Table des matières. Construction du nouveau siège de la Sonatel : La première pierre posée

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1 Semaine 47 du 22 au 28 novembre 2010 N 149 Table des matières Orascom sells Tunisiana stake for $1.2 bln Postbank enters race for money transfer market Tunisie : Tunisiana valorisée à 3,4 milliards de dinars Construction du nouveau siège de la Sonatel : La première pierre posée Le paiement sur mobile, alternative à la carte de crédit? Africa: Seizing the Opportunity of Mobile Technology for Health and Medicine Kenya: Press Releases: Airtel and Nokia Launch KES1,850 Handset Offer Airtel Launches Brand Across its Operations in Africa The heat is on for operators in Africa s mobile space Orascom Telecom Rebrands Namibian Cell One as Leo, Other Units to Follow Telecommunication-Nigeria: Multi-links telkom quits CDMA operations Télécommunications: Bharti Airtel s'implante au Ghana Zain Malawi finally rebrands to Airtel La Fondation Bill Gates appuie M-Pesa en Tanzanie Visafone Nigeria leader de la technologie CDMA en Afrique Le SMS en Tunisie est parmi les moins tarifiés dans le monde arabe Tata Communications drives new investments into Africa Zain Nigeria rebranded as Airtel Nigeria Airtel unveils new brand for Zain Kenya Globacom unveils new tariff packages Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 1

2 TAXE SUR LES APPELS INTERNATIONAUX ENTRANTS: Le président Wade annule le décret Téléphonie: Qatar Telecom va acquérir la totalité de Tunisiana Five African Countries Agree to Coordinate Radio Spectrum Policies Orascom Telecom Sells 50% Stake in Tunisiana to Qtel for $1.2 Billion Telefonica to launch low cost mobile operator Le PM à la Sonatel : «Faciliter l accès aux télécoms à tous les Sénégalais» Data centres hold potential for African property developers Nigeria : important projet GSM de localisation dédié à la police Exclusive interview: The woman behind M-PESA M-PESA currently has 21,000 registered users in South Africa, Vodacom CEO Pieter Uys said in a radio interview with Moneyweb Kenya: Press Releases: Telkom Orange Receives License for KES3bn National 3G Rollout Sénégal : SONATEL, ou comment faire de la 3G sans licence Uganda's rural communication fund lauded Ghana: Funding to support mobile crop information project France Telecom Mulling Iraqi Investment Telecel Zimbabwe introduces per second billing Uganda s Mobile Tariff Competition: How Low Can You Go? Bharti Airtel to shake things up in Nigeria T-Mobile and Orange Testing Dual-Branded Retail Stores Téléphonie mobile-madagascar: Zain devient Airtel GSMA Commends Senegal s President Wade for Suspending Surtax on International Calls Didier Kla, Directeur des études et développement à OCIT : Orange ne roule pour personne Télécoms : Les graves conséquences économiques de l annulation du décret Gabon / Téléphonie mobile : Airtel affiche ses ambitions au Gabon Licences 4G : Besson veut 4 lots et un coup de pouce aux MVNO Alcatel place 500 millions d'euros d'obligations Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 2

3 L'Irak est une zone stratégique pour France Télécom Blackberry reste prisé par les entreprises France Télécom s intéresse au marché irakien Cap sur les marchés émergents Enorme scandale dans la téléphonie mobile en Inde La TV du futur vous identifie et vous propose le menu Swisscom lance l internet mobile à deux vitesses Comment financer l'internet du futur? Téléphonie: Qatar Telecom va acquérir la totalité de Tunisiana ios 4.2: la localisation de son iphone et ipad devient gratuite Licence mobile 4G : Besson veut mettre les MVNO dans le coup Free épinglé sur ses offres illimitées le gendarme des télécoms fait un pas vers les consommateurs Évolution des innovations dans les télécoms - Histoire, techniques, acteurs et enjeux Tunisie. La bataille des télécoms ne fait que commencer Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 3

4 Orascom sells Tunisiana stake for $1.2 bln By Tamara Walid and Tom Pfeiffer DUBAI - Orascom Telecom (ORTE.CA: Quote) has sold its 50 percent stake in Tunisian mobile operator Tunisiana to a Qatari-Tunisian consortium for $1.2 billion, a deal that will help repay Orascom's debts. The consortium includes Qatar Telecom's (QTEL.QA: Quote) (Qtel) Kuwaiti unit Wataniya (NMTC.KW: Quote), which already owns 50 percent of Tunisiana, the Qatari fixed line and wireless carrier said on Monday. Orascom's shares jumped 3.6 percent in early trade on Egypt's main index.egx30 after the announcement of the sale. Wataniya shares rose 2.1 percent to close at a two-year high. Proceeds will be used to cut Orascom's debt, its parent company Weather Investments said. "...the proceeds of the sale will be used in part to repay Orascom Telecom's outstanding indebtedness and will therefore reduce the amount of indebtedness that will need to be refinanced by Vimpelcom as a result of the transaction," Weather said. [ID:nWEA0935] Weather Investments -- the vehicle through which Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris controls his telecoms empire -- agreed on Oct. 4 to sell most of Orascom's assets to Russian telecoms operator Vimpelcom (VIP.N: Quote) in a potential $6.6 billion deal to create the world's fifth biggest mobile phone operator. CONSORTIUM But Sawiris has said the chances of completing the merger between his company and Vimpelcom are at best 50 percent. The deal faces hurdles in Algeria as well as regulatory issues in other countries. [ID:nLDE6A60E0] Vimpelcom's board is expected to decide on the merger at a board meeting by the end of November or mid-december. Wataniya has bought the Tunisiana stake from Orascom in a consortium led by Princesse Holding of Tunisia, Qtel said. Of the 50 percent stake, 75 percent is expected to go to Wataniya and 25 percent to Princesse Holding, subject to approval by Tunisian regulators, a source familiar with the deal told Reuters. Kuwait's National Mobile Telecoms Co (Wataniya), a 52.5 percent subsidiary of Qtel, and the consortium said it would work with Tunisian authorities to finalise the transaction and expects to close the deal with Orascom early January Qtel has expanded rapidly abroad to mitigate the loss of its monopoly after Vodafone Qatar (VFQS.QA: Quote), a unit of Britain's Vodafone (VOD.L: Quote), entered the Qatari market. Wataniya will finance its portion of the deal through a mixture of cash and debt. Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 4

