Communications Africa 2 2013

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Issue 2 2013 Édition 2 2013

Africa

Afrique

www.communicationsafrica.com

Satellite How Africa’s debate on broadband connectivity is changing

Billing Interconnect in the cloud, for better wholesale partner management

Cable Connecting Southern Africa and South America

Technologie Autour de l’éducation et de Watching the markets for solutions and services on content management and provision

l’apprentissage mobile

Europe m15 - Kenya KSH300 - Nigeria N400 - South Africa R20 - UK £10 - USA $16.50

FEATURES: ● Internet ● Mobile ● Infrastructure REGULAR REPORTS: ● Bulletin - Agenda ● Equipment - Équipement

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CONTENTS

Issue 2 2013 Édition 2 2013

Afrique

Africa www.communicationsafrica.com

Satellite How Africa’s debate on broadband connectivity is changing

Bulletin

4

Events

8

Agenda

9

Billing Interconnect in the cloud, for better wholesale partner management

Cable Connecting Southern Africa and South America

Technologie Autour de l’éducation et de Watching the markets for solutions and services on content management and provision

Equipment

29

l’apprentissage mobile

Europe m15 - Kenya KSH300 - Nigeria N400 - South Africa R20 - UK £10 - USA $16.50

FEATURES: ● Internet ● Mobile ● Infrastructure REGULAR REPORTS: ● Bulletin - Agenda ● Equipment - Équipement

A note from the Editor

FEATURES

THE AFRICAN MOBILE market is increasingly complex and competitive, and operators are compelled to continue to innovate. to look at new technologies and models to manage implementation, connectivity, and revenues. Page 18 of this issue addresses interconnect billing, pages 20 to 22 offer insights into satellite connectivity. Pages 26 and 27 show how information and communciation technologies (ICTs) are applied to serve business and society.

Revenue

18

How and why operators can innovate management of wholesale partner relations, with interconnect billing

Satellite

20

Broadband connectivity is changing, becoming more affordable and more practical; support for deployment to create sophisticated digital economies; and opportunities in the provision and management of content services

Commerce

24

Across Africa, new payment solutions are being rolled out - including payment devices with biometrics for identity authentication, and dual SIM and tri-comms systems

ICT

26

Notes on the South Atlantic Cable System (SACS), which is designed to provide low latency routing between Africa, Asia and the Americas; and business modelling for data connectivity

Une note du rédacteur LE MARCHÉ MOBILE africain est de plus en plus complexe et concurrentiel, et les opérateurs sont obligés de continuer à innover. à regarder les nouvelles technologies et les modèles pour gérer la mise en œuvre, la connectivité et les revenus. Page 19 de ce numéro représente technologie pour un programme scolaire, page 25 donnent texte sur la connectivité Internet. Page 28 montre comment les technologies de l'information et de communication présentée (TIC) sont appliqués à servir les entreprises et la société.

Bulletin

6

Agenda

17

Technologie

19

Des idées sur les façons d’utiliser cette technologie et de l’intégrer dans un programme scolaire

Commerce

25

Le réseau Internet at les téléphones portables transforment des perspectives de développement en Afrique

TIC

28

Comment une plateforme informatique fait de révolutionner la gestion et la diffusion des données sur le continent

Managing Editor: Andrew Croft - andrew.croft@alaincharles.com

Audit Bureau of Circulations Business Magazines

Editorial and Design team: Bob Adams, Prashant AP, Hiriyti Bairu, Lizzie Carroll, David Clancy, Ranganath GS, Kasturi Gupta, Rhonita Patnaik, Genaro Santos, Zsa Tebbit, Nicky Valsamakis and Ben Watts Publisher: Nick Fordham Advertising Sales Director: Pallavi Pandey Magazine Sales Manager: Steve Thomas - Tel: +44 (0) 20 7834 7676, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7973 0076, Email: stephen.thomas@alaincharles.com Country China India Nigeria Russia South Africa Qatar UAE USA

Representative Ying Wang Tanmay Mishra Bola Olowo Sergei Salov Annabel Marx Saida Hamad Camilla Capece Michael Tomashefsky

Telephone (86)10 8472 1899 (91) 80 656 84483 (234) 8034349299 (7495) 540 7564 (27) 218519017 (974) 55745780 (971) 4 448 9260 (1) 203 226 2882

www.communicationsafrica.com

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Email ying.matthieson@alaincharles.com tanmay.mishra@alaincharles.com bola.olowo@alaincharles.com mne@acpmos.ru annabel.marx@alaincharles.com saida.hamad@alaincharles.com camilla.capece@alaincharles.com michael.tomashefsky@alaincharles.com

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Production: Donatella Moranelli, Nathanielle Kumar, Nick Salt, Jeremy Walters and Sophia White Email: production@alaincharles.com Subscriptions: circulation@alaincharles.com Chairman: Derek Fordham Printed by: Wyndeham Grange Ltd Communications Africa/Afrique is bi-monthly magazine ISSN: 0962 3841

Serving the world of business

Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

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BULLETIN Huawei helps operators make multi-network synergy

Reducing the complexity of mobile financial services

HUAWEI LAUNCHED ITS innovative single radio controller (SRC) solution at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2013, a solution designed to achieve multi-RAT network synergy, enhance network capacity and efficiency, and help operators build networks that provide a better mobile broadband (MBB) experience; Wang Tao, president of Huawei Wireless Networks, said, “SRC realises the industry’s first five-mode access control for GSM, UMTS, LTE FDD, LTE TDD and Wi-Fi. It is a milestone solution for multinetwork convergence and coordinated resource scheduling.”

VISA, INC HAS launched a new plug-and-play mobile money platform, recently, to make it easy and cost-efficient for mobile operators, banks and micro-lending organisations to offer mobile financial services to consumers; unbanked consumers in Rwanda have been amongst the first to benefit from the service, as account holders at the Bank of Kigali and Urwego Opportunity Bank gain access to a financial account that is linked to their mobile phone number.

Vodacom sets up solar array VODACOM RECENTLY UNVEILED the largest solar array of panels on a single building in Africa at its offices in Century City, Cape Town, South Africa, as part of its ongoing drive to help reduce the amount of energy the company consumes; the solar array is expected to provide up to 75 per cent of all electricity power required by the building during peak production, with the electricity produced feeding into the two main distribution boards - with a display panel, installed in the reception area of the building, displaying instantaneous power produced (yield), energy yield and carbon emission savings.

SAP survey highlights the need for mobile commerce THE FINDINGS OF SAP AG’s third consecutive GSMA Mobile World Congress survey indicates that 53 per cent of industry leaders believe that improving customers' retail experience would be essential to creating a successful mobile payments scheme; the survey is aimed at addressing top issues facing mobile commerce service providers and reflects the sentiments of mobile operators, fixed telecommunication providers, over-the-top (OTT) players and other mobile industry executives - with 60 per cent of respondents coming from Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

TETRA gains image management for policing MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS, INC. has launched the world´s first mission-critical imaging solution for frontline officers - a combination of the new MTP6750 Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) handheld radio featuring an integrated five megapixel camera and the Photograph and Intelligence Communications System (PICS) image management solution; through PICS, images captured on the MTP6750 can be managed, authenticated and shared within a public safety organisation´s existing workflows, enabling verification of captured images at any point and reducing the chance of evidence being deemed unusable in a prosecution.

Motorola’s M T P 675 0 T E T R A handheld radio

ICANN set to expand in Africa Vodacom has installed solar array at its offices in Cape Town

ITU focuses on radical transformation in ICT industry UNDER THE THEME ‘Embracing Change in a Digital World’, ITU Telecom World 2013 is continuing the ‘one conversation that matters’ this year in Bangkok, Thailand, from 19-22 November, supported by a new website launched to complement the event’s focus on high quality discussion and debate; the site at http://world2013.itu.int, is designed to deliver on ITU Telecom World’s promise of bringing together leaders from the entire spectrum of the information and communications technology sector, public and private, for dialogue and exchange that can deliver results.

THE PRESIDENT OF the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is pressing ahead with plans to have six new ICANN representatives on the African continent; “We will have ICANN staff, at least one, in each of the 6 regions of Africa. North, South, East, West, Central and the Indian Ocean,” said Fadi Chehadé.

SEACOM upgrades submarine network capacity COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE PROVIDER SEACOM has selected Ciena Corporation’s 6500 Packet-Optical Platform and OneControl Unified Management System for the upgrade of its submarine network across the Southern and Eastern African coastlines; Ciena’s technology will enable us to cost-effectively scale our capacity to address this growing demand for connectivity throughout the continent,” says Claes Segelberg, chief technology officer at SEACOM.

Fibre-like capabilities for oilfield communications O3B NETWORKS NOW offers O3bEnergy, an offshore communications solution that delivers high-speed, fibre-like connectivity to offshore installations and seismic survey vessels without the big upfront CAPEX investments, outage concerns, lack of mobility, lengthy ramp up times, and other fibre shortfalls - so oil and gas companies and systems integrators can leverage O3b’s high capacity, low latency satellite portfolio to get far more from their enterprise systems and operational budgets; O3b’s Medium Earth Orbit fleet will enable oil and gas companies to deliver the same level of sophisticated communications capabilities they count on at headquarters aboard their remote offshore platforms, utilising sub-150 msec latency and fibre-like speeds to improve and elevate the full spectrum of off-shore communications from mission critical applications to enhance crew morale.

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Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

Claes Segelberg, chief technology officer at SEACOM

www.communicationsafrica.com

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BULLETIN Safaricom selects Gemalto for Kenya SAFARICOM IS USING Gemalto’s LinqUs Cloud Backup solution to offer mobile subscribers in Kenya a comprehensive back-up service for phonebook contacts; the solution ensures that Safaricom customers can easily protect themselves against the disruption caused by phone theft, loss, damage or replacement, through saving all their contacts automatically in the mobile operator’s cloud-based storage service.

leadership panel discussions, keynote speeches and networking sessions designed to facilitate knowledge exchange and new partnerships between key financial decision-makers from African telecoms and the international finance and advisory community.

New cloud mail and archive service in SA INTERNET SOLUTIONS (IS) AND SYNAQ have launched a low cost, integrated, cloud mail and archive service - the first locally-hosted secure messaging collaboration suite, offering e-mail functionality, collaboration and archiving on a single platform; "As South African businesses are now at the main-stream stage of cloud adoption, we wanted to create a competitive offering that could meet specific requirements in terms of compliance, and offer a compelling alternative to other local and global email and management solutions,” explained Wayne Speechly, executive for communication services at IS.

La transformation radicale du secteur des TIC ITU TELECOM WORLD 2013 va poursuivre cette année en Thaïlande le "débat sur des questions de fond", sur le thème "Accueillir le changement dans un monde numérique"; a cette fin, un nouveau site web est lancé - http://world2013.itu.int - en complément des discussions et débats de haute tenue qui seront au coeur de la manifestation.

Gemalto’s LinqUs Cloud Backup is used by more than 140mn subscribers across the world

Au cœur d'une nouvelle technologie de commutation

FABLESS SEMICONDUCTOR PROVIDER Spreadtrum Communications, Inc has established a strategic partnership with Orange to use low-cost mobile platforms for the delivery of a broad portfolio of cost-effective, feature-rich mobile handsets and smartphones to consumers; with this collaboration, Orange aims to improve the affordability of smartphones and other mobile handsets in these regions, contributing to Orange’s objectives of making the mobile internet more accessible to consumers.

CISCO UNIFIED ACCESS est indispensable pour les entreprises désireuses d'exploiter le potentiel du « tout connecté » - une connexion intelligente entre les individus, les données, les processus et les supports matériels, le tout de manière simplifiée, évolutive et efficace, sur des interfaces ouvertes parfaitement sécurisées; Rob Soderbery, Vice-président senior du Groupe Enterprise Networking chez Cisco précise, « Cisco Unified Access permet aux utilisateurs d'atteindre ces objectifs en proposant une architecture unique qui leur ouvrira l'accès à un réseau intelligent, aux performances inégalées. »

BFMA sponsored by Multichoice

Un écosystème pour des imprimantes multifonctions

SCHEDULED TO TAKE place in Nairobi, Kenya, over 26-27 June 2013, the Broadcast, Film and Music Africa (BFMA) conference is a popular creative content and electronic broadcasting event in East Africa that promotes knowledge sharing and networking among high-level electronic media professionals - with Multichoice Kenya taking up lead sponsorship for the event; Danny Mucira- Multichoice Kenya general manager, said, "We are committed to promoting local creative content and are supporting this knowledge sharing and networking platform to ensure that the industry continues to flourish and so that creative content creators can take advantage of the great opportunities."

XEROX A LANCÉ un système logiciel ConnectKey intégré à 5 nouvelles gammes d’imprimantes multifonctions ainsi qu’un ensemble de solutions et de services répondant aux besoins des collaborateurs de plus en plus nomades et des entreprises préoccupées par la sécurisation des documents; les 5 nouvelles plateformes équipées de ConnectKey, parmi lesquelles les nouveaux WorkCentre 5800 et 7800, sont dotées de la toute première solution de sécurité intégrée McAfee.

Spreadtrum and Orange set up strategic partnership

Opera Mini comes to the Botswanan market ORANGE IN BOTSWANA and Opera Software are set to provide the Opera Mini web browser to more than one million mobile customers in the country, giving faster and less expensive web access through cellphones and tablets on Orange’s network; like most African countries, most people in Botswana do not have access to fixed-line Internet, so a mobile device will be their first, and often only, way to access the Internet - yet, Batswanans love the web and their current favourite mobile sites include Facebook, Google, YouTube, Yahoo!, Wikipedia, Waptrick, Twitter, Blogger, BBC News, Dictionary.com and Answers.com.

Extended programme for telecoms and finance event TMT FINANCE AND Investment Africa 2013, now in its fourth year, will take place in London, in the UK, on June 20, bringing together African telecom CEOs, CFOs and strategy heads with investment bankers, financiers, regulators and advisers, to assess investment opportunities and partnerships; an expanded conference agenda features a series of

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Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

Les possibilités de la mobilité d’entreprise CITRIX A LANCÉ XenMobile MDM, une solution de gestion des périphériques mobiles (Mobile Device Mangement) d’entreprise qui offre aux utilisateurs le choix de leur périphérique et garantit aux directions informatiques le respect de leurs obligations de gestion et de conformité; XenMobile MDM vient s’ajouter à d’autres solutions Citrix, dont Citrix CloudGateway, Citrix NetScaler, Citrix XenDesktop, GoToMeeting, GoToAssist, Citrix ShareFile et Citrix Podio, pour former un portefeuille qui répond à l’ensemble des besoins de mobilité de l’entreprise.

