Table des matières - Performances Group

Transcription

Semaine 04 – du 24 au 30 janvier 2011
N° 158
Table des matières
Mobile services in poor countries --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
Africa's telecoms growth potential ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9
World Bank Boosts Africa's Broadband Connectivity --------------------------------------------------------- 11
Kenya says will not intervene in telecom price war ----------------------------------------------------------- 13
Madagascar-Télécommunication: La passerelle unique en pointillé--------------------------------- 14
Mobile Money in Tanzania: Is it reaching the BOP? ----------------------------------------------------------- 15
Safaricom unveils cheap smartphone for Kenya market --------------------------------------------------- 18
S.Africa's MTN, Sanlam team up on mobile health------------------------------------------------------------- 20
Le basculement de la richesse ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 20
Nigeria: 11 MIllion Sim Cards Registered - NCC ------------------------------------------------------------------ 21
Angola: $ U.S.92 Million for Installation of Submarine Cable ----------------------------------------------- 22
Airtel’s rates are not sustainable- Safaricom CEO -------------------------------------------------------------- 22
Piratage informatique à la Biao-Ci/467 millions détournés via les “Cartes Prépayées
Rubis”--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24
Orange offre à son tour les appels depuis la box vers les mobiles ------------------------------------- 30
Création au Gabon d’une Agence nationale des infrastructures numériques et des
fréquences ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 31
Congo-Kinshasa: Fibres optiques - Le pays à six jours de l'exclusion----------------------------------- 31
La Poste lance son offre mobile en mai ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33
Après Deezer, Orange semble très intéressé par Dailymotion ------------------------------------------- 34
France: Stéphane Richard s'apprête à réorganiser la R&D chez France Télécom ------------ 35
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Internet trends to watch in 2011 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36
Are relationships between banks and operators to offer mobile money for the
unbanked real partnerships? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38
Cérémonie de signature d’un protocole d’accord entre la Libye et le Niger : Green
Network reprend la Sonitel ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 39
Mobile Payment Debuts Nationally at Starbucks --------------------------------------------------------------- 40
One Hand Clapping! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40
Tigo Tanzania Launch 3.5G Data Network ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 41
India Launches Full Nationwide Mobile Number Portability ----------------------------------------------- 42
Étude : le marché des applications mobiles pèsera 25 milliards de dollars en 2015 ----------- 43
airtel to enhance customer experience in 2011 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 44
Regulator seeks another drop in SMS rates ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 45
Safaricom against connectivity rate plan-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 46
Atelier de validation du projet de document de la politique sectorielle du Ministère
des Postes et des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication (MPTIC) ---------- 48
Afrique de l'Ouest: Construction d'infrastructures transfrontalières dans l'espace
UEMOA - L'interconnexion en télécommunication au centre des débats ------------------------- 51
Collectes et de transferts d’argent : L’ e-banking révolutionne le secteur bancaire --------- 52
A new MMU article on the relationships between banks and mobile operators ---------------- 54
Safaricom Slashes SMS Costs by Up to 71% ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 55
Bharti Airtel and IBM Finalize Pan-Africa IT Management Agreement-------------------------------- 56
Airtel Doubles Subscriber Base in Kenya Following Price Cuts -------------------------------------------- 56
Somalia to Start Taxing its Mobile Phone Networks ------------------------------------------------------------ 57
Applications mobiles professionnelles : Orange Business Services livre ses bonnes
pratiques --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 57
Bharti Airtel launches new Madagascar mobile banking service -------------------------------------- 59
Uganda to benefit from IBM, Airtel IT infrastructure deal ---------------------------------------------------- 59
Mobile health apps gain acceptance in developing nations ------------------------------------------- 60
National Bank of Rwanda, Rwanda’s Central Bank, Agrees to MTN Rwanda’s ‘Mobile
Money’ Service ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 62
Kenyan Internet Usage Doubles Over 2010, Ministry Says--------------------------------------------------- 63
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Western Union, MTN team up for cross border mobile money transfers ----------------------------- 63
Bharti Airtel et IBM finalisent un accord pour la transformation des communications
mobiles en Afrique ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 64
Mobile opportunities in Africa -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 66
Gambia: Investment in telecoms sector drops ------------------------------------------------------------------ 69
Half of Tanzania’s population on phone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 71
Rwanda: Fibre optic cable rollout complete --------------------------------------------------------------------- 72
Orange Tunisie lance le pack famille Flybox ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 73
Mobile Money Payment Revolution To Hit Financial Market ---------------------------------------------- 74
Privatisation annoncée de Bénin Télécoms S.a :Les travailleurs menacent de
paralyser la société ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 75
Operator-bank partnerships: a case study featuring Safaricom and Equity Bank. Part
1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 75
Uganda's Mobile Tariff Competition: How Low Can You Go?
------------------------------- 77
1.4 Billion People to Access Both Fixed and Mobile Broadband by 2015 --------------------------- 82
Construire, motiver et gérer un réseau d’agents pour les services d’argent mobile ---------- 83
Guide pratique pour les opérateurs de téléphonie mobile ----------------------------------------------------------- 83
Kenyans can now pay school fees on their mobile phone ------------------------------------------------ 84
Online payment gateway PesaPal has launched a new service in Kenya in partnership with
mobile operator Safaricom that allows users to pay school fees directly to banks accounts via
mobile phone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 84
Cie, Sodeci, Sgbci, Bicici, Ci-Télécom…/Gbagbo décide de tout nationaliser ----------------- 84
Bénin-Télécoms
vendu
er Array Envoyer
au
prix
d’une
cacahouète
Array Imprim
85
Nigeria’s Airtel launches Easy Recharge ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 86
ECI Telecom enters Uganda market ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 87
L'ARPT lance la première station de contrôle mobile des fréquences en Guinée ------------- 87
Protests disrupt Tunisia call centers------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 88
No bailout for CDMA operators in Nigeria ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 89
Contenus: Cogent, le MégaProblème d’Orange -------------------------------------------------------------- 89
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Legal action against Airtel Kenya? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 91
FG intervenes in Multi-billion NITEL debt to Ecobank ---------------------------------------------------------- 92
France Telecom to sell Moroccan bond ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 93
GSMA Publishes Mobile Privacy Principles-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 94
Bank-led or operator-led? Sometimes, it’s in the eye of the beholder ------------------------------- 95
MTN Denied 3G License in Swaziland -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 96
Cell Block - Mobile Payments: Transacting, Transferring, & Banking With Your Phone -------- 97
Marwan Mabrouk: « Il n'y aura aucun changement dans le capital d’Orange Tunisie
» ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 112
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Mobile services in poor countries
COUNTERFEIT drugs can make up round a quarter of all those sold in poor countries, according
to some estimates. They provide a lucrative and lethal business, against which most consumers
are powerless. “If your anti-malaria pill is made of any old white powder, you may not survive,”
says Bright Simons, one of the founders of mPedigree, an advocacy group from Ghana.
Mr Simons is not just fighting with words. Late last year mPedigree launched a mobile service in
Ghana and Nigeria that could make a dent in the fake-drug trade. People buying medicine
scratch off a panel attached to the packaging. This reveals a code, which they can text to a
computer system that looks it up in a database. Seconds later comes a reply saying whether
the drug is genuine. The service is paid for by pharmaceutical companies that want to thwart
the counterfeiters. Hewlett-Packard runs the computer system and found a cheap way to
print the scratch-off labels.
This is just one of many such services mushrooming in poor countries, using mobile-phone
technology that once carried only humble voice and text messages. Rohan Samarajiva, the
boss of LIRNEasia, a think-tank in Sri Lanka, calls it “more than mobile”. Jussi Hinkkanen, Nokia’s
head of policy in Africa, says the mobile revolution is moving “from ear to hand”.
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The number of users is still small: even among young people in South-East Asia (a tech-friendly
lot) only 8% had used “more-than-voice” services, according to a poll by LIRNEasia. But the
potential is exciting. Mobile phones are the world’s most widely distributed computers. Even in
poor countries about two-thirds of people have access to one (see chart 1). As a result, such
devices and their networks, though mainly still much simpler than in the rich world, have become a platform on which many other services can be built. This boosts innovation—just as
smartphones and faster wireless data networks have led to an explosion of mobile applications (“apps”).
Classifying mobile services in poor countries is not an exact science. Richard Heeks, director of
the Centre of Development Informatics at the University of Manchester, sorts them by their impact on development. One category is services that “connect the excluded”. In their simplest
form they provide information to those who would otherwise be out of the loop. Farmer’s
Friend in Uganda, for instance, sends out market prices and other agricultural information in
text messages.
Such services have been around for some time, but they have become more common—and
much more varied. Nokia now provides its Ovi Life Tools, a set of information services from
weather to sport, to more than 6m users of its handsets in China, India, Indonesia and Nigeria.
Esoko, a Ghanaian “communication platform”, in the words of Mark Davies, its founder, allows
two-way communication: people and businesses in 15 African countries can upload their own
market or other data, which then become accessible via the internet and mobile phones.
Mobile trading platforms are also in this category. At first most of them focused on agricultural
goods: Dialog Tradenet in Sri Lanka lets farmers check market prices and text in offers, helping
them to time their harvest to maximise income. But many, including Dialog Tradenet, have
other things on offer. In India, Babajob.com lists low-skilled jobs. The most popular items on
CellBazaar in Bangladesh are second-hand mobile phones. For people with some cash to
spare, KenyaBUZZ, one of the larger local websites in east Africa, is selling tickets for cultural
and sports events over the phone.
Mobile phones can also spread learning. In Bangladesh the BBC World Service Trust sponsors a
service called BBC Janala that allows people on a few dollars a day to improve their English.
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After dialling “3000”, they can listen to hundreds of English lessons and quizzes, updated weekly. Mobile operators charge about two cents for each three-minute lesson. Since BBC Janala
was launched in November 2009, 3.1m people have used it.
Researchers in South Africa working for SAP, a software giant, are trying to connect very small
businesses, which make up a large part of Africa’s economy. One service lets craftsmen
create a virtual job docket with a few texts or touches on a smartphone, even without mobilenetwork coverage. The information is uploaded to a computer system later. Another allows rural stores to order goods, saving time-consuming trips to city markets.
A second category of services includes those that cut out the middleman, or at least keep
tabs on him. This is especially helpful in using government services. In the Indian state of Karnataka, corrupt officials would often demand a bribe before issuing landownership certificates,
which farmers need, for instance, to obtain a loan. The Bhoomi project helps them directly, by
using the internet and mobile phones.
Disintermediation is also made possible by mobile money. Services to transfer cash by text
message have been around for some years. One of the most successful, M-PESA, began in
2007 in Kenya, where it now has more than 13m users. It is now used for salaries, bills, donations: few things cannot be paid for via a handset. Similar services can be found in more than
40 countries. Though not yet on the same scale, this seems to be only a question of time: in
most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, more people have a mobile phone than a bank account (see chart 2).
Other firms are extending the reach of mobile money. Software developed by Tagattitude, a
French start-up, uses a handset’s sound channel to transmit money and will be used by several
banks in Africa. A Little World, an Indian firm, has combined several pieces of technology to
create a “branchless microbanking system” to allow people in remote areas to withdraw
cash. A fingerprint reader identifies them and the sum is deducted from their accounts via a
special handset. A small printer produces a receipt. The system already has more than 3m users in India. In Andhra Pradesh it directly disburses welfare payments and pensions.
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Money on the move in Kenya
The sound of the crowd, texting
A third, perhaps even more promising category is “crowdvoicing”. Ushahidi, founded by a
group of activists in Kenya, is among its pioneers. After the country’s disputed elections in 2008,
Ushahidi (which means “testimony” in Swahili) mapped reports about violence, most of them
text messages, on a website. Now the organisation offers software and even a web-based
service to monitor anything from elections to natural disasters. Similarly, text-messaging software called FrontlineSMS collects and broadcasts information.
Such techniques are increasingly applied in other areas, particularly health. Stop Stock-outs,
another African group, has used Ushahidi to map where essential medicines are sold out. By
checking whether a drug is genuine, users of mPedigree and another Ghanaian service
called Sproxil provide real-time data about which illnesses are on the rise (and can be sent
more information as needed). In Mali a company called Pesinet gets agents to send in the
weight of newborn babies. If the figure falls below a certain level, the baby is examined more
closely.
Then there is txteagle, which hopes to reward those willing to perform small jobs on a mobile
phone. Its founder, Nathan Eagle, discovered that nurses in Kenya were much likelier to text in
the stock levels at their blood banks if they were compensated with a bit of airtime. This got
him thinking about whether other tasks could be “crowdsourced” in this way. Today firms use
txteagle for translating words into a local dialect and checking street signs for a satellitenavigation service. Mr Eagle hopes that the service will spread far, in particular to Asia.
A fourth and last category hardly exists yet, but could prove the most important, says Mr
Heeks: platforms that allow the world’s poor to “appropriate the technology and start applying it in new ways”. One small example is “beeping”: hanging up after a single ring. First used
to signal that someone wants to be called back because of lack of credit, it has become a
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free messaging system. In some countries, street hawkers assign special ringtones to different
customers, which are in effect free messages placing orders.
In rich countries, online stores for smartphone apps gave digital innovation a boost. LIRNEasia’s
Mr Samarajiva hopes that something similar will happen in the poor world. An early example is
AppZone in Sri Lanka. It allows developers to create, test and sell applications, while operators
promote them to their customers.
The list will certainly get longer. Whether such services will be commercial successes is another
question. Having looked at 400 mobile businesses, the Monitor Group, a consultancy, concludes that too many are dependent on donor money. Social entrepreneurship often muddles demand and need, says Jan Schwier of Monitor. The fact that an African smallholder
needs prices for his crops on his mobile does not mean he will pay for them.
Not many services are set up to grow, says Brooke Partridge of Vital Wave Consulting, which
advises businesses in emerging markets. Providers lack technology, money and market knowledge. “We don’t need more new services, but a better focus on commercialisation,” she
says.
For others bureaucracy, taxation and bad regulation are the obstacles. In many African countries providers of new mobile services cannot deal with network operators directly, but must
use intermediaries to get, for instance, a short code for customers to dial. Governments also
use mobile networks as cash cows. A study in 2008 by the GSM Association, an industry group,
found that the ratio of mobile-related tax to operators’ revenues in sub-Saharan Africa was
30%. Today the share is probably even higher. And regulators often limit competition, for instance by failing to license radio spectrum to new entrants. All this means that mobile communications are more expensive than they need be. “Price remains the major barrier to the
growth of mobile entrepreneurship in Africa,” says Steve Song, a telecoms expert at the Shuttleworth Foundation, a think-tank in South Africa.
Talk of a “Development 2.0”—meaning a mobile-driven transformation of how poor countries
develop—thus seems premature. But the potential of mobile services should not be underestimated. If they take off, they could transform lives and livelihoods, not just by connecting the
world’s poor to the infrastructure of the digital economy, but by allowing them to become
digital producers and innovators.
Fanciful? Maybe, but sceptics said the same about the potential of mobile phones in poor
countries a decade ago. Just think what would be possible if smartphones and even tablet
computers become as cheap and common in poor countries as mobile phones are today.
Africa's telecoms growth potential
The African continent's telecommunications industry has enormous potential for growth. And
senior level executives from major corporates around the world are getting a taste of just how
massive the African market is, at the Next Generation Telecoms (NGT) Africa Summit in Nairobi,
Kenya.
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According to the organisers of the summit, Africa has enormous potential for growth as it has
become the fastest growing telecoms market in the world
The event, hosted by events company GDS International, takes place at the Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club from 25 to 27 January.
According to the NGT website, the summit provides an opportunity for senior level executives
to network and examine their technology and management objectives. Delegates participate in a number of workshops, where they discuss issues such as the fixed network and its ongoing role in Africa; mobile data in Africa; mobile infrastructure; and the evolving telecoms
landscape.
The executives meet with 50 of their peers in one-on-one meetings and roundtable discussions,
making the NGT Summit the biggest gathering of senior telecommunications executives on
the continent.
Some of the attendees include South African mobile provider Vodacom's executive director
Vuyani Jarana; Lebanon-based Comium Group's founder and CEO Nizar Dalloul; vice president of Emerging Markets Network and IT France Telecom Patrick Puges; Bob Collymore, CEO
of Kenyan mobile operator Safaricom; and GVP of International Telecoms & Networking, Chris
Lewis.
Broadband growth stuttering, but will recover
According to the organisers of the summit, Africa has enormous potential for growth as it has
become the fastest growing telecoms market in the world. Between 2001 and 2007 the industry grew by 49.3% with a total investment of US$18-billion (R123-billion).
Despite such growth, Africa still lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to broadband
technology. Its slow development is one of the major topics of discussion at the summit. Secretary-general of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Dr Hamadoun Touré believes
that access to broadband is the key to the continent's advancement.
"Even with such high growth rates, access to broadband is still low. Access to high speed Internet is essential to using and fully harnessing the potential of the internet. We need to focus on
creating unprecedented opportunities for positive change," said Touré.
A report by IT Web in October 2010 indicated that broadband usage, though low, is growing
rapidly in Africa. MD of 4G communications company Alvarion, Winston Smith, said that African broadband subscribers would reach 19-million by 2014.
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"According to an ITU report, for every 100 inhabitants in Africa, 32 have mobile subscriptions
while in other developing regions, the ratio is 49 in every 100. For the rest of the world, for every
100 people, 59 have mobile subscriptions," said Smith.
But he remained optimistic that growth on the continent could surpass other regions because
of the influx of new entrants as well as content players.
Source: MediaClubSouthAfrica.com
World Bank Boosts Africa's Broadband Connectivity
By: George Des Kennedy
The World Bank board of directors has approved three major projects for three West African
countries, totaling US$71.5 million dollars.
The projects are aimed at boosting Information Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure and access to services in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of São Tomé
and Príncipe.
The Republic of Liberia and Sierra Leone will receive line of credits from the World Bank to the
tune of US$25.6 million and US$31.0 million, respectively, to boost their ICT communications
sectors. The Democratic Republic of Sao Tome will receive a grant of US$ 14.9 million from the
Bank for its component of the Central African Backbone Program.
The money, according to the World Bank, is part of a US$300 million West Africa Regional
Communications Infrastructure Program (WARCIP).
“The projects have two main components. The first component will seek to create an enabling
environment through provision of technical assistance and capacity building for legal and
regulatory reform; and will develop public private partnership arrangements for the infrastructure to be developed,” noted a World Bank statement issued over the weekend.
The Bank pointed out that the second component, which focuses on connectivity, will provide
financing for the countries' contribution (consortium fee) for participating in the Africa Coast
to Europe (ACE) submarine cable on an open access basis, using public private partnerships,
leveraging private sector investment, and associated investments.
The Projects will provide support to modernize legal, regulatory and institutional framework
and improve overall competitive environment in the telecommunications sector and improve
the viability of public incumbent operators where necessary, to make them more competitive.
In Sierra Leone, for example, the commercialization of SierraTel, the state-owned telecom operator, and the liberalization of access to the country's international gateway will be supported, while in São Tomé and Príncipe the project will help to introduce competition through
the launch of a second global telecommunications operator license to provide fixed and
mobile services.
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World Bank Africa Region director for regional integration, Yusupha B. Crookes, added: "the
growth of ICTs in Africa has been phenomenal over the past decade. Mobile penetration in
particular is astronomical now, with many countries recording as high as 80%. The mobile network now constitutes the largest ever service delivery platform available to reach citizens, and
is boosting Africans' ability to connect to the information super highway, thereby, creating
opportunities for ordinary people to connect for social, economic and political reasons.”
Mr. Crookes noted: “better days are ahead, as prices drop, broadband improves, internet
access scales up, overall quality of communication is enhanced and broader and more innovative applications become available to solve problems facing ordinary people and governments in Africa."
It may be recalled that last year, the Liberian government through the Ministries of Planning
and Economic Affairs, Postal Affairs and the LIBTELCO as well as the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) signed the country onto the broadband connectivity which is expected
to be provided by the French Telecom.
Liberia needs about US$26 million dollars in order to join this connectivity. It was in this regard
that the World Bank and other stakeholders promised to pay the US$26 million.
The total cost of the project for several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated at US$700
million dollars. Construction of infrastructure for this project is expected to be completed in Liberia in 2012, the government said.
Meanwhile the World Bank says it will provide support to 15 additional countries within Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region to increase the geographical
reach of broadband networks and reduce costs of communications services.
This new Program complements, the Regional Infrastructure Connectivity Program and the
Central African Backbone, targets respectively Eastern & Southern African countries (25 eligible countries for a total amount of US$424 million) and Central African Countries (11 eligible
countries for a total amount of $215 million).
The World Bank observed that Liberia, Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe, are countries
that currently have some of the highest connectivity costs in the world and are among a
handful of countries in West and Central Africa which are not connected to the global network of broadband optical fiber infrastructure.
The projects will help to bring a major infrastructural revolution as the countries will for the first
time be connected to the best of global internet broadband services network as well as develop their national backbone infrastructure for distributing broadband internet to their urban
and rural masses.
Over the past decade Africa has been experiencing a remarkable ICTs revolution especially in
mobile telephony but in many countries serious challenges remain in the area of internet connectivity.
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Small countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia, São Tomé and Príncipe are typically ignored by private submarine cable consortia who consider their markets as too small and not attractive
enough.
Currently the three countries depend on costly satellite connectivity to the tune of US$4,0005,000/Mbps per month while those connected to submarine cables can access international
capacity at much lower prices as low as US$ 600 in East Africa and US$100 in Morocco.
This, coupled with a lack of national backbone infrastructure, has created a difficult environment for expanding availability of Internet services and advanced applications.
But the lack of access to low price and high quality telecommunications services and overdependence on costly satellite technologies is a factor that limits the potential of these countries to create jobs, expand production of goods and services, and trade competitively with
the rest of the world.
The projects are expected to yield extensive benefits for all populations especially telecommunication services and internet users, schools, hospitals, banks, corporations, government
and public administrations and households.
The World Bank's determination is to step in where traditional investors shy away by devising
regional instruments aimed at catalyzing private sector investment to improve connectivity.
0Copyright Liberian Observer - All Rights Reserved. This article cannot be re-published without
the expressed, written consent of the Liberian Observer. Please contact us for more information or to request publishing permission.
Kenya says will not intervene in telecom price war
By Duncan Miriri
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya will not impose a minimum price for
mobile calls, despite a price war the leading operator says could
wipe up to 26 billion shillings off companies' revenues this year, a
top official said.
Bitange Ndemo, of the Ministry of Information and Communications, told Reuters in an interview the government prefers a scenario where market forces determine call pricing.
"This is a free market and laying a floor will mean you are doing price control," Ndemo told
Reuters on Tuesday.
"We would want to use market forces and see the regulator ensures that what is happening is
happening within the law. I'm sure market forces will determine pricing."
India's Bharti Airtel started the price war last August. It more than halved rates to 3 shillings a
minute to lure users from market leader Safaricom, a move that pushed down Safaricom's
shares sharply.
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Airtel this month introduced the lowest tariff, 1 shilling a minute, for calls to someone else on its
network. That again hit Safaricom shares and angered its CEO.
Ndemo said he was concerned prematurely low tariffs could cut government tax revenue
and force it to raise taxes.
"If you were getting 26 percent of 6 shillings and now you are getting 26 percent of 1 shilling,
that is a significant drop," he said.
"Of course, others have argued that you can raise money from other (areas of) consumption
but it is not so clear-cut. Compliance in this sector is much higher than in other sectors."
DATA BOOM
Mobile tariffs are scheduled to fall gradually over two years in line with a drop in the rate -from 2.21 shillings to 90 cents -- operators charge to connect calls to each other's networks,
known as the mobile termination rate.
"What we would like to see is a gradual fall (in call rates) just like the regulator has scheduled a
gradual fall in mobile termination rates. Sudden falls are disruptive," Ndemo said.
The envisaged gradual drop in tariffs is also premised on a proportional jump in usage of data
such as broadband. Internet usage doubled to 20 percent of the population in the past year
on the back of lower wholesale prices, Ndemo said.
He said growth in the uptake of data could offset lower volumes and margins in the voice
business for operators.
Ndemo rejected claims the price war is clouding a sector that has been favoured by investors
due to its high growth rates, as people with no access to landlines snap up mobiles
"It is even going to be brighter. There is no contraction. Actually you are looking at 10 percent
contribution to GDP from less than 5 percent," in five years, he said.
Madagascar-Télécommunication: La passerelle unique en
pointillé
Océan indien - Madagascar
Télécommunication-Madagascar - Le Premier ministre Camille Vital continue à défendre l'utilité de la passerelle unique. Camille Vital riposte. Face à l'alliance des opérateurs en mobile
pour contrer la mise en place de la passerelle unique à Madagascar, le Premier ministre Camille vital contre-attaque. Il a, en effet, annoncé devant la presse, hier à Mahazoarivo, en
marge de la visite de Leonardo Simao, qu'« ils mettent la charrue avant les boeufs ». Il argumente qu' « il n'y avait encore aucun décret ou notification sur le recours à la passerelle
unique », avant de souligner que « rien n'est encore gagné ». Il estime ainsi que les opérateurs
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auraient dû venir le voir, plutôt que de faire des campagnes médiatiques. Il juge que ces derniers « ne pensent qu'à leurs intérêts ».
Le Premier ministre n'a tout de même pas épargné l'idée de son adoption. Ainsi, pour appuyer
son idée, Camille Vital a cité des exemples de pays tel que Maurice et le Sénégal, qui ont eux
aussi employé la passerelle unique. « Il y a un manque à gagner. Chaque année, le pays perd
25 millions de minutes. Je ne vois pas de mal à ce que Madagascar adopte elle aussi la passerelle », proteste-t-il. En même temps, il estime que le recours à la passerelle est dans le droit
de l'État. « L'État n'a-t-il pas le droit de vérifier la communication ? », s'interroge le Premier ministre.
Camille Vital n'a jamais caché son approbation, quant à la mise en place de la passerelle
unique à Madagascar. Le mercredi 29 décembre 2010, à l'occasion d'une cérémonie d'inauguration de guichets fonciers pour l'Atsimondrano et l'Avaradrano, il a déclaré haut et fort
que « malgré les critiques des opérateurs en téléphonie, la passerelle sera appliquée coûte
que coûte, car l'intérêt du pays dépasse ceux des opérateurs ». Cette déclaration a été faite,
suite au communiqué effectué par Orange, Airtel et Telma, pour condamner le projet.
Judicaelle Saraléa
L'Express de Madagascar
Mobile Money in Tanzania: Is it reaching the BOP?
By: Guest Blogger
The following is a guest post we’re pleased to share by David Montez, Research Analyst with
InterMedia’s AudienceScapes project
mobile money in Kenya, led by Safaricom’s pioneering M-PESA product, has set a standard of
success and reach by which deployments in other countries are often measured. From a development perspective, a recent study provided encouragement by indicating that M-PESA is
reaching down Kenya’s socio-economic spectrum, thus providing efficient and affordable financial services to those at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP).
But what about in neighboring Tanzania, a relatively poorer country where mobile money was
notably slower to take off? Are such services getting to the unbanked and other economically
excluded residents?
The AudienceScapes project, launched by InterMedia with seed funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, conducted national surveys in Kenya in mid-2009 and Tanzania in mid2010 which included questions about use and knowledge of mobile money. Both surveys took
place roughly two years after the first mobile money services had been launched in each
country, providing a basis for comparing how mobile money was doing in Tanzania two years
on. Our analysis focused on two key questions: Who uses mobile money services? Are users
mainly those who previously had access to other banking services, or do they include the
BOP?
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Researchers have highlighted the significant differences between Kenya and Tanzania in
geography, population density, economic development and access to financial services,
which put Tanzanian m-money service providers at a relative disadvantage. Indeed, at the
two-year point, the surveys showed that only 11.5 percent of Tanzanian adults had used an
m money service, versus 56 percent of Kenyans.
Furthermore, mobile money in Tanzania remains primarily a tool for the banked and the wellto-do. Only 3.9 percent of respondents among Tanzania’s financially excluded or unbanked
adults said they had used mobile money, versus 20 percent in Kenya in July 2009.[i] Similarly,
only 7 percent of Tanzanian respondents with a household income of less than $2 a day reported having used m-money, compared to 41 percent in Kenya. (Note that 51 percent of
Tanzanian respondents said their household income is less than $2 a day, versus 38 percent in
Kenya).
Despite the low rate of use among the poor, they still make up nearly a third of those who said
they have used m-money, and their presence among m-money users seems to be increasing.
In fact, 36 percent of those m-money users who began using the service in the 6 months prior
to the survey also said they live on less than $2 a day. This is a significant demographic shift
away from the higher income profile of users who have been using the service longer than six
months. Only 23 percent of these earlier adopters have a daily income of $2 or less.
Indeed, mobile money service providers have taken steps to make these services more accessible and convenient. For example, Tanzania’s M-PESA (operated by Vodacom) partnered
with the GSMA to tackle the problem of agent liquidity; Bharti Airtel (formerly Zain’s Zap service) continues its work towards creating a cash-free ecosystem. Perhaps in a reflection of
such efforts, the Tanzania AudienceScapes survey pointed to a recent, sharp increase in the
number of registered users: 63 percent of those who said they had used m-money also said
that they first began using a service in the past 6 months. This corroborates recent supply-side
statistics and points to a m-money market poised for further expansion.[ii]
This influx of new users also likely reflects greater competition in the market and an effort by
providers to capitalize on a law requiring mandatory SIM card registration, which came into
effect in July 2009. The information required to register a SIM card is similar to that needed to
register for an m-money service, so providers used mandatory SIM card registration as an mmoney marketing opportunity. Indeed, the period of mandatory registration (July 2009 through
June 2010) coincided with exponential growth in m-money registrations for M-PESA and Zap.
There is further room for optimism for development groups pushing m-money as a tool of financial empowerment for BOP individuals, if only because more lower-income Tanzanians are
now owning mobile phones in larger and larger numbers. In the Tanzania survey we found a
strong connection between m-money use and mobile phone ownership. The survey defined
recent adopters of the mobile phone as those who first acquired a mobile phone in the past
year, and revealed that this group includes many more lower-income individuals than those
who adopted mobile phones earlier (between two and five years ago).