5 "The deal will be financed by Wataniya. None of the proceeds from Qtel's bond issues will be used in financing the deal," a Qtel spokesman told Reuters. Qtel's had launched a $1.25 billion two-part bond issue in October. [ID:nN ] Wataniya reported in October a 44.8 percent drop in 9-month net profit. [ID:nLDE69H1F4] (Reporting by Tamara Walid; Editing by Reed Stevenson and Jane Merriman) Postbank enters race for money transfer market President Kibaki is led on an exhibition tour of PostBank historic transactions by managing director Mrs Nyambura Koigi as the bank's celebrated its 100 years on Nov 22, 2010 in Nairobi. Postbank has entered the crowded multi-billion shilling money transfer market, intensifying turf wars in the sector dominated by telecoms companies and banks. By PAUL WAFULA ( the author) Postbank has entered the crowded multi-billion shilling money transfer market, intensifying turf wars in the sector dominated by telecoms companies and banks. Postbank Express, launched on Monday, targets the domestic market. The bank is celebrating its 100 years. Last year, the firm partnered with MoneyGram International to offer money transfers within the country and internationally. The Postbank product is entering a field where other tools; PesaPal, Mama Mikes, Western Union, Ushindi mobile money, among others, are in a cut-throat competition. Telecom firms have also introduced products in the financial services sector that allow bulk remittance payments, borrowing of loans, payment of bills, salary advances, financial education, and deposits. They include Equity Bank s M-Kesho and Iko Pesa and Family Bank s Pesa Pap. Speaking during its centennial celebrations on Monday, Postbank also renewed its push to have an expanded mandate in business including starting to lend to customers, which it is not allowed to do. Kenya Post Office Savings Bank, started in 1910 as Savings Bank, is only allowed to have savers but not borrowers, meaning it cannot use deposits of over 1.3 million accounts to generate profits. Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 5

6 Figures available at the Central Bank of Kenya show that Postbank has been accumulating deposit balances standing at over Sh11 billion in December We are also keenly aware that the financial needs of our people have over time evolved due to the changing economic environment. Our potential to provide sustainable financial services for the un-banked low income individuals remains vast. We are hoping the government will allow us to start offering credit in the near future, said Postbank Board of Directors chairman Wilson Kinyua. Challenging Postbank to offer clients a full range of financial services, President Kibaki said Finance and Information and Communications ministers were exploring how the institution could offer universal postal and financial services so as to boost national savings from the current 16 per cent of GDP to 28 per cent. The President urged Kenyans to adopt the culture of saving, saying it creates a reliable foundation for sustained wealth creation. In the absence of lending business, Postbank has been expanding not only on savings products but also on channels for delivering their services. The firm has such services as cash collection, payments of salaries and pension, safe custody and has links with money transfer services. Postbank was the pioneer agent of Western Union Financial Services International in Kenya and is currently linked to over 379,000 agents worldwide. Keen to increase consumption of its products by it 1.3 million customers, it has over 658 ATMs including its own and those accessed in partnering with PesaPoint and Kenswitch. Countrywide, it has a network of 92 online branches and a further 350 outlets through an agency arrangement. Postbank has also introduced Point of Sale terminals, debit cards, and the mobile phones banking product PataCash an SMS system that allows deposits or withdraws through M-Pesa. pwafula@ke.nationmedia.com Tunisie : Tunisiana valorisée à 3,4 milliards de dinars L accord de cession des 50% du capital d Orascom Telecom Tunisie (OTT Tunisiana ) contrôlé par le groupe égyptien Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH) par le biais d Orascom Tunisia Holdings (OTuH) et Carthage Consortium, pour 1,2 milliard de dollars, valorise Tunisiana à 2,4 milliards de dollars, soit au cours actuel du dollar (1,416) à près de 3,4 milliards de dinars tunisiens. A ce prix, Naguib Sawiris estime faire une très bonne affaire, cette transaction correspond en effet à une valorisation égale à 6,7 fois l EBITDA 2009 (384 millions de dollars ou 521 millions de dinars), et il ne demanderait certainement pas mieux que d obtenir la même chose pour OTA-Djezzy, soit près de 7 milliards de dollars en appliquant le même multiple EBITDA. Sur l ensemble de l investissement OTT, le groupe OTH annonce avoir dégagé un rendement annuel de près de 40%. Pour l exercice 2009, le bénéfice net avait atteint 230 millions de dinars. Ramenée aux résultats 2009, cette valorisation correspond, également, à 3,4 fois le chiffre d affaires et près de 10 fois le bénéfice de l exercice 2009 (sur la base des chiffres consolidés publiés par OTH et par Wataniya). Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 6