Des solutions de paiement mobiles au Gabon MAHINDRA COMVIVA A conclu un partenariat avec Gabon Telecom, filiale de Maroc Telecom, par ailleurs plus grande entreprise de télécommunications au Gabon; avec ce partenariat, Comviva Mahindra aidera Gabon Telecom à introduire sur le marché les services de paiement mobiles Mobi Cash et de fidéliser davantage les clients de l’opérateur grâce à mobiquity - une solution qui répond aux besoins des abonnés mobiles bancarisés, sous-bancarisés et non-bancarisés en leur offrant un porte-monnaie électronique, la possibilité d’effectuer leurs paiements et d’avoir accès à des services de type bancaire.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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AGENDA

Events/Événements 2013 MAY/MAI 13-14

LTE MENA

Dubai, UAE

www.lteconference.com

14-15

Cards and Payments Middle East

Dubai, UAE

www.terrapinn.com

15-16

Rwanda ICT Summit

Kigali, Rwanda

21-22

Cloud Africa

Johannesburg, South Africa

21-22

East Africa Com

Nairobi, Kenya

21-24

Critical Communications World

Paris, France

27-30

Broadcast Show Africa

Johannesburg, South Africa

www.terrapinn.com

27-30

IP Networks Show Africa

Johannesburg, South Africa

www.terrapinn.com

27-30

SatCom Africa

Johannesburg, South Africa

www.terrapinn.com

27-30

Submarine Networks World

Johannesburg, South Africa

www.terrapinn.com

2-7

International Microwave Symposium

Seattle, USA

3-4

Telecoms Risk Management Forum

Dubai, UAE

tavess.com

3-5

GISEC

Dubai, UAE

www.gisec.ae

4-6

Small Cells World Summit

London, UK

www.smallcellsworldsummit.com

9-13

IEEE ICC

Budapest, Hungary

11-12

Connecting West Africa

Dakar, Senegal

www.comworldseries.com

17-18

Broadcast, Film & Music Africa

Nairobi, Kenya

aitecafrica.com

17-18

Africa Media & Business Exchange

Nairobi, Kenya

aitecafrica.com

20

TMT Finance & Investment Africa

London, UK

26-27

Broadcast, Film & Music Africa

Nairobi, Kenya

26-27

Cloud World Forum

London, UK

4

Africa Media Business Exchange

Nairobi, Kenya

8-9

M2M for the Oil and Gas Industry

London, UK

16-17

LTE Africa

Johannesburg, South Africa

africa.lteconference.com

17-19

Mediatech Africa

Johannesburg, South Africa

www.mediatech.co.za

22-25

Academy of World Finance, Banking, Management and Information Technology

Cape Town, South Africa

21-23

Africa Print

Johannesburg, South Africa

www.africaprintexpo.com

21-23

Visual Communications Africa

Johannesburg, South Africa

www.viscomafricaexpo.com

aitecafrica.com cloudafricasummit.com eaafrica.comworldseries.com criticalcommunicationsworld.com

JUNE/JUIN www.ims2013.org

www.ieee-icc.org

www.tmtfinance.com aitecafrica.com www.cloudwf.com

JULY/JUILLET aitecafrica.com www.smi-online.co.uk

www.academyofworldfinance.com

AUGUST/AOÛT

SEPTEMBER/SEPTEMBRE 3-5

Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF)

Casablanca, Morocco

11-12

Banking & Mobile Money COMESA

Nairobi, Kenya

13-17

IBC

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

17-18

Capacity Africa

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

23-24

Middle East Com

Dubai, UAE

24-26

M2M Innovation World Congress

Nice, France

www.m2minnovationworldcongress.com

24-26

NFC World Congress

Nice, France

www.nfcworldcongress.com

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Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

www.internetsociety.org aitecafrica.com www.ibc.org www.capacityconferences.com me.comworldseries.com

www.communicationsafrica.com

S02 CAF 2 2013 Agenda 01_Layout 1 12/04/2013 13:18 Page 9

AGENDA

M2M extends to the Middle East with Etisalat MIDDLE EASTERN TELECOMMUNICATIONS operator Etisalat Group has joined the M2M Multi-Operator Alliance - a coalition of companies that includes KPN, NTT DOCOMO, Rogers Communications, SingTel, Telefonica, Telstra and VimpelCom. “Etisalat Group looks forward to working with our global counterparts to help shape M2M policy globally and to ensure enhanced development across the region,” said Khalifa Al Shamsi, chief digital services officer at Etisalat Group. “We believe this Alliance has great potential to create real value for our business customers, and we look forward to playing an active role alongside other global leaders.”

M2M (machine-to-machine), a term for the exchange of data between machines and information technology infrastructure, has many industrial and commercial applications. By 2021 there are expected to be more than two billion M2M connections. The M2M Multi-Operator Alliance aims to bring technology to market that would simplify the process of global M2M deployments. Multinational corporations planning to roll out connected devices worldwide face an array of problems, such as the limited local coverage of some mobile operators, fragmented network landscapes and multiple SIM management platforms. The M2M MultiOperator Alliance intends to build a market-driven M2M ecosystem that provides cost efficient, multi-network M2M solutions for multi-national customers wishing to simplify deployments in retail, healthcare, consumer electronics, transportation, automobiles and energy on a global scale.

Khalifa Al Shamsi, the chief digital services officer at Etisalat Group and Shane Rooney, the vice-president of machine-to-machine at Etisalat Group, hosted the representatives of the M2M Multi-Operator Alliance at the Etisalat stand at Mobile World Congress 2013

Wireless telemetry improves efficiency and safety in chemicals industry TELIT WIRELESS SOLUTIONS (which provides high-quality machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions, products and services) and Powelectrics Ltd (a developer and manufacturer of customised, embedded electronic devices and solutions for chemical, petrochemical, cryogenic gas and food applications) are collaborating in the wireless telemetry application market with Powelectrics’ Telit-based product, Metron2 - a multi-function cellular-connected telemetry device capable of making remote fill-level readings in tanks containing liquids and gases. The device’s integral display allows the unit to be used also as a local gauge and for system setup and testing. An optional pulse-counter board allows the device to take external metre readings.

A wide-area-network (WAN)

Metron2 can be powered from different sources including an internal battery or an external 624Vdc source

www.communicationsafrica.com

connected with the Telit GE864QUAD V2 cellular module and selfpowered from an internal battery makes installation of the Metron2 quick and easy to accomplish. An intuitive user interface expedites set-up and testing processes. The Metron2 can be powered from different sources including an internal battery or an external 624Vdc source. It is often not economically feasible to run power to the site for remote telemetry installations. One such instance is the cryogenic gas monitoring segment, where it is important that the device be on and available to be polled any time - day or night. For this market, Powelectrics developed a solar-powered telemetry system, which allows the unit to remain ‘always on’ and connected to the GSM/GPRS network so the server can make contact at any time with instant reading requests.

Equipped with the Metron2, a tanker truck can be dispatched to best matching customer locations according to volume available in the tanker and volume required by customers, efficiently exhausting the tanker’s full supply of product instead of transporting it back to base saving fuel and removing the risk of the returned product contaminating the storage or process facility.

The power to plan properly Knowing how much product is in the customer’s tanks makes it possible to plan when and which truck should make deliveries.

This translates into fewer miles driven to deliver the same amount of product and therefore a significant reduction in costs.

There is also a dramatic reduction in CO2 emissions.

There are also accompanying operational benefits, including fewer emergency shipments, reduced customer service organisation and reduced sales resources.

These benefits translate into a balance sheet boasting reduced levels of finished goods and raw materials inventory.

Telit’s GE864-QUAD V2 ultracompact, low-power, quad-band GSM/GPRS 3GPP Release 4 module integrated in Powelectrics’ Metron2 boasts one of the industry’s broadest certification profiles in its class making it easily deployable anywhere in the global market.

Modules in this family are capable of data rates of 48Kbps GPRS Class 10 also supporting 9.6Kpbs Circuit Switch Data (CSD) transfers ensuring connectivity in poor coverage areas. The GE864-QUAD V2 family features one of the market’s most compact Ball Grid

Equipped with Metron2, a tanker truck can be dispatched to customer locations efficiently

Array (BGA) package measuring 30 x 30 x 2.8 mm and an extended operating temperature range of -40°C to +85°C, making it the perfect platform for outdoorenvironment mobile applications such as the Metron2.

“It is rewarding to be a part of products adding as much value to business and society as this one. We see the Metron2 as a powerful telemetry solution with the potential to serve well a vast number of segments going way beyond the chemical industry,” said Dominikus Hierl, chief marketing officer at Telit Wireless Solutions. “Powelectrics can now benefit from the flexibility of global certifications to launch new market efforts into almost any region in the world, safeguarding their original design and certification investments.”

Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

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AGENDA

CSPs to get more agility, support and expertise from CSG CSG SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, Inc, which provides software and services-based business support solutions that help clients generate revenue and maximise customer relationships, is expanding its managed services programme, bringing together its portfolio of solutions - including the Singleview convergent charging and billing platform, the wholesale billing platform Wholesale Business Management Solution (WBMS), and the direct-toconsumer content monetisation platform Content Direct - to address the need for communications service providers (CSPs) to lower costs, transform operations and create agile ways to support customers.

With this flexible delivery model, CSPs can rely on CSG to easily manage complex customer and revenue management processes - including on-premise, off-site at CSG’s facilities, offshore, and cloud-based options.

According to research conducted by Informa Telecoms & Media, 87 per cent of CSPs indicated that they already work with, or intend to work with, a BSS managed services provider in the next three years. A key theme emerging from this research is that CSPs’ expectations for the value that managed services will provide has increased over previous years.

“The model of ‘we manage your mess for less’ is a thing of the past. Domain expertise and an understanding of the CSP business are now as important to CSPs as cost,” said Kris Szaniawski, principle analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media. “CSPs

are faced with managing increasingly complicated infrastructure to support new devices and services. As a consequence, CSPs are increasingly prepared to work closely with trusted partners - with managed services providers who have resources and expertise to manage complex BSS structures in a way that brings products and services to market faster and rationalises legacy networks more effectively."

CSG’s managed services offering enables a CSP to evolve its business model rapidly, and/or transform its existing operations, in any combination or all of the following IT areas: • Infrastructure management: including hardware, application and environment management; capacity and availability management; disaster recovery; and IT/network operations, backup and security.

• Application configuration management: including configuration development, release and deployment; configuration support; data management; knowledge management; user training; and project and service management.

• Business operations: including event collection, correlation and processing for next-generation IP network services, voice and data network services, and content delivery networks; transaction and service-level rating; revenue management; third party settlement; enterprise contract management; and partner contract and dispute management.

Innovation in highdensity fibre patching SIEMON’S LC BLADEPATCH fibre optic duplex jumper revolutionises high-density fibre patching by eliminating the need to access a latch during installation and removal, avoiding any disruption or damage to adjacent fibre connectors in the tightest-fitting fibre patching environments.

Important patent-pending features include the pushpull boot design, which enables precise control of the latch away from the point of termination, enhancing installation and removal in the highest density applications. The rotating latch eliminates potential connector and cable damage during polarity changes, whilst clearly indicating that a polarity change has been made.

Free short-term life insurance based on mobile phone usage JUST AS M-PESA solved the problem of the ‘unbanked’ in emerging markets, Bima (Swahili for ‘insurance’) is now solving the problem of the ‘uninsured’.

The penetration of life, health, property or personal accident insurance in Africa is below five per cent.

Kenya was in a similar position in the banking sector when M-PESA launched in 2007, when less than 10 per cent of the population had a bank account. Now, MPESA has 14mn subscribers, or 35 per cent of the Kenyan population, who send and receive money through its ‘mobile bank accounts’.

As a result of this low penetration of insurance, when a family member passes away, these households suffer a severe financial set-back. In many of these markets the religious beliefs and cultural norms require elaborate funerals lasting as much as a week, which also means the mourners lose out on one week’s income. In Ghana, for example, it is common for the deceased to be put into elaborate ‘fantasy coffins’, coloured and shaped like an object, often portraying the persons occupation in life, such as a fish, crab, boats, airplanes and even Coca Cola bottles.

Nevertheless, low income households in emerging markets are not covered by insurance and this is largely due to four major obstacles; education, distribution, affordability and premium/claims collection.

This is where micro-insurance and mobile operators come in.

Micro-insurance is the insurance solution for the

10 Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

poor to overcome the obstacle of high fees in traditional insurance products. It is characterized by low premiums (around US$0.50-5.00) and low coverage limits (US$150-1,000).

However, micro-insurance has still struggled to reach all of the people in need because of the difficulty in mass distribution and education to the poor in all areas. Before an insurance company can sell its products to some communities it must first educate them on the concept and benefits of insurance.

Premiums must still be paid to an agent who is located in the neighbouring village and claims can cost as much to collect as they pay out, in lost income and travel expenses.

Using mobile for micro-insurance Bima’s free model is a 30-day life insurance covering a mobile operator’s customer and one family member (that the customer registers), where cover level is based on airtime usage with the mobile operator during the previous month. Once the minimum spend has been reached, a registered subscriber and his/her family member is covered and the more that is spent per month, the greater the insurance cover is.

The customer earns insurance cover ranging from US$150-700, which is renewed every month and is based on how much airtime was spent in the previous month.

A customer signs up over their handset with an agent

Customers sign up for insurance over their handsets

who talks them through the concept of insurance and the product details. A customer must answer a series of short questions through a USSD menu on their handsets in the registration process (including name and age of themselves and a family member and confirmation that they are both in good health at the time of registration) – revolutionary when you think about the registration process for life insurance in the Western World, which includes elaborate health questionnaires, interviews and beyond.

Cover levels are then communicated to the customer through an SMS at the beginning of every month and they make a claim by texting ‘CLAIM’ to a dedicated claims number and are called back by a Bima claims agent.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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AGENDA

Tower deal to improve networks in Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon CÔTE D'IVOIRE TELECOM, Orange Côte d'Ivoire and Orange Cameroon, subsidiaries of France TelecomOrange, have signed an agreement with IHS, a mobile infrastructure operator in Africa, for the operation of all the subsidiaries’ towers in Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon. The deal is expected to improve mobile networks in both countries. The agreement addresses more than 2,000 sites in Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon.

The towers will remain the property of the Orange subsidiaries. IHS will operate the towers for Orange for a term of 15 years and bring specialist knowledge and skills to improve the customer experience whilst reducing Orange’s cost base. IHS' focus on the passive infrastructure will enable and accelerate further network modernisation, particularly in the areas of efficient grid and diesel utilisation and the growing use of renewable energy to power the network.

Through IHS’ tower sharing model, available space on these towers will be marketed to other mobile operators whilst Orange subsidiaries will benefit from access to available slots on towers that IHS currently owns in both countries.

To further expand the network and meet local demand, IHS has committed to building new hybrid solar and generator power sites, thereby cutting diesel consumption at these sites by up to 70 per cent. Solar-only sites are favoured in rural areas with low consumption where delivering diesel is

The IHS’ tower sharing model enables available space on Orange towers to be marketed to other mobile operators whilst Orange subsidiaries benefit from access to slots on towers owned by IHS more expensive. Marc Rennard, executive director in charge of Africa, Middle East and Asia for the Orange Group, said, “Sharing passive infrastructure is a compelling opportunity for Orange to offer a better service to its customers in Africa and the Middle East through improved network coverage and reliability. It also allows us to drive efficiencies, reduce costs and manage the particular conditions in emerging markets such as the cost of energy and accessibility of sites.”

“Placing tower infrastructure in the hands of mobile tower specialists benefits consumers, businesses and local economies, as well as the operators themselves,” said Issam Darwish, CEO and founder of IHS. “Our 12 years’ experience in the market, coupled with strong relationships with mobile network operators and equipment suppliers, allows us to bring improvements right across the value chain.”

Safaricom sets up back-up services GEMALTO, WHICH SPECIALISES in digital security, and mobile operator Safaricom are using Gemalto’s LinqUs Cloud Backup solution to offer mobile subscribers in Kenya a comprehensive back-up service for phonebook contacts.

Compatible with most handset models, the solution ensures that Safaricom customers can protect themselves against the disruption caused by phone theft, loss, damage or replacement, through saving all their contacts automatically in the mobile operator’s cloudbased storage service.

Gemalto’s LinqUs Cloud Backup is already used by more than 140mn subscribers globally, and is relevant in African markets, where many small businesses rely on the integrity of their mobile phonebook contacts to operate.

Vendors and operators demonstrate next-generation technologies THE OPEN MOBILE Alliance (OMA) showcased unique demonstrations from Huawei, Telecom Italia and others recently, in a four-hour session at the 2013 Mobile World Congress. With presentations and demonstrations from leading vendors and operators, attendees gained an exclusive preview into up-and-coming technologies across the entire wireless value chain, some of which are not yet commercially available.

