Ghana

• 80-90% of MTN’s mobile services run through fibre cables in some form. Daily disruptions (costing $150,000/month to repair) are supposedly caused by road construction:
  MTN blames network problems on fibre cuts {Ghana Nation}
• A cursory look at e-waste in Ghana:
  Technology In Ghana: A Blessing Or A Curse? {eWeek Europe}

Zambia

• Education and Vocational training Permanent Secretary Andrew Phiri was speaking in Lusaka at the kick off policy of the Zambia Research Educational Network:
  Costly internet inhibits research {Lusaka Times}

Tunisia

• 200 bloggers from 19 countries examined the role of the internet in the Arab revolutions and the region’s democratic transition:
  Arab bloggers gather in Tunis {Magharebia}
• On how the new head of the Tunisian Internet Agency (ATI) has changed the agency into a transparent body:
  Transforming Tunisia’s internet agency {TMCnet}

Nigeria

• A video on how Nigeria is handling 4x the number of Internet users it had in 2008:
  Growing Internet Penetration in Nigeria {ABN Digital}
• Google reaches out to web searchers in Nigeria by adding a 4th Nigerian language to its search results:
  Google Is Now Available In Pidgin English {Nairaland}
• Are Blackberry phones still desireable among young Nigerians like they were at the start of the year?
  Is the Blackberry Hype Dying in Nigeria? {Mobility}

South Africa

• ICASA has signed a memoranda of understanding to study unused spectrum and the design and production of devices that can be used for Wi-Fi in rural areas:
  South Africa to pilot Wi-Fi using TV white spaces {Computerworld}
• Google is interested in supporting the aforementioned efforts to utilize television spectrum for wireless broadband:
  Google keen to support SA wireless projects {TechCentral}
• On one-time tech startups Zoopy, Ubuntu, Yola:
  Why South Africa is an African tech trailblazer {The MEST Blog}

Africa

• The operator, which provides services in 19 countries across Asia and Africa, has contracted NSN to expand its 2G (GSM/EDGE) networks and deploy 3G networks in the countries:
  Airtel teams up with NSN to expand in Africa {Telecoms.com}
• A high-level look at e-waste dumping in Africa:
  Sub-Standard Electronics Donated to Africa Causing Pile Up of E-Waste {VOA News}
• Pricing will be the major obstacle, considering price points of similar devices in the US:
  On second thoughts, Africa’s tablet computing boom is inevitable {TechZim}
• Africa IGF, formed at the Internet Governance Forum, will be the leading platform for the continent’s ICT community:
  Experts back formation of Africa Internet forum {The Citizen}
• Smartphones, software, and microfinance are bringing transparency and better planning to the shea nut markets in northern Ghana:
  Nuts and bits {The Economist}

Zimbabwe

• Zimbabwean newspapers are facing a decline in readership as online news sources become more popular. The author proposes using online media outlets to complement printed versions with the use of video and interaction (plus advertising dollars):
  Power of Internet On Readership {The Herald via allAfrica.com}

Egypt

• Ebda2, a 7-month-long start-up competition, will encourage tech development and the chance for investments:
  Google Holds Start-Up Contest in Egypt {Mobiledia}

South Sudan

• The nation now has full access rights to the frequencies managed by ITU. The ITU also met with delegates from South Sudan to discuss ICT needs and challenges:
  South Sudan becomes ITU’s 193rd member state {Engineering News}

Rwanda

• Opinion on the announced arrival of Bharti Airtel in Rwanda, suggesting many customers will seek the new offerings. In recent months, Tigo has seen substantially more new users than MTN:
  The New Trio {The Independent via allAfrica.com}
• Kind words from the Minister in the President’s Office in charge of ICT, FERWAFA ICT expert, acting CEO of TIGO Rwanda, IT manager of MTN, and more:
  Tributes to Steve Jobs {The New Times via allAfrica.com}

Mozambique

• Gateway Communications, supplier of capacity on land, sea, and mobile networks, will operate in Moazmbique for at least 5 more years. The company aims to focus on 3G and terrestrial cables:
  Gateway renews Mozambique’s data licence {IT News Africa}

Uganda

• Research & Markets finds Uganda to be one of the most consistently growing economies in Africa, with GDP growth to remain at 7% per year until at least 2016:
  Stable growth points to a bright future for Uganda’s telecom sector {Developing Telecoms}
• Uganda’s terrestrial fibre network now measures 1,548km after the second phase of a lengthy backbone project:
  Huawei delivers Uganda fiber Internet backbone
  {Computerworld}

Kenya

• Google is setting up an ecosystem for early adopters:
  Welcome YouTube Kenya! {YouTube}

Namibia

• In Namibia, 37% of retail payments made last year utilized the Internet:
  Cards, Cellphones and Internet Replacing Cheques {The Namibian via allAfrica.com}

Angola

• Angola Communications Systems (ACS), has chosen Alvarion’s BreezeMAX Extreme solution to introduce a high-speed wireless broadband network in Angola:
  Angola deploys 4G wireless service using Alvarion {Geria.net}

Gabon

• The Gabonese telecoms regulator (ARTEL) granted the first 3G license in advance of next years African Cup of Nations:
  Le Gabon passe a l’Internet 3G dans la perspective de la CAN 2012 {Afriqueinfos}

Morocco

• Morocco’s ICT ranking has climbed in the past year thanks to an emphasis on 3G. Tunisia still leads the region, and Algeria takes third. Little advancement was seen in Mauritania:
  TIC – La 3G a permis au Maroc de creuser l’ecart avec l’Algerie {Maghreb Emergent}