will

soon strengthen its presence in the communication industry, withthe support of Tanzanians working to meet the company’s missionand goals.Although other privately owned companies were leading in

service provision, Kindamba, noted that government support toTTCL and increasing subscription by Tanzanians will enable thecompany to regain its market presence.TTCL's richness in data supply and crucial infrastructure such

as fibre optic and based networks make the communicationcompany highly competitive in the market.Launching the 4G LTE, Mwanza regional commissioner John

Mongela said the communications industry has experienced growthvery quickly, bringing both opportunities and challenges to TTCL.

Facebook partnership tohelp local communitiesto stay safe online

TTCL to launch new communication services in Tanzania


Airtel operates in 17 African countries.(Photo: Rameshng/wikimediacommons)

Kenya launches Digital Literacy Programme

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AGENDA

9

SUDATEL TELECOM GROUP exhibited its new productsfor the first time at this year’s Mobile World Congress(MWC) held in Barcelona, following the easing of UStrade sanctions against Sudan.The company offers both mobile and fixed (voice

and data) services to businesses, residents and ISPsacross North and West Africa, as well as the provisionof wholesale services to globall carriers. Sudatel recently announced it will increase its

spending in its domestic and pan-African operationsduring 2017, to meet a rising demand for improvedquality in telecom services rolled out across the region.The show provided Sudatel a platform to showcase

its capabilities, achievements and corporate strategicdirection and explore potential business partners,suppliers and customers on a global scale. Sudatelwill continue to play a key role in connecting Africaand the Middle East to the rest of the world. Sudatel is partially owned by the Sudanese

government and listed on both the Khartoum and AbuDhabi Stock Exchange markets.Sudani, the domestic operator provides 4G and 3G

mobile and fixed broadband services to customersand businesses in Sudan; mobile financial services,including the country’s first mobile money service,under the “Gorooshi” brand; and other digitalservices including an app store built primarily forconsumers in North Africa for whom many

international apps are not relevant, with localsoftware developers encouraged to customiseregional apps.

“We are an ambitious company which realisesthat a high quality telecom service is vital to upliftingpeople’s lives through our region’s economicdevelopment,” said Tarig Hamza Zain El Abdein, CEOof The Sudatel Telecom Group.“We have a well-framed vision and mission and

will continue to work hard to ensure that we maintainour position as one of the most reliable ICT providersin North Africa,” he added. Sudatel was sponsoring the Sudan Pavilion at

Mobile World Congress this year.

MOKASH, A NEW platform tohelp MTN mobile moneysubscribers save and borrowmoney has been introduced. MTN Rwanda, together with

Commercial Bank of Africa(CBA), launched the savings andloans product, which enablesregistered MTN Mobile Moneycustomers to save, earn interestand to take loans on a shortterm basis using their mobiles.The new product is part of

the Rwandan government’swider efforts to transformRwanda into a cashlesseconomy, stated Clave Gatetethe minister for finance andeconomic planning."The launch of MoKash in

Rwanda is in line with thegovernment's objective ofmaking Rwanda a cash-lesstransaction economy," ministerGatete told The New Timesfollowing its launch in Kigali.

Last year’s Mobile World Congress saw more than100,000 visitors. (Photo: GSMA)

Sudatel Telecom Group exhibits for first time at MWC 2017 MTN launches mobilemoney service



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LE SÉNÉGAL VIENT d'annoncer un projetd'introduction de devise numérique dans la régionqui fonctionnera parallèlement au CFA actuel. LaBanque régionale de marchés (BRM) s'est associée àeCurrency Mint Limited (eCurrency) pour fournir unedevise numérique dans l'Union économique etmonétaire ouest africaine (UEMOA).Le Sénégal se pose en pionnier des devises

numériques et de l'adoption des technologies dechaînes de blocs. L'État ouest Africain du Sénégalpourrait bientôt contribuer à la révolution des devisesnumériques en lançant l'eCFA.L'eCFA est la version numérique des francs CFA

utilisés par des États indépendants d'Afrique del'Ouest. L'eCFA, dont le lancement est prévu en 2017,sera progressivement mis en place par la Banquerégionale de marchés, la banque régionale du Sénégal.« Nous sommes déterminés à fournir des services

financiers numériques et une véritable intégrationfinancière à l'Afrique de l'Ouest », a récemmentdéclaré Alioune Camara, directeur de la BRM. « Un eCFA soutenu par notre système bancaire et

la banque centrale est le moyen le plus sûr destimuler l'économie numérique. Nous pouvonsdésormais garantir une interopérabilité totale entretous les systèmes de paiement en devise numérique.

C'est un grand bond en avant pour l'Afrique ».Vingt pour cent seulement des Africains ont accès

aux services bancaires de base; des modes detransaction électroniques fiables sont donc lemeilleur moyen de garantir l'intégration financière.« eCurrency aura pour mission de préserver

l'aspect sûr et inclusif du papier-monnaie physiquedans notre monde numérique à la croissancesoutenue. Cette mission importante, nous l'avonsmenée à bien dans la région UEMOA grâce à la miseen œuvre de l'eCFA par la BRM », a affirmé JonathanDharmapalan, fondateur et directeur d'eCurrency.


AGENDA

10

L'APPLI MOBILE « DJANGUI »crée des emplois au Cameroun. Une nouvelle applicationlancée par le Camerounais JulesGuilain Kenfack permet desécuriser les transactionsfinancières, et limite les tracasliés à l'organisation de tontines. D'après Kenfack, l'appli sertprincipalement à organiser desréunions ou des tontines enligne en Europe et en Afrique,que ce soit sur Android, suriPhone ou sur ordinateur. « À mesure que les gensprennent connaissance desavantages de l'appli et que lenombre de clients augmente, denouveaux emplois sont crééspour toutes les catégories depersonnes », a récemmentdéclaré Kenfack. Plus de 4 500personnes ont adoptél'application à travers le monde,dont environ 900 au Cameroun.

LE GOUVERNEMENT BURUNDAISs'apprête à lancer la transition de latélévision analogique à la télévisionnumérique qu'il a annoncée.

« A partir d’aujourd’hui, et pournous acquitter des obligationsinternationales auxquelles le Burundia souscrites à travers l’Accord deGenève 2006, notre pays vaprogressivement et sûrement assurerle passage de la télédiffusionanalogique vers la télédiffusionnumérique », a déclaré le présidentdu Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, dansson discours lors de la cérémonied'inauguration de la télédiffusionnumérique qui a eu lieu en décembre,à la télévision nationale burundaise.

Nkurunziza a rappelé que leBurundi était censé mettreprogressivement en place latélédiffusion numérique à compter du17 juin 2015, et s'est excusé au nom dugouvernement burundais de n'avoirpas respecté la date fixée à l'origine. « Que tout le monde trouveici les excuses du Gouvernement », a-t-il déclaré.

Nestor Bankumukunzi, ministre desPostes, des Technologies de

l'information, de la Communication etdes Médias, a précisé que même si latransition vers la télévisionnumérique avait été avalisée en 2006,la concrétisation de l'accord n'adébuté qu'en 2010.

« Plusieurs commissions ad hocont été créées pour préparer leterrain. Le cadre juridique etstatutaire a également dû être défini.Il a ensuite fallu obtenir les fonds », a-t-il indiqué.

M. Bankumukunzi a loué la sociétéChinoise Exim Bank pour ses efforts,ainsi que le gouvernement Chinoispour sa participation à la fourniture dedécodeurs de télévision numérique,qui a permis au projet de décoller.

Le président Nkurunziza a ajoutéque la transition vers le numériqueserait progressive: elle démarrera de lamunicipalité de Bujumbura, puis sepoursuivra vers la province deBujumbura, le centre du pays, etdevrait finir par couvrir tout le pays. Leministre de la Communication aannoncé que les possesseurs de postesde télévision analogiques recevront undécodeur de télévision numériqueavant leur achat de postes numériques.

Le Sénégal se pose en pionnier des devises numériqueset de l'adoption des technologies de chaînes de blocs.(Photo: Dereje/shutterstock)

Le Burundi passe de la télévision analogique à latélévision numérique

UN CÂBLE SOUS-MARIN, qui fera bénéficier la corne de l'Afrique d'uneredondance de l'accès à Internet, devrait voir le jour pour un coût deUS$ 56,9mn.Le Djibouti-Africa Regional Express (DARE), long de 4,700 km,

devrait être fabriqué par un partenariat de gouvernements etd'opérateurs téléphoniques de la région.Au Kenya, une participation de 11,1mn à la construction a été

proposée aux actionnaires de The East African Marine Cable System(TEAMS).Le TEAMS est l'un des quatre câbles sous-marins touchant terre au

Kenya, et appartient à la fois au gouvernement et au secteur privé.« Nous sommes en pleins pourparlers pour le câble DARE, mais les

parties discutent encore du budget en interne. Aucun engagement fermen'a encore été pris », a déclaré le directeur général du TEAMS, Joel Tanui.Dans un récent entretien, le secrétaire principal aux TIC et à

l'Innovation, Victor Kaylo, a souligné que le gouvernement étudiait luiaussi la proposition, et n'avait pas encore alloué de fonds au projet.Le câble desservira le Kenya, la Tanzanie, Djibouti, le Yémen et la

Somalie. Au début de l'année, Djibouti Télécom a annoncé avoir concludes accords pour la construction et la maintenance du câble avec septentreprises de télécommunications, dont aucune n'est kenyane.Toutefois, la société a précisé que la connectivité pouvait égalementêtre prolongée jusqu'à Mombasa.Le DARE disposera d'une capacité de 20 térabits, surpassant

largement tous les autres câbles reliant le Kenya. Le câble, dontl'achèvement est pressenti pour mai 2018, jouera le rôle de redondancepour l'actuel réseau de câbles sous-marins, et contribuera à satisfairela demande locale croissante en accès à Internet. M. Tanui a indiqué que là où le TEAMS est relié au trafic mondial via

les Émirats arabes unis (EAU), le DARE y sera connecté via Djibouti.

L'appli mobile « Djangui »crée des emplois auCameroun

Le Sénégal s'associe à eCurrency pour lancer une devise numérique en Afrique de l'Ouest

Djibouti investit US$56,9mn dans un câble sous-marin d'accès à Internet



DIGITALApps

Communications Africa Issue 1 2017 11www.communicationsafrica.com

Wireless technology in Africa is surging ahead by leaps and bounds and is playing acrucial role in enabling economic activity to overcome the infrastructural handicap thathas proved to be such an impediment to development in past decade.

