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Africa: Boosting ICTs
AfricaFocus Bulletin
November 19, 2015 (151119)
(Reposted from sources cited below)
Editor's Note
The "AfricaRising" narrative can be a misleading stereotype,
celebrating economic and technical progress without taking into
account the enormous failures to deliver the fruits equitably to the
majority of Africa's people. But one area in which some boosterism
may be appropriate is the rapid advance of information and
communication technologies (ICTs) on the continent.
AfricaFocus rarely reproduces press releases, since they are by
definition aimed at boosting particular companies, organizations,
and products. But the coincidence of finding four different press
releases on this topic from two different continent-wide press
agencies in my email yesterday morning prompted this exception, and a
Bulletin somewhat longer than usual. Note that this is in no way an
endorsement by AfricaFocus of the content of the press releases, the
companies, the commercial press agencies, or of the possible
exaggeration of the impact of technology. But there is no doubt that
they represent a very significant reality about today's Africa.
The two press agencies are the African Media Agency and the African
Press Organization.
The companies and non-profit organizations involved include AlcatelLucent,
Tanzania Telecommunications Company Ltd., Arrow Electronics,
non-profit "Close the Gap," Mobile Money Africa, and the global
telecommunications company Orange.
For previous AfricaFocus Bulletins on Information and Communication
Technology in Africa, visit http://www.africafocus.org/ictexp.php
++++++++++++++++++++++end editor's note+++++++++++++++++
Alcatel-Lucent's IP and optical technologies to transform TTCL's
mobile and fixed access networks in Tanzania
Alcatel-Lucent via African Media Agency
November 17, 2015
African Media Agency | FZE | Dubai | 334286 | United Arab Emirates
Modernization of IPMPLS and optical transport will allow TTCL to
converge mobile and fixed access operations and meet growing demand
for bandwidth with high-quality, reliable and affordable services
Cape Town, South Africa, 17 November 2015, - African Media Agency
(AMA)- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) has signed a
three-year frame agreement with TTCL - the Tanzania
Telecommunications Company Limited - under which it will modernize
the operator's IPMPLS and optical transport networks.
The Alcatel-Lucent transformation will allow TTCL to meet the
growing demands of its fixed and mobile access customers for
efficient, high-speed, high-quality data services in preparation for
the launch of 4G LTE services.
Mobile phone use in Tanzania is currently at 75 percent of the
population and growing by 20 percent each year. Following an
expansion in undersea cable connectivity and the launch of the
National ICT Broadband Backbone, broadband has become more
accessible in the country, sparking demand for data services as well
as the arrival of a number of new service providers.
Alcatel-Lucent will deploy its IP routing and 100G agile optical
networking (AON) DWDM technology to transform TTCL's operations,
converging fixed and mobile access on to one network, with unified
management across the IP and optical layers for improved
efficiencies. This will allow TTCL to meet the bandwidth needs of
its 300,000 fixed network subscribers - even as data traffic
increases with the expected deployment of a 4G LTE network - with
high-quality, affordable services.
Phase One of the Nationwide deployment - covering major cities
including the capital of Dodoma and the financial centre of Dar Es
Salaam - will be completed in December 2015. Alcatel-Lucent is also
providing comprehensive training and professional services expertise
including site survey, design, installation, testing and
commissioning activities as well as migrating services to the new
platform.
Key Facts:
- Under a three year frame-agreement Alcatel-lucent is transforming
TTCL's IPMPLS and optical transport network. The company will deploy
its 7750 Service Router family, 7210 Service Access Switch, and 7705
Service Aggregation Router for routing and aggregation functionality
in the core, metro and access network, and its 1830 Photonic Service
Switch, for OTN (optical transport network) and DWDM (dense
wavelength division multiplexing) functionality. Unified network
management will be provided by Alcatel-Lucent's 5620 Service Aware
Manager for exceptional operational efficiencies.
- The technology will be deployed nationwide, initially in the major
cities of Dodoma, Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Morogoro, and Mwanza.
- This contract highlights the growing movement of operators moving
toward fixedmobile converged networks
Quotes
Dr Kamugisha Kazaura, CEO of TTCL said: "Working with Alcatel-Lucent
and leveraging its state of the art IP and optical transport
technology as well as expertise we can enable new network
efficiencies that will allow us to both meet the growing demands of
our customers and help contribute to the development of ICT in
Tanzania."
Daniel Jaeger, vice-president of Alcatel-Lucent in Africa said: "The
contract with TTCL is a significant one for the region and
highlights Alcatel-Lucent's continued momentum in the IP and optical
space. With deep-rooted expertise and technology that has been
proven in customer networks around the globe, we are in an ideal
position to help meet the network convergence needs of customers
such as TTCL."