7 Il faut rappeler que la licence GSM a été remportée par Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH) pour la somme de 454 millions de dollars et payée en deux fois en mai 2002 et en septembre Le prix de cession avait alors été jugé comme étant exceptionnel compte tenu des prix observés dans d autres pays. L alliance Qtel - Princesse Holding Un accord en deux temps, OTH signe un accord de cession en cash de la totalité de sa participation dans OTT-Tunisiana à Qatar Telecom ; de son côté, Qtel conclut, via sa filiale Wataniya, un accord avec un consortium tunisien mené par Princess Holding dirigée par Mohamed Sakher El Materi pour le rachat de ces 50% d OTH. Pour l instant, officiellement, aucune précision sur la répartition de cette participation entre Wataniya et le consortium tunisien ainsi que sur la composition du consortium. Pourquoi vendre et acheter Tunisiana? Avec les péripéties de l affaire Djezzy en Algérie, le groupe Orascom Telecom Holding est, depuis plusieurs mois, à la recherche de solutions pour faire face aux besoins en liquidités de son groupe. Jusqu à il y a deux ans, Orascom Telecom Algérie (OTA-Djezzy) assurait, en effet, une part importante des flux de trésorerie du groupe (400 à 500 millions de dollars par an selon la presse algérienne). Son alliance avec le groupe russe Vimpelcom ne semblant pas changé la donne pour les autorités algériennes qui restent décidées à récupérer Djezzy. Ainsi et en moins de trois ans, OTA a subi deux redressements fiscaux pour 600 millions de dollars (exercices ) et 230 millions de dollars pour les exercices , sans compter les difficultés rencontrées au niveau de l exploitation. L expérience algérienne du groupe égyptien, l impossibilité pour OTH d avoir le contrôle de Tunisiana (il avait bien essayé par le passé de racheter les 50% de Wataniya sans succès), et une réaction plutôt défavorable des autorités tunisiennes à l annonce de son alliance avec Vimpelcom, ont probablement fini par le convaincre de céder sa participation à un prix, selon Naguib Sawiris lui-même, qui reste très favorable. Pour Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Thani, président du groupe Qtel, le renforcement de la position du groupe dans le capital de l opérateur tunisien est conforme à la stratégie du groupe qui vise à se positionner parmi les 20 premières entreprises de télécommunications dans le monde, et considère que le prix d achat convenu avec OTH est un bon prix. Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 7

8 Ce qui pourrait changer Au niveau du management, Qtel via sa filiale Wataniya connaît très bien la maison Tunisiana, étant actionnaire à hauteur de 50% depuis le début et a accompagné de l intérieur l évolution de l entreprise. L augmentation de sa part dans le capital va lui permettre de renforcer son contrôle sur la gestion d OTT et développer plus facilement les synergies avec les autres filiales du groupe. Sur un autre plan, la direction de Qtel estime que cette alliance avec des partenaires locaux, notamment avec la participation active et l appui du groupe Princess Holding, représentera un avantage important pour la réalisation de la nouvelle phase du développement des activités de Tunisiana, notamment par le lancement de services avancés, novateurs et compétitifs sur le marché tunisien (3G, téléphonie fixe, ). Construction du nouveau siège de la Sonatel : La première pierre posée Par Cheikh NDONG Mis en ligne le :16:50 La Sonatel s est engagée dans un projet de construction de son nouveau siège sur la Vdn. La première pierre de cet édifice a été posée hier, mardi 23 novembre, par le Premier Ministre, Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye en présence des Directeurs généraux de la Sonatel et de France Télécoms. Après un quart de siècle de développement des télécommunications au Sénégal, la Sonatel souhaite construire un nouveau siège au nouveau de la Vdn. La pose de la première pierre a été faite hier, mardi 23 novembre par le Premier Ministre, Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye. «Ce nouveau siège sera très prochainement un lieu où convergent et cohabitent les technologies de pointe, les références culturelles à cette terre multi millénaire qu est le continent africain, tout en restant dans un pragmatisme tout contemporain», a martelé le Directeur Général de la Sonatel et tout nouveau Président du Conseil d Administration de la Senelec, Cheikh Tidiane Mbaye. Ce dernier d ajouter : «c est donc un projet architectural à la fois futuriste et ancré dans notre culture et nos valeurs ; des valeurs de partage, de convivialité et d échanges». Le directeur général de la Sonatel a aussi estimé que la pose de cette pierre se fait dans un contexte particulier qui remplit tous Sonatéliens de fierté et d espoir en l avenir : «celui de 25 ans de notre entreprise». Le Directeur Général de France Télécoms, M. Stéphane Richard, quant à lui, a souligné que la Sonatel a joué un rôle essentiel dans l économie du Sénégal et des pays voisins. Car, selon lui, Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 8