Wireless apps providing the development catalyst

WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY IN Africais surging ahead by leaps andbounds and is playing a crucialrole in enabling economic

activity to overcome the infrastructuralhandicap that has proved to be such animpediment to development in past decades.The convergence of new wirelesstechnologies, low-cost handhelds, broad andreliable wireless coverage combined with theend-use innovations has opened the door tonew possibilities. The rapid growth in mobiletelephony over the past decade is the most

documented form of wireless use in Africa. However, it is the growth in wireless

applications in health, agriculture andeducation that from a developmentperspective is perhaps the most exciting. At theDavos economic summit held earlier last yearthere was much talk about Africa’s role in this“fourth industrial revolution”. A number ofapps and online stores that are based onAndroid-powered tablets with software toenable quick and easy ordering, inventorychecking and real-time tracking, are springingup all over Africa.Examples include Ghana’s renowned

CocoaLink project, which provides farming,social and marketing information to thecountry’s cocoa farmers. CocoaLink waslaunched in 2011 as a public–privatepartnership programme between the GhanaCocoa Board (COCOBOD) and the PennsylvaniaUS-based confectionary giant Hershey. Overthe years, the project has been much studiedand emulated as a positive example of the role

mobile technology can play in ruraldevelopment. This July, COCOBOD hosted a 23-member students’ delegation from the MiltonHershey School, Pennsylvania, on aneducational tour of the country’s cocoaindustry and to familiarise themselves with theoperations of CocoaLink. Also launched in Ghana is Esoko, which

deals with the problem of price discovery byenabling farmers in the rural regions to accessthe best prices for their products at localmarkets. In July, the Alliance for a GreenRevolution in Africa (AGRA) announced anUS$867,788 grant to Esoko for theimplementation of a 36-month MasterCardFoundation project to boost the supply ofagricultural inputs for smallholder farmers. Ituses an innovative technology solution calledFasiba. This is an M-Commerce solution, whichfacilitates the buying and selling of goods andservices through wireless handheld devicessuch as cellular telephone and personal digitalassistants (PDAs).

Esoko deals with theproblem of price discoveryby enabling farmers in therural regions to access the

best prices for theirproducts at local markets

Mobile telephony inAfrica has grown rapidly

over the last decade.

Photo: D

aniel M Ernst

S04 CAF Issue 1 2017 Wirerless Technologies_Layout 1 22/02/2017 15:10

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In August, Esoko extended its reach intonorthern Ghana’s Savannah ecological zonewith the opening of a branch in Tamale.Northern Ghana is described as the nation’sfood basket and the aim of the branch is tolink smallholder farmers to improve theirefficiency. Esoko is also being used in morethan 10 other African countries. Anotherexample of wireless technology in agricultureis the ‘iCow’ app agricultural informationservice that is available as a subscriptionservice in Kenya. The service helps farmersenhance the productivity of their cows. And bytracking each cow individually, it assists in theprevention and cure of milk related diseasesby maintaining all the relevant informationspecific to each animal.Meanwhile, the rise of mobile technology in

Africa’s health sector is also growing. TheSouth African remote temperature monitoringsolution provider Beyond Wireless recentlyshowcased a wireless app in this crucial sector.In November, it announced the launch in Africaof a real time temperature monitoring solution ColdCloud. The technology, which isalready available outside Africa, has beendescribed by Beyond Wireless as “a simple,user-friendly African solution to the globalchallenge of monitoring the vaccine cold chain,which helps to prevent millions of deaths inthird world countries.”In South Africa, it is used by the South

African National Blood Service (SANBS),Dischem Pharmacy, United PharmaceuticalDistributors (part of the Clicks Group), Netcarepharmacy, and a number of otherpharmaceutical companies. Beyond Wirelessfounder and chief executive officer, Ian Lester

said, “The ColdCloud is the only solutionavailable in South Africa, and one of only fourin the world, that is WHO-PQS approved as wellas ISO 9001:2008 certified.” In February 2015,legislation was promulgated that requiredanybody who stores and distributes or sellsvaccines to have a WHO Performance Qualityand Safety (WHO-PQS) certified monitoringdevice on their refrigerators.African countries are often ill equipped to

transport, store and distribute vaccines.ColdCloud aims to combat this problem. Itcomprises a web portal and a GSM enabledbattery powered remote temperaturemonitoring device called an ice3 that has a run-time of 7-10 years without the need to rechargeor replace the battery pack. The device sits inthe fridge and monitors power supply, doorposition and temperature, and escalatesalarms via email, SMS and via a smart-phoneapp when anything goes wrong.The solution is accessible from any standard

browser or smart device with an Internetconnection. The launch aims to align SouthAfrica’s pharmaceutical industry withinternational best practice. This ‘best practice’includes constant temperature monitoring ofvaccines at every leg of the cold chain, whichmust be stored between 2˚C and 8˚C. Being completely off the grid makes the ice3immune to damage from spikes, surges,brownouts and blackouts. Beyond Wireless has partnered with global

NGOs and health organisations, including theWHO, UNICEF and the International Committeeof the Red Cross, to monitor pharmaceuticaland vaccine cold chains in third worldcountries. In 2017, the company will be

embarking on a two-year study in collaborationwith a major pharmaceuticals manufacturer tocollect data to determine the true state of thecold chain.The technology will aid in answering that

question, although as Lester concedes, it’s acomplex issue because of the length of thesupply chain and the number of differentparties that are involved. But, as Lester says,“the technology is in our opinion still ahead ofits time... I believe the market will be ready forit in three to five years from now when real-timetemperature monitoring and stockmanagement becomes a de facto part ofrefrigeration technology.”But despite the success of this and similar

apps in South Africa rolling this type oftechnology out continent-wide, it faces anumber of daunting communicationchallenges. According to data compiled byDisrupt Africa and released at this year’s AfricaDigital Summit, there is a wide disparity ofopportunity for e-tech, which is very unequallyspread across Africa. Findings from theInternational Telecommunication Union (ITU’s)2015 Measuring the Information Society Reportconclude that the chances of accessing theInternet and benefitting from it are considerablyhigher within the urban area of an Africancountry with a coastline, than anywhere else.In addition, the top three destinations for

tech investors are still South Africa, Nigeria andKenya both in terms of numbers of deals andtotal amount of funding. Until this inequality isdealt with, access to e-services will remainpatchy thereby hampering the realisation ofwireless technology’s full potential fordevelopment in Africa.�

The ColdCloud solution fromBeyond Wireless.

Photo: B

eyond W

ireless

DIGITALApps



QUOTES

14 www.communicationsafrica.com

“Mobile money serviceshave gained momentum in

a number of countries across thecontinent, led by operators, likeOrange looking to add to theirportfolio value-added services.”

- David Mureithexecutive vice presidentVivo Energy

“The net effect of placingcaching servers in Nairobi is

that customers can pull videocontent from much closer tohome, which means fasterresponse time and less buffering.”

- Mike Raath head of distributionShowMax

“Finding the rightinformation is a daily

challenge for telco engineerstasked with boosting networkquality. MIKA taps into the powerof the Nokia AVA platform toprovide quick and accurateanswers, avoiding time wastedon fruitless searches.”

- Igor Leprince head of global servicesNokia

“The commitment by MTNto sponsor the GHA

initiative will help to furtherdevelop a Pan-Africanperspective of the history andprospects of the continent andits diasporas, based on scientificfindings.”

- Ali Moussa-Iyechief: history and memory for dialogueUNESCO

“The digital revolution hassparked a new age of

communication. New, brandeddigital experiences includingmessaging apps, chat bots andthe IoT, have crept into themobile market, and consumersexpect instant connectivity andseamless services, wherever theyare in the world.”

- Daniel Kurganchief executive officer BICS

“As Liquid Telecom continuesto grow, we are committed

to maintaining our entrepreneurialspirit, encouraging innovation anddelivering on our vision of amore connected Africa.”

- Nic Rudnicgroup CEOLiquid Telecom

“We are pleased to continuehelping MTN to grow its

digital services and look forwardto developing the next generationof digital services for the Africanconsumer.”

- Jay Patelchief executive officerMTN

“With the Ecobank mobileapp, Ecobank customers

can now make and receiveinstant payments across 33African countries on their mobiledevices. They can also pay instore with their mobile phones.This is genuine conveniencedelivered to our consumers,Kalonzo said.”

- Alice Kalonzo Zulumanaging directorEcobank

“2017 is the year that bitcoincould solve a major

geopolitical problem and come tothe rescue of an entire nation.Nigeria's 60 million dollar hasbeen interrupted in the ongoingcurrency wars that have disruptednations such as Venezuela,Argentina and Russia etc.”

- Ray Youssefchief executive officer Paxful

S05 CAF Issue 1 2017 Quotes and Liquid telecom_Layout 1 22/02/2017 16:58


The fight against cybercrime looks as uncertain as ever across Africa. A new study by Liquid Telecom identifies thatAfrican businesses are under mounting pressure to enhance cybersecurity across their operations.

Tackling cybercrime wave in Africa

TECHNOLOGYcybersecurity

AFRICAN BUSINESSES ARE failing to take necessary steps toprotect themselves against data breaches. Manyorganisations have experienced multiple security breacheswithin the last 12 months. The region could be facing a skills

shortage as businesses struggle to find trained and qualifiedcybersecurity professionals.These are just some of the concerns highlighted by businesses in new

research conducted by Liquid Telecom. The study is one of the first of itskind evaluating how heavily the issues of cybersecurity and dataprotection weigh on the minds of employees at African businesses today.In order to gather the data, Liquid Telecom surveyed 269 respondents

from the business community. Respondents drew experience from awide range of industries with IT professionals featuring heavily (morethan 31 per cent) as did the finance community (14 per cent). More than40 per cent of respondents work for microbusinesses and smallorganisations, while just over a third are employed by small to mediumsized businesses with under 1000 employees. Large enterprises withmore than 5000 employees make up just 12 per cent of respondents.

Facing up to security breaches In the wake of soaring internet use across the region, and the rise of thecontinent’s digital economy, comes the threat of damaging andincreasingly sophisticated cybercrime. Incidents of cybercrime are onthe increase across the region and globally, prompting the businesscommunity to raise its game or risk the financial devastation caused bya cyberattack or data breach. Security breaches are worryingly commonplace across Africa.

According to the survey, an astonishing two thirds of respondents haveexperienced a security breach in the last 12 months. Almost 10 per centof respondents claim their organisation has suffered more than 10security breaches, while almost half state they have encounteredbetween one and five security breaches.It is also clear that African businesses are failing to take enough

precaution to prevent data breaches. More than 40 per cent ofrespondents believe African businesses could be doing more to protectthemselves from data breaches, while almost a quarter feel the region isfalling significantly behind global standards.