Thus, as mobile phone usage reaches further down the income scale, there is a greater
chance that BOP individuals will use m-money services. The AudienceScapes data indicate
that mobile phone ownership remains a key determinant of m-money usage. Just over 92 percent of those who have used m-money also said that they are mobile phone owners. This
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connection was also found in the 2009 Kenya survey, with some 86 percent of m-money users
in the survey owning their own mobile phone.
The Tanzania survey also queried respondents as to why they have not started using m-money.
The main reason cited for not using m-money was a lack of knowledge about how to use it. At
the same time, respondents expressed interest in learning more about it.
In fact, there is a close relationship between the problem of lack of knowledge and the
second-most-cited problem of not having access to an m-money agent. Network agents are
on-the-ground representatives for service providers. Since many agents are already airtime
sellers and kiosk operators, agents are in a position to inform existing and prospective customers about m-money. Understandably, lacking access to an agent is a substantial problem in
rural areas: 93 percent of respondents who said they do not have access to a network agent
are rural residents. Tanzania, in particular, faces this problem as nearly three-quarters of its
population reside in rural areas. These regions are often the last to see an agent network roll
out due to a lack of prospective storefronts that can support an agent.
The Tanzanian survey suggests that marketers and promoters of m-money services may be
underutilizing word-of-mouth, SMS-text messaging and other information channels beyond
mass media that have the potential to reach many more potential users. Combining these
channels with mass media campaigns can enhance the effectiveness of raising awareness
and use of m-money services.
In fall 2010, Vodacom received a $4.8 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation aimed at expanding the public’s knowledge of M-PESA and the services’ benefits, particularly for unbanked individuals. A majority of respondents in the AudienceScapes survey
expressed a need for more information on banking services, including m-money. When we
asked respondents what types of financial transactions they would like to know more about,
52 said they wanted more information about m-money and 51 percent wanted more info
about money transfers. There was an even greater call for information about saving and borrowing of money.
While Tanzania’s m money market faces many challenges and has not replicated the success of m-money in neighboring Kenya, there are signs that Tanzania is finally turning a corner.
Based on trends in the first half of 2010, take-up rates of m money services are gaining momentum as agent networks expand and service providers devote more resources to direct
marketing. It is important to monitor not only the number of people who are signing up for
these services, but also on whether there is greater penetration at the bottom of the pyramid.
[i] Formal banking has been defined by a positive answer to the questions “Have you used a
bank or a cooperative to save money in the past 12 months?” and “In the past 12 months,
have you borrowed money from a bank or a cooperative?” and “Do you have a bank account?”. Informal banking access is defined by a positive answer to the questions “Have you
used a savings club/upatu/ROSCA/ASCA to save money in the past 12 months?” and “In the
past 12 months, have you borrowed money from moneylenders, ASCA or ROSCA?”. Those
respondents who have been described as financially excluded or unbanked answered in the
negative to all the above questions.
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[ii] According to supply-side statistics from mobile money service providers, more than 9 million
Tanzanians have registered for a mobile money service. However, the AudienceScapes survey
did not ask respondents whether they had registered for a service, only whether they had
used mobile money. Okoegwale, Emmanuel. “M-PESA Service gets U.S$4.8 million boost in
Tanzania”. Mobile Money Africa. 17 November 2010. Accessed December 2010.
http://mobilemoneyafrica.com/?p=2677. And Leishman, Paul. “A Closer Look at Zap in East
Africa”. Mobile Money for the Unbanked Program. GSMA. 4 May 2010. Accessed December
2010. http://mmublog.org/global/gsma-publish-case-study-on-zain%e2%80%99s-zap/.
Safaricom unveils cheap smartphone for Kenya market
Models with the new Huawei smart phone at Laico Regency Hotel in Nairobi. The phone is fitted with Google maps and costs Sh8,499. Photo/FREDRICK ONYANGO
By MARK OKUTTAH and PAUL WAFULA (email the author)
Safaricom has launched the cheapest smartphone that runs on Google’s Android operating
system in partnership with Chinese technology firm Huawei as its races to get a larger share of
the Internet market.
Retailing at Sh8,499, the Huawei IDEOS U8150 will be the cheapest smartphone in the Kenyan
market and is expected to deepen the penetration of Internet among the estimated 17 million
Safaricom subscribers.
The smartphones market is dominated by highly-priced models with most of them retailing at
above Sh25,000 placing them above the reach of the majority of consumers.
For Safaricom, the availability of affordable Internet-enabled products is crucial in its struggle
to reduce dependence on the voice market that is gripped by price wars.
The listed mobile telephony firm is now looking at the data business to maintain its profitability.
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“It does not make sense to talk of data as the next growth revenue while low end users cannot affordable Internet-enabled laptops and handsets,” said Bob Collymore, the Safaricom
CEO in an interview. “We are facing stiff competition on voice and not data. As a result, we intend to bring affordable Internet accessories to end users.
This is captured by the partnership that saw Safaricom and Huawei and subsidise the IDEOS
Smartphone by more than 40 per cent.
The phone is retailing at Sh14, 999 in the foreign market and the discount is aimed to move the
product to the low end market and boost uptake on Internet at the bottom end of the economy.
Voice is Safaricom’s biggest revenue earner accounting for 76.2 per cent of Sh47.1 billion half
year revenues with the remaining share taken by data business including SMS, M-Pesa and Internet.
But the decline on the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) on the voice segment following tariff
reduction by rivals has shifted focus to data services which have bigger headroom for growth,
with a national penetration of less than 10 per cent.
The cost of voice calls fell to a low of Sh1 last week after Safaricom rival Airtel cut prices from
Sh3 per minute, which come down from about Sh6 in August, more than halving each subscriber’s monthly budget for airtime.
Mr Collymore said Safaricom will not cut its prices despite the onslaught from rival Airtel, arguing the rates are not sustainable and could hurt the industry.
No price cut
“We cannot give away our profitability because of the market share,” said the CEO, adding
that the data business will help cushion the voice business.
This has seen Safaricom intensify its activities in this segment of the business by buying rival Internet firms to give a head start over starting operations from scratch and is rolling out the advanced 3G network that allows for faster Internet transmission.
The IDEOS is a touch-screen phone that comes with bluetooth connectivity and transfers data
of up to 7.2 mega bytes per second.
It has QWERTY or computer like keyboard, full and faster Internet access and one can edit
documents and spreadsheets unlike the conventional phones.
The IDEOS is the latest in a string of devices the Chinese firm has rolled out aiming to capture a
share of the growing Internet market and grab market share from other dealers including Nokia, Motorola and Samsung, firms finding it difficult to match the Chinese brands on pricing.
The Chinese telecom giant has made inroads in the telecoms infrastructure market that was
previously the domain of European based brands such as Erickson, Alcatel and Siemen.
The firm has been involved in infrastructure upgrade projects at Telkom Kenya and Safaricom.
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S.Africa's MTN, Sanlam team up on mobile health
JOHANNESBURG Jan 19 (Reuters) - South African mobile operator MTN (MTNJ.J: Quote) and insurer Sanlam (SLMJ.J: Quote) said on Wednesday they have teamed up to offer health services through mobile handsets.
The agreement will enable MTN and Sanlam Health to deliver medical advice to mobile
phone users, some of whom may be miles from a hospital or medical facility.
With millions of mobile subscribers in Africa, mobile phones and related devices could play a
major role in helping increase access to some healthcare services.
The GSM Association, the global trade association of mobile network operators, said recently
that mobile health services such as hotlines could transform healthcare for poor people, just as
mobile money is revolutionising financial services.
The health service will be available from the first quarter of 2011, MTN said in a statement.
Sanlam is South Africa's second-largest insurer.
(Reporting by Gugulakhe Lourie; editing by David Dolan)
http://videos.arte.tv/fr/videos/le_dessous_des_cartes-3651762.html
Le basculement de la richesse
Aujourd’hui, il n’existe pas de consensus sur la définition de « pays émergents » alors que
l’écart de richesse entre ces pays et ceux de l’OCDE se réduit depuis dix ans. Le Dessous des
Cartes propose de comprendre en quoi le poids croissant de ces nouvelles puissances impose
la redéfinition des alliances et des enceintes de décision pour la gouvernance économique
et la lutte contre le réchauffement climatique.
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recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering thismessage to the intended recipient, please be advised that any reading, review,forwarding, dissemination, distribution or
copying, of this communication orany attachment(s) are strictly prohibited.
If you have received this e-mail inerror, please so notify the sender immediately. Also, please
delete it and allattachments from any servers or
other hard drives.
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE
The information contained in this message may be privileged and/or confidential and protected from disclosure. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, please be
advised that any reading, review, forwarding, dissemination, distribution or copying, of this
communication or any attachment(s) are strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail
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in error, please so notify the sender immediately. Also, please delete it and all attachments
from any servers or other hard drives.
Nigeria: 11 MIllion Sim Cards Registered - NCC
Lagos — The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that telecommunications
operators had registered only 11 million Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards out of the 80
million telephone subscribers in the country.
Eugene Juwah, Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC made the disclosure on Sunday in Lagos
at an interactive session with newsmen.
Juwah said that it was obvious that the operators could not do it alone within the deadline of
six months.
He said the service providers were to register new subscribers, while the commission was to
register the existing ones.
He noted with dismay that the operators had yet to comply with the directive of registering
new SIM cards before they were activated.
"The commission still manages a situation where SIM cards are still being sold on the streets
several months after it set the May 1, 2010 date for operators to commence registration.
"We want to ensure that all new SIM cards are registered by the operators as mandated and
we expect them to render regular account of the numbers registered," Juwah said.
He said the commission would finalise arrangement to commence registration of all existing
SIM cards from February, 2011.
Juwah said the commission would have commenced its part of the registration if not for the
delay in the approval of the 2010 budget of the commission by the National Assembly.
He said the NCC's involvement in the registration of SIM cards was to ensure that the project
achieved the desired goals.
These explanations came in response to complaints and queries by Nigerians on why the regulatory body should be involved in the exercise.
The desired objective of the SIM registration was to curb incessant rate of crime in the country.
Juwah said that there was Foundation Data Base in African countries where only the service
providers engaged in SIM card registration but none was available in Nigeria.
He said with the Foundation Data Base, identity of a SIM card holder could be matched to the
data base, when he or she wanted to register the SIM card.
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According to him, the commission is already working with the National Identity Management
Commission (NIMC) to ensure that such data base is put in place as the SIM card registration
proceeds.
He also said a resolution was reached, whereby it was agreed that the project be executed
by the regulatory body (NCC) and the operators.
NAN
Copyright © 2011 Vanguard.
Angola: $ U.S.92 Million for Installation of Submarine Cable
Luanda — The implementation of Angola's second submarine cable project is estimated at
Usd 92 million, said Friday in Luanda Angola Cable firm engineer, António Nunes.
The engineer said so to press during the visit of the Telecommunications minister, José Carvalho da Rocha, to Sangano Submarine Cable Station, in Quissama district, northern Bengo province.
He explained that 90 million of the above mentioned amount were used in the purchase of
the cable and the rest was spent in the construction of the thermal station that will be concluded and operational in March 2011.
According to the source, the implementation of the project observed aspects related to environment, adding there will be no relevant impact on environment.
Angola has already one SAT3 communication sub-marine cable, but the one being installed is
of a higher power.
Copyright © 2011 Angola Press Agency
Airtel’s rates are not sustainable- Safaricom CEO
BHARTI Airtel's Group Chairman, Sunil Mittal
SAFARICOM Chief Executive Officer Bob Collymore has
termed the ongoing price war in the mobile phone industry in Kenya as ‘morally reprehensive’.
The CEO said that if left unchecked, the mobile industry in
Kenya may collapse.
A bitter Collymore accused Bharti Airtel of sending a bad
signal to the industry:
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“The Ksh 1 ($0.0125) set by Bharti is not sustainable. If we all move in the same direction, there
will be a hell of problems,” he said.
“I’m in charge of looking at the interest of my employees and shareholders which I am
charged with,” he added.
In a related development, the Permanent Secretary for Information Bitange Ndemo has described the ongoing war as an “unnecessary headache”.
Ndemo said the government was looking into the pricing issue very keenly.
“We have asked CCK (Communications Commission of Kenya) to evaluate if this kind of pricing is sustainable,” added Dr Ndemo
Citing the Kenya Revenue Authority’s recent failure to meet its 2010/11 first half collection target by Sh5 billion, the Permanent Secretary said the Airtel-triggered price war could not have
come at a worse time.
The KRA raised Sh303 billion against a target of Sh308 billion in the first half of the current fiscal
year, missing its target while the country is in the middle of implementing the new Constitution
and tackling a drought ravaging the country.
Dr Ndemo said the government and millions of Kenyans, are heavily invested in the communications sector and any instability could have a ripple effect on the economy.
“ I am not opposed to reduced prices but they have to make business sense,” he said. “Competition has to take care of re-investment in the sector as well as shareholder value.”
This is the second time in five months that Airtel Kenya has reduced its rates.
Orange Kenya CEO Mickael Ghossein said that the future of the industry’s profitability appears
grim should the current price wars be allowed to prevail.
“There has not been largely significant increase in the traffic across networks that would indicate that the low pricing model offered by the competition has resulted in massive recruitments.
In any case, cannibalization of another player’s market share cannot be considered as industry growth,” Ghossein said.BRIAN ADERO in Nairobi, Kenya
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Piratage informatique à la Biao-Ci/467 millions détournés
via les “Cartes Prépayées Rubis”
http://www.ivoirebusiness.net/?q=node/2042
Un immense scandale financier secoue en ce moment la Biao-Ci, filiale du groupe d'assurance Nsia. L'affaire, comme il est de coutume dans le monde très fermé des banques, est
traitée avec la plus grande discrétion au sommet de la banque qui se veut à capitaux entièrement ivoiriens. Petite incursion dans un scandale à forte dose de complicités internes.
Au commencement était un ordinateur portable
Le 20 septembre 2010, un agent de la banque trouve un ordinateur portable qui n'appartient
pas au réseau informatique de la Biao-Ci. (En réalité, selon nos sources, cet ordinateur avait
été trouvé depuis le 17 septembre mais la direction du contrôle et de l'audit informatique n'a
été informée que le 20 septembre). L'agent remet donc l'ordinateur à son chef hiérarchique
direct, lequel sans informer le Service d'audit informatique interne de la banque, transmet l'ordinateur au directeur des Systèmes d'information de la banque, M. Jean Jacques Ndocho.
Ce dernier à son tour, sans prendre attache avec les auditeurs informatiques comme l'exige la
procédure, manipule l'ordinateur, avant d'aller s'entretenir avec le directeur général de la
banque, M. Djedjes Essoh Martin. Après cette rencontre, il transmet enfin l'ordinateur suspect à
la Direction de contrôle et audit informatique, avec cette mention rédigée par ses soins et
contenue dans un document intitulé " Déclaration d'incident à la Direction des systèmes d'information ", daté du 20 septembre 2010 à 15 H 40 minutes : " un ordinateur portable muni
d'une clé Internet MTN dont le numéro est 21012631 était connecté à notre réseau local par le
biais du coffret de brassage sis à l'ancienne agence Anoma. Cet ordinateur portable avait
été configuré avec les paramètres du PC de travail du directeur des Systèmes d'information
(Ndlr lui-même). Les fraudeurs tentaient de se connecter au serveur Orion par ce canal en se
faisant passer pour le DSI. Fort heureusement, ces paramètres étaient obsolètes. Avec la clé
MTN, il est possible de remonter la piste pour savoir celui qui l'a achetée. ", conclut-il. En clair,
selon M. Jean Jacques Ndocho, l'ordinateur portable retrouvé avait des paramètres qui ne
pouvaient absolument pas permettre de pirater le système informatique de la banque. Conclusion : Pour lui, le système n'a pas été piraté. Et la piste de la clé MTN (laissée comme hasard
par les pirates), suggérée à l'auditeur, avait un but précis. Mettre fin à la recherche d'une
autre piste. Mais l'auditeur ne veut pas se contenter de cette conclusion plutôt hâtive. Il décide de faire des vérifications différentes de celle de M. Jean Jacques Ndocho. Il se rend
donc dans la salle où se trouve le coffret abritant la machine qui contrôle tout le système informatique (salle Pme…) et tombe des nues en découvrant que cette salle, non seulement
n'est pas fermée à clé, mais en plus, le coffret abritant la machine n'est pas également fermée à clé. Et chose encore plus grave tout le monde peut avoir accès à cette salle, y compris les vigiles de la banque. En réalité, cette machine n'est ni protégée du point de vue " logique " ni du point de vue " physique ". Cela avait-il été fait à dessein pour permettre la réalisation de ce qui va suivre ?
Le système informatique de la banque piraté
En poursuivant ses investigations, l'auditeur découvre que l'ordinateur portable trouvé dans
l'entreprise avait servi à pirater le système informatique de la banque. Et à travers le navigaPerformances Veille
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teur Web Firefox installé sur cet ordinateur portable, il parvient à saisir les URL (Uniform Resource Locator ou localisateur uniforme de ressources), utilisés par les pirates pour s'introduire
dans le réseau de la banque. http://10.102.255.1.8080/orion.exe/orion?config=biaoprod.
Cette adresse, selon le rapport d'audit que nous avons feuilleté silencieusement, a permis aux
pirates d'accéder à " la page d'accès au système d'information bancaire de la Biao-Ci ",
c'est-à-dire, à l'applicatif Orion. Une fois cela fait, il ne leur restait plus qu'à renseigner un
compte utilisateur et un mot de passe actifs sur l'application pour y effectuer tranquillement et
à souhait, toutes sortes de manipulation. Dans le rapport, l'auditeur fait ce commentaire instructif. " Nous estimons que cette étape restante n'est pas la plus difficile dans ce genre d'intrusion. Généralement, c'est parce que les pirates possèdent déjà un compte et un mot de
passe actifs qu'ils cherchent à s'introduire dans un système ". L'autre URL utilisé est la suivante :
http://10.102.255.1:8080/isqlplus. Celle-ci a permis aux pirates d'accéder à " la page d'accès
aux bases de données Oracle via une page web. Il ne leur restait plus qu'à renseigner un
compte utilisateur et un mot de passe actifs avec les références de la base cible pour tenter
d'y entrer pour d'éventuelles manipulations ". Selon nos sources, l'adresse IP utilisée par les pirates pour avoir accès au serveur de la banque et qui était censée avoir été désactivée par
l'administrateur Unix, M. Adou Elvis depuis longtemps vu qu'une nouvelle avait été créée, était
toujours active. Car, au lieu de la désactiver, M. Adou Elvis l'avait plutôt " plombée ", ce qui signifie qu'en l'utilisant, on pouvait avoir directement accès à la nouvelle adresse. Et c'est ce
que les pirates ont fait.
L'adresse IP utilisée par les pirates appartient au directeur du Système d'information, M. Jean
Jacques Ndocho
Selon l'auditeur, l'adresse IP10.102.255.1 utilisée par les pirates pour s'introduire dans le système
informatique de la banque est celle du directeur des Systèmes d'information de la banque. En
réalité, le directeur avait changé son adresse IP, mais pour des raisons que lui seul sait, il
n'avait pas désactivé l'ancienne. Or cette adresse se trouvait justement sur la machine dont le
coffret n'était pas fermé à clé et sur laquelle les pirates avaient connecté l'ordinateur portable. La salle qui abrite cette machine et qui elle aussi n'avait pas de clé, se trouve à la Direction des systèmes d'information de la banque. Il n'en faut pas plus pour que l'auditeur, dans
son rapport adressé à la Direction générale de la banque, pose ces violentes questions : "
Considérant que la sécurité physique et logique des actifs informatiques est de la responsabilité du DSI et l'adresse IP communiquée aux pirates est celle ayant appartenu à l'actuel DSI,
nous recommandons que les questions suivantes reçoivent des réponses de sa part : connaissait-il l'existence de cette salle non sécurisée ? Savait-il que les équipements sensibles installés
dans cette salle ne pouvaient logiquement pas être sécurisés ? Dans l'affirmative, quelles sont
les dispositions prises ? Comment explique t-il que son adresse IP soit celle qui a été fixée sur
cette machine ? Pourquoi n'a-t-il pas préalablement informé l'audit comme cela devrait normalement se faire mais plutôt sur recommandation de la Direction générale ? Pourquoi l'ordinateur a-t-il été débranché sans la présence de l'audit, situation ayant permis d'effacer des
preuves de l'incident et qui normalement devrait faire l'objet de constat en présence d'un
huissier avant toute investigation ? Pourquoi a-t-il procédé de manière unilatérale à la manipulation de l'ordinateur portable sans exiger la présence de l'audit ? Quel est le rapport produit à la suite de ses propres investigations ? Et à l'attention de M. Adou Elvis, l'administrateur
Unix dont l'ancienne adresse IP avait été utilisée par les pirates pour avoir accès au serveur de
la banque, les questions suivantes : considérant que le " plombage " de l'adresse IP du serveur
est de la responsabilité de l'administrateur Unix (Adou Elvis) et que cette information uniquePerformances Veille
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ment détenue par ce dernier a été communiquée aux pirates, nous préconisons qu'une demande d'explication lui soit adressée afin de s'expliquer sur cette situation. Il devra indiquer le
nombre de personnes susceptibles de connaître cette information. ". Enfin, à l'attention de la
Direction générale, les auditeurs font cette sollicitation : " Permettre la poursuite de la mission
par l'auditeur informatique, en lui redonnant les moyens logiques qui nous permettront d'évaluer les préjudices éventuels subis par la banque. "
La troublante attitude du directeur général
A plusieurs reprises, l'auditeur informatique tente de rencontrer le directeur général pour lui
faire le point (comme c'est la pratique) de son enquête avant de lui transmettre les conclusions écrites. Mais selon nos sources, le directeur général ne trouvera pas le temps de le recevoir. Et alors même qu'il n'a pas reçu encore les conclusions de l'enquête, ce dernier procède
à une réorganisation de la Direction du système d'information de la banque. Une décision qui
suscite tout de suite l'inquiétude de l'auditeur. Lequel adresse un courrier électronique au directeur général pour attirer son attention sur les risques que cette réorganisation fait courir à la
banque. Dans ce courrier daté du 4 octobre 2010, soit deux semaines après la découverte du
piratage du système et sur lequel nous avons mis une main ferme, l'auditeur écrit : " Nous
avons pris connaissance du nouvel organigramme de la DSI, et conformément à notre mission
de conseil auprès de la Direction générale telle que vous nous l'avez signifiée au cours de nos
différentes rencontres, nous avons procédé au regard de cette nouvelle organisation, à une
évaluation de la séparation des tâches…il ressort de notre analyse, le principal point suivant :
au niveau du poste de département infrastructures, nous avons relevé un cumul de tâches
portant sur la fonction d'administrateur réseau (qui définit comment accéder aux ressources :
la route) avec celle d'administrateur système (qui gère les ressources serveurs : les accès). La
nouvelle organisation remet entre les mains d'une seule personne toutes les " clés " des composantes essentielles du système d'information de la banque notamment les routeurs, les
commutateurs, les pare-feux, la segmentation du réseau, les accès à distance, la gestion des
fichiers systèmes : qui définissent la manière dont on accède aux ressources et l'autorisation
des accès aux serveurs et les accès aux données en production. C'est la raison pour laquelle
nous estimons que cette concentration de pouvoir à la place d'une réelle séparation des
fonctions pourrait présenter un risque élevé pour la Biao-Ci. Car, cette personne détentrice de
ces privilèges peut, à titre d'exemple, toute seule effectuer ou autoriser la manipulation à distance des données en production de la banque sans attirer le moindre soupçon. " Ecrivent-ils.
Le même jour, la réponse du DG tombe : " J'ai lu avec intérêt votre analyse et vous en remercie ; cependant, je reste sur ma soif, en ce que vous ne faites aucune préconisation ni recommandation pour mettre la banque à l'abri ; par ailleurs, je vous remercie de me dire en
quoi le précédent organigramme permettait de circonscrire tous ces risques évoqués cidessous ? ". Cette réponse, selon nos sources, signifiait clairement que le DG avait décidé de
ne pas tenir compte de cet avertissement.
La réunion du Comité de direction
Le 19 octobre 2010, le Comité de direction se réunit. Le directeur de l'Audit informatique qui y
assiste, en profite pour faire un bref rapport de l'audit fait par son agent, en attendant la
transmission du rapport définitif. Dans ce rapport, il affirme : " Le risque d'intrusion a été matérialisé par un piratage du cœur du réseau (Orion) par une technique d'expert. Le système d'information de la banque a bel et bien été piraté : nous avons relevé que les pirates ont pu acPerformances Veille
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céder à une page Orion et aussi ont pu ouvrir l'accès direct à la base de données via une
page Web. Une mission parallèle a démarré en vue d'évaluer d'éventuels préjudices. Nous
osons espérer que cette initiative n'est pas l'œuvre de tiers cherchant à détourner des fonds
mais plutôt l'œuvre de hacker cherchant à montrer les défaillances de sécurité (cas General
Régulation). Les techniques d'expert utilisées et la cible visée nous laissent craindre le contraire. " A la suite de ce rapport, au lieu de prendre des mesures conservatoires, le DG rejette
celui-ci, au motif qu'il n'a pas été préalablement validé par le directeur des systèmes d'information de la banque. Ce qui est une incongruité puisque la Direction du contrôle et de l'audit
informatique est un service autonome directement en rapport avec la Direction générale.
C'est d'ailleurs ce que le directeur de l'audit aurait fait remarquer au DG. Mais celui-ci, qui
n'aurait rien voulu entendre, met fin à l'échange, et poursuit la réunion. Procès verbal de cette
réunion est dressé par la directrice juridique de la banque, Mme Sery Marie Anne. Mais selon
nos sources, nulle mention n'aurait été faite dans ce procès verbal, sur les échanges entre le
DG et le directeur de l'audit, à propos de ce bref rapport sur le piratage du système informatique de la banque. L'affaire est donc classée sans suite et la vie continue à la Biao-Ci comme
si rien ne s'était passé.
L'auditeur interne dessaisi de l'enquête
Le 21 octobre 2010, soit deux jours après la réunion du Comité de direction, les codes d'accès
de l'auditeur informatique ayant mené l'enquête sont coupés par la Direction des systèmes
d'information, sans aucune explication. Et sans aucun doute avec l'accord du directeur général. Quelle faute a-t-il commise dans l'exercice de sa fonction ? Aucune réponse ne lui est
donnée. La décision a même été prise sans aviser le directeur du Contrôle et de l'audit informatique, son supérieur hiérarchique. Désormais, il est hors du réseau informatique de la
banque et ne peut faire aucun contrôle sur le fonctionnement du réseau pour découvrir les
opérations suspectes. Il ne peut également transmettre directement son rapport d'audit à la
Direction générale, sans passer par un tiers. Il ne peut même pas l'envoyer à son chef direct.
Le même jour, l'administrateur de la base de données du système informatique (celui-là
même qui est chargé de la sécurité du système), réalise également que ses codes d'accès
ont été coupés. Sans aucune explication. Il ne peut plus surveiller le système. Le 25 octobre
2010, soupçonnant un mauvais coup en préparation, l'auditeur informatique envoie son rapport à son chef via son adresse " Yahoo ". Ce dernier transmet le rapport au directeur général
le 26 octobre 2010. La Direction générale restera sans voix jusqu'au 2 novembre.
Le 2 novembre, le détournement est découvert
Le 2 novembre 2010, une des caissières de la banque arrive à son poste à 7 H 30 et met son
ordinateur en marche. Grande est sa surprise de constater la sortie de son imprimante, de plusieurs reçus de rechargement de cartes prépayées " Rubis ", alors qu'elle n'avait encore fait
aucune opération. Elle informe immédiatement ses supérieurs qui, après quelques vérifications, découvrent le scandale. Un détournement de 630 millions a été opéré via les cartes
prépayées de la banque.
La carte prépayée " Rubis ", le passeport
La carte visa prépayée " Rubis " est une carte rechargeable qui offre les avantages d'une
carte bancaire classique, sans que son détenteur n'ait besoin de posséder nécessairement un
compte en banque. Elle permet à son détenteur d'effectuer des retraits d'espèces dans tous
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les distributeurs et guichets automatiques du réseau de la Biao-Ci, " Gim-Uemoa " et dans le
monde entier. Des achats sur Internet et dans les surfaces munies d'un terminal de paiement
électronique. Et, cerise sur le gâteau, cette carte non seulement peut être rechargée dans
toutes les agences de la Biao-Ci, mais elle peut aussi être rechargée à distance.
Une opération rondement menée
Le ou les auteurs du détournement, qui connaissaient parfaitement le système informatique
du siège de la Biao-Ci qu'ils avaient déjà piraté, se sont connectés au serveur de la banque et
ainsi ont eu accès aux mots de passe et autres codes secrets des agents de la banque. Et
c'est par ces codes et mots de passe ainsi obtenus, qu'ils ont facilement rechargé 126 cartes
prépayées " Rubis " appartenant à 14 personnes, jusqu'à hauteur de 630 millions F Cfa. L'opération de rechargement des 126 cartes se serait déroulée, selon Mr N'Docho Jean Jacques
(directeur de l'Informatique) cité par une source judiciaire, dans la journée du samedi 30 octobre 2010, veille du 1er tour de l'élection présidentielle, une date apparemment bien choisie,
puisqu'il s'agissait d'un long week-end. Les 14 personnes dont les cartes ont été rechargées
ont, dans les heures et jours qui ont suivi et avant que la fraude ne soit découverte, retiré la
somme de 467.653.925 F CFA sur les 630 millions.