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of AlcatelLucent.
About TTCL:
Tanzania Telecommunications Company Ltd. (TTCL) TTCL currently
provides voice and data communication services, to over 300,000
business and residential customers in Tanzania. The Company also
provides network services to other licensed telecom operators.
TTCL's aim is to remain the leading data service provider in
Tanzania leveraging on its existing fixed network infrastructure and
investment in new technologies including 4G LTE. In order to achieve
this goal, a strong focus has been placed on customer satisfaction
by providing high quality, reliable and affordable services to our
customers. For more information, visit TTCL on: http://www.ttcl.co.tz
TTCL Press Contacts:
Nicodemus Thomas
nicodemus.thomas@ttcl.co.tz
+255 0734 205050
Edwin Mashasi
edwin.mashasi@ttcl.co.tz
+255 0737 209147
About Alcatel-Lucent (EURONEXT Paris And NYSE: ALU)
Alcatel-Lucent is the leading IP networking, ultra-broadband access
and cloud technology specialist. We are dedicated to making global
communications more innovative, sustainable and accessible for
people, businesses and governments worldwide. Our mission is to
invent and deliver trusted networks to help our customers unleash
their value. Every success has its network.
For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com, read the latest posts on the Alcatel-Lucent
blog http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/blog and follow the Company on
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Alcatel_Lucent.
Alcatel-Lucent Press Contacts
Simon Poulter
simon.poulter@alcatel-lucent.com
T : +33 (0)1 55 14 10 06
Sherine Aziez
sherine.aziez@alcatel-lucent.com
T : +213 770 968 348
Alcatel-Lucent Investor Relations
Marisa Baldo
marisa.baldo@alcatel-lucent.com
T : +33 (0)1 55 14 11 20
Tom Bevilacqua
thomas.bevilacqua@alcatel-lucent.com
T : + 1 908-582-7998
Arrow Electronics Collaborates with Nonprofit "Close the Gap" to
Help Bridge the Digital Divide in Africa
Arrow Electronics via African Media Agency
November 17, 2015
Arrow Electronics, Close the Gap and Hoops of Hope turned used cargo
containers into fully equipped digital classrooms and health clinics
in remote areas of Africa
Centennial, United States, 17 November 2015,- African Media Agency
(AMA)- Arrow Electronics and the nonprofit organizations Close the
Gap and Hoops of Hope collaborate to turn used cargo containers into
fully equipped digital classrooms and health clinics that can be
deployed to remote areas of Africa.
The first "DigiTruck" in Africa was unveiled to the Tuleeni
Orphanage in Tanzania in early August. The DigiTruck is now
providing some 80 orphans at Tuleeni with a classroom full of highquality,
refurbished laptops, tablets and other IT equipment.
"Arrow Electronics is committed to finding innovative ways that
technology can improve people's lives," said Michael J. Long,
chairman, president and chief executive officer of Arrow. "From our
semi-autonomous motorcar (SAM) project that enabled a quadriplegic
former racecar driver to realize his dream of driving again, to this
DigiTruck project that is providing orphans in sub-Saharan Africa
with their first computers, Arrow is guiding innovation forward in
incredible ways. Close the Gap, Hoops of Hope and Neema
International's Tuleeni Orphanage are doing great work, and Arrow is
fortunate to collaborate with such inspiring organizations."
According to UNESCO, more than 182 million adults in sub-Saharan
Africa are unable to read or write, and 48 million young people are
illiterate¹. Access to information and communication technology is
critical to improving a country's educational and economic
prospects. However, high equipment costs, poor infrastructure and
limited proficiency all prevent this much-needed technology from
reaching many parts of Africa.
"For more than 10 years, Close the Gap has been removing barriers to
digital literacy in developing countries. More than 75 percent of
the population in Africa live in rural communities where
infrastructure presents a huge barrier-modern information and
communication technologies coupled with solar-powered solutions like
the DigiTruck are able to help bridge this digital divide and to
bring quality training and education to remote communities. With the
support of partners like Arrow Electronics, Close the Gap is honored
to be a part of the work of Tuleeni Orphanage and make a positive
impact in the lives of these orphans," said Olivier Vanden Eynde,
founder and managing director of Close the Gap.
The DigiTruck can accommodate up to 18 students at a time in a
classroom setting. It is equipped with solar panels capable of fully
powering it for several days at a time so it can reach remote rural
villages with no electricity. The DigiTruck is also triple-insulated
to protect against the heat and secured with double steel doors and
bolted window shutters. Donated IT equipment refurbished by Arrow's
Value Recovery business inside the DigiTruck includes laptops,
tablets, printers, routers and a LED TV flat-screen monitor. Local
workers in Arusha, Tanzania helped to build the truck.