9 un gain de 10 points en pénétration de téléphonie mobile entraîne une hausse additionnelle de 0.81% du Pib, tandis qu une hausse semblable de la pénétration du haut débit entraînerait une hausse du Pib de 1.4%. C est dans cette optique que le patron de France Télécoms a déclaré : «notre performance économique n a de sens que si elle s accompagne du développement économique et social durable des populations». Pour cela, estime t-il, «nous offrons en en Afrique le meilleur des services de Groupe pour une croissance économique durable et un partenariat gagnant-gagnant». Le Premier Ministre, Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye qui a posé la première pierre de cet édifice, en compagnie des responsables de la Sonatel et de France Télécoms, a soutenu que les télécommunications constituent une grappe de croissance dynamique et contribuent à hauteur de 8% au Pib. Le paiement sur mobile, alternative à la carte de crédit? LEMONDE.FR h30 Mis à jour le h40sponsorisés par Un système de paiement par smarphone.d.r. Qui obtiendra la mainmise sur votre porte-monnaie mobile? Opérateurs, géants du Web et start-up rivalisent pour rendre incontournable leur mode de paiement depuis un terminal nomade. Si la première phase dans la bataille des smartphones a été celle des applications, la seconde pourrait être celle des systèmes de paiement. L'enjeu est de taille. Comme le montre l'étude Mobile Payments 2010 (fichier PDF), les prévisions doivent être prudentes, mais pourraient se chiffrer en milliards d'euros. "De nombreuses initiatives de paiement mobile demeurent à un stade expérimental", rappelle l'étude, mais sont largement démocratisées en Corée du Sud ou au Japon, mais aussi en Australie, aux Philippines et au Kenya. Aux Etats-Unis, les opérateurs, en première ligne, tentent déjà d'imposer une nouvelle norme, la technologie sans contact NFC (Near Field Communication), pour transformer les smartphones en substitut de carte de crédit. Trois grands opérateurs de téléphonie mobile, Verizon Wireless, AT&T et T-Mobile, viennent de créer une co-entreprise qui devrait faciliter l'expansion des systèmes de paiement sur téléphone portable. La co-entreprise, baptisée Isis, sera "un réseau national de commerce sur portable visant à transformer la façon dont les gens font leurs courses, paient et économisent", selon un communiqué des opérateurs. A la mi-novembre, Eric Schmidt, le PDG de Google, a présenté un Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 9

10 modèle de smartphone, sans toutefois en préciser la marque, intégrant une puce compatible NFC. Nokia, leader mondial de la téléphonie mobile, et le fabricant canadien du BlackBerry, Research in Motion, sont aussi intéressés par cette technologie. Mais après s'être imposés sur le Web, les leaders du paiement en ligne, comme PayPal, tentent aussi de trouver de nouveaux relais de croissance sur les appareils mobiles. Le service, propriété d'ebay, revendique 90 millions d'utilisateurs et un chiffre d'affaires au troisième trimestre de 838 millions de dollars (597 millions d'euros). PayPal a mis à disposition des développeurs un outil permettant d'intégrer dans leurs applications sa solution de paiement. Selon les chiffres de l'entreprise, ce type de service, inclus dans applications mobiles, correspond à un volume de transactions d'un milliard de dollars (747 millions d'euros) en DES START-UP AGRESSIVES De jeunes pousses, comme Obopay et Zong, qui proposent aux utilisateurs de smartphones de payer directement depuis leur appareil, essaient aussi de gagner des parts de marché. D'autres petites entreprises, comme Boku, qui a pour l'heure reçu 38 millions de dollars (28,4 millions d'euros) d'investissements, susciteraient même les convoitises de géants comme Apple et Google, selon Techcrunch. D'après les sources du site spécialisés, les prétendants devraient débourser au moins 250 millions de dollars (187 millions d'euros) pour racheter la start-up, qui a su nouer de nombreux partenariats avec les opérateurs américains. Face à ces nombreux concurrents, les fournisseurs de cartes de crédit optent pour une stratégie offensive, fournissant, comme PayPal, une plate-forme de développement pour intégrer leurs services. L'an passé, "Visa, MasterCard et American Express ont dépensé environ 3 milliards de dollars pour acheter des systèmes de paiement en ligne", souligne aussi le magazine Businessweek. Au mois d'août, MasterCard a notamment dépensé plus de 400 millions d'euros pour acquérir le britannique DataCash. Laurent Checola Africa: Seizing the Opportunity of Mobile Technology for Health and Medicine Alison Bloch Each year, millions of people die from preventable diseases. At the recent 2010 mhealth Summit in Washington D.C., Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, discussed the opportunity for mobile technology to help reverse this tide by supporting vaccine and patient information delivery. We should also look to seize the opportunity that the growing reach of cell phones presents to improve access to life-saving medicines. Mobile health (mhealth), or the use of wireless networks and mobile devices to support health care, offers several solutions and models of success. Already, tools like Ghana-based Sproxil and mpedigree are enabling health providers and consumers to use mobile technology to track and verify the origin and authenticity of their medications. At the mhealth Summit, I chaired a panel with representatives from the diverse groups that are needed at the table for this discussion: the pharmaceutical industry, academia, the telecommunications sector, nonprofits and social enterprises. We tackled issues of drug affordability, appropriate use of medicines and supply chain dynamics, and the surge in pilot programs using mhealth solutions to deal with these issues. Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 10