La curieuse réponse du directeur général
Le 2 novembre 2010, alors que depuis 7 H 30, tous les employés de la banque étaient informés
du détournement, le directeur général répond enfin, à 16 H 05 minutes 58 secondes, par un
courrier électronique adressé au directeur du contrôle et audit informatique de la banque, au
rapport d'audit sur le piratage du système informatique de la banque : Dans ce " courriel "
dont nous avons obtenu copie, il écrit : " Votre rapport me laisse sur ma faim ; tout en laissant
à la DSI le soin de répondre aux questions qui sont de son ressort, ma seule déception à la lecture de ce rapport vient du fait que depuis le début, je n'ai cessé de vous réclamer la réquisition en bonne et due forme à l'attention de MTN, afin d'avoir une idée sur l'identité du propriétaire de la clé USB qui a servi à faire la connexion avec l'extérieur. Sauf erreur ou omission de
ma part, la banque n'a pas fait cette réquisition et l'on se demande pour quel mobile cette
pièce maitresse manque au dossier sans que cela ne vous émeuve. Cette omission est très
grave comme vous pouvez vous en douter, puisqu'aujourd'hui et par votre faute, nous
n'avons aucune idée de l'auteur potentiel de cette tentative de fraude. Je n'exclus aucune
piste notamment celle des complicités internes qui peuvent exister, mais votre rapport pêche
parce que nulle part vous ne faites mention d'une piste pouvant conduire à l'auteur principal
de cet acte. C'est bien regrettable ! Par la présente, je demande à Mme Séry d'adresser
toutes affaires cessantes, une réquisition par les voies autorisées à MTN, afin de découvrir enfin
l'identité du propriétaire de la clé USB. Pour le reste, je demande à l'Auditeur informatique Adjoint, M KOUADIO Donatien de prendre le relais dans ce dossier ; M ABBE est prié de lui transmettre tous les éléments à sa disposition. " Nulle part dans sa réponse, alors qu'il sait depuis le
matin, comme tous les employés du siège que 467 millions ont été pompés, le directeur général ne parle de ce fait. En clair, il brouille les pistes en choisissant de suivre la piste de la clé USB
MTN (comme suggérée au début par le directeur des systèmes d'information), alors que la
banque détient l'identité des 14 personnes qui possèdent les cartes prépayées qui ont été
frauduleusement rechargées. Pourquoi choisir le chemin le plus long quand on peut aller plus
vite en empruntant le raccourci ? En plus, en demandant le remplacement de l'auditeur prin-
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cipal dont il avait fait couper les codes d'accès au réseau informatique plusieurs jours avant le
détournement, le DG dessaisit ainsi celui-ci et l'éloigne d'une enquête qu'il a déjà bouclée.
L'affaire prend une autre tournure
Sur instruction du directeur général, la directrice du Service juridique de la banque, Mme Sery
Marie Anne, porte plainte pour le compte de la banque, contre " X ". Le 9 novembre 2010, le
directeur du Contrôle et de l'audit informatique de la banque, M. Allé Abbé Honoré est licencié par la Direction générale pour " rupture de confiance ". En réalité, il lui est reproché d'avoir
reçu à son bureau l'administrateur de la base de données alors que le directeur général
l'avait mis, comme l'auditeur informatique, à la disposition des ressources humaines. Trois jours
plus tard (le 12 novembre) M. Oblou Mouloh, technicien en maintenance à la Biao-Ci, est arrêté par la police économique. Il est soupçonné d'être le cerveau de l'opération, alors qu'il n'a
aucune habilitation, aucun code d'accès. Il lui est reproché d'avoir, le 30 novembre 2010,
alors qu'il devait être de repos, fait un tour dans son entreprise alors que c'est ce jour que la
fraude a été accomplie. Mais selon une source policière, M. Oblou ne s'est retrouvé à son service qu'à la demande de son chef hiérarchique, Adou Elvis qui lui aurait envoyé un " Sms " à
cet effet. Mais malgré cela, il est gardé à vue. Le même jour, l'auditeur informatique, M. K.
Jean Martial est à son tour arrêté. Il ne sait ce qui lui est reproché. Le lendemain samedi 13
novembre, son chef hiérarchique (Allé Abbé H) est réveillé de bonne heure chez lui à domicile et mis aux arrêts après une perquisition de sa maison. L'administrateur des bases de données (Kouadio Ephrem) est également arrêté.
Déférés au parquet
Le vendredi 19 novembre 2010, les 4 agents de la banque sont déférés au parquet, en compagnie du directeur des Systèmes d'information (Jean Jacques Ndocho), l'administrateur Unix
(Adou Elvis) et un caissier. Les trois derniers cités n'étant pas sous le coup d'une arrestation.
Mais après leurs auditions, le substitut du procureur réalise tout de suite qu'il y a anguille sous
roche et ordonne immédiatement la libération de Allé Abbé, K. Jean Martial et Kouadio
Ephrem. Il ordonne également la mise aux arrêts du directeur des Systèmes d'information
(Jean Jacques Ndocho), l'administrateur Unix (Adou Elvis) et le caissier dont le nom ne nous a
pas été révélé. Quant au technicien, Oblou Mouloh, il est maintenu dans les liens de la détention. Les quatre sont reconduits à la police économique. Mais curieusement, la direction de la
banque actionne sa directrice juridique pour intervenir afin d'obtenir la libération de Jean
Jacques Ndocho, Adou Elvis et le caissier, pour qui la Direction se porte garant. A 23 h 20, ils
sont libérés. M. Oblou Mouloh reste seul au violon. Par la suite, au sein de la banque, l'affaire
est presqu'étouffée et la Direction générale fait feu de tous bois et éloigne les personnes susceptibles de créer des problèmes. L'administrateur des bases de données est licencié. L'auditeur informatique K. Jean Martial est licencié pour " insubordination " le mercredi 24 novembre.
Dans le même temps, Adou Elvis, Jean Jacques Ndocho et le caissier reprennent leur travail.
Au final, près d'un mois après la découverte du scandale, l'affaire est au point mort, aucune
responsabilité n'a été située. Et ceux qui ont pompé les 467.653.952 F CFA courent toujours. Les
14 personnes qui ont bénéficié des rechargements frauduleux sur leurs cartes prépayées et
dont l'identité est connue de la banque, continuent de jouir des bénéfices de cette fraude au
détriment de la banque. Mais les personnes abusivement licenciées pour couvrir le crime et
qui entendent porter plainte vont certainement faire le grand déballage…
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Orange offre à son tour les appels depuis la box vers les
mobiles
La « révolution » Free a bien eu lieu. Free, SFR et Orange offrent à présent les appels illimités
vers les mobiles aux abonnés haut et très haut débit.
Ecrit par
Solveig GODELUCK
Orange a craqué. L'opérateur Internet va offrir à son tour à ses abonnés les appels illimités depuis leur box vers les mobiles, à partir du 15
février. L'opérateur historique reste prudent. Les abonnés « triple play »
devront tout de même payer 3 euros par mois pour se servir de leur
téléphone fixe afin d'appeler vers les mobiles. Le cadeau ne concerne que les clients Open Orange, c'est-à-dire ceux qui ont souscrit
à l'offre « quadruple play » (Internet fixe plus mobile) lancée en août. Ces derniers étaient
d'ailleurs déjà plutôt bien servis, puisqu'ils bénéficiaient d'une heure d'appels illimités avec leur
téléphone fixe vers n'importe quel opérateur mobile, plus quatre numéros mobiles à volonté.
A l'époque, ce qu'avait offert Orange était révolutionnaire. Tout comme l'était, avant Orange,
le don de Bouygues Telecom : 3 heures illimitées du fixe vers les mobiles. Mais le troisième opérateur mobile a rapidement retiré ce bonus, introduit fin 2008 et supprimé en avril 2009.
« Révolution » contre « Evolution »
Le destin des révolutionnaires est d'être eux-mêmes dépassés. La situation a de nouveau basculé avec le lancement mi-décembre de la Freebox V6, baptisée « Révolution » comme pour
mieux narguer la nouvelle Neufbox « Evolution » de SFR. Xavier Niel, le patron de Free, a promis
la gratuité vers tous les opérateurs mobiles, à volonté, au cours d'un show où il a été acclamé
comme une rockstar. SFR s'est empressé de faire de même un mois plus tard.
Certes, l'illimité est encore une fois trompeur. En réalité, les opérateurs limitent l'utilisation de ce
service à un usage de « bon père de famille », c'est-à-dire calqué sur la consommation d'un
foyer classique. Cela afin d'empêcher qu'un abonné se serve de sa box comme d'une cabine
téléphonique à la disposition du village. En fin de compte, on ne peut appeler que quelques
heures par mois, et les conditions d'utilisation ne sont pas entièrement claires, a regretté l'UFCQue Choisir.
Le gain pour les consommateurs n'en est pas moins réel. Un progrès facilité par la baisse des
terminaisons d'appels mobiles, et donc des revenus associés, ainsi que par le déploiement de
puissantes artères pour le transport des communications.
SOLVEIG GODELUCK
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Création au Gabon d’une Agence nationale des infrastructures numériques et des fréquences
Le gouvernement gabonais a adopté à Libreville, un projet de décret portant création d’une
Agence nationale des infrastructures numériques et des fréquences (ANINF), a appris APA.
Etablissement public à caractère administratif rattachée à la présidence de la République,
l’ANIF va se charger de l’installation et de la gestion des infrastructures et ressources nationales partagées dans les domaines des télécommunications, de l’audiovisuel et de
l’informatique.
L’agence va également valider tous les projets de l’économie numérique, afin de garantir la
cohérence globale des systèmes mis en place, selon un communiqué officiel publié à Libreville, pour annoncer la création de la nouvelle entité, placée sous la tutelle technique du ministre chargé de l’économie numérique.
La mise en place de l’ANIF consacre la disparition de l’Agence Nationale de l’Informatique et
de l’Agence Nationale des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication, indique le
communiqué du conseil des ministres.
Les actifs, les biens meubles et immeubles son transférés à la nouvelle structure qui sera coiffée
par un conseil d’administration et une direction générale.
Source: APA
Congo-Kinshasa: Fibres optiques - Le pays à six jours de l'exclusion
Après avoir raté la connexion à partir de sa partie Est par le câble sous-marin qui passe par
l'océan Indien, la République démocratique du Congo n'a plus que six jours pour se connecter au départ de Muanda dans le Bas-Congo par le câble sous-marin Wacs.
Malheureusement, entre la vice-primature en charge des Postes, Téléphones et Télécommunications (PTT) et la Société congolaise des postes et télécommunications (SCPT, ex-OCPT), les
violons sont loin de s'accorder sur le dossier.
Or, la date butoir à laquelle la RDC doit s'arrimer au départ de Muanda aux dispositifs mis en
place dans le cadre de ce câble sous-marin est le 31 janvier de cette année. Une course à la
montre est donc engagée pour que la RDC ne rate pas l'occasion de rejoindre la grande famille des nations connectées aux fibres optiques. Mais, au sein du gouvernement, l'on se fait
une autre lecture de ce dossier.
Apparemment et sans doute pour des raisons ne relevant pas de l'intérêt commun, des pesanteurs innommables bloque ce dossier. Pendant ce temps la RDC se maintient, comme
c'est le cas actuellement, dans son statut de trou en matière de télécommunications.
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Ce qui, vraisemblablement, devait faire les frais des opérateurs des télécommunications, à
savoir les entreprises de téléphonie mobile et autres providers d'Internet. Et, comme toujours,
c'est le peuple congolais qui en sera le grand perdant. Car, contraint de payer les services
des télécommunications à des prix prohibitifs.
Alors qu'avec les fibres optiques, non seulement les prix devaient être sensiblement revus à la
baisse mais surtout l'opérateur public des télécommunications, à savoir la SCPT reprendrait sa
place au soleil par le fait de son rôle centralisateur de tous les services des télécoms en RDC.
Ainsi, fini les scènes macabres des grèves interminables à l'Hôtel de la poste sur le boulevard
du 30 Juin à Gombe. Mais, plus important encore, la RDC, s'appuyant sur la SCPT et l'Autorité
de régulation de la poste et de télécommunications au Congo (ARPTC) devait se doter des
moyens nécessaires pour une meilleure régulation du secteur.
Voilà un paquet d'avantages que la RDC risque de rater si jusqu'à la date du 31 janvier 2011
elle n'arrête pas une option définitive pour la construction de la station d'atterrage de câble
sous-marin Wacs à Muanda. La raison, c'est juste parce qu'au sein du gouvernement central, il
y a des gens qui, servant certainement des opérateurs privés des télécommunications, ont juré de faire échec au projet de connexion au câble sous-marin Wacs. N'est-ce pas une forme
patente de trahison que la République devait réprimander en toute urgence.
Bonne nouvelle, cependant. Car, des sources concordantes renseignent qu'une délégation
dépêchée à partir de Kinshasa doit faire, le 29 janvier, le déplacement de Muanda dans le
Bas-Congo pour le lancement - enfin - des travaux de construction de cette station d'atterrage. Y a-t-il eu harmonisation entre le gouvernement et la SCPT, son conseil technique en la
matière, sur des points qui fâchaient ? Certainement.
La RDC est, par son exploitant public SCPT Sarl, membre du consortium de câble sous-marin
Wacs. Son investissement dans ce consortium est à hauteur de 25 millions Usd. A ce jour, le
gouvernement a déjà payé au consortium près de 17 millions Usd.
Une précision, cependant. La somme de 11 millions Usd a été transférée du consortium WAFS
au consortium Wacs depuis le 11 février 2010. Ce qui a donc permis à la SCPT d'être membre
effectif du consortium Wacs.
En plus, il a fallu le paiement, le 21 mai 2010, de près de 6 millions Usd, soit précisément
5.944.150,65 Usd, pour que la SCPT soit considérée par Alcatel-Lucent comme partie au contrat de fourniture conclu entre Wacs.
Avec l'adhésion tardive de l'OCPT au consortium Wacs, il n'a pas été possible de lancer un
appel d'offre international pour la construction des ouvrages de Muanda, à savoir la chambre
de visite de plage (Beach ManHole : BMH), la route de câble et la station d'atterrage de
câble.
Se conformant au Code des marchés publics, la Direction générale de la SCPT avait saisi le
conseil des adjudications du gouvernement pour solliciter le mode de passation de gré-à-gré.
Le cahier des charges produit à cet effet a été soumis à deux firmes, à savoir SM Creative et
Smart Ideas Trading.
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Après analyse des offres présentées par les deux firmes, le conseil des adjudications a attribué
le marché à Smart Ideas Trading pour une offre de 12.000.000 USD contre SM Creative qui a
aligné pour le même marché 12.760.000 USD.
A Creative, il est reproché la surfacturation, mais à la dernière minute, il revient qu'une offre
de 11.900.000 USD avait été proposée. Quant à Smart Ideas Trading, il lui est reproché le
manque d'expertise en la matière. Une harmonisation des vues a été décidée par le chef de
l'Etat. Un PV ad hoc a été dressé par des experts pour arriver à une sortie de crise.
Ainsi, les deux parties ont convenu «d'élaborer un projet de lettre à adresser au président du
conseil d'administration du conseil des adjudications sous la signature de la ministre du Portefeuille en demandant à ce dernier d'attribuer le marché à la firme Creative Electronics LTD».
Et d'enchaîner « d'entamer les négociations avec la firme Creative Electronics LTD afin de recueillir auprès d'elle, ses exigences». C'est à ce niveau que le dossier semble être suspendu.
Alors que la RDC tergiverse encore dans les procédures administratives, la pose du câble
principal entre Londres et Cape Town dans l'océan Atlantique est en cours. Sauf changement
de calendrier, les travaux de pose de câble entre le littoral de Muanda et l'unité de branchement placée à 30 km de la côte vont démarrer le 30 janvier 2011. Le bateau câblier Travocean qui va tirer le câble depuis Muanda se trouve déjà à Pointe Noire.
Curieusement, personne n'est pressé. Défense de l'intérêt général ? Rien n'est évident. L'ADG
de l'OCPT, en ce qui le concerne, a confié au Potentiel : « Peu importe l'opérateur qui sera
choisi».
Pendant ce temps, la RDC doit donc s'attendre à un important manque à gagner. Car, si le
bateau passait la côte atlantique sans que le câble soit posé, la RDC aura à débourser, dès
qu'elle sera prête pour les travaux, la somme de 200.000 USD par jour pour une durée minimale des travaux estimée à 20 jours.
Ainsi, le Trésor sera obligé de débourser, en plus du coût de construction de la station d'atterrage, près de quatre millions. Juste par la faute de l'inconscience des autorités politiques des
PTT.
Qui portera une telle responsabilité ? L'arbitrage du chef de l'Etat, qui connaît les tenants et
les aboutissants de ce dossier, pourra sauver la RDC de ce naufrage sur le plan du respect de
ses engagements vis-à-vis des tiers. A six jours, sauf inconscience avérée, tout doit être mis en
oeuvre pour que les travaux débutent effectivement sur le site de Muanda.
Source: Le Potentiel
La Poste lance son offre mobile en mai
La Banque Postale proposera, à partir du 23 mai prochain, un service de téléphonie mobile.
Selon les Echos, La Poste mobile, le MVNO (opérateur mobile virtuel) créé par le spécialiste du
courrier en partenariat avec SFR, devrait largement s’appuyer sur son propre réseau de buPerformances Veille
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reaux de poste pour installer ce nouveau service. Pour son lancement, l’offre devrait être déployée dans 1000 bureaux de Poste en France. La Poste aurait ainsi misé sur les lieux de vente
les plus prometteurs commercialement. La composition de l’offre reste pour le moment inconnue. Le MVNO devrait proposer une sélection de 15 combinés pour commencer.
Les opérateurs mobiles virtuels, depuis leur lancement, peinent à décoller. Leur part de marché est estimée à 6%.
Après Deezer, Orange semble très intéressé par Dailymotion
L'opérateur historique chercherait à acquérir entre 30 et 50% de
la célèbre plate-forme de vidéos dont la valorisation dépasserait les 150 millions d'euros. La nouvelle politique de contenus
d'Orange lui donne grand appétit. Rappelons que l'opérateur
ne souhaite plus jouer la carte de l'exclusivité ou des services
maison mais entend désormais mettre en place des partenariats ou des prises de participation minoritaires avec des marques fortes.
Après s'être emparé de 11% du capital de Deezer afin d'intégrer la plate-forme de streaming
à ses offre et après avoir fusionné sa chaîne Orange Cinéma Séries avec Canal+, l'opérateur
historique aurait des vues sur Dailymotion.
Selon l'Express, Orange lorgnerait 30 à 50% de la très populaire plate-forme d'échanges de vidéos, soit un investissement de 50 à 75 millions d'euros sur une base de valorisation minimale
de 150 millions d'euros.
Rôle du FSI
Concrètement, le groupe français rachèterait une partie des actions des investisseurs de la
première heure de Dailymotion. Interrogé sur ces questions, nous attendons le retour de Dailymotion.
L'opération a évidemment du sens pour Orange qui poursuivrait ainsi la valorisation 'clé en
main' de ses tuyaux en y intégrant des services à fort trafic.
Il s'agit également pour l'opérateur d'avoir la main sur ce type de services qui sont les premiers
consommateurs de bande passante. Orange n'a jamais caché son objectif de faire participer
ces géants du Web au financement des réseaux.
Pour Dailymotion, une association avec Orange est également pertinente. Malgré son audience colossale, le site a régulièrement besoin d'argent frais pour assurer son développement, notamment à l'international. Dailymotion a réalisé un chiffre d'affaires de 18 millions
d'euros en 2010, et l'équilibre financier a été atteint
Différents tours de table ont eu lieu en 2009 notamment avec l'arrivée du FSI, le Fonds stratégique d'investissement (détenu à 51 % par la Caisse des Dépôts et à 49 % par l'Etat français)
créé par le gouvernement pour soutenir les entreprises françaises.
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Ce dernier a participé à hauteur de 7,5 millions d'euros dans la dernière levée de fonds. On
rappellera que le FSI détient 13,67% de France Télécom... ce qui pourrait donc favoriser l'entrée de l'opérateur dans le capital de Dailymotion.
En tout cas, cette perspective semble émouvoir les syndicats de France Télécom. Dans une
lettre adressée à Stéphane Richard, directeur général du groupe, la CFE-CGC France Télécom - Orange demande des explications et s'inquiète du "montant particulièrement élevé" de
cette potentielle prise de participation.
Source :zdnet.fr
France: Stéphane Richard s'apprête à réorganiser la R&D
chez France Télécom
Les consultants du Boston Consulting Group mènent une réflexion
sur l'innovation chez France Télécom. La simplification des structures et l'élaboration d'une
feuille de route seront abordées lors d'états généraux de la R&D chez l'opérateur fin mars.
C'est l'un des grands chantiers de Stéphane Richard pour 2011. Le directeur général de
France Télécom l'a déclaré lui-même aux salariés de l'entreprise lors de ses voeux, le 11 janvier
dernier : il faut que France Télécom retrouve le chemin de l'innovation. Pour cela, le dirigeant
a mandaté le cabinet de conseil Boston Consulting Group (BCG), chargé d'étudier le processus d'innovation dans le groupe. Et les consultants, qui travaillent sur le sujet depuis quelques
semaines, feront des propositions pour améliorer l'efficacité de la recherche et développement. Cette réflexion devrait aboutir, fin mars, à l'organisation d'états généraux de la R&D
chez France Télécom. Le but ? Définir une feuille de route claire pour les chercheurs du
groupe.
L'an dernier, en 2009, l'opérateur historique a investi 862 millions d'euros dans l'innovation, ce
qui représente 1,9 % de son chiffre d'affaires. En tout, près de 3.100 salariés basés en France
travaillaient dans la R&D et l'innovation à la fin 2009. C'est beaucoup plus que ses concurrents.
A titre de comparaison, Deutsche Telekom a dépensé 200 millions d'euros en R&D en 2009.
Toutefois, « il ne s'agit pas de dépenser moins mais mieux », indique une source chez France
Télécom. Car force est de constater que les principales innovations dans le numérique ne sont
pas sorties des laboratoires des opérateurs télécoms ces dernières années. Les entreprises les
plus innovantes ont sans conteste été les développeurs de services Internet, du type Google,
et les fabricants de terminaux, comme Apple ou BlackBerry. Il faudra donc « être plus sélectifs
dans nos projets. On ne peut pas travailler sur des centaines de sujets différents. Il va falloir
mettre l'accent sur l'ergonomie des services, leur simplicité et le caractère intuitif de la technologie. Enfin, nous devons être plus rapides et plus agiles en ce qui concerne la mise sur le marché des innovations », selon un cadre.
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Organisation émiettée
Dans la pratique, l'organisation est aujourd'hui considérée en interne comme étant compliquée et émiettée. Plusieurs entités coexistent. Les Orange Labs sont disséminés un peu partout
dans le monde, de Pékin à Amman en passant par San Francisco. Les sites historiques de R&D
sont basés en Bretagne et à Issy-les-Moulineaux. Le Technocentre principal, basé à Châtillon,
en Ile-de-France, marie R&D et marketing et a vocation à être une usine à innovations pour le
groupe. Enfin, Orange Vallée est une sorte de start-up sensée être à la pointe des nouveaux
usages.
Tout ne sera pas remis à plat. L'idée du Technocentre séduit chez l'opérateur, mais clairement
pas celle d'Orange Vallée. L'existence de cette structure, qui coûte 40 millions d'euros par an,
pourrait être remise en cause au printemps. Quant aux Orange Labs, ceux de Boston et de
Séoul ont déjà été fermés l'an passé.
Le chantier n'est pas nouveau, mais socialement risqué. En 2008, 325 postes d'ingénieurs
avaient été supprimés en France. Et la plaie ouverte par la crise des suicides de l'automne
2009 n'est pas encore totalement refermée chez les salariés de l'opérateur. Stéphane Richard
veut donc procéder en douceur. « La R&D a déjà été réorientée avec une réduction drastique des budgets alloués à la recherche fondamentale », estime un syndicaliste. « Aujourd'hui, la R&D doit répondre aux besoins des clients », admet ce dernier. L'heure n'est donc pas
à la panique chez les représentants du personnel.
G. de C., Les Echos
Source :lesechos.fr
Internet trends to watch in 2011
By JOE MUCHERU
THE year 2011 indicates 12 months of great possibilities and opportunities as regards information and communication technology (ICT) evolution and innovation. Some top trends to
watch in this incredibly dynamic industry are as follows:
Businesses moving online
Ugandan businesses are increasingly gaining an online presence, with the rate of adoption
having increased over the last few years. 2011 will see more of the barriers fall away, allowing
an influx of companies to get online.
As this consumer shift happens, more businesses will tap into this bigger market, while also finding ways to retain their previously offline customers.
Businesses, both large and small, will turn to search marketing to drive new traffic to their websites as online advertising becomes the lifeblood of those trying to get ahead in the digital
economy.
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Offline events will drive online search
Advertisers will take advantage of the direct link between offline events and the subsequent
surge in online search.
Currently, people search the Internet for news, information and videos relating to offline
events.
These events give advertisers the opportunity to make the most out of the rising online search
activities surrounding each event. The reverse is true. If your customers cannot find you online,
then you are missing a substantial portion of the market.
Data will beat opinion
Every day, millions of people search for all sorts of information online. These searches can be
used to see trends in real time.
Access to search trend information is available to everyone through products like Google Insights for Search. This year, we expect to see an increase in the use of search trend data in
structuring online marketing campaigns.
This new level of insight will empower advertisers to move away from relative guess work and
work from an informed point of reference. Marketing and brand managers can also compare
with their competitors using Google Insights for Search.
Websites will become more functional
More web users are starting to use the readily available free and easy-to-use tools to improve
the usability and functionality of their websites.
You can use advanced tools to turn your website into a more effective sales tool by understanding how visitors use your website.
Video will take centre stage
Online video viewing is becoming increasingly popular.
Last year, more than 13 million hours of video (approximately 1500 years) were uploaded on
YouTube. This year will see, not only a continued growth, but also an explosion in innovative
use of video in marketing campaigns.
Going mobile, going big
More than 80% of Google’s mobile search queries come from outside the US, and Uganda is
among those countries that have shown dramatic growth in mobile search traffic.
More people do business on their mobile phones than on their laptops because mobile search
gives users instant, contextually relevant access to information anytime, anywhere.
Uganda’s mobile penetration massively exceeds the broadband penetration. Even with the
expected rise in broadband access in 2011, it is not going to catch mobile just yet.
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So it is important for advertisers in Uganda to think mobile this year.
The Internet is social
The social media landscape will continue to evolve at a break-neck pace and many companies will launch marketing campaigns within the social media space to take advantage of the
massive power of social networks.
From the video of an aspiring rock band on YouTube, to on-the-ground footage of the turmoil
in Kenya; from one person’s political Twitter stream, to a sophisticated multi-party political blog
portal, the Internet is providing greater transparency into what is happening in the world, and
in the process, widening our perspective.
High-tech cross-cultural communication
Developments in translation, voice search and text-to-speech technology will empower
people to communicate more across languages. This will breakdown cultural barriers and increase cross-continental trade.
Are relationships between banks and operators to offer
mobile money for the unbanked real partnerships?
By: Neil Davidson
At the 2010 Leadership Forum for mobile network operators and financial regulators in Rio de
Janeiro, one attendee made a provocative suggestion during a discussion about operatorbank partnerships: “The premise of partnership is a premise. A bank could just be a service
provider… and that may be the role in which they’re most comfortable.”
Take, for example, Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA), which is the institution which held the
combined value of all agent and customer accounts for Safaricom’s M-PESA, the most famous mobile money service in the world. For CBA, the M-PESA float account is simply a deposit
account—albeit a high-transaction-volume one, on which it earns very significant transactional revenues. In this case, the operator-bank relationship is simple—CBA provides a service
to Safaricom—and consequently straightforward to manage….
Alternatively, an operator can be a service provider to a bank or a third party that carries out
bulk of the activities required to offer mobile money for the unbanked. An example from this
end of the spectrum is WIZZIT, a mobile money service in South Africa. WIZZIT contracts with
mobile operators to use make use of the USSD channel so that customers can initiate transactions on their handsets, but it carries out the other activities in the mobile money value chain itself.
Of course, more complicated partnerships arrangements can be devised. We conclude
“Mapping and Effectively Structuring Operator-Bank Relationships to Offer Mobile Money for
the Unbanked” with a case study on easypaisa, a mobile money service in Pakistan that is run
by a virtual organization composed of staff from and Tameer Microfinance Bank and Telenor
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Pakistan (which owns a majority stake in Tameer). Carefully allocating segments of the mobile
money value chain between Tameer and Telenor has allowed both institutions to play to their
strengths.
But contracting across firms can be time consuming, particularly when hammering out new
kinds of commercial arrangements, and it introduces coordination costs. That’s one reason
why some operators opt to own the bulk of the mobile money value chain themselves, and
contract with banks only to perform those functions they cannot themselves (such as float
holding). Whether or not this kind of relationship should be called a partnership is a semantic
question. But it exposes a real tension between a desire to fully leverage the assets and capabilities of a bank on the one hand—which would require a complex agreement and might be
prone to stresses—and a desire for control and/or simplicity.
Cérémonie de signature d’un protocole d’accord entre la
Libye et le Niger : Green Network reprend la Sonitel
Le Premier ministre, SEM. Mahamadou Danda, a présidé hier aprèsmidi en son cabinet, la cérémonie de signature d’un protocole d’accord entre l’Etat du Niger
et Green Network, une société libyenne. Ce protocole d’accord consacre la reprise de la Sonitel par cette société libyenne. La cérémonie s’est déroulée en présence des membres du
gouvernement, du ministre libyen du Commerce, du Managing Director de Green Network,
ainsi que de nombreux invités. Dans l’allocution qu’il a prononcée à cette occasion, le Premier ministre a indiqué que son souhait est que cette relance des activités avec la Sonitel soit
faite dans le sens d’une véritable reprise dans l’intérêt des deux pays. ‘’Je souhaite que ce
protocole d’accord scelle définitivement la relance de notre Société des Télécommunications. Je voudrais profiter pour remercier le soutien du Guide en personne, et surtout l’amitié
qui lie le Guide au Chef de l’Etat, le Général de Corps d’Armée Djibo Salou. Ils ont contribué à
conforter les relations historiques entre le Niger et la Libye’’, a ajouté SEM. Mahamadou Danda. Le Premier ministre devait enfin remercier les membres de la délégation libyenne qui ont
effectué le déplacement de Niamey dans le cadre de cette relance tant attendue.
Le ministre de l’Economie et des Finances, M. Mallam Mamane Annou, et le ministre libyen du
Commerce, M. El Etayek El Safi, ont par la suite procédé à la signature dudit protocole
d’accord.
Oumarou Moussa
Source : Le Sahel
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Mobile Payment Debuts Nationally at Starbucks
Tags » Mobile Payments » Comments (2)
Starbucks has announced that it now accepts mobile payments in all US company-operated
stores.
Building on the earlier introduction of Starbucks Card Mobile App for select BlackBerry smartphones, iPhone and iPod touch and a successful mobile payment test program, customers
now have access to the largest mobile payment program in the US and the fastest way to pay
at Starbucks. This national program now includes nearly 6,800 company-operated stores and
more than 1,000 Starbucks in US Target locations.
Over on Payments Views, Scott Loftesness applauds this development in a post entitled, "One
Hand Clapping!"