Improving device experience Augmented reality was addressed by Huawei and Telecom Italia, both showcasing the OMA MobAR (Mobile Augmented Reality) Enabler. Huawei showed its Smart Life software, which provides users with information in a 3D mode, using cameras rather than keywords to search and find what they need. Telecom Italia demonstrated how its Augmented Reality app receives information and content based on geolocation information and user preferences from a server in the network, which can be displayed in realtime camera-view on the device.

Huawei exhibited the OMA UVE (Unified Virtual Experience) Enabler for multi-screen sharing, through LiveShare. Currently not commercially available, this solution enables users to share content and screen views across devices including smartphones, tablets and smart TVs, as well communicating simultaneously with others.

In support of the OMA draft standard VirMO (Virtualisation Management Object), Red Bend Software showed how different entities can manage

14 Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

each virtualised OS on a dual-persona smartphone used for BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) environments.

Using OMA DM-based management infrastructure, mobile operators can manage the consumer’s personal phone, while enterprise IT administrators can manage the consumer’s work phone.

Gemalto demonstrated its Device Management Expert, enabling telecom operators to reduce costs and stimulate data usage, by being able to standardize configuration and manage settings and application downloads on Android smartphones.

Machines and mobile connections M2M is a hot topic as the mobile industry looks at the growth of M2M device connections. This was reflected in a session by Telecom Italia and Telecomunicazioni & Informatica, which presented a solution for home automation focused on integrating M2M devices into mobile operators’ networks, even if those devices aren’t natively able to do so. This demo used an OMA-DM M2M gateway, bringing to life an OMA-driven value chain. Smart Home applications over next-generation M2M was presented by the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS), showing the migration path for operators from a human communication paradigm towards machine type communication (MTC).

Sensinode showed a complete device-to-cloud lightweight M2M asset management solution for outdoor lighting control. The system demonstrates the new OMA draft Lightweight M2M (LWM2M)

Enabler, giving the global marketplace an open standard approach.

Locating and navigating Location-based Services (LBS) was demonstrated by technology from Invisitrack Inc that will evolve location awareness for enterprise, consumer and public safety that uses commonly available LTE signals for positioning.

CSR showcased SiRFusion location technology, offering accurate indoor and outdoor navigation capability. The demonstration featured services such as location based security and proximity awareness in addition to indoor navigation.

Comverse, Inc. and Interop Technologies offered an overview of two different rich communication services (RCS) and messaging solutions. The Comverse RCS/joyn and next-generation MultiVAS demonstrations showed how communications service providers (CSPs) can make a smooth transition to the digital era. This leverages the evolution to all-IP/4G to increase revenues by harnessing data growth, enriching services with omni-device capabilities, integration with Internet services, and more – while reducing costs. Interop Technologies demonstrated its RCS solution, which incorporates IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) functions into the RCS server itself, allowing operators to launch RCS with or without an IMS core, saving costs and complexity when deploying RCS in the network.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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AGENDA

Brands to submit trademarks for domain protection THE TRADEMARK CLEARINGHOUSE (TMCH), the foundation mechanism for brands to protect their trademarks against potential infringement, opened recently, ahead of the entry of multiple generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) into the Internet later in 2013. The TMCH is a single database of validated trademarks, and is the only officially authorised solution from The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the body that oversees domain names on the Internet.

Online brand protection in the era of new domains Operated by Deloitte, which performs the verification services, and IBM, as the database provider, the TMCH provides two unique services, and recording trademarks in the TMCH is the minimum requirement for brands to benefit from these as new TLDs come to market. First, recording marks provides brands with the pre-launch opportunity to proactively register domain names which match their trademarks ahead of wider public availability, during the ‘sunrise’ period of every new TLD – something almost six out of ten of major consumer brands have expressed an interest in doing. Second, following the launch of each new web extension, for a period of 90 days,

trademark holders will receive a warning when anyone else registers domain names that match their marks. This Trademark Claims Service is currently demanded by 60 per cent of major consumer brands.

As the cornerstone of the rights protection mechanism built into ICANN’s new gTLD program, the launch of the TMCH will provide assurance to the 96 per cent of major consumer brands that feel that the new domains present a new level risk to Intellectual Property (IP) online. In fact, almost nine out of ten of major consumer brands have stated they are willing to submit their trademarks to the TMCH. The results are revealed in an independent survey, commissioned by Deloitte and conducted by Vanson Bourne, of 200 global consumer-facing businesses with 3,000-10,000+ employees – regarding their IP provisions in light of the new domain initiative.

Mitigating risks and opening opportunities While new domains present both risks and new possibilities for businesses, almost 8 out of 10 of brands polled believe that the introduction of the TMCH will help protect their IP online across the new gTLDs moving forward. The assurance that the TMCH provides means that businesses

can now focus on the new opportunities the domains offer, such as improved online marketing opportunities and improved customer engagement – a benefit outlined by 8 out of 10 of the brands polled. The research reveals that more than half of the brands (52 per cent) are interested in securing domains relating to their trademarks for geographic domains, such as .SCOTLAND or .AFRICA and the opportunity to reach international communities via international domains (domains presented in foreign language scripts) are an attraction to 6 out of 10.

Jan Corstens, partner, Deloitte: “The results of the survey show that businesses are gearing up for the launch of the TLDs in order to benefit from the advantages they offer, however they also need to ensure they have adequate protections in place to defend their brand online. It is remarkable that one in five of top 200 brands still have little or no awareness of the new domains, which also means they are unnecessarily exposing themselves to trademark infringement.

Recording marks into the TMCH is the most effective way to ensure that IP is appropriately safeguarded across all of the new web extensions that will go live this year.”

South Africa’s TV white space trial CARLSON WIRELESS AND Neul, Ltd. has launched a Google-led TV white space trial in South Africa. Google has chosen Carlson’s Rural Connect solution, enabled by Neul Horizon software, for rural connectivity - and the Neul Operations and Management Centre (OMC), a cloud-based management system, in order to provide the communications backbone for the trial with ten schools in and around Cape Town.

The Carlson and Neul collaboration Luke Mckend, Google South Africa country manager offers the potential to improve Internet connectivity. The joint collaboration involves pioneering technology to take advantage of ‘white space’ spectrum; which is available between television frequency channels. The advantage of white spaces is that low frequency signals can travel longer distances, making the technology well suited to provide low cost connectivity to rural communities with poor telecommunications infrastructure.

Supporting deployment of wireless broadband Luke Mckend, Google South Africa country manager, commented, “We are pleased to be part of this exciting new development – the first of its kind in South Africa – and look forward to opening discussions with policy makers around a regulatory framework that will support the wider use of TVWS to deliver wireless broadband Internet across the country.”

Dr Ntsibane Ntlatlapa, CSIR Meraka Institute manager, networks and media competency area, added, “We believe that TVWS could help to bridge the digital divide; transmitting Internet data over long distances and opening up access to underserved communities and rural areas.”

www.communicationsafrica.com

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AGENDA

Ka-band technology supports broadband services expansion SATELLITE EQUIPMENT SPECIALIST Newtec’s latest broadband equipment is playing an important role in further expanding SES Broadband Services’ service offering. Newtec’s Ka-band VSAT technology is making it possible for ISPs to access the SES Broadband satellite network and services provided by additional Ka-band hubs at the company headquarters in Betzdorf. This collaboration is a further step in the ongoing development of SES Broadband service based on the company’s ASTRA Ka-band capacity.

Newtec is planning to ship the first orders of their latest MDM2200 Ka consumer terminals which will be delivered to various ISPs who distribute the SES Broadband service.

“We are delighted to be moving ahead with our first operational Ka-band service on SES Broadband Services’ network. Ka-band is vastly improving the broadband experience for both consumers and enterprise users. Newtec’s equipment is designed to ensure the best performance under any conditions, with a proven track record and at an affordable price point,” said Serge Van Herck, CEO of Newtec.

The high-speed Newtec MDM2200 modems will facilitate a wide range of applications on a single platform. The modem can work in both Ku- and Kaband frequencies and supports download speeds of 22Mbit/s. Adaptive return link modulations, multiple channel bandwidths and optimal

Newtec’s IP Broadband Hub and IP Satellite Terminal

availability and efficiency of DVB-S2 transmission with built-in FlexACM technology and Clean Channel Technology ensure the best possible service offering.

Since Newtec and SES Broadband Services started their cooperation back in 2007, more than 120,000 of its Ku-band VSAT terminals have been delivered for use. These Ku-band terminals, already installed at many customer premises, can be upgraded to Ka-band.

Patrick Biewer, managing director, SES Broadband Services, said, “Next to the existing Newtec Kuband hubs, we are now installing additional Kaband hub systems at our teleport in Betzdorf. Our ISPs can now also access our broadband service through Newtec Ka-band equipment. This is an extension of the long partnership we have with Newtec and it is part of our strategy to further develop our Ka-band broadband service.”

Mobile money transfer in Nigeria THE WESTERN UNION Company, which offers global payment services, and Virtual Terminal Network (VTN) solutions, a Nigerian mobile payment operator, have launched a mobile money transfer service in Nigeria - giving Nigerians, for the first time, the choice to use their mobile phones to direct Western Union remittances into their electronic VTN VCASH account. VCASH subscribers can use this

convenient service 24/7 to directly transfer individual Western Union remittances they receive, up to US$300, and combined daily remittances up to US$800, into their accounts.

Monies in their VCASH account can be sent on to other VCASH users, known as a person to person (P2P) transfer, or be used to pay bills and purchase goods or services.

Checklist to prepare for DDoS attacks MANY PEOPLE ARE discussing the latest attacks that have been causing intermittent outages all over the Internet. Unfortunately, distributed denial of service (DDoS) causes massive congestion; and without something upstream close to the attacking machines in question, it can be very difficult to stop the attack.

One thing that Robert Hansen, director of product management at WhiteHat Security, finds is that many organisations simply have no idea what to do when they are faced with a denial of service attack (DoS), or with it’s big bad brother, the distributed denial of service attack (DDoS).

He says, “I created a DDoS Runbook that can be used by companies in advance of any attacks to help them organise how they are to deal with the attack if and when it does occur.

“The last thing you want to do in the midst of a crisis is try to figure Robert Hansen’s DDoS Runbookis out who runs the infrastructure that’s under attack, or be formulating available at: http://blog.whitehatsec.com/wpa last minute crisis management news-letter from scratch.”

Mr Hansen encourages companies to download the book, and make content/uploads/DDoS-RunBook.docx it their own. He advises them to modify what makes sense to modify, add or delete what’s missing or doesn’t apply and make sure that companies ensure it is available to refer to.

“It’s nice to be able to break glass in case of emergency and have a good plan in place,” he says.

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Being smart about photo sharing WITH MORE THAN 5.5mn active Facebook users in South Africa accounting for almost 90 per cent of the online population, social networking is here to stay. And with that, comes the need to share content with each other using a myriad of mobile devices. This has seen Samsung Electronics South Africa recently introduce the concept of ‘Smart Camera 2.0’ that lets users upload their favourite photographs and videos directly to a number of social networks via built-in Wi-Fi directly from their cameras.

“While people have been taking photographs and sharing them online via their smartphones for a while, the dedicated features of a digital camera provide functionality not normally available on mobile phones. However, camera users have often been left frustrated having to wait until they get back home before they can start sharing their memories to their social networks of choice,” says Matthew Thackrah, deputy MD and director of IT Solutions and Consumer Electronics at Samsung South Africa.

Smart Camera 2.0 enables direct uploading to Facebook, Picasa, YouTube, Photobucket, and SkyDrive, once the user is in range of a wireless hotspot. Additionally, it also lets users share photos and videos to their email contacts directly from the camera.

“With this growing use of social networks like Facebook, South Africans are sharing more content between themselves than ever before. This content ranges from the usual text updates to photographs and video clips from special occasions like birthdays, family get-togethers, and the like. With Smart Camera 2.0, we want to make it even easier for people to share highquality content with their family and friends online – through not only lower end devices but across our product range,” says Thackrah.

Once a camera that boasts Smart functionality is in range of a wireless network, the user simply chooses the Social Sharing icon and selects the social networking service to be used.

A prompt will appear for the user ID and password for the site and as soon as the person is logged in, he or she will be able to browse through the files on the camera and select the ones to be uploaded.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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AGENDA

Un accord pour diffuser des informations sur les affaires africaines BLOOMBERG MEDIA GROUP, une division de Bloomberg LP, a annoncé un accord de partenariat pluriannuel avec le distributeur de l’information basé au Nigéria, Optima Media Group, ce qui renforce la position de Bloomberg en tant que fournisseur de premier plan des informations télévisuelles dans le domaine des affaires et des finances dans l’ensemble du continent africain. Ce partenariat établira une nouvelle entité – Bloomberg Television Africa.

Optima Media Group produira trois à quatre heures de programmes d’affaires par jour qui seront mis à la disposition des téléspectateurs africains dans tout le continent par l’intermédiaire de une

« Nous anticipons une collaboration étroite avec Bloomberg Television afin de réunir les meilleurs PDG, les décideurs politiques et les leaders d’opinion et les pousser à explorer ce qui stimulera la croissance africaine » - Rotimi Pedro, PDG, Optima Media Group Ltd

chaine en langue anglaise consacré à la région de l’Europe, Moyen Orient et Afrique. Optima Media Group utilisera ses chaines de diffusion de l’information existantes pour compléter les informations et les analyses internationales en langue anglaise de Bloomberg dans toute l’Afrique.

Des affaires et des financières Andy Lack, PDG de Bloomberg Media Group, a déclaré, “L’accord avec Optima Media Group accélèrera considérablement la présence et la couverture de la télévision Bloomberg en Afrique”. Il a ajouté, « c’est le composant le plus récent de notre stratégie mondiale visant à établir des partenariats avec les distributeurs de premier plan dans des marchés disposant d’une histoire captivante de croissance économique. Ceci nous a poussé à établir des partenariats similaires en Inde, en Turquie, en Mongolie et au Moyen Orient. Nous sommes capables en agissant de la sorte de fournir aux téléspectateurs, les perspectives d’affaires et des financières internationales les plus pertinentes ainsi que de l’information localisée et spécifique au marché ».

De son côté, Rotimi Pedro, PDG du groupe Optima Media Group Ltd, a déclaré, « Bloomberg Television Africa fournira un contexte dynamique et pertinent pour la couverture de l’information financière dans tout le continent.

Changent un modèle de maintenance pour des dispositifs intelligents INNOPATH SOFTWARE A lancé mobileMD, une solution complète à appliquer le concept de maintenance préventive aux dispositifs intelligents. mobileMD permet aux clients mobiles de diagnostiquer et de résoudre les problèmes de leur propre dispositif en cliquant sur un bouton, ce qui réduit par conséquent les coûts de maintenance mobile pour l'opérateur tout en améliorant l'expérience de l'abonné. En outre, mobileMD comprend toutes les fonctionnalités nécessaires pour un centre d'appel mobile complet, dont notamment : des mises à jour en mode sans fil (Over-The-Air - OTA), des diagnostics en temps réel, une analyse du côté agent et une analyse des applications mobiles grâce à un nouveau partenariat avec Symantec.

La maintenance intelligente des smartphones « Les centres d'appels actuels ne sont pas conçus pour des dispositifs intelligents. Il en découle des temps d'attente plus longs et des appels de support exaspérants. L'objectif de mobileMD est de fournir une plateforme prenant en charge la maintenance intelligente des smartphones et offrant aux abonnés une expérience exceptionnelle qui les rapproche réellement de leurs prestataires de service, tout en réduisant quand même les coûts », a déclaré John Fazio, président et directeur exécutif d'innoPath. innoPath a formé un partenariat avec Symantec pour aider ses clients à protéger leurs dispositifs Android. Symantec va fournir une technologie d'analyse d'application mobile dorsale pour la suite mobileMD et recommander des produits mobiles Norton, tels que Norton Mobile Security et Norton Mobile Utilities pour aider les utilisateurs à protéger et à gérer leurs dispositifs. « Les dispositifs mobiles sont plus importants que jamais dans la vie quotidienne des consommateurs, et si un dispositif est compromis par une menace de sécurité, les informations sensibles qu'il contient risquent de tomber entre de mauvaises mains », a déclaré Dave Cole, vice-président en gestion de produits chez Symantec.

www.communicationsafrica.com

L’ICB et le secteur Technologie – Logiciels GEMALTO, QUI DÉVELOPPE des logiciels embarqués et des produits sécurisés, a annonce que l’Industry Classification Benchmark (ICB) a récemment modifié sa classification du secteur “Industries – Equipements électroniques” au secteur “Technologie - Logiciels”.