11 We must now ask the questions: how can we best use information and communication technologies (ICTs), particularly mobile, to enable better data and health information transfer at key delivery points? And more importantly, how can these technologies be incorporated into larger efforts to deliver essential medicines and lead to overall health system strengthening? Prashant Yadav, a global health supply chain guru, remarked that his research shows that "better information flow outperforms holding more [drug] stock closer to the health facility." It appears that we need to rethink how we approach and design strategies for improving access to medicines and how to incorporate all available tools at our disposal. To do this, we should consider the following: 1) The need to motivate individuals and organizations to submit data and information is crucial. Without information, there is no way to inform decision-making, especially when it comes to time-sensitive actions like the allocation of resources and commodities. This includes the ability to reduce stockouts of vital medicines and vaccines, manage inventory, track patient outcomes, forecast demand and more. During a recent mhealth pilot led by Pfizer, individuals were given incentives for collecting and submitting data via their mobile phones. This incentive program resulted in a percent submission rate, creating an incredible increase in the amount of information being shared. Now that we know that incentivizing is critical to enabling the flow of data, our challenge is how to subsidize those incentives in a sustainable way. Who should bear that cost? And what is the role of the telecommunications industry? 2) Leveraging mobile financial services (mmoney, mbanking and the like) to help improve access to medicines and drive both supply and demand for related health services. Mobile finance tools can be used to determine when, where and how money is flowing throughout the global health supply chain. The flow of financial data related to health has the potential to increase transparency about the cost of drugs, contract execution, budget allocation and the efficiency of donor financing. Such transparency also has the potential to reduce corruption and decrease counterfeiting activities. With the ability to track and trace drugs, manage inventory, and literally "follow the money," governments, donors, the private sector, NGOs and more will be empowered to make informed, strategic decisions. Mobile financial services can further support improved access to medicines by enabling services like micro-insurance payments for prescriptions, electronic vouchers for vaccinations, payment of health worker salaries and conditional cash transfers. 3) The importance of a cohesive mhealth infrastructure and efforts directed toward systemic growth. Currently, many mhealth applications are single-use or "point" solutions specific to only one population or built to solve just one problem. This approach is not the answer for long-term viability and sustainability. For mhealth solutions to have significant and lasting impact, it is critical that we address health systems from a more comprehensive perspective. Linking mhealth applications with logistics and management platforms and enabling coordination across all health sectors, and other linked sectors, will lead to improved outcomes and long-term solutions for health and access to medicines. VillageReach's use of a "hybrid, interdisciplinary approach" is an example of such an effort. UN Foundation Specialists in mobile technology say it can profoundly improve health care in developing countries. The opportunity for mhealth to improve access to medicines is further explored in a forthcoming publication I wrote with the mhealth Alliance. In the report, we identify and discuss core areas where mhealth solutions can most influence a pa- Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 11

12 tient's ability to access essential medicines. Findings include the need for an integrated endto-end information system to capture and distribute critical health data, the development of standards for tracking drugs and relaying information, a system of identification for patients, a push to educate the public and lower level health providers about drugs, and a concerted effort to increase the reach and ability of health personnel. The report also identifies publicprivate partnerships as a key driver in developing sustainable solutions for access to medicines and global health overall. It is clear that mhealth has the potential to improve access to medicines and strengthen health systems and economic development worldwide. Our challenge now is to keep the conversation going, and to improve and expand upon the success already being realized through the use of mobile technology. Alison Bloch is managing partner at Mobile Health Solutions, Arc Spring Group Kenya: Press Releases: Airtel and Nokia Launch KES1,850 Handset Offer Nairobi, 22 November With the continental rebrand of all Zain Africa operations to Airtel, Airtel Kenya have launched a virtually free handset and airtime bundled sales offer. Airtel Kenya Managing Director Rene Meza confirmed that for just KES1,850, Airtel Kenya customers can now purchase the bundled package comprising of a brand new Nokia 1280 handset and an Airtel SIM card. The offer, Meza said, is geared at connecting unconnected Kenyans and will also allow the new Airtel subscribers to enjoy an equivalent amount in free talk time over the first 12 month period once they load any amount of Airtel credit to the SIM card. We re driven by the vision of making mobile communications affordable and available for all. Access to mobile communications will give people the freedom to achieve their goals in life, transforming how people communicate and how communities interact. Delivering on that opportunity through affordable and available mobile communications for everyone is our focus and this new Airtel package effectively removes the cost of entry for even the poorest people in the most remote areas. Airtel is partnering with world class telecommunications infrastructure suppliers to extend its networks to rural areas which are at present disconnected from the world and ensure that Airtel has the best quality network in Kenya. Nokia East and Southern Africa General Manager Mr Kenneth Oyolla said: The mobile handset is the device truly able to bridge the digital divide and impact the lives of people across the continent for the better, catalyzing economic growth and social development. It connects people to the world in some cases for the first time - and gives people everywhere access to education, healthcare and banking services. By effectively giving away a brand new Nokia mobile phone for free and providing a SIM card plus talk time and SMS credits, now everyone in Kenya can unleash the opportunities that mobile communications provide. This Airtel package gives them the freedom to achieve their goals in life and Nokia is very excited to be part of this great programme. Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 12

13 Airtel Launches Brand Across its Operations in Africa Nairobi, 22 November 2010: Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa, today launched the Airtel brand and unveiled the new brand identity across its 16 African operations including Kenya. With the unveiling of the new brand identity Airtel, becomes the master brand for all the group s 19 operations in Asia and Africa covering over 200m customers. Here in Kenya, Airtel replaces the Zain brand and comes with the promise of delivering high quality customer benefits through the power of global Airtel brand. In tandem and going forward, all Airtel Kenya future new products and services will follow the Airtel brand structure. In Kenya, just as in all other Airtel markets in Africa, fast growing ZAP mobile money service has also re-branded into Airtel Money with immediate effect. In a communiqué released in Nairobi, Bharti Airtel CEO (International) and Joint Managing Director Mr. Manoj Kohli said that the continental rebrand to Airtel now brings together all the firm s operations under a single, strong and unique identity. "Airtel brings together all our operations under a single, strong and unique brand identity. We can deliver more for our customers by operating as a single brand across Africa to fulfill our vision of providing affordable and innovative mobile services for all customers. The new youthful identity will be the most loved brand in the daily lives of African people for years to come. Our customers will experience the same familiar brand and enjoy consistent quality of service, reliability, innovation and affordability wherever they live, work or travel. Airtel will also make a positive impact in the communities in which we operate through extending our network to rural areas and through our education initiatives. Airtel Kenya Managing Director Rene Meza expressed the firm s commitment to bridging the digital divide with a strategic goal to win the customers hearts in Kenya. We remain committed to taking our network deeper into Africa, ensuring our services touch everyone and bridge the digital divide in the continent. I am confident that over the coming years Airtel will win the hearts of customers in Kenya and emerge as one of most admired brands of the continent, Meza said. The new brand identity The new Airtel brand comes with a promise to meet the emerging needs of customers with innovative, affordable and relevant solutions to empower consumers, giving them the freedom to do what they choose and provide them with the tools to meet life s daily challenges. The red primary colour of the logo reflects the warmth and vibrancy of the African continent. It is the colour of life and of the African sun at dusk. These qualities are reflected in Airtel s brand personality of being brave and bold, sensitive and empathetic. The new curved addition to the logo is a symbol which will help ensure instant recognition across our diverse international markets. As part of the celebration of unveiling the new brand, Airtel also announced the launch of a new ultra low cost handset package which effectively provides a mobile phone free of charge to all new subscribers. The package, launched in conjunction with Nokia, will be priced at KES1,850 and includes a brand new Nokia 1280 mobile phone, a free SIM card and the equivalent value in free Airtel talk time and SMS text messages. Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 13