One Hand Clapping!
by Scott Loftesness
in Mobile Payments,Prepaid,Starbucks,iPhone
That’s actually two big hands clapping for Starbucks – but I’m using the one
hand clapping metaphor to help make a point!
Congratulations to Starbucks for taking the lead in mobile payments in the U.S. with its announcement this morning that now all Starbucks locations in the U.S. will accept mobile payments from its Starbucks Card Mobile application (available for both iPhone and Blackberry
mobile devices).
To the payments geeks here at Glenbrook, Starbucks provides a great example of bypassing
the difficult chicken and egg issues associated with “two-sided markets” such as electronic
payments. When you can “just do it” yourself – innovating only on one side of the market –
you’re in complete control of your own progress.
Rather than waiting for the deployment of NFC-equipped mobile handsets that somehow interoperate between consumers, merchants, mobile carriers, the card networks and a consumer’s favorite card issuer, Starbucks innovated by simply not waiting.
Instead, they innovated by using applications they could develop and deploy onto mobile
handsets (Thank you Apple for the App Store!) coupled with minor upgrades to the POS acPerformances Veille
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ceptance infrastructure (bar code scanners) in their stores. Voila – problem solved, mobile
payments enabled! Starbucks notes that “more than one-third of U.S. Starbucks customers use
smartphones, of which nearly three quarters use BlackBerry smartphone or iPhone mobile devices.”
Who else is innovating this way? Have you used a mobile boarding pass to board an airline
flight recently? As consumers, we’re in the midst of becoming educated that a vendor’s app
is there to help make things easy – including making payment easy. Starbucks notes: “In addition to the mobile payment capability, the app allows customers to manage their Starbucks
Card account, check their card balance, reload their card with any major credit card (iPhone
users can also use the PayPal feature), check their My Starbucks Rewards status and find a
nearby Starbucks store with the store locator feature.”
Congratulations to Starbucks and its development partner mFoundry for just getting it done
and not waiting for the crowd to coalesce around some industry standard mobile payments
approach. There’s a whole mobile app ecosystem out there just waiting for you. So, what did
you ship today?
Tigo Tanzania Launch 3.5G Data Network
19 January 2011 --- Tigo, the leading most affordable mobile network in Tanzania, has
launched Tigo Internet based on the latest 3.5G technology and will offer its customers the
fastest and most reliable internet services in Tanzania.
The Tigo Internet is a user friendly service that allows one to browse the web, access social
networks, download and listen to music, watch videos at the touch of a button. In addition,
Tigo Internet is offered in packages that meet the different internet needs of its customers.
These packages allow all customers to experience world class mobile services at the most affordable prices.
Speaking at the launch of Tigo Internet, Titus Kafuma, Tigo Internet Commercial Manager,
said: “We at Tigo are committed to offering our customers the full range of wireless communication, and Tigo Internet is a stride in bringing the world closer to our customers. We are rapidly changing the way our customers experience their wireless communications as we continue
to shape the future of mobile and broadband connectivity in the in the telecommunications
industry. This is yet another value-adding service at affordable rates, benefiting our customers.”
The Tigo internet packages include:
•
Tigo Light for general surfing: checking emails, blogs, Facebook and other social networks.
•
Tigo Standard Offering faster surfing and extra speed for a longer time, to surf the web,
download music and watch videos online.
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•
Tigo Max for people that want to get the fastest surfing and downloading speed, having the ultimate Internet experience.
Tigo is rapidly consolidating its leading position as a multiservice provider, leading by innovation and implementing the latest technologies, a process that started last year with the launch
of a robust mobile money service “Tigo Pesa”, also with the expansion of network capacity,
and now the launch of the first 3.5G network in Tanzania that will provide affordable and reliable internet access.
India Launches Full Nationwide Mobile Number Portability
By: Simon Davies
Mobile Number Portability (MNP) has finally, after many delays, been launched across India
today. The launch of the nationwide service was staged by Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan
Singh making an inaugural call to Shri Kapil Sibal, the Union Minister of Communications & IT
from a ported number.Speaking on the occasion, Shri Kapil Sibal said that though India has introduced Mobile Number Portability relatively late compared other developed countries but
at the same time it has done so by adopting latest technologies and methodology. He further
stated that seeing the size of the country, number of subscribers & their growth rate and the
number of operators per Licensed Service Area, there will be hardly any country with a network of so much complexity where MNP has been implemented.
Mobile Number Portability (MNP) Service will allow subscribers to retain their existing Mobile
Telephone Number even when they switch from one access service provider to another irrespective of mobile technology or from one technology to another technology of the same or
any other access service provider within the same service area.
The MNP Service was initially launched in Haryana last November, which served as a pilot and
helped resolve all problems in the countrywide implementation. Subsequently, a phase-wise
migration plan of networks in all the other Service Areas was worked out by Department of
Telecom in coordination with the mobile networks.
From today mobile subscribers in all service areas across the country have the choice of selecting their telecom service provider within the Licensed Service Area without changing their
number provided a minimum period of 90 days has elapsed after subscription to the mobile
service of the current service provider. For availing this facility the subscriber has to generate a
unique porting code (UPC) by sending an SMS (PORT Mobile number) to 1900. With this UPC,
the subscriber has to do all the formalities of registering as a new subscriber and present the
UPC to the new service provider.
In Jammu and Kashmir though, the pre-paid subscriber shall call to 1900 and get the UPC from
the operator.
Porting has to be completed within 7 working days except for J&K, Assam and North East Service Areas where 15 days time has been prescribed. TRAI has put a ceiling of Rs. 19/- on porting charges which the new service provider may collect from the subscriber. Post-paid subPerformances Veille
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scribers before making the porting request, have to make sure that their last bill has been paid
failing which the request for change to a new service provider shall be rejected. In the case of
pre-paid subscriber any balance amount left will not be carried forward when the number is
transferred to the new service provider.
Étude : le marché des applications mobiles pèsera 25 milliards de dollars en 2015
URL
:
http://www.businessmobile.fr/actualites/etude-le-marche-des-applications-mobilespesera-25-milliards-de-dollars-en-2015-39757596.htm
Chiffres - Selon une étude de MarketsandMarkets, le marché des applications mobile aura
plus que triplé en 2015 et l’Europe en sera le leader.
L'institut d'études de marché et de conseil MarketsandMarkets s'est penché sur le secteur des
applications mobiles pour en analyser le dynamisme.
Selon ses prévisions relayées par TechCrunch, ce marché devrait atteindre les 25 milliards de
dollars en 2015, contre 6,8 milliards en 2010.
Emergence du LTE
Pour MarketsandMarkets, l'Europe est amenée à devenir le premier marché avec un revenu
global estimé à 8,4 milliards de dollars. Parmi les facteurs de cette croissance on trouve bien
entendu des ventes exponentielles de smartphones, les progrès des technologies réseau (ex.
LTE) et la baisse du coût des données mobiles.
MarketsandMarkets prédit qu'Apple se taillera une belle portion de ce gâteau avec environ
20,5% de parts de marché. Rappelons que la plate-forme d'Apple est sur le point de connaître
son dix-milliardième téléchargement. (Eureka Presse)
A voir, Android, Blackberry, iPhone : les applications les plus téléchargées en 2010
Chiffres - Selon une étude de MarketsandMarkets, le marché des applications mobile aura
plus que triplé en 2015 et l’Europe en sera le leader.
Copyright © 2011 CBS Interactive.
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airtel to enhance customer experience in 2011
BY CORRESPONDENT
NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 31 - Bharti airtel, the world's fifth largest telecom company, has its sights
set on improving the African telecom infrastructure in the coming year.
Manoj Kohli, CEO (International) and Joint Managing Director, Bharti airtel said: "I would like to
take this opportunity to wish all our customers and stakeholders an illustrious start to the New
Year. We remain committed to offering affordable services, deepening our network coverage
to include the rural population and enhancing the digital experience through 3G across the
continent; ultimately offering a better brand experience for all our customers in Africa."
Mr Kohli added: "We would like to thank the governments for their overwhelming support. We
want to be a partner in Africa's growth and will work closely with the Governments and Regulators to enable the telecom networks touch all parts of society."
In a move that will accelerate the transformation of African mobile communications and positively impact the speed of economic development across the African continent, Bharti Airtel
Limited and IBM announced the selection of IBM to manage the computing technology and
services that will enhance Bharti Airtel's mobile network.
As well as deploying and managing information technology (IT) infrastructure and applications, IBM will deploy advanced technologies created by IBM Research, including the Spoken
Web - a voice-enabled Internet that allows users to access and share information simply by
talking over the existing telephone network, which is particularly compelling for populations
with little or no literacy, visual impairments, or lack access to computers.
In addition, IBM plans to deploy a powerful content management system to offer rich media
content such as music and video over mobile devices, while simultaneously facilitating the
growth of the application developer community in Africa.
Strategic partnerships with Ericsson, Huawei and NSN will exponentially improve the quality of
the network across the African landscape and expand the footprint of the 2G and 3G services. In line with global trends, Africa is experiencing a surge in demand for access to mobile data applications.
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The modernisation and optimisation of the networks will give airtel an opportunity to offer exciting services in 2011.
Mr Kohli reiterated: "The partnerships take us one step closer to our vision of making telephony
available and affordable for everyone across Africa, even in the most remote areas which are
at present disconnected from the world. We are also laying the foundation for the introduction of 3G HSPA wireless broadband as access to content is the right of every African citizen.
Mobile broadband is a catalyst for economic growth and development. Many of our new
customers will have an online experience for the first time in their lives."
The selection of IBM, Tech Mahindra and Spanco as strategic partners in the Business
Processing Outsourcing (BPO) sector will provide airtel's customers world class support as they
utilize the new and existing services.
An additional benefit of the adoption of this BPO model will be the creation of more job opportunities in the countries that airtel operates in within Africa. The global partners will also
build local specialist skills, capabilities and resources.
These initiatives, in addition to other products - such as airtel Money - demonstrate airtel's ongoing commitment to providing useful services to the community.
Recognizing that a good education is a child's strongest barrier for poverty, airtel strives to
reach and uplift the underprivileged by investing in education.
The Adopted Schools education initiative launched in 2010, in conjunction with local governments, provides refurbishments, uniforms, scholastic materials, furniture, teaching aides and
broadband connections to schools in need. To date, 9,000 underprivileged children across 14
schools have benefited from the initiative.
In 2011, airtel will continue to improve and enhance the program by increasing the number of
adopted schools across 16 countries on the continent.
Regulator seeks another drop in SMS rates
BY EVELYNE NJOROGE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 7 - The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) has directed all
mobile service operators to immediately implement lower SMS termination rates and pass on
the benefits to the consumers.
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The regulator said on Friday that the operators are expected to interconnect at Sh0.60 per
SMS, a rate which they are expected to progressively reduce to Sh0.05 by 2013.
“The Communications Commission of Kenya has issued an addendum to the Interconnection
Determination No.2 of 2010 on Short Message Service (SMS) Interconnection termination rates.
Operators are now required to implement lower termination rates with effect from January 1
2011,” the regulator said in a statement.
The rules which were issued on August 16, 2010 noted that the prevailing wholesale termination rates for SMS’s were way above the incremental costs of providing these services across
networks.
This was established through the Review of the Network Cost Study carried out by the Commission in collaboration with Analysys Mason in 2010.
“The study established that the incremental cost of offering mobile SMS termination services
for an efficient operator in Kenya was Sh0.015 per SMS while the prevailing negotiated termination rate among operators was Sh2.00 per SMS,” indicated the regulator.
And following the large discrepancy, the operators were instructed to re-negotiate lower termination rates and file the new charges with regulator before November 16 2010.
CCK however said that the operators had not reached an agreement by the set deadline
prompting it to intervene.
“As the industry regulator, CCK is mandated to among other things, promote the development of a competitive telecommunications sector in the country. The Commission’s intervention in this respect is intended to provide guidance to the sector and ensure that the Kenyan
consumers enjoy more services at reasonable prices,” it added.
The regulator’s directive came a few hours after Safaricom announced a drastic reduction of
SMS’s sent within its network to Sh1 and Sh2 for off net messages.
The three other competitors, Telkom Kenya, Airtel Kenya and Essar Telecom are expected to
follow suit and make announcements that are in line with the CCK’s directive.
Safaricom against connectivity rate plan
BY EVELYNE NJOROGE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 18 - Safaricom is now calling on the
government to discontinue the implementation of the
'glide path' guidelines which provide for the gradual reduction of mobile interconnection rates over the next
three years.
Chief Executive Officer Bob Collymore on Tuesday
warned that continued implementation of the rules by
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the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) would have dire implications such as reduced taxation to government and job losses which would affect the sector and the economy in general.
"I do not believe that we should continue with the glide path. People need to forget about it
because we have seen how some of the players behave. Let the industry continue to find its
natural place," he told Capital Business.
The glide path was adopted by CCK in August last year when it first imposed a cut in the termination rate by 50 percent to Sh2.21 and through which it hoped to see a progressively decline of this rate by 35 percent, 20 percent and 15percent annually in 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively.
The intention was to have the interconnectivity charge stabilise at Sh0.87 by 2014.
The imposition of this price cap triggered a price war which has only gotten fierce in the last
few months as the operators try to outdo each other and seize a bigger market share.
This erosion of prices has seen Kenya placed second after the Democratic Republic Congo
(DRC) in the number of countries that have the lowest mobile prices in Africa.
Going by what happened in DRC where a price decline forced operators to decommission
base stations and had the multiplier effect of reducing revenues to the government; this is not
a positive development.
Critics have argued that investments in infrastructure development in the sector so as for instance to improve the quality of service might be affected if good returns are not guaranteed.
Already, a Sh6 billion to Sh8b drop in tax revenues is expected from the telecommunications
industry this year and this figure might even be higher in coming years if such policies continue
to be implemented.
"That's a big hole for the government to fill especially at a time when five million people are
starving. The government has a responsibility to save these people," he said.
The responsibility of the government also lies in protecting employment opportunities which Mr
Collymore argued would be lost if this business model is sustained.
"Could we move to Sh1 (per minute)?" Yes we could but what would the consequences of
that be? It would mean that we would start exporting jobs in call centres, in network management in IT from Kenya to Asia," he stressed.
While maintaining that Safaricom is not threatened by competition, the CEO held that the firm
would not respond to their rivals by effecting similar price cuts.
Doing so he argued would be a wrong business move that would not only impact the company's profitability in the long run but also the shareholder value. Ultimately, it could mean that
Safaricom would have to issue a profit warning.
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"We are more experienced in this sector than any other player because we have been
around for a long time and we have made a success of it. We know how much it cost. Sh1 is
below cost and that would not be doing the 750,000 shareholders or our employees any justice," he stressed.
But while the price wars have had a negative impact on Safaricom's voice revenues, Mr Collymore said the firm was leveraging on the performance of its data segment, which he said
they are happy with.
Despite these challenges, the telecommunications solutions firm plans to invest Sh23billion this
year to improve the quality of its network.
Safaricom has started running technical tests of the fourth generation network which offers super fast download speeds, which Mr Collymore said is a testimony of the company's intent to
continue investing in the future of the country.
Follow the author at [email protected]
Atelier de validation du projet de document de la politique
sectorielle du Ministère des Postes et des Technologies de
l’Information et de la Communication (MPTIC)
Le 28 Décembre 2010 a lieu dans la salle de conférence du Ministère des affaires étrangères,
l’atelier de validation des projets de documents de la politique sectorielle et de plans
d’action de la politique sectorielle du MPTIC.
Débuté à 9h sous la présidence effective du Ministre des Postes et des TIC, cet atelier a vu la
participation de nombreuses structures publiques, privées et de la société civile. Cet atelier a
également vu la présence des partenaires techniques et financiers et les représentants des
organismes régionaux et internationaux.
Dans son allocution d’ouverture, Mr le Ministre a rappelé l’objectif global et les objectifs spécifiques de l’atelier. L’objectif général visé à travers cet atelier était donc de favoriser
l’appropriation de la politique sectorielle du MPTIC par l’ensemble des acteurs du secteur des
postes et des TIC, ainsi que par les acteurs de la vie socio-économique et politique de notre
pays. Plus spécifiquement, l’atelier visait à permettre aux participants :
D’apprécier la justesse de l’analyse effectuée dans le projet de document de politique sectorielle.
D’apprécier la pertinence des orientations (vision, objectifs, programmes et actions prioritaires) définies dans le projet de politique sectorielle ;
D’apprécier la cohérence d’ensemble du document de politique sectorielle ;
De porter des observations, des suggestions et des recommandations sur le document plan
d’action de mise en œuvre de la politique sectorielle ;
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De faire des recommandations sur les stratégies de mise œuvre de la politique sectorielle.
A la suite des objectifs, Monsieur le Ministre a tenu à préciser une spécificité relative à
l’élaboration du document objet de validation en ce sens que contrairement à la coutume,
le document de politique sectorielle a été entièrement élaboré à l’interne sans recours à un
consultant externe.
Toutefois, a-t-il ajouté, des ateliers d’échange ont eu lieu avec certaines directions techniques
du ministère de l’économie et des finances que sont la direction générale de l’économie et
de la planification et le secrétariat technique du budget programme.
A la suite du Ministre, les deux documents à savoir le document de politique sectorielle et le
document de plan d’action ont été successivement présentées par des cadres du MPTIC.
Pour le document de politique sectorielle, le présentateur, après avoir fait une brève présentation du secteur des postes et des TIC au Burkina Faso, a présenté les grands axes du document. Ainsi, il a tout d’abord présenté les orientations stratégiques retenues pour constituer
l’ossature de la politique sectorielle à savoir :
Promouvoir l’intégration des TIC dans tous les aspects de la vie économique, sociale et culturelle du Burkina Faso ;
Faire du Burkina Faso un pays de services basés sur les TIC ;
Promouvoir le secteur postal comme soutien au développement économique, social et culturel du Burkina Faso.
Ensuite, il a présenté les objectifs globaux qui entrent en droite ligne avec les orientations stratégiques ci-dessus. Ces objectifs sont :
Promouvoir un accès équitable et abordable aux infrastructures de communications électroniques et aux services TIC adaptés aux besoins des populations ;
Promouvoir l’intégration des TIC dans tous les processus des différents acteurs économiques ;
Promouvoir le développement d’une industrie nationale de services basés sur les TIC ;
Promouvoir l’accès à des services postaux modernes sur l’ensemble du territoire.
Enfin, le présentateur a décliné chacun de ces objectifs en un ensemble de programmes et
actions à entreprendre.
Le deuxième présentateur s’est quant à lui appesanti sur les le document de plans d’actions
de la politique sectorielle. Le plan d’actions comporte cinq grands programmes subdivisés en
actions et en activités à réaliser.
Le premier programme consiste en la création d’un environnement juridique et institutionnel
favorable. Les actions qui seront entreprises dans ce programme sont la création et
l’opérationnalisation des organes d’impulsion et de gestion de la société de l’information, la
promotion d’un cadre règlementaire favorable et d’une politique de sécurité adaptée, la
mise en place de cadres formels de concertation des acteurs, la mise en place d’une autorité
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de certification au Burkina Faso, la promotion d’un environnement juridique et fiscal favorable
et le renforcement de la coopération bilatérale et multilatérale dans le domaine des TIC.
Le deuxième programme consiste en la création d’un environnement technologique et infrastructurel favorable. Les grandes actions de ce programme sont la réalisation de l’infrastructure
backbone national, le développement des accès haut débit, le renforcement de la connectivité et l’accroissement de la bande passante internationale, la contribution à la transition
numérique, la création d’une technopole et la réalisation d’un centre d’appel multimédia.
Le troisième programme porte sur l’appui à la mise en œuvre des cyberstratégies sectorielles
à savoir la cyberstratégie sectorielle e-gouvernement, la cyberstratégie e-éducation, la cyberstratégie e-santé et protection sociale, la cyberstratégie e-commerce et la cyberstratégie
e-services pour le développement du monde rural.
Le quatrième programme porte sur la réalisation d’actions de communication, de formation,
de recherche et de renforcement des capacités. Les principales actions au niveau de ce
programme sont la réalisation des actions de formation, de renforcement des capacités et de
promotion de la recherche, l’élaboration et la mise en œuvre d’une communication stratégique et l’accroissement de l’offre de formation de niveau universitaire dans le domaine des
TIC.
Le cinquième programme vise la promotion de l’accès à des services postaux modernes sur
l’ensemble du territoire avec trois actions principales, à savoir, l’appui et le suivi de la mise en
œuvre du service postal universel, le renforcement de la coopération internationale dans le
domaine postal et la contribution à la conduite du processus de restructuration de l’opérateur
public.
Après ces présentations, Mr le Ministre, président de la séance a passé la parole aux participants pour leurs suggestions et questions. Cette séance a été riche en intervention. La majorité des structures présentes a apporté des suggestions de fond et de formes aux documents.
Enfin, à la suite des questions, l’ensemble des cadres du MPTIC présents dans la salle va
prendre successivement la parole à la suite du Ministre pour donner des éclaircissements. Prévu pour prendre fin à 13h, l’atelier prendra fin finalement à 13h30 avec le mot de clôture du
Ministre.
Inoussa Traoré, Chargé de Recherches à Yam Pukri
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Afrique de l'Ouest: Construction d'infrastructures transfrontalières dans l'espace UEMOA - L'interconnexion en télécommunication au centre des débats
Gomon Edmond
Les réseaux des télécommunications au sein de l'Uemoa ont besoin d'interconnexion pour
mieux servir les populations. C'est à juste titre que la 4ème réunion de la Conférence des opérateurs et fournisseurs de service de télécommunications (COFTEL) des Etats membres de
l'Uemoa s'est tenue à Grand-Bassam du 18 au 19 novembre dernier. "La co-construction d'infrastructures transfrontalières dans l'espace UEMOA" est le thème de cette rencontre.
"La co-construction des infrastructures transfrontalières dans l'espace UEMOA permettra de
créer un espace continu pour les télécommunications et de sécuriser les réseaux de chaque
pays", a déclaré Guy-Amédée Ajanohoun, commissaire de la Commission de l'Uemoa, chargé du département du développement de l'entreprise, des télécommunications et de
l'"nergie. Pour lui, il faut que les populations de l'Uemoa aient accès aux réseaux de télécommunications de qualité et bon marché. "C'est dans ce cadre que se situent les études initiées
par la Commission de l'Uemoa sur l'état des lieux des TIC dans les pays de l'Uemoa et la mise
en place d'un réseau unique dans notre espace communautaire", a-t-il ajouté. Et que le
thème de la réunion cadre avec les objectifs d'intégration de l'Union.
Le directeur de cabinet adjoint du ministère des NTIC, Dr. Guibessongui N'Datien Séverin, a indiqué que pour réaliser ces objectifs de connectivité, il est nécessaire, voire indispensable,
d'harmoniser les cadres juridiques légal et réglementaire des télécommunications. Le gouvernement ivoirien, a-t-il dit, a élaboré un projet de code de télécommunications qui transpose
dans l'ordonnancement juridique interne, les actes additionnels de la Cedeao et les directives
de l'Uemoa en matière de télécommunications et TIC.
Le président de la COFTEL, Bassa Ohovo, directeur des Ressources humaines de Orange Côte
d'Ivoire et Côte d'Ivoire Télécom, a souligné que les opérateurs de télécommunication rencontrent d'énormes difficultés dans la circulation du trafic entre pays de l'espace Uemoa voire
de la Cedeao.
Copyright © 2010 Notre Voie.
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Collectes et de transferts d’argent : L’ e-banking révolutionne le secteur bancaire
Grâce aux progrès dans le domaine de la monétique, les
cartes bancaires permettent désormais de s’affranchir
des distances et le temps. C’est ce qu’il convient
d’appeler le génie de la banque en ligne.
Encore connue sous le vocable de
banque électronique, elle se définit
comme l’utilisation des nouvelles
technologies pour accéder aux services
bancaires. Si l’e-banking ne réinvente pas
la banque, elle apporte une plus value. Les
paiements en espèces semblent donc voués
à la disparition dans les années à venir.
Auparavant, la banque utilisait uniquement les agences pour toucher sa clientèle. Mais, aujourd’hui avec l’avènement de l’Internet et du téléphone portable, le concept de réseau
d’agences est en train de perdre de son sens. Les TIC permettent l’accès au service bancaire
depuis des localités les plus reculées. La distance a désormais perdu de son sens. Quel que
soit le lieu où se trouve le client, les services bancaires lui sont accessibles. La téléphonie mobile est entrée dans les habitudes des populations et constitue un tremplin pour le service
bancaire. Elle est l’outil qui a le mieux révolutionné le secteur.
Toutes les banques ou presque s’en servent désormais. La BIB, membre du groupe UBA
n’entend pas trainer les pas. Elle y est de pleins pieds. Dans cette banque, les produits du ebanking disponibles sont essentiellement des solutions de collecte et de paiement. Elle propose des produits dits de grande consommation pour les particuliers tels que des solutions de
consultation de compte et de transfert à distance. Pour les entreprises, ce sont essentiellement des solutions de paiement. Elles envoient un fichier à la banque avec le nom du bénéficiaire et le montant de ce bénéficiaire. En réception de ce fichier, la banque effectue le
paiement de ces différents bénéficiaires. Ce qui permet à l’entreprise de se concentrer sur
son corps de métier et accroitre sa productivité.
Grâce à la banque en ligne, « vous n’allez plus attendre 24h pour avoir la preuve que le
paiement a été fait avant de livrer la marchandise », explique M Esaïe DIEI, directeur des produits du retail et électroniques de la BIB. « En même temps, vous avez une vue globale de la
trésorerie de l’entreprise en temps réel », soutient-il.
L’ouverture à d’autres corps de métier
D’ailleurs, avec l’ouverture des frontières et la levée de certaines réglementations, la banque
est devenue accessible à d’autres corps de métiers. Des distributeurs deviennent des banquiers, des opérateurs de télécommunication exercent des activités de banque (transfert),
des assurances proposent des solutions bancaires (banque-assurance). « L’électronique vient
ainsi ouvrir un grand boulevard au secteur bancaire », affirme avec juste raison Monsieur DIEI.
Le fonctionnement d’une banque sans l’informatique est aujourd’hui inimaginable. De nouveaux chantiers sont donc ouverts. En plus du canal classique que sont les agences physiques,
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les banques distribuent leurs produits à travers les nouvelles technologies à savoir la téléphonie
mobile et l’Internet.
L’électronic banking est un outil stratégique pour les banques. « C’est un outil d’économie
d’échelle, c’est en même temps un outil de modernisation, un outil d’efficacité et un outil de
services à valeur ajoutée », soutient le responsable de l’electronic banking de la BIB, Esaïe DIEI.
Cela représente un avantage pour les banques et une opportunité pour les entreprises. Les
avantages de la banque en ligne sont énormes. Plus besoin de se déplacer, les informations
sont consultables sur le téléphone portable ou sur Internet.
Idem pour les transferts qui constituent la partie la plus visible de l’évolution technologique
bancaire. Un autre élément visible, c’est la carte bancaire grâce à laquelle l’activité bancaire fonctionne 24h/24. Ce système est de plus en plus adopté par la clientèle car moins
contraignant. Même sans compte bancaire, on peut s’offrir une carte prépayée utilisable à
souhait. Ainsi donc, pour être en phase avec les besoins de leur clientèle, les banques investissent suffisamment dans les distributeurs automatiques de billets. Aujourd’hui près de 30 millions
de commerçants et un million de distributeurs automatiques de billets dans le monde acceptent la carte visa et autant pour la Mastercard. Ces deux produits font partie des offres de la
banque internationale du Burkina.
Un système d’information robuste
La banque en ligne apporte une autre dimension à l’activité bancaire. Aujourd’hui, le système d’information représente l’épine dorsale des banques. La sécurité se présente comme
l’un des plus grands soucis des différentes banques. Elles ne lésinent donc pas sur les moyens.
Elles font énormément d’investissements pour se prémunir de tout scandale. « L’electronic
banking repose sur un système d’information très robuste », précise le directeur des produits du
retail et électroniques de la BIB. Pour parer à toute éventualité, cette banque, membre de
UBA Groupe dispose d’un arsenal sécuritaire approprié. L’information que reçoit le client est
de source sûre, vérifiée, une information qui ne peut pas être piratée ou transformée à
d’autres fins ; bref une information fiable à tout point de vue. Qu’à cela ne tienne, les utilisateurs de ces produits électroniques doivent observer la plus grande vigilance. La sécurité
n’étant pas seulement l’affaire des banques.
Le Burkina sur la bonne piste
Les Burkinabè commencent à comprendre et à s’approprier les produits de l’électronic banking. Ce qui fait dire à Esaïe DIEI que « le Burkina sur une bonne piste ». Ce regain d’intérêt est
favorisé par la forte pénétration de la téléphonie mobile dans les ménages. Aujourd’hui, sur 6
millions de personnes actives au Burkina, près de 4 millions utilisent le téléphone portable ; ce
qui représente un vaste marché potentiel. La technologie rentre assez rapidement dans le
domaine public. Les coûts ne sont plus exorbitants pour le citoyen burkinabè lamda. Il y a de
cela quelques années, la carte visa coutait 60 000 FCFA, aujourd’hui elle est à 5000 FCFA.
Dans les années 1990, le téléphone coutait 400 000f, on peut l’’acquérir à 20 000 FCFA aujourd’hui. Vous utilisez votre carte visa, on vous facture à 100 FCFA. Les coûts ne sont plus une
excuse pour la non appropriation des offres du e-banking. C’est plutôt les mentalités qui doivent évoluer.
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La BIB a innové avec la carte visa qui est un succès planétaire. La population commence à
adopter ce produit. Aujourd’hui chaque banque émet des cartes pour ses utilisateurs. La
bancarisation est donc en marche et elle est l’affaire de tous. « Nous comptons sur les
hommes de médias, sur les hommes politiques, les éducateurs pour faire en sorte que les gens
adoptent la banque électronique », conclut Esaïe DIEI. Elle est de plus en plus incontournable.
Et des initiatives ne manquent pas pour susciter de l’engouement. L’exemple patent est le
Groupement interbancaire monétique de l’Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine
(GIM-UMOA) dont l’objectif est de faire de la carte GIM le premier instrument de paiement
des populations de l’Union, et de développer et d’encourager le paiement électronique.