L’Industry Classification Benchmark (ICB) est le système mondial de référence qui classifie plus de 70 000 sociétés et plus de 75 000 valeurs mobilières dans le monde. Olivier Piou, Directeur Général de Gemalto a déclaré: “Nous sommes idéalement positionnés au cœur du monde numérique et sans fil et nous aidons nos clients à offrir des services numériques de confiance, faciles d’utilisation à des milliards de personnes.”

D’une connectivité haut débit à travers la République Démocratique du Congo ALORS QU'ELLE S'APPRÊTE à lancer sa constellation satellite de prochaine génération, O3b Networks a annoncé un accord de capacité majeur à long terme prévoyant une capacité hautement résiliente et abordable au plus grand FSI en République Démocratique du Congo.

Le contrat prévoira plus de 500 mégaoctets de capacité à latences ultra-faibles pour fournir des services à bande passante haut débit à l'ensemble de la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC), un pays qui compte plus de 70 millions de personnes, dont 10 millions concentrés dans la capitale, Kinshasa.

Dans le cadre du contrat, la solution de nouvelle génération de liaisons IP d'O3b sera déployée en vue de fournir une capacité internationale en plus d'offrir des services de liaison mobile pour relier les centres urbains et les villages ruraux grâce à une bande passante ultra-haut débit et des latences et coûts ultra-faibles. L'offre innovante est une avancée technologie longuement attendue dans une région désavantagée par son propre isolement, enclavée dans le continent africain et dépendante de solutions satellites patrimoniales limitées et onéreuses. Dans le cadre de ce contrat, O3b Networks fournira un nouveau niveau de connectivité, d'une vitesse et d'une qualité similaires à la fibre, offrant des latences inférieures à 150 millisecondes ainsi que des prix bas et une fiabilité défiant toute concurrence. « Kinshasa et sa voisine Brazzaville comptent plus de 12 millions de personnes qui jusqu'à présent n'ont pas eu accès à une connectivité haut débit », a déclaré Omar Trujillo, Vice-président pour l'Afrique chez O3b Networks. « En offrant une bande passante très abordable et omniprésente dotée des performances et de la vitesse de la fibre, la RDC sortira instantanément de sa position de pays parmi les moins bien connectés pour faire partie de ceux qui sont les mieux connectés sur la Planète, propulsant un développement économique et social rapide dans la région ».

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REVENUE

BSS/OSS

Moving interconnect processes to the cloud It is essential for operators to look at new ways to manage wholesale partner relations, and interconnect billing is an area constantly being examined more closely

I

T IS NO secret that the African market is considered a major hotbed for future mobile industry growth, despite having lower levels of mobile data penetration than more developed markets. The continent’s mobile subscriber base has increased by nearly 30 per cent each year for the last five years, according to a 2011 GSMA report.

Yet, since the African mobile market is becoming more complex and competitive than ever before, it is now essential for operators on the continent to look at new ways to effectively manage wholesale partner management, just as their Western counterparts have.

Examining revenues Interconnect billing in particular is an area constantly being examined more closely by operators as it typically generates between 30 per cent and 60 per cent of overall revenues. It can also account for up to 30 per cent of operating costs due to lengthy and risky implementation projects.

Flexibility and adaptability are fast becoming key requirements associated with interconnect

business processes, which means operators in all markets are asking if it remains logical to own and maintain an in-house interconnect billing system. The increasing complexity and competition in the telecoms market means that in-house models are often too costly to maintain. As a result, moving processes like interconnect billing to a cloud-based managed service model is a more realistic and indeed effective option than ever before.

Improving processes Managed services today offer both flexibility and user control. The availability of online user portals, near real- time reporting and Web-based dashboards are key technologies. This means that exactly the same or even better levels of control can be given to operators through a managed service proposition compared to an inhouse solution. The billing functions which can be outsourced include event processing, rating, error correction, duplicate checking, reporting and financial settlement.

This frees up operators to focus on the commercial relations with their interconnect,

Interconnect billing typically generates between 30 per cent and 60 per cent of overall revenues - and can account for up to 30 per cent of operating costs due to lengthy and risky implementation projects

roaming and content partners, ensuring they can continue to offer the best rates and the best routes to their customers, while continuing to achieve revenue and margin objectives.

Moving processes to a cloud based managed service model also enables operators to bring interconnect billing, roaming and partner settlement to market faster due to the fact these systems simply have to be activated instead of built from the bottom up, in-house. Less time also needs be spent training and re-training in house staff on how to manage new systems as well as on other processes too, such as acquiring software tools via a licence for each system.

By embracing the managed services approach, African operators will effectively be able to meet the growing needs and expectations of their entire subscriber base and simultaneously capitalise on roaming opportunities. Such a level of outsourcing will liberate the operator to focus on developing and delivering the services required to maintain a competitive edge in what is likely to become an ever more crowded African market place. After all, why manage multiple, costly inhouse systems when you can enjoy the economies of scale and expertise of a specialist managed service provider? ✆

Joseph George, director, revenue protection and interconnect, MACH

Nigerian consumers most loyal to mobile operators, says study A RECENT STUDY by Tecnotree, which examined consumer loyalty to mobile operators across eight countries, indicated that Nigerian respondents were the most loyal. Using data compiled from Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, the UK, Spain, Germany, Brazil and Mexico, Tecnotree found that 97 per cent of Nigerian respondents claimed they were loyal, closely followed by South Africa (96.7 per cent) and the UK (96.3 per cent). Germany was shown to be the least loyal, with 89 per cent claiming to be loyal. According to the study, 50 per cent of mobile consumers had been with their existing mobile operator for more than two years and 26 per cent claimed to have been with their operator for more than five years.

Of the total respondents, 94 per cent said they believed they were a loyal customer to their

18 Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

mobile operator. However, 36 per cent of respondents said they had changed mobile operator in the last 12 months and 23 per cent said they had changed in the last six months. The research suggested that this was mainly due to other operators offering cheaper tariffs (24 per cent) followed by better devices (21 per cent).

A national breakdown revealed that Nigeria numbered among the highest for churn levels in the

last six months, despite most of the Nigerian respondents saying they were loyal. Nevertheless, more than 50 per cent of total respondents did not intend to change operator within the next six months, suggesting that once consumers do change operator, they are likely to stay with that operator for a reasonable period of time. The study also suggested that there was a discrepancy between operators and consumers in terms of what they thought encouraged loyalty. The majority of operators (55 per cent) thought that consumers were attracted to multiple components, consisting of the device, tariff, and content. While this was applicable to a quarter of the consumer respondents, more than half of consumers in fact identified a single component as the primary factor that made them loyal to their mobile operator.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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TECHNOLOGIE

Apprentissage

Les mathématiques mobiles au Sénégal

L

ES ÉCOLES PRIMAIRES des régions de Pikine et de Diourbel, au Sénégal vont prochainement bénéficier de technologies mobiles qui vont soutenir l’enseignement et améliorer les résultats en mathématiques et en sciences grâce à un nouveau projet UNESCO/NOKIA réalisé en partenariat avec le Réseau africain d’apprentissage à distance (RESAFAD).

Lancée en mars 2012, l’initiative – Renforcement de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage des mathématiques et des sciences grâce à l’utilisation de téléphones mobiles – a commencé entrer dans sa phase pilote de six mois, dans les classes, en janvier 2013.

Autour de l’éducation et l’apprentissage mobile Le premier groupe d’enseignants de Pikine et l’équipe de mise en œuvre ont été formés dans le cadre d’un atelier de trois jours – à Dakar, au Sénégal, en octobre 2012 – consacré aux Mathématiques mobiles Nokia, la technologie

utilisée pour le projet. Des spécialistes de l’éducation et de l’apprentissage mobile, les enseignants et les membres de l’équipe locale ont exploré comment associer les technologies mobiles au développement professionnel, d’un point de vue à la fois pédagogique et technique. Ils ont également planifié les prochaines étapes, notamment les stratégies de suivi et d’évaluation du projet.

D’un programme scolaire Les participants ont fait part de leurs commentaires et de leurs idées sur les façons d’utiliser cette technologie et de l’intégrer dans le programme scolaire.

L’UNESCO a également visité certaines des écoles pilotes et a rencontré des représentants de Sonatel-Orange afin de discuter d’une partenariat éventuel qui pourrait déboucher sur une prise en charge du service par l'opérateur local pour les élèves et enseignants du projet.

Le formation VCT

Le Resafad participe à la diffusion de l’utilisation des TIC dans le Système Educatif Sénégalaise

www.communicationsafrica.com

Auparavant, un forum des enseignants innovant a été l’une des activités phare du programme Partners in Learning (PIL) sponsorisé par Microsoft. Les forums étaissent des événements annuels de partage qui identifient et récompensent les enseignants

Photograph: (Photo: UNESCO/Ian Redmond)

Des écoles primaires qui vont soutenir l’enseignement et améliorer les résultats en mathématiques et en sciences grâce à un nouveau projet TIC

Les participants ont fait part de leurs commentaires et de leurs idées sur les façons d’utiliser cette technologie

innovants qui ont adoptés les outils et compétences pédagogiques du 21e siècle dans leurs salles de classe.

Chaque année, les enseignants ayant développé les projets les plus innovants sont choisis par leurs écoles pour participer à un forum national.

Ensuite, les enseignants les plus innovants sont choisis pour participer au forum africain puis au forum mondial. Pour une représentation de qualité aux forums internationaux, un forum national a organisé au Sénégal en 2010 pour choisir les meilleurs projets qui compétiront au forum sous régional puis africain.

En prélude à ces joutes internationales Microsoft Sénégal en partenariat avec le RESAFAD Sénégal a organisé une formation sur l’outil de diffusion qui a été le Virtual Classroom Tour « VCT » et sur la structuration de contenus pédagogiques médiatisés. ✆

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SATELLITE

Infrastucture

Capabilities for connecting rural Africa Africa’s debate on satellite broadband connectivity is changing, with the promise of 100 Gb/s connectivity, with operation of the Avanti HYLAS 2 satellite, beginning to change perceptions on cost and practicality

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FRICA’S DEBATE ON satellite broadband connectivity is changing. Until now, satellites have been deemed an expensive and impractical alternative to fibre optic cable or terrestrial broadband delivery. The activation of the Avanti HYLAS 2 satellite in October, however, promising 100 Gb/s connectivity, is slowly beginning to change this perception.

Africa has long been plagued by issues of high latency, high cost and low bandwidth when it comes to broadband. But, thanks to the hyperconnected world in which we now live, reliable Internett connectivity is more important than ever, particularly for economic growth. As a result, several attempts have already been made to bring high-capacity Internett connectivity to the continent.

For example, the construction of underwater fibre optic cables, connecting West Africa with Europe, began in 2009, with many describing this submerged cable network as the dawn of Internett access for the continent. However, while these cables provide a highcapacity backhaul solution, last mile connectivity has been left largely unfulfilled due to a lack of infrastructure and concerns over operational costs. Furthermore, the availability of fibre optic broadband from Europe has done little to lower the price for endusers, with many Africans unable to afford it. In 2010, fixed-line access cost as much as 2038 per cent of the average monthly income in Malawi.

Consumers and businesses in Africa have been turning towards cheaper mobile networks for their increasingly important broadband needs.

Making matters worse, in February 2012 four underwater cables were severed, one by a ship’s anchor and three under rumours of corruption and sabotage. The resulting outage took three weeks to rectify, affecting connectivity in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

And there are several regions of Africa without Internett access at all.

Despite the notable benefits these underwater cables provide, there are still clear limitations.

The satellite solution Satellites like the Avanti’s HYLAS 2 can help fill these gaps and are capable of delivering reliable Internett connectivity without the complications or risks associated with fibre cabling. Satellite broadband does not not require pre-existing infrastructure and can be setup in a fraction of the time. Yet the availability of the actual satellite is only one part of the overall solution. The hardware used to connect to this service and provide coverage when and where it’s needed is just as, if not more, important. It’s this technology, after all, that really holds the potential to bridging Africa’s digital divide.

Satellite hardware now exists that is extremely mobile, versatile and easy to use, designed to operate in high temperatures or inhospitable conditions. These satellite data terminals can also be deployed within minutes to deliver high bandwidth voice, video and broadband data communications.

Much smaller than previous iterations some satellite data terminals, like Vislink’s Mantis MSAT, weigh as little as 12.5kgs and can be carried and deployed by just one man, making them ideal for use in remote areas where the fixed line infrastructure doesn’t reach. Due to these significant technological developments satellite is increasingly becoming a viable alternative in situations where a fixed-line

Satellite broadband offers immediacy and reliability

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SATELLITE

Infrastucture

benefits for emergency services and rural medicine, where an immediate response could be the difference between life and death.

Beyond this, satellite connectivity is a benefit for natural resource monitoring, or any other organisation that requires a reliable yet portable broadband connection. A high-speed, high-bandwidth data terminal is also particularly advantageous to both the military and disaster recovery services.

If users cannot connect to the Internett both quickly and reliably, the digital divide in Africa will continue to grow.

Thanks to the unpredictable nature of fibre optic cables laid underwater, satellite broadband connectivity is evidently the best solution for tackling Africa’s digital conundrum. Not affected by the issues that plague expensive fibre optic cables, satellite holds the unrivalled potential to deliver Internett services to both remote and urban areas of the continent. The only restriction is coverage. ✆

connection isn’t possible, or would be too expensive to deploy.

Capacity and capability Satellite broadband offers additional benefits in relation to immediacy and reliability and is not affected by the constant threat of sabotage or corruption that currently plagues Africa.

It could take up to three years to establish a cross-border fibre connection, whereas a satellite data terminal could be deployed within minutes. This technology can provide a lifeline to those remote areas of Africa that are still without Internett access. Capable of being deployed anywhere and built to withstand even the most testing of conditions, modern satellite data terminals can deliver significant

Satellite hardware is now mobile, versatile and easy to use, and designed to operate in high temperatures or inhospitable condition™

Ali Zarkesh, business development director of Satcom Solutions at Vislink

Satellite – still a key part of Africa’s communications mix THE RECENT ATTEMPTS to sabotage the fibre optic cable off Alexandria and the subsequent loss of capacity to parts of Africa garnered media attention across the globe and sparked debates about the vulnerability of the world’s undersea comms cables. However, despite periodic hiccups (remember the damage caused by a ship’s anchor in 2012), and the practical impossibility of patrolling and monitoring millions of miles of cable, the arrival of submarine cables has changed the face of communications and none of us would wish to turn the clock back.

The sub-sea fibre is complemented by the laying of fibre inland by a number of companies but, of course, to provide broadband connectivity via fibre across the majority of the continent will take years and millions of dollars.

Pragmatic and proactive So, satellite will continue to play a key role in both plugging the massive rural and semi-rural gaps where fibre has yet to reach and also in providing reliable backup for the fibre. The phrase ‘together we’re stronger’ definitely

There has been significant investment recently in the African satellite ecosystem

applies in the African market. Most carriers (and carriers’ carriers) today are extremely pragmatic and combine the use of fibre and satellite to achieve reliable and cost-effective connectivity.