14 Over the next couple of months Airtel will launch a number of world leading product innovations which focus on delivering relevant information for customers to enhance their quality of life and provide tools that will help them overcome their daily challenges. In the past four months Airtel has already made tariff interventions in 11 of its 16 markets in Africa for the benefit of its customers. It has also signed agreements to extend its networks to the most remote areas of the country which are still not connected with the outside world The heat is on for operators in Africa s mobile space Feature Articles, ICT Imara Africa Securities team The African mobile telephony space continues to evolve in terms of entrants and tactics, with Bloomberg reporting on how the likes of Vodafone Group Plc, Bharti Airtel Ltd. and other phone companies with more than USD 90bn invested in Africa, are finding that making money from each user in the world s fastest-growing market is turning into the biggest challenge. The number of operators has prompted a race to the bottom on call rates as regulators push for a cut in interconnection fees, while the entrance of the likes of Bharti with a low price high volume strategy has precipitated the cutting of rates. In Tanzania, which has seven phone companies, prices have fallen 90% over the past 18 months. Companies also face among the world s highest churn rates, with users frequently changing operators, and patchy infrastructure, all of which make returns on investment difficult. It is hard, said Peter Uys, chief executive officer of Vodacom Group Ltd., which is controlled by Vodafone and is the largest provider of mobile-phone services in South Africa and Tanzania. You have to do business in a very different way, you have to build data networks, find other ways to grow revenue. Operators have been lured to the continent by its promise. Africa has a mobile-phone population of about 445 million handsets, according to a McKinsey & Co. report. It took 20 years for the size of the mobile-phone population to reach 200 million, and less than three years to get to the next 200 million, according to the report. The falling average revenue per user (ARPU) that comes with this accelerated growth has driven companies to look at data and other value added services as a way of maintaining margin, with Safaricom, for example, which published its H1 11 results attributing the 15% increase in profit to higher sales driven by data services. Despite the tighter conditions, investment continues to flow into the sector. France Telecom SA, according to an article in the FT, is planning to introduce a series of low-cost offers under its Orange brand in a bid to double its sales in rural Africa by 2015 from EUR 3.4bn in Orange wants to be the champion of rural Africa, France Telecom executive director for Africa, Middle East and Asia, Mark Rennard said, according to the report. Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 14

15 The push in less penetrated markets such as Mozambique will also see further momentum, with that country seeing Portugal Telecom, Angolan company Unitel and the Vietnamese consortium known as Movitel vying to be Mozambique s third mobile network licence. The consumer of course should hopefully come out the winner in all this, as competition pushes the mobile companies to be efficient and innovative in their approach so as to defend/gain market share while providing an adequate return of equity. Article produced by the Imara Africa Securities team. Imara is an investment banking and asset management group renowned for its knowledge of African markets. Orascom Telecom Rebrands Namibian Cell One as Leo, Other Units to Follow Namibian mobile operator Cell One will be rebranded as Leo in a process to begin next month. Egypt-based parent Orascom Telecom, which took over the reins of 2G/3G operator Powercom (trading as Cell One) at the start of this year, explained that the name (pronounced lay-o ) was taken from the Swahili word meaning today, while also representing the Spanish lion, and would replace a branding that had become too old school and did not resonate well with the public. The Egyptian group added that the new brand will eventually be adopted by other subsidiaries of its Telecel Globe division in Zimbabwe (Telecel Zimbabwe), Burundi (U-Com Burundi) and the Central African Republic (Telecel Centrafrique). The cost of the rebranding is being shared between the international group and at the local level, according to Cell One CEO Soban Pasha. Telecommunication-Nigeria: Multi-links telkom quits CDMA operations News - Africa news Multi-links telkom quits CDMA operations - Multi-links Telkom Nigeria is quitting its CDMA operations in Nigeria due to continued operating losses, despite cost reducing measures taken by the management of the firm to shore up profitability. The Acting CEO of the firm, Vincent Raseroka at a briefing held to announce the decision to exit Nigerian CDMA operations, disclosed that it has become financially difficult for the firm to continue doing business in that segment, because the Nigerian operating environment is too competitive. He stated that the firm's subscriptions and connections revenue decreased 18.2% due to the termination of access fees as a result of increased competition. Raseroka added that the management of Telkom had received expressions of interest from within and outside the country which will be evaluated in the next three to four months, though he declined naming the companies that had expressed interest. Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 15