Recevoir l’information sans se déplacer, réduire sa charge et ses ressources humaines pour
s’occuper de son corps de métier. Le tout, en toute sécurité. Au plan macroéconomique,
c’est l’économie du pays qui en profite. Les activités des entreprises sont sécurisées, les risques
opérationnels réduits et il se dégage une efficacité dans l’activité de tout un chacun. C’est
ça la banque en ligne.
Moussa Diallo
Lefaso.net
A new MMU article on the relationships between banks and
mobile operators
By: Neil Davidson
Offering a mobile money service for the unbanked requires the participation of both a bank
and a mobile operator. That means these two parties need to align on what parts of the mobile money value chain each will carry out, agree on a way of working with each other, and
decide how to split the value that is created by the service. All this is easier said than done,
however; around the world, banks and operators report that it can take up to a year to hammer out an agreement to work together to offer mobile money for the unbanked.
To shed some light on the issues that can complicate bank-operator relationships, the MMU
team is today releasing a new article called “Mapping and Effectively Structuring OperatorBank Relationships to Offer Mobile Money for the Unbanked.” The article is written not just for
banks and operators that are in the process of forging agreements with each other; it has also
been designed to be useful to operators and banks that are already working together to offer
mobile financial services for the unbanked, providing ideas for how roles and relationship
structures can be refined in order to promote cooperation.
In the first part of the report, we indentify the comparative advantages that banks and operators bring to mobile financial services. We then describe the mobile money value chain, taking
an in-depth look at the activities that need to be performed. For each activity, we ask the
question: given their unique strengths, is a bank or an operator best positioned to perform it—
or is it best outsourced to a third party?
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In the next section, we focus on the nuts and bolts of contracting between banks and operators, describing the range of arrangements that currently exist and documenting some emerging best practices. We also include a checklist of important considerations when banks and
operators come together to negotiate, or re-negotiate, their working model.
Two case studies conclude the report. The first features Safaricom, which launched M-PESA
with a very simple arrangement with Commercial Bank of Africa but which took a totally different approach when it came to developing M-KESHO, a bundle of more advanced financial services, with Equity Bank. The other is about Telenor Pakistan and Tameer Microfinance
Bank, which have created a virtual organization to run the mobile money service called easypaisa.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting a few reflections on the subject of operator-bank relationships on this blog. For now, though, we invite you to read the article and to share your
thoughts on it, either in the comments section on this post or by e-mail to [email protected]
Safaricom Slashes SMS Costs by Up to 71%
By: Ian Mansfield
Kenyan mobile network operator, Safaricom has drastically reduced its SMS rates across all local networks. Announcing the new tariffs, Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore said the reduced
SMS rates are a permanent tariff proposition applicable to all PrePay and PostPay subscribers.
"We are lowering the cost of sending text messages to any local network by giving our entire
subscriber base an SMS rate of Kshs 1/- for Safaricom to Safaricom and Kshs 2/- for SMS's from
Safaricom to other local networks," said Mr Collymore.
With the new SMS rates, Safaricom subscribers will make savings of up to 71 percent, when
sending Safaricom to Safaricom SMS's, and savings of up to 60 percent when sending SMS's to
other local networks.
"In this increasingly competitive environment, Safaricom must continue to ensure that our customers' needs are the central point of all our actions," said Mr Collymore.
Previously, subscribers were paying Kshs 3.50/- for SMS's sent within the Safaricom network and
Kshs 5/- for SMSs sent to other local networks
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Bharti Airtel and IBM Finalize Pan-Africa IT Management
Agreement
By: Ian Mansfield
IBM and Bharti Airtel today announced the completion of contract negotiations for technology services spanning 16 African countries. As part of the 10-year agreement signed in December 2010, IBM will deploy and manage the information technology (IT) infrastructure and applications to support airtel's mobile services throughout Africa.
IBM will consolidate and transform the 16 different IT environments across airtel's African operations into an integrated IT system, and will oversee the management of all applications, data
center operations, servers, storage and desktop services.
In addition, IBM plans to deploy a powerful media management system to offer content such
as music and video over mobile devices, while simultaneously facilitating the growth of the
application developer community in Africa, which will enable airtel to tap new sources of revenue.
Speaking on the partnership, Manoj Kohli, Chief Executive Officer (International) and Joint
Managing Director, airtel said, "Our relationship with IBM is catalytic in its delivery of information and communication technology solutions across Africa. The deployment of cutting edge
technology will provide a positive multiplier effect to our customers, employees and business
partners through applications that deliver enhanced services, data and processes in real time.
An empowered ecosystem will manifest in quick delivery of solutions that meet the evolving
needs of Africa's consumers."
The agreement extends the relationship between IBM and Bharti airtel established in 2004,
when the mobile network operator selected IBM to run IT and applications for its entire network in India.
Airtel Doubles Subscriber Base in Kenya Following Price Cuts
By: Ian Mansfield
Bharti Airtel has doubled its subscriber base in Kenya after the company slashed its call costs
last August. The company added two million subscribers to bring its total to four million over
the past five months, its managing director told the Reuters news agency."With the drop in tariffs, we have seen an increase in volumes, both in users and in minutes," Rene Meza told a
news conference. He also said that the average number of minutes customers spent on the
phone had tripled since August, without saying how many minutes consumers spent talking on
their mobile phones daily.
Competition against the dominant operator, Safaricom is also expected to intensify from April
2011, when Mobile Number Portability is due to be launched, following several years of delay.
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Based on figures from last September - only a few weeks after the price cuts by Airtel - the
Mobile World subscriber database reports that Safaricom is the market leader with a market
share of 81% with Airtel (formerly Zain) coming in at 8.6%. Newer entrants, Econet had 7% of
the market while Orange (Telecom Kenya) had 3.6% of the market.
Somalia to Start Taxing its Mobile Phone Networks
By: Simon Davies
The Somalia government plans to start regulating its ultra-free market mobile phone networks
and applying taxes to the phone companies to boost growth and investment, Information,
Posts and Telecommunications Minister Abdulkareem Jama has told Bloomberg News.
The government has drafted rules for managing mobile-phone frequencies, phone numbers
and interconnection agreements, Jama told reporters in Kenya. The Finance Ministry is formulating details of the taxes, although a timeline for the passing of the necessary laws is still unclear.
The country's mobile phone networks have been cited in various reports of an example of laissez faire business where mobile networks were set up by entrepreneurs without any government intervention or regulation. Their regulatory-light approach is about to be shaken up.
Applications mobiles professionnelles : Orange Business Services livre ses bonnes pratiques
Olivier Chicheportiche, businessMOBILE.fr.
Tags: Application, Entreprise, Technologies embarquées, Téléphone Mobile, Smartphone,
Stratégie - A travers un livre blanc, la filiale Entreprises de l'opérateur historique fait le point sur les applications métiers en entreprises, sur les questions à se poser avant
de se lancer, donne de nombreux conseils et détaille de nombreux cas réels de déploiement.
Une belle mine d'informations.
Après un démarrage un peu poussif, les applications métiers mobiles sont aujourd'hui en plain
essor dans les entreprises. En s'équipant massivement de smartphones à titre personnel, les salariés poussent les directions des entreprises à accélérer le déploiement d'applications professionnelles.
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"Le développement des smartphones dans le grand public est un point clé", soulignait lors du
dernier salon IP Convergence Jean de Broissia, directeur général de Praxedo qui développe
des applications de gestion d'intervention. "Les directions s'aperçoivent que les smartphones
rendent beaucoup de services à titre personnel, notamment grâce aux applications, ils identifient donc de plus en plus l'intérêt que cela peut avoir dans l'entreprise. Le succès de ces terminaux a modifié la vision des patrons, ils prennent conscience des usages spécifiques que
peuvent offrir ces terminaux".
Cas concrets
Pour autant, les solutions déployées jusqu'à aujourd'hui sont encore basiques. Ainsi, 89% des
décideurs américains et européens interrogés par Forrester affirment que leur entreprise a déployé une solution d'email mobile et 74%, une solution d'agenda et de carnet d'adresses partagé. Le taux tombe sous les 30% pour des applications spécifiques ou complexes.
Dans ces 30%, on trouve surtout des applications destinées aux professionnels des interventions, aux techniciens nomades. Or, les capacités des réseaux haut débit mobile et des
smartphones permettent d'aller beaucoup plus loin.
C'est le message que tient à faire passer Orange Business Services (OBS) dans son dernier livre
blanc consacré à cette question. Au-delà de l'appel du pied commercial de la filiale de
France Télécom, ce document livre une série de conseils sur les déploiements de solutions
mobiles et présente plusieurs cas clients très instructifs. Une belle mine d'informations donc.
Dans ce document, OBS s'attache d'abord à démontrer les bénéfices (connus) des applications métier : réduction des coûts, productivité accrue, agilité des process, image de marque,
geste écologique...
Mais surtout, il permet de se poser les 10 bonnes questions avant le déploiement : quel coût
pour les terminaux, pour le développement applicatif, pour l'intégration et la formation des
populations visées, pour la maintenance et la connectivité ?
D'autres questions essentielles sont également abordées : quel service doit-on rendre mobile,
quel type de terminal utiliser, quel OS choisir, quelle intégration, comment piloter l'ensemble ?
Quelles sont les différences entre une application maison, packagée ou un service SaaS ?
Quelles sont les clés du succès ?
Le livre blanc fait également la liste des types d'applications aujourd'hui disponibles (forces de
vente et personnels de terrain) et celles qui sont moins connues comme les outils mobiles de
Business Intelligence (marketing, RH, finances), du supply management (logistique) ou encore
de services financiers et de santé.
Divers cas clients comme celui de Volkswagen Financial Services (application SAP sur BlackBerry), de la police belge (identification d'individus et d'infractions) permettent de se faire une
idée des possibilités, des processus de déploiements et des retours d'expérience.
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Bharti Airtel launches new Madagascar mobile banking
service
A new banking service from mobile phone operator Bharti Airtel has been introduced in Madagascar.
Any user subscribing to Airtel Money will be able to use an account that can be accessed via
their handset at any time, enabling them to pay for goods or add funds. Launched in partnership with BOA Madagascar Bank, it offers "the possibility to purchase goods and services … but
also to withdraw money from Airtel partners across Madagascar, to send money … or to credit
the mobile account immediately", newspaper l'Express de Madagascar reports. Customers
can sign up for the service in BOA branches and Airtel shops across the country.
Heiko Schlittke, director of Airtel’s Malagasy unit, told Reuters that the company is planning to
invest $50 million (€38 million) in Madagascar. It currently has two million clients on the island
and is planning to add 3.2 million more before the end of 2011. The group expects that 90
percent of its customer base will subscribe to Airtel Money.
Uganda to benefit from IBM, Airtel IT infrastructure deal
By Othman Semakula & Justus Lyatuu
Kampala
Uganda will be part of the 16 African countries to benefit from the IBM and Bharti Airtel partnership aimed at making mobile communications more affordable as the two firms announce
the completion of the IT infrastructure agreement.
The negotiations, completed last week, are part of a 10-year agreement, mandating IBM to
deploy and manage Airtel’s IT infrastructure, which will provide a platform for the firm’s objective of providing affordable and innovative mobile services throughout Africa.
In an interview with Daily Monitor over the weekend, Mr V.G Somasekhar, the Airtel Uganda
managing director said the partnership further emphasises the telecom’s commitment to providing affordable services to its customers.”
Rural poor
He said: “Airtel will do whatever is possible including partnering with reputable firms in order to
make mobile communication more affordable to the rural poor.”
Speaking on the partnership, Mr Manoj Kohli, the Airtel chief executive officer (International)
said, the deployment of cutting edge technology will provide a positive multiplier effect to
customers and business partners through applications that deliver enhanced services, data
and processes in real time.” Mr Bruno Di Leo, the IBM general manager, said: "The agreement
fortifies our business partnership and efforts in developing smarter telecommunications networks in remote areas of the world."
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500m subscribers
Africa represents 10 per cent of the telecommunications global market, with more than half a
billion mobile subscriptions and a significant potential for more growth. Mr Di Leo said the demand for new services - such as mobile internet access - spurs the need for a developed network of telecom connectivity.
The agreement will necessitate IBM to provide customer support applications that include customer relationship management, billing, and self-service that will empower customers and
provide Airtel a policy approach through which it will deliver innovative and convenient 2G
and 3G mobile services. The firm will also deploy a media management system to offer content such as music and video over mobile devices.
Mobile health apps gain acceptance in developing nations
Aloe vera is one of the plants said to be medicinal. In Africa, the m-health technology is mainly on designing healthcare products or data collection applications to support healthcare.
Photo/FILE
By Wangui Maina
Mganga is a mobile phone application that was developed by Kenyan PhD student Shikoh Gitau and won her the Google Anita Borg award last year.
The mobile health application that will record, catalogue and map out traditional medicine
and knowledge is among the over 200 million m-health platforms in use today.
Mobile phone apps are expected to increase threefold by 2012, according to a recent report
from Pyramid Research.
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The report ‘Health Check: Key Players in Mobile Healthcare’ says these applications will spur
innovation in healthcare delivery and is becoming a new revenue stream for telecoms companies in the developed world.
“Healthcare solutions that are delivered via mobile technology are creating a new frontier of
innovation that is driving down costs, increasing access, and improving quality of care,” said
Denis Culver, analyst and author of the report.
These applications are mainly designed to help people stay healthy, support patients living
with certain diseases, increase health literacy, manage medical information and support
compliance.
In the developed world, people pay for the apps to help manage their various health ailments
such as diabetes.
However, in Africa the technology is mainly on designing healthcare products or data collection applications to support healthcare.
Personal Digital Assistant (PDAs) for health data collection is the earliest technology intervention in Africa and is still being used along with smart phones.
This includes the AED-Satellife project in Uganda that allows health workers to collect public
data at the community level, send it through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or infrared to a health care centre before being sent through the local network to a main server. The correct prognosis is then
sent back to the clinicians.
In South Africa, Cell-Life is a programme that uses mobile technology to improve the lives of
people infected and affected by HIV.
Health workers monitor a patient whom they visit at home, using data enabled mobile phones
they record the patient’s medical status and other relevant factors.
This data is transmitted to the central database where care managers use a web based system to access and monitor patient information.
Kenya has a support system for HIV/Aids patients which sends a message every morning to
various people to encourage them to take their medicine.
“So although they may not be prominent, and some might be very academic, m-health applications do exist and are slowly having some effect on health service or in the very least
health information delivery in the continent,” said Ms Gitau.
Access and archiving traditional medicine is the main motivator for the development of Ms Gitau’s Mganga application, which is still being researched and at a design stage.
“While we complain of inadequate doctors, many Kenyans do consult a traditional healer or
makes use of some traditional healing practices, including taking some herbs,” she said in an
interview with Business Daily, adding that the application will take advantage of this knowledge using mobile phones to collect, access and disseminate this information.
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“We also aim at having a web portal that people practicing modern medicine can use.”
The growth of these applications according to Mr Culver allows for mobile network operators
and smart phone developers as well as hardware and software vendors to develop new systems and devises solely on m-health.
National Bank of Rwanda, Rwanda’s Central Bank, Agrees
to MTN Rwanda’s ‘Mobile Money’ Service
The National Bank of Rwanda (NBR) will regulate the
new mobile money transfer system that will soon be introduced by MTN Rwanda, the Central
Bank Governor Francois Kanimba said.
Francois Kanimba said MTN has approached the National Bank of Rwanda and that the bank
has issued MTN a license of operation based on MYN satisfying the operations criteria.
“It is important that this system be regulated because it is for the public interest and there is
need to safeguard public interest,” explained Kanimba. The new system will be regulated
through the laws governing the payment service providers and the payment system laws.
However, the timeframe in which this will start operations is not yet known as MTN is still working
on the project which is expected to commence in the near future. The new service will help
MTN subscribers transfer money between each other.
MTN Rwanda’s mobile money service comes as a relief to millions of
Rwandans who have had to endure high money transfer charges imposed by other banks and money transfer institutions like Western Union
and MoneyGram. The mobile money service is meant to extend affordable, accessible, and user-friendly money transfer services to millions of
the un-banked population in the county.
The same service is being offered by MTN Uganda and other regional telecom companies including Kenya’s Safaricom and Zain. The mobile money system can transfer money locally
and internationally within MTN’s network.
Officials at MTN say that the mobile money system is a convenient, secure, and affordable
way for MTN subscribers to send money, buy airtime, and pay bills using their cell phones.
Whether users have an existing bank account or not, users can register for MTN Mobile Money
as long as they are MTN subscribers.
Those who do not have MTN SIM cards or even a phone can still receive money from MTN
Mobile Money users and send money through a network of agents in their country.
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Kenyan Internet Usage Doubles Over 2010, Ministry Says
By Eric Ombok
Kenya’s Internet users more than doubled over the past year as East Africa’s biggest economy
invested in fiber-optic cables, Permanent Secretary in the Information Ministry Bitange Ndemo
said.
“We now have 7.5 million Internet users compared to 3 million last year,” Ndemo told reporters
in Nairobi today.
Over the last 12 months, the number of mobile data users on the network of Safaricom Ltd.,
East Africa’s biggest mobile- phone company, has grown 52 percent to 4 million users, Chief
Operating Officer Peter Arina said at the same briefing.
“Data has proved the next big communication frontier in the Kenyan market,” Arina said.
Seacom Ltd.’s fiber-optic link was the first in East Africa to start operating July 2009, while the
East African Marine System, a cable linking 20 African countries and known as Teams, started
in October 2009. Teams is owned by the West Indian Ocean Cable Co., a group of 12 African
telecommunications companies and four development finance institutions including the International Finance Corp. and the African Development Bank.
Safaricom shares climbed the most in a week, adding 1.2 percent to 4.35 shillings at 2:56 p.m.
in Nairobi.
To contact the reporter on this story: Eric Ombok in Nairobi at [email protected].
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at [email protected].
Western Union, MTN team up for cross border mobile money transfers
MTN Group, a leading mobile operator in Africa and the Middle East, and Western Union, a
leader in global payment services, have announced a commercial agreement to introduce
international mobile remittance services in the 21 countries where MTN operates.
MTN subscribers in 21 countries will soon be able to send and
receive Western Union Money Transfer transactions using their
MobileMoney accounts
Once introduced, the service will allow MTN subscribers to send
and receive Western Union Money Transfer transactions using
their MTN MobileMoney accounts.
The service will first be introduced in Uganda, where MTN's MobileMoney service already
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loyments in the world. According to the World Bank, Uganda receives nearly US$500 million in
remittances every year, making up 3% of the country's GDP.
"The Western Union Mobile Money Transfer service is a key part of our multi-channel strategy to
offer our consumers numerous ways to send and receive money," said Khalid Fellahi, Western
Union's Head of Mobile Transaction Services. "This alliance with MTN - one of the world's most
successful mobile operators - will introduce cross-border remittances to an entirely new segment of customers by allowing them to send and receive money using just their mobile
phones."
Pieter Verkade, MTN Executive of MobileMoney, said, "After bringing domestic financial services to many of our customers, we will now enable customers to receive money from abroad
on their mobile phones to take out at their convenience with their local merchant, send it to
family or pay a bill."
MTN's MobileMoney service is currently available in Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea Bissau,
Ivory Coast, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda, with pilots underway in several other markets.
The service offers consumers a convenient, secure and affordable way to send money within
the same country (domestically), buy airtime and make basic utility payments using their MTN
mobile phones. MTN offers the service in partnership with local banks.
Once the new international remittance service is activated, MTN subscribers registered for
MobileMoney will be able to receive Western Union Money Transfer transactions in their mobile
accounts. In addition, MobileMoney users in certain countries will be able to send Western Union Money Transfer transactions directly from their mobile phones for payout at one of Western
Union's 386,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories around the world
Bharti Airtel et IBM finalisent un accord pour la transformation des communications mobiles en Afrique
IBM et Bharti Airtel ont annoncé le lundi 17 janvier 2011la conclusion des négociations du contrat de prestation de services technologiques couvrant 16 pays africains. Annonce un communiqué de presse.
Dans le cadre de l’accord de dix ans signé en décembre 2010, poursuit le communiqué, IBM
assurera le déploiement et la gestion des applications et réseaux de technologie de
l’information (TI) pour soutenir l’objectif d’Airtel qui consiste à proposer des services mobiles,
abordables et innovants partout en Afrique, marché de téléphonie mobile le plus dynamique
du monde.
« IBM consolidera et transformera les 16 environnements informatiques différents des filiales
africaines d’Airtel en un seul système intégré. IBM supervisera, par ailleurs, la gestion de toutes
les applications, des opérations de centre de données, des serveurs, du stockage et des services de bureau. IBM va déployer des technologies, des processus et des meilleures pratiques
pour permettre à Airtel d’offrir une expérience clientèle de qualité supérieure ». Souligne le
communiqué.
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Et de poursuivre : « L’accord stipule que IBM devra fournir des applications de soutien à la
clientèle pour notamment la gestion de la relation client, la facturation et le self-service, qui
permettront d’habilité les clients et aideront Airtel à offrir des services mobiles 2G et 3 G innovants et adaptés. En outre, IBM prévoit la mise en place d’un système de gestion des médias
très performant pour offrir des contenus comme la musique et la vidéo sur les téléphones portables, tout en redynamisant la communauté des développeurs d’application en Afrique. Ce
qui permettra à Airtel d’exploiter de nouvelles sources de revenus ».
«Notre relation avec IBM sera un catalyseur pour la mise en place de solutions de technologie
de l’information et de communication à travers l’Afrique. L’introduction de technologies de
dernière génération aura un effet multiplicateur positif auprès de nos clients, employés et partenaires grâce à des applications et services améliorés et une gestion de données et des processus en temps réel. Un écosystème consolidé se traduira très rapidement par la création de
solutions qui répondent aux besoins changeants des consommateurs en Afrique ». A affirmé
Manoj Kohli, PDG du Groupe et co-directeur Général d’Airtel.
«Cet accord avec Airtel renforce encore davantage notre partenariat et les efforts entrepris
dans le développement intelligent de réseaux de télécommunications dans les régions éloignées du monde». A déclaré pour sa part, Bruno Di Leo, directeur général d’IBM pour les
marchés émergents.
« Avec plus d’un demi-milliard d’abonnés mobile et une croissance annuelle significative,
l’Afrique représente 10 % du marché mondial. La demande en matière de nouveaux services
– tels que l’accès à l’Internet mobile – renforce la nécessité de créer une connectivité réseau
très poussée. IBM aide Airtel à exploiter cette niche en introduisant une expérience client
améliorée sur tout le continent ». Fait savoir le communiqué de presse.
A en croire ledit communiqué, cet accord élargit le partenariat entre IBM et Bharti Airtel,
créée en 2004, lorsque le premier fournisseur des communications mobiles d’Asie du Sud a
choisi IBM pour gérer ses réseaux informatiques et autres applications réseau en Inde. Depuis,
Airtel a connu une croissance vertigineuse du nombre d’abonnés qui est passé de six millions
à plus de 150 millions aujourd’hui. Airtel compte actuellement 40 millions de clients dans ses filiales africaines et vise 100 millions d’abonnés d’ici 2012 à 2013.
Rappelons qu’Airtel est le nouveau nom de marque des 16 opérations de Zain en Afrique rachetées par Airtel International en Juin 2010. La vision d’Airtel consiste à fournir des services innovants et accessibles à tous. Airtel est présent dans les pays suivants: Burkina Faso, Tchad,
République Démocratique du Congo, République du Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi,
Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzanie, Ouganda et Zambie. Airtel International est une compagnie de Bharti Airtel company.
Par Mathieu Moukendi et Patrick Kaye
FIN/INFOSGABON/MM/PK/2010
© Copyright Infos Gabon
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Mobile opportunities in Africa
Africa is claiming its place at the forefront of telecommunications.
According to research the number of mobile money users in Africa will have risen to almost
360-million by 2014
According to new research by Informa Telecoms & Media, the continent has exceeded the
500-million mark for active mobile subscriptions. Every second person living on the African continent can now be contacted by phone.
A fast-growing mobile region
According to Informa analyst Thecla Mbongue, these figures mainly show growth in the use of
mobile phones used for basic voice telephony. Data connections represented about 8% of total subscriptions in 2010. Mbongue says that the African continent represents 10% of global
mobile subscriptions.
There are still many opportunities in the mobile market for investors in growth areas such as the
voice segment in under-penetrated markets, and the non-voice segments with mobile
broadband and mobile money services. Mbongue says that these services would apply to
both business and private markets.
She says that, to some degree, high computer prices still restrict the use of mobile broadband
services to the top end residential and business segment.
The mobile money service targets the mass market, as this is mainly unbanked. She says that
the difference between mobile money and Internet banking is that customers do not need a
bank account to access the former. Access is possible via the menu on a mobile phone.
"Mobile money services make it possible for customers to send and receive even very small
amounts, and sometimes it also enables them to pay for basic services such as utility bills and
school fees," says Mbongue. By 2014 the number of mobile money users in Africa will have risen to almost 360-million.
South Africa's MTN, France Telecom (Orange), India's Bharti Airtel, Vodafone/Vodacom and
UAE based Etisalat have all expressed interest in gaining a bigger footing in the African mobile
market.
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Rapid growth
"The expansion of networks and the decreasing price of handsets are key drivers to more
people using mobile phones," Mbongue says. The Informa report also says that the landing of
new submarine cables on the east and west coasts of Africa over the past 18 months is boosting the continent's international connectivity. It has also created more possibilities for data services.
According to an Ernst & Young telecommunications study titled Africa Connected: A telecommunications growth story, many operators and governments have also embarked on
projects to build national and metropolitan fibre networks to enable easy access to new services.
The findings of Ernst & Young's research, conducted in the third quarter of 2008, are based on
interviews with 28 senior role-players in the African telecommunications industries. The telecommunications study shows that from 2002, the French telecommunications market grew at
a compound annual growth rate of 7.5% and the Brazilian market at 28%. In comparison, the
African market experienced 49.3% growth.
Growth in the African economy, fuelled by a commodities boom and increased liberalisation,
is believed to be the main reason for the increase. The Ernst & Young study foresees that the
African telecommunications market will grow faster than any other region in the next three to
five years.
Data market set to soar
Ernst & Young also expects data to become a revenue generator in Africa, even though
voice services are likely to remain the largest contributor to operator revenues in the medium
term.
The provision of internet access is a big market, but Mbongue says much work still needs to be
done to expand it. She says that at the beginning of 2010, the rate of household broadband
access in Africa was only 2.5%. The Informa report findings predict that by 2015, there will be
265-million mobile broadband subscriptions in Africa - a significant increase from the current
figure of about 12-million.
The Ernst & Young survey indicates that as competition in the mobile market escalates, innovation and operational efficiency will become more important. It also appears that even with
the worldwide recession, new licenses were still being issued and mergers and acquisitions
were still taking place in Africa in the past year.
Nomalanga Nkosi, GM for Business Marketing at MTN Business, says that mobile subscriptions
are changing the way business works.
"Gone are the days when mobile subscriptions were only used to receive and make calls," she
says.
Today, mobility is one of the fastest growing trends in business. Many companies have become more aware of the business value that mobile technology brings in terms of productivity, integration and return on investment.
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"It is easy to see why investments in mobile applications and technologies will increase through
2011, as organisations begin to ramp up both business-to-employee and business-to-consumer
mobile spending," Nkosi says.
In the next five years Informa expects the strongest growth rates in mobile subscriptions in East
and Central Africa. Mobile subscription numbers in Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo,
Eritrea and Madagascar are likely to more than double by 2015.
Africa still a challenging environment
Telephony services are now widely available in Africa, but Mbongue says that there are still
many more markets to develop. For example, in rural areas the rate of mobile access is less
than 10%.
Operators still face many challenges such as regulatory and political uncertainty. Ernst &
Young's study says there is a big need for regulatory independence. Although political stability
in Africa has largely improved, operators are cautious of government interference in the regulatory process.
The absence of reliable infrastructure such as power is another concern. Operators also find it
difficult to draw the right candidates to fill important technical and management positions,
and retain this talent. However, findings suggest that this challenge is not seen as unique to
African operators.
Operators also have to keep in mind that African markets are at different stages of economic,
social and telecommunications development. Only six countries - Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Gabon, Seychelles and South Africa - have penetration levels of more than 80%, while 24 countries fall below the 20% penetration mark and 17 have mobile penetration levels of less than
10%.
Demographics also play a role. Countries such as Seychelles and Gabon, with penetration
rates of 108% and 91% respectively, have smaller populations and higher mobile uptake levels.
Larger countries such as Nigeria, with a population of almost 150-million people, should take
longer to reach high penetration levels.
The role of SMS
Short-format text messages have become part of our day-to-day lives, but the experts say that
it is no longer only a means to keep in touch with friends and family. Dr Pieter Streicher, MD of
BulkSMS.com, says short message services (SMS) are also taking on a new role and improving
communication globally. These days, SMS is used in crime fighting, reporting on political unrest
and weather reports.
Streicher says figures released earlier this year by former Nokia executive and mobile expert
Tomi Ahonen show that 53% of the world's population and 78% of the world's mobile phone
users send and receive SMSs.
"If you look at the overall number of users, SMS eclipses email by 2.6 times, despite email having been around for 39 years and SMS for only 17," says Clay Shirky, a respected digital media
commentator.
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Thanks to SMS, farmers in rural Kenya can obtain market prices for their goods using their mobiles. This allows them to decide beforehand which market will be paying more for their produce. Shirky says that this is a good example of how access to information via SMS is helping
previously economically disadvantaged people.
Increased access to mobile phones in Africa has made it possible for more people to make
use of SMS services. He says a lack of other communication channels such as fixed lines and
email has led to the rapid adoption of SMS in Africa and other third world regions. The other
advantage of SMS is that it is user friendly, readily available, and relatively inexpensive.
"It isn't surprising, then, that many grassroot innovations, and clever ideas that the phone manufacturers almost certainly never dreamt of, take place in Africa," he says in a report. These
days, mobile phone users can even get SMS reminders to take anti-retrovirals and other important medication.
Africa is on its way to becoming a success story in all aspects of telecommunications. The Ernst
& Young study reports that there are many expectations and the continent is set to become a
central focus of global telecommunications operators and vendors in the next five years. The
good news is that Africa is shaking off its reputation as a market only for brave investors, to being seen as a region open for business and investment.