"Arrow Electronics and Close the Gap have the power to turn lives
around," said Mandy Stein, the founder and executive director of
Neema International, the organization supporting the Tuleeni
Orphanage. "They are changing my kids' worlds-with the computers and
DigiTruck, their dreams now are within reach."
The DigiTruck will spend the next several months at the Tuleeni
Orphanage before moving onto its next location in 2016. Arrow will
donate all of the laptops and IT equipment to the Tuleeni Orphanage
when the DigiTruck moves on, providing a permanent learning
environment for the orphans. Arrow will also outfit the DigiTruck
with additional refurbished equipment for its next stops.
Working together, Arrow and Close the Gap plan to build and deploy a
number of additional DigiTrucks throughout Africa. In fact,
following Arrow's sponsorship of Close the Gap's first DigiTruck,
four other companies pledged to sponsor similar units.
Arrow's Value Recovery business, which donated the refurbished
electronic devices inside the DigiTruck, works with its customers to
securely refurbish computers, tablets, smartphones and other
electronic devices for additional use, or repurpose their stillvaluable
component parts for other uses. Whenever possible, Arrow
emphasizes extending the life of these devices by selling them,
redeploying them within organizations or donating them.
The provision of the DigiTruck in Tanzania was featured on US
television program "Courage in Sports" which highlights powerful
stories of courage, resilience and excellence in the face of
adversity. The program was broadcast on CBS.
Distributed by African Media Agency on behalf of Arrow Electronics.
Arrow Electronics - Company Profile
Arrow Electronics is a global provider of products, services and
solutions to industrial and commercial users of electronic
components and enterprise computing solutions, with 2014 sales of
$22.8 billion. Arrow serves as a supply channel partner for over
100,000 original equipment manufacturers, contract manufacturers and
commercial customers through a global network of more than 460
locations in 56 countries.
A Fortune 150 company with 17,000 employees worldwide, Arrow brings
technology solutions to a breadth of markets, including
telecommunications, information systems, transportation, medical,
industrial and consumer electronics.
Arrow provides specialized services and expertise across the product
lifecycle. Arrow does this by connecting customers to the right
technology at the right place at the right time and at the right
price.
Arrow provides extraordinary value to customers and suppliers - the
best technology companies in the world - and connects them through
the company's industry-leading services.
http://www.arrow.com
Arrow Electronics EMEA:
Thorsten Hecking
Corporate Communications Manager
Tel.: +49 (6102) 50 30 - 8638
Mobil: +49 (160) 90 12 70 55
E-Mail: press@arroweurope.com
Internet: http://www.arroweurope.com
MobileMoney Africa and African Media Agency Join Forces to Promote
Financial Inclusion on the Continent
Lagos, Nigeria, New York, United States, 17 November 2015,- African
Media Agency (AMA)- African Media Agency (AMA) the pan-African media
relations specialist and MobileMoney Africa , the online platform
for mobile financial media reporting, today announced an alliance to
promote financial inclusion on the continent.
As part of this agreement, AMA will be responsible for promoting the
6th Remittance & MobileMoney Expo event taking place on Feb 2-3 in
Lagos, Nigeria. The expo is the leading continental event focused on
mobile financial services. AMA will engage the main print, broadcast
and online media of the continent, key stakeholders through the
global aggregators and their strategic partners AllAfrica.com and
Africa.com.
"For a few years now, we have worked closely with the champions of
financial inclusion on the continent from the Better than Cash
Alliance to MasterCard and Barclays Africa. This partnership with
MobileMoney Africa will strengthen our goal to push financial
inclusion as the centre of economic empowerment", said Eloïne Barry,
CEO of AMA.
The MobileMoney Expo addresses the emerging digital financial
ecosystem in Africa covering regulation, technology, and innovation
from the supply and demand sides of the value chain, covering key
actors within the African continent.
"AMA has been pivotal in shaping the Pan African news agenda through
their innovative and flawless approach to content dissemination.
This alliance will help us push our content outside our own
platform, to the audience that matters" said Emmanuel Okoegwale,
Principal associate, MobileMoney Africa.
According to the African Development Bank, less than one adult out
of four in Africa have access to an account at a formal financial
institution. Broadening access to financial services will mobilize
greater household savings, marshal capital for investment, expand
the class of entrepreneurs, and enable more people to invest in
their futures and the future of their families. Financial inclusion
is therefore critical to ensuring that the African economic growth
is equitable and sustained.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA).