16 He disclosed that due to the decision to exit CDMA operations, eleven expatriate staff will leave the company within the month, while potential impact on the rest of staff numbering about 750 will be in the first quarter following the successful conclusion of any potential transaction. He stated that despite comprehensive turn around programmes embarked upon by Telkom, Multi-links Nigeria has continued to operate at a loss and the Telkom Group in March this year had to write down $1.2 billion in losses for Multi-links Nigeria, eroding confidence of shareholders in the capacity of the firm to make a headway in the Nigeria market which is highly dominated by GSM operators. Raseroka lamented that Multi-links made a lot of strategic efforts to turn around the fortunes of the firm including substantially lowering its tariffs, yet was unable to break even. It was still saddled with an underutilized network of just 2.6 million subscribers, when it had a capacity for 10 million subscribers. He said that a number of factors including the global economic meltdown contributed to the woes of the firm. He said that fact that GSM operators were getting more aggressive, in addition to increasing competition whithin the CDMA market also negatively affected Multi-links. The firm's operating revenue decreased by 1.7% in It also recorded a 39% decrease in Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization EBITDA from -3,214 million to -4,456 same year. Traffic revenue also decreased by 24.6% due to decrease in traffic volumes and higher churn rates. Efem Nkanga Télécommunications: Bharti Airtel s'implante au Ghana Afrique de l'ouest - Ghana Téléphonie mobile - Bharti Airtel, une société indienne de télécommunications implantée dans 19 pays à travers l'asie et l'afrique a démarré ses activités lundi au Ghana. Ainsi, Ghana Airtel remplace Zain, un des cinq fournisseurs de services de téléphonie mobile dans le pays. Les négociations pour la fusion de Bharti Airtel avec cet opérateur ont été conclues en juin de cette année. Lors d'un point de presse à Accra, la capitale du Ghana, Philip Sowah, directeur de pays d'airtel Ghana, a déclaré que le lancement de la marque Airtel en Afrique permettrait de regrouper toutes ses opérations sous une marque unique pour offrir à ses clients des produits et services de bonne qualité. Ce qui signifie qu'airtel est devenue la marque unique pour tous les 19 opérateurs du groupe qui couvrent plus de 200 millions de clients. M. Sowah a expliqué que le partenariat d'airtel avec le géant de la technologie, IBM, relancerait la croissance de cette compagnie en permettant la création d'emplois, l'acquisition de nouvelles compétences et le transfert des technologies, qui ferait du Ghana une destination de classe mondiale pour les entreprises internationales. Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 16

17 Zain Malawi finally rebrands to Airtel Chancy Namadzunda, AfricaNews reporter in Lilongwe, Malawi Airtel launches new global brand across its operations in Africa, Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company, has finally taken over Zain Malawi following the unveiling of the new brand identity in Lilongwe. The company is the largest telecommunication provider in the country with about subscribers. Airtel s CEO (International) and joint Managing Director said the company brings together all operations under a single, strong and unique brand identity. We can deliver more for our customers under a single brand across Africa to fulfill our vision of providing affordable and innovative mobile services for all customers. Our customers will experience the same familiar brand and enjoy consistent quality of services, reliability, innovation and affordability wherever they live, work or travel. He said Managing Director of Aitel Malawi Saulos Chilima said the new company remains committed to taking the network deeper into the country, ensuring that the services touch everyone ad bridge the digital divide in the country. He said the brand comes with the promise to meet the emerging needs of customers with innovative, affordable and relevant solutions to empower consumers, giving them the freedom to do what they choose and provide them with the tools to meet life s daily challenges. Airtel is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa. It offers mobile voice and data services, fixed line, high speed broadband, IPTV, DTH, turnkey telecom solutions for enterprises and national and international long distance services to carriers. La Fondation Bill Gates appuie M-Pesa en Tanzanie Vodacom Tanzania a reçu, mardi 16 novembre, une subvention de 4,8 millions $ de Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pour améliorer le service Vodafone M-Pesa dans le pays. Dietlof Mare, directeur général de Vodacom, qui a salué ce geste, a déclaré que la subvention a pour but d'améliorer la vie des Tanzaniens, avec une utilisation accrue de Vodafone M- Pesa. Il a assuré que Vodacom utilisera cette enveloppe financière pour augmenter les prestations de sensibilisation et de services de Vodafone M-Pesa, en particulier ceux destinés aux régions éloignées ou enclavées. L'impact attendu est à la mesure des rapports entre les Tanzaniens bancarisés (à peine 2 millions) et les plus de 18 millions utilisateurs de téléphone mobile sur une population de 40 millions d'habitants, a-t-il dit. Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 17

18 Visafone Nigeria leader de la technologie CDMA en Afrique Communications Visafone Nigeria a lancé son service de roaming international dans plus de 200 pays et à travers plus de 400 réseaux à travers le monde. Un tel système permet aux clients, aussi bien prépayés que postpayés, de bénéficier d'un accès transparent à leurs correspondants. En permettant une connectivité sans faille aux clients Visafone par un accès libre à la voix et aux SMS à travers le monde, ce groupe nigérian se positionne comme le premier réseau CDMA à avoir lancé ce service en Afrique. Le SMS en Tunisie est parmi les moins tarifiés dans le monde arabe Une nouvelle étude de l'arab Advisors Group révèle que 87% des opérateurs de téléphonie mobile dans les pays arabes fournissent le service MMS. Le service SMS, qui est fourni par tous les opérateurs de téléphonie mobile dans la région, est tarifié très différemment dans la région. Le Yémen et la Palestine ont le plus faible taux moyen de SMS, alors que le Maroc et la Syrie en ont le plus élevé. L enquête montre que le taux de SMS y compris les taxes au Maroc est le plus élevé. Le taux marocain est suivi par ceux de la Syrie, du Liban, Algérie, Qatar, Koweït, Libye, Emirats Arabes Unis, Egypte, Arabie Saoudite, Jordanie, Irak, Oman, Bahreïn, Soudan, Tunisie, Yémen et a Palestine Tata Communications drives new investments into Africa James Walker, VP Managed Network Services, TATA ITNewsAfrica.com chatted with James Walker, VP Managed Network Services, Gaurav Anand, VP Business Development Middle East and Africa, Global Voice Solutions and Tony Rossabi, Senior VP Global Carrier Solutions from Tata Communications, about TATA s strategy for Africa. ITNewsAfrica.com: What is Tata Communication s short-term strategy for Africa? James Walker: Our main direction in the past couple of years was to enable carriers to sell advanced enterprise solutions to their markets. We are one of the largest wholesale suppliers to Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 18