Source: MediaClubSouthAfrica.com
Gambia: Investment in telecoms sector drops
Lamin Jahateh, AfricaNews reeporter in Banjul, Gambia
Investment in The Gambia's telecommunication sector has decelerated in 2009, as indicated
by the latest report of the sector's regulatory body. The latest annual report of The Gambia
Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURA) states that total annual investment in the telecommunication sector was equivalent to D699.3 million ($27m) in 2009 compared to the 2008 figures
of D847 million ($32.6m).
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“This shows a 17.4% fall in investment figures in the sector,” the report states. The reported figures show QCell, the latest entrant in the country’s telecoms sector, with the highest amount of
investment in 2009.
Before 2009, The Gambia has been experiencing steady growth in the telecommunications
sector, especially as the cell phone revolution intensified in the country in the last six years with
the coming of Africell, Comium, and QCell in 2009. These developments shot up telecoms investment in the country and spurred competition in the sector by mobile operators.
Employment
While unemployment poses a serious challenge to national development, and the government continues to put in place remedial measures to create job opportunities for Gambians,
the PURA report indicated that 2,139 people were employed in the telecoms sector at the
end of 2009, from the 2007 and 2008 levels of 1976 and 1840 employees respectively. “This
shows that the sector has registered moderate 8.3% growth in employment during the period
under review,” the report states.
Subscriber base
The telecoms sector reported 1,409,732 voice subscribers in 2009 a net addition of 194,732
voice subscriber to the 2008 figures of 1,215, 004 voice subscribers, which represented 3.6%
growth.
The number of reported mobile subscribers grew by 16.7% during 2009 compared to 45.9%
recorded during 2008; whilst the fixed line subscribers had recorded a decrease in growth rate
of -0.8%. “The less impressive growth in the mobile subscribers number in 2009 could be a as a
result of the market reaching saturation,” the reported states.
Telephone penetration level
The telephone penetration level, which is measured as the percentage of the population owing a fixed and or mobile services, has been very impressive over the last three years, 2007,
2008, and 2009, registering, 54.47%, 76% and 88.11% respectively. According to the report, the
rationale for this impressive performance in the penetration level is as a result of the strong performance registered in the mobile subscriber base. The mobile penetration level constitutes
about 94%, 96% and 97% of the total penetration levels in 2007, 2008, and 2009 respectively.
GSM growth in Africa
Africa is leading in the GSM growth rate, according to the GSM Association Universal Access
Report, which maintains that mobile operators are providing universal access in many developing markets, and have done so “at a pace unimaginable’.
The report states that in Africa the growth rate is the fastest in the world and “already contains
some very significant success stories”. It also revealed that amongst the 43 African countries
surveyed, 10 have achieved GSM coverage greater than 90% of population and a further 8
have coverage of 70% or greater, the report reveals.
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It says that approximately half of African countries face a greater challenge to bring greater
geographical and population coverage to markets where penetration and affordability are
low.
It added that these are generally low income countries, mostly with large geographical areas
or topographical and electricity supply infrastructures, which contribute to high operator costs,
the report indicates.
Half of Tanzania’s population on phone
Mtheto Lungu, AfricaNews reporter in Lilongwe, Malawi
A research team at the University of Dar es Salaam says half the Tanzanian population is currently hooked to mobile phones, and that it takes just a handset to run a business in the country. Led by Prof Ophelia Mascarenhas of the university, there is no need for offices, visiting
cards or huge capital investments.
He is joined by Dr. Raphael Mmasi and Dr. Hezron
Makundi of the Tanzania Commission for Science
and Technology (COSTECH) in his findings.
The team however remind mobile phone firms to
take a more serious approach to mobile banking
services, where they argue there is “great potential
for ‘banking the unbankable.”
A Tanzania newspaper reported to-date; such opportunity is dwarfed by fun gigs giving people
access to the latest ‘music vogues’ or ‘pseudo-gambling’ assets promising millions overnight.
“It is time to address the more serious aspect of the mobile (handset) – through mobile banking … it is of no use to the poor to be able to ask for help if the help in the form of remittance
of cash cannot be made because the service is still not available in both the urban and rural
areas,” they argue.
In one case, a customer had to travel 35km just to collect an unspecified sum of money sent
through M-Pesa, incurring 6,000/- in commuting to the nearest service point.
The Tanzanian study is part of four-nation initiative code-named PICTURE-Africa. The other
countries currently doing similar studies are Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda – all financed by
Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
In Tanzania, COSTECH is playing host. Popularity of the mobile handset has come in large part
by a combination of low purchasing prices, from a whopping Tshs. 200,000 down to 20,000/within a decade and easier access to support services across the urban-rural divide.
In many ways, the study shows a steady ‘replacement’ of the radio set as a first preference as
an ICT (information communication technology) tool if a family were to choose between two.
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In another development, use of the Internet and e-mail services scored a resounding ‘zero’
with some of the respondents in rural areas reportedly saying they didn’t even know such services existed – and their urban counterparts complaining they were still spread too far between them.
On a positive note, the phone companies have been chasing each other around apparently
smarter customers: When Company A promises cheap airtime incentives where you can ‘talk
until you snooze’ on the line at wee hours, the customers don’t ditch their old SIM cards from
Company B – they simply buy another SIM card to loop-in the ‘talk-until-you-snooze’ kudos,
reported the Daily News of Tanzania.
Rural entrepreneurs are particularly happy with the arrival of the mobile handset: One Zainabu
Salehe who own a small shop outside the suburban Mlandizi trading centre is quoted as saying
she stands to save some Tshs. 250,000 per year in travel costs.
“She uses her mobile phone to contact her customers and business partners (suppliers) as well
as to communicate with fellow businesspersons for price updates,” the study says.
Overall, the study illustrates that ICTs, notably the mobile handsets, had since served to reduce
poverty “not only in terms of financial poverty but also in increasing capability, facilitating the
acquisition of social services, reducing risk and vulnerability and enhancing social inclusion
and status.”
On financial poverty impacts, assessment of such benefits was backed with statistical data.
“For many of the respondents the benefits such as getting in touch with friends and relatives,
getting information on family and reducing risk and vulnerability were equally important,” the
researchers argue.
Poverty isn’t just about lack of financial resources “but the sum total of a number of deprivations” – and cite lack of access to new skills, not being able to get in touch with others and
learn and share information with others and a feeling of insecurity and isolation.
“Greater access to ICTs reduced these dimensions singly or in two or more dimensions,” the
study shows.
Rwanda: Fibre optic cable rollout complete
AfricaNews Monitoring Team
The physical laying of the optic fibre cable in Rwanda, which includes civil works, laying of
ducts and installation of the fibre is complete. Patrick Nyirishema,the Deputy Director of Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in charge of Information Technology said.
"The work that has been completed also includes cross-border fibre installation at the Uganda
and Tanzania borders," he said, adding that RDB's target was to complete this by December
31, which they did.
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The infrastructure will boost access to various broadband services including fast tracking government initiatives like e-Governance, e-Banking, e-Learning, e-Health, and other applications.
Nyirishema stressed that, the installation of equipment in institutions that are directly connected to the optic fibre is ongoing and the entire network will be fully operational and commissioned by April this year.
He noted that Kigali Metropolitan Network is operational where 72 government institutions
have already been activated on the network and more will soon be added.
Once the cable is connected to the undersea fibre optic, Rwandans will access affordable
high speed internet, further strengthening Rwanda's ambitions of becoming the regional ICT
hub.
The network cable is also expected to enhance the ICT industry by facilitating IT-based foreign
direct investments in areas such as business outsourcing which can leverage on the already
existing fibre optic broadband infrastructure.
Orange Tunisie lance le pack famille Flybox
AfricanManager
Orange Tunisie multiplie les initiatives pour réduire sensiblement les prix des appels mobiles, de
l’Internet et de la téléphonie fixe.
Pour permettre à tous d'avoir une ligne fixe et une connexion Internet haut débit Wi-Fi au meilleur prix, Orange lance le pack famille Flybox : la Flybox est gratuite, et en plus vous bénéficiez
de 50% de remise sur les 6 premiers mois, soit 117 dinars au lieu de 234 dinars pour tout abonnement d’un an jusqu’au 31 janvier 2011.
En effet, la Flybox offre de multiples avantages : disponibilité immédiate, installation simple et
facile, usage téléphone fixe et Internet en simultanée, tarifs à la minute très accessibles et des
communications illimitées vers toutes les lignes fixes et mobiles Orange.
En effet, avec la Flybox, pour seulement 39 DT par mois, toute la famille bénéficie d’une connexion Internet haut débit Wi-Fi et d'un forfait très généreux incluant :
- les appels gratuits et illimités vers les 5 numéros Orange fixe et mobile de la famille,
- 2 heures d’appels (incluses dans le forfait) vers les numéros fixes de l’Europe de l’Ouest
En dehors du forfait, la famille bénéficie aussi de prix d'appels les plus compétitifs :
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Destination
Prix
Appels vers fixe Orange
30Mil/min
Appels vers fixe Tunisie Télécom
50Mil/min
Appels vers les mobiles
175Mil/min
Appels vers les fixes de l’Europe de l’Ouest
150Mil/min
Appels vers les mobiles de l’Europe de l’Ouest
400Mil/min
Mobile Money Payment Revolution To Hit Financial Market
THE financial services sector is set to embrace the mobile money payment service, a new ecommerce package that turns the mobile phone to a money receiving and payment platform before the middle of the year.
As part of efforts towards making this a reality, financial and technology giants like the United
Bank for Africa (UBA), Ecobank, Fidelity Bank, BankPHB, JP Morgan, Western Union, Interswitch,
Pagatech and MoneyGram International, will be holding a conference in Lagos on Tuesday.
Others stakeholders expected to be at the talk include VISA, GlobalMpay, Intercontinental
Bank Plc, and Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) among others.
A facilitator and principal associate, MobileMoneyAfrica, Mr. Emmanuel Okoegwale said the
conference, Mobile Remittance Summit, West Africa, is expected to bring together stakeholders from around the globe.
MobileMoneyAfrica reveals that between 30 and 40 per cent of all remittances to Africa are
destined to rural areas where many recipients have to travel great distances to collect their
cash.
However, an IFAD report shows that new technologies – such as mobile phones – and existing
infrastructure – particularly post offices or small retail outlets – could greatly enhance the efficiency of the service when it rolls out.
Mobile money payment, according to Okoegwale, would provide the ability to send money
from one’s mobile phone to another person in the country or beyond without compromising
one’s bank account. He added that users of the service do not even need to own a bank
account.
National News
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Privatisation annoncée de Bénin Télécoms S.a :Les travailleurs menacent de paralyser la société
« La marche forcée du gouvernement vers le bradage de Bénin Télécoms S.a » est le sujet qui
a réuni le vendredi 21 janvier 2011, l’ensemble des secrétaires généraux des syndicats de la
première société de télécommunications au Bénin. La rencontre a eu lieu à la salle de conférence de la société et s’est élargie à la Confédération des organisations syndicales indépendantes (Cosi Bénin) de Kakaï Glèlè et la Confédération des syndicats autonomes du Bénin
(Csa Bénin).
A travers cette sortie, les travailleurs de cette société publique, ont voulu faire connaître leur
point de vue sur la mise en concession de leur société dont le processus est annoncé comme
irréversible par le gouvernement. Regroupés au sein du Synatel, du Vtbt, du Syntra-Bénin télécoms et du Synabetel, ces travailleurs disent non à la privatisation de leur société. « Les travailleurs exigent du gouvernement l’arrêt total et immédiat du processus de privatisation de Bénin
Télécoms S.a. », déclare le collectif des agents. A l’origine de cette prise de position, le
Sg/Syntra-Bt, Etienne Gnonlonfoun dénonce les « manœuvres machiavéliques tendant à
rendre improductive la société ». Selon ses propos, le gouvernement de Yayi Boni utilise la désinformation et surtout la manipulation de l’opinion publique pour saboter les performances
de cette société. Pour preuve, les secrétaires généraux citent les arguments utilisés par leur
ministre de tutelle, Désiré Adadja lors du forum bilan des 5 ans de règne de Yayi Boni. Des arguments qui font état de ce que Bénin Télécoms S.a serait une vache à lait pour le budget
national. Pis, la première société de télécommunications est devenue un secteur où règne la
mauvaise gouvernance au Bénin. Corruption, sabotage ou mauvais usage des équipements
techniques et bien d’autres vices y ont cours. Faux et archifaux ! réfute la masse laborieuse de
cette société pour qui les premiers fossoyeurs de l’entreprise sont les autorités nommées par
ce même gouvernement. Dans leurs argumentaires les secrétaires généraux, soutiennent que
pour le compte de l’année budgétaire 2010, toutes les missions d’Etat du ministre de la communication ont été payées par Bénin Télécoms S.a. Par ailleurs, poursuivent-ils, pour cette
nouvelle année 2011, Désiré Adadja et son cabinet sont les premiers à être servis par le budget de la société. Au regard de ces faits, les travailleurs dénoncent l’intoxication et exigent
l’annulation purement et simplement du processus de privatisation de cette société. Autrement, les travailleurs menacent de paralyser le secteur des télécommunications sous peu.
Dieudonné Lokossou et Georges Kakaï Glèlè soutiennent les décisions des travailleurs et les invitent à la grande marche du 1er février 2011 pour dire non à ce qu’ils appellent la mauvaise
gouvernance sous le régime de Yayi Boni.
LM
Operator-bank partnerships: a case study featuring Safaricom and Equity Bank. Part 1
By: Neil Davidson: January 26th, 2011
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At the end of “Mapping and Effectively Structuring Operator-Bank Relationships to Offer mobile money for the
Unbanked,” we include a case study that traces the history of Safaricom’s engagement with banks in Kenya
as M-PESA evolved. In the early days, Safaricom placed the cash that agents and customers had converted
into electronic value in an account held with the Commercial Bank of Africa; later, to reduce risk, accounts
were opened at Standard Chartered and CFC Stanbic for the same function as well.
To offer customers more sophisticated financial services, however, Safaricom elected to partner with Equity
Bank, which has an illustrious history of serving the base of the pyramid in Kenya. Together, Safaricom and Equity bank designed and rolled out M-KESHO, which allows customers to access a savings account, credit, and
insurance all from their M-PESA menu.
At the recent MMU working group in Kuala Lumpur, John Staley, director of shared services at Equity Bank, and
Waceke Mbugua, head of M-PESA marketing, shared with the group how they worked together to forge MKESHO.
What is M-KESHO?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=erUfuyFUgSU
Equity Bank and Safaricom Before M-KESHO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvOd_u7982I&feature=player_embedded
Operator-bank partnerships: a case study featuring Safaricom and Equity Bank. Part 2
By: Camilo Tellez: January 28th, 2011
At the recent MMU working group in Kuala Lumpur, John Staley, director of shared services at Equity Bank, and
Waceke Mbugua, head of M-PESA marketing, shared with the group how they worked together to forge MKESHO. This is the second and final part of the case study.
Developing M-KESHO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xoLjLBN9rM&feature=player_embedded
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The M-Kesho Story So Far and Way Forward
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy_CIteJgOk&feature=player_embedded
Uganda's Mobile Tariff Competition: How Low Can You Go?
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Zain/Airtel’s aggressive price cuts in Kenya have dominated the headlines, but in EAC neighbour
Uganda, the Indian operators similarly tried to tackle MTN’s market dominance through price cuts.
Maya Prabhu analyses how the mobile market in Uganda reacted.
In September 2010, Bharti Airtel marked their takeover of Zain’s Africa operations with an aggressive
price war in Kenya, lowering the price of off-net calls down to as little as KES3 (USD0.035) per minute.
In neighbouring Uganda, it was another Indian operator who started the fight: At the end of September 2010, Essar-owned Warid slashed per second price rates by 50% to UGX5, and embarked on
an aggressive advertising campaign. Zain then upped the ante, cutting prices 60% to UGX3 per second.
Today, UTL, Zain, Warid and Orange all currently offer users a flat rate of UGX3 per second for both
on-net and off-net calls, though MTN - who have a hefty 60% market share - have maintained a
UGX5 tariff for off-net calls. But with at least three of these companies claiming affordability as their
particular mandate, representatives of all five companies agree that price competition on Uganda’s
mobile market is far from over.
How Low Can You Go?
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Right now, cutting local call rates further to UGX2 per second seems unlikely: a 30% tax rate and an
interconnect charge levied at UGX131 per minute mean that companies are losing about UGX170
out of every off-net minute’s revenue. Factoring in the money that goes into the distribution networks
reveals that already at UGX3 per second, mobile companies are barely breaking even on calls to
other local networks.
Indeed, market leaders MTN question the sustainability of introducing profitless off-net calls - even
though their dominant position on the market means that, proportionally, they are likely to incur
fewer interconnect charges. Commenting on their slightly higher per-minute and per-second tariff
plans (UGX180 on-net/UGX240 off-net, and UGX3 on-net/UGX5 off-net respectively), Chief Marketing
Officer Isaac Nsereko said, “In a business like this you have a lot of stakeholders to look after. In the
long term, if you only please some of the stakeholders, you’re not sustainable. In balancing pleasing
customers, staff and shareholders, this is the best deal MTN can offer.”
As a comment on his competitors’ financial strategies, Nsereko’s comment is, at most, implicit. Orange’s Edouard Blondeau, Chief Officer – Program Office, Strategy & Broadband, is more outspoken:
where a call to another network costs the company UGX170 per minute, there is only a UGX10 margin on Orange’s UGX3/second off-net calls. But 10%, or UGX18, goes into the distribution network, so
the company is actually making a loss on off-net calls. On-net call margins and received interconnect payments might manage to breach the divide, but ultimately this is a matter of banking on the
future. “The price war is going to be a long-term battle,” said Blondeau, “In the end, shareholders will
have to decide how long they want to play, how long they want to sustain the loss [...] but we are
determined not to leave the space.”
Despite being reluctant to formally comment on rival companies’ performances, Blondeau added
that, as far as he knew, Orange was not the only company to be making a loss since the recent intensification of price-based competition. While representatives of the companies in question have
been reluctant to comment explicitly on their profitability, one industry insider stated that his understanding of the situation was that MTN is currently the only cash-positive player in the market.
Off-net call prices at least seem to have bottomed out – for now. So with representatives of the
companies claiming that the price war is far from over, what’s next?
Getting Creative
Having hit this cost barrier, companies appear to be seeking out more creative angles on competition.
•
The latest frontier is airtime, with Zain releasing UGX200 airtime vouchers, the lowest denomination to date. UTL offers airtime at denominations of UGX250 if purchased through their mobile
money platform, M-SENTE.
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•
Conditional tariff offers is also becoming an arena of battle: For instance, Warid recently
launched Kawa, a permanent deal allowing customers to spend only UGX1 for four seconds
on on-net calls, conditional on their purchase of at least 30 minutes worth, or UGX500, of airtime. Another example is the recently launched MTN Friends, allowing subscribers to designate
four other MTN users as ‘friends,’ to whom calls will cost as little as UGX1 per second.
Renewed marketing campaigns and bonus features on existing offers might act to consolidate customer bases which have been potentially destabilised by competitive offers from rival companies:
•
•
Warid’s successful Pakalast profile (which offered users a day’s free calls after a UGX1500 airtime purchase), for example, is being marketed with a third consecutive free, making the
product effectively UGX500 cheaper.
Isaac Nsereko of MTN said that the popular MTN Zone profile, which offers subscribers tremendous discounts during low-usage periods, will probably be reducing its undiscounted rates by
a few shillings.
Hardware marketing too may experience something of a change. In the run up to the recently intensified price-based competition, both Warid and Orange were selling dual-sim phones. Now, Warid is
offering this phone at UGX55,000, with a free UGX75,000 worth of airtime.
Mobile money will predictably play a significant role. MTN’s Nsereko commented on the ability of his
company’s MobileMoney, the most successful mobile financial service in Uganda, to act as a customer loyalty creation tool. Long planned, Orange Uganda will launch its mobile financial product
soon.
These dynamics may provide an insight into the immediate response of Uganda’s mobile market to
the cost-dependent barrier it has encountered during this price war, but in the longer term, the
course of competition may well be heavily determined by the Uganda Communications Commission
(UCC) and their potential to impose a lower interconnect charge.
A Longer-term View
Although communications prices are currently at an all time low for the country, globally speaking,
the cost of a call is still high in Uganda. Warid’s CEO, Madhur Taneja, said key players in the industry
are talking to the UCC, but it may take awhile for the interconnect charge to drop: 18 months ago,
the UCC published a report placing the appropriate interconnect charge at around UGX91, yet the
charge remains at UGX131. Taneja imagines that if a similar analysis was carried out now, the appropriate level of the interconnect fee would be placed closer to UGX60. Meantime, some companies
are reportedly in the process of negotiating alternative, bilateral interconnect deals.
Mark Kaheru, Marketing Communications Manager for UTL, stressed that there is still room for the
price war to spread. “Today, we’re talking about price war on voice calls,” he said. “There are so
many more products on the market [...] where prices could drop. For instance, we’re the largest ISP,
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and charge UGX60,000 for 30 days unlimited download. The competition charges UGX15,000 for
300MB.”
Looking even further ahead, MTN’s Nsereko says, “We expect that a few players will sail out.” Broadly
speaking, competitions have winners and losers. It’s too early to tell who these will be, but the question warrants a look into who might be feeling the squeeze.
Winners and Losers?
While company representatives seemed reluctant to provide figures representing recent trends in
subscription and usage, it seems a constant that all the companies are experiencing relatively
steady growth in their customer base, with an increased volume of calls.
MTN’s 60% market share and formidable brand strength, aided in part by its roughly 1.3m MobileMoney subscribers, mean that the company is indisputably in a position of strength. Nsereko argues
that price-based competition is not new to 2010 – the price war has been ongoing since MTN’s arrival on the scene 12 years ago, and the recent race to drop prices is at most a ‘price battle,’ he
claims. Further, MTN is a survivor: “Over the last 12 years MTN is the only company that has not
changed brand, or ownership: the others were playing an unsustainable game. Our view is: If it isn’t
sustainable, we won’t go there.” Nsereko expresses no doubt about MTN’s security in the Ugandan
market, but also seems certain that if this price war is to have a winner, it will be his company that
takes home the prize: “Battles for consumers will be tougher, but the fittest will still succeed.”
Nsereko also feels unthreatened by the incursion of large Indian companies like Bharti and Essar into
the Ugandan mobile theatre – Bharti’s minute factory model, he implies, might founder in smaller, less
developed markets where avenues for outsourcing are narrower.
However, although MTN still have not lowered prices to match their competitors – out of a sense of
security, and a focus on sustainability – it was only in November that MTN lowered the tariff for off-net
calls from UGX6 to UGX5. While Nsereko would not disclose figures on recent subscription trends, Orange’s Blondeau says: “If they dropped their rates, there was probably a good reason to do it.” And
indeed, while MTN is unlikely to be one of the companies that bows out of the race, there is a
chance that the price war has been successful in at least partially destabilising MTN’s overwhelmingly
dominant position.
Orange, a relatively recent entrant on the market, and admittedly weakened financially by the price
wars, is nevertheless tailoring its approach to the market a little more specifically. Rather than throwing its cap in for the fight for mass appeal, Orange seems to be aiming rather explicitly at Uganda’s
urban middle classes. Where ‘value for money’ must surely be the keystone in all the competitors’
strategies, Orange plans to focus investment on the value-side of the equation, concentrating less on
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being the most affordable of Uganda’s mobile service providers. “There are reasons that customers
choose orange, and I don’t think it’s related to the price war” says Blondeau. And indeed, Orange
claims the widest 3G+ network in Uganda, ideal for travelling business men using their smart phones
as a portal into the working world, and prides itself on the lack of congestion on their network as well
as ‘crystal-clear’ call quality. In Orange’s case, ‘banking on the future’ hinges on the hope that the
price war does not derail the company before it manages to establish itself in its intended niche.
Given the time it took the company to respond when Zain upped the ante, there was speculation
that Warid was not equipped to deal with the price war they had started. But CEO Madhur Taneja is
confident about his company’s position: The growth in minutes use has, in a matter of weeks, entirely
compensated for the price cuts, says Taneja. Furthermore, he says the company has been growing
at an admirable pace over the past several months, and while the expansion of the customer base
has not accelerated, it has not slowed down at all either. Taneja also says that the Warid brand is
capitalising on Essar’s experience: “We are not in a different world which we don’t understand” he
asserts, and refers to Warid’s recently-won UCC innovation award as evidence that the inherited
knowledge is being put to good use in Uganda. The fact that the company is eschewing promotional deals, that all their new offers are permanent, puts weight behind Taneja’s claim that Warid,
despite being relatively new on the scene, is trundling down a longer road. The industry as a whole
should see a real penetration of 60% in three years time, he says, and Warid will definitely play a constructive and significant role.
UTL, the only exclusively Ugandan company, is financially the most vulnerable on the market. Marketing manager Mark Kaheru says: ‘The truth is we have the shallowest pockets [...] We’re Ugandan, our
funding is here. We don’t have grandfathers and grandmothers abroad; what the market gives us is
what we have to spend.” Despite his claim that there has been a ‘moderate acceleration’ in subscriptions since the beginning of the price war, it is difficult not to sense that UTL is lagging behind.
“The issue is, if people had been really listening and watching, they would know that everybody was
cutting their prices to match ours,” says Kaheru. And it is true: UTL has traditionally offered the
cheapest deals on the market.
But rather than an affirmation of the company’s quality, Kaheru’s statement reveals UTL’s potentially
crippling problem of brand weakness - what’s the use of offering the best deals if nobody knows?
Warid’s highly successful Pakalast, says Kaheru, was virtually an imitation of Endobo – but the rival
companies can “afford to scream and advertise. We can’t afford it.”And yes, UTL has plans for expansion: 300 new base stations will be set up in rural areas. And yes, UTL is, as Kaheru underlined, the
largest ISP in Uganda. But, crucially, UTL has now lost the advantage of offering the most affordable
calls on the market. Fettered by limited brand visibility, will UTL continue to compete?
Worse, UTL seems to be caught up in a scandal over the non-payment of interconnect charges.
MTN, currently in court with UTL, refused to comment, but Blondeau at Orange said: “UTL demand
UGX150-180 for interconnect... but they don’t really pay it.” Warid’s Taneja said, “UTL owes everyone
in the industry a huge amount of money – they just don’t pay their interconnect. This has been a
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perpetual issue with UTL.” Warid, for one, has been reluctant to isolate UTL as a result of their unwillingness to pay their dues, out of a loyalty to customer convenience. But perhaps, with the entire industry under financial strain from increased competition, more companies, and not just MTN, will
move to make UTL pay up – which will put further pressure on what Kaheru alleges are already
weaker finances.
And Zain? Caught up in the midst of the rebranding process, spokespeople were difficult to get hold
of. But industry insiders speculate that Zain will be the company to spur the price competition onwards. It was Indian-owned Warid and Zain that kicked off the price war between them – and neither seems to have much intention of easing off. Marketing manager, George Buza did comment
that “it’s not only about price competition,” but continued: “Our Market has consistently shown that
it is price sensitive and as such we expect to see a lot more price point reactions.” Despite outsiders’
doubts, Buza says that the minute factory model (based on large-scale outsourcing ) has had a very
successful beginning. The customer base is reportedly growing, and revenues have not dipped since
the start of the price wars. With giant Bharti at their back, and a strategy in place to become the
“most beloved brand in the daily lives of people in Africa” by 2015, Zain-now-Airtel are expected to
keep pushing aggressively on mobile tariffs.
1.4 Billion People to Access Both Fixed and Mobile Broadband by 2015
By: Ian Mansfield | 27th Jan 2011: 1:57pm
By 2015, 1.4 billion people globally will access both fixed-line and mobile broadband as usage grows rapidly
and services converge, according to Ovum. In two new reports the analyst unveils research conducted on the
future of the broadband market, which shows that in 2015 approximately 3.6 billion people will be able to access broadband services, 50 per cent of the world's population.
Michael Philpot, Ovum analyst and co-author of the reports, commented: "Broadband access is now as important as other essential utilities such as gas, water and electricity. In the developed world it has become a basic
requirement and penetration is above 60 per cent of households in many markets."
In 2015, the majority of users (1.4 billion) will access both fixed-line and mobile services, showing a trend towards
convergence of services. These 'dual access subscribers' will mainly be in the developed markets of North
America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific, where 84 per cent will have dual access.
Charlie Davies, Ovum analyst and report co-author, said: "This convergence of services will see operators growing the revenues they generate from users by offering service bundles.
"However dual access use will not only happen in the developed word. Rapidly growing urban areas in the
emerging markets where there is a larger proportion of high-value customers will also see growth in this area. "
Mobile broadband will continue to grow rapidly and by 2015 one billion people will use it as their only form of
internet access, which is 28 per cent of all users globally or 13 per cent of the world's population. This will mainly
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be driven by emerging markets in Eastern Europe (where 38 per cent of broadband users will be mobile only in
2015), South and Central America (35 per cent) and Asia Pacific (34 per cent).
Steven Hartley, Ovum principal analyst and report co-author, commented: "The primary reason for the strength
of the mobile broadband market in the emerging markets is a lack of fixed-line infrastructure. However the areas that see the greatest penetration are those where there are affordable devices and sufficiently capable
mobile networks. For this reason the strongest markets for mobile broadband will be Eastern Europe, where 38
per cent of broadband users will be mobile only in 2015, South and Central America with 35 per cent, and Asia
Pacific with 34 per cent."
Construire, motiver et gérer un réseau d’agents pour les
services d’argent mobile
GSMA, janvier 2011
Guide pratique pour les opérateurs de téléphonie mobile
Comme les opérateurs de téléphonie mobile du monde entier sont en train de le découvrir, les services
d’argent mobile constituent une activité complexe. Bien plus complexes que les services traditionnels de téléphonie mobile, les plateformes d’argent mobile présentent pour les opérateurs une multitude de défis opérationnels et de questions stratégiques. L’un des défis les plus importants est la nécessité de mettre en place un
réseau d’agents.
Ce guide fournit des pistes sur la manière de créer et d’optimiser un réseau d’agents pour les services d’argent
mobile. Il aide les opérateurs à :
•
définir les fonctions assignées aux agents ;
•
connaître la taille optimale d’un réseau d’agents ;
•
déterminer les processus à mettre en place pour le recrutement des agents et leur formation ;
•
mettre en place un système incitatif de rémunération à travers l’établissement des commissions ;
•
faire en sorte que les agents fournissent des prestations de qualité à la clientèle et dispose d’ une liquidité suffisante ;
•
protéger leurs réseaux d’agents contre les fraudes et abus.