And many newcomers to the industry are surprised by how often satellite and fibre companies in Africa work together buying and selling capacity to get connectivity into certain areas. There has been significant investment recently in new satellites, the price of VSAT equipment is coming down and there have been

The satellite industry in Africa is extremely healthy and, with demand for high speed broadband services continuing to increase, will continue to play a key role in development of Africa’s telecoms infrastructure www.communicationsafrica.com

technical innovations - including improvements to Ku band, which previously suffered from service interruption in severe weather. Indeed any carrier or enterprise using Ku band should ensure that it is getting 99.9 per cent availability at the highest capacity in all conditions.

Whilst latency will always be an inherent issue over Geo synchronous satellite links, the latest HTTP acceleration and cache solutions can effectively mitigate latency effects. Some of the more advanced satellite operators are also deploying Xiplink HTTP acceleration solution which utilises three core elements to optimise Internet over satellite: transport layer TCP Acceleration and optimisation, HTTP Acceleration with prefetching as well as high ratio data compression. Engineered together, these technologies deliver a superior DSL-like user experience while making more efficient and effective use of available bandwidth.

Wider market acceptance of advanced ACM technology combined with Inclined Orbit satellites will further reduce costs and allow high capacity provision to ISPs at near fibre prices.

The satellite industry in Africa is extremely healthy. With demand for high speed broadband services continuing to increase, satellite will continue to play a key role in Africa’s telecoms infrastructure development.

Dan Zajicek, CEO of Gilat Satcom

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SATELLITE

Infrastucture

Africa's 'digital economy' requires satellite solutions Ringed by submarine cabling and with increased access to wireless technologies, Africa is in well-poised to make vast strides in its digital economies - and satellite offers essential support

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ITH THE LAUNCH of the West African Cable System (WACS), the coast of Africa is further enhanced for broadband and Internet connections with the rest of the world. It is the fifth high capacity, super-fast fibre connection for South Africa. The foundations have been laid to bring high quality communications to African cities, homes and businesses. The days of terrestrial communications infrastructure so poor that it takes three days to send an email should be coming to an end.

Not a moment too soon. The demand for video, data and Internet services throughout Africa is growing rapidly. But, for all the investment in fibre, the technology by itself cannot answer Africa's communications needs.

In the longer term, it is likely to provide a highly stable, high performance infrastructure to urban areas that could rival other regions of the world.

In the short term, many urban centres are still poorly served by terrestrial infrastructure. Visit cities such as Nairobi, Kampala and Lagos and you'll find a skyline of VSAT antennae.

Satellite communication technology offers an endto-end solution for rural communities A series of catastrophic events has also shown the vulnerability of relying on a submarine backbone by itself. Earlier this year, a ship dropping anchor in a Kenyan harbour was jointly responsible for virtually severing Internet

connections in nine African countries. For the sake of continuous operation alone there is a need for some alternative redundant path that can act as a fail-over should the worst occur.

Satellite – the previous international connectivity method – has to be complementary with fibre provision to create an infrastructure upon which African businesses can rely.

Delivering capacity for coverage The development of wireless technologies is likely to provide a good alternative to fibre or satellite. It requires little infrastructure, it is costeffective and quick to deploy, and wireless delivers coverage over extended areas. However, it is still a local area solution and requires backhaul facilities to international connections.

That's where satellite comes in – in urban areas and, more importantly, for rural communities.

Africa has a population in excess of 700mn.

Around 72 per cent of these people live in rural areas. The rural communities are amongst the poorest in Africa. They are also the most poorly served by the communication infrastructure so desperately needed to stimulate rural economies. Some industry estimates suggest that even with the best efforts of terrestrial providers – including mobile operators – around 10mn people will still have no access to communications.

Connecting communities The only viable means to connect rural communities will continue to include satellite.

However, it may not be the only technology involved. In combination with wireless systems, providers are able to create excellent last mile connectivity into rural communities

with satellite links used to deliver intercommunity, national and international connectivity. Satellite can also be used to provide the connection between the wireless network and the international fibre backbone.

However, satellite communications provides an end-to-end solution for rural communities by itself. As the cost of space segment reduces and capacity grows, it becomes easier to focus on the ground segment. Satellite equipment is cost-effective, easy and quick to deploy and robust. It also provides significant bandwidth over a wide coverage area – and this is important because content is becoming as important as connectivity for rural communications.

Analysts suggest that applications such as e-learning and e-health will be key drivers for rural connectivity within Africa. The secure point-to-multi-point broadcast capabilities of satellite offers a means to bring this type of vital content to distributed and isolated communities at a cost that is unlike to be possible using alternative technologies.

The exciting prospect is that Africa now has an armoury of communications technologies from which it can select. A lack of terrestrial infrastructure does not necessary need to be a huge handicap where cost-effective and readily available satellite and wireless alternatives are present. Today, it is possible to create 'best of breed' infrastructure based on the needs of communities and business. Who would have believed that was possible in Africa only a decade ago? ✆

Bernie Branfield, general manager of Datasat Communications

Signalhorn connects drilling operator in Libya SIGNALHORN GROUP OF Companies, a provider of managed communication solutions and services, has been awarded three new locations in Libya requiring robust communications solutions, from an onshore and offshore drilling and engineering contractor. Signalhorn’s satellite and terrestrial communications solutions have enabled all customers to operate in some of the world's most demanding environments - geographically as well as politically - such as in Libya where Signalhorn recently expanded its services to include five additional sites.

The two companies achieved this expansion objective in spite of new infrastructure and political challenges. In these critical conditions, customers require a service provider who not only can provide the

22 Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

communication solution, but also has the expertise and skillset to tackle unique and difficult conditions. For 40 years, Signalhorn has been offering services that also include special license acquisitions, pertinent security and risk measures, as well as necessary qualifications and training to ensure uninterrupted connectivity for customers regardless of their location or situation.

"In Libya we face unique challenges. Both our customer and Signalhorn must pay particular attention and care to equipment delivery, security, travel, and support efforts," says Jürgen Schreiber, Signalhorn VP Oil & Gas Sales. "We work closely with all our customers to develop the best solution and to strategically combine resources to streamline operations."

www.communicationsafrica.com

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SATELLITE

Markets

The African market for satellite services Why the key potential opportunities in provision of content services are increasingly digital and rural

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HE AFRICAN MARKET for satellite communications has experienced a feeding frenzy over the last few years as international players vie for the lion’s share of a market that has undergone liberalisation and is attracting massive interest from external investors. This article will provide a bird’s eye view of the emerging trends in the satellite broadcast market and examine some of the remaining challenges to overcome for the African broadcast industry.

However the momentum is already underway as liberalised regulatory regimes have opened up markets in Africa that previously posed significant challenges for operators and service providers and the African market, the second largest continent in the world after Asia, is open for business.

The honey pot that is attracting all this attention is the vast potential of a relatively untapped market which until recently experienced a shortage of satellite capacity. The African satellite market is estimated to have grown in the last few years by more than double the global average of six-seven per cent and all the signs point to a further escalation in the coming decade. According to Digital TV’s sub Saharan Africa report, households (which numbered 148mn at the end of 2011) will rise by 20mn over the next six years bringing it close to

the total number of Western European households. Currently only a quarter of homes own a TV, but the number of households owning a TV is set to increase to 50mn by 2017, representing 30 per cent of all households.

Move to digital Certain regions like Nigeria and South Africa will make up a disproportionately high percentage of the region’s TV households, posed to represent a quarter and 15 per cent of the total respectively by 2017. Other salient factors include the predominance of analogue TVs, which currently comprise three-quarters of households. This percentage is due to drop over time as digital TV begins to take off; with a meteoric rise predicted over the next few years, rising from a quarter to 54 per cent of homes by 2017. This trend will undoubtedly be spurred on by the undertaking from all African states to move to digital by June 2015, yet the reality is that - with a few exceptions, such as Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria who are blazing a trail in this area - most other countries are deterred by the cost and many have yet to even begin the policy work required to facilitate the transition.

Another key opportunity for broadcasters is the anticipated growth of Pay TV, as Pay TV subscribers are expected to increase from 7.2mn today to 14.1mn by 2017, with DTH

The African satellite market is estimated to have grown in the last few years by more than double the global average of six-seven per cent

Arie Vered, sales director for Africa at SatLink Communications

comprising 8.2mn and pay DTT (pay and FTA combined) 5.2mn. Within this figure South Africa and Nigeria will have a disproportionately high share of the Pay TV market, as South African Pay TV penetration will rise from four million in 2011 to 5.1mn in 2017 and Nigeria will climb from 1.2mn in 2011 to 3.1mn in 2017.

For independent teleports like SatLink, which offer playout and satellite services for global content distribution, the African market offers three key opportunities: firstly, the ability to deliver International TV channels from around the world to the African market; secondly, the chance to help African broadcasters expand coverage to rural communities and into other African countries.

The third opportunity is to bring channels out of Africa to deliver them to the diaspora of Africans living and working abroad. Early in 2012 SatLink launched its AMOS-5 Satellite platforms on Ku band for DTH and contribution, allowing broadcasters to reach the African home viewer or their satellite/cable/DTT/IPTV's Pay TV partners in land. The two separate Ku-Band platforms on 17o East are also allowing broadcasters to distribute video content easily in the French speaking and English/Portuguese speaking central African regions, maximising SatLink’s own playout centre to adapt the programmes to suit local market demands while distributing their content to emerging broadcast markets like Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), Mozambique and Uganda.

Offering transmission services also via the pan-African C-Band on AMOS 5, SatLink is already allowing several major broadcasters to provide an array of entertainment, religious, news and sports channels to Africa’s Pay TV users and local distributors. ✆

Arie Vered, sales director for Africa for SatLink Communications www.communicationsafrica.com

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ICT

Commerce

How mobile and NFC unlocks payments for Africa The fast-growing market with huge opportunities for international retailers, local merchants and trading communities who are able to offer customers the right way to pay

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ITH LARGE POPULATIONS, a high proportion of young adults, abundant natural resources and well-established local trade and international links, Africa represents a fastgrowing market with huge opportunities for those international retailers, local merchants and trading communities who are able to offer customers the right way to pay.

Throughout Africa, retailers continue to be challenged by basic payment infrastructure, limited electronic channels, stratified population demographics and a large proportion of payments still flowing through cash.

Our own extensive experience in progressive markets shows that developed payment systems have a positive impact on the movement of goods, services and consumers.

As long as local economies remain cashorientated then they will have difficulty fulfilling their full commercial potential – particularly when it comes to cross-border trade.

No surprise then that governments and financial institutions have been increasingly championing new payment initiatives and mobile platforms to join the financial dots across Africa. An increasingly supportive banking infrastructure, coupled with the continued penetration of wireless and mobile systems into rural communities, is at last bringing the connectivity required to facilitate transactions and enable electronic payments to previously disenfranchised populations.

In mature markets like South Africa, we are now seeing the development of contactless transport and ticketing systems as government seeks to exploit new payment technology to speed throughput and better manage their systems.

And of course, the widespread availability of mobile devices and coverage is opening up new opportunities through mobile payments and microfinance - particularly in West Africa through schemes such as m-Pesa.

A growing retail market Making it easier for people to pay is now a key priority for those with goods or services to sell.

As Africa’s socio-economic power grows – so does its demand for far reaching payment infrastructure to fuel retail growth.

Within the 56 countries that make up Africa there are one billion people, 14 per cent of the 24 Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

world’s population. According to Deloitte, Africa has fast growing economies, young and growing populations and fragmented retail sectors. In Algeria, 70 per cent of the population is aged between 15-64, whilst 25 per cent are 14 years old or younger. Morocco is a relatively stable, high growth economy with close economic ties to Western Europe, whilst Kenya is leading a number of sub-Saharan countries in generating significant growth and increasing consumer spending power.

Deloitte also confirms that the continent’s economic powerhouse, South Africa, is likely to remain the first market international retailers venture into as they embark on an African strategy. With a per capita income similar to that of Turkey, it is a relatively affluent market among emerging countries. Its consumer spending, at 61 per cent of GDP, is high relative to other emerging countries and is likely to remain so for many years to come. Consumer spending in South Africa is also boosted by foreign visitors.

In addition, recent UN figures highlight that in South Africa 64.3 per cent of the population is expected to be economically active by 2015, while the proportion of those in the 20-44 age range crucial for retail sales, is forecast to reach 38 per cent in the same time frame.

Paying with mobile and NFC As well as growing retail markets, the number of mobile phone subscribers in Africa is also on the increase and is expected to reach 735mn by the end of 2012. Similarly, the total value of mobile money transfers in Africa is expected to exceed

Across Africa, VeriFone has been involved in rolling out new payment solutions, including payment devices with biometrics for identity authentication - and dual SIM and tri-comms solutions $200 billion by 2015 representing 18 per cent of the continents GDP. In Kenya close to 18mn Kenyans currently use their mobiles as a bank account for storing and moving value.

With increasing prevalence of mobile based electronic funds, many African nations are eager to exploit new peer-to-peer mobile payments systems to overcome lack of traditional electronic transaction infrastructure, particularly in rural communities. NFC will play a crucial part in this process.

By allowing simple, tap and pay, NFC has the potential to offer a practical and convenient solution. One that connects mobile users in a broader payment context – to retailers, services, trading points and transportation - without relying on cash. In addition, the low value transactions covered by NFC suits Africa’s spending profile perfectly - giving its population a practical solution to their payments issues. ✆

Alan Moss, VP of Marketing, VeriFone, Western Europe, Middle East and Africa

How operators are joining forces to combat the OTT players A NEW TREND has emerged in recent times where mobile operators, instead of being staunch adversaries, are presenting a united front against the onslaught of the OTT army. Yann Chevalier, CEO of Intersec, a provider of innovative services platforms, has witnessed this change first hand through his dealings with Tier One operators, and offers his thoughts on its longer term implications for the mobile industry.

According to Mr Chevalier, “There has been a fundamental shift by operators to turn to each other to present a united front against the considerable might of the OTT players as well as competition from broadcasters and ISPs who are

all gunning for the mobile users. Trends such as the mainstream adoption of NFC and M-Payments, the increasing adoption of M2M applications as well the dawning realisation that location based services and mobile advertising work better if the brand owners can deal with a single entity rather than multiple different operators, have all prompted the need to work together.”

Yann Chevalier believes in the imperative for this cooperation to continue and believes that we will see further examples of this type of cooperation as it holds the best chance for mobile operators to claim the lion’s share of the exploding mobile market.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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TIC

Commerce

Des innovations et des solutions endogènes Les technologies de l'information et des communications sont en train de révolutionner le développement en Afrique

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N AFRIQUE, DES innovations dans le domaine des TIC donnent naissance à des solutions endogènes qui transforment les entreprises et dynamisent l'entrepreneuriat et la croissance économique. C'est le constat d'un rapport conjoint publié par la Banque mondiale et la Banque africaine de développement (BAD), avec l'appui de l'Union africaine.

Des perspectives de développement en Afrique Ce rapport, intitulé ‘eTransform Africa: The Transformational Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Africa’, présente de nouvelles données sur la révolution technologique en Afrique qui est en train de transformer sur le développement du continent. Au début de 2012, on comptait environ 650 millions d'abonnements à la téléphonie mobile, chiffre qui fait de l'Afrique un marché plus important que celui de l'UE ou des États-Unis dans ce secteur. Quelque 68 000 km de câbles sous-marins et plus de 615 000 km de réseaux de dorsales nationales ont été installés, augmentant considérablement la connectivité sur le continent africain. La bande passante ouverte à plus de un milliard de citoyens africains est 20 fois plus large aujourd'hui qu'en 2008.