19 carriers on the African continent and we see a strong growth in enterprise requirements into Africa. Tata has made significant investment in Neotel, South Africa s second largest telecom operator and in the Eastern Africa in countries like Kenya and Tanzania. Our focus in the coming months is moving to the western and northern coasts in Nigeria, Ghana and Morocco, Egypt for brand new investments. Next in line is a focus on converged services to mobile operators to allowing them to become next generation carriers. On a larger scale, we are very involved in markets which direct traffic to Africa, including India and Portugal, where majority of traffic terminates today. Also we have recently made a $240 million dollar investment in the Middle East. We are therefore meeting outbound requirements generated by African operators and we have a strong focus on all markets that lead traffic to Africa for outbound connectivity. ITNewsAfrica.com: What is the company s goal in terms of voice communications on the continent? Gaurav Anand: In terms of voice communications, Tata acquired Teleglobe to further capitalize on providing high quality international and cross-border voice communications at lower costs to our database of 75 mobile operators. Beyond voice traffic solutions, our interest is helping operators with back-office solutions to simplify their operations and get them ready for the next generation networks. James Walker: We are able to facilitate the transition to convergent, IP-based services. The next step in sustaining mobile growth and competitive services is through converged voice and data networks and an infrastructure upgrade to IP. In fact we are busy switching our very last TDM voice switch. Gaurav Anand: Group operators understand that this shift to IPX services is critical as the mobile market is fast moving towards data applications. One of the challenges in emerging markets has always been the cost of infrastructure and IPX, besides being less expensive and easily to implement, provides operators with scalable global-class services that meet the current data demand. ITNewsAfrica.com: What are the current trends in data demand by African enterprises? Tony Rossabi: Data services are an integrated part of our enterprise business solutions. We clearly see a transformation towards managed applications and turn-key solution converged services, integrating data security, voice and fax services, telepresence facilities. Tata is actively focusing on VoIP services and network support in increasing operators network capacities. A major investment we had was providing voice services to Tanzanian operators via SEACOM. Zain Nigeria rebranded as Airtel Nigeria Shri Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, owners of Airtel brand globally, during the launch of Airtel brand across Africa Bharti Airtel, the giant global telecommunications company which has operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa at the weekend unveiled Airtel brand in Nigeria and around the continent, finally laying to Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 19

20 rest the Zain brand. The new and more vibrant brand was unveiled in Abuja, Nigeria s capital city by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, along with Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Group CEO, Bharti Enterprises. With the brand reveal activity, the identity of the company has changed from Zain Nigeria to Airtel Nigeria. Airtel is now the master brand for all the telecom group s 19 operations. Airtel currently serve over 200 million customers in Asia and Africa. In his remarks, President Goodluck Jonathan commended Airtel for choosing Nigeria as the launch location for the entire Africa continent. He also congratulated Airtel for the successful launch of the new brand and for its expressed commitment to make telecoms services affordable for the consumer. He urged the company to assist in creating additional jobs for Nigerians. Jonathan who was represented by the Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili also expressed joy at the plan of the company to expand its operations to more rural areas and communities. He equally advice the company to increase its investment in Nigeria as this will help to reduce the level of unemployment in the country. Speaking at the event, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti, said: Bharti began its African journey by promising to deliver world-class and affordable mobile services to customers and delighting them with innovative products. I believe we are taking a major step towards delivering on this by introducing the heart of our business the Airtel brand across our operations in Africa. Our African customers will now be able to enjoy the same best-in-class brand experience as our customers across India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He further added: We remain committed to taking our network deeper into Africa, ensuring our services touch the common man and bridge the digital divide in the continent. I am confident that over the coming years Airtel will win the hearts of customers across Africa and emerge as one of most admired brands of the continent. The new brand identity Rajan Swaroop, Managing Director, Airtel Nigeria said the new Airtel brand comes with a promise to meet the emerging needs of customers with innovative, affordable and relevant solutions to empower consumers, giving them the freedom to do what they choose and provide them with the tools to meet life s daily challenges. The red primary colour of the logo reflects the warmth and vibrancy of the African continent. It is the colour of life and of the African sun at dusk. These qualities are reflected in Airtel s brand personality of being brave and bold, sensitive and empathetic. The new curved addition to the logo is a symbol which will help ensure instant recognition across our diverse international markets. As part of the celebration of unveiling the new brand, Airtel also announced the launch of a new ultra low cost handset package which effectively provides a mobile phone free of charge to all new subscribers. The package, launched in conjunction with Nokia, will be priced at approx NGN 3,500 (USD $23) and includes a brand new Nokia 1280 mobile phone, a free SIM card and the equivalent value in free Airtel talk time and SMS text messages. Over the next couple of months Airtel will launch a number of world leading product innovations which focus on delivering relevant information for customers to enhance their quality of life and provide tools that will help them overcome their daily challenges. Performances Veille 2010 Performances MC Tous droits réservés 20