[Source du résumé : auteurs]
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Kenyans can now pay school fees on their mobile phone
26.01.2011
Online payment gateway PesaPal has launched a new service in Kenya in partnership with mobile operator Safaricom that allows users to pay school fees directly to
banks accounts via mobile phone.
Named Schoolpay, the service reduces bank fees and facilitates transactions, as the payment is made directly
to the schools, which have linked their accounts for a fee of Sh10,000 (€91) per term, Business Daily reports.
The amount is first deposited in PesaPal's or the mobile provider's trust accounts, which are held by Kenya
Commercial Bank, Cooperative Bank and CFC. It is then transferred to the school.
Agosta Liko, chief executive officer of PesaPal, told the news source that Schoolpay will enable over 30,000
secondary and primary schools in Kenya to go hi-tech by receiving and managing mobile payments from parents electronically.
The system will allow education establishments to track fees paid through credit cards and enable those who
are abroad to pay fees using Visa, MasterCard and American Express.
They will also have the capacity for immediate payment reconciliation and can send invoices, notifications
and reminders to mobile phones, according to Ratio magazine
Cie, Sodeci, Sgbci, Bicici, Ci-Télécom…/Gbagbo décide de
tout nationaliser
Nouveau Réveil - 27/1/2011
Poussé dans ses derniers retranchements, Gbagbo a pris la solution de commettre lìmpensable, à savoir nationaliser un certain nombre dèntreprises, fleuron de l`économie nationale. Sur son calepin, figurent en bonne
place de grosses entreprises telles que la Cie, la Sodeci, la Sgbci, la Bicici, Côte dÌvoire Télécom, Orange-CI et
bien dàutres. Lòbjectif pour l`homme acculé, cèst de reconquérir la plénitude de la souveraineté économique et restaurer lìndépendance de la Côte dÌvoire à son profit. En tirant ainsi un gros trait sur le libéralisme
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économique, Gbagbo veut tourner résolument le dos au monde et sìnstaller dans le sillon des grands dictateurs de ce monde tels que Mugabe. Y parviendra-t-il ?
PAUL KOUDOU
Copyright © 2006 Le Nouveau Réveil,
Bénin-Télécoms vendu au prix d’une cacahouète Array Imprimer Array
Envoyer
Écrit par La Nouvelle Tribune du 27/01/2011
Jeudi, 27 Janvier 2011 08:36
La vente du plus important moyen de souveraineté en matière de télécommunication est décidée. Et comme
dans un rêve, on apprend que Benin-Télécoms S.A va être cédé. Au plus offrant certes, mais en contrepartie
d’un montant jugé infructueux. La décision de cession, prévue par la privatisation de Benin-Télécoms devenue
incontournable, c’est le ministre Désiré Goundé Adadja, lui-même, qui l’a annoncée aux syndicalistes...
De ce milieu, on apprend que le 25 janvier dernier, par message radio, le ministre a fait appeler les cadres de
la Direction générale de Bénin Télécoms SA ainsi que trois représentants de chacune des six organisations syndicales que compte l’entreprise. Il s’agissait de faire part à tous de la décision du gouvernement de finaliser la
procédure du bradage de Bénin télécoms SA en cours depuis quelques temps. Montant de l’opération, seulement 26 milliards de francs CFA.
Une commission avait pourtant déjà siégé pour déclarer l’offre infructueuse en l’invalidant par ailleurs avant
de faire acheminer les résultats de ses travaux au gouvernement.
Maroc Télécom, désormais déclaré adjudicataire provisoire de Bénin Télécoms SA, n’aura à payer que ce prix,
pas plus élevé que le prix d’une cacahouète, pour emporter dans sa gibecière l’ensemble du patrimoine national béninois en matière de télécommunication. Jugé le plus offrant, cet operateur part avec lui notre joyau
de fibre optique, tout le réseau filaire, la totalité des réseaux hertziens de Bénin télécoms SA (CDAM, Libercom).
De plus, les biens meubles et immeubles à savoir, tous les bâtiments y compris l’immeuble de la direction générale en litige avec la Poste du Bénin, tous les domaines y compris les vastes domaines d’Akpakpa et celui de
Fidjrossè à Cotonou, entre autres.
Pour le détail, la fibre optique a couté au contribuable béninois, selon nos sources, plus de 150 milliards de
francs CFA. La licence Gsm Libercom vaut à elle seule environ 30 milliards de francs CFA.
Dans ce deal, à l’évidence, le gouvernement du Bénin a opté pour une opération déficitaire dans laquelle
c’est le Trésor publique qui est le perdant. Des esprits avertis indiquent qu’il était devenu clair que les offres
soient largement minorées. Maroc Telecom a soumissionné sur la base des états financiers de 2008 au lieu de
ceux de 2010, encore en cours d’élaboration.
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Pour mémoire, Maroc Télécoms SA dont 53% du capital appartiennent au groupe français Vivendi a acquis la
Sotelma au Mali pour pas moins de 185 milliards. Au Burkina Faso, c’est encore lui qui détient l’Onatel.
A partir de la procédure enclenchée au Bénin, on note que le deuxième opérateur ayant soumissionné
s’appelle Expresso. Ce dernier aurait proposé 17 milliards de francs CFA.
Emmanuel S. Tachin
Nigeria’s Airtel launches Easy Recharge
Airtel Nigeria has announced another package aimed at reducing costs and time spent on recharging GSM
phones in an effort to help keep pace with competition over billings. The move has been met with widespread
positive reactions here in Lagos as the costs of mobile phone usage continues to drop.
Only two months ago, Airtel was launched in the country after its 2Good offer, which saw the network give
customers the ability to make calls at 20k per second, across all networks and to the United States.
Unveiling the new package in Lagos on Monday, the Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Rajan Swaroop told
reporters that “as part of 2Good, we are taking another bold step in our journey of redefining freedom in the
telecommunications experience in Nigeria.
“We also want to identify with the local and unique experience of Wazobia as original Nigerian expression that
captures the heart and spirit of the people. We therefore want to identify with such local and relevant and
unique expression of the Nigerian spirit,” he added.
The product launch saw the unveiling of the N50 electronic recharge card (Wazobia Recharge), a new flexible
airtime recharge service from Airtel with any denomination from as low as N50 through its electronic platform
and also introducing the N50 recharge paper voucher.
By Simon Yussif
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ECI Telecom enters Uganda market
ECI Telecom recently launched services in Uganda in the hope of providing affordable services in the country.
In an interview with East African Business Week, head of Middle and East Africa at ECI Telecom Itzhak Ronen,
talked about the new initiatives that are being brought into the country.
The Israeli company hopes that Uganda will help spur more FDI into Africa, despite political difficulties.
“ECI has been the partner for growth to service providers worldwide, with over 300 active customers. We have
been particularly successful in catering to the needs of operators in emerging economies, such as India, Africa
and the former Soviet Union, as our solutions are cost-effective and future-proof, accommodating the rapid
growth these economies experience,” said Ronen in the interview.
Although ECI had been in Uganda for a number of years, this new service launching will help push the company toward boosting service providers with the needs they desire to increase their competitive edge.
“Uganda will benefit from innovative technology and advanced services, as enabled by our platforms and
solutions,” continued Ronen.
Ronen, however, would not give specifics on the amount of investment that the company is making in
Uganda, but did hint that it would be substantial.
“ECI is bringing very attractive financing packages to the country to enable operators to build their network
today but pay over time once the network is generating revenue (‘build as you grow’). Each such package is
tailored to the need and capabilities of the operator. ECI’s highly professional financing department is meeting
with each relevant operator to create the best fit solution,” he added.
Staff Reporter
L'ARPT lance la première station de contrôle mobile des
fréquences en Guinée
Écrit par globalvoicegroup.blogspot.com Vendredi, 28 Janvier 2011 08:57
L'Agence de Régulation des Postes et Télécommunications (ARPT) a inauguré le
24 janvier dernier la toute première station mobile de contrôle des fréquences de la Guinée. Ce nouveau sys-
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tème de pointe, fourni par l'entreprise Megasat du Mali, s'ajoute à l'ensemble déjà impressionnant d'outils et de
systèmes de supervision mis à la disposition du régulateur par son partenaire technique Global Voice Group.
La nouvelle station mobile permettra à l'ARPT de détecter les ondes radio à travers tout le territoire national.
L'Agence utilisera ce système de contrôle pour s'assurer que l'utilisation du spectre des fréquences demeure
conforme aux dispositions des lois et règlements en vigueur. La station servira également à des fins d'identification, de vérification et de lutte contre la fraude. Selon le Directeur général de l'ARPT, M. Morlaye Youla, l'objectif global est de sécuriser davantage l'environnement des télécommunications en proie à la fraude, aux installations clandestines, à l'usage illégal des simbox et autres nuisances.
Rappelons que le 24 mail 2010, l'ARPT lançait son Centre de contrôle et de supervision des appels en partenariat avec Global Voice Group dans le but, également, de mieux superviser, protéger et valoriser le secteur des
télécoms. Toujours selon M. Youla, la station de contrôle du spectre apportera une nouvelle dynamique à ces
outils déjà fonctionnels et performants. Global Voice Group a d'ailleurs participé à la définition du besoin qui a
mené à l'acquisition du nouveau système.
À cet égard, le président de l'entreprise, M. Laurent Lamothe souligne que cette station mobile « ouvre de
nouvelles perspectives dans le domaine de la mesure et de la localisation des émissions sur les diverses bandes
de fréquences ».
Présidant la cérémonie d'inauguration, le Ministre des Télécommunications, son excellence M. Oyé Guilavogui,
a pour sa part rappelé « le rôle extrêmement important des télécommunications et particulièrement des radiocommunications dans le développement socioéconomique du pays ». Selon lui, l'acquisition de la station
mobile et sa mise en service constituent un événement majeur qui augure des lendemains meilleurs pour l'ARPT
dont il salue l'esprit innovateur et le dynamisme.
Source :globalvoicegroup.blogspot.com
Protests disrupt Tunisia call centers
Large street demonstrations disrupted call centers catering to French firms, leaving numerous clients stranded
on helplines, officials said. The protests are a continuation of unrest in the Tunisian capital that has seen the
government collapse and the president flee.
According to reports on the ground, the protests forced the shutting down or reduced hours, forcing a number
of companies to re-route calls back to helpdesks in France.
French group Teleperformance, the world’s leading call center operator, said on Tuesday that it had reopened
all of its centers in Tunisia after heavy disruption on Monday, but that opening hours remained restricted by a
state curfew.
A France Telecom spokesperson told reporters that calls were being redirected to France, noting some nine
percent of calls from France Telecom’s internet subscribers were handled by centers in Tunisia.
Telecoms operators and other companies have increasingly been outsourcing their customer services departments to North African countries such as Morocco and Tunisia, in a bid to cut operating costs.
By Jonathan Terry
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No bailout for CDMA operators in Nigeria
THE Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has ruled out any form of lifeline for operators of Code Division
Multiple Access (CDMA) segment of the Nigerian telecommunications sector.
Exective Vice Chairman of NCC, Eugene Juwah, said that the issue of bailouts for the CDMA sector will not be
considered by the regulator because of its technology-neutral policy position.
Based on the technology neutrality model, NCC simply issues the necessary frequency spectrum to enable
service rollout.
It is left with the operators to adopt any technology platform of their choice to support the deployment of such
services.
The position of the apex regulatory agency comes on the back of growing agitation by stakeholders to check
the extinction of the CDMA segment of the Nigerian telecoms market.
Over the last few years, CDMA operators have come under intense competition from bigger GSM networks.
According to official figures from NCC, at the end of November last year, the total number of active subscriber
lines for the GSM sector reached 78.9 million representing a market share of 91.4 per cent while the mobile
CDMA sector accounted for 6.2 million representing 7.2 per cent.
In a similar vein, the ongoing registration of mobile subscribers has also dealt a big blow to the CDMA market
where players have had to clear their warehouses of their inventory of non-SIM based handsets at losses to
meet regulatory compliance.
The regulator has instructed CDMA operators to ensure that they migrate to SIM-based handsets to enable
them capture subscriber details in line with the registration of mobile phone users, currently underway in Nigeria.
SIMEON OGOEGBULEM in Abuja, Nigeria
Contenus: Cogent, le MégaProblème d’Orange
Écrit par ecrans.fr Jeudi, 27 Janvier 2011 08:58
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Il n'a pas été question que d'économie numérique, hier, à la conférence de
presse organisée par Orange. Après avoir annoncé l'acquisition de 49% du capital de Dailymotion, le directeur
général de France Télécom, Stéphane Richard, a confié à un journaliste de 01Net que le service juridique de
son entreprise s'apprêtait attaquer la Cogent « pour dénigrement ». L'opérateur enclencherait alors une phase
plus agressive dans le conflit qui l'oppose depuis des années à ce géant des télécommunications, dont le PDG
a accusé Orange d'abuser de sa position dominante en bridant la bande passante de ses abonnés sur certains sites Internet - et notamment les sites clients de Cogent. Véritable multinationale du net, Cogent propose
deux types de services en Amérique du Nord et en Europe : la fourniture d'accès à un Internet très haut débit
pour les entreprises, et la gestion d'immenses réseaux de fibre optique intracontinentaux et transatlantiques.
Mais en dehors des professionnels et spécialistes du monde des télécoms, rares sont ceux qui étaient au courant des tensions entre le FAI français et le fournisseur de services américain. L'objet du litige est pratiquement
invisible aux abonnés d'Orange, qui sont pourtant les premiers concernés : certains avaient bien cru remarquer
que leur connexion « ramait » sur YouTube ou que leurs téléchargements étaient très lents, mais comment imaginer que ce soit une restriction intentionnelle ? Qu'il ne s'agisse pas d'un simple serveur surchargé, comme
cela arrive souvent sur le web, mais d'une limite posée par le fournisseur d'accès lui-même ?
Pourtant, en cherchant bien sur les sites spécialisés, on trouve trace de problèmes similaires dès l'année 2005 : «
les utilisateurs de Wanadoo et Oléane, la branche professionnelle de France Télécom, ne peuvent se connecter à certains sites. » Le problème venait d'une « rupture d'un lien de peering », expliquait à l'époque Echos du
Net. Les liens de « peering » sont des tuyaux de communication directs et privilégiés établis entre deux fournisseurs de services Internet, pour faciliter le trafic entre leurs infrastructures et clients respectifs. Et à la suite d'un
désaccord politique, Open Transit (filiale de FT pour la connectivité internationale) a ouvert le feu en 2005 en
coupant ces liens directs avec Cogent. Rebelote en 2009 : pour des raisons que seuls les acteurs concernés
connaissent, Cogent et Orange se sont de nouveau fâchés. Et ce sont les abonnés qui en ont immédiatement
pâti, subissant un débit parfois ridicule sur YouTube (« 15 ko par seconde, même pour les abonnés à l'ADSL 18
Mbps »). la situation est restée dégradée depuis ce jour, malgré les promesses d'Orange de trouver une solution pérenne grâce à « un plan d'action proactif ».
C'est un message affiché sur MegaUpload, le 12 janvier 2011, qui a précipité les choses en crevant l'abcès. «
Les téléchargements sont lents ? La lecture vidéo est hésitante ? », s'enquérait la page d'accueil du site de
téléchargement direct, apostrophant tous les internautes français abonnés chez Orange. « Il est probable que
votre fournisseur d'accès restreigne intentionnellement votre accès à des parties importantes de l'Internet ! »
L'avertissement accusait explicitement France Télécom de brider le débit de ses internautes sur les sites clients
de Cogent - dont MegaUpload et MegaVideo -, et allait jusqu'à leur conseiller de se plaindre au service client
et de résilier leur abonnement pour choisir un concurrent plus performant comme SFR ou Free - eux aussi explicitement nommés. Ce n'était peut-être pas d'une grande finesse diplomatique, mais Cogent semble s'être
lassé de la méthode douce des négociations. La base des clients Orange est en effet loin d'être économiquement négligeable : le trafic en provenance de France a explosé sur MegaUpload, et la moitié des abonnés français se connecte avec Orange. Il était donc crucial de réagir : « France Télécom s'en est sorti jusqu'à
présent car Cogent n'a aucun moyen de communiquer avec les utilisateurs finaux de son réseau », explique
Bonnie Lam, porte-parole de MegaUpload, au Point. « Mais Megaupload peut : nous avons 45 millions de visiteurs uniques chaque jour sur nos sites, et des millions de clients de France Télécom les visitent quotidiennement. »
La suite de l'affaire n'a plus quitté la place publique. Devant le peu de réaction d'Orange, MegaUpload Ltd a
haussé le ton et envoyé une missive incendiaire à Orange, doublées d'interviews à la presse. « France Télécom
dit à ses clients qu'ils achètent du carburant de haute qualité, mais en réalité ce qu'ils ont, c'est un mauvais
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diesel, accuse Bonnie Lam. Les utilisateurs d'Orange veulent accéder à nos sites populaires avec une grande
vitesse de transfert, mais ils ne peuvent pas car leur opérateur ne le leur permet pas. France Télécom veut faire
payer Megaupload et son fournisseur de transit Cogent pour une meilleure connectivité avec les clients ADSL
d'Orange. »
Les enjeux de ce conflit sont ceux que l'on évoque dans les débats sur la « neutralité du Net ». Les défenseurs
de ce concept prônent un accès libre et égal à tous les contenus sur Internet pour les utilisateurs, quelques
soient leur FAI ou le site qu'ils visitent. Mais ce principe se heurte souvent aux intérêts économiques des acteurs
du Net, comme l'a rappelé France Télécom en novembre 2010. Les opérateurs (par exemple FT) veulent taxer
les fournisseurs de contenus (par exemple Google, qui possède YouTube) pour les infrastructures dont ils profitent en accueillant le trafic des internautes. De leur côté, les éditeurs de contenus arguent qu'ils payent déjà
pour leur bande passante, et qu'il ne faut pas oublier que les FAI gagnent des clients grâce à la popularité de
leurs sites. Pour faciliter les choses, certains groupes sont tentés de développer leurs propres infrastructures, et
certains FAI de lancer leurs propres services, de les acquérir (comme Orange avec Deezer et Dailymotion) ou
de dégrader l'accès aux sites les plus gourmands. C'est peut-être ainsi que sont nés les surfs d'escargots expérimentés par les Orangenautes.
Après les envolées de Cogent dans la presse, les menaces de poursuites judiciaires ont plané des deux côtés.
Des opérateurs donnant leur point de vue sous couvert d'anonymat et l'UFC Que Choisir réclamant une enquête à l'échelle européenne ont contribué à faire monter la mayonnaise.. jusqu'à la goutte qui a fait déborder le modem. Jeudi dernier, toujours dans Le Point, le PDG de Cogent Dave Schaeffer accuse Orange d'abus
de position dominante : « Si un opérateur ne paie pas la "taxe" d'Orange, un abonné français sur deux ne peut
pas consulter les sites qu'il héberge dans des conditions acceptables ! Cela serait totalement illégal aux ÉtatsUnis, et je pense que ça l'est en France aussi. »
Pendant que France Télécom règlera ses comptes avec Cogent devant les juges, les esprits critiques du Net
auront déjà l'œil sur une autre affaire. La semi-prise de contrôle de Dailymotion par Orange a soulevé hier
quelques inquiétudes, bien résumées par le porte-parole de la Quadrature du net, Jérémie Zimmermann : «
Plus on a d'intérêts dans les contenus, plus on risque de favoriser ses propres contenus, et plus la tentation de
porter atteinte à la neutralité du net est grande. »
Source :ecrans.fr
Legal action against Airtel Kenya?
AIRTEL Kenya has come under fresh attack for misleading the public with a new tariff dubbed “Feelanga free”
that was packaged as a permanent tariff by the operator, only to turn out to be a promotional offer.
The operator launched the new tariff of $0.0125 into the market, sparking off a war of words between itself and
other operators in the country.
Now the Consumer Federation of Kenya has threatened to seek legal redress if the operator continues to flout
laid down regulations in an effort to attract subscribers.
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When Airtel launched the much talked about Feelanga Free Everyday package, Airtel Kenya Managing Director Rene Meza was quoted as saying that the tariff was permanent and not promotional.
Commenting on the Airtel tariff furore, CCK Director General Charles Njoroge said in a statement, “network
operators are free to adopt business models that suit them. Matters of cost structures and profitability are therefore left for the determination of individual operators. The mandate of the Commission is purely guided by the
Sector Legislation and Regulations in force.”
The consumer federation intends to sue the operator, together with the Communications Commission of Kenya
(CCK) for failing to effectively regulate the telecoms industry and protect consumers from unhealthy competition among operators.
“The CCK is a one way operator and has little regard for consumers. The commission has failed in ensuring the
information given to consumers is reliable and honest,” said Secretary General Stephen Mutoro.
He added that due to CCK’s shortcomings, the umbrella body for consumers would resort to court action if
operators flout regulations in an effort to attract subscribers.
Reacting to the accusation, Rene Meza said those accusing Airtel of unhealthy competition are scared of the
company’s determination to ensure more Kenyans gain access to mobile services.
BRIAN ADERO in Nairobi, Kenya
FG intervenes in Multi-billion NITEL debt to Ecobank
NIGERIA’S Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo has promised to assist Ecobank Plc recover N11.7 billion
which Nigeria Telecommunications (NITEL) Plc owes the bank.
The money was loaned to NITEL in 2006 to acquire the necessary equipment to continue its telephone operation as a national carrier.
Sambo made the promise when management of the bank paid him a courtesy visit at State House, Abuja.
“The case of NITEL/Mtel is a very unfortunate development; ordinarily it is a company that should be doing well
because, if the private sector can do one of the most viable businesses in this country, I see no reason why
even with the support from a bank like Ecobank, the company still failed,” said Sambo.
He reiterated the Federal Government’s determination to sell the company, adding that NITEL-Mtel is undergoing the process of privatisation and as soon as this is consummated the Federal Government will offset the
huge debts incurred by the company.
Sambo assured the bank that he would discuss the issue with President Goodluck Jonathan as well as meet
with the Minister of Finance and the Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises “on the need to clear
all indebtedness.”
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Assuring the Chairman of the bank that government is making everything possible to discourage the recurrence of this type of situation, Sambo commended the bank for participating in infrastructure development in
the country.
SIMEON OGOEGBULEM in Abuja, Nigeria
France Telecom to sell Moroccan bond
France Telecom, which owns 40 percent of Morocco’s private wireless operator Medi Telecom (Meditel) said that it will sell a 7-year bond to raise 1.2 billion
dirhams, the company said in a press statement.
The bond aims to mainly help Meditel boost its network coverage as part of a 4.7 billion dirhams investment
plan over the 2010-2014 period and reimburse loans from shareholders, Morocco’s second-biggest telecom
operator said in a statement to the Casablanca bourse.
According to company officials in France, the move will help to increase liquidity and help buttress the private
wireless carrier’s efforts to move into a larger portion of the North African country’s mobile network.
“We hope to increase the ability for Meditel to compete and eventually take on the larger more established
companies in the country,” said one official.
France Telecom in the past year has been pushing hard to enter the North African market, losing out on a battle to acquire an Egyptian mobile company.
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GSMA Publishes Mobile Privacy Principles
27 January 2011, London
Industry takes proactive step to address privacy concerns
The GSMA today announced the publication of its Mobile Privacy Principles. The principles describe the way in
which mobile consumers’ privacy should be respected and protected when consumers use mobile applications and services that access, use or collect their personal information. The principles are the result of close
collaboration by leading mobile operators and input from other players in the wider mobile eco-system.
“Online privacy is an important and high-profile issue across the globe,” said Tom Phillips, chief regulatory officer, GSMA. “In many regions of the world, consumers’ first internet experience will be via mobile and we believe it is right to address mobile privacy challenges early to ensure the protection of consumers’ privacy. We
warmly welcome stakeholders from the broader ICT industry to join us in conversation and partnership on this
work.”
The Mobile Privacy Principles will be used to develop more detailed guidelines and codes of conduct to address specific consumer concerns such as the use of private data or location details by applications. They pave
the way for the development of clear and simple ways for customers to manage their information and their
privacy on mobile phones. The key challenge is to find new mobile–friendly methods to help consumers make
informed decisions about their privacy.
One key principle relates to ‘transparency and notice’, which is about being open and honest with customers
about what personal information is being collected and why. The principles also cover issues such as the need
to provide consumers with control over how their personal information is used and by whom, and ensuring only
a minimum amount of data for a given service is collected and that it is retained no longer than necessary.
The GSMA is examining these issues in depth and reaching out to broader industry stakeholders to establish a
broad consensus on how to ensure consumers’ privacy is treated more consistently across mobile applications
and across platforms and services whilst continuing to support innovation.
Phillips continued, “The Mobile Privacy Principles are a significant first step but addressing mobile privacy is an
ongoing challenge that requires the support and collaboration of the wider internet industry, civil society and
regulators, working together, if we are to deliver real protection for consumers. This is a call to action to the
broader industry.”
-ENDSAbout the GSMA The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers,
Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA is focused on innovating, incubating and creating new opportunities for its membership, all with the end goal of driving the growth of the mobile
communications industry.
For more information, please visit Mobile World Live, the new online portal for the mobile communications industry, at www.mobileworldlive.com or the GSMA corporate website at www.gsmworld.com.
The GSMA welcomes comment and engagement from all stakeholders. Companies already involved in the
Mobile Privacy Initiative, who developed these principles, include AT&T, Deutsche Telecom, Everything Everywhere, H3G Europe, Opera, Orange, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telekom Austria, Telenor, Vodafone, Zain. Details of the GSMA Mobile Privacy Initiative and a full copy of the Mobile Privacy Principles can be found at
www.gsmworld.com/mobileprivacy. Comments can be sent to [email protected].
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Press contacts:
Ben Evetts
[email protected] or [email protected]
+ 44 (0) 7879 614941
Bank-led or operator-led? Sometimes, it’s in the eye of the
beholder
By: Neil Davidson: January 24th, 2011
Banks and operators have come together in a wide variety of configurations in order to offer mobile money for
the unbanked. In our research for “Mapping and Effectively Structuring Operator-Bank Relationships to Offer
Mobile Money for the Unbanked” we found that the vast majority of mobile money for the unbanked services
are operated in large part by mobile operators, who contract with banks to carry out particular functions, like
float holding.
After float holding, operators are most likely to turn to banks to handle license acquisition, regulatory engagement, and compliance. This is because in many jurisdictions, mobile operators are not allowed by their central
bank to acquire a payments or e-money license themselves. Instead, they ask a bank to secure the relevant
regulatory approvals, and then operate under that approval. It makes sense to turn to a bank to take on this
role, since banks already have a banking license, a relationship with the regulator, and an existing compliance
function.
But here’s the confusing part….
From a commercial perspective, the bank in this example can be thought of a supplier of regulatory functions
(engagement, license acquisition, and compliance) to the mobile operator. But from a regulator’s perspective,
the image is reversed: he is likely to view the bank in this situation as the party which has outsourced a set of
operational activities required for running a mobile money service to the operator. And he’s likely to think of
the service as “bank-led”, even if, from a commercial perspective, it’s the operator that’s performing most of
the activities in the mobile money value chain, making business decisions, and taking the financial risk of offering mobile money.
This arrangement is quite common. But that doesn’t mean it’s particularly well liked, by operators, banks, or
even regulators.
- At least one operator we spoke to has found its aspirations to extend the functionality of its mobile money
service foiled by the bank holding its payments licence; the bank, fearing that the new functionality (bulk
payments) would encroach on one of its existing business lines, declined to propose the new functionality to
the regulator.
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- Banks are not accustomed to performing license acquisition, regulatory engagement, and compliance for a
service that will be operated by another entity; when a bank acquires a banking license, it generally intends to
conduct core banking operations itself. This is not the case when a bank secures a license so that another
company (the operator) can offer customers a mobile money service, and this arrangement can cause strains.
For example, banks are justifiably nervous about putting their reputation with their regulator on the line by extending their regulatory umbrella to include a mobile operator, one which may not have the same perspective
on and processes for enforcing an anti-money laundering policy.
- Regulators can be left without a clear understanding of risks entailed in a mobile money service if they lack
direct oversight of its operations, which can sometimes occur when the service is, practically speaking, run by a
mobile operator and not the license holder.
These problems are eliminated in jurisdictions where mobile operators are eligible for direct licensing by regulators—not as banks, but as payment service providers or e-money issuers. In these countries, the same entity that
owns the service from a commercial perspective holds the license to operate from the relevant financial authority.
MTN Denied 3G License in Swaziland
By: Simon Davies | 28th Jan 2011: 12:10pm
MTN has had its application for a 3G license in Swaziland rejected by the local telecoms network, the Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC), which also managed the regulatory regime in the
country.
The phone company come regulator did not say why the license was rejected. MTN's CEO, Ambrose Dlamini
had said last year that the company was at an advanced stage in negotiations for a 3G license and had
hoped to be awarded the license by the end of last year.
MTN has been lobbying for an independent regulator for some years, saying that the combination of phone
company and regulator causes obvious conflicts of interest. As we reported last year, MTN dropped its objection to SPTC building a fixed wireless network, in exchange for the government pressing ahead with splitting the
phone company from its regulatory role.
SPTC is also the majority shareholder of MTN Swaziland with 51% of the shares. Of the remainder, 30% is owned
by South Africa's MTN and 19% by the local Swaziland Empowerment group.
On the web: Swazi Observer
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Cell Block - Mobile Payments: Transacting, Transferring, &
Banking With Your Phone
Christine Persaud
Published: 01/21/2011 09:06:59 AM EST in Cellular / Wireless
0 comments
My experience paying for goods at retail is very different today
than it was 10, and even five years ago. Now, instead of watching the cashier swipe my VISA card, waiting for a paper receipt,
signing it, and handing it back to her so she can attach a copy to
the transaction receipt and place her copy in the register, I'm
asked to insert my chip-enabled card into the bottom of a pay
terminal, punch in a four-digit PIN code, then wait for authorization and a receipt. It's quicker, easier, and cashiers don't need to
worry about pens running out of ink, or having to verify questionable signatures.
But it wasn't an easy, nor a quick, transition. I recall shopping on, of all days, Boxing Day last year, right around
the time when retailers were switching over to chip readers. Since I rarely had to use it, I forgot my PIN number,
entered the wrong code one too many times, and got locked out of the system. Off I went to the closest
branch of my financial institution to reset the code and try again. Today, a good chunk of retailers are now
accepting chip payments, and I've used my PIN code enough times to have it engrained in my brain.
