TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS...• Oger Telecom in respect of its disposal of some of...
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TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Transcript of TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS...• Oger Telecom in respect of its disposal of some of...
TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
BOWMANS
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Contents
04 OurFirm
05 OurFootprintinAfrica
06 OurTechnology,MediaandTelecommunicationsSector
08 OurSpecialistServices
09 OurSignatureMatters
12 Accolades
14 KeyContacts
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Technology, Media and Telecommunications
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Our Firm
WithsevenofficesinfiveAfricancountries
andover400specialisedlawyers,we
drawonouruniqueknowledgeofthebusiness
andsocio-politicalenvironmenttoadvise
clientsonawiderangeoflegalissues.
Everywherewework,weofferclientsa
servicethatuniquelyblendsexpertiseinthe
law,knowledgeofthelocalmarketandan
understandingoftheirbusinesses.Ouraim
istoassistthemtoachievetheirobjectives
assmoothlyandefficientlyaspossiblewhile
minimisingthelegalandregulatoryrisks.
Ourclientsincludecorporates,multinationals
andstate-ownedenterprisesacross
arangeofindustrysectorsaswellas
financialinstitutionsandgovernments.
Ourexpertiseisfrequentlyrecognisedby
independentresearchorganisations.Wewere
rankedfirstbydealvalueandsecondbydeal
countinMergermarket’s2018Africaleague
tablesforlegaladvisors.Wereceivedawards
infiveoutofsixcategoriesattheDealmakers
EastAfricaAwardsfor2018:toplegaladviser
inM&Aforbothdealflowandvalue,toplegal
adviserinGeneralCorporateFinanceforboth
transactionflowandvalue,andadvisedonthe
DealoftheYear.IntheDealmakers SouthAfrica
Awardsfor2018,wewereplacedfirstfordeal
flowintheGeneralCorporateFinancecategory.
WewerenamedSouthAfricanLawFirmofthe
Yearfor2018intheChambersAfricaAwardsfor
Excellence.Wealsoreceivedthe2019awardsfor
TransportationandInfrastructureTeamofthe
YearandTMTTeamoftheYearattheAfrican
LegalAwardshostedbyLegal Week andthe
CorporateCounselAssociationofSouthAfrica.
Bowmans exists to help our clients overcome legal complexity and unlock opportunity in Africa. Our track record of providing specialist legal services, both domestic and cross-border, in the fields of corporate law, banking and finance law and dispute resolution, spans over a century.
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Our Footprint in Africa
Weprovideintegratedlegalservices
throughoutAfricafromsevenoffices
(CapeTown,DaresSalaam,Durban,
Johannesburg,Kampala,MokaandNairobi)
infivecountries(Kenya,Mauritius,SouthAfrica,
TanzaniaandUganda).
Weworkcloselywithouralliancefirm,
AmanAssefa&AssociatesLawOffice,in
Ethiopia,andourbestfriendsinNigeriaand
Mozambique(UdoUdoma&Belo-Osagieand
TacianaPeãoLopes&AdvogadosAssociados,
respectively).Wealsohavestrongrelationships
withotherleadinglawfirmsacrossthe
restofAfrica.
WearerepresentativesofLexMundi,aglobal
associationwithmorethan160independentlaw
firmsinallthemajorcentresacrosstheglobe.
Thisassociationgivesusaccesstothebest
firmsineachjurisdictionrepresented.
Mozambique
Kenya
Tanzania
South Africa
Nigeria
Uganda
Mauritius
Best friends
Bowmans offices
Significant transaction or advisory experience
Alliance firms
Ethiopia
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Ourspecialistsintechnology,mediaand
telecommunicationslawadviseclientsin
thissectoroperatingorlookingtoenter
intotheAfricanmarket.
Withextensiveexperienceoftheregulatory
landscapeinmanyAfricanjurisdictions,we
assistourclientsgettomarketquicklywhile
avoidingmanyofthepitfallsofoperatingin
anewjurisdiction.
Weadviseonlicensingrequirementsand
policyandmarketdevelopmentsinthishighly
regulatedsector.