Jamal Saghir, directeur du Développement durable de la Banque mondiale pour la région Afrique, explique : « Le réseau Internet et les téléphones portables transforment les perspectives de développement en Afrique. Ils

introduisent un nouveau dynamisme dans des secteurs clés. Le défi désormais consiste à faire passer ces innovations et ces réussites à l'échelle supérieure afin qu'elles exercent un impact social et économique plus visible sur le continent au cours des dix prochaines années. » Le rapport eTransform Africa insiste sur la nécessité de bâtir un secteur des TIC suffisamment concurrentiel pour promouvoir l'innovation, créer des emplois et dynamiser le potentiel d'exportation des sociétés africaines. Il énumère les pratiques exemplaires d'utilisation des TIC dans huit secteurs clés. Par exemple : • Agriculture : au Kenya, le programme Kilimo Salama est un programme d'assurance des cultures qui tire parti du système de transfert d'argent par téléphone MPESA et permet aux exploitants agricoles de mieux gérer les risques naturels tels que les sécheresses ou la surabondance de précipitations.

• Adaptation au changement climatique : au Malawi, un projet de déforestation forme les communautés locales, à l'établissement de relevés des villages sur GPS et à l'élaboration de stratégies d'adaptation en fonction de leurs besoins.

• Services financiers : au Sénégal, l'opérateur SONATEL (filiale d'Orange) a lancé récemment un service d'envoi de fonds, permettant à ses 200 000 abonnés d'envoyer et de recevoir de l'argent par le biais de leur téléphone portable.

• Santé : au Mali, la télémédecine contribue à pallier le manque de travailleurs et de

spécialistes de la santé dans les zones rurales, grâce notamment au programme de télé-radiologie IKON.

Des espaces de collaboration, d'innovation, et de formation « Ce rapport présente la voie dans laquelle l'Afrique s'est engagée et encourage l'esprit créatif concernant la manière d'utiliser les TIC au profit du plus grand nombre », explique Gilbert Mbesherubusa, vice-président suppléant des opérations de la Banque africaine de développement.

Le rapport décrit de quelle manière des pays comme le Kenya et le Sénégal mettent en œuvre des initiatives de facilitation du commerce grâce aux TIC. Il précise aussi le rôle prépondérant que les communautés économiques régionales peuvent jouer en favorisant une plus grande intégration régionale à laquelle arrimer la croissance économique à coût réduit.

Le rapport eTransform Africa fournit également des informations sur le développement des centres technologiques en Afrique - tels que iHub et NaiLab au Kenya, Hive CoLab et AppLab en Ouganda, Activspaces au Cameroun, BantaLabs au Sénégal, Kinu en Tanzanie ou infoDev’s mLabs au Kenya et en Afrique du Sud. Ces centres créent de nouveaux espaces de collaboration, d'innovation, de formation, de développement d'applications et de contenu et de pré-incubation des entreprises africaines de demain. ✆

Le nouveau projet code numérique au Maroc UNE RÉUNION DE concertation autour du nouveau Projet Code Numérique s’est tenue 29 Mars au siège de l'APEBI avec pour objectif l'enrichissement des remarques qui seront soumises au MCINT. Le projet de Code numérique élaboré par le ministère de l’Industrie, du commerce et des nouvelles technologies est structuré en six titres distincts traitant des domaines de l’administration électronique, des communications numériques, des contrats conclus à distance, de la protection des mineurs en ligne, de la publicité et du marketing électroniques ainsi que de la sécurité des systèmes d’information. Le projet de Code numérique ambitionne de s’inscrire efficacement dans le paysage des technologies de l’information et de la confiance numérique au Maroc.

Ce projet, porté par la Commission Net Economie de l’APEBI, a regroupé plusieurs e-marchands venus débattre et échanger sur les dispositions de ce projet surfacturant pour le secteur.

www.communicationsafrica.com

Le secteur des Télécommunications du Maroc se distingue par son leadership en Afrique. Il est même considéré comme un modèle par d’autres pays du continent.

L'évolution du marché des télécommunications s’explique par l’essor des offres 3G qui offrent plusieurs avantages aux consommateurs à savoir : accessibilité; absence d’engagement; mobilité totale; et téléphonie Fixe (source ANRT).

A fin 2011, la téléphonie fixe comptait 3.56 millions d’abonnés contre 3.75 millions en 2010, soit un recul de 5% sur une année. Le taux de pénétration de la téléphonie s’inscrit également en recul 11.08% à fin 2011 contre 11.9% une année auparavant. Le nombre d’abonnés mobile a atteint près de 36.5 millions à fin 2011 contre 32 millions à fin 2010, soit une croissance annuelle de 14.3%. Pour le taux de pénétration de la téléphonie mobile, il a gagné 12 points en une année pour s’établir à 113.5% à fin 2011.

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ICT

Cable

Supporting new undersea fibre network connections Growing advisory capacity and a fresh impetus on sales in one of the world’s fastestgrowing telecommunications markets

L

ATE IN 2012, telecom consulting and service company APTelecom was engaged by Angola Cables to serve as overall international sales manager in the creation of a new submarine cable system - SACS - joining Africa and South America. The cable will contain four fibre pairs, each capable of transmitting 100 wavelengths and initial speeds of 40 Gbps, with provision to upgrade to 100 Gbps as technologies are proven up. The SACS cable is planned to go live in 2014. As part of the overall programme management, APTelecom is providing Angola Cables with specialists in the various commercial aspects of system design, procurement and the sales strategy behind leveraging the capabilities and reach of their network.

The cable connecting southern Africa and South America SACS is totally innovative and unique to the subsea cable industry as it provides unique secure low latency routing avoiding current bottleneck locations routing via Africa and Asia to the United States and Europe. This new route will provide the global carrier community, content players, and ultra-low latency sensitive customers security through a diverse route via the Southern Hemisphere.

The South Atlantic Cable System (SACS) is designed to provide low latency routing between Africa, Asia and the Americas - and ensure data traffic between Angola and Brazil will no longer have to pass through Europe and the USA "We are honoured to be a part of such an important project in one of the world's fastestgrowing telecom markets and working within the SACS Cable team to bring their plans to fruition," said John Hibbard, Board Member of APTelecom and President of the Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC) (Emeritus).

26 Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

"We are pleased to play a major role in the development of this new connection of southern Africa to South America affording a roll-out of the applications needed to meet carriers' voracious demands for bandwidth over the next decade."

Corporate structures geared towards corporate growth Angola Cables operates fibre optic telecommunication cables. The company was formed in 2009 and is owned by a number of national telecommunication companies namely: Angola Telecom with 51 per cent of the capital; Unitel with 31 per cent; MSTelcom with nine per cent; Movicel with six per cent; and Startel with three per cent.

APTelecom specialises in global connectivity, cloud solutions and emerging market advisory-based solutions - with an aim to improve networks, facilitate growth, and manage change for its clients in the call centre, business process optimisation (BPO), and Internet service provision (ISP) spaces.

Companies seeking to expand their global reach rely on APTelecom's comprehensive expertise and knowledge of regulatory environments, as well as its ability to provide high-quality products and solutions at low

cost, helping businesses achieve intelligent, sustainable growth. APTelecom differentiates itself through quality, integrity, and innovation across its entire suite of products and services in emerging markets.

Specialists in submarine systems, supporting Angolan connectivity In support of its work in Angola, APTelecom recently appointed telecommunications industry veterans Jean Devos and Paul McCann to its advisory board. Mr Devos was one of the founders and a board member of Axiom SA, a company specialising in submarine systems projects study and management.

However, Mr Devos’ experience stretches back to involvement in the submarine cable industry in 1961 as a cable engineer in Calais, France. Mr McCann also has immense industry experience covering four decades of network planning and development in both international and domestic telecommunications arenas. Mr McCann’s specialties include both wire line and wireless connectivity supporting global data services. He is currently Secretary and Member of the Board of Governors of the Pacific Telecommunications Council, a regional industry body. ✆ www.communicationsafrica.com

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ICT

Data

Mobile data uptake demands a creative approach Why and how existing policy and charging infrastructure can support increased adoption of data connectivity

“I

customer is familiar with a service on a PC, they will likely appreciate the ability to access live updates from anywhere. But there is more. Facebook in particular is typically packed with links to the broader internet.

Once the customer begins to associate the mobile experience to the PC one, they will become more likely to click on these links, especially if you have already implemented an effective cap and notifications system.

n five years, most Africans will have smartphones.”

That bold claim, made in a Tech Crunch column earlier this year may have been provocative but was backed by convincing stats.

It showed that the climb in number of smart devices is growing ever steeper, particularly as cheaper Android devices gain in popularity.

Is hard not to be excited, as massive smart device penetration could promise a similar rise in Internet use – an economic boon not just to communities but also to operators facing a decline in voice and SMS revenues. However, a reality check is needed: today not all mobile operators are seeing cellular data usage or revenues rising in line with this growth. Many smartphones are often only used with Wi-Fi hotspots. So how do operators reconcile this situation and convince consumers to embrace mobile data? Broadly speaking, uptake is being inhibited by two consumer issues, price sensitivity and perception of value.

Mobile data consumption does not lend itself easily to straightforward pricing (what does 100MB mean in subjective terms?) especially true of smartphones that can consume network data without the consumer’s knowledge or consent. Historically, the easiest way to overcome these issues was with all-youcan-eat data plans, but operators who have gone down this route are typically moving back to alternative models in an attempt to protect their network against over-use, and to add flexibility to their customer offerings.

So data is a challenging sell, and the signs are that the business models that drove high penetration in other regions won’t be a sustainable route for Africa’s operators. But there are the alternatives. Innovative operators are already showing that it can be done, and often using existing policy and charging infrastructure to create attractive data offers.

Flexible pricing tariffs

Different mobile operators are experiencing different rates of growth of cellular data usage and revenues

Data is offered as a component in many subscriptions - but there is room to innovate allow the user to increase their allowance in data, time based, or financial terms - more megabytes, more time, or an extra dollar’s worth. Obviously, the committed expenditure will need to increase in line with the additional data.

The key to data caps and notifications is real time measurement. This gives the customer an understanding of the data impact of their device, which should benefit both parties in the long run. Real-time info will also minimise the need for any customer care interaction.

Customers will be blocked off when they hit their pre-arranged/agreed limits, and will have directly agreed to any further spend.

Start with what consumers know Giving customers control over spend Most operators already have the facility to implement caps and notifications, but why not make them a part of the offer? Capping the amount of data specific spend on a daily basis, along with a text message notification is the simplest way to give spend control to the consumer. This most basic form of “service pass” should be coupled with a release mechanism to www.communicationsafrica.com

Convincing a customer who has never experienced mobile Internet of its value is not always easy, but many operators are taking advantage of services that are familiar, and offering these for free as a way to encourage mobile data use. Axis in Indonesia offers free text-based Facebook to all of its subscribers.

Other operators, such as 8ta in South Africa, do the same with Google services. If a

Data is offered as a component in many subscriptions but there is much room to innovate, particular if you stop perceiving all Internet access as being equal. Time of day can be used to dictate pricing, as seen with 8ta’s night surfer offer that provides low price mobile data between the hours of 11pm and 5am.

Tiered offers can be used too: For example, data packages can be structured to include mobile access to certain apps on a tiered basis, where the higher value customers receive further free app access.

Personalising offers Understanding the usage profile of your customers is a great way to deliver tailored offers that will make them feel they are getting better value. Here’s a hypothetical example of using usage data to sell app specific access. An operator realises that one in five of their consumers is using WhatsApp, spending on average 40 cents daily on data for this service.

However, to avoid the occasional risk of consuming data in excess of their allowance these consumers are given the option to buy unlimited mobile access to WhatsApp for US$1 per day. A number of operators, including 3 Hong Kong, have recently launched an app specific data service pass on this basis.

This use case can be extended to any app, and can be tailored to the specific data harvested from an operator’s customer base.

Implementing these controls and offers is all possible using existing policy and charging technology and will maximise the likelihood of customers trying, and continuing to use mobile data. Unlike the all-you-can-eat approach, as Africa’s data use grows these methods will allow operators to retain control as data use grows. ✆

Barry Marron, marketing manager, Openet Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

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TIC

Économie

L’autoroute de l’information en Afrique Comment une plateforme informatique fait de révolutionner la gestion et la diffusion des données sur le continent

L

A BANQUE AFRICAINE de développement (BAD) a lancé un ambitieux programme, qui vise à améliorer de façon substantielle la gestion et la diffusion des données en Afrique.

Objectif ultime de ce programme : favoriser un plus large accès du public aux statistiques officielles. Lancé en novembre 2012, dans le cadre d’une initiative plus vaste de la BAD visant à renforcer les capacités statistiques en Afrique, ce programme entend aussi appuyer les pays du continent dans les efforts qu’ils déploient pour améliorer la qualité et la diffusion des données, tout en facilitant l’élaboration, le suivi et l’évaluation des politiques à l’œuvre.

Les plateformes informatiques Les travaux, poursuivis simultanément dans plusieurs pays et institutions africains, ont été parachevés dans treize pays (Cap-Vert, République démocratique du Congo, Cameroun, Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibie, Rwanda, Soudan du Sud, Tanzanie, Tunisie, Zimbabwe, Zambie), ainsi qu’au sein d’une institution panafricaine - la Commission de l'Union africaine. Le programme prévoit la création de plateformes informatiques communes avec la mise en place de portails de données dans l’ensemble des 54 pays du continent et de 16 organisations régionales et sous-régionales africaines, d'ici à la fin juillet 2013.

L'objectif est double : établir, en temps réel, des liens directs sur les données, entre la BAD et les agences nationales de statistiques, les banques centrales et les ministères de tutelle des pays africains, d’une part ; et associer les pays les uns aux autres, ainsi qu’aux partenaires au développement extérieurs, d’autre part.

Voilà qui facilitera les échanges, la validation, l'analyse et la diffusion des données. Cette approche, qui s’appuiera sur les normes et directives internationales, permettra, non seulement de faciliter l'accès aux données et métadonnées statistiques des pays africains, mais aussi d’améliorer la qualité des données nationales afin qu’elles puissent se prêter à comparaison. Ainsi harmonisées, plus adéquates, celles-ci s’avéreront, in fine, plus fructueuses à l’usage.

Cette initiative visant à renforcer les capacités statistiques en Afrique L'accès aux données La plateforme informatique en cours de déploiement en Afrique dispose également d'un outil de présentation qui favorise un transfert fluide des données nationales vers le portail statistique de la BAD. Pour ce faire, le département des statistiques de la BAD a

collaboré avec celui du FMI, en vue d’aider les pays à rédiger leurs pages nationales de données synthétiques, dans le cadre de leur préparation à l’adhésion aux Normes spéciales de diffusion des données renforcées (NSDD-Plus).

La Banque a également noué un partenariat avec l'Union européenne, dans le but de faciliter l'accès aux données et aux outils permettant de simuler diverses politiques agricoles alternatives. L'outil de présentation des données fera de la BAD le dépositaire des données clés sur le développement en Afrique, et la plaque tournante de l'échange de données avec les partenaires internationaux au développement. Autre avantage : la charge de travail liée à la collecte des données des pays africains sera considérablement réduite, car il suffira désormais de télécharger en une fois les données dans le système de la BAD puis de les partager avec les différents partenaires au développement.

Cette initiative de la BAD offre aux pays africains l’opportunité, unique, de prendre les devants dans la mise en œuvre de normes statistiques à l’échelle régionale, tout en facilitant l’accès à leurs données respectives via une plateforme commune. Outre le fait de révolutionner la gestion et la diffusion des données sur le continent, ce programme permettra à l’Afrique de participer plus efficacement à l'économie mondiale de l'information. ✆

La recherche pour améliorer la santé DR BOCAR TOURE, Directeur du Département Renforcement des Systèmes et Services de Santé du Bureau régional de l’OMS pour l’Afrique, a mis l’accent sur la nécessité de traduire les résultats de la recherche au plan des politiques et de la prise de décision par la mise en place de mécanismes et de structures appropriées pour des interventions de santé publique basées sur l’évidence. ‘’EVIPNET a pour mission de promouvoir un réseau de partenariat aux niveau national, régional et mondial entre chercheurs, décideurs politiques et autres parties prenantes pour renforcer les systèmes de santé et améliorer les résultats sanitaires’’, a ajouté en substance le Directeur du Département Renforcement des Systèmes et Services de Santé.