Contact Media
AMA
Julius Odera Omondi
Contact@amediaagency.com
MobileMoney Africa
Emmanuel Okoegwale
Emmanuel@mobilemoneyafrica.com
About African Media Agency
AMA - African Media Agency (http://amediaagency.com) specializes in
helping companies grow their share of voice on a pan-African scale.
Our deep knowledge and understanding of the continent helped us gain
recognition and act as an authoritative source of news for the most
influential media houses in every African country.
Our offices are located in Dubai (UAE), Libreville (Gabon), New York
(USA) and we have local presence in Johannesburg (South Africa),
Nairobi (Kenya) and Lagos (Nigeria). Our team has ten years of
experience across the Communications spectrum on a pan-African
scale. We intimately understand the diversified and often complex
business environment in each African country and guide our clients
with best practice on every step of their African journey.
MobileMoney Africa is Africa's leading online platform for mobile
financial media reporting in the last decade, providing news and
intelligence for the mobile financial and remittance industry by
aggregating and distributing industry related news items from
African news organizations. We operate from Lagos - Nigeria.
The news website is knowledge hub for industry related news, links
and resources on the African mobile financial services sector
reaching more than 25,000 opt-in newsletter members, in more than 65
countries across the globe.
About MobileMoney Expo
Now in its sixth year as a leading continental, mobile financial
services focused event, held annually in February in Lagos -
Nigeria. The MobileMoney Expo addresses the emerging digital
financial ecosystem in Africa covering regulations, technology,
innovations from the supply and demand side value chain actors
within the African continent. The event attracts leading
stakeholders in the remittances, payment, banking, mobile financial
services, financial technology providers across and beyond Africa,
annually in Lagos - Nigeria.
Alcatel-Lucent and Burkina Faso to apply cloud networking technology
to stimulate economic growth through digital public services
First West African nation to use the cloud to connect government,
education, cities and industries
PARIS, France, 12 November 2015, - African Media Agency (AMA)Alcatel
-Lucent (Euronext and NYSE: ALU) is to provide the government
of Burkina Faso with cloud networking technology that will enable it
to develop new digital public services, such as E-government, Elearning
and E-health.
Alcatel-Lucent will supply the West African nation with its NFV
(Network Functions Virtualization), Cloudband and IP platforms,
which will be integrated into the 'G-Cloud' infrastructure to being
built around virtualized network resources from cloud nodes in
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital, and five provinces.
Approximately 400 buildings in 13 regional urban centers will be
connected through a 513Km fiber-optic IPMPLS wide area network.
Backhaul will be provided by an 800 km fiber-optic transmission
system that will become part of Burkina Faso's National Fibre Optics
Backbone.
Alcatel-Lucent and the Ministry of Development of the Digital
Economy and Posts as well as the National Agency for the Promotion
of ICT (ANPTIC) in Burkina Faso, are celebrating the 'G-Cloud'
project launching. Their excellencies, Mr. Yacouba Isaac ZIDA, the
Prime Minister of Burkina Faso; Dr. Nébila Amadou YARO, the Minister
of Digital Economy and Post and Mr. Bo Jensen, the Danish Ambassador
to Burkina Faso, were among the local and national dignitaries who
attended a ceremony on 12 November in Ouagadougou.
...
The project is part of an ambitious IT and telecommunication
strategy being administered by the country's Ministry for Digital
Development (MDENP - Ministère du Développement de l'Économie
Numérique et des Postes), and intends to enable connectivity between
public departments and municipalities via an e-government platform -
an integral element of Burkina Faso's Economic and Social
Development Strategy, SCADD (Stratégie pour une croissance accéléré
et un développement durable).
The network will support the anticipated increase in future demand
for digital services to the health, education, justice, immigration,
parliament and other sectors in the coming years. Under the
agreement with MDENP, Alcatel-Lucent will support network and
infrastructure operations to be installed by 2017. Financing for the
project is being facilitated by the Danish government through the
Danida Business Finance agency, whose contribution to the project
amounts to Eur 30 million (19.9 billion FCFA) with a direct grant
subsidy of Eur 15.5 million (10 billion FCFA).
Key Facts:
- Alcatel-Lucent is integrating its Cloudband Network Functions
Virtualization (NFV) platform, with its IPMPLS platforms.
- Alcatel-Lucent will deploy a high-speed, high-capacity network
with links between locations and data centers by using its 1830
Photonic Service Switch (PSS). The 1830 PSS offers exceptional
capacity, performance, agility and intelligence for the transport of
very large amounts of data over long distances and can support a
mixture of 10G, 40G and 100G channels on the same fiber pair,
helping ensure support for future needs as demand grows and offers
rapid deployment and necessary flexibility to spur economic
development.