Wealsoassistinawidearrayofcorporate
mergersandacquisitionsandcommercial
agreementswhichtakeintoaccount
technology,mediaandtelecommunications
regulatoryrequirements.Theserangefromall
formsofinfrastructuresharingarrangements,
tofibreopticnetworkdeployments(onan
EPC,EPCM,BOTorsimpledesignbuild
basis),tosystemintegration,software
development,softwareorplatformlicensing,
ITservices(inallformsincludingoutsourcing)
toprovidingcomprehensiveadviceondata
protection,complianceanddatabreachand
incidentresponse.
Our Technology, Media and Telecommunications Sector
“Distinguished practice with
leading expertise across
a wide range of IT and
telecommunications matter.”
– Chambers & Partners,2018
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Technology, Media and Telecommunications
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Media
Weadvisevariousmediaclientsinthecontext
oftheircommercialoperationsinSouthAfrica
andwithregardtotheirregulatoryobligations.
Wealsoregularlyadvisetheregulator,ICASA.
Technology
Ourlawyershaveagoodunderstandingofthe
legal,businessandtechnicalconsiderations
oftechnologymattersasaresultofserving
technologycompaniesinSouthAfrica,elsewhere
inAfricaandintheUnitedKingdomovera
numberofyears.
Ourexpertisecoverssoftwaredevelopment
andsystemsintegration,aswellashosting
andindirectdistributionmodelssuchasreselling
andwhitelabelling.Weoffertailoredadviceand
alwaysprovideaholisticperspectiveonhowto
mitigaterisksinherentinparticularcircumstances.
Wehaveextensiveexperienceinadvisingclientson
technology-relatedtransactionstominimiseclients’
riskinrelationtodevelopingandcommercialising
proprietarysolutionsandimplementing,licensing,
maintainingandsupportingdigitalproductsand
systems.Thetechnologiesinvolvedrangefrom
traditionalsoftwareandenterpriseresource
planningsolutions,tohighlybespokesystemsand
software,toinnovativesolutionsinvolvingdisruptive
technologiessuchasartificialintelligenceand
blockchaintechnology.Weregularlyadviseon
cybersecurity,dataprotection,e-commerce,and
consumerprotectionmatters.
Telecommunications
Ourcloserelationshipswithgovernment
agenciesandindustryregulatorsarea
significantfactorinourabilitytoprovide
exceptionaladvicetoourtelecommunications
clientsregardingtheenvironmentsinwhich
theyoperate.
Wehaveextensiveexperienceadvising
onregulatoryrequirements,particularlyin
relationtolicensingaswellascompliance.
Wehavealsoassistedourclientstorespond
topolicyandmarketdevelopmentsinthe
sectorinKenya,SouthAfrica,Tanzaniaand
elsewhereinAfrica.
Inrecenttimes,therehasbeenamarked
increaseindealactivityinthissectoracross
Africa.InSouthAfrica,thishasincludedthe
conclusionofanumberofblackeconomic
empowermenttransactions.
Wehaveactedforvariousclientsinthese
transactionsandhavewide-rangingexpertise
regardingthetypesofissueswhichmayarise
includingownershipandcontrolrestrictions
andtheimplicationsfordealstructure,
financingandregulatoryapprovals.
Theliberalisationofthecommunications
sectorinSouthAfricahasalsoresulted
inanumberofnewsmallandmedium-
sizedentrantsaswellastheincorporation
oflocallicensedentitiesbymultinational
telecommunicationscompanies.
Amajortrendinthemarketatpresent
isamovetowardsgreatersharingof
networkinfrastructure.Wehavebeen
involvedinarangeoftransactionsto
giveeffecttosharingarrangements.
Our technology, media and
telecommunications expertise
has been ranked in the top
band by Chambers & Partners
since 2008.
Our Specialist Services
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Wehaveactedfor:
• Amultinationalcompanyregardingthe
deploymentofsatelliteservicesacrossAfrica.
• CityofJohannesburginrelationtothe
implementationoftheSAPS4HANA
enterpriseresourceplanning(ERP)solution,as
anupgradetotheCity’sexistingSAPsolution,
tomanageandintegratetheCity’ssystems.