We're bound to see the same slow-but-steady progression toward mobile contactless payments, which allow
shoppers to pay for items by simply holding a mobile phone equipped with something called Near Field Communications (NFC) technology up close to a similar-looking (and often the same, but slightly modified) payment terminal to trigger a transaction. You might already be familiar with the process through things like Visa
payWave and MasterCard PayPass cards and/or key fobs used at spots like convenience stores and gas stations.
Soon, we'll see these cards and fobs replaced by mobile phones. But already, we're seeing them supplemented by handsets. In addition to mobile payment trails that have taken place in Canada by major wireless
carriers like Bell and Rogers, we're now seeing what the industry calls "bridge solutions" come into play. The most
common type is an adhesive sticker that contains the person's banking information, and can be affixed to the
back of a mobile phone to allow contactless payments to be made. We've also seen initiatives like mobile
banking apps for accessing account information on a smartphone; and services like Zoompass, which serves as
a mobile middleman for money transfers.
The ultimate goal is, of course, to make the entire payment experience mobile: storing all of your cards, banking information, gift certificates, and even coupons, into a virtual "wallet." But the road to that reality is not
without blocks, interim solutions, and plenty of preparation.
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Until NFC technology is built into more mobile phones, Zoompass has developed a contactless payment tag
that affixes to the back of a mobile phone to facilitate payments with a handset through a Zoompass account.
Developments in Mobile Payments
Consider the idea of the mobile wallet as being comparable to the concept of cloud computing, where all of
your pay-related information is stored in one spot, just like you store all kinds of files, folders, and data in one,
Web-accessible portal in the "cloud." As noted, it's not just about mobile payments, per se, but mobile transacting as a whole; from redeeming coupons and participating in retailer loyalty programs, to paying bills and
checking your account status.
While we're not completely there just yet, the industry has made some major strides over the past 18 months.
Mobile Payment Trials
Several mobile payment trials took place in Canada over the past two years. Rogers, along with Visa and RBC,
conducted a trial in downtown Toronto that ended in October 2009, and used a Motorola SLVR phone with an
NFC-equipped SIM card. The test involved a select number of participants who could make $25 and under
purchases at partner retailers with Visa payWave terminals which, most recently include names like Petro Canada, Subway, Second Cup, The Jean Coutu Group, Country Style, and Coffee Time.
"The trial went well," declares Derek Colfer, Business Leader, Global Mobile Product Innovation at Visa Canada.
"It highlighted the potential, as well as people's appetite for this."
The trial did shed light on some issues in the process, though, especially in relation to retailer education (or
rather lack thereof.) More on this later.
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Derek Colfer, Business Leader, Global Mobile Product Innovation, Visa Canada: "There are so many folks in the
value chain that it will take time to come to market. It took about seven years to get [chip cards] going. You
add two more members in the chain; mobile operators and handset makers; and it will take some time."
Bell, MasterCard, and CitiCard also held a trial that closed in April 2009. A select number of employees from the
firms were given an NFC-equipped phone that could be used to make purchases at select MasterCard PayPass terminals. Purchases were capped at $50 each, but MasterCard found that the average hovered around
the $20 range.
Last year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain in early February saw its first-ever NFC trial. Maaged by
the GSMA, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Telefonica, and Visa, along with Giesecke & Devrient, Ingenico, ITN
International, and La Caixa, the initiative saw more than 400 guests receive NFC-enabled Samsung handsets
that were pre-loaded with 60-75 Euros that they could use to buy food and drinks at various merchants within
the convention centre during the trade show.
And late last year, Interac announced that we'd see Interac Flash contactless debit payment cards come to
market by this summer. Through a partnership with Scotiabank and RBC, the Flash cards will work with compatible readers to allow customers to pay for small ticket items through debit by simply holding the card up to
the terminal.
A trial already took place last year in Toronto, and Jeff van Duynhoven, President, TD Merchant Services, says
that retailers viewed the technology as a "value-added innovation that they can rely on to help improve their
business operations and customer experience."
"Interac Flash is a welcome and needed addition to the Canadian retail marketplace," adds Diane J. Brisebois,
President & CEO of Retail Council of Canada. "Merchants will now be able to provide customers with a faster
and more convenient check-out experience while reducing the costs of handling cash. Interac Flash is also an
economical payment solution, providing a win-win for merchants and their customers across Canada."
According to Interac, $90 billion in cash payments are made for purchases under $20, which means that small
ticket payments represent a major growth area for the payment industry, and especially for debit. With contactless technology, this adds another level of convenience. The company claims that the Flash technology
will employ the same EMV standards for security as Chip-based cards, and there will still be the same zero liability policy.
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MasterCard's NFC adhesive mobile tag for the BlackBerry contains the user's banking information, and allows
the person to hold his phone up to a compatible payment terminal to trigger a transaction, just like with an
NFC-enabled PayPass card or key fob. It is considered a "bridge" solution to mobile payments, getting consumers comfortable with paying by mobile phone.
There's still no word, however, on how Interac will incorporate mobiles into the experience. But Allen Wright,
Vice President of Products at Interac Association Corp., told me last year that mobile devices would be included in the equation, and that he hoped to see a mobile application by this year or next.
Rogers' trial, as noted above, included a SIM card-based NFC setup, but many point to NFC technology being
built right into mobile phones as being the ultimate goal. But, as is the case with Interac and Zoompass, physical cards still remain an important part of the equation.
Until handset manufacturers fully jump on board, companies continue to find interim solutions to test the waters
with consumers.
"Bridge" Tags
"Bridge" technologies, meant to test the waters before we jump full force into mobile payments, come in many
forms, but one of the most common is an adhesive "tag" that can be affixed to a phone. The tag contains the
person's banking information, and can be held up to a compatible pay terminal to complete a transaction. It's
clearly not the ideal solution, but it gets customers used to the idea of taking out their cell phones and placing
them up to a reader to complete a transaction.
As part of its second mobile trial in Canada, MasterCard developed a mobile tag for the BlackBerry (in partnership with Bank of Montreal) in late 2009. The adhesive tag affixes to the back of a BlackBerry smartphone to
facilitate MasterCard PayPass contactless payment capability. The Mobile Tag contains the same chip and
antenna found in a regular PayPass card, with the addition of special material to reduce interference between
the Mobile Tag and the phone to which it is attached.
It adheres overtop the battery compartment of the phone and, contains all the same security features as a
credit card, including encryption of the PayPass radio frequency transaction transmissions, as well as security
via the MasterCard payment system. It cannot be easily removed, and can work through cell phone skins and
cases.
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Rather than go the adhesive tag route, Visa has licensed an iPhone case from a company called DeviceFidelity that wraps around the Apple smartphone and works in tandem with an In2Pay microSD card to facilitate
contactless payments.
Using the PayPass-equipped BlackBerries, those in the trial could make purchases at thousands of PayPass
merchants across Canada. An e-mail "receipt" was sent to the phone to confirm each transaction, including
the amount, retailer, and date, via MasterCard's inControl system. The e-mail arrives almost instantaneously,
Scott Lapstra, Vice President, Market Development at MasterCard Canada, told me at that time. "Any time I've
used it, I get an e-mail within one minute.
"Consumers have embraced mobile applications, and we expect this new trial to have a significant impact on
the way goods and services are paid for at the point of sale in the future," he added.
A total of 200 people participated in the four-month trial, and Lapstra estimated at the time that a consumerlevel trial would take place by late this year. Once available, a consumer would likely obtain the tag through
his bank, who would send the person's e-mail address to MasterCard inControl to ensure that transaction confirmations are successfully sent to the person's phone.
While MasterCard is keeping future plans close to its chest, the company did allude to a direct collaboration
with Research in Motion/BlackBerry and Android on mobile payments that is TBA.
Zoompass, an initiative from a company called Enstream, which was created through a collaboration among
Bell, Rogers, and Telus, began as solely a mobile money transfer service, allowing customers to connect a free
Zoompass account (set up online at www.zoompass.com) with a bank account or MasterCard PayPass account, then transfer money to, and receive money from, other Zoompass users through a complementary mobile phone app. There was a contactless payment component, but that required a Zoompass-enabled
MasterCard. But the company has always employed a three-pronged approach, aimed at facilitating remote
and proximity-based payments as well.
In early March of this year, Zoompass developed its version of a contactless tag. It consists of a 43 x 33 mm
sticker that affixes to the back of a mobile phone, and contains all of a user's Zoompass account information.
Hold the Tag up to a compatible contactless payment terminal, and the required funds will automatically be
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deducted from the Zoompass account. The Zoompass Tag can be used at most contactless payment-ready
locations, including those found at retailers like Tim Hortons, McDonalds, Petro Canada, and Loblaws.
Robin Dua, President, Enstream LP (parent to the Zoompass brand): Some retailers have not done a good job
of integrating and enforcing proper integration standards...The reader may be coiled up in a corner, a certain
distance from the customer so he has to ask for it in order to pay...That is a major hindrance to widespread
adoption."
The account holder's personal financial information is stored on a secure server, which means that even if the
phone is lost or stolen, the person is not at risk. Using the complementary Zoompass mobile phone application,
users can monitor account activity, like a history of withdrawals, current balance, and recent transactions.
But there's a catch: to get the sticker, users would also have to sign on for a MasterCard Zoompass contactless
payment card (yes, the physical card.) This is because the chip in the card and the chip in the Tag need to
correlate with one another. This means that right now, the tag can be viewed more like a secondary card that
a bank might offer for a spouse or family member versus a method of payment on its own. More so than anything, however, the requirement also makes it clear that we aren't quite ready to rid ourselves completely of
the plastic just yet.
Zoompass' trial is set to run until the end of this year, and works with a variety of devices, including the iPhone,
BlackBerry, Android phones, as well as some Java-based handsets. While official results haven't yet been determined, Robin Dua, President, says anecdotally that consumers do indeed prefer transacting with their
phones. Some ideas for improvement have already come to the surface as well, like the need to improve the
way notifications are received to confirm purchases, and adding the ability to view one's account balance as
part of each transaction.
Beyond that, Zoompass has also extended the money transfer side of its business this year, bringing us one step
closer to the mobile wallet. The company partnered with Western Union to facilitate international money transfers. Now, Zoompass users can send and receive money to and from more than 200 countries around the world
through several financial institution and mobile operator partnerships. "That means a customer could have
funds directly deposited into a mobile account in the Philippines," Dua gives as an example. "We're hoping," he
adds, "to continue doing more with Western Union in other countries."
The DeviceFidelity microSD Card iPhone Case
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Rather than go the tag route, which Colfer says poses challenges for customers (more on this below), Visa has
certified a patent-pending case from a Richardson, TX-based company called DeviceFidelity, Inc. that wraps
around the iPhone, and works in tandem with a removeable In2Pay microSD card to afford the ability to make
contactless Visa payments at compatible terminals. All the customer needs to do is wave his phone in front of
the payment terminal.
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Zoompass began as a mobile money transfer service, allowing customers to transfer money by using a mobile
application and a partner Zoompass account. This year, Zoompass forged a partnership with Western Union to
allow for international money transfers by phone.
The case is meant to stay on the iPhone, and comes with its own microUSB port so customers can charge the
phone while it's still housed in the In2Pay casing.
"With the microSD method in 2011," says Colfer, "we can expose people to the idea of mobile payments, and
work from there. It's not always on," he adds, "you have to activate it through a PIN code." It connects to a
debit and/or credit card, and, once the owner has activated the In2Pay app by swiping his finger along the
iPhone's screen, the payment function remains active for 10 seconds to
complete the purchase. "At the end of the day," Colfer explains, "you
have zero liability, just like with a credit card."
Trials with the DeviceFidelity case began in the latter part of 2010; and
Colfer says we can expect to see the accessory actually hit the market
some time in 2011, with pricing to be announced.
"Lots of issuers are interested in it," he adds, noting that it would be the
banks themselves that provide the cases to customers, not retailers. "So
it depends on them."
Colfer says Visa opted to go this route instead of using a tag because it doesn't affect the aesthetics of the
device itself. He also poses another potential drawback with tags: "When you place a tag on the device, you
automatically flag the device as mobile payment-enabled, which could increase the likelihood of potential
theft."
Visa isn't stopping at the iPhone case, though. Colfer says the credit card company is looking at paymentenabling other devices, whether it be through a case, a microSD card, and/or built-in NFC technology. The
company has more developments in mobile payments coming down the pipe as well, but unfortunately, those
remain under wraps for now. All Colfer will say is that "2011 will be interesting."
Published: 01/21/2011 09:06:59 AM EST in Cellular / Wireless
0 comments
The Integrated Model is the Goal
Most, of course, believe that the ultimate solution will see NFC technology built right into phones. The goal is to
afford a seamless look, feel, and payment experience that promotes ease-of-use, and convenience for both
the customer and the retailer.
While the SIM card route is a nice interim solution, not every device will be able to support a SIM card for NFC.
For example, the design of phones with the SIM card positioned underneath the battery would impede the
direct contact to the NFC terminal. "The right model is to embed NFC chips in the phones," opines Dua.
MasterCard agrees, citing the logical path for payments as having begun at the physical card, moving to the
contactless keyfob, followed by the tag, then the microSD card (which the company calls the "semiintegrated" approach). But the company sees it finally reaching the fully integrated model.
Nokia, which has always been at the forefront of the mobile payment industry, has openly declared that all, if
not most, of its handsets delivered next year will come with NFC chips built in. In fact, the company's new C7
smartphone, which operates on the Symbian platform and boasts advanced features like an 8MP digital camera, 3.5" AMOLED screen, and tightly integrated social networking, already has an NFC chip built into it. The
company says the chip will be activated come 2011. Still, this may not directly benefit Canada.
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"Nokia doesn't have huge marketshare in Canada," Dua advises. But he does see devices coming to market in
Canada by the middle of next year. "Within a year, you'll see a lot of them being promoted," he predicts.
Mobile Banking Apps Paving the Way for Tighter Integration
Financial institutions are at the hub of the mobile wallet really taking shape. But they've also taken major steps
on the mobile banking side to allow customers to access their banking information via a smartphone app, and
do things like pay bills or transfer funds, just like they would through a teller, ATM, telephone banking system, or
Internet.
TD Bank is one of several banks in Canada to launch a mobile app where clients can do things like check account balances, transfer funds, and pay bills through a compatible handset.
TD bank is heavily involved in this space, having launched a banking app for the iPhone in April 2010, followed
by versions for the BlackBerry and Android platforms this past summer. The free app allows customers to manage their accounts using a mobile phone, including paying bills, checking account balances, and locating a
nearby bank branch or ATM in both Canada and the U.S.The app also has a component for business users,
allowing small business customers to log in and view a consolidated portfolio of their accounts, pay bills, view
account histories, and transfer money between accounts.
Using the app, customers can also instantly connect with a TD Waterhouse Investment Representative or insurance specialist for quotes on home, auto, life, and health insurance. Additionally, the app includes an Accident Toolkit and a Notepad to record details in the event of an automobile accident.
All TD mobile apps use 128-bit encryption to protect personal account information and transactions. Even more
comforting is the fact that customers are protected by the Online Security Guarantee, which provides 100%
reimbursement to customers in the event they experience a loss from an EasyWeb or WebBroker transaction
they did not authorize.
CIBC was actually the first bank in Canada to launch a mobile banking app, beginning with the iPhone version
in February of this year. And the financial institution touts having the most popular banking app in the country.
The CIBC app allows for performing basic functions like checking an account balance, reviewing a recent history of transactions, setting up future transactions, paying bills, and transferring funds. But customers can also
do things like send Interac e-mail money transfers; and, with the iPhone version, connect to the device's GPS to
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locate the nearest branches or ATMs. A version is also available through the BlackBerry App World; owners of
other devices can visit cibc.mobi.com to see if there's a compatible version.
Another financial institution that has jumped on the mobile application bandwagon is ING Direct, which has an
app for the BlackBerry, iPhone (and iPad), and Android platforms, along with a mobile Website
(m.ingdirect.ca). Customers can locate the closest Exchange Network ATMs through the app, check account
balances, review transactions, transfer funds, buy and sell Streetwise Funds, and get directions and hours of
operation to ING Direct Safe Your Money cases. Adding a social networking component, users can also connect with the company through Twitter.
What's the Hold Up?
The benefits to mobile payments for all involved in the value chain are plentiful, and range from increasing
data usage and thus revenue for mobile carriers, to upping the number of purchases made from credit and
debit cards, increasing the number and speed of transactions for retailers, to adding value to the overall mobile phone ownership experience for the customer.
Mobile payments have been several years in the making, so what's taking so long, many ask? The answer is
both simple and complicated.
"There are so many folks in the value chain," explains Visa's Colfer, "that it will take time to come to market. The
chain is extensive and long."
Indeed, when you're talking about the payment industry, you need to consider everyone from the mobile
phone manufacturers, to the wireless carriers, the financial institutions and credit card providers, and even industry watchdogs.
Colfer uses Visa chip-enabled cards, which are only now becoming mainstream in the market, as a perfect
analogy. "It took about seven years to get that going. You add two more members in the chain; mobile operators and handset makers; and it will take some time."
Speaking of chip cards, in a way, they may have helped pave the way for mobile payments.
"NFC readers are already in 13 of the top 15 retailers in Canada," explains Enstream's Dua. "They already have
terminals with contactless payment chips in them. The standards are identical."
It comes down, however, to the financial institutions.
"In Canada, it's going to be led by the banks," confirmed Matthew Talbot from SyBase at a panel discussion
during the Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto, ON earlier this year. "But they are aggressive, and they are
moving quickly. Look at CIBC."
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Despite how far we've come with mobile payments, physical cards still have a long way to go before they
reach obsolescence.
Michael O'Farrell from the Mobile Marketing Association, argued during that same panel discussion, however,
that Canada is already a leader in mobile commerce.
"Buying a ringtone or game [through a mobile phone] is technically mobile commerce," he clarifies. "Or sending donations through SMS. It isn't all about NFC. Canada is a leader in understanding how to leverage that
strategy."
Naturally, Dua feels that what the industry needs is a catalyst that can coordinate discussions among the
groups involved.
"We represent 95 per cent of the wireless market via the three largest carriers," he confirms. "We also have a
history of cooperation among the banks, Visa, Interac, and that's helpful in determining what that collaborative
model will look like. We will be an important catalyst in driving adoption in a significant way."
Security, Liability & Retail Concerns
There's so much more that needs to be taken into consideration, though, than just having the necessary groups
collaborate and work as a cohesive unit toward the common goal of the mobile wallet.
As part of the aforementioned mobile payments panel discussion, PriceWaterHouseCoopers' Brenda Eprile,
pointed out some of the risks and considerations that need to be ironed out before the industry really moves
ahead with mobile payments.
The most obvious relates to security and fraud protection; an issue that some of the players are all too familiar
with when we made the transition to Internet banking. Then, there are issues of consumer privacy protection;
as well as the potential for cannibalization of existing retail sales and financial services.
"What about kids with phones?" she asks. "Parental control over commercial activities is necessary," and this is
especially so if the NFC chip in a mobile phone is activated for the youngster.
When it comes to handling complaints, and dealing with restitution, who will pay, for example, if someone uses
your phone illegally and racks up a bunch of purchases? With credit cards, you would be covered. Will this
same standard extend to mobile devices? What's more, standard practice today is to disclose one's cell phone
number almost as if it's public knowledge. With mobile commerce, customers may need to get used to treating
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their mobile numbers more like credit card numbers. This, naturally, will require significant behavourial changes
for consumers.
Then there are contractual obligations: what if a consumer doesn't want to pay his cell phone bill because he
disputes a transaction made with his phone?
There are also issues with money laundering: mobile transactions are typically those under $1,000, which makes
them tougher to track. "We need fairly sophisticated systems to do analytics and determine if there are problems like terrorist financing," explains Eprile. Another issue is called "smurfing," where thieves open various accounts, deposit $999 into each one every day, then wire transfer them to offshore accounts. "We need a system to detect and shut down this illicit activity," she adds. With mobile banking, smurfing could escalate into an
even bigger issue than it already is.
Then, there are consumer-level concerns relating to many of these same security-related points. In fact, a recent study conducted by KPMG International even found that 63% of Canadians are "very concerned" about
privacy in conducting banking transactions or shopping through mobile phones. Only 19% of Canadians said
they were comfortable using a mobile phone for financial transactions.
"These consumer concerns over privacy and security are pivotal to the continued adoption of e-commerce
and mobile commerce," says Brendan Maher, National Industry Leader of KPMG's Information, Communications & Entertainment practice. "Companies that implement robust policies and safeguards, and provide for full
disclosure of these measures, are likely to reap the rewards through enhanced customer attraction and retention."
Typically, Interac debit payments are made by swiping or inserting a card into a terminal and entering a fourdigit PIN code. With Interac Flash technology, which will be implemented in 2011, customers will be able to
hold a Flash-capable debit card up to a reader to trigger a contactless payment.
As Colfer confirms, though, when people first hear any concept, they are liable to have concerns.
"The consumer needs to be comfortable with it," echoes Dua. "It's no different from using an ATM or Internet."
That just makes it all the more important that customers are reassured about the level of protection with mobile
payments, and that it rivals Internet or telephone banking, or even physical cards.
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"I would argue," declares Dua, "that mobile payments would be more secure than a card. Even with a chip
and PIN card, people make online purchases. It can be more secure than what's in market today.
"It's about bringing convenience to the customer," Dua adds. "And some banks see mobile payments as an
extension of that."
"We have a high population base that has a bank account and has a mobile phone," Colfer continues. "So
there's tons of potential there."
On the retailer level, concerns extend to things like cell phone "spam:" what will be the rules surrounding sending things like coupons, advertisements, and instant messages to shoppers' cell phones? (More on this topic
below.) And for wireless carriers, issues range from dealing with the inevitable increase in data usage and thus
bandwidth requirements as more and more consumers transact through mobile phones (although this could
also conversely be a good thing for revenue generation); to handling customer care and support calls relating
to mobile transactions, employing strong credit monitoring processes; dealing with liability and customer complaints.
At the front end of the retail experience, it's important that staff have the necessary knowledge on how to encourage, facilitate, and process these payments. And from what industry members have seen thus far, this isn't
always the case. According to Dua, the point-of-sale experience with current contactless payment initiatives
has not lived up to the vision of faster transactions.
"Some retailers have not done a good job of integrating and enforcing proper integration standards," says Enstream's Dua. "Have you ever been to Rabba Fine Foods?" he asks me. "They are the perfect example of how
not to deploy contactless payments. The reader may be coiled up in a corner, a certain distance from the
customer so he has to ask for it in order to pay. Then the clerk has to uncoil it, place it on the counter, and by
then, it's taken too long.
"And the user experience is inconsistent at other retailers," he continues. "If you go to some Tim Horton's locations, you have to tell the clerk to activate the reader. You should be able to wave and transact without having to say anything."
As for how to successfully deploy the contactless experience, Dua cites Petro Canada gas stations as a good
example.
"Retailers need to do a much better job in enforcing a better user experience," Dua urges. "That is a major hindrance [to widespread adoption.]"
Visa's Colfer agrees. "We need to highlight and educate the front line staff. They are used to the customer pulling out a credit card or cash [to pay]."
This new system, in other words, is just as new to the salesperson as it might be to the customer.
It's clear, then, that making mobile payments a reality isn't just an issue being held up by the mobile phone
manufacturers, as many would like to believe. While several companies would be willing and able to build NFC
chips into phones (indeed, the cost to do so hovers around $2-$5 per handset, Dua estimates, and would likely
become even more affordable as mass production begins), the demand and services need to be there to
justify taking on this cost.
But the good news is that Canadian banks and other providers have a history of working successfully with one
another, and of being active with the latest technologies.
"Canada has a lot of extremely innovative banks," confirms Colfer. "There's tons of potential."
"The model in many other parts of the world is closed, with single bank systems," explains Dua. "There's a collaborative model in Canada."
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The Future: The Mobile Wallet
Currently, the mobile commerce market is focused on letting consumers pay for relatively small ticket items, like
bus tickets, convenience store goods, or even fast food restaurant bills, using an NFC-enabled mobile phone,
tag, microSD card, or whatever other format is available. The industry is also looking at initiatives like mobile
transfers of funds from one account to another (through services like Zoompass), as well as the ability to access
a bank account through smartphone apps from financial institutions like CIBC and TD. But the future of mcommerce will far surpass these basic monetary transactional abilities.
Mobile payments will, in the future, leverage location-based service, explains Visa's Colfer.
Enstream has always touted the goal of helping to facilitate the "mobile wallet" as a whole, not just mobile
money transfers and payments.
"There are opportunities in Canada for mobile operators to get together with banks to create an open wallet
ecosystem," opines Dua. "The phone you have will support payments, and the card you have will be able to
work with that phone. The industry groups can come together for the benefit of the consumer."
As noted, Dua extends that concept from credit and debit cards to also retailer loyalty programs, like Aeroplan, redeeming gift cards and checking their balances, and even using mobile coupons. In essence, a single
interface that aggregates all of the accounts for which you might currently use cards. Zoompass is already
working on a system for retailers that would allow customers to link loyalty and reloadable cards to the virtual
wallet. While they'd still need the physical card to present to the salesperson at the counter, the Zoompass app
could be used to do things like check the card's balance, or top up its amount.
Canada is reportedly ahead of many other countries in terms of deploying contactless payments per capita.
But countries like South Korea, Japan, and France have already made major strides in implementing the necessary technologies.
Indeed, we've already seen retailers like Future Shop, Best Buy, and Canadian Tire, develop their own shopping
apps from mobile platforms. But Dua sees this going a few steps further.
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"You'll be able to scan a barcode of a product in the store," he describes, "and see who in the area is selling it
cheaper; or you can instantly order it online.
"Coupons," he continues, "will shift from paper to the mobile device. You'll be able to see offers within a certain
radius, and redemption will be integrated into the same ‘wave and pay' process."
MasterCard adds that coupons could be specifically targeted to the shopper, offering higher discounts on
items that they're more likely to buy. From a retailer standpoint, this also reduces the cost to create, distribute,
and manage paper coupons.
Naturally, there's also an opportunity to integrate things like mobile advertising and social networking into the
experience, affording a multi-faceted system that adds even more value for consumers.
And it appears that Canada is already a leader on this front: Dua says that the Great White North is ahead of
many other countries in terms of contactless payment deployment per capita. "I think we're going to be further
ahead of some," he says, "in terms of embracing global standards," with the exception of countries like South
Korea, Japan, and France. But, he admits that we still have a long way to go.
"There has been an aggressive push by the banks to get more readers out there," he adds. "And the phone is
coming next year. We'll really push that. But cards will be around for a long time."
Dua goes on, looking even further into the future. "You'll start to see a greater importance on location-based
data. Say you walk by a store you like and you want to be alerted to special offers. You can trigger coupons to
be pushed to the phone." Such systems already exist, in fact. For example, a company called iSign in Canada
makes transmitting devices that can be placed in stores and communicate with consumers' phones via Bluetooth. Once a phone comes in contact with the iSign device (and Bluetooth is turned on) the customer can
receive an advertising message or coupon. The system is entirely permission-based, which means consumers
only receive messages from companies they want to hear from.
Other forms of transactions can come into play as well. Imagine being notified by mobile phone when your
parking meter is about to expire so you can run outside and top it up?
"Through femtocells," Dua adds, "you could walk through an aisle at Loblaws and, depending on where exactly
you are, a certain company could trigger an offer."
In fact, many of these functionalities are already available on a smaller scale basis. But we're far from this becoming a part of the mainstream retailing experience.
Spam won't be an issue, Colfer adds, because mobile marketing in Canada is strictly permission-based, companies are cognizant of the fact that mobile marketing won't go "the way of the Internet. "But," he continues,
"the more intelligence you layer in, the more you'll see uptake in the technology."
"The phone," predicts Dua, "will be the central device for e-commerce. NFC and mobile payments will become
so commonplace that we won't even think about it. I predict cards will eventually go away. The phone will be
more secure, and will be smarter."
Indeed, today I'm more likely to hear someone say he forgot his wallet at home than his mobile phone. The
mobile phone is an integral part of the daily experience. And the more tasks that small, yet smart, device can
perform, the more convenient, practical, and important it will become to the consumer. And that is a great
thing for our industry.
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The ideal goal is to see every mobile phone come with an NFC chip built right into it. Some companies are already making major strides toward this. Nokia's C7, shown here with the company's Sr. V.P. of Smartphones Jo
Harlow, has an NFC chip in it that will be activated come 2011.
Marwan Mabrouk: « Il n'y aura aucun changement
dans le capital d’Orange Tunisie »
France Telecom qui possède 49% d’Orange Tunisie, deuxième opérateur privé en Tunisie et
dont le solde étant détenu par le tunisien Marwan Mabrouk, s’inquiète aujourd’hui sur sa
situation.
Or dans une interview accordée à Challenges, Marwan Mabrouk, l'homme d'affaires tunisien a fait savoir qu’ «il
n'y aura aucun changement dans le capital d’Orange Tunisie», expliquant qu'il est séparé de sa femme depuis
un an et qu'il n'a rien à voir avec les malversations de la famille Trabelsi.
Marwan Mabrouk, qui possède aussi avec ses frères les franchises de Géant et de Monoprix, a indiqué en
d’autres termes que depuis lundi, 17 janvier 2011, il est à son bureau à Tunis et que le gouvernement de transition lui a assuré qu'il ne figurerait pas sur la liste des personnes recherchées.
Il peut en tout cas compter sur le soutien de Stéphane Richard, directeur général de France télécom qui explique que son groupe s'est implanté en mai 2010 en Tunisie dans les règles, et que les 130 millions d'euros versés pour l'achat de la licence l'ont été à l'Etat tunisien, et pas à l'entourage de l'ex-président.
Ce dernier a fait savoir par conséquent que les Mabrouk n'ont rien à voir avec les Trabelsi, et qu'ils sont un partenaire respectable dans les affaires depuis 1948, c'est-à-dire bien avant la présidence Ben Ali. Bref, pour
Orange, il n'y a rien de neuf à Tunis, et il n'est pas surtout pas question de remettre en cause sa licence.
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Pour rappel, France Telecom se charge actuellement de surveiller les liaisons fixe, Internet et mobile entre la
France et la Tunisie afin que les clients en France puissent communiquer sans problèmes avec la Tunisie.
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