Mind the skills gapA skills crisis could be emerging across Africa, with the survey resultsindicating there is a limited pool of cybersecurity talent. Over two thirdsof respondents believe more training and qualified cybersecurityprofessionals are required. Furthermore, over a quarter of respondentsexpress genuine concern over the lack of qualified cybersecurityprofessionals in the region.With demand for cybersecurity on the rise in Africa, filling positions could

become an increasingly hard process for businesses. African enterprisesare running into what is, in truth, a global problem – a desperate shortageof people with the right skills and experience to combat cybercrime.Neither Africa’s corporate training departments nor its public education

sector are producing talented people at a fast enough rate to match theevolving nature of the problem. Tough economic conditions are tending toapply downward pressure on business ICT training budgets at a time whenthey should be increasing, loading added pressure onto existing staff. And

governments are in many cases failing to play their part by not puttingenough resources into national skills development programmes.

An alarming response It is difficult to determine which is the more alarming statistic: that morethan 40 per cent of respondents believe African governments should beintroducing tougher legislation to support businesses in their fight againstcybercrime, or that almost 40 per cent aren’t even familiar enough withexisting legislation to fully answer the question. What is clear, however, isthat data protection legislation is a grey area for many businesses acrossAfrica. Data protection legislation is evolving quickly across the region andbusinesses must keep up. Developments to data protection legislation could be a deciding

factor for businesses looking to expand across Africa, as they aim toavoid places where the integrity of data is set at a low premium, or wherethey might get hit hard by protectionist and maverick data laws designedto seal borders and favour domestic enterprises.Establishing a regulatory framework that both protects citizens and

allows for healthy economic development should be the end goal formany African nations. As in the long run, getting cybersecurity and dataprotection right will benefit all parties – consumers, businesses andgovernments alike – which is why now is the time for positive action. �

To download Liquid Telecom’s full Cybersecurity & Data ProtectionAfrica Report for free, visit www.liquidtelecom.com



http://www.liquidtelecom.com/

Reducing the energy consumption in wireless networks is one of the biggest challengesfacing mobile network operators (MNOs) today. From both OPEX and environmentalperspectives MNOs must find new ways of cutting the amounts of power their networksconsume and one way is managing energy use at BTS sites where most power isconsumed, as well as sharing those sites with other operators. Tim Guest reports.

Managing power consumptionat the cell site

POWER Base station management

Intelligent Power ControlBTS sites along with the towersand equipment that comprisethem are the main infrastructureelement in any wireless networkand consume the most poweracross an MNO’s operations. It isimperative, therefore, that waysare found to manage thisconsumption more efficiently. Inarid regions, including many inparts of Africa, just keeping a basestation cool through the use of airconditioning can account for ahuge percentage of the overallpower consumed by the actualBTS and its associated telecomsequipment.As the growth of high data rate

wireless applications hasexploded, energy efficiency hasincreased in importance and

cost/opex concerns are forcingoperators to look at new ways tomanage their equipmentintelligently. Ensuring most energyuse at the cell site and BTS takesplace at times of highest demandsand least use at off-peak timeswhen demands are low, is crucial.And while the knock-on effects ofefficient BTS management andlower power consumption will,inevitably, be good news for theenvironment, the financialrewards for the MNOs are key toremaining viable. This is whymuch focus now is on the designof energy-efficient networkelements, including mechanismsfor the remote power management– switching on and off – of BTSsites, among other networkplanning and managementsolutions. What some operators and

researchers are currently lookinginto is the use of intelligentalgorithms for switching off basestations when they are not neededacross a network. Designed to

handle the fullest demands ofsubscribers at the highest peaktimes, base station elements willcontinue ‘firing on all cylinders’and consuming power even whenuser demands are lowest.Understanding when theseperiods are and which BSs havelowest off-peak rates of traffic,thereby making them more suitedto switch-off than others, willenable MNOs to implement amanagement strategy thatconserves power intelligentlyacross the network. Knowingexactly what the traffic loadvariations on the network are, aswell as the distance betweendifferent BSs and associatedusers – numbers of regular userscan be identified and associatedwith a given BS location - will helpin calculating the most energyefficient combination of switchedoff and active BSs. This will enablethe MNO to put the managementstrategy into effect and turn offBSs progressively during periodsof lowest traffic levels.With the major boom in the use

of mobile broadband and thecontinuing uptake of smartdevices and tablets, the trafficloads experienced by MNOsincluding those in Africa, continueto grow. Tech-hungry urban usersincreasingly are aiming to catchup with the rest of the world in the technology stakes ensuringthat MNOs stay ahead of theirgame. LTE, LTE-Advanced, 4G/5G all promise anywhere - anytimeconnectivity with higher data ratesfor mobile devices. As a result,more infrastructure is being rolledout to support the increases in thevolume of mobile traffic expected,

Eaton Towers provides tower sharing on BTStowers across Africa, including Kenya. (Photo:

Eunika Sopotnicka)

“MNOs across Africa have realised thattower sharing is now an essential strategy

to reduce their opex.

Communications Africa Issue 1 201718 www.communicationsafrica.com


Communications Africa Issue 1 2017 19

POWERBase station management

but reducing the energyconsumption of BSs is on thedrawing board for all futuretechnology operators. And whileimproving the hardware anddeveloping power amplifiers thatconsume less energy is oneapproach, it will still be down to aBS management strategy ofswitching off unused or low-useBSs that is key to making asignificant difference.

Tower Sharing Keeps BTS CostDownLike any other operators, AfricanMNOs are facing increaseddemands for data services asmore people use smart phonesand demand mobile broadbandand Internet access, as well asincreased use of voice services asprice competition increases. Butwith network roll-outs and

operating costs considerablyhigher in both urban and ruralAfrica than many other regions,such demands mean higher costsoverall, due to average revenuesper user continuing to fall,particularly in remote rural areas.Keeping costs down and findingnew ways of reducing operatingcosts such as the intelligentmanagement of power as outlinedabove, are as relevant in Africa asanywhere else, but infrastructuresharing at the cell site is also away of keeping the costs ofrunning a BTS down. In Europe, India, the US and

may other regions, includingAfrica, tower sharing is now aproven business model; indeed,MNOs across Africa have realisedthat tower sharing is now anessential strategy to reduce theiropex, while they themselves get

on and focus on their corecustomer service offerings. As theworld's fastest growing telecomsmarket, it is understandable thattower sharing in Africa is rapidlyincreasing and, according tospecialist tower company, EatonTowers, at least 50,000 additionaltowers, equating to aroundUS$7.5bn of capex, will be neededto support the mobile telecomsboom in Africa over the next fiveyears. Eaton Towers providestower sharing on more than 5,000BTS towers in African countries,including: Ghana, Uganda, Kenya,South Africa.

The company has 10 years torun on 15-year management dealwith Telkom Kenya, whichoperates Orange's mobile andfixed-line telecommunicationsservices in Kenya, covering its

existing portfolio of more than1,000 towers and focused onboth the maintenance of existingsites and the building new sites.One of the practical managementand cost-saving/power-savingactions of Eaton’s work was theability to reduce operationalcosts and minimize theenvironmental impact of thenetwork by reducing the use ofdiesel fuel in powering the BSs.This deal, also represented animportant step forward in effortsby the MNO to improve efficiencyand control operating costsacross the operator’s footprint in

Africa, with the sharing ofpassive infrastructure being akey part of this strategy - similardeals have already been struckin Uganda, Cameroon and Côted'Ivoire. �

Infrastructure sharing at the cell siteshelps keep BTS costs down.

(Photo: liseykina)

”Tech-hungry urban users increasingly areaiming to catch up with the rest of the

world in the technology stakes ensuringthat MNOs stay ahead of their game.”

”Ensuring most energy use at the cell siteand BTS takes place at times of highestdemands and least use at off-peak times

when demands are low, is crucial.”



The annual AfricaCom exhibition in Cape Town in early November attracted more than 11,000attendees, a record according to organisers KNect365 (previously known as Informa).

AfricaCom 2016 brings together a host of exhibitors

EVENTS AfricaCom

UNFORTUNATELY THE EVENT clashedwith the ITU’s Telecom show inBangkok with many ministers and regulators choosing to fly to

Bangkok instead. However, this didn’t affect the quality of the

debate with the show reflecting continuingoptimism and increased investment in themarket with new products and servicesunveiled and a focus on innovation.

Interestingly the attitude of MNOs towardsFacebook’s internet.org has noticeablymellowed despite the pressures that it, and theother OTT players, continue to cause. There is agrowing realisation that, by working together,OTTs and operators can build something thatbenefits them both. However, despiteInternet.org’s progress, as ever, spectrumaccess, the use of USF funds andinterconnection were raised as issues whichregulators need to address to help encourageinvestment into the rural market.

For the second year running, AfricaCom featured The AHUB which providesa home for the tech startup ecosystem and isa nod towards the growing importance of the startup scene within the overarchingAfrican tech landscape.

Conversations revolved around theimportance of spreading connectivity,establishing cities as tech hubs, and attracting more investments into African tech

startups. The latter was a particularly hot topic,with startups attending the event given theopportunity to attend speed-dating sessions with a large number of investors on-site, and nine mobile startups pitching theirinnovations to the audience.

The Disrupt Africa African Tech Startups Funding Report launched at the showsuggests that more and more startups aresecuring investment in Africa, and events such

as the AHUB will hopefully speed this processby providing an arena for startups andinvestors to connect.

The AfricaCom awards were once again ahighlight with the usual suspects of Orange,PCCW, Huawei, Mahindra Comviva and LiquidTelecom picking up awards alongside smallerplayers such as Kenya’s BRCK for its DigitalClassroom in a box and World Telecom Labs(WTL) being named as the Best ConnectivitySolution for Africa for its rural portfolio.

Running alongside, but independently ofAfricaCom, The 2nd Apps Africa awardsattracted a large crowd of innovators and theirinvestors. African app of the year went to Sliide Airtime, which provides its users withfree airtime and access to a wide range ofcontent in return for viewing ads andsponsored content. Launched in Nigeria inMarch 2016, Sliide Airtime will be expandinginto South Africa shortly.

The event welcomed more than 11,000 attendees. (Photo: Informa)

Ericsson forecasts thatdata traffic in sub-SaharanAfrica will grow by around

55 per cent annuallybetween 2016 and 2022.


A number of networking events took place at the show. (Photo: Informa)

S06 CAF Issue 1 2017 Report EB and Rapport DA_Layout 1 22/02/2017 15:02


EVENTSAfricaCom

The debate at the show has firmly moved onfrom dumb pipes with MNOs now acceptingthat innovation from across the ecosystem willbe the driver for increased data usage.