Wedraftedandnegotiatedtheagreements
betweentheCityandtherelevantservice
providerinrelationtoimplementationofthe
solution,aswellasvariousrelatedagreements.
• CapricornGroupentities(includingCapricorn
GroupHoldings,BankWindhoek,Bank
Gaborone,CavmontBank,andrelated
entities)andContinuitySA,inrespectofa
varietyofinformationtechnology-related
matters,includingreviewing,amendingand
providingcommentsinrelationtovarious
softwarelicensing,cloudservices,software
developmentandservicesagreements.
• CityofJohannesburgwithdrafting
ofmunicipalby-lawsontheinstallation
ofelectroniccommunicationsfacilities.
• EatonTowersLtdonthefinancingofits
acquisitionofthetowerassets/infrastructure
ofBhartiAirtelbyIFCandStandardBank.
ThetransactionwasvaluedatoverUSD100
millionandinvolvedsixAfricancountries
(Ghana,Kenya,Rwanda,Tanzania,Uganda
andZambia)aswellasIndia.
• Ericssoninrelationtonumerousnetwork
constructionandmanagementprojectsin
variousAfricancountries,includingtheDRC,
RwandaandSwaziland.
• FacebookInc.insettingupitsfirstAfrican
officeinJohannesburg.Itisenvisagedthat
theSouthAfricanofficewillservebusinesses
acrossthecontinent.
• Googleongeneralaspectsofdataprotection
andprivacyinKenyanlawandonthestateof
legislationandregulationgoverningproducts
thatutiliseNearFieldCommunication(NFC),
RadioFrequencyIdentification(RFID)and
paymentsystemtechnologiesinKenya.
• ICASAinareviewapplicationbyCellCto
setasidecallterminationrates.Thislitigation
aroseoutofthelitigationbroughtbyMTN
andVodacomfollowingwhichICASAmade
newregulationssettingcostcontrols.The
teamassistedICASAtodraftreasonsforthe
newregulationsandwithitspreparations
forthereviewapplication.Thematteris
importantbecausecallterminationratesare
akeypro-competitiveintervention,
particularlyinthemobilespace.CellC’s
withdrawalofitsreviewapplicationsupports
ICASA’spositionthattheregulationswere
bothlawfulandprocedurallyfair.
• IRESSLimited,Australianlistedfinancial
servicestechnologycompany,inrelation
toitsacquisitionof100%ofthesharesin
SouthAfricanfinancialservicestechnology
companyI-NetBFA,whichwereheldby
Media24,aswellasacquisitionofthe
intellectualpropertyofI-NetBFA.Wedrafted
theintellectualpropertyassignmentforthe
transactionandassistedinrelationtothe
duediligenceconductedonI-NetBFAand
itsgroup,theintellectualpropertyprovisions
andwarrantiesincludedinthetransaction
documents,andtheclosingofthesharesale.
• KnowRoamingLtd,aCanadiancompany,
indraftingandnegotiatinganoriginal
equipmentmanufactureagreementwithTCL
Communications(throughitsTCTMobile
InternationalLtdentityandthroughtheAlcatel
andTCLbrands)withaviewtoprocuringthe
embeddingofKnowRoaming’ssoftwareon
TCLCommunication’sdevices.KnowRoaming's
softwareenablessubscriberstoroamon
foreignmobilenetworksandpaysubstantially
cheaperratesthantraditionalroamingservices.
Our Signature Matters
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• LinkAfricainaprecedent-settingcasein
theHighCourt,SupremeCourtofAppeal
andConstitutionalCourtinanapplication
bytheCityofTshwaneregardingtheneed
toobtainpermissionfromlocalgovernment
fortheinstallationofelectronic
communicationsfacilitiesonmunicipal
property.LinkAfricawassuccessfulinthe
appealtotheConstitutionalCourtin2015.
• LiquidTelecomsinstructuringandpreparing
aframeworkagreementforthesaleand
maintenanceofductandfibreandthebuilt
tosuitoffibrelinks.