Les représentants de quatorze pays de la Région africaine, des partenaires et des experts de l’OMS participent aux travaux. La réunion a pour objectifs de faire le point sur le fonctionnement d’EVIPNET dans les pays, d’identifier les facteurs qui ont contribué au succès et à l’échec de l’action de ses équipes ainsi que les domaines afférents au renforcement des capaciés. Les participants à la réunion initieront

28 Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

également le processus qui mènera à la création d’au moins sept autres équipes d’EVIPNET dans la Région africaine de l’OMS, discuteront de la pérenité d’EVIPNET aux niveaux national et régional, et feront des suggestions sur les priorités de la nouvelle Stratégie Régionale sur la Recherche en Santé.

Citant le Dr Luis Gomes Sambo, Directeur régional de l’OMS pour l’Afrique, le Dr TOURE a indiqué qu’il y a une déficience en matière de technologies de l’information et de la communication, et en terme de connexion de masse à Internet, qui limite les capacité des systèmes nationaux de gestion de l’information à générer, analyser et disséminer l’information pour son exploitation dans le domaine de la prise de decision. ‘’Ces défis ne pourront être relevés que par le biais de la collaboration multisectorielle, d’approches novatrices et de l’engagement de toutes les parties prenantes’’, a souligné le Dr TOURE. Il a félicité sept équipes d’EVIPNET qui ont développé des politiques et ouvert le dialogue sur la thérapie combinée à base d’artémisinine pour traiter les formes simples du paludisme.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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EQUIPMENT

Angolan broadcaster rebuilds major facilities with VSC products BROADCAST SYSTEMS INTEGRATOR VSC Design has been appointed to supply and install the new broadcast infrastructure for TV Zimbo which is to undergo construction of a new broadcasting centre at its headquarters in Luanda, Angola.

TV Zimbo was Angola's first independent TV channel and first started broadcasting in December 2008. VSC Design was key to the launch of the channel back then and has since provided on-going technical support for TV Zimbo.

Building for broadcast These new facilities represent a considerable expansion and upgrade for TV Zimbo with the broadcaster moving to HD and tapeless operation and

TV Zimbo’s current production studio

provision of facilities for a future second channel. The new broadcast centre will include a comprehensive newsroom with a NCRS, two studios, post production and continuity.

The work also includes a post installation support contract, with VSC providing technical support both locally and from their UK base in Teddington, London.

VSC Design managing director Martyn Hales said, “We are very pleased to have been awarded this contract. This is a significant upgrade and expansion of the current facilities and we look forward to working with TV Zimbo on this exciting new project.”

TV Zimbo’s current production studio

GL offers support for DS3 Subrate and Scrambling

G

L COMMUNICATIONS INC. recently released its enhanced T3 (DS3) E3 Analyzer with DS3 Subrate and Scrambling feature. Speaking to reporters, Mr Vijay Kulkarni, CEO of the company, said, “GL's T3 (DS3) E3 Analyzer Pod is one of the smallest and lightest (weighing only 1.75 lbs) analyzer units in the world. The pod when connected to Notebook PC is capable of capturing two full T3

(DS3) / E3 data streams, dropping and inserting T1 or E1, and Analysis of HDLC, ATM, Frame Relay, and PPP Protocols.”

He added, “GL's T3 (DS3) E3 Analyzer is now enhanced with scrambling and subrate features.

Sub rate allows DSU manufacturers to control bandwidth from service provider end and sell user specific bandwidth. Data Service Unit (DSU) Subrate feature in T3 (DS3) E3 Analyzer allows to

Key features offered by GL are as follows:

Other features of T3 (DS3) E3 Analyzer include:

Data Descrambler • After the data is descrambled, the data descrambler block is used to descramble incoming data using a configured polynomial.

• The scrambler can be turned off for data not using descrambling.

• This block uses a normal descrambling serial polynomial which can be configured for multiple polynomials Data Filter • The Data filter uses a multi-framed aligned block RAM. • By enabling or disabling the incoming data, software can configure the incoming data to support the different DS3 DSU vendor subrates.

Filter Descrambler • Some Vendors only support scrambled data of the subrate. The unused payload is left unscrambled.

• This block descrambles the data using a similar polynomial descrambler as the first descrambler block but only on the incoming filtered bandwidth data.

Contact: Shelley Sharma

www.communicationsafrica.com

configure the DS3 networks for the following DSU vendors' algorithms for T3 interface: Digital Link, Larscom, Verilink, and Adtran.”

Mr.Kulkarni further added, “The analyzer allows to choose scrambling in each DSU mode.

Scrambling was implemented to address various 0s-density when used in WAN interface.

User can monitor such communications using GL's USB T3 E3 Analyzer.”

• One of the smallest and lightest T3 (DS3)/E3 analysis platforms.

• Interfaces for analysis (T3 (DS3)/E3, T1/E1 and Ethernet) and control (USB and Ethernet).

• Plug and play through USB 2.0 control interface.

• Software selectable T3 (DS3)/E3 interface, with T1 (DS1) and E1 Drop and Insert.

• Dual T3/E3 Receivers/Transmitters for non-intrusive and intrusive testing.

• General T3 (DS3)/E3 signal testing capabilities • Channeliseed (Structured) Testing • Unchannelised (Unstructured) Testing • Simultaneously record/playback the entire T3 (DS3)/E3 in framed or unframed modes up to hard disk capacity.

• Flexible clocking - internal, recovered (from T3 (DS3)/E3, T1 (DS1) or E1) and external.

• Scripting and Automation through GL’s well-known Windows Client Server (WCS) approach.

• Monitor/Manage the Analyzer remotely via Ethernet port.

T: 301-670-4784 ext. 114

E: info@gl.com

W: www.gl.com

Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

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EQUIPMENT

Gilat’s lightweight compact satellite communications solution for UAVs GLOBAL SUPPLIER OF satellite networking technology, solutions, and services Gilat Satellite Networks showcased its new lightweight integrated airborne satellite communications solution for UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) recently.

Weighing only 22 lb (10.5 kg) and capable of transmitting 1Mbps of IP-based data, Gilat's UAV solution is comprised of a ruggedised spread spectrum satellite modem; a two-way, on-the-move, flat panel tracking antenna; and a compact 40W Kuband block up-converter (BUC) and power amplifier.

The tightly integrated solution provides a lightweight, compact and low-power terminal that is ideal for airborne applications - and can be

Lightweight integrated airborne satellite communications solution for UAVs by Gilat Satellite

tailored to meet varied end-user specifications and requirements. The miniature dimensions of the solution allow BLoS (Beyond Line of Sight) operations for very small UAV platforms.

According to Gidi Talmor, RVP Defense International Sales at Gilat, "The UAVs being used for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), as well as Customs and Border Protection (CBP), are becoming increasingly smaller in order to enable easier navigation and longer flight times. As such, they require the smallest, lightest, and lowest possible power consuming communications solutions."

www.gilat.com

A next-generation SingleEPC solution

Dual-core smartphone chipsets for TD-SCDMA and EDGE

HUAWEI HAS LAUNCHED a new SingleEPC solution, recently, which utilises ultrabroadband, six-mode atom-level convergence and a multi-service engine to optimise mobile broadband (MBB) service experience enabling a smooth evolution to cloud-based telecom networks. The next-generation SingleEPC solution offers ultra-broadband advantages and is the only solution featuring six-mode atom-level convergence to support a convergent PS core for multiple radio access modes, including GPRS, UMTS, LTE-FDD, LTETDD, CDMA and Wi-Fi. The solution supports the dynamic implementation of traffic models for 6mode access technologies and optimises packet switch (PS) core network resources.

The SingleEPC solution enables 64 times more signaling overload control than the previous generation. The most important innovation for this solution is the Multi-Service Engine, an innovative engine for Web and video acceleration optimisation, which is integrated directly into the PS core for greater flexibility of deployment. The solution also provides an LTE voice solution that is set to be commercialised this year. Huawei’s LTE voice solution provides a superior voice experience with low setup latency, clear HD voice quality, and highly reliable voice connections.

Huawei’s SingleEPC solution provides operators with a number of technical advantages which is why so many leading operators have deployed it. For instance, during the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, PS traffic has been shown to increase 24 times more than the average daily traffic, forcing a local Saudi operator to migrate users from other vendor’s PS core onto Huawei’s SingleEPC solution to maintain seamless continuity of data services. That operator has successfully utilised Huawei’s SingleEPC solution for eight consecutive years.

FABLESS SEMICONDUCTOR PROVIDER Spreadtrum Communications, Inc. has introduced dual-core 1.2GHz smartphone chipsets for TD-SCDMA (SC8825) and EDGE (SC6825), following the successful qualification of its platform by China Mobile.

"With our new dual-core chipsets, Spreadtrum has leveraged our expertise in system design to deliver the lowest-cost dual-core platform in combination with high end graphics performance for the TD-SCDMA and EDGE markets," said Dr. Leo Li, chairman and CEO of Spreadtrum. "This combination of low-cost architecture, standout graphics performance, and best-in-class TD-SCDMA technology provides smartphone designers with unprecedented value in bringing high end features to low-cost devices."

www.huawei.com

30 Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

Cost and performance Spreadtrum's SC8825, which supports dual-mode TD-SCDMA/HSPA & EDGE/GPRS/GSM and the SC6825, which supports EDGE/GPRS/GSM, are based on a highly efficient multi-core architecture delivering the lowest cost platform available for dual-core TD-SCDMA and EDGE smartphone products. The single-chip chipsets integrate a dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A5 core processor, a dualcore Mali 400 graphics processor and multimedia and hardware accelerators for differentiated performance and user experience. Both chipsets are further paired with a single-chip mutimode RF transceiver for a high level of integration and are pin-to-pin compatible, enabling handset makers to leverage a common handset development effort

for products shipping to China as well as to emerging markets.

In addition to their high level of integration and lowcost architecture, Spreadtrum's chipsets further deliver standout graphics performance. The solutions' powerful graphics processing capability enhances the user experience for games and other graphics-rich applications, and enables Spreadtrum to bring high end features such as the larger screen sizes more commonly found in premium smartphones to low-cost devices.

"The benchmark results we are achieving for our dual-core solution, measured by popular benchmark programs such as AnTuTu and GLBenchmark 2.5, significantly outperform other commercial dual-core products," added Dr. Li. "This powerful processing capability provides our customers with an even more cost-effective and power-efficient way to deliver high end features in low-cost smartphones."

Other features of Spreadtrum's SC8825 and SC6825 chipsets include support for HD 1280x720 LCD display, H.264 720p video playback, up to 8 megapixel RGB camera and dual-SIM, dualstandby capability. The chipsets ship with turnkey Android and systems software, reducing the engineering time and resources required by handset makers to bring devices to market, with reference implementations available for both 4-layer and 6-layer PCB layouts.

www.spreadtrum.com

www.communicationsafrica.com

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EQUIPMENT

Fundamo acknowledged at the Card and ePayment Africa Awards THE ENTERPRISE EDITION Platform developed by Visa Inc company and specialist mobile financial service provider Fundamo has won the Best Mobile Payment Product of the Year at The Card and ePayment Africa Awards 2013 - an annual award programme recognising excellence and achievement in the card and ePayment space.

The judging panel comprised leading industry experts from the card and electronic payment services sector in Africa. The awards are designed to honour the most outstanding and innovative industry practitioners and products that demonstrate clear and tangible success.

Expertise, experience and evolution “We feel honoured that our platform has been selected by such a respected panel of judges as the best mobile payment product in Africa,” said Aletha Ling, COO at Fundamo, a Visa Inc company.

“We have invested twelve years of expertise and experience into a platform which continues to evolve through indepth and on-going collaboration with clients, partners and the wider industry. As

a result the platform is the most widely deployed in the world and new supports 27 mobile money services in 19 countries across Africa alone. We look forward to helping our clients meet the growing demand for mobile financial services driven by the needs of millions of consumers in Africa that do not have a formal bank account.”

Removing financial risks Fundamo launched the first emerging market mobile financial service in 2002 with Celpay in Zambia, powered by its first generation platform release. The launch was made in partnership with six major banks, to provide a secure and convenient method to transfer money. Celpay enabled instantaneous payments via the mobile phone, and in doing so, removed the risks associated with cash and cheque payments in Zambia.

Fundamo now powers over 50 of the 160 live services across the globe (GSMA, 2012) making it one of the largest mobile financial services provider in the world.

www.fundamo.com

Aletha Ling, COO at Fundamo

Technology to promote healthier environments IN A PROJECT by Vestergaard Frandsen, Carbon for Water - aimed at providing over 91 per cent of Kenya’s west province population with fresh drinking water through the supply of LifeStraw water filters - Samsung Electronics Africa supplied the company with 4,000 Samsung smartphone devices to monitor the programme, to manage the activities of the programme and to conduct essential health impact research. Together the initiation of the project and the support of the technology devices has positively affected about 900,000 households and about 4.5mn Kenyans in a community where clean water was previously scarce.

Devastating figures from research into the global water crisis indicated that 884 million people are deprived of satisfactory sources of drinking water - of which 37 per cent is based in sub-Saharan Africa. And the consequences are astounding - there are four billion annual cases of diarrheal illness, 1.8mn lives lost each year due to diarrheal disease, 117mn disability adjusted life years lost annually due to diarrheal and 443 school days lost each year from water-related illness. Further to this, families were using firewood to boil water where high deforestation has become a major concern.

It is through these findings that Vestergaard Frandsen, Samsung Africa and the Kenyan government through The Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation came together to not only drive awareness around the importance of clean water - but to implement a solution to positively impact the lives of the affected community.

The programme required 4,000 community health workers and drivers to reach 877,505 households in 25 and a half days - to install LifeStraw water filters, train the residents and periodically monitor the impact of the solutions. In addition, it required effective monitoring of the programme and management of the activities through a reliable technology framework.

Living with safe water supply This was all done through Samsung smartphones installed

www.communicationsafrica.com

with an application used to measure the usage of the LifeStraw and consumption of safe drinking water. It was also used for managing ongoing programme activities including; community use and repair and replacement, stock and inventory.

Furthermore, all Health Impact Data is collected from the Provincial General Hospital and clinics to measure the impact of LifeStraw on children under five and people living with HIV and AIDS, using this application.

“As a business we are constantly finding new ways to use our technology in bettering the lives of as many people within our local communities and empowering the success of life altering projects - and this project is another way we are able to do just this,” says Robert Ngeru, Commercial Director for Samsung Electronics East and Central Africa. “Through the use of mobile technology not only was the team able to generate 50 records per minute, which was transferred back to the servers for immediate analysis, but so too did this information transfer into valuable information used to ensure optimal use of the equipment for better results.”

Statistical information demonstrates that The Carbon for Water Programme impacted 877,505 households and 4.5mn Kenyans. In addition, on analysing the research collected via the mobile devices.

This health improvement project, assisted by Samsung technology, makes it the biggest carbon reduction project in the world - reducing CO2 by two million tons per year.

“We are proud to have been a part of such a phenomenal programme - using our technology to contribute to changing lives and delivering basic needs to communities that so desperately require them. It is projects like this that enable us the opportunity to demonstrate our value as a brand, not only from a sales perspective, but in our ability to deliver real solutions for Robert Ngeru, Commercial Director for Samsung communities in need,” concludes Ngeru.

Electronics East and Central Africa

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EQUIPMENT

Ericsson acquires video distribution solution ERICSSON IS COMMITTED to the acquisition of Microsoft’s TV solution Mediaroom business. This will make Ericsson the leading provider of IPTV and multi-screen solutions with a market share of over 25 per cent.