Ericsson published its sub-Saharan AfricaMobility Report which outlined how mobiledata traffic growth is being driven by increasedsmartphone subscriptions, more viewing ofvideo content, wider network coverage,continued reduction in prices of both devicesand services and a growing population.

Ericsson forecasts that data traffic in sub-Saharan Africa will grow by around 55 per centannually between 2016 and 2022 with adramatic shift from a majority of GSM/EDGE-only subscriptions, to around 83 per cent of allsubscriptions on WCDMA/HSPA and LTE.

With this in mind, the debate about howcontinued fibre builds will be essential to thesuccess of LTE rollouts was particularly relevant.

Fibre builds continue across the continentwith Liquid Telecom leading the way; thecompany said that it is laying more than 100km of new fibre every week. According to GuyZibi, an analyst at Xalam Analytics, “signsabound of an increasingly loud FTTH revolutionin the African continent. Markets such asNigeria and Kenya are leapfrogging ADSL andgoing directly to fibre for ultra-high speedbroadband. In markets like Tanzania,Cameroon or Congo-Brazzaville, older, typicallystate-owned telcos that largely missed the

mobile revolution see in FTTH (along with LTE) aunique opportunity to rejuvenate theirbusinesses.”

Xalam predicted that the total number ofFTTH connections in Africa will triple over the next four years to reach around 1.7mn,and this with conservative rollout assumptionsin ADSL-heavy Egypt.

With falling wholesale prices in the largerAfrican markets, there was a lively debateabout whether Africa can sustain additionalsubsea cables: there are currently four newinternational cable projects – one on the West Coast and three on the East Coast of thecontinent, the latter all proposing a similar route. These will continue to reducewholesale capacity prices and, of course, thebig question will be how far these savings getpassed onto the end-customer.

Satellite continues to be a key technology inAfrica with the ongoing increase in capacityacross all markets and verticals driving newdevelopments and technologicalbreakthroughs. There were a multitude ofsatellite announcements during the show: O3bNetworks announced that Gilat Satcom is nowusing its network to provide customers in DRCongo with latency and throughputcomparable to fibre; Newtec showcased itsmultiservice platform Newtec Dialog whichgives operators a choice of three technologies– TDMA, SCPC and Newtec’s Mx-DMA whichcombines the best features of both.

Other interesting news at the show includednew research from AdaptiveMobile, a companythat specialises in mobile network security. Itrevealed that mobile operators in West Africaare the highest target for SS7 attacks in thecontinent; 65 per cent of all operators surveyedwere affected by location tracking attacks; and100 per cent of operators were affected bysubscriber harvesting attacks. However, theresearch summised that most operators areaware of the need to protect themselvesagainst a range of attacks, including locationtracking and call interception.

There are a number of other events in Africawhich are now snapping at the heels ofAfricaCom: Extensia’s much-respected IAD(Innovation Digital Africa), which attractsministers and regulators; the GSMA’sMobile360, which takes place in Tanzania inJuly; and The Africa Tech Summit in London,which debuted in September and is takingplace again in April.

However, it’s clear that AfricaCom is still theplace to see and be seen. See you next year! �

AfricaCom 2017 runs 7-9 November in Cape Town.

AfricaCom 2016 took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in Cape Town, South Africa.(Photo: VDMMAa/wikimediacommons)

“Signs abound of anincreasingly loud FTTH

revolution in the Africancontinent”

- Guy Zibi, analyst, Xalam Analytics



Cambridge Broadband Networks’ (CBNL) CEO Lionel Chmilewsky speaks toCommunications Africa about how wireless technology is revolutionalisingInternet connectivity across the continent.

Bridging the digital divide through wireless technology

TECHNOLOGY Wireless

APPLICATION OF WIRELESS techno-logy for connectivity has seentremendous growth in the past fewdecades. With the shortcomings of

fibre connectivity including high installationcosts, long deployment time and constraints inproductivity and operation, wireless technologyis growing in popularity among operators andconsumers in Africa.

British company Cambridge BroadbandNetworks (CBNL) provides extensive point-to-multipoint (PMP) microwave backhaul andenterprise access networks on 2G, 3G, LTE and5G across Africa. CBNL also providesresidential access, which delivers residentialbuildings and apartments with a high level ofconnectivity. The company has more than 25customers across 15 African countries andworks with Tier 1 operators like MTN, Vodacomand Airtel on the continent.

Exploring the potential of point-to-multipointconnectivityPoint-to-multipoint communication refers tocommunication that is accomplished through adistinct and specific form of one-to-manyconnections, offering several paths from onesingle location. CBNL has played a major role inexpanding the potential of point-to-multipoint

technology in Africa. Speaking about thebenefits, CBNL CEO Lionel Chmilewsky pointsout that it allows the operators to virtualise theinfrastructure at the hub site and eliminatesthe need for elaborate infrastructuredevelopment. Since the technology operatesthrough a hub that distributes and transmitscapacity to the remote terminal, it requires onlyone piece of equipment at the hub and canhave as many remote terminals as needed.

Point-to-multipoint solutions deliver costsavings and the time to deploy is also veryshort compared to traditional networksbecause once the infrastructure is active at thehub, incremental remote terminals can easilybe added in the network.

“I think that is a very good solution,especially for SMEs because you can start witha small network and then you invest as yougrow,” he comments.

Lionel Chmilewsky,CEO, CBNL

(Photo: CBNL)

“Wireless is the perfecttechnology when you arestarting on greenfield and

when you have acombination of remoteareas and urban areas.”

Lionel Chmilewsky, CEO, CBNL




TECHNOLOGYWireless

“This is a very good solution for Africabecause it is very affordable, delivers highperformance and is quick to deploy. Wirelessis the perfect technology when you arestarting on greenfield and when you have acombination of remote areas and urbanareas. This is the perfect solution to connectthe unconnected. This is why it has been verysuccessful in Africa for the last 10 years.”

Chmilewsky says that CBNL has beenworking in Africa almost since the companywas established. The reason is that thecompany offers a solution that allowsoperators to deploy a network cost efficientlyand quickly when they do not have existing

cable or fibre infrastructure. CBNL provideslicensed point-to-multipoint networks –licensed because the operators need to haveobtained the regulator licence to deploy.

Describing the potential of wireless tomeet the challenge of the exponential rise indemand for data in Africa, Chmilewsky says,“The demand for data is a worldwidephenomenon. If you look at how people usetheir smartphones or their computers,downloading, video streaming, cloudservices and voice over IP are being usedincreasingly. All of this consumes a lot ofdata. In the future, there will also be greaterdemand for Internet of things and machine-to-machine. In the next five years, a range of50bn machines will be connected worldwidein machine-to-machine. All of this will requirevery high capacity on the network. This is whyhigh capacity wireless solutions are pickingup very quickly.”

Expanding 3G-4G backhaulSpeaking about CBNL’s efforts to expand 3Gand 4G backhaul in Africa, Chmilewskystresses the major role played by wireless.

“The best thing about wireless technologyis that you can leapfrog from a 2G network toa 4G network.”

Affordability of the solution is a commonlyfaced challenge in the development ofbackhaul.

However, point-to-multipoint allowsoperators to have a much lower total countof ownership (TCO) than other technologiesand some independent reports have quoted30 to 50 per cent TCO savings with thetechnology.

“CBNL is spending a lot of time in

educating and training our customers tomake sure that once they have a network inplace, they will make the best use of thatnetwork,” Chmilewsky says.

Network systems virtualisation Network systems virtualisation refers to theuse of software to allow system hardware torun multiple instances of different operatingsystems concurrently. This allows differentapplications requiring various operatingsystems to run on one computer system.

One of the key benefits of networksystems virtualisation is that it reduces theamount of hardware in the network to thelowest possible minimum.

Chmilewsky explains the CBNL approachas, “The way we are doing it with our point-to-multipoint technology is by using the onepiece of equipment at the hub site throughwhat we call ecolomultiplexing. That is usingthe peak and mean of a conversation in orderto optimise the number of subscribers youcan route on a sector. Not everyone is talking

at the same time, not everyone istransmitting at the same time and ourtechnology uses the blanks of a transmissionor a conversation to create more remoteterminals”.

This allows all users in the network topotentially have full capacity. Chmilewskysays, “That is the beauty of virtualisation, thebeauty of the technology that we use.”

Another advantage of the technology isthat it allows operators to oversubscribe.“Basically, they can create more users thanthey do in the point-to-point technology andwe believe that the ratio that could be usedwith the technology is a factor of four. So, it ispossible to sell up to four times the capacitythat the network can provide. Let us say youhave a network that can provide 1.2GB persector, you can probably sell 4.8GB persector. This is something that finds a veryinteresting application in Africa.”

The multiple benefits offered by wirelesstechnology continue to make it a key tool indelivering connectivity across Africa. �

Point-to-multipoint connectivity helps toreduce the amount of infrastructure

necessary to set up a network. (Photo:Elena Ramburger/Shutterstock)

The best thing about wirelesstechnology is that you can

leapfrog from a 2G network to a4G network”

Lionel Chmilewsky, CEO, CBNL



The Zambian government is enhancing the utilisation of information and communicationtechnologies (ICTs) as an anchor for national development and transition to a digitally-enabled economy by 2030.

Zambian government to transformcountry’s digital landscape

ICT Zambia

AT PRESENT, THE government hasembarked on several ICTinfrastructure development projectsto improve access and reach,

technological base, minimise financialexclusion, increase transparency and reduceresponse time in terms of informationdissemination to citizens.

Regulation of the sectorThe industry is regulated by the ZambiaInformation and Communications TechnologyAuthority (ZICTA), which was founded after theimplementation of the Information andCommunications Authority (ICT) Act of 2009.ZICTA also regulates postal and courierservices in the country.

On the backdrop of the liberalisation of thecommunications sector in the early 1990s, thetelecommunications, broadcasting and ICTsectors have undergone a majortransformation over the year, such as theprovision of mobile telephony and Internetservices.

InnovationsInfrastructure innovations encompass thenational fibre–optic project, with access tointernational submarine fibre-optic cables,leading to significant price reductions forbroadband services.

Additionally, 3G and 4G services have beenlaunched with the number of mobilebroadband subscribers increasingsubstantially. A number of Internet serviceproviders (ISPs) have also rolled out WiMAXwireless broadband network.

Access to ICT services has improvedtremendously after the government installedmore than 200 communication towers inunserved areas across Zambia.

‘’More than 200,000 people in rural areashave since been connected due to thisintervention,’’ the Ministry of Transport andCommunications said.

Sector statusMobile telephony services have grownsubstantially, with a market penetration rate of78 per cent as of the second quarter of 2016,compared with fixed line penetration rate of 0.7per cent. According to ZICTA, Zambia has6.1mn Internet users, representing a

penetration rate of 39 per cent.The three major players in the mobile market

are MTN Zambia (46 per cent); Airtel (40 percent) and Zamtel (14 per cent).

Vodafone Zambia entered the market in June2016, offering high-speed 4G and Wi-fi data services as part of a US$40mn dealbetween Vodafone Group and 4G operatorAfrimax Group.

‘’We have pioneered something completelynew to the Zambian market. Customers cannow choose from the daily, weekly or monthlyvalidity options for a boundless Internetexperience,’’ said company chief executiveofficer, Lars Stork.

Recent developments in ICTZambia’s ICT sector is on an upward trend and delivering sustainable development to thecountry’s economic configuration, recentdevelopments in the country’s ICT sectorinclude:• The launch of a next generation Wi-Fi service

by Vodafone Zambia.

• E-government has been rolled out as a criticalcomponent of Zambia’s transformation in thesector, allowing people to access a numberof government services such as applicationsfor passports and title deeds, payment ofselected public services, registration ofcompanies and filing of annual returns.

• A National Data Centre has since beenlaunched under the Smart Zambia projectaimed at improving coordination andimplementation of ICT programmes.

• CEC Liquid Telecom has partnered withTelplus Communications Limited to roll-outfibre optic solutions in the country with aview to extending the service to east andsouthern Africa in the long-term.

• CEC Liquid Telecom has also introduced itsfibre-to-the-home service which enableshomes and businesses to receive 100Mbps,the fastest broadband ever in Zambia.

• MTN Zambia invests US$50mn ininfrastructure upgrades. �

Nawa Mutumweno

Research from ZICTA has revealedthat there are 6.1mn Internet users

in Zambia. (Photo: IICD)

Access to ICT services has improved tremendously after thegovernment installed more than 200 communication towers

in unserved areas across Zambia.




Digital inclusion remains a key priority for sub-Saharan Africa. The ability to better connectgrowing economic powers across the region is critical to ensuring ongoing prosperity.

4G network planning in sub-Saharan Africa:failing to prepare is preparing to fail

THIS IS NOT simply limited to the abilityto make phone calls – the true valuelies in the enablement of broaderservices like mobile money, the ability

to boost digital literacy and in turn, GDP. Sub-Saharan Africa can’t get connected

soon enough, and actually, is making goodprogress. According to the GSMA, 4G has nowbeen launched in 23 sub-Saharan countries(although 4G will account for just six per cent ofoverall mobile broadband connections in theregion by 2020). Making sub-Saharan Africa a4G stronghold will take time. Mobile operatorsin the region face a variety of challenges thatwill continue to inhibit progress before thenetworks can even be built. This includessourcing the infrastructure (includingbackhaul), negotiating network sharing dealsto viably cover rural areas, purchasingspectrum and getting permission fromregulators.

A careful balancing actWith so many hoops to jump through,operators in sub-Saharan Africa can beforgiven for wanting to take their time beforedeciding how 4G networks can be best rolledout. Ultimately, different operators in differentregions will face different challenges. There area number of issues that transcend borders,however, and impact almost all operators inthe region. The first is spectrum availability andviability. Much like established 4G countries,African operators have the benefit ofpurchasing high and low frequency bands tocover dense urban and broad ruralenvironments respectively. Geographicalchallenges, economic constraints and awidespread lack of fixed line infrastructuremeans low frequency spectrum will takeprecedent.

Leveraging low frequency spectrum is themost effective means to deliver broadbandcoverage to wide areas. The further and thinnerthe bandwidth is spread however; the morelimitations are placed on available throughput.As a result, it is likely that the vast majority of4G connections in sub-Saharan Africa will be oflower speed than in other parts of the World.However, the absence of ubiquitous fibre alsocreates a major headache for African carrierswhen it comes to backhaul provision.Currently, existing 3G networks are primarily

backhauled using microwave technologies.While this is capable of supporting decentnetwork speeds, it will not be sufficient tosupport the greater requirements of 4Gconnectivity, let alone 5G. This microwaveinfrastructure, if it is to be used for 4G, willrequire significant upgrade at a hefty pricepoint.

With big cost implications, operators mustbe sure that they know where base stationsshould be placed to deliver the best possibleuser experience to the maximum number ofpeople and guarantee an ROI. This means theymust be selective in where they place 4G sites– blanket coverage without paying attention tolikely utilisation will lead to a sub-optimalnetwork. Operators must therefore know wheretheir high ARPU users reside, where they goand what they do. Network analytics exist toprovide this view of customer behaviour.

No second chancesThese and other factors mean that operatorsmust go into meticulous detail when planning4G networks. Service quality degradation isafter all, a massive deal in a region that ishome to some of the world’s most impulsiveand impatient mobile users. Sub-saharanAfrica is prepaid-dominated and also a multi-SIM culture. Operator loyalty simply does notexist. Marketing departments within theseoperator groups devise targeted offers to theircustomers on a regular basis to retain them.

Put simply, a dropped call could see a userjump to a competitor in an instant. Theabsence of long standing contractualcustomer relationships makes overall 4Gnetwork economics an even more tenuousprospect.

Outsourcing the responsibility while seekingthird party validationWith so much at stake, there is little wonderthat the majority of the largest operator groupsthat control the region opt for managedservices when it comes to the management oftheir network operations. Large operatorgroups in the region can use their broadcoverage and financial muscle as leveragewhen negotiating the most favourable ratesfrom network equipment vendors.

The rise of these outsourced deals alsoreflects the dearth of required skills andexpertise from within the operators themselvesto manage network planning directly. Sub-saharan operators can benefit from 4G best-practice from other parts of the world that arefurther ahead in their network migrations. Thatbeing said, most operators work withadditional third party network planning expertsto validate the recommendations made tothem by their incumbent network managementvendor. This trend is rising in popularity asoperators are mindful of the need for completeobjectivity and resisting becoming too lockedin to one particular network supplier. �

NETWORKMobile


In the Western world utilities are often taken for granted. The majority of citizens live in a house withwater, electricity and gas automatically connected and monitored on meters; very few will evenconsider the prospect of life without what they see as basic necessities.

How connectivity is opening upinfrastructure across Africa

THERE IS NO starker contrast to theWestern world’s approach to utilitiesthan in Africa. 115 people in Africa dieevery hour from diseases linked to

contaminated water, while 589mn habitantslive without electricity.

However, mobile technology is alreadystarting to change the shape of utilities acrossthe continent, so much so, that other regionscould learn from the IoT deployments which arealready changing lives.

Paul Marshall from Eseye, a leading globalcellular machine-to-machine connectivityprovider for Internet of Things devices,investigates the opportunities of mobile-enabled utility services worldwide, and howAfrica is a prime example of how connectivity isallowing them to be delivered in the mostremote locations.

UnpluggedAccessing utilities in the Western world isrelatively straight forward. For instance, if youwant to connect a phone line to your home, youcontact a local phone company, give them youraddress, bank details etc. and the providerruns a credit check on you and if you pass,connects you to the network.

Phone companies understand you havecredit in place to pay for the service in advance,as you have an address and are associatedwith a bank, and have a measurable creditrating. However, if you are one of the millions ofpeople across Africa who are ‘unbanked’ theprocess is not nearly as easy.

Without credit how do you show a provider itis worth building a phone line and connectingyou to its service? How can you guarantee itsinvestment in you and in your phone line isgoing to pay off?

More importantly, it is staggering to see howthis system for phone connectivity is the sameas issues faced when looking at essentialinfrastructures such as water, waste disposal,electricity, or any utility the Western world nowtakes for granted.

Forced to innovateIf this problem was faced in the UK, variousorganisations would compete to build roads,infrastructure or whatever was required toallow the service to be sold and delivered.However, across Africa, organisations don’t

have this option. Instead they are forced to findalternative solutions to solve the problem anddrive innovation as they do so.

Most are turning to the one universalinfrastructure that exists across the world; themobile network. As with the mobile expansionacross Europe in the 90s, Africa saw the sameexpansion, giving the continent its onlyuniversal utility service. In fact more thandouble the population in sub-Saharan Africahas mobile phone access compared withaccess to paved roads.

Therefore businesses looking to deliverutilities in African countries are surpassingtheir Western world counterparts; maximisingthe mobile network to deliver innovative utilityservices to millions.

Come to the light sideOne such business delivering utilities ininnovative ways is M-KOPA. M-KOPA hasprovided light to more than 400,000 homesacross Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda by offeringsolar-power home systems for low income andrural residents without electricity.

This is achieved by building mobile connectivity into its technology. Thisthen allows customers to light their homes by paying for the device through mobilemoney transfers.

After finishing the payment plan, thecustomer owns the product and can thenaccess more cost-effective financing for arange of products, including more lights,

television sets, cooking stoves, smartphones,and water storage tanks.

Therefore by utilising the mobile network,M-KOPA is delivering services to ‘unbanked’people; people who would have not hadaccess to finance services.

Wider impactM-KOPA isn’t the only business successfullyinnovating in Africa. EWaterPay in West Africafor example has developed a sustainablesolution which allows local water distributionschemes to become self-sustaining. It’s abusiness model which also has the potential tobe implemented on a wider scale across thecontinent. Mobile Money, NFC (Near FieldCommunications) Secure RFID tags and cellularcommunication all play a part by allowingsecure financial transactions, the delivery ofclean fresh water and trained local engineerspaid to manage and maintain the system.

Innovations such as these, are allowingmobile connectivity to have a wider impact.By ensuring people have access to credit andservices, organisations can open furtheraccess to infrastructure, increase jobopportunities and deliver a boost to local andnational economies.

Africa is therefore at the beginning of itsown industrial revolution. A revolution thatwill not be driven by steam and coal; but bymobile and innovation. �

Paul Marshall, co-founder Eseye.

M-Kopa's D Light solar home system. (Photo: M-Kopa)


INFRASTRUCTURE Connectivity


Jeremy Leach, executive director and CEO of Inclusivity Solutions highlights three keypoints that all mobile value-added service decision makers should take into considerationwhen dealing with mobile insurance.

Mobile insurance tips for mobile value -added service decision makers

INSURANCEValue-added services

AS MOBILE OPERATORS rush to findalternative revenue streams and takenew value-added services (VAS) tomarket, the GSMA cautions operators

to treat mobile money as more than a VAS, citingthe associated complexities as unique toensuring successful uptake. This considerationshould be extended to other mobile financialservices such as mobile insurance.Recent GSMA figures point to a nine per centyear over year growth in mobile insuranceservices, with 63 per cent of the 120 live servicesbeing led by mobile operators. The realityhowever, is that only eight of these services haveissued more than a million policies. So how canmobile operators increase their chances ofimplrementing a successful insurance offering?

1. Evaluate the capabilities neededThere is a good reason why mobile operatorsare the platform of choice for mobile insurance.They offer the benefit of three characteristics:Firstly they have access to a vast customerbase, secondly they are able to offer a paymentmechanism that scales and thirdly they offer arecognised and trusted brand. And whilst theoperators offer an excellent vehicle for mobileinsurance, many are choosing to complementtheir own capabilities by creating partnershipswith vendors capable of designing, buildingand operating these initiatives, or more radically,choosing to secure their own insurance licenses.Whatever the partnership model of choice,

operators should be reminded that mobileinsurance requires deep vertical expertise andspecialist skills which warrants treatmentdifferent to that of a traditional VAS offering.

2. Let customer centricity be the guideThe introduction of a new VAS is usuallyunderpinned by the need to address specificmeasures such as increasing average revenueper user (ARPU) or mobile money savings. Thisoffers a helpful starting point, howeverdecision makers should hold off ondetermining the most appropriate productvehicle until they have a firm understanding ofwhich solutions offer the customer most value.Investing in research such as Human CentredDesign (HCD) can offer insight into what isimportant to the consumer and consequentlythe sort of services they are willing to pay for.A report examining the criteria underpinning

the microinsurance sprinters, suggests thatoffering a variety of insurance products canhelp to increase market penetration.Striking the correct balance between offeringloyalty and paid insurance products, or acombination, is optimum and requires carefulconsideration when designing the productsand associated payment mechanisms.

3. Marketing is keyStrength of brand has been crticial to thesuccess of the mobile insurance sprinters. Formobile operators, research shows that Africanconsumers prefer to buy insurance from anoperator as opposed to an insurer. Howeverwith insurance penetration in emergingmarkets pegged at between two per cent and15 per cent, customer education is critical.Operators should not underestimate theamount of marketing that might be required,particularly in below-the-line activity such asagents or VAS ambassadors and call centresupport. In conclusion, there is tremendousopportunity for mobile insurance in Africa,characterised by low insurance penetrationand relatively high subscriber numbers.To fully realise the potential however, mobileoperators need to appreciate the complexitiesof insurance. They need to realistically assesstheir own capabilities and undertake thenecessary due diligence to determine theoptimum partnership model.

Furthermore, when building an insuranceoffering, operators should not lose sight ofmeeting the ‘V’ in VAS. Customer centricity is keyto determining value and will be different in eachmarket and operating company. Finallyoperators have a real opportunity to become thepreferred provider of insurance in their markets,however a sustained investment into marketingis critical to driving awareness and education forthis poorly understood service. Jeremy is recognised as a global expert in

mobile financial services with a particularexpertise in microinsurance and digitalinsurance. He has been involved in advising,researching and implementing initiativesacross the world. An experienced executive,Jeremy has been a director at BFA, a globalconsultancy focused on innovation inresponsible financial services, divisionaldirector and head of microinsurance at theHollard Insurance Group as well as executivedirector at FinMark Trust where his leadershipon insurance and mobile money had globalimpact. He is a founding member and adviser toCenfri, and a member of the IAIS-Micro InsuranceNetwork Joint Working Group on Micro-insurance and has served on the South AfricanShort Term Insurance Advisory Committee atthe behest of the minister of finance. Jeremyspeaks regularly at international conferences onmicroinsurance, minsurance, mobile moneyand innovation in financial services.�

Research shows that Africanconsumers prefer to buyinsurance from an operator asopposed to an insurer. (Photo:Mila Supinskaya Glashchenko)


S07 CAF Issue 1 2017 Report EA and Report FA_Layout 1 22/02/2017 15:22

More technologies, more testing

NETWORK Test & Measurement

FROM DRIVE TEST solutions and protocolanalyzers to passive intermodulation(PIM) testers, the need to deploycomprehensive T&M solutions from

leaders in the space like Rohde & Schwarz(R&S) which has just announced its new 5Gfield measurement demonstrator at 28 GHz forover-the-air characterization of 5G networkcoverage, has grown as mobile technologiesacross the world’s networks continue toincrease. With GSM/GPRS/ EDGE/ LTE/LTE-A/4G/5G all active at various stages of theirexistence, the need for field engineers tomonitor and analyze network elements andconduct measures such as protocolmonitoring, call and session tracing, quality ofservice and radio optimization, is constant.

Learning from the mistakes of othersJust as African MNOs watched 3G roll out inEurope and leapfrogged from the likes ofNMT450 and 2G straight to 3G, we are nowwitnessing an LTE/4G boom as Africa stays atthe forefront of mobile. According to the GSMAssociation, from the start of 2015 to July 2016

the number of 4G-LTE networks in Africadoubled. If the past is anything to go by MNOshere will have learned from the mistakes of 4Gin Europe, which experienced such delights aspatchy service, fading signals and variablequalities of experience – and interference,which, it seems, simply goes with mobileterritory. Interference in wireless networksnegatively affects transmission coverage andmobile network capacity, causing major qualityof experience issues for operators. These caninclude dropped calls, decreased battery lifeand reduced data throughput.

Talking with Communications Africa (CA),Kashif Hussain, CellAdvisor solutionsmarketing at Viavi, said that, “From a serviceprovider perspective, interference is muchmore than a nuisance; if it’s not eliminated itcan negatively impact CapEx and OpEx andcause subscriber churn.” He said that huntingfor interference is like ‘finding a needle in ahaystack’ and can take days, or weeks, withequipment used to scan for interference havingpreviously been, ‘incredibly heavy and clumsy,often involving engineers using wheelbarrowsto move it around in search of an interferencesource’. “With network densification,” Hussain told

Communications Africa, “and the Internet ofThings increasing the number of connections,RF interference is becoming more prevalent inwireless networks. As a result, operators arelooking towards smarter and more efficientsolutions to combat interference. This includesautomated, low-cost tools that can significantlyreduce the time it takes to locate and eliminateinterference. Features such as automatedinterference navigation guides and voice

The R&S CMW500 wideband radio communicationtester tests, amongst other things, for LTE-

Advanced. (Photo: Rhode & Schwarz)

“The number of connections,RF interference is becomingmore prevalent in wireless

networks.“Kashif Hussain, CellAdvisor solutions

marketing at Viavi


Mobile network operators (MNOs) carry out test and measurement (T&M) activities toensure equipment is operating optimally. As latest mobile technologies and servicesproliferate, T&M solutions are in demand like never before. Tim Guest reports.



NETWORKTest & Measurement

prompts are increasingly used to directengineers to suspected interferencelocations.” He added that advances intechnology mean RF engineers can now locateinterference sources using light-weight, Wi-Fi-enabled test equipment on the go, evenwithout leaving the driver’s seat. Viavi recentlyworked with Alan Dick Communications inNairobi, using a fully automated interferencelocation solution, with directional andnavigation functions, to locate and solve aninterference issue that was only present in thearea for approximately one 0.5-second burstevery 10-15 minutes making it difficult to locate.But by utilising a fully automated interferencelocation solution with directions andnavigation, the engineers were able to take RFmeasurements and recommend a solution tothe signal issues for the operator. Advances in technology make it vital for

operators to overcome performance issues andensure the highest quality of experience forcustomers. As networks evolve andconnections multiply, interference issues willinevitably follow. Therefore, it is more importantthan ever to harness the right tools to locateerrors and fix them as fast as possible.

The Threat of PIM When it comes to the increasing practice ofsharing RF infrastructure at the cell site, oneproblem that can raise its head across Africa isthat of PIM. According to Peter Jackson, chiefmarketing officer, CCI, talking with CA, aneffective PIM-management strategy will ensure

sharing can take place without losses orcompromise on performance. “Mobileoperators have always treated PIM seriously,but the impact can generally be mitigatedagainst by good RF planning and installationtechniques.” He said poor PIM may be thecause of higher dropped calls, reducedcoverage of a cell and increased Bit Error Rateand while other aspects may be at play, PIM isone of many things to check using portable testunits to simulate a base station. He said testingPIM has generally been done in production or alab environment, but advances in recent yearshave enabled the lab test equipment to bepackaged as portable test units and taken onsite.Jackson said while PIM has always been

around it previously had less impact than now,but, “With more spread-spectrum technologieslike LTE/4G/5G entering the picture, the PIMemphasis needs to move towards thehardware aspect of the RF path, such as

network components and installation quality.With site sharing, the proximity of manydifferent spectrums and more channels inband can increase the statistical likelihood ofPIM, although sharing can actually be seen asan opportunity to improve PIM performance onlegacy equipment by upgrading the quality ofcomponents and installation.”He added that when taking PIM

measurements at a cell site, using the likes ofCCI’s PiMPro analyzers, MNOs can address PIMin 2G/3G/CDMA/LTE/LTE-Advanced/4G/5Gnetworks by providing precise measurementsthat verify the integrity of any system orcomponent under high-power conditions. “PIMtesting is intended to be performed within asite’s transmission line path from the radio tothe antenna. When antenna manufacturerstest antennas for PIM performance,measurements are taken in an anechoicchamber without external interference. In thefield, however, external signals can often beconstrued as PIM signals, because theyoccasionally fall within the up-link receiveband and can come from sources such asadjacent cell sites, old TV transmitters, or othernearby metallic structures.” He added that PIMtesting is increasingly being done for in-building installations, such as DAS (DistributedAntenna Systems), where there is demand forhigh data rates and where CCI’s PIM Analyser isideally suited to provide additional testtransmitter capabilities and Rx interferencefunctionality.�

We are now witnessing anLTE/4G boom as Africa

stays at the forefront ofmobile.

According to the GSMAssociation, from the start

of 2015 to July 2016 thenumber of 4G-LTE networks

in Africa doubled.


Antenna Advisor from Viavi Solutions(Photo: Viavi)

A diagram of Viavi Solutions Interference Advisor. (Photo: Viavi)


After a successful show in 2016, Cabsat has returned to Dubai once again for its 23rd edition, to serve as a platform forexhibitors looking to showcase new innovations in broadcast, production, content delivery, digital media and satellite sectorsand at the same time connecting content creators with distributors and buyers in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

Cabsat 2017 to highlight developments in satellite industry

EVENTS Cabsat

THE EVENT, WHICH will take placebetween 21-23 March at the DubaiWorld Trade Centre, will welcomecable operators, broadcasters, CTOs,

e-commerce businesses, IT systems suppliers,decision makers from TV stations andchannels, professionals in radio, contentcreators and distributors, satellite operators,independent production and augmentedreality systems suppliers.