- Alcatel-Lucent will ensure a seamless transfer of knowledge by its
operational support to the teams of MDENP in order that they can
take over the full network operation responsibility by the end of
the contract.
- Alcatel-Lucent also will provide a training and development
program for more than 100 government employees.
Quotes
H.E. Mr Nébila Amadou Yaro, Minister, Ministry of Development of the
Digital Economy and Posts, said: "The G-Cloud network will allow the
distribution of applications and resources at all times, wherever
necessary, while providing consolidated cloud and network
management. This will allow the system to be operated as a unique
virtual environment. This project will have many positive impacts
for Burkina Faso, including micro and macro-economic growth, and
increasing the efficiency of health and education services."
Alpin Verlet, Head of Alcatel-Lucent activities in West and Central
Africa said: "Alcatel-Lucent is proud and happy to build this
project, the first 'Government Cloud' in the region, for the
Government of Burkina Faso. This project will soon become a very
strong exemplary project, showing how a forward thinking government
is using the Cloud technology to provide its citizens with access to
government's services."
HE Bo Jensen, the Danish Ambassador to Burkina Faso, is excited
about the project: "The objectives pursued by the project are in
line with the national development strategy and sectoral strategies.
It is an innovative approach using state of the art technology to
pursue poverty alleviation and good governance. It aims mainly at
building up a more efficient and transparent public administration,
reducing corruption through online service, contributing to
enhancing business climate, thus stimulate economic growth and job
creation, among others". He also added: "We believe that this
project will support the government decentralization process and
promote deconcentration of public services. In addition, we strongly
believe that this project will lead to more transparency and
improved public financial management. It is in line with Danida's
support over many years to the Ministry of Economy and Finance
through budget support."
ACE submarine cable: launch of the Sao Tomé & Principe to Cape Town
segment
Orange - via APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Orange.
Press Release, November 18, 2015
Press contacts: +33 1 44 44 93 93
Tom Wright, tom.wright@orange.com
Caroline Simeoni, caroline.simeoni@orange.com
November 18, 2105
PARIS, France, November 18, 2015 -- Orange, together with the other
members of the ACE consortium, announces the start of the next phase
of the ACE submarine cable system to expand broadband connectivity
and digital services in Africa.
Second phase of the ACE cable
For this phase II, the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable
system is being extended to South Africa: a 5,000km extension from
island of Sao Tomé & Principe, in the Gulf of Guinea, to South
Africa that will further strengthen the role ACE is playing in
critical infrastructure development in the continent.
Today, nearly 12,000km of fiber optic cable are already used to
connect 18 countries - France, Portugal, the Canary Islands (Spain),
Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte
d’Ivoire, Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and São
Tomé & Príncipe. Two landlocked countries, Mali and Niger, are
connected via a terrestrial extension.
When Phase II is completed, ACE will cover a total distance of
17,000km and will allow up to 25 countries to access high speed
internet.
Most advanced & secured technology
ACE uses the most advanced high-speed broadband fiber optic
technology; wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) allows the
capacity to be increased as and when it is needed without additional
submarine work being required. Overall capacity will be boosted to
12.8 Tbps using 100-Gbps technology, which supports high-capacity
networks.
An essential asset for the Group's broadband network in Africa
The consortium has invested around US$700 million in the
construction of the cable, which includes US$250 million from the
Orange Group and its subsidiaries.
Through these major investments Orange confirms its commitment to
provide widespread access to the internet in the close to twenty
African countries where the Group is present and to continue to
improve the quality of its network service.
About Orange
Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators
with sales of 39 billion euros in 2014 and 157,000 employees
worldwide at 30 September 2015, including 98,000 employees in
France. Present in 28 countries, the Group has a total customer base
of 263 million customers worldwide at 30 September 2015, including
200 million mobile customers and 18 million fixed broadband
customers. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and
telecommunication services to multinational companies, under the
brand Orange Business Services. In March 2015, the Group presented
its new strategic plan “Essentials2020” which places customer
experience at the heart of its strategy with the aim of allowing
them to benefit fully from the digital universe and the power of its
new generation networks.
Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York
Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).
For more information on the internet and on your mobile: http:
www.orange.com, http://www.orange-business.com, http:
www.livetv.orange.com or to follow us on Twitter: @orangegrouppr.
APO (African Press Organization)
2nd, 3rd and 4th floor, Voie du Chariot 3
1003 Lausanne – Switzerland
Tel : +41 22 534 96 97
E-mail: switzerland (at) apo-opa.org
http://www.apo-opa.com
AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication
providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with a
particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus
Bulletin is edited by William Minter.
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