• MicroFocusregardingthelicensingofits
softwareandtheprovisionofsupport,
maintenanceandrelatedservicestoastate-
ownedentityinatransactionwhichisworth
hundredsofmillions.
• MobileTelephoneNetworksPtyLtd(MTN)
inrelationtoitspurchasefromMultichoice
SouthAfricaPtyLtdof100%oftheissued
sharecapitalinSmartVillagePtyLtd,
afibre-to-the-homeinfrastructureand
servicescompany.
• MTNintheroll-outofitsradionetwork
acrossSouthAfricaandtheintegrationof
suchneworupgradedsitesintoitsexisting
corenetwork.
• NaspersGroupondataprotection
andprivacyissuesrelatingtoanonline
shoppingwebsite.
• NationalTreasuryregardingalllegalaspects
oftheIntegratedFinancialManagement
SystemProgramme,amulti-billionrand
projecttointegrateallgovernmentsystems.
Ourinvolvementincludesnegotiatingthe
frameworkagreementforthelicensingof
therelevantsolutionandtheattendance
maintenanceandsupportservices.
• OgerTelecominrespectofitsdisposal
ofsomeofitssharesinCellC.
• Orangeonthedisposalofallofitsshares
andshareholders’loans,comprising70%
ofTelkomKenya,toJamhuriHoldingsLtd,
ownedbyHeliosInvestmentPartners.
TheGovernmentofKenyaholdsthe
remaining30%.
• OrangeSA(formerlyFranceTelecom)
onthedisposaltoAfricell,ofitsmajority
shareholding(heldbyAtlasServicesBelgium)
initsUgandansubsidiary,OrangeUgandaLtd.
• SABMilleronthehivingoutoftheABI
BottlingdivisionofSABPtyLtdintoa
separatesubsidiary,andmorespecifically,
ontheimpactofthisonallITcontracts.
Ourworkextendedtodraftingthetransitional
serviceagreementstoensurebusiness
continuityposthiveout.
• Satelliteoperatorsonradiofrequency
spectrumlicensingrequirementsand
liaisingwithICASAandotherregulators
acrossAfrica.
• StandardCharteredBankondataprotection
inthecontextoftransitionalarrangements
fordataprocessingpursuanttothesaleof
anoperationaldivision,includingthedrafting
ofappropriatecontractualindemnities.
• SwiftNetworksLtdinconnectionwiththe
acquisitionofDirect-On-PCLtd’s
4Gwirelessbusiness.Weadvisedon
regulatoryandcomplianceissuesand
assistedSwiftNetworkstoobtainthe
necessaryregulatoryapprovalsfromthe
NigerianCommunicationsCommission.
• TataCommunicationsinrespectofits
ZAR7.5billiondisposalofNeotelto
Vodacom.Ourworkincludedadvisingonthe
applicationtoICASAforchangeofcontrolof
Neotel’sspectrumlicences,proposedroaming
agreementsandfilingwiththecompetition
authorities.Itisoneofthelargestdeals
tobeundertakenintheSouthAfrican
telecommunicationssectortodate.Itwas
alsothefirsttransactionundertakenunder
thenewregulatoryrules.
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• TEConnectivityLtdandCommscopeInc.
(Chinesewalls)inconnectionwiththe
SouthAfricanportionofthedisposalby
TEConnectivityLtdofitsbroadbandnetwork
solutionsbusinessunittoCommscopeInc.
Thistransactioninvolvedarestructuringof
theTEentitiesinSouthAfricaandthesale
oftheSouthAfricanbroadbandnetwork
solutionsbusinessunittoCommscopeInc.
• TheNLDProjectundertakenbyMTN,
NeotelandVodacom,thelargestfibre
roll-outinSouthAfricanhistory.
• Twoindependenttowercompaniesonthe
roll-outofpassiveinfrastructure,licensing
requirementsandothernecessaryaviation,
buildingandenvironmentalapprovals.
Technology, Media and Telecommunications
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AccoladesAFRICAN LEGAL AWARDS 2019
Wewontwopracticeawards-forTransportationand
InfrastructureTeamoftheYearandTMTTeamoftheYear.