Cabsat has become a key meeting place forthe rapidly growing broadcast, satellitecommunication, content delivery andelectronic media industries. Global analystshave predicted that entertainment and mediaspend across Africa and the Middle East willreach US$66bn by 2018. The highly anticipatedshow proved to be a success in 2016 as itopened its doors to more than 15,000 visitorsand over 950 exhibitors who represented morethan 120 countries globally. One of thecompanies that attended last year, Gazprom,found that the show enabled it to strengthenits position in Africa and the Middle East, whilealso increasing its volume of global sales.

Contracts on the Yamal satellites capacityprovision for occasional use services were alsosigned at the show. The firm will be returningfor the 23rd edition of the show alongside ahost of exhibitors to present its latest productsand services.

Crystal Vision will be showcasing its newVision 3 frame system that features core cardsof up and down converters, synchronisers,fibre-optic transmitters and receivers, audioembedders/de-embedders and distributionamplifiers for analogue and digital video andaudio, the firm has announced. Crystal Vision’sIndigo range offers the choice of three differentframe sizes and 75 cards to include its Safire 3chroma keyer, which has already proved to verypopular with its Middle Eastern customers,according to the company. The Vision 3presents futureproof technology, for example,having the ability to cope with any signalswhether it is SDI video, 4K or Video over IP.Crystal Vision is currently developing gatewayproducts for converting between SDI and IPsignals. Additionally, it provides other featuressuch as dual syncs, from the frame to everycard for easier wiring and operation and two460w power supplies and is very easy tocontrol from the front panel. The Vision 3 hasmany outputs with up to seven connectors oneach Vision rear module and quick connection between cards and frame CPU,which is good for backing up card settings andpresets large internal storage. It also makes

good use of rack space with the ability to storeup to 20 cards vertically. Also attending this year’s show is GatesAir,

one of the leading companies in wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions for radio andTV broadcasters. The firm has announced thebuildout and launch of a turnkey DVB-T2transmission system serving the Federal CapitalTerritory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city. The DVB-T2 system supports the switch-on of

a new over-the-air DTV service now delivering30 channels of high-quality news, informationand entertainment to Abuja residents.GatesAir and Pinnacle Communications

designed, delivered, integrated andcommissioned the complete solution on behalfof Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission(NBC) over a three-month period, whichincludes main and backup GatesAir high-efficiency Maxiva™ ULXT liquid-cooledtransmitters for content delivery. GatesAir alsosupplied the DVB-T2 headend, whichoptimizes UHF spectrum for multi-channelservices; along with all electrical material andRF systems required for the greenfield buildout.The FCT Abuja system represents the second

phase of a digital switch-on, which is expectedto eventually reach more than 50mn homesand 170mn residents, the company revealed.“The Abuja project began as a greenfield

site in early September, and we worked closelywith GatesAir and the National BroadcastingCommission through its inauguration on 22

Cabsat 2016 welcomed more than 15,000 visitors. (Photo: Cabsat)

“Crystal Vision is currentlydeveloping gateway productsfor converting between SDI

and IP signals.”




EVENTS Cabsat


December,” said Dipo Onifade, executivedirector, Pinnacle Communications. “This tightschedule was quite a challenge, and itssuccess proves how well the two companieswork together to deliver complete digitalbroadcasting solutions with exceptional quality.”

DTC Domo Broadcast (previously CobhamBroadcast) will showcase the SOLO7 OBTXcamera-back transmitter and PRORDXReceiver/Dual Decoder at CABSAT 2017.SOLO7 OBTX is a feature-rich camera-back

transmitter from Domo that features a H.264video encoding, up to 1080p60 and 4:2:2compression; integrated camera control andswappable RF modules. The SOLO7 OBTX’ssuperior latency ranges from 80ms to 15ms. Itsultra-low power consumption also makes itideal for extended field performance.Domo’s PRORXD is the industry leading

COFDM receiver/dual decoder. Designedspecifically for broadcast applications, it offersbenefits that include DVB-T and UMVLdemodulation; 2, 4, 6 or 8 RF inputs with9/12DC switchable down converter power; plusfully compliant MPEG2 and H.264 SD/HDdecoding. The ability to link these units via ASIpacket switching, enables extremely robustMCR diversity plus scalability to chain receiverstogether offering seamless wide area coverage.

“These key products represent the verylatest in what’s possible in RF. We’re veryexcited about showcasing the vast range offeatures in both products to CABSATdelegates,” said Domo Broadcast salesdirector JP Delport. Satellite operator ABS will also be at the

show exhibiting a wide range of solutionsincluding broadcasting, data andtelecommunication services tailored forbroadcasters, service providers, enterprisesand government organizations. The company,

which is a leading Middle East and North Africa(MENA) provider of all broadcasting andproduction services, operates a fleet ofsatellites; ABS-2, ABS-2A, ABS-3A, ABS-4/Mobisat-1, ABS-6 and ABS-7. The satellite fleet covers 93 per cent of the world’s population across the Americas, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East,CIS and Russia. Tom Choi, CEO of ABS recentlyannounced the successful launch of threesatellites. “We have completed our 3 satellitebuild investment in launching three satellitesin three consecutive years (ABS-2 in 2014, ABS-3A in 2015 and ABS-2A in 2016). ABS-2A is thelatest high-capacity satellite providingexpansion capacity and continuity of satelliteservices at our prime gateway over the IndianOcean region. It is located with ABS-2 at ourpremium neighborhood at 75°E, optimized forvideo services for growing CATV and DTHbusinesses,” said .

Intelsat will also be showcasing its productsand services at this year’s show. Its new high-throughput satellite, Intelsat 33e is attractingnew customers in Africa. For example, AfricaMobile Networks (AMN), which deliverscommercial service to previously unconnectedrural areas in sub-Saharan Africa, will use

Intelsat EpicNG to help mobile networkoperators expand in these areas in a cost-effective manner and deliver social, economic,educational and other benefits to thepopulation. At last year’s show, Intelsatpresented The Globalized Network, combiningits satellite expertise with both its terrestrialinfrastructure and managed services it hasbeen able to deliver high-quality, cost-effectivevideo and broadband services across theworld. A fast growing fixed satellite solution service

provider in Africa iSAT Africa will be at thisyear’s Cabsat exhibition, with its offering ofsatellite solutions for transmission of video,data or voice services. With customers from theleading media and network companies,multinationals, ISPs, Telcos and governmental agencies, the firm offers data,voice and video type requirements forcustomers using satellite and terrestrialinfrastructure. According to iSAT, the firm’sgoal is to transform the way Africa gets andstays connected with rest of the world and thiscan be achieved through carrier gradeconnectivity for voice, data and videoapplications in a bid to increase businessopportunities in diverse and challengingenvironments.

Pixel Power, the innovative supplier ofbroadcast graphics, playout and automationsolutions, is concentrating on playout andgraphics automation in its demonstrations atCABSAT 2017 the firm has announced. Thepresentations will feature advanced on-premise, virtualized and cloud solutions which have been proven with real broadcasters worldwide.“Media businesses today, faced with the

many challenges of delivering rich content tomultiple platforms, need to implement newapproaches to delivering content,” said JamesGilbert, chief executive of Pixel Power. “We at Pixel Power are not talking about IP

and software architectures as buzzwords, butare focusing on what our customers reallyneed: technology that gives them theproductivity and flexibility they need, achievedthrough the virtualisation of solutions andultimately highly agile cloud implementations.”Working together with Amazon Web

Services, Pixel Power has already deliveredbroadcast playout solutions with sophisticated3D graphics, DVE moves, live feeds and manualcontrol, all in the cloud. The company notedthat this has been possible through the roll outof two of its key technologies, StreamMasterMedia Processing and Gallium WorkflowOrchestration, using virtualizable software.System engineers have the required flexibilityto build exactly what is needed, whether inindividual appliances, virtualized in the datacenter and freely interworking with othertechnology, or in the cloud. �

“ABS-2A is the latest high-capacity satellite

providing expansioncapacity and continuity ofsatellite services at ourprime gateway over theIndian Ocean region. “

Tom Choi, CEO of ABS

Gazprom will be showcasingits latest products and

services at this year’s show.(Photo: Gazprom)


En moins de deux ans, Vibe Radio est devenue l'une des stations de radio les pluspopulaires d'Abidjan. Pour en savoir plus, Stephen Williams s'est entretenu avec ladirectrice générale de Vibe Radio, Mme Korédé Odjo-Bella.

Surfez sur la Vibe

DIFFUSION Vibe Radio

EN MOINS DE deux ans, Vibe Radio est devenue l'une desstations de radio les plus populaires d'Abidjan. Pour ensavoir plus, Stephen Williams s'est entretenu avec ladirectrice générale de Vibe Radio, Mme Korédé Odjo-Bella.

Les locaux de Vibe, à Abidjan, dégagent une atmosphèreparticulière. On y sent la fierté et l'enthousiasme des employéstravaillant pour ce qui est probablement la station de radio la pluspopulaire de Côte d'Ivoire.Une attitude que l'on retrouve jusqu'au sommet, comme en

témoigne la directrice générale, Korédé Odjo-Bella. Cette anciennecadre de haut vol du secteur des finances est aux commandes deVibe depuis ses prémices, et a supervisé le lancement de la stationsur les ondes en septembre 2015.Comme le rappelle Mme Odjo-Bella, la radio reste le premier média

de masse en Afrique, celui dont la couverture est la plus rentable, etdont l'audimat rivalise avec la télévision, les journaux, les magazineset les autres TIC. Et telle est la raison d'être de Vibe.« En Côté d'Ivoire, nous explique Mme Odjo-Bella, nous avons trois

types de radio: la radio publique nationale, la radio commerciale et laradio communautaire. Vibe est une station de radio commerciale,dont les recettes dépendent de la publicité. Plus de 80% de nosprogrammes sont musicaux ».Les activités de Vibe, dont sa production, sont portées par la

technologie. Une programme informatique effectue une présélectionmusicale à partir d'un éventail de styles contemporains. Il remplaceainsi l'ancien modèle, celui du DJ qui choisit la musique qu'il diffuse.Les présentateurs reçoivent la sélection quelques jours avant

l'émission en direct, afin de créer de brèves introductions de 20secondes et d'insérer des commentaires.Korédé Odjo-Bella souligne que « 60% de nos morceaux sont

internationaux, et 40 % africains, dont une grande partie, environ 20%, soit 8 % du total, sont ivoiriens. Les autres stations de radio diffusent plus de musique urbaine africaine que nous, mais Vibe vouspermettra d'écouter un peu de tout, et c'est ça qui plaît à noscommunautés d'Abidjan ».

Les objectifs d'audimat ont principalement été atteints grâce aurecrutement d'animateurs de choix, telle Konnie Touré (sans doute laDJ la plus célèbre et populaire de Côte d'Ivoire) qui occupe le poste dedirectrice des programmes, et au lancement d'une vaste campagned'affichage publicitaire dans la ville.Bien que Vibe Radio soit une filiale du géant français des médias

Lagardère, l'attrait de la station dépend entièrement de la diffusionde contenus locaux. Korédé Odjo-Bella précise que de nombreuxprogrammes encouragent les auditeurs à prendre des initiatives.Ceux-ci peuvent participer à des concours ou simplement donner leurpoint de vue grâce aux réseaux sociaux (Facebook, Twitter,Snapchat...), par courriel ou par téléphone. Vibe Radio est une station fondamentalement numérique (63 % du

public l'écoute en ligne), et 30 % des auditeurs possèdent unsmartphone. Huit auditeurs sur dix ont plus de 20 ans, et 70 % des114,000 auditeurs écoutant la station au quotidien sont considéréscomme appartenant aux classes moyennes.Sachant que Vibe dessert un rayon de 100 km depuis le centre

d'Abidjan, ces chiffres d'audimat constituent un marché idéal pourbien des publicitaires. Sans compter qu'Abidjan a de beaux atouts entant que zone de desserte. Avant la guerre civile, elle était souventsurnommée la Manhattan de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Le retour de la paix,en 2011, lui a permis de retrouver son vieux statut de cœurcommercial du pays, et de redevenir l'une des villes les plusprospères d'Afrique de l'Ouest.Toutefois, Mme Odjo-Bella affirme que la station ne réserve à la

publicité que deux créneaux de trois minutes par heure, à chaqueheure passée de 20 et 40mn, ce qui permet à la production de lastation de radio de rester pertinente et « audible ».Quant à l'avenir, Korédé Odjo-Bella souhaite que Vibe Radio

couvre l'ensemble du pays d'ici fin 2018. Bien que le coût desdonnées soit prohibitif, Internet a permis à la station de rayonner bienau-delà de ses frontières nationales. Mme Odjo-Bella estime doncque Vibe Radio pourra étendre son rayon de transmission à toutel'Afrique francophone de l'Ouest et du centre. �

Vibe Radio est devenu l'une desstations de radio les plus populaires àAbidjan. (Photo: Roman Yanushevsky)




BITTIUM EXHIBITED ITS mobile securityproducts and solutions targeted forauthorities at the Critical CommunicationsEurope exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmarkwhich took place 8-9 February 2017. At theevent, Bittium launched a new Confidentialclassification level version of the BittiumTough Mobile with its back-end system.Bittium Tough Mobile is a secure and

durable Android-based LTE smartphonecombining the latest information securityand commercial device technologies. The dual-boot functionality on the Bittium

Tough Mobile for the Confidentialclassification level makes it possible tooperate the device with two differentoperating systems: Public and Confidential. The operating systemcategorised as Public is meant for personal communications with accessto social media applications, for example, while the operating systemclassified as Confidential is isolated and hardened for secure authorityand information security use. It enables the user to have only one devicefor calls and messaging for both personal and for demandinginformation security needs, so takes away the need to carry two devices.Also showcased was Bittium Secure Suite - a device management and

encryption software product that supported the Bittium Tough Mobilesmartphone with a scalable set of new software services for remotemanagement, remote attestation and securing the network connectionsof the device. Both products offer a reliable system for processing andtransferring sensitive and classified material and securing criticalcommunication.

SOLUTIONS

ESITE X10 IS the world’s first hybrid power system purpose-built for outdoor telecom sites and to outdoor telecomstandards. The system features a patented, sealed tamper-proof unit with passive convection cooling, without the useof filters, moving parts and requires no maintenance.

One of the leading companies in the hybrid power systemmarket, Flexenclosure had launched thousand eSitesystems in Africa and Asia.

Three years in development, eSite x10 has been purpose-built from the ground up to withstand the operationalchallenges that have been the downfall of nigh on all of thehybrid power implementations around the world to date.

“eSite x10 is like no other hybrid power system availabletoday and its launch is a ground-breaking moment in theindustry’s history”, said David King, chief executive officer,Flexenclosure. “Until now, hybrid power systems for off-gridor bad-grid telecom sites have been built using indoorcomponents and deployed in outdoor locations where theyare exposed to the most challenging environmentalextremes imaginable.”

“These systems weren’t fit for purpose and they werehighly unreliable. eSite x10 has been developed to overcomethese operational issues and is, quite simply, the future ofhybrid power.”

Hybrid power systems often suffers from neglectedmaintenance so eSite x10 has been rolled out to bemaintenance-free with no filters or moving parts. It has nosingle point of failure and uses patented protective soft

power switching between the grid and connected gensets toreplace mechanical switching and thus protect the unitfrom potentially affecting input power while maximisingenergy harvesting.

eSite x10 also uses passive convection cooling, meaningno energy is wasted on active cooling systems such as airconditioning.

The unit is smaller in size, reduced by 75 per cent whencompared with existing hybrid power systems and it can behand carried to site, which both simplifies transportlogistics and deployment.

Flexenclosure noted eSite x10 has been launched for thelowest possible total cost of ownership (TCO), with a lifespanof more than ten years in even the most challengingoutdoor telecom site environments.

Bittium Tough mobile.(Photo: Bittium)

Flexenclosure launches the world’s first hybrid power system for telecom sites

TP-LINK, A LEADING global provider of consumer and businessnetworking products, has introduced a new outdoor Wi-Fi accesspoint, the Auranet EAP110-Outdoor. JFollowing its introduction in 2015, TP-Link Auranet EAP Series Access

Points and Controller Software has offered user-friendly, manageableand flexible solutions to professional-grade Wi-Fi networks.The EAP110-Outdoor supports every modern network scenario, with

maximised performance to deliver fast, stable Wi-Fi to every device.Wi-Fi speeds of up to 300Mbps on 2.4GHz meet your daily needs,including surfing, emailing and streaming. To optimise the networkand every device on it, 2×2 MIMO supports more data transmission and reception for a stable connection to everyone,family and friends alike. Featuring two high-gain omni-directionalantennas, the network reaches distances of up to 200 metres, andprovides robust 360-degree coverage. It also offers flexibility andpassive PoE for simple setupSome key features include: 2×2 MIMO supports more data

transmission and reception for greater wireless speed and stability,simple mounting design makes easy to outdoor install on any wall orpole and passive PoE (24V 0.6A) of up to 60 metres allows easy andaffordable installation.The EAP110-Outdoor has been designed foreasy deployment, with an easy-mounting chassis, which means it canbe fixed to any wall or pole, allowing installation virtually anywhere.Using passive Power over Ethernet, the user is able to choose where itis installed rather than factoring in the proximity to existing poweroutlets or the cost of installing new ones. PoE uses Ethernet cables totransmit data and power up to 60 meters.The EAP110-Outdoor has been designed to withstand even the

most extreme weather conditions. Featuring ASA casing, IP65-rateddust and weatherproof enclosure and specialised waterproofantennas, it protects against the elements throughout the year.

AT THIS CES 2017 held in Las Vegasearlier this year Bosch showcasedits smart solutions for areas insmart home, smart city, connectedmobility, Industry 4.0 and sensortechnology.

According to Bosch, connectedtechnologies provide support in all areas of life including makingthe home intelligent and making health care technology moreefficient. This year Boschshowcased an expanded portfolioof "Simply.Connected" networkedsolutions.

With the XDK sensor platform,Bosch offers a comprehensivehardware and software platformwith various types of sensors aswell as a Bluetooth and WiFiconnection. The sensor platform canbe used by companies to developthe IoT solutions that best suit theirneeds. The XDK sensor platform iseasily installed and can be tailoredto individual applications.

Smart solutionsfrom Bosch

Bittium new high-security level version ofthe Bittium Tough Mobile smartphone

TP-Link introduces new outdoor Wi-Fi access point

eSite x10 Hybrid Power System. (Photo: Flexenclosure)

S08 CAF Issue 1 2017 Solutions_Layout 1 22/02/2017 17:16

ROHDE & SCHWARZ présente son portefeuille de produits à Cabsat. Rohde & Schwarz a annoncé l'expansion de sa plateforme

d'acquisition et de diffusion R&S VENICE déjà très populaire, pourinclure une nouvelle application: R&S Venice Control.

La société est déjà présente dans plus de 70 pays, y compris leBénin, le Burkina Faso, le Burundi, le Cameroun, le Congo, la Côted'Ivoire, l'Égypte, le Maroc et Madagascar.

Le logiciel d'acquisition R&S VENICE Control, conçu pour contrôlerdes enregistrements multicaméra complexes, permet d'enregistrerjusqu'à 16 canaux indépendants dans les formats de production et dediffusion conventionnels. À l'heure actuelle, c'est le nombre decanaux par système le plus élevé du marché.

Rohde & Schwarz a développé R&S Venice Control en étroitecollaboration avec les plus grands opérateurs de studio pourrépondre aux critères exigeants de l'enregistrement multicaméra.L'application logicielle facilite l'enregistrement de contenu live etnon-live pour les diffuseurs et opérateurs de studios TV, et lesvéhicules de reportage en extérieur. R&S Venice Control fournit uneprésentation claire des canaux enregistrés, que les utilisateurspeuvent organiser selon leurs souhaits. Un total de 16 canaux peuventêtre simultanément contrôlés, quelle que soit la résolution descanaux individuels, permettant l'enregistrement en SD, HD et UHD enmême temps.

Tous les paramètres nécessaires à l'enregistrement peuvent êtresauvegardés puis appliqués à des canaux individuels ou des groupesde canaux. La configuration manuelle chronophage de chaque canalappartient au passé. Même la préparation laborieuse d'événementsrécurrents, tels que les programmes enregistrés sur une base

hebdomadaire, se fait plus rapidement. L'attribution automatique denoms aux fichiers et dossiers permet aussi d'économiser du temps.L'application crée automatiquement des noms de fichiers et desstructures de dossiers basés sur des caractères génériques. Il suffit àl'utilisateur de créer des paramètres tels que l'heure et la date, le nomdu serveur et le numéro du canal, puis les champs sontautomatiquement peuplés avec les valeurs requises. Selon Rhode &Schwarz, R&S Venice a été conçu pour répondre aux contraintes etexigences de la production live, de la création de contenu et de ladistribution.


SOLUTIONS

34

Rohde & Schwarz présente son portefeuille de produits à CABSAT

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