Closing expected during the second half of 2013. Mediaroom is situated in Mountain View, California and employs more than 400 people worldwide.

Per Borgklint, senior vice president and head of business unit support solutions at Ericsson said, "Ericsson's vision of the Networked Society foresees 50 billion devices to be connected via broadband, mobility and cloud. Future video distribution will have a similar impact on consumer Per Borgklint, senior vice president behavior and consumption as mobile and head of business unit support voice has had. This acquisition solutions at Ericsson contributes to a leading position for The global IPTV market is Ericsson with more than 40 customers, serving over 11mn estimated to reach 76mn subscribers subscriber households. In addition, in 2013 with revenues of 32 BUSD, Ericsson will be powered with senior growing to 105mn subscribers and competence and some of the most 45 BUSD in 2015.

"Mediaroom is the leading talented people within the field of platform for video distribution IPTV distribution."

deployed with the world's largest IPTV operators. This strategic acquisition positions Ericsson as an industry leader thanks to the skills and experiences of the talented people of Mediaroom combined with Ericsson's end to end service capabilities" Borgklint concluded.

The total media solution portfolio of Ericsson in the TV and video space combined with a further increased focus on consumer needs will be the foundation for providing services to end users. The importance of video distribution capabilities for the customers and their consumers will be increasing as more and more LTE networks are deployed and filled with smartphone users.

"We are proud of the number one IPTV market position that we have achieved with Mediaroom. Ericsson's complementary portfolio of TV and networking services will help drive the future growth and development of Mediaroom," said Tom Gibbons, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Corporation. "Ericsson is

positioned to be a valuable strategic partner for operators and TV service providers around the world as the IPTV market evolves."

Microsoft Mediaroom is the TV technology behind many of the world's leading television service providers like AT&T U-verse®, Entertain of Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, TELUS Optik TV(TM) and Swisscom. Mediaroom-powered TV services are offered on more than 22mn set top boxes deployed throughout the Americas, EMEA and APAC. Ericsson already sees that the ever-changing behaviors of TV consumers are evolving faster than ever. Speed of innovation and intelligent solutions drive consumer propositions in TV anywhere. This development will continue to fuel the industry as convergence becomes reality. The development requires content owners, broadcasters, TV service providers and operators to re-think their propositions.

Infrastructure and your business AFRICA HAS MORE telecommunications infrastructure than ever before. And the demand for additional infrastructure grows exponentially every year as content and device end users move progressively more of their work and lifestyles to mobile unified communications and collaboration technologies.

Infrastructure growth is also being fuelled at an unprecedented rate by the relentlessly dynamic evolution of connectivity technologies.

This has moved the need for robust, reliable, scalable, and future-proofed infrastructure to the heart of strategic considerations for telecommunications operators and content and service providers. You can’t grow market share if you can’t deliver content and services at the highest levels of quality and reliability.

The high demand for world class infrastructure has also escalated the amount of executive effort and attention that needs to be expended on the design, building, and maintenance of infrastructure. This detracts from the executive effort and time that should be spent on growing and consolidating end user market share.

32 Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

Your solutions provider Plessey has been designing, building, and supporting telecommunications infrastructure on the African continent for 50 years. The company has more experience, across more types of locations, technologies, industry sectors, and operator business strategies than any other organisation on the continent. It has always succeeded where others have failed – in theoretically impossible terrain and extremely challenging political environments.

Experienced climbers struggle to get their backpacks to the summit. Plessey got concrete for the plinth, steel girders for the tower, security and power equipment, and all necessary transceiving technologies to the summit.

Plessey has laid more than 15,000kms of optical fibre on schedule and on budget, helping to put cable thieves behind bars while we’re at it as well as meeting stringent health and safety and environmental criteria at all times. For instance, the cable Plessey laid connecting the West Africa Cable System to Cape Town runs through the Western Cape’s extremely sensitive fynbos biome as well as a number of historical sites. Not only did we manage the environmental impact assessments but also all community liaison and completed the 140km installation in record time without damage to the environment or any historical site.

Infrastructure provision and management is a deceptively challenging business, in that, superficially, it seems to be about digging trenches

and throwing concrete. In fact, it requires specialisation in an extraordinarily diverse set of disciplines, from site assessment and evaluation, negotiations with local and regional governments, civil engineering, and physical security, to subcontractor selection and training, health and safety expertise, community capacity building, establishment and maintenance of relationships with technology vendors, environmental custodianship, power management, project management, and supply chain management.

It’s rare for any telecommunications operator or voice and data provider to have, in-house, just a few of these skills. Because Plessey has them all, it has been able, by way of example, to build and commission 290 base transceiver stations in a single month.

Plessey has become the continent’s premier turnkey infrastructure solutions provider – able, through its four business units (Optical Solutions, Wireless Solutions, Intelligent Infrastructure, and Managed Services), to tailor its offerings to meet the strategic business needs of its clients.

www.communicationsafrica.com

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EQUIPMENT

Office 365 pour les entreprises AVEC SON SERVICE Cloud Office 365 pour les entreprises, Microsoft propose désormais un service encore plus complet grâce à de nouvelles fonctionnalités et des offres adaptées aux besoins et aux budgets des organisations quelle que soit leur taille : TPE, PME, grandes entreprises. En plus de bénéficier des versions 2013 enrichies de Lync Online, Exchange Online et SharePoint Online, les utilisateurs professionnels accéderont désormais à l’ensemble des logiciels Office, mis à jour en permanence grâce au Cloud, qu’ils pourront installer sur un maximum de 5 PC, Mac ou tablettes Windows. En matière de Social, Office 365 continue d’enrichir son offre grâce à SharePoint et Yammer disponibles dès aujourd’hui, et en juin la fédération Lync-Skype sur les aspects messagerie instantanée, disponibilité et voix. « Avec Office 365, n’importe quelle entreprise, y compris les TPE, accède aux outils de communication et de collaboration les plus professionnels tout en restant accessibles même aux structures sans responsable informatique », explique Nicolas Petit, Directeur Marketing & Opérations chez Microsoft France. « Avec Yammer et Skype, Office 365 est un véritable réseau social, sans équivalent sur le

marché, ouvrant des scénarios de travail collaboratif comme la possibilité d’interagir avec des millions d’utilisateurs Skype. »

Une offre sur mesure pour chaque enterprise Office 365 ProPlus inclut la version la plus récente et la plus complète d’Office donnant accès à Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, InfoPath, Access et Lync.

Cette offre inclut également : • La possibilité de l’installer sur un maximum de 5 PC, Mac ou tablettes Windows.

• Un accès à Office 365 depuis n'importe quel écran pour retrouver ses paramètres personnalisés, ses documents récents et même reprendre une lecture à l’endroit précis où elle s’était interrompue.

• Des outils de contrôle et de gestion pour les équipes informatiques comme par exemple les mises à jour des utilisateurs et la possibilité d’installer Office 365 ProPlus à côté d’autres versions d'Office.

Office 365 Moyenne Entreprise est conçu pour les entreprises de 10 à 250 salariés. L’offre inclut : • Office 365 ProPlus ainsi que les outils de communication et de collaboration Exchange Online, Lync Online et SharePoint Online.

• Des outils informatiques simplifiés pour assurer un contrôle tout en réduisant la complexité.

• L’intégration à l’Active Directory, une console d'administration web et une assistance téléphonique.

Office 365 Petite Entreprise Premium est conçu pour les petites entreprises de 1 à 10 salariés Ce service facile à gérer sans expertise informatique, comprend : • L'ensemble des applications Office en client riche.

• Un service de messagerie professionnelle et de partage de calendriers avec Exchange Online.

• Des outils de création de site Web et de site d’équipe pour partager des documents.

• La visioconférence en haute définition avec Lync Online.

La nouvelle génération des services Cloud Office 365 est également disponible : • Pour le monde de l’éducation au travers de l’offre Office 365 pour l’Education.

• Dès aujourd'hui dans 69 pays et en 17 langues.

• Dès le deuxième trimestre dans 20 pays et en 16 langues supplémentaires.

www.microsoft.com

La technologie de vectorisation VDSL2 Alcatel-Lucent autorise des débits de 100 Mbits/s ALCATEL-LUCENT ET TUNISIE Telecom, principal opérateur télécoms de Tunisie, transforment l’essai lors de tests du ultrahaut débit avec la technologie avancée de vectorisation VDSL2 d’Alcatel-Lucent.

Ces tests marquent une étape majeure dans le programme de Tunisie Telecom visant à améliorer l’offre de services haut débit à travers tout le pays.

Grâce à la vectorisation, l’opérateur pourra – sur son réseau actuel d’accès sur cuivre – proposer aux particuliers et aux entreprises des vitesses atteignant les 100 mégabits par seconde (Mbits/s) en liaison descendante.

Faits marquants Tunisie Telecom a testé la technologie de vectorisation VDSL2 dans le but de déterminer si, compte tenu d’une telle modification, son réseau actuel était en mesure d’offrir le ultrahaut débit demandé par ses clients pour des applications telles que la vidéo à la demande et les jeux en ligne.

Des débits de 100 Mbits/s ont été atteints en liaison descendante sur 600 mètres, bien supérieurs aux vitesses qu’autorise la technologie DSL standard, et en liaison montante,

les débits ont atteint les 40 Mbits/s.

La vectorisation VDSL2 autorise de tels résultats sur les lignes cuivre existantes grâce à une technologie de suppression du bruit qui élimine les interférences entre plusieurs lignes d’un même groupe de câbles, de sorte que chacune ait un fonctionnement optimal et assure le débit le plus élevé possible.

Les premiers essais ont été réalisés en décembre 2012 chez Tunisie Telecom, en conditions réelles et à l’aide d’une plateforme ISAM 7302 (Intelligent Services Access Manager, gestionnaire d’accès intelligent) d’Alcatel-Lucent installée sur le réseau cuivre de l’opérateur.

Nizar Bouguila, Directeur Central Technique de Tunisie Telecom, a déclaré : « La technologie de vectorisation VDSL2 nous permettra de fournir rapidement des services haut débit de pointe à nos clients toujours à l’affût de services innovants, plus diversifiés et de meilleure qualité. Les résultats des essais sont extrêmement encourageants : nous nous en réjouissons, tout en remerciant Alcatel-Lucent pour son précieux support »

Tunisie Telecom s'adresse au Grand public qu'aux entreprises et opérateurs tiers avec une offre adaptée; en Tunisie, il est le seul opérateur offrant des services d’interconnexion nationale www.communicationsafrica.com

Tunisie Telecom et AlcatelLucent franchissent une étape majeure dans le déploiement du ultrahaut débit en Tunisie Les innovations réalisées par Alcatel-Lucent sont régulièrement saluées par les grandes organisations internationales pour leur influence positive sur la société. En 2012 et pour la deuxième année consécutive, Alcatel-Lucent a figuré au classement des 100 entreprises les plus innovantes au monde publié par Thomson Reuters ; une reconnaissance venue souligner ses efforts permanents pour enrichir l’un des plus vastes portefeuilles de brevets du marché.

Faical Haffoudhi, Directeur General d’Alcatel-Lucent en Tunisie, Maroc et Mauritanie a ajouté : « La technologie de vectorisation VDSL2 tient vraiment ses promesses en termes de vitesses haut débit.

Tunisie Telecom est clairement engagé à offrir à sa clientèle le haut débit le plus rapide possible. Les tests de notre solution de vectorisation VDSL2 montrent que nous disposons des technologies requises pour répondre à la demande croissante en haut débit à travers la Tunisie. »

www.alcatel-lucent.com

Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

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EQUIPMENT

Une solution innovante pour étendre les services aux entreprises exploités sur le satellite KA-SAT EUTELSAT COMMUNICATIONS ET OneAccess, fabricant de routeurs multiservices et de dispositifs d'accès Ethernet pour les opérateurs, se sont associés pour développer la première plateforme permettant d'exploiter sur le satellite KA-SAT des réseaux privés virtuels à de très hauts niveaux de performance dans des environnements sécurisés.

Lancée en mars 2013, cette nouvelle gamme de services sera immédiatement disponible sur l'intégralité de la zone de couverture du satellite KA-SAT d'Eutelsat. Offrant des services similaires à ceux de l'ADSL à des prix également comparables à ceux de l'ADSL, elle constitue une avancée majeure en rendant l'usage des communications satellitaires accessible aux entreprises exploitant des réseaux privés sécurisés.

Depuis 2011, le satellite KA-SAT d'Eutelsat a radicalement transformé les marchés professionnels et grand public de l'accès au haut débit par satellite en Europe, Afrique du Nord et Moyen-Orient. Joignant leurs expertises, OneAccess et Eutelsat ont franchi une nouvelle étape qui accroit significativement les performances et étend les usages des services aux entreprises exploités sur KA-SAT avec le développement d'un nouveau routeur satellite

dédié, One1520. Intégrant des fonctions d'accélération du trafic, de routage IP et de transport sécurisé IP-VPN, ce routeur est en mesure de porter à 20 Mbps en réception et 6 Mbps en émission les débits des liaisons satellite en environnement sécurisé. Réunissant l'ensemble de ces fonctions dans un équipement unique, le routeur One1520 permet également de réduire considérablement le coût total d'équipement des utilisateurs comme des opérateurs. Les services exploités sur cette nouvelle plateforme visent en particulier le marché des entreprises multi-sites qui souhaitent doter leurs sites distants d'accès Internet à haut débit tout en préservant un espace de travail entièrement sécurisé entre établissements. Désormais, les communications satellitaires sont en mesure de satisfaire les usages de très haut débit les plus exigeants, y compris dans des environnements hautement sécurisés, comme par exemple le passage rapide à une solution de secours satellite en cas de défaillance d'un réseau privé ou le délestage de trafic en période de pointe.

Pour Jean-François Fenech, Directeur général de la Business Unit Eutelsat Broadband : « Exploitant l'architecture technologique innovante de KA-SAT,

Liquid Telecom speeds up East African Internet LIQUID TELECOM HAS made significant improvements to its fibre network along the East African coast, to reduce congestion, improve connectivity and deliver the lowest latency rates on the African continent.

Liquid Telecom has also commissioned a gigabit circuit between Kenya and South Africa from SEACOM and supports the many East African IP address prefixes at the Johannesburg Internet Exchange (JINX) went live recently. The key benefit of this is that traffic between South Africa and East Africa, including Kenya, will no longer need to be routed via Europe.

As a result, traffic on Liquid Telecom’s networks in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda is already much faster with the lowest latency rates on the continent (down from over 400ms to nearer 50ms). Customers benefiting include ISPs, carriers and businesses of all sizes across Eastern and Southern Africa.

ADVERTISERS INDEX Company .................................................................................... page

nous avons démontré notre capacité à offrir aux entreprises un accès au haut débit avec un niveau de qualité et de ressources inégalés sur la zone de couverture étendue de ce satellite multifaisceaux. Le partenariat formé par Eutelsat et OneAccess nous permet de franchir une nouvelle étape avec une solution VPN totalement nouvelle qui associe à la performance de notre satellite KA-SAT les technologies de routeurs innovantes de OneAccess ».

Bertrand Meis, Président-directeur général de OneAccess a ajouté : « Ce partenariat est unique et marquera une étape majeure dans le secteur des services de télécommunication. Nos routeurs dual core spécifiquement adaptés, qui intègrent des fonctions d'optimisation pour les réseaux étendus et des outils logiciels conformes aux normes les plus avancées de sécurité, permettent de réduire la latence et d'accélérer la dynamique du trafic. Le One1520 est une solution totalement intégrée conjuguant accessibilité, transparence et performance. Associé à la puissance de KA-SAT, le résultat est une solution tout-en-un pour les entreprises et un service sécurisé de haute qualité qui constitue un complément efficace à tous les réseaux professionnels DSL en opération aujourd'hui.»

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34 Communications Africa Issue 2 2013

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