CHAMBERS AFRICA AWARDS 2018
WewerenamedSouthAfricanLawFirmoftheYear.
DEALMAKERS SOUTH AFRICA AWARDS 2018
Wewereplacedfirstfordealflowandthirdfordealvaluein
theGeneralCorporateFinancecategory,andthirdfordeal
valueandfourthfordealflowintheM&Acategory.
DEALMAKERS EAST AFRICA AWARDS 2018
Wereceivedawardsinfiveoutofsixcategories:top
legaladviserinM&Aforbothdealflowandvalue,top
legaladviserinGeneralCorporateFinanceforboth
transactionflowandvalue,andadvisedontheDealof
theYear(theRubisEnergietakeoverofKenolKobil).
MERGERMARKET LEAGUE TABLES 2018
Wewererankedfirstbydealvalueandsecondbydealcount
intheAfricaleaguetablesforlegaladvisors,andthirdbydeal
countintheMiddleEast&Africaleaguetableforlegaladvisors.
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75 40 66Recognised Lawyers
Recognised Lawyers
Recognised Lawyers
BAND 1
KENYABanking&Finance
Corporate/M&A
Employment
IntellectualProperty
RealEstate
SOUTH AFRICACapitalMarkets:Debt
CapitalMarkets:Equity
Competition/Antitrust
CorporateInvestigations
Corporate/M&A
Employment
Environment
IT&Telecommunications
Projects&Energy
PublicLaw
Shipping
Tax
TANZANIA GeneralBusinessLaw
UGANDAGeneralBusinessLaw
BAND 2
SOUTH AFRICABanking&Finance
DisputeResolution
Fintech
Media&Broadcasting
Restructuring/Insolvency
KENYAFintech
Projects&Energy
CHAMBERS & PARTNERS 2019 RANKED US IN
THE FOLLOWING AREAS
TIER 1
KENYAFinancial&Corporate
Mining
SOUTH AFRICACapitalMarkets
Power
M&A
UGANDAFinancial&Corporate
ProjectDevelopment
TIER 2
KENYAPower
Infrastructure
SOUTH AFRICABanking
Infrastructure
Mining
Oil&Gas
ProjectFinance
TIER 3
TANZANIAFinancial&Corporate
ProjectDevelopment
IFLR1000 2019 RANKED US IN THE
FOLLOWING AREAS
TIER 1
KENYABanking&Finance
Commercial,Corporate&M&A
Employment
RealEstate&Construction
SOUTH AFRICACommercial,Corporate&M&A
Competition
Employment
Projects&Infrastructure
Shipping
TANZANIA LeadingFirm
UGANDALeadingFirm
TIER 2
KENYADisputeResolution
Privitisation&Projects
SOUTH AFRICABanking&Finance
Construction
DisputeResolution
InvestmentFunds
Tax
THE LEGAL 500 EMEA 2019 RANKED US IN
THE FOLLOWING AREAS
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RICHARD HARNEYManagingPartner,Kenya
Nairobi,Kenya
T: +254202899000
Key Contacts
CRAIG KENNEDY Co-HeadofTechnology,MediaandTelecommunications
Johannesburg,SouthAfrica
T: +27116699349
LIVIA DYERCo-HeadofTechnology,MediaandTelecommunications
Johannesburg,SouthAfrica
T:+27116699334
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HEIDI TAYLORPartner
Johannesburg,SouthAfrica
T:+27116699529
To view profiles of our lawyers, please visit www.bowmanslaw.com
DAVID MPANGA Partner
Kampala,Uganda T:+256414254540
JOHN SYEKEIPartner
Nairobi,Kenya
T:+254202899000
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Cape Town, South AfricaT:+27214807800
Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaT: +255768988640
Durban, South AfricaT: +27312650651
Johannesburg, South AfricaT: +27116699000
Kampala, UgandaT: +256414254540
Moka, MauritiusT: +2304688411
Nairobi, KenyaT: +254202899000
Follow us on Twitter:@Bowmans_Law
www.bowmanslaw.com
Alliance Firms:
Aman Assefa & Associates Law Office, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaT: +